Chapter 2583: The Path to Heaven

Looking at the sky full of celestial guards and feeling the pressure they exerted, Zu An finally understood how Sun Wukong in the myth must have felt when he stood against the Celestial Court.

Gonggong bellowed in fury, “Do you think you’re the only one with troops?”

He took out a seashell-shaped artifact and blew a melancholic note. Countless shaman warriors charged in from all directions, and there was no lack of renowned shamans among them. In terms of aura, they didn’t pale against the celestial guards.

Zhulong, on the other hand, wasn’t as reckless as Gonggong. He looked at the celestials in the sky and sneered, “Does Zhuanxu know about this?”

Emperor Jun calmly replied, “There wouldn’t be so many of us if he didn't know about it.”

The Shamans were infuriated. Some of them even cursed loudly. How could they not be angry when the Celestial Court’s Fiend races had been scheming to eradicate them for such a long time? Even the Ancestral Shamans were enraged.

It was unknown who made the first move, but a full-blown battle soon broke out. Terrifying lights filled the battlefield. Powerful shamans and celestials began dying right from the get-go.

Zu An wanted to join the battle, but Xihe stopped him. “Let’s leave this place first.”

Zu An frowned. “I have to settle the score with Emperor Jun and force him to divulge Xiaoxi’s whereabouts.”

“I have a rough idea of where she is,” Xihe replied.

“You do?” Zu An was surprised.

“Let’s leave this place first.” Xihe clutched her chest as she spoke. Her face was pale from the severe injuries she had sustained. “If we continue dawdling here, we won’t be able to get away.”

Zu An knew she was right. There were many experts stronger than him here. While he could temporarily stand his ground with his Sun Slaying Bow and his arsenal of skills, it was only a matter of time before he was worn down and killed. To make things worse, both Xihe and the Goddess of Wu Mountain were severely injured. It was impractical of him to take care of them while dealing with the chaotic battlefield.

On top of that, Zu An sensed that the surrounding ki was flowing peculiarly—a formation was being constructed. Not daring to hesitate anymore, he held the Goddess of Wu Mountain and Xihe in each of his hands, morphed into a rainbow, and fled the battlefield.

Emperor Jun noticed his movement and attempted to claw at the rainbow. His hatred for Zu An had reached a breaking point; there was no way he would let the latter escape under his watch.

However, a humongous head suddenly appeared in front of him. It was Zhulong, who said, “Emperor Jun, it’s time to settle our score.”

Zhulong was grateful to Zu An for uncovering the truth behind his wife and sons’ deaths, so he'd decided to step in and ensure the latter’s safe departure.

Wary of Zhulong’s strength, Emperor Jun could only watch as Zu An left.

Zu An traveled for a long time before finally releasing his Rainbow Morph. Even when he was so far from the battlefield, he could still sense terrifying shockwaves rippling through the air. The fight between the Shamans and the Fiend was getting heated up.

“This is weird. If Zhuanxu supports the crusade against the Shamans, why would he sacrifice his cherished grandson to sever heaven from earth...” the Goddess of Wu Mountain murmured in confusion.

If Zhuanxu had known that a war would break out nevertheless, he wouldn’t have sacrificed his grandson to appease the Shamans in the first place.

“Zhuanxu and Emperor Jun have never been on good terms. There’s no way Zhuanxu would support him,” Xihe said. “I’m guessing that Zhuanxu might be incarcerated somewhere.”

Zu An was taken aback. “He’s the Celestial Emperor! Who could incarcerate him?”

“You lack understanding of the Celestial Court. Many in the Celestial Court view themselves as superior beings and are reluctant to share the world with the Shaman races. It also doesn’t help that the Shamans are bad-tempered, which gave rise to many conflicts between both sides over the years. The situation has reached a blowing point,” Xihe explained. “You saw the celestial guards Emperor Jun summoned. I don’t think they are reluctant participants in this war. Chances are that they have been wanting to deal with the Shaman races for a long time now.”

“Aren't the Shaman races in danger then?” Zu An was worried. The world was big, but if the Shaman races fell in defeat here, it was only a matter of time before Emperor Jun found him.

“Not necessarily. The Ten Ancestral Shamans are born from Pangu’s blood essence. They are incredibly powerful entities, each having unique abilities. The Shamans are also born warriors. It’s too early to tell who will emerge victorious,” Xihe consoled him. “These are beyond our influence. The outcome will not change with or without us.”

Zu An fell silent. He had only gotten a glimpse of the battlefield between the Fiends and the Shamans, but he had already witnessed the deaths of many experts whose strength didn’t pale to his. It was indeed beyond him to influence the outcome of the battle.

“Where do you think Xiaoxi is?” he asked.

“The Celestial Court," Xihe answered.

Zu An was taken aback.

“Jun’s plan should have been flawless, but your appearance...” Xihe paused briefly before continuing, “Your appearance messed up his plan. The battle between the Shamans and the Fiends broke out prematurely. He didn’t use the Myriad Souls Banner earlier, likely because it hasn’t been fully refined yet.

“The earth is under the Shaman races’ jurisdiction. It’s unlikely he would risk placing something as important as the Myriad Souls Banner here. It’s more likely for him to have placed it in the Celestial Court, especially since he has the support of most celestials. There is no place safer than that.”

The Goddess of Wu Mountain harrumphed. “How many people have died for those bastards’ greed? How dare they call themselves celestials?” The realization that most celestials were aware of the events that were transpiring on earth made her angry despite her usual coldness.

“Survival of the fittest. If they win this battle, history will be theirs to write.” Xihe remarked impassively. Being in a lofty position, she had already seen through all these things. “Let’s quickly make our way to the Celestial Court.”

“Heaven has been severed from earth. How can we get to the Celestial Court?” Zu An was worried.

“There’s another road to heaven on Kunlun Mountain.” Xihe looked westward.

Zu An nodded. He grabbed the two women and rainbow morphed toward Kunlun Mountain. Halfway into the journey, he belatedly remembered that the Goddess of Wu Mountain was severely injured and felt apologetic for dragging her along.

The Goddess of Wu Mountain smiled at him. “Don’t worry. I have recovered after taking your pills. I am, after all, the Crimson Emperor’s daughter. I won’t die that easily.” For some reason, she just wanted to spend more time with him.

It was too late for Zu An to escort her back to Wu Mountain, so it would be safer to bring her along with him. Silence loomed among the three of them for the remaining part of the journey.

“I’m sorry,” Zu An suddenly said. He had shot down nine of the Golden Crows despite not knowing that they were already possessed by Emperor Jun.

Xihe understood what he was getting at. There was a moment of silence before she suddenly remarked, “I had planned to kill you.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I didn’t know why either... Someone I thought was my enemy turned out to not be an enemy, and the true enemy turned out to be the person I was the closest to.” Xihe thought about how history had remained the same despite her efforts, but she'd ended up uncovering such a truth instead. She could only be awed by how powerful the forces dictating fate were.

Zu An tightly grabbed her hand and said, “I’ll exact vengeance for you!” There was no chance of reconciliation between him and Emperor Jun anymore.

Xihe wanted to withdraw her hand, but he was so strong that after several tries, she gave up and let him be. There was no lust in her, only bottomless sorrow.

Following the two women’s guidance, Zu An finally arrived at Kunlun’s peak and stopped before a massive tree. This tree had no branches; it rose straight toward the sky. Its trunk emanated a purple light as if it were shrouded in a veil. At its top were nine sprouts with green leaves and black flowers.

“Is this Jianmu, the sacred tree connecting heaven and earth?” Zu An murmured. This tree was huge, but it wasn’t so big as to cover the sky.

Xihe nodded. She walked up to the tree and placed her hand on it.

A golden light shrouded them. Zu An felt himself being transported inside Jianmu, and he swiftly moved upward, as if riding on an elevator.

Suddenly, their surroundings shook intensely. It felt as if the tree was going to collapse.

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