Ch. 1549 - The Summoning Ritual

The Light Lord Sage Monarch did not want to believe it.

Perhaps he truly didn’t believe it, or perhaps he was simply avoiding the truth.

Because deep down, he knew very well that in the great war of ages past, the one pulling the strings behind the scenes had been none other than the Sun-Moon God himself.

He understood all too well the power of that being.

Aside from their own ancestor, no one in existence could rival the Sun-Moon God.

Still, he also knew that in a matter like this, the Yin-Yang Sage Monarch would have no reason to lie.

The Light Lord Sage Monarch looked toward him and said grimly, “After all these years, the Sun-Moon God still refuses to let go.”

“You’re mistaken,” Yin-Yang replied. “This time, it wasn’t the Ancestor who planned it. He’s merely carrying out another’s will.”

The Light Lord Sage Monarch frowned in confusion.

Given the Sun-Moon God’s status, who could possibly stand above him and make him the executor of someone else’s plan?

“Summon the Ancestor,” Yin-Yang said as he turned toward Bright Sun Sovereign.

“Can’t you handle them yourself?” Bright Sun Sovereign asked reluctantly.

He clearly did not wish to summon the Ancestor so easily, still hoping the Yin-Yang Sage Monarch might win without it.

“I can contact the people from the Heavenly Court,” Bright Sun Sovereign added. “We’ll have them send reinforcements.”

The Yin-Yang Sage Monarch chuckled softly. “Do you really think the Heavenly Court would expose itself so easily? Or do you believe they’re truly ready for open war with the Radiant Court?”

“Isn’t that the plan?” Bright Sun Sovereign asked, puzzled. “Everyone already knows the Heavenly Court stands behind us.”

“Knowing is one thing,” Yin-Yang said, shaking his head. “But going to war is another matter entirely. You’re still too young. If you want the Heavenly Court to act, they must first see something, see that we have the strength to topple the Radiant Court. Only then will they risk everything to intervene.”

For the Heavenly Court, unless they were absolutely certain of victory, they would never initiate a war themselves.

It was far easier for them to manipulate events from the shadows, reaping the rewards while risking nothing.

After hearing this, Bright Sun Sovereign realized how naive his thinking had been.

He took out a key, carved from green jade, its surface lined with strange, curving runes.

The moment he brought it forth, a faint glow radiated from the jade.

“Stop him!” the Light Lord Sage Monarch shouted. “Don’t let him summon the Sun-Moon God!”

Whether or not the deity still lived, he couldn’t take that risk.

He roared and charged straight at Bright Sun Sovereign.

But the Yin-Yang Sage Monarch appeared before him in an instant, blocking his path.

“Light,” he said with a grin, “if it’s a fight you want, I’ll accompany you. It’s been a million years since I’ve stretched my limbs, I might as well enjoy it.”

“Yin-Yang,” the Light Lord Sage Monarch said bitterly, “are you truly willing to act as the Heavenly Court’s lapdog? You’re not the man you once were.”

“I already told you,” Yin-Yang replied with a shake of his head, “I’m only the executor. Whatever decisions the young ones make, it’s no longer my concern.”

“Fine then,” Light Lord said coldly. “Don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”

He raised his arms, summoning a blazing golden sun that burst forth above him.

The sun burned with terrifying radiance as he hurled it straight at Yin-Yang.

But Yin-Yang was no ordinary opponent.

A spinning disk appeared in his hands, half light, half dark. The Yin-Yang Disk met the blazing sun head-on.

With a thunderous boom, the explosion sent both saints hurtling backward.

Light Lord steadied himself, his eyes burning with anger.

He roared again, and two miniature suns flared into existence around his fists.

Their searing flames could incinerate anything. The surrounding void twisted and cracked, releasing chaotic energy streams.

Standing tall between heaven and earth, the Light Lord Sage Monarch extended his arms, his fists stretching out nearly a hundred meters, and struck.

One fist flew toward Yin-Yang to pin him down, while the other shot toward Bright Sun Sovereign.

At that moment, Bright Sun Sovereign had already begun the summoning ritual.

He sat cross-legged in midair, his body spinning slowly in a full rotation. His face remained solemn and unmoving, his expression filled with divine focus.

On his forehead, a sun and a moon blazed side by side, each occupying half his face.

When the twin fists came crashing down, the Yin-Yang Sage Monarch’s eyes flashed. He darted backward, and the Yin-Yang Disk split into two halves.

The Yang half shielded his chest, while the Yin half flew out to envelop Bright Sun Sovereign, protecting him within its glow.

Two violent explosions echoed through the sky.

Mushroom clouds of energy burst across the void, forcing the surrounding cultivators to retreat, leaving the battlefield entirely to the two Saint Sovereigns.

The Light Lord Sage Monarch steadied himself and looked toward Bright Sun Sovereign, only to see him completely unharmed, surrounded by a circle of Saint Sovereigns protecting him.

“Damn it!” Light Lord cursed.

Everything had been within his calculations, none of these enemies should have been able to threaten him.

Even the Yin-Yang Sage Monarch alone wouldn’t have been enough.

But he had failed to account for the Sun-Moon God.

And who could blame him? After all, that deity had been personally slain by the Radiant Court’s own Ancestor.

He had been there, he had witnessed it with his own eyes.

Yet now, that very same “dead god” was about to return.

No matter what means the Sun-Moon Temple had used, the Light Lord Sage Monarch could not, would not, allow the Sun-Moon God to set foot on Solar Domain soil again.

“You can’t stop it,” Yin-Yang said, his voice calm but cold. “The Ancestor’s return cannot be prevented.”

The Light Lord Sage Monarch turned, hoping for Xu Zimo’s help.

But he quickly saw that Xu Zimo had no interest in this conflict.

He was walking slowly, one step at a time, toward Shangguan Xiongba and Du Mingxiu.

The Sage Monarch sighed helplessly. They had no right or power to command Xu Zimo.

All he could do was watch, anxious and powerless.

…

“Keep running, you two,” Xu Zimo said with a faint smile.

“Help us!” Du Mingxiu screamed.

But the Saint Sovereigns of the Sun-Moon Temple were too busy guarding Bright Sun Sovereign, ensuring the success of the summoning.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, could be allowed to go wrong.

Their safety was secondary to that of the ritual.

“Bright Sun Sovereign, you lied to me!” Shangguan Xiongba roared.

He turned to Du Mingxiu and said coldly, “If we’re going to die, then let’s at least fight back. Let’s take a piece of him with us. Why cower like this?”

“How can you say that?” Du Mingxiu shouted in panic. “You were doomed already, you joined the Sun-Moon Temple because you had no choice, for revenge. But I-I had nothing to do with this! I joined them willingly!”

Now he regretted everything.

Xu Zimo had never intended to kill him in the first place. It was his own choice that had sealed his fate.

Shangguan Xiongba snorted coldly and slapped him aside, clearly disgusted by his cowardice.

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