Terran Guardian - Chapter 4077

Chapter 4052: Forbidden Land Offering

The Divine Sun Celestial Court. Inside

the main hall of the Celestial Palace.

The Divine Sun Heavenly Emperor sat regally on his throne, his aura imposing and authoritative, his majestic Daoist energy suppressing the void within the palace, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere.

“How many half-saints have fallen in the Celestial Court now?”

The Divine Sun Heavenly Emperor’s gaze fell upon a celestial official, the one responsible for guarding the Soul Palace.

Within the Soul Palace

were the life tablets and soul lamps bearing the lives of many powerful figures in the Divine Sun Celestial Court.

Whenever a cultivator perished, their life tablet and soul lamp would shatter and extinguish.

“Reporting to the Heavenly Emperor, including King Yun, four half-saints have fallen!”

the celestial official respectfully reported. His words sent a shiver down the spines of the other celestial officials.

Four half-saints!

It must be known that

since Yun Lie’s fall, the Great Sage of Nanhua had reached an agreement with the other forces of the Six Sects, Nine Dynasties, and Thirteen Holy Lands, with each side taking turns sending a half-saint to attack.

Excluding Yun Lie, three Half-Saints have fallen on their side, meaning the various forces have rotated at least three times.

This translates

to at least sixty or seventy Half-Saints from the Six Sects, Nine Dynasties, and Thirteen Holy Lands falling at Shen Changqing’s hands.

Such a large number of Half-Saints falling is alarming.

Even during many great calamities, so many Half-Saints wouldn’t fall in such a short time.

After all,

Half

-Saints are beings who aspire to immortality.

Such powerful individuals are not easily killed.

The Divine Sun Heavenly Emperor calmly stated, “Dozens of Half-Saints have fallen, but Shen Changqing is still alive. News has arrived that this young man possesses the legendary Primordial Immortal Body.”

“Primordial Immortal Body?”

Upon hearing this name, many celestial officials exchanged bewildered glances. Only a few ancient celestial officials seemed to realize something, their expressions changing. The Divine Sun Heavenly Emperor continued

, “The Primordial Immortal Body is one of the oldest among the many innate immortal bodies.

The previous possessor of the Primordial Immortal Body was the Emperor of the Divine Emperor Celestial Court!” The Divine Sun Heavenly Emperor paused, looked down at the changing expressions of the many cultivators below, and then spoke. “You may not have heard of the existence of the Divine Emperor’s Celestial Court, for its existence dates back to the Primordial Era. If the Crimson Jade Dao Venerable was a top-tier expert among the Primordial Dao Venerables, then the Emperor of the Divine Emperor’s Celestial Court was an even more terrifying powerhouse.” ” In the Primordial Era, countless powerful figures emerged in the Nine Heavens Immortal Realm, but only a handful reached the pinnacle. Among them were the Dao Ancestor of the Taiyi Immortal Sect and the Emperor of the Divine Emperor’s Celestial Court. Their cultivation had broken through the limits of Dao Venerables, reaching even higher levels. Later, the Emperor defeated the Dao Ancestor in a battle, ultimately perishing, and the Divine Emperor’s Celestial Court vanished with him. But before that, the Divine Emperor’s Celestial Court was unparalleled in its power, at its peak suppressing many Immortal Continents, forcing many ancient forces to bow down. It can be said that during that period, the Emperor was the most glorious existence!” The Divine Sun Heavenly Emperor slowly spoke, recounting the story of the Emperor of the Divine Emperor’s Celestial Court, his words tinged with emotion and a barely perceptible awe. After all, such powerful figures far surpass those of a single state or region. Not just a single state or region, but even across the entire Nine Heavens Immortal Realm’s three thousand six hundred immortal states, and even in the vast chaos and countless ages, they are truly top-tier powerhouses. How many could calmly face such beings? Hearing these words, the other Immortal Court cultivators were all horrified. Ancient times! Such powerful figures still existed! “Does the Heavenly Emperor believe that Shen Changqing has the potential to become the next Emperor?” Gu Lan asked. The Divine Sun Heavenly Emperor shook his head slightly: “The Emperor level is not something that can be reached simply by having exceptional talent. Although Shen Changqing possesses an Ancient Immortal Body, whether he can reach the Emperor level, I do not know. But—” At this point, the Divine Sun Heavenly Emperor changed his tone. “I only know that even among Immortal Emperors and even Half-Saints, none have achieved his level. If we truly want to compete at the same level, the former Emperor is no match for this young man!” These words stirred up a storm in the hearts of Gu Lan and the other cultivators. Then… A minister said in a deep voice, “If that’s truly the case, then Shen Changqing must die. Otherwise, if he truly reaches the level of a former emperor, it will be a great calamity for our Divine Sun Immortal Court. Moreover, this person is protected by a Dao Venerable, making it extremely difficult to kill him. Now, the Void Arena is the best opportunity!” “That’s easy to say, but killing this boy is far from simple. The fall of dozens of half-saints is enough to demonstrate his astonishing strength. For half-saints below the Seventh Tribulation, killing him without using any supreme treasures or external forces is as difficult as ascending to heaven!” As soon as the minister finished speaking, other cultivators retorted. To this, the minister who spoke first sneered, “If one half-saint is not a match, then two will be; if two are not a match, then three will be. In the end, he is just one person. I do not believe that by uniting all the forces of the Six Sects, Nine Dynasties, and Thirteen Holy Lands, we cannot do anything to a mere Shen Changqing!” After saying this , he bowed to the figure on the imperial throne. “Your Majesty, I humbly request that you order the guardians of the Forbidden Grounds of the Celestial Court to take action and kill Shen Changqing!” The other cultivators’ pupils constricted sharply upon hearing this. The so-called Guardians of the Forbidden Grounds, simply put, are the dwelling places of all the powerful figures throughout the history of the Divine Sun Celestial Court who failed to overcome the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. Within the Forbidden Grounds reside beings who have lived for countless years, some even beyond the level of Half-Saints. However, these beings lack the confidence to overcome the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, or even the Heavenly Tribulation, and thus remain in the Forbidden Grounds to preserve their lives. It can be said that these Guardians of the Forbidden Grounds are a major foundation of the Divine Sun Celestial Court. As long as these Guardians survive, the Divine Sun Celestial Court will ultimately possess an unshakeable foundation.

After all, over the long years, some of the imperial retainers have been able to overcome karmic obstacles, survive tribulations, and regain their peak strength.

But now, if those imperial retainers were to take action, it would be tantamount to using their lives to eliminate the threat to the Celestial Court.

How to weigh the pros and cons is hard to say.

“No—”

a cultivator directly objected, bowing to the Divine Sun Heavenly Emperor.

“Your Majesty, the forbidden lands are the foundation of our Celestial Court. How can they be used lightly? Have you not seen how the Celestial Court has faced great calamities throughout history, and each time it was the forbidden lands’ retainers who turned the tide and continued the Celestial Court’s fortune?

If we were to use such resources to deal with Shen Changqing, it would surely be detrimental to the Celestial Court!”

“That is incorrect. I believe that the royal retainers are supported by the Celestial Court and should serve it to the death.

Moreover, the purpose of the royal retainers is to help the Celestial Court overcome great calamities and continue its fortune.

Although Shen Changqing is only a newly promoted half-saint, given his talent, if he is allowed to grow unchecked, he will surely become a great threat to the Celestial Court in the future.

At this time, it is only reasonable for the retainers to take action!”

“Absurd—”

Inside the Celestial Palace, many cultivators argued endlessly, each holding their own opinion.

The reason for this was simple.

The royal retainers were never just from the royal family; many came from other forces, and even the ancestral immortals behind many of the celestial officials present.

These ancient semi-saints, unable to overcome the Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man, survived only under the protection of the Celestial Court, lingering in the forbidden area.

To allow these revered elders to act would be tantamount to sending their ancestral ancestors to their deaths.

How

could they possibly agree to such a thing?

The very existence of these ancestors was of immense benefit to their own celestial race.

Even if they couldn’t act while hiding in the forbidden area, it was still the same.

After all, who could be certain when these ancient beings would overcome their tribulations, regain their peak strength, or even surpass their former glory?

If, at that time, the other side were to settle old scores, things would be dire.

Therefore,

the survival of these ancestors represented hope.

But if they perished, then all hope would truly be gone.

“Enough!”

While the numerous cultivators argued endlessly, the Divine Sun Heavenly Emperor spoke in a deep voice. His simple two words were enough to deafen the other cultivators, silencing the previously noisy scene.

The Heavenly Emperor was enraged!

No one dared to utter another word.

Otherwise,

they would be courting death.

The Divine Sun Emperor looked down at Gu Lan and said, “War King!”

“Your subject is here!”

“Issue my decree: proceed to the forbidden area and order all the ancient elders at the Sixth Tribulation Half-Saint realm to take action and go to the Void Arena to kill Shen Changqing.

Whoever is willing to participate, the Celestial Court promises to use all its resources to ensure their immortal clan produces another Half-Saint.

If they can kill Shen Changqing, the Celestial Court will promise their immortal clan to produce five more Half-Saints, or even assist a Half-Saint above the Sixth Tribulation realm in their attempt to break through to the Saint realm!”

The Divine Sun Emperor’s words shook all the cultivators.

Such a reward was undeniably generous.

Especially the guarantee of five more Half-Saints for their own immortal clan upon killing Shen Changqing—this was an immense temptation.

Those cultivators who had initially wanted to object now abandoned their last thoughts and were eager to speak up and agree on behalf of their ancestors.

How could an ancestor living in the forbidden area compare to a peak Half-Saint?

If sacrificing the ancestor’s life could yield five peak-level half-saints for the Immortal Clan, then the ancestor’s death wouldn’t seem like a big deal.

Even Gu Lan’s breath hitched when he heard this order.

For a fleeting moment,

he even had an impulse to sever his own cultivation, fall to the sixth tribulation realm, and personally go to the void battlefield to kill Shen Changqing.

However—

this thought was instantly dismissed by Gu Lan.

Severing one’s own cultivation was no joke.

Once one’s cultivation was severed, it was by no means easy to cultivate back to its former state.

You must understand,

severing one’s own cultivation is equivalent to cutting off one’s own path.

The path is broken! How

easy is it to reconnect with it?

This is completely different from normal cultivation breakthroughs.

The latter can be seen as the path was always there, but no one had ever set foot on it, like a desolate mountain wilderness. Every step one takes forward is equivalent to opening up a path from an untraversable place.

However, the former is equivalent to completely dismantling the road ahead and starting over, which can be seen as turning something into something. The difficulty of the two is definitely not the same.