Limitless Ascension: Strength Amid Adversity – Chapter 651

Days later.

In the vast starry sky, a massive army swiftly made its way to the Immortal Realm, with each expert radiating a terrifying aura—any one of them could easily crush an Immortal Emperor!

Their cultivation level? All Half-Saints!

While not as powerful as true Saints, they were still linked to the pathway of Saints, making them an undeniable force in the universe.

At that moment, it was hard to believe that a full one hundred thousand Half-Saint experts had mobilized with the purpose of crushing a lowly Immortal Path world!

This move was akin to using a planet-destroying cannon to swat a fly!

It was that over-the-top!

But for the Nine Nether, it was necessary.

Because amid it all, there would certainly be a hostile force trying to sabotage their plans!

And sure enough.

On their way to the Immortal Realm, this Half-Saint army was quickly intercepted by a group of cultivators from the Divine Court.

They were on lookout duty, aiming to prevent any beings above the Immortal Path level from recklessly disrupting the Saints’ pact and launching an attack on the Immortal Realm or the Kunlun Realm!

Seeing the audacity of the Nine Nether’s Half-Saint army attacking the Immortal Realm openly, they rushed forward to block them in a furious response, justifying their authority as the Divine Court regulators.

“Divine Court Regulators are here, halt your advance!”

Leading them was an old man with white hair, at the peak level of Half-Saint, who pulled out a token to prove his identity and shouted sternly.

“Old man, if you know what’s good for you, get lost! Don’t stand in our way!” one of the leading Half-Saints bellowed.

The old man’s expression turned grim. “According to the Saints’ pact, no party is allowed to mobilize Saint-level experts to interfere with the situation. Yet here you Nine Nether are, sending out so many Half-Saints, clearly intending to violate the treaty!”

“Haha, since you’re talking about the Saints’ pact, it should bind the Saints, right? What does that have to do with us Half-Saints? Brothers, don’t you think so?” the leading Half-Saint sneered.

“Exactly!!!”

A chorus of Nine Nether cultivators chimed in agreement.

The Saints’ pact specifically binds Saints, so what does it have to do with us Half-Saints?

Naturally, they could do whatever they wanted!

Hearing this, the old man’s eye twitched angrily, making him stammer, “Y-you shameless scoundrels!”

“Exactly, this is clearly just wordplay! Using such a flimsy excuse, utterly despicable!” his companions fumed.

“Humph, say what you will, either way, we’re definitely going to destroy the Immortal Realm!” the leading Half-Saint chuckled coldly.

“Have you guys thought about the consequences? This is escalating the conflict!” the old man, still unwilling to give up, gritted his teeth.

Meanwhile, he discreetly activated a jade slip.

He was calling for help!

“What of it? Do you really think we Nine Nether are afraid of your Divine Court? As long as we haven’t violated the rules, don’t even try to accuse us! If you know what’s good for you, just scram!”

Saying this, the leading Half-Saint signaled for their army to continue the attack.

In an instant.

One hundred thousand Half-Saint experts were about to burst through the Divine Court cultivators’ defenses.

Sensing the seriousness of the situation, the old man’s gaze hardened. Going for broke, he shouted:

“Since you want war, then let’s fight!”

After all, the Immortal Realm had historical significance, viewed very specially by the higher-ups of the Divine Court—an important piece on their chessboard. If the Nine Nether coalition destroyed it, he, as the regulator of this starry sky, would bear full responsibility!

Moreover, at this critical juncture, if they chose to retreat, it would also harm the Divine Court’s prestige and dignity. So, out of both obligation and reason, they had to grit their teeth and fight to the bitter end until external aid arrived.

Boom, boom, boom~!

Moments later, this starry sky erupted into a battle belonging to Half-Saints.

Terrifying energy currents swept through like a super storm, causing countless small asteroids to shatter into dust in an instant.

Even the top Immortal Emperors watching from the periphery might be knocked out by just a whiff of the aura released!

Word of this battle quickly spread through various forces.

The entire universe trembled, and countless beings in the Divine Court felt shocked.

Everyone was surprised that Nine Nether openly tore up the face-saving agreement of the Saints’ pact.

Where could the Divine Court put their face?!

“Damn it, does this mean a holy war is about to officially break out? Those madmen from Nine Nether!”

“I heard they didn’t deploy true Saints, but rather a bunch of Half-Saints. Perhaps it isn’t so bad after all!”

“Haha, they’re just probing our limits. Does Half-Saint not fall under the pathway of Saints? If they can use Half-Saints today, what’s to stop them from deploying True Saints tomorrow?! And then what?!”

“Exactly, this action by Nine Nether is escalating the conflict. It was previously a struggle at the Immortal Path level, but now it’s gradually shifting to the pathway of Saints—this is a dangerous signal.”

“I heard the Divine Court has already sent people to negotiate, but Nine Nether’s stance is very firm, insisting that they haven’t violated any rules!”

“Damn, how shameless can they be!”

…

It was clear that the cultivators from the Divine Court were utterly disgusted by Nine Nether’s shameless actions.

For so many years, thanks to the Saints’ pact, their treatment towards the Kunlun Realm and the Immortal Realm had been limited to conflicts at the Immortal Path level. Now that Nine Nether couldn’t hold back and took the lead in breaking this rule, it implied that Half-Saints and above could be deployed from now on.

They were afraid that things would escalate further, evolving into a war among Saints.

This was a Pandora’s box; once opened, closing it back would be tough!

While the public outcry grew louder, the battle in the starry sky continued to intensify in scale.

Due to the continuous reinforcements from Divine Court cultivators, the Nine Nether army faced great hardships in their advance, making their progress exceptionally challenging.

They were still a long way from the Immortal Realm!

After all, given the situation had escalated to this point, the Divine Court would never let Nine Nether have it their way.

At the very least, they had to show some attitude!

Thus, during this interval, the one hundred thousand Half-Saint army dispatched by Nine Nether suffered significant casualties, with at least seventy or eighty thousand killed.

Of course,

The Divine Court didn’t fare any better, with several regulators from different star regions perishing in battle, staining the cosmos with blood and soul scattering.

Fortunately, it was still limited to Half-Saints, so it wasn’t too painful.

While there was chaos in the outside domain, the Immortal Realm remained calm and undetectable, completely unaware that a horrifying crisis was looming.

Due to the Divine Court’s blockade, Immortal Realm cultivators found it hard to leave unless they used the Divine Court’s special transportation channels, which kept them in the dark about external developments.

So, the truth was held by only a few within the Divine Court, and Liu Huangshu was one of them!

At this moment.

In a grand and imposing heavenly palace.

A secret conversation was taking place, and the information exchanged was enough to shock the entire Immortal Realm.

“So you’re saying that Nine Nether has officially dispatched a Half-Saint army and is soon to attack the Immortal Realm?!” Liu Huangshu’s expression was grim.

Before him was an ancient bronze mirror reflecting a shadow of someone, their aura unfathomable, making it hard to discern their true face.

The person on the other end was an envoy from the Divine Court, sent to contact Liu Huangshu.

From the information revealed, Liu Huangshu realized the magnitude of what was happening outside!

“Correct! If not for the Divine Court intervening, your tiny Immortal Realm would have been flattened by those Half-Saints long ago!” the envoy sneered.

Liu Huangshu’s expression darkened.

Despite his disdain for the Divine Court, he was well aware that they had abandoned the Kunlun Realm in ancient times and now aimed to target it again. Yet in this matter, the Divine Court had indeed put in effort.

Of course, in the eyes of the Divine Court, the Immortal Realm was merely a pawn to irritate Nine Nether, possessing special value.

Their reason for intervening was purely to maintain their own face.

“What exactly do you mean? Just say it straight.” Liu Huangshu took a deep breath, speaking sternly.

“Master Liu, the higher-ups of the Divine Court intend to send some exceptional talents to protect the Immortal Realm during this time, to help you fend off foreign enemies. Of course, if necessary, the Divine Court will take the Star Core of this planet to prevent it from falling into Nine Nether’s hands.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Huangshu’s forehead throbbed angrily, his teeth grinding audibly as he felt an immense sense of frustration and anger.

This was clearly a plan to take both take and eat!

Every planet has a Star Core, which is essential to a world. It was the pollution of Kunlun Realm’s Star Core that led to the overall environment degrading back then.

Yet the Divine Court wanted to take the Immortal Realm’s Star Core; this act was undoubtedly signaling the Immortal Realm’s demise!

Sensing the fluctuation of Liu Huangshu’s emotions, the voice from the mirror drew a mocking laugh. “Master Liu, why bother with all this pretense? The Divine Court’s willingness to step in is already a great kindness. If the Immortal Realm is still destined for destruction, why not transfer the Star Core to the Divine Court for safekeeping? Better than letting it fall into Nine Nether’s hands!”

The envoy spoke mockingly, with a hint of disdain in his gaze as he looked at the once-majestic, now-fallen formation genius.