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Chapter 709 - Chapter 709:

The white-browed figure that appeared high above Han Yi was none other than Celestial Venerable Suizhu.

As soon as Han Yi revealed the Yueguang Divine Spear, he had secretly contacted Celestial Venerable Suizhu using the communication method the elder had given him years ago. Originally, they had planned for Suizhu to initiate contact before returning together to the Primordial Great World.

Han Yi had acted decisively to contact Celestial Venerable Suizhu because of the Yueguang Divine Spear. The moment this Divine Venerable Ancient Artifact appeared, he couldn't guarantee that more powerful beings wouldn't detect it.

This was the Dao God Continent, a land teeming with Heavenly Venerables. If any of them discovered that a mere First Step of the Dao Realm cultivator possessed such a relic, they wouldn't hesitate to crush him and seize the treasure.

Wealth tempts even the most virtuous, and this held true in the Cultivation World. Even Heavenly Venerables, far from being detached from worldly desires, wouldn't think twice about becoming Robber Cultivators when faced with Supreme Treasures.

Thus, before pursuing the True Saint Palace's Heaven's Chosen youth, Han Yi had secretly alerted Celestial Venerable Suizhu.

Now, as this immense crisis loomed, the Heavenly Venerable finally arrived, allowing Han Yi to breathe a sigh of relief.

High above, the usually kind and benevolent Celestial Venerable Suizhu now glared with fury, his aura radiating ferocious intent.

He was one to protect his own, and he firmly believed Han Yi's future was limitless, even capable of ascending to the rank of Heavenly Venerable, becoming a Fellow Daoist of his own caliber.

Witnessing Han Yi being relentlessly pursued to such a wretched state, Suizhu's killing intent erupted violently, surging forth with explosive force.

As the palm bearing down on him, the Celestial Venerable Suizhu manifested the Sui Zhu Ancient Seal. The seal, a light brown hue, matched the color of Sui Zhu Mountain in the distant Primordial Great World.

This was his Primordial Lifebound Artifact, the Sui Zhu Ancient Seal.

The Sui Zhu Dao Ancestor had originally gained spiritual awakening when the mountain range opened its spiritual acupoints, achieving Dao attainment through cultivation. His true form was none other than Sui Zhu Mountain and the mountain ranges of the Immortal Court.

After his Dao Entry, his power grew formidable. However, constrained by his true form, he remained trapped at the peak of the Dao Realm despite countless Chaos Epochs of cultivation. It wasn't until the Dao Tomb Ripples emerged and Purple Mountain appeared that he finally gained the opportunity to ascend to the Heavenly Venerable realm.

Purple Mountain was one of the great powers in the Chaos, originally hidden from the world. But with the arrival of the Dao Grave, the Lord of Purple Mountain sensed the disturbance and emerged, whereupon he was encountered by the Celestial Venerable Suizhu.

The members of Purple Mountain, like the Celestial Venerable Suizhu himself, were all mountain spirits who had cultivated into Dao attainment.

Even before his ascension to the Heavenly Venerable realm, his power was already considerable. At that time, the Sui Zhu Ancient Seal, separated from his true form and refined, had already become a Heavenly Venerable Ancient Artifact. Because the artifact and he were originally one, it became his Primordial Lifebound Artifact, allowing him to wield it with perfect mastery.

In other words, even at the peak of Harmonization with the Dao, aided by the Sui Zhu Ancient Seal, he already possessed the strength of a Heavenly Venerable.

This was precisely why, after his ascension, Eastern Emperor Taiyi had been reluctant to confront the Sui Zhu Immortal Court head-on. At the time, the Dao Ancestor Sui Zhu possessed formidable reserves of power, and the Great One's Ascension had not reached its perfect state. A direct confrontation might not have ended in victory.

After ascending to the rank of Heavenly Venerable, Taiyi transcended the limitations of his True Form. Even if his True Form were damaged, he himself would remain unharmed, and his strength naturally advanced further. Moreover, due to the immense pressure of his Dao Realm, his power erupted explosively upon becoming a Heavenly Venerable. Though he had only reached this rank a few thousand years prior, his strength already secured him a place among the Heavenly Venerables.

Celestial Venerable Suizhu hurled the Sui Zhu Ancient Seal into the sky. The seal remained palm-sized, yet upon impact, it shattered the massive descending arm in an instant, dispersing it into Chaos Power. Before the power could reconstitute, the seal's suppression ground it into dust, utterly annihilating it.

The ancient artifact clattered down and landed in Celestial Venerable Suizhu's grasp.

He gazed at the distant, sprawling palace complex, his expression turning solemn. Within the palace emanated three Heavenly Venerable auras, one of which sent a chill down his spine.

This was the mighty Heavenly Venerable who had established the True Saint Palace. Though not yet a Peak Heavenly Venerable, he had few equals among his peers.

"The True Saint Palace," Celestial Venerable Suizhu murmured, then reached down and scooped up the weakened Han Yi, bringing him close. He cast a deep glance at the three figures emerging from the distant palace before turning and vanishing in an instant, fleeing to the outskirts of Dao God Mountain.

Having reached the level of Heavenly Venerable, he naturally sensed impending danger. He had just seized the opportunity to shatter the arm of the Second Palace Master of the True Saint Palace's Dharma Body using the Sui Zhu Ancient Seal. Had the Palace Master known he was here, he wouldn't have been so careless.

In terms of strength, he was roughly equal to the Second Palace Master of the True Saint Palace.

But the True Saint Palace had three Palace Masters. The First Palace Master, who had created the True Saint Palace, possessed strength approaching that of a Peak Heavenly Venerable. Suizhu was no match for her in a one-on-one fight, and the trio certainly wouldn't adhere to any code of honor—they would gang up on him.

Thus, he made the decisive choice to retreat.

Having lived for countless ages, time was the one thing he had in abundance. Even if he couldn't outlast his enemies, giving Han Yi some time might just lead to a great surprise.

Meanwhile, on another front...

Far from the battlefield where Age Candle had clashed with Han Yi, three figures stood side by side atop a magnificent palace suspended high in the sky.

All three were female cultivators. The one on the left had a cold, severe expression. She shook her arm, revealing a shimmering azure light coursing along its length.

This was Yu Chang, the Second Palace Master of the True Saint Palace. It was she who had earlier attempted to crush Han Yi, only to have her Dharma Body's arm shattered by Age Candle's Ancient Artifact, leaving her with a hidden injury.

"This Heavenly Venerable is unfamiliar, but his strength is formidable," the Second Palace Master said, her voice icy.

The female cultivator on the right, the Third Palace Master of the True Saint Palace, Daoist Title Lu Chu, spoke with a gentle voice:

"I recognize him. He must be a newly ascended Heavenly Venerable from the Primordial Great World, Daoist Title Age Candle."

"Years ago, I witnessed the Old Daoist Heavenly Fiend pursuing him in Chaos. Though he had only one foot in the Heavenly Venerable realm, he evaded the Old Daoist with effortless ease."

Had Han Yi been present, he would have known the Third Palace Master's words were true.

When Age Candle returned from Purple Mountain, he encountered the Heavenly Evil Hall mid-journey. The hall sought to capture and kill him, and naturally, Age Candle resisted.

The Lord of the Acquired Heavenly Evil Hall, also known as the Old Daoist Heavenly Fiend, attempted to subdue Age Candle but failed. The two clashed, their battle spanning across the Primordial Great World, until they reached the Sui Zhu Immortal Court. There, Age Candle, then at the Peak Dao Realm, channeled the true form of Sui Zhu Mountain and fused it with the Sui Zhu Ancient Seal, finally driving back the Heavenly Evil Hall.

The scene of Age Candle repelling the Heavenly Evil Hall left a profound impression on Han Yi.

"Hmph!"

"A newly ascended Heavenly Venerable dares to defy the True Saint Palace? He's courting death."

Celestial Venerable Yu Chang let out a deep, contemptuous snort. With a wave of her hand, she summoned Li Ye, who had been plummeting in the distance, to her side. A strand of Spirit Light shot out and entered his body, instantly rousing him.

Realizing he had been rescued, Li Ye quickly paid his respects to the three Palace Masters. After hearing his account, they understood the full extent of the incident.

Upon hearing this, Yu Chang's suppressed anger erupted anew.

"Excellent! Excellent! He dared to kill four of my subordinates in the Dao Realm—Yu Mi, Myriad Dynasties, Wan Li, and Bai Feitian. And Yu Mi was even my descendant! This man must die!"

With a subtle gesture, she extracted a wisp of Li Ye's aura and absorbed it into her body.

This strand of aura belonged to Han Yi. It was the aura that Myriad Dynasties Dao Ancestor had collected outside the Eternal Dao Trace years ago. In his haste to retreat, Han Yi hadn't destroyed the spatiotemporal traces around him, leaving behind this aura.

After leaving the Eternal Dao Trace, Myriad Dynasties Dao Ancestor branded this strand of aura into a branch of the True Saint Palace nearby.

A thousand years after his demise, Li Ye traveled to that branch and obtained Han Yi's aura. He initially intended to track Han Yi using this aura, but discovered it had become inactive. Undeterred, he followed the main branch of the True Saint Palace to Dao God Mountain in the Central Dao Domain.

Upon arrival, he was astonished to find the aura had been reactivated. This proved that the murderer who had slain Myriad Dynasties and three Junior Sisters was actually on the Dao God Continent.

This led to his attempt to ambush and kill Han Yi. However, he hadn't anticipated that Han Yi would possess a Heavenly Venerable Ancient Artifact, which severely injured him and turned the tables, forcing him into retreat.

At that moment, the middle-aged woman standing among the three female cultivators, her aura the most potent of all, spoke slowly:

"Enough. He's just an ordinary Heavenly Venerable. We can discuss this later."

"Our immediate priority is to complete the Dao God Sect's mission."

This woman was the powerful Heavenly Venerable who had established the True Saint Palace, her Daoist Title being Moon Blossom.

Hearing this, Celestial Venerable Yu Chang reluctantly suppressed her fury for the time being. She would settle the score with that Dao Realm cultivator after the Dao God Sect's affairs were concluded. When that time came, she would make him beg for death.

Of course, that might not be for tens of thousands of years.

And he was merely at the First Step of the Dao Realm, not even a Dao Fruit cultivator. Even if his combat strength was considerable, what did it matter? Could he possibly ascend to Heavenly Venerable status in tens of thousands of years?

For Celestial Venerable Yu Chang, who had lived through countless ages, tens of thousands of years were but a finger snap. She cared little for such trivial spans of time.

Meanwhile, Han Yi, who had been taken away from the battlefield by Celestial Venerable Suizhu, retrieved some sacred healing medicine and began to consume it. These medicines had been given to him by Myriad Tribulations Dao Ancestor when he left the Immortal Court, and he hadn't refused them at the time. Now, they proved invaluable.

"Thank you for saving me, Celestial Venerable Suizhu," Han Yi said solemnly, bowing with clasped hands after regaining his composure.

Suizhu waved his hand dismissively. "There's no need for such formalities between us."

"I was remiss," Suizhu continued. "I knew you had a feud with the True Saint Palace, but I didn't anticipate their involvement in this Heavenly Venerable succession."

"The three Palace Masters of the True Saint Palace are formidable. Especially the Great Palace Master, Celestial Venerable Yuehua. Even in the Primordial Great World, she would rank just below Grand Heavenly Venerable Hongjun. Even I am no match for her."

"And this time, all three Palace Masters came together."

"So, I had no choice but to retreat first," Suizhu explained. His gaze settled on Han Yi, his eyes glimmering with calculation. "However, now that we've left the Dao God Continent, the True Saint Palace won't return to the Vast Heng Dao Domain for another 50,000 years."

"To me, 50,000 years is but a fleeting moment, a finger snap. But for you, it's an eternity. You've only cultivated for 10,000 years."

"If I grant you five times your current cultivation time, perhaps by then you'll give them a surprise. Who knows? By that time, you might even be able to settle this grudge yourself, without my intervention."

Han Yi naturally understood the Celestial Venerable Suizhu's meaning.

This wasn't entirely impossible. Given fifty thousand years, it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility to cultivate from the Dao Realm to the Heavenly Venerable level.

As long as one's thinking was flexible, anything was possible.

For example, in the Primordial Great World, he had previously used low-level Immortals as his Ten Thousand Nether Incarnations to gain Proficiency. But upon reaching the Dao God Continent, he changed his approach and began using Dao Realm cultivators to provide Proficiency. This dramatically accelerated his cultivation speed.

With this method,

achieving the Heavenly Venerable level within tens of thousands of years was no longer an unattainable dream.

Seeing Han Yi's thoughtful expression, the Celestial Venerable Suizhu was inwardly surprised. He had merely spoken hypothetically, but Han Yi's expression suggested he actually believed this was possible.

This astonished him.

After all, he had waited for a Heavenly Venerable opportunity since the dawn of the Primordial era, enduring countless Chaos Epochs since his very birth, before finally seizing that chance and transcending the shackles to attain the Heavenly Venerable fruit.

But Han Yi...

The Celestial Venerable Suizhu didn't dwell on these thoughts, swiftly suppressing the doubts that arose.

Long ago, when Han Yi was still a low-level cultivator, Age Candle had attempted to divine his Causality. However, sensing an ominous danger lurking in the shadows, he had abruptly halted the divination, thereby averting the calamity.

After ascending to the rank of Heavenly Venerable, Age Candle had attempted the divination again. But due to the ripples of the Dao Tomb, the entire Dao, even the Chaos itself, had become distorted and unclear. Although no further danger arose, he was unable to discern the full extent of the Causality entwined around Han Yi.

Nevertheless, based on the initial divination, Age Candle knew that Han Yi harbored a profound secret—a great secret and great Causality that could potentially create miracles.

Suddenly, Han Yi thought of a question. His heart tightened, and he urgently asked, "Heavenly Venerable, has the True Saint Palace sent anyone to pursue us?"

Moments ago, Celestial Venerable Suizhu had mentioned that three Heavenly Venerables from the True Saint Palace were present here. Given the True Saint Palace's notorious ruthlessness, it seemed unlikely they would simply let the matter drop.

If those three Heavenly Venerables pursued them, a grand battle between Heavenly Venerables would ensue, with Age Candle facing three opponents alone. Such a confrontation would make a safe retreat nearly impossible.

Hearing this, Celestial Venerable Suizhu reassured him, "Rest assured. This is the Dao God Continent. Although the Heavenly Venerables of the Primordial Great World might clash among themselves in their own realm, here, they can unite against outsiders—especially Grand Heavenly Venerable Hongjun."

"The power of the Great Heavenly Venerable is far beyond the imagination of outsiders," he added.

"Even ten Celestial Venerable Yuehuas wouldn't be enough to face the Grand Heavenly Venerable Hongjun."

"Moreover, I still have some trump cards. Even if they pursue me and truly go all out, they might not be able to catch me."

Hearing this, Han Yi's tension instantly eased.

One of the benefits of living for a long time is having numerous trump cards and methods at your disposal, sometimes even an endless supply. Having lived for so long, the Celestial Venerable Suizhu naturally possessed countless escape techniques.

A moment later, the Celestial Venerable Suizhu stopped before a towering mountain at the edge of the Dao God Sect. Upon the mountain stood seven or eight Imperial Palaces, temporary resting places set up by the Heavenly Venerables who had journeyed from the Primordial era.

Suizhu led Han Yi to one of the Imperial Palaces and entered.

"This is my Imperial Palace. Find a Side Hall to rest and recover. Once the other Heavenly Venerables return after the end of the year, we'll return to the Primordial era together."

"Thank you, Heavenly Venerable."

Han Yi then selected a Side Hall, sat down cross-legged, and began examining his injuries.

From the moment he burned his Life Seed and nearly all his internal power to fuel the Yueguang and withstand the Heavenly Venerable's attack, to now, had actually been quite short—less than half an incense stick's time.

After his examination, Han Yi sighed in relief. Though injured, his wounds weren't severe. The primary cause of his injuries had been the shockwaves emitted from the collision between the Yueguang and the massive arm-shaped dharma idol.

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