The Secrets of the Heavenly Court and the Four Great Heavenly Gates

"No problem, I expected this long ago. The ancient Ascension Platform, which is linked to the Heavenly Court ruins, makes perfect sense. I don't believe that Master Lu could have foreseen everything except this one thing."

The Yu Tunzhou's mouth.

"The Primeval Heavenly Court has long since collapsed, its ruins scattered everywhere, mostly shrouded in mist, only occasionally revealing themselves—this is known as the Mist Period."

"No one knows the current state of these Heavenly Court, which is why I was reluctant to take the risk before. But I'm willing to trust the ascension platform left by Master Lu. Even if there are risks, there should be a way out."

"Compared to where we're going next," Yu Tunzhou turned back to the Lu Di, transmitting his voice within his Primordial Spirit Heaven and Earth, "I'm more concerned about that ' Heavenly Emperor ' earlier. Just who is this kid?"

After saying that, he asked doubtfully, "You can recognize that person, but you can't recognize Huntian?"

The mighty Supreme Emperor Haotian, as the Great Sage among the Huntian Demons, should have recognized him at first glance.

Huntian stammered, "I've seen that person several times from afar, but I only ever saw him shrouded in divine light. I've never seen his true face, so it's hard to say whether this person is truly the Heavenly Emperor..."

Yu Tunzhou was taken aback and said, "You are supposed to be Great Sage among demons, yet you haven't even seen Haotian's true face? He should be at the level of Five Emperors, right? That's exactly the title of Great Sage among your demons."

Huntian defended himself, saying, "At that time, the Heavenly Court was at the center of the world, above all others. Even after the Dao Venerable disappeared, the Heavenly Court still had several sect leaders supporting it. Even the Demon Emperor had to temporarily avoid its sharp edge, and we Demon Race were no exception. Even Great Sage like us were absolutely forbidden from clashing with the Heavenly Court at that time."

Yu Tunzhou asked with a strange expression, "How come I remember that you and a few other brothers tried to rebel against Heaven? Isn't that how you got your title of ' Great Sage Huntian '?"

Huntian chuckled dryly, "Fellow Daoist, you seem to remember this clearly... In my younger days, I was ignorant and just fooled around with my six brothers after drinking. In the end, we were imprisoned by the Demon Emperor, but we never really rebelled against Heaven."

"Hmm, originally there were seven brothers, Qi Tian, Ping Tian Huntian..." Yu Tunzhou thought to himself, "In the end, only Brother Monkey truly rebelled against Heaven."

At this moment, Yu Tunzhou could clearly feel that although the intent of the Final Tribulation had dissipated, its influence had not disappeared. Even though his Nature Cultivation had reached the [Nature-Seeing Heaven] level, he was still deeply affected by the intent of the calamity.

This influence is predominantly negative, keeping his murderous intent burning and making him prone to extremes.

To suppress this influence, he intentionally kept his mind racing, constantly shifting his thoughts, adjusting and calming his State of Mind, and deliberately diverting his attention to other areas.

For example, exploring the Heavenly Court

His first stop was the Southern Heavenly Gate, where he gained almost nothing, only a preliminary understanding of the ruins of the Heavenly Court.

The second is the Thunder Ministry Heavenly Palace, the Supreme Divine Firmament Jade Purity Mansion.

This time, he went much deeper. He not only acquired the Vajra Bracelet but also saw what appeared to be the mark of the Great Emperor of Longevity of the South Pole, who immediately shouted "Haotian"...

Yu Tunzhou frowned, recalling what he had seen that time.

That time, the projection that seemed to be the Great Emperor of Longevity rebuked Haotian for his audacity and even attempted to subdue or force him to retreat with the Vajra Bracelet?

"Among the Five Emperors of Heavenly Court, is the Great Emperor of Longevity of the South Pole more aligned with Daoism?" Yu Tunzhou asked Huntian for confirmation.

When he was in Twin Rivers Commandery, he came into contact with a small Daoist temple called Five Thunder Temple, which is suspected to be the lineage of the Great Emperor of Longevity of the South Pole.

Hun Heavenly Dao, "That one is Celestial Venerable Yuanshi's person, and his position among the Five Emperors is the clearest."

Yu Tunzhou nodded; this was consistent with what he knew.

And the one who finally obtained the Vajra Bracelet clearly received orders from the Dao and Virtue teacher.

Based on this, it can be concluded that Haotian eventually broke ties with both the Dao and Virtue and Yuanshi lineages.

At this point in time, it's unknown whether the Buddha has already passed away...

"Great Sage, are you familiar with the backgrounds of other important figures in Heavenly Court?" Yu Tunzhou asked. "We need those powerful Divine Ability who are likely still alive."

"... Just mentioning the last point makes it difficult to confirm." Huntian shook his head. "After the collapse of the Heavenly Court, a large number of Immortals and Gods disappeared, and most of those who died were heavenly soldiers and generals."

What about the Five Emperors?

"Behind the Great Emperor of Longevity of the South Pole is the Celestial Venerable Yuanshi; behind the Supreme Emperor Haotian are first the Dao Venerable, then Laojun and Buddha; the Goddess Houtu has a close personal relationship with the Demon Emperor, as for the other two... they are more secretive and not widely known."

Yu Tunzhou frowned. Of the Five Emperors currently alive in the Heavenly Court, these last two are most likely to be the last two.

One of the Great Emperor Gouchen the Heavenly Emperor.

A Great Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole.

The Heavenly Court collapsed, and countless Immortals and Gods either died or disappeared, even the Supreme Emperor Haotian could not escape it. Ironically, it was these two most mysterious supporters who survived to this day?

Huntian recalled carefully:

"Besides Haotian and the Four Emperors, there are several others who, though their official status is not as high as the former, have been privately revealed to me by a sworn brother of mine who once served in the Heavenly Court and held a high-ranking position. These individuals are no less powerful than the former, but they lack strong supporters behind them. For example, the Great Emperor Qinghua of the Eastern Pole, or rather— the King Father of the East."

"Furthermore, the situation of the Queen Mother of the West in Jade Pool is similar to that of the King Father of the East."

Yu Tunzhou's expression gradually turned strange.

At this moment, in order to suppress the influence of the Final Tribulation catastrophe, he intentionally manipulated his emotions, making his State of Mind state more "active," which might make him appear somewhat...

The Eight Trigrams.

He asked curiously, "That Azure Emperor is also called the King Father of the East? Then his divine position is the head of male immortals? Doesn't that correspond to the Queen Mother of the West, who is the head of female immortals in Jade Pool? Doesn't that Heavenly Emperor have any objections?"

In his previous life, he had encountered different "versions" of the Heavenly Court: myths, legends, Daoist and Buddhist scriptures, and later creations...

Ultimately, it inevitably becomes extremely chaotic, full of conflicts and contradictions.

This is also why he specifically sought confirmation from Huntian regarding whether the Great Emperor of Longevity of the South Pole was actually Celestial Venerable Yuanshi.

He couldn't be sure if what he knew in his previous life was exactly the same as this world.

For example, his Primordial Spirit Heaven and Earth Huntian, Great Sage Huntian Peng Demon King, one of the six sages of the Demon Race who swore brotherhood with Brother Monkey, had only appeared in works like Journey to the West in his previous life.

In the Heavenly Court of Journey to the West, the Queen Mother of the West, also known as the Goddess Queen Mother of the West, is husband and wife with the Heavenly Emperor.

There is also a similar case in the Investiture of the Gods, where Haotian and the Golden Mother of the Jade Pool had a daughter Princess Longji.

In the derived folk legends, figures such as the Seven Fairy Maidens and the Weaver Girl are also portrayed as the daughters of the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West.

This has nothing to do with the King Father of the East.

If Huntian were replaced by "Great Emperor Qinghua of the Eastern Pole", he wouldn't be surprised.

It's the same person, but their functions and identities are completely different.

Huntian chuckled and said, "The opinions must be quite significant! I heard from my sworn brother that the Heavenly Court originally did not have the titles of Head of Male Immortals and Head of Female Immortals. Later, the Dao Venerable disappeared, and some turmoil occurred within the Heavenly Court. Then the Eastern King Father of the East appeared. As for the Queen Mother of the West, she was already in charge of the Jade Pool. After the King Father of the East was promoted to Head of Male Immortals, she was also promoted to Head of Female Immortals."

Yu Tunzhou clicked its tongue.

The problem is that the King Father of the East has divided up the Heavenly Emperor's power...

Although the information revealed by Huntian was enough to glimpse the power struggle within the Heavenly Court, that wasn't what he was more concerned about right now...

He went straight to the point. "Isn't that Heavenly Emperor and the Golden Mother of the Jade Pool married?"

"What?" Huntian looked surprised, his eyes darting around before he said strangely, "Fellow Daoist doesn't think the King Father of the East and the Queen Mother of the West are a couple, does he? They are merely divine counterparts. Besides, the Heavenly Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West aren't a couple either. If you have to say they are, it should be Goddess Houtu, but unfortunately later... tsk."

"Goddess Houtu... Is this the pattern of Houtu?" Yu Tunzhou murmured.

In other words, the current world's structure leans towards the Daoist Heavenly Court, with Haotian "beautiful alone," and the only one who corresponds to Him is not the Golden Mother of the Jade Pool, but the Goddess Houtu.

Heaven and earth are opposites.

Yu Tunzhou looked at the Lu Di in his hand. The latter was pale. Although he was under Yu Tunzhou's protection, it was still difficult for him to endure the divine light of ascension.

This guy... is he really the reincarnation of the Heavenly Emperor, or a projection?

What about Lu Daolin, who bears some resemblance to him?

He originally thought that the lame young man left behind by Master Lu was a projection of Lu Daolin's True Spirit from the lower realm.

But now it seems... the truth is far more complex than that.

Judging from the previous one's reaction, even if the Lu Di is not the reincarnation or projection of the Heavenly Emperor, it must have some kind of connection with the Heavenly Emperor.

Yu Tunzhou thought to himself, "When Master Lu named the Lu Di, was it really not the 'Emperor' from Heavenly Emperor '?"

At that very moment.

The divine light of ascension seemed to have finally reached its end.

After traversing the vast, dark Void, a dazzling golden light gradually surged into view like a tide.

A desolate and indescribable scene suddenly came into Yu Tunzhou's view.

What met the eye was an endless expanse of ruins.

The once magnificent and continuous celestial palaces have mostly collapsed.

The most striking feature ahead is a magnificent heavenly gate that transcends the concept of "huge".

Even the single remaining gatepost is over ten thousand feet tall, piercing straight into the broken clouds that stretch for countless miles above.

The reason it is only a remnant is that the gate has long been cracked and damaged, as if it had been forcibly cleaved in half by some peerless divine weapon.

The enormous plaque, jutting diagonally into the ground, bears three characters in bold, elegant calligraphy—

Eastern Heavenly Gate.

Yu Tunzhou frowned and looked on.

The calligraphy is powerful and vigorous, carrying an aura of majesty that overlooks all living beings. Even after countless ages and surrounded by broken bricks and tiles, the solemnity and vastness that have settled in those three characters still come over you, making it hard to breathe.

The divine light of ascension continued its rapid journey, carrying them deeper into the distance.

This place is much larger than imagined; even with the Yu Tunzhou's eyes straining to see, it could not reach the edge of this ruin.

The ruins floated in the Void, some as vast as a continent, some as steep as a mountain peak, and some as fine as sand, drifting slowly and silently along some long-collapsed order.

Above, one can vaguely see the eaves and brackets of the former pavilions and towers, some of which are so large that the sun, moon and stars can be seen surrounding them. There is a single dragon pillar that has fallen into the Void and broken into several pieces, each of which stretches for thousands of miles.

This is the first time that Yu Tunzhou has viewed a portion of the Heavenly Court ruins from this perspective.

Its vastness, grandeur, and desolation far surpassed what he had seen on his previous two visits.

Huntian, who witnessed all of this through the Yu Tunzhou's perspective, then spoke up:

"The Four Heavenly Gates are not simply gateways, but channels through which the vital energy of all realms flows, and points of spatial transformation between the mortal and Immortal Realm. Theoretically, the Heavenly Court can connect to any lower realm, including the [Inner Heaven and Earth] of those great Divine Ability."

"The Southern Heavenly Gate is the main gate of Heavenly Court, and also the only gateway through which gods descend to the mortal realm, leading directly to the human world."

"The Northern Heavenly Gate corresponds to the Nine Netherworlds, or Hell."

"The Western Heavenly Gate corresponds to the location of the Buddhist School in the Western Heaven Paradise."

"The final Eastern Heavenly Gate is one of the final destinations of the various Ascension Platform from the primordial era. All male immortals who ascend to the Heavenly Court initially land here, because it is the Daoist temple of the King Father of the East."

"This Ascension Platform leads directly here... it makes perfect sense."

Huntian smacked his lips, a hint of barely perceptible daze in his expression.

"Back then, when I accompanied the Demon Emperor to court, we entered through the Southern Heavenly Gate. At that time, the celestial light obscured the sun, and a million heavenly soldiers stood in formation, their golden armor gleaming in the sunlight. I didn't even dare to breathe loudly. But now... I've become like this."

It feels like a lifetime ago.

Yu Tunzhou gazes at the palace ahead.

The King Father of the East is also known as the Great Emperor Qinghua of the Eastern Pole.

The "Evergreen Mountain" in the Central Plains is the lineage of his Daoist tradition.

This beam of divine light passed through the Eastern Heavenly Gate; could it be heading to the Azure Emperor's Daoist temple?

Yu Tunzhou couldn't help but glance at the Lu Di.

Why the Azure Emperor?

On the way here, he actually had some guesses in his mind, after all, the Lu Di was suspected to be related to the Heavenly Emperor, most likely the High Heaven Treasure Hall.

Just then, a violent tremor came from the still gray mist high above!

The fog surged and boiled, and the enormous tremors even affected the ruins. Countless floating fragments of walls were shaken off course, colliding with each other and producing a dull roar.

A vast and majestic aura descended slowly, as if ruling the world.

The Yu Tunzhou and suddenly looked up.

Behind the mist, a colossal figure was advancing into the ruins with unstoppable momentum!

"Sure enough, that guy caught up again," Huntian said in a deep voice.

The other party was originally high in the heavens, and was suspected to be a great god deep within the Heavenly Court.

Yu Tunzhou remained expressionless, immediately sensing the Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist, and felt reassured.

Everything went as he expected.

This place is the ruins of the Heavenly Court. Although he did not enter this place through the Heavenly Court Fragment, he can still leave through the Buddhist beads.

This confirmation calmed him down.

Having a way out means you won't be trapped in a desperate situation.

As for the Lu Di, if all else fails, we'll have to temporarily put it into the interior space of the Vajra Bracelet.

The divine light of ascension finally reached its destination at this moment, its radiance suddenly converging and landing steadily in front of a magnificent, half-ruined palace.

Yu Tunzhou finally landed, placing the Lu Di beside him. The latter's face was ashen; after all, he was just an ordinary person.

Yu Tunzhou looked up and said, "It really is here!"

The palace before us faces west and is entirely constructed of cyan jade, exuding a serene and solemn celestial aura.

Above the main gate hangs a plaque inscribed with four ancient seal script characters.

The Eastern Ultimate Wondrous Majesty Palace.

Suddenly, Yu Tunzhou's expression changed.

He looked down and saw black and white colors slowly appearing around him.

This wisp of black and white Qi of Dao and Virtue, born from his past practice of Taijiquan Intent, manifested spontaneously at this moment, surrounding him and subtly forming a faint Taiji Diagram as it flowed.

What shocked him even more was that this Qi of Dao and Virtue was not static, but was growing stronger in an extremely slow but real way!

And the source...

Yu Tunzhou's expression was grave; the source of this seemed to be "below"?

Why is that?

Just as he was about to explore the source of this power, his thoughts were interrupted by a deafening roar.

Boom--

The previously stagnant gray mist was suddenly breached by someone from the outside!

Intense golden-red divine light poured down from the breach, accompanied by a majestic, furious, and resounding roar that echoed throughout the ruins, rolling down in a torrent:

"Heavenly Emperor! You cannot escape!"

Yu Tunzhou's eyes narrowed, and without further hesitation, he reached out and grabbed Lu Di's collar, his figure soaring up the jade steps like a wisp of green smoke.

With one step, one arrives at the palace gate.

The jade door before them seemed to sense something; instead of obstructing them in the slightest, it opened on its own, emitting only a dull thud as it swung open to both sides.

Without hesitation, Yu Tunzhou stepped inside.

As expected, this place is the endpoint indicated by the coordinates left by Master Lu!

Eastern Heavenly Gate.

The celestial light that had pierced through the Void finally disappeared completely before the azure-colored palace.

A figure slowly withdrew their gaze from the distance.

He wore loose-fitting clothes and stood barefoot.

The plain-colored robes were billowing in the wind, revealing no trace of worldly dust, but rather a sense of desolate antiquity similar to the ruins themselves.

Not far from him stood an old man in hemp robes, scrutinizing the broken section of the Heavenly Gate.

The old man was dressed as simply as an ordinary country bumpkin, with white hair and beard, but his eyes were as deep as an ancient pool, inspiring awe in those who looked at him.

It was none other than Martial Ancestor Lu Daolin and the current number one on the Heaven Ranking, the Old Wang Ji Tianfang.

Lu Daolin to look at the horizon, where the gap behind the mist was widening.

He suddenly chuckled:

"That's true, it seems like enemies always run into each other."