Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

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The outcome of the battle had been determined, and the victor and the defeated were clear. The silence of the dead fields was shockingly profound, as everyone was still immersed in the indescribable shock, unable to extricate themselves.

It wasn't until the Heavenly Venerable waved his hand and the Emperor's shadow dissipated that the Light of Clear Spirit descended like rain, turning into sweet dew to nourish the earth.

The Academy Monks, too, said little. They each took to the air, repairing the Array Formation, restoring the Yuan Sprit, healing the scars of the land, and quelling the chaos in all directions.
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The single strike, though it had defeated the Calamity Immortal, came at the cost of this ten-thousand-mile territory, the Heavenly Earth Prime Spirit, and the Earth Vein Spirit Plants that Wuzhuang Temple had nourished with the lifeblood of Mount Longevity for a millennium.

Their forces now nearly depleted, it was essential to recover and replenish quickly, lest this Cave Heaven Blessed Land become a desolate wasteland devoid of life.

This was the price of the Nine Ceremony and Three Talents Great Formation.

Commanding heaven and earth, the Nine Rites and Three Talents involved mustering and expending all resources.

If the Heavenly Court had not retreated and the Emperor had fought to the death, the outcome would still be uncertain.

But there are no such ifs in the world; victory is victory, and defeat is defeat. The facts are as such, no more words are needed.

"Amitabha!"

Outside the battlefield, the Bodhisattva sighed softly, then decisively departed, steering the Lotus Throne back to the west.

Elsewhere, the cultivators, stunned, finally came to their senses. They watched the Academy Monks, as busy as ants, repairing the damage to heaven and earth. Looking at Longevity Mountain Gate and the Ascension Academy above the Nine Heavens, they fell silent once more, their minds a complicated tangle of thoughts and feelings.

...

Within the Ascension Academy, the Nine Rites Heavenly Venerable returned and descended onto the nine-tiered throne to see billowing blue smoke.

Xu Yang was within it, equally exhausted, with his Mahayana immortal power almost entirely drained.

Commanding heaven and earth, the Nine Rites and Three Talents!

This sword strike, this formation, truly shook the heavens and the earth.

Even a Nine Tribulations True Immortal, a Heavenly Court Emperor, could not withstand it, wounded by the Holy Sword and forced to retreat.

But such a stunning move could not come without a cost.

The depletion of the Heavenly Earth's strength was just one aspect; there was also the exhaustion of Xu Yang himself, as well as that of the Nine Rituals Heavenly Venerable.

Even for the Nine Rituals Heavenly Venerable, such a technique could only be used once in a million years.

Now, whether it was the person or the sword, both had suffered a great loss at their foundation. Without a thousand or ten thousand years of repair, it would be impossible to deploy this formation again.

It was a case of defeating the enemy only to suffer heavy losses oneself.

Although Xu Yang had successfully repelled the Emperor of the North Pole and the Celestial army, he still dared not relax. The Void Stele was ready, prepared to retrieve the Academy Monks outside at a moment's notice and then… to flee!

Indeed, to flee!

The foundation of the Heavenly Court ran deep, with not just one Emperor, nor just this host of Calamity Immortals.

If they became obsessed and decided to fight him to the death without caring about the cost, he would only have the option to take the Wandao School and flee.

There was no other choice. His trump cards were all played. If that were not enough to secure the situation, then strategic retreat would be the only option, to plan for the future.

But that was the worst-case scenario; considering the current situation, it was unlikely that the Heavenly Court would do so.

Most likely, both sides would shake hands and make peace, whether temporarily or permanently.

It was up to the Jade Emperor and the true celestial Emperors behind him.

Regardless, Xu Yang needed to prepare for both outcomes, ready to take the Scholar's Palace and flee if the situation turned unfavorable.

As long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. While establishing doctrine in South Observance was of great strategic importance, it was not worth risking life and fortune.

...

On the other hand, in the Eastern Victory Heavenly Court, inside Lingxiao Hall!

"What?"

The Jade Emperor slammed the table, rising in fury, looking down at the White Tiger Star and the host of Calamity Immortals, "A million Celestial Soldiers and a loss of thirty percent; how could you fight like this, allowing the enemy to slaughter you at will?"

"Your Majesty, we are incompetent, please punish us!"

In the face of the Jade Emperor's wrath, the host of Calamity Immortals did not dare say much and simply bowed their heads to admit their guilt.

The Heavenly Court had suffered heavy losses in this battle. The four divisions of Celestial Soldiers, a million strong, had been reduced by thirty percent under the barrage of Heavenly Thunder Earthly Fire, nearly three hundred thousand men reduced to ash.

Moreover, the Heavenly Gang Earth Sha and the Nine Luminaries Star Officials, as well as other great Mahayana Cultivators, had perished or been injured in the battle against the Wandao School's Armored Mecha Formation, a truly painful loss.

Even in the great wars against the Monster Nation and Demon Abyss that engulfed the Three Realms, such casualties were rare and severe. Fortunately, no Calamity Immortals had perished; otherwise, even the deeply rooted Heavenly Court would have been gravely weakened.

And all this had happened not just because the opponent was powerful but also because they had been careless in their own defense.

"We are incompetent, for not detecting the Array Formation in time, falling into the Heavenly Thunder Earthy Fire, which led to our great defeat," they said.

"Zhen Yuanzi's Array Formation skill has reached the extraordinary realm, truly astounding and defying the norm, with mastery over Nine Rituals Magic, wielding the Three Talents. The formation was hidden within heaven and earth, undetected by us. Upon being ensnared and overpowered, we faced defeat."

"We are incompetent, please punish us, Your Majesty!"

The Immortals offered their defenses, yet they dared not say too much, especially the White Tiger Seven Constellations, who could only bow their heads and accept punishment.

The root of the disaster, the prime culprits, were the Western Extreme Auxiliary Court, the White Tiger Seven Constellations. Being the proponents of this battle, now defeated, they had to bear the consequences and swallow the bitter fruits of their actions.

"Hmph!!"

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Emperor Jade gave a cold snort, ignoring everything, and left with a swish of his sleeves.

Seeing this, the immortals dared not speak; they could only remain rigid in the hall, quietly waiting for the situation to unfold.

Of course, there were many who were full of dissatisfaction, angrily glaring at the people of the White Tiger Star and the Western Extreme Auxiliary Court.

The Fire Virtue Star Lord was one of them.

In this major defeat, all four divisions of Celestial Soldiers suffered losses, but not a single Calamity Immortal was harmed. Only the Fire Virtue Star Lord suffered heavy losses. His lifebound Magical Treasure, the superior Immortal Implement, Fire Banner, was taken by Caifeng using the Ground-Departing Flame Light Banner.

If he could not redeem it, it would inevitably affect his path in the future, and he might even face the risk of death and the annihilation of his Dao.

How would a Five Calamity Immortal face the terrifying might of the Sixfold Immortal Tribulations without his lifebound Magical Treasure?

Even the Fire Virtue Star Lord felt overwhelmed by this thought, and could only glare at the White Tiger Star to vent his frustrations.

Thus felt the Fire Virtue Star Lord, and so did the other Immortal Lords.

If it weren't for the disturbance caused by the Western Extreme Auxiliary Court, and the White Tiger Seven Constellations, how could they have suffered such a huge loss?

Now what? How would they settle this account, and how would they compensate for the losses?

...

Behind the Lingxiao Hall, Emperor Jade returned in a great rage, dismissed all the nearby spiritual officials, and sat alone in his vexation.

"Your Majesty!"

Just at that moment, a woman paced into the room, clearly an immortal, noble and dignified, with a graceful demeanor.

Seeing her, Emperor Jade's anger subsided somewhat, and he even stood up to greet her: "How is Mount Tai?"

"Your Majesty, be at ease; the imperial father is unharmed!"

The female immortal shook her head and spoke calmly, "The Nine Rituals Heavenly Venerate has the ability of a True Immortal. The imperial father has sustained no small injury. Although there is no danger to his life, it is a tribulation of three disasters and he must recuperate for ten thousand years, possibly even affecting the contest for the Heavenly Secret Realm."

"This... it is my fault that Mount Tai has suffered this fate!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jade felt ashamed, and then his anger flared up again: "When it comes to this matter, it is all the fault of the Western Court. If they disregard the laws of the Heavenly Court as nothing, acting recklessly and unchecked, how could there be such bitter fruits today?"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

The female immortal shook her head and said solemnly, "At this point, assigning blame is no longer important. What matters is how to remedy this situation."

"Remedy?"

Emperor Jade furrowed his brow, looking at the female immortal: "Does the Empress mean..."

The Empress nodded: "According to the imperial father's wish, we should let this matter rest, make peace with the Wandao School, and, if possible, win them over to act as a barrier for South Observance, withstanding the forces of the Demon Abyss."

"This..."

Emperor Jade's brows were deeply furrowed: "After such a tremendous loss, we are still to make peace? The Wandao School likely has no True Immortal. Relying only on the Nine Rituals Heavenly Sword, they could only be tyrannical for a moment. Even Mount Tai, this time, suffered a mutual loss. With just one more push, who knows if we could..."

"Your Majesty also knows 'who knows'?"

The Empress shook her head: "Wandao School, although relying on the Nine Rites and Three Talents Sword Formation, managed to push back the imperial father, within a thousand years they certainly will not pose such a threat again. But they are not bound to engage South Observance to the death.

If they were to vanish from sight, lying in wait like a dormant snake, after a thousand years, if they achieve the status of Nine Rituals True Immortal and once again challenge the Heavenly Court, what would Your Majesty do then?"

"This..."

At this, Emperor Jade was at a loss for words.

"A feud is better resolved than pursued!"

The Empress advised gravely: "The leader of Wandao has the makings of a True Immortal and coupled with the power of the Nine Rituals, after ten thousand years he is destined to be a colossal True Immortal. The Heavenly Court will gain nothing by being his enemy. It would be better to make peace, turning conflict into alliance."

"But after such a battle, and considering the previous incidents with the Western Court, will the Wandao School be willing to make peace?"

Emperor Jade's brows tightened: "Besides, as far as I know, Li Liuxian of Wandao harbors deep ambitions and will not readily submit to being second to anyone. Now with the arts of the Heavenly Craftsmen, they enable Mahayana practitioners to gain Tribulation Realm combat power.

If left to his own devices, should he grow stronger, wouldn't it be like nurturing a tiger that may one day take over the Heavenly Court?"

"Your Majesty's concerns are not without merit."

The Empress persuaded yet again: "However, as your servant understands it, Li Liuxian is not a tyrant, but a hero. In the Lower Realm, although he united the world under his Scholastic Palace, he did not annihilate the various Dao factions. He left room for them, governed with propriety, won people over with the law, and acted as a proponent of virtue and reason."

"Your Majesty, as the lord of the Heavenly Court, the most revered in the Immortal Path, embodies the great justice of the Human Clan and is critical to the grand scheme. Considering the nature of Li Liuxian, he would never engage in a mutually destructive battle with the Heavenly Court, leaving an opening for demons to take advantage.

Just this point alone is enough to cease hostilities and make peace."

"At most, we need to punish the prime culprits of the Western Court incident and compensate them, ceding the South Observance Continent to him."

"With this, we not only form a bond between two households but also give him a footing in South Observance to counter the Demon Abyss while focusing the full might of the Heavenly Court on the Heavenly Secret Realm."

"As for nurturing a threat..."

The Empress's eyes grew sharp, her expression becoming fierce: "He indeed harbors ambition and refuses to submit to others, but the Heavens are unpredictable, and circumstances change. Who dares to say what the future holds?

In another three thousand years, when the Heavenly Secret Realm reopens, and the emperors of both the Western and Eastern Poles return, we could reignite the conflict, ensuring permanent resolution to the threat!"

"Hmm~!"

At these words, Emperor Jade understood instantly, his eyes gleaming with realization: "With that said, it might indeed be worth considering. Very well, let us end this battle and issue a decree to welcome them!"

"Come forth!"

As he spoke, he called toward the hall outside: "Summon the Longevity Star Palace Master!"

"That cannot be!"

Before he could finish, the Empress interrupted him: "The Longevity Star Palace Master, being merely Mahayana, may have private relations with them, but this would not show sincerity, nor would it have enough significance."

"Then, the Empress means..."

"Why not, Your Majesty, send an incarnation in person to extend the olive branch?"

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