Kaihuang pressed step by step toward the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, the force of his presence mounting with every stride; the sword qi bursting from all around him seemed fit to cleave the Heavenly Court in two.

He had come to the foot of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall. His sword still rested in its sheath, yet the man himself was a blade of incomparable keenness.

The Supreme Sword Dao: trample the celestial gates and behold the Heavenly Emperor!

Even should the Heavenly Emperor, that ancient god, not emerge, he would cut his way into the Lingxiao Treasure Hall and take the Heavenly Emperor's head outright!

The Heavenly Court was in utter chaos. Countless gods and demons darted to and fro like headless flies; some hurried toward the Lingxiao Hall of the Jade Capital City, some seized the confusion to flee the Heavenly Court, and others seized it to loot and strip the place of treasure.

Those gods and demons who held office in the Heavenly Court hid themselves in their homes, their lovely wives and fair consorts trembling. One divine official reassured them: "It is nothing. It makes no difference who sits as Heavenly Emperor. So long as the Heavenly Emperor means to rule the myriad heavens and worlds, he cannot do without us. Even if Kaihuang kills the Heavenly Emperor, he will not kill us."

Because of Kaihuang's coming, the Heavenly Court, which had seemed so well ordered, its order like iron chains, like the celestial net, had fallen into chaos. On this day the Heavenly Court's bright and glossy surface was torn open, and beneath it lay something so squalid, so rank with stench, it could scarcely be borne.

Whoosh—

A flash of light, and Celestial Master Hao stood before the Lingxiao Hall, his face overcast. He stepped forward and looked down from his height upon Kaihuang as he came, and said coldly: "Shen Ye, you are presumptuous!"

Kaihuang held the Carefree Sword in his hand and said unhurriedly: "Celestial Master Hao, you murdered the Heavenly Emperor, usurped his authority, and set a false Heavenly Emperor to hold the seat within. Who is presumptuous, me or you?"

Celestial Master Hao's aura erupted. One heavenly palace after another sprang from the wheel of light behind his head, spreading across the Heavenly Court at his back. He said indifferently: "Six Celestial Masters have gone to the Void, and the Heavenly Court stands empty, yet four Celestial Masters remain to hold it. Shen Ye, you are truly seeking your own death."

"Four Celestial Masters to hold it?"

Kaihuang rested his hand upon the sword hilt and said unhurriedly: "In truth, so many are not needed. It takes only a battle between you and me to shatter the entire Longhan Heavenly Court!"

"It will not come to that."

Celestial Master Xiao walked out from behind him, a file in his hand, filing his nails, and said with a smile: "Fellow Daoist Shen, truly it will not come to that."

"It will come to that nonetheless."

A massive claw descended. A colossal Void Beast appeared in the Heavenly Emperor's rear palace, and Divine King Langwan stood upon the mountain of bone behind the Void Beast's head. Divine King Langwan said mildly: "Now that there are four Celestial Masters, it goes without saying that this battle will shatter the Heavenly Court completely."

Celestial Master Xiao's eye twitched. Suddenly Consort Qiang's voice came, laughing lazily: "Being a Celestial Consort, this palace is not suited to showing her face about, and so I did not go to the Void. Little did I think I would run into Celestial Master Shen come to the Heavenly Court. And who might this elder sister be?"

Divine King Langwan stood on high, sleeves and hems fluttering, and said nothing.

Kaihuang's hand stirred slightly; the Carefree Sword slid half an inch from its sheath. He said unhurriedly: "It seems the Lord of Heaven and the Lord of Earth have found their chance."

Celestial Master Qiang, Celestial Master Xiao, and Celestial Master Hao felt a chill in their hearts, and at once understood the meaning of his words!

So long as fewer than three Celestial Masters remained in the Heavenly Court, those two ancient gods would strike, and blot the Celestial Masters from existence!

At present there were four Celestial Masters in the Heavenly Court: Hao, Xiao, Qiang, and another, Consort Yan, in the rear palace. It would take only two Celestial Masters sent out to hold off Kaihuang and Langwan to give the Lord of Heaven and the Lord of Earth a heaven-sent opportunity!

Dispose of four Celestial Masters, and the remaining six would face a disadvantage most galling to bear.

After all, Kaihuang Shen Ye was the natural ally of the ancient gods; the age of Kaihuang had been raised up with the support of the ancient gods!

The ancient gods had nurtured Kaihuang precisely to raise him up as a challenger to the Heavenly Court.

Kaihuang Shen Ye, plus Divine King Langwan, plus the Lord of Heaven, the Lord of Earth, Celestial Master You, and the three Ancient God Emperors—and if Celestial Master Yue, who had withdrawn from the world into seclusion, were added to the count—the balance of power between the two sides would be reversed at a single stroke!

Though if the Lord of Heaven and the Lord of Earth made their move they would be bound by the Great Dao of their respective worlds, it would still be more than enough to wound them grievously!

In the very instant their minds faltered, Kaihuang drew his sword with savage resolve. The Carefree Sword came forth, stabbing at Celestial Master Hao!

This was the moment he had wanted!

He had not come to the Heavenly Court this time to compromise, nor to trade pleasantries with these Celestial Masters.

He had come to destroy!

He had come to hurt the Heavenly Court, to make it bleed, to make the Celestial Masters dare not rush all together into the Void!

His very first stroke was his mightiest sword dao: the Thirty-Four Heavens Sword Dao, founded upon Sword Form Twenty!

His sword domain swelled, erupted, and drove on without a thought of retreat. As an unmatched overlord who had opened an era, never mind his strength—such momentum and spirit alone had seldom been seen in a million years!

In the distance, Shen Mu, seeing this sword, could not help but be stirred, and cheered aloud.

This Kaihuang of today was the Kaihuang he had wished to see: powerful, confident, believing that no difficulty or danger could bar his way, that every hardship and peril would be cleft in two by his sword!

But in the next instant Shen Mu's face changed drastically. He slapped his dragon qilin sharply and cried: "It is too high here—beware the sword qi!"

No sooner had he spoken than Celestial Master Hao raised his palm and grasped at Kaihuang's Thirty-Four Heavens Sword Dao.

He was like an emperor enthroned on high, ruling every Great Dao in the world; one hand stretched out, and the myriad daos of heaven and earth lay within his grasp.

Behind him heavenly palaces lay piled one upon another, blazing with light; behind his head his wheel of light was radiant, dazzling beyond measure; in his hand the Great Daos gathered, the myriad daos flowing into one.

Those were pure innate Great Daos; not one acquired Great Dao could be found among them.

As the son of the Heavenly Emperor and Yuanmu, Celestial Master Hao possessed pride beyond compare, and the wherewithal to justify it.

His gifts were exceedingly high, and he was the Celestial Master Hao who had opened the Divine Treasury; the one thing that made him feel small was that the Heavenly Emperor had been reincarnated as a human when he begot him, so that half the blood of the human race ran in his veins.

This was the greatest stain upon his life.

Yet judged by the strength all the Celestial Masters had displayed, his was the greatest. Because of his bloodline he was by nature nearer to the Dao than the others, swifter to cultivate, swifter to fathom the essence of the Great Dao.

Thus he commanded the greatest number of innate Great Daos.