I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

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Chapter 481: Mutation of the Xuanmu Vine, Heaven Tribulation Descends

After a long silence.

The three imperials of the imperial family finally regained their composure.

True Monarch Iron Calculation wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression bitter.

Emperor Yu no longer appeared as domineering as before. His gaze was deep and his heart conflicted.

Yu Yuanjinʼs eyes flickered with thoughts, lost in contemplation.

”Finished reading?”

Marquis Tianwu smiled gently, observing their shifting expressions with satisfaction.

It seemed the ancestors of the Yu Clan had indeed abided by the ancient agreement and kept their silence.

So much time had passed that, if not for classified archives, even the current leaders of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty would have nearly forgotten this piece of history.

Marquis Tianwu himself only learned the truth after reading the top-secret records before setting out.

Ten thousand years ago, the ”Carefree King” branch of the Yu Clan had committed a grave crime against the Immortal Dynasty, resulting in a manhunt and exile. It was not a ruse, but a harsh reality.

At that time, an avatar of a Heavenly Lord secretly pursued the wounded Yu Clan cultivator all the way to the Great Yuan. There, he offered him a chance to atone for his sins.

He was permitted to establish a cultivation kingdom in the Great Yuan, modeled after the Immortal Dynasty, allowing his bloodline to continue.

And one day, when the Immortal Dynasty grew strong enough to expand beyond Fenghua Province, this piece in their grand game of Go would finally come into play.

The Yu Clan’s ancestor accepted the terms, swearing a bloodline oath with the Heavenly Lord of the Immortal Dynasty.

A coastal landmass extending from the Great Yuan formed a crucial seaport of Heaven Honoured Continent.

Trade with forces beyond the seas, exchanges in sea beast and demon materials, and flourishing maritime commerce all brought immense profit.

After the Tinghai Pavilionʼs destruction, most of the Great Yuan’s sea routes fell under the control of the “Sixteen Sea-Suppressing Sects,” who handled trade with surrounding inland provinces.

The Grand Jin Immortal Dynasty sought to unify the Heaven Honoured Continent, amassing the fortune of an immortal dynasty to carve open a path to ascension.

But the Immortal Dynasty sat deep inland, lacking any strategic access to the sea.

Once expansion moved beyond Fenghua Province, the sheer scale of resources required would become a crippling constraint.

…

In the side hall.

Facing the confident and assured Marquis Tianwu, the three members of the imperial family were left without a shred of confidence. Their expressions shifted between gloom and anxiety.

After reading the secret message from their ancestor, the prestige of the imperial family was visibly diminished.

Their forefather had founded the nation and expanded territory for the Immortal Dynasty, a righteous cause.

If the imperial family chose not to follow, they would be seen as ungrateful and dishonorable.

Worse still, their forebear had sworn a bloodline oath.

For powerful cultivators, such oaths restricted their descendants unless those descendants surpassed the ancestor in cultivation.

To violate it would bring backlash upon the Yu bloodline, halting further cultivation progress.

“Lord Marquis,” Emperor Yu said, his tone sharp with displeasure, “ten thousand years have passed; times have changed. Does the Immortal Dynasty now intend to use tyranny to force us to uphold an ancient vow?”

The effects of the blood oath had waned with time, though it still lingered.

A melon forcefully plucked is not sweet.

If the imperial family chose to be shattered rather than submit, the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty being so far away could hardly impose its will.

Marquis Tianwu had anticipated this, smiling mildly:

“The current Jin Emperor promises to support the Yu Clan in birthing a Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator.”

“As long as the Great Yu Kingdom integrates into the Immortal Dynasty, takes control of Great Yuan, and opens up maritime trade routes, the title of ‘King of Yuan’ will be reserved for you.”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yu and Yu Yuanjin exchanged glances, their breathing growing unconsciously tense.

Nascent Soul late stage!

A king’s title!

There was both ancestral righteousness and a bounty of enticing promises.

No wonder Marquis Tianwu arrived in the Central Region with only a few attendants.

“This ‘Dragon Star Pill’ contains a trace of the Immortal Dynasty’s imperial dragon fate. For any cultivator aligned with the dynasty, it grants at least a twenty percent greater chance of breaking through to late Nascent Soul,” he continued, producing a black crystal vial, within which rested a violet-gold pill, golden dragon patterns swirling faintly across its surface.

“Consider this pill a down payment, proof of the Immortal Dynasty’s sincerity.”

Emperor Yu and Yu Yuanjin stared at the Dragon Star Pill, unable to hide the heat and longing in their eyes.

True Monarch Iron Calculation’s expression shifted, and he immediately initiated a secret voice transmission with the other two.

“Lord Marquis, such a matter is of great magnitude. Allow us some time to consider.”

“Very well. I shall remain in the Great Yuan for no longer than three years.”

Marquis Tianwu smiled as before, unconcerned, then put away the Dragon Star Pill.

…

Outside the imperial city.

Lan Changʼan and Overturning Sea True Monarch didnʼt wait long before they saw Marquis Tianwu walking out alone.

“Lord Marquis.”

Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuwen quickly approached to greet him.

But Marquis Tianwu’s face was grim, silencing their curiosity. The atmosphere grew tense.

“Let’s go.”

He didn’t elaborate, mounting his Mysterious Wind Beast and soaring off with his two attendants.

Did the talks go poorly?

Lan Changʼan watched the Immortal Dynasty’s trio leave, unable to draw a clear conclusion.

His fourth-rank low-grade divination techniques couldn’t glimpse the fate at the level of great cultivators.

Especially one like Marquis Tianwu, cloaked in the dynastic fortune of the Immortal Dynasty.

From his perspective, he didn’t want the Great Yu Kingdom to merge with the Immortal Dynasty and receive overwhelming support. It would become too powerful.

The current balance was ideal.

Yunxia Sect held a transcendent position in the Great Yu Kingdom, it had no need to expand or confront mighty external foes.

At the mid-Nascent Soul stage, Lan Changʼan required a long time to build his foundation, improve his magical power, divine powers, and techniques.

Yunxia Sect possessed a fourth-rank mid-grade spiritual vein. With the Dragon Phoenix Dual Cauldron Technique for Dao discussions, his daily cultivation efficiency was already high.

He didn’t want this stable, richly resourced environment to be disrupted.

“True Monarch Xiang.”

In the clouds above, the imposing figure of Overturning Sea True Monarch loomed faintly.

Having confirmed that Marquis Tianwu had left, the great cultivator of the Sea Suppressing Alliance offered Lan Changʼan a few words, then departed over the waves.

Lan Changʼan mused, Overturning Sea True Monarch had done all he could. It was commendable.

At least it was more responsible than the other two Great Yuan cultivators.

In the earlier battle, he ensured that the Great Yu imperial family wouldn’t be forced into a decision, allowing them to act more rationally.

The final decision rested with the imperial family.

If Lan Changʼan were in their position, he too would hesitate to bow to the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty and suffer endless constraints.

After all, being a local emperor, wasn’t that far sweeter than kneeling to a distant throne?

…

Lan Changʼan settled back atop the rat king, ready to return home.

“True Monarch Xiang, please wait.”

An aged voice echoed from within the imperial city.

A streak of sharp golden light hurtled through the air, radiating the powerful aura of a mid-Stage Nascent Soul expert.

It was none other than the old monster Golden Kun.

“Fellow Daoist Golden Kun, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Lan Changʼan turned back with a faint smile, half-amused, half-indifferent.

“True Monarch Xiang flatters this old man, I wouldnʼt dare, wouldn’t dare…”

Golden Kun wore an obsequious smile, bowing deeply, his posture utterly humble.

“In those days at the Forbidden Zone of the Central Region, I was fooled by that witch Netherwater into aiding her… Fortunately, the consequences weren’t too grave.”

“Now that True Monarch Xiang holds a position akin to that of a Great Cultivator, surely such an esteemed figure wouldn’t take offense at a bag of old bones like myself…”

He chuckled as he offered a weighty storage pouch.

Lan Changʼan swept it with his spiritual sense: it contained mid-grade fourth-rank materials, precious spiritual herbs, and notably, an Infant Transformation Pill.

This gift far exceeded what the imperial family had offered.

“Haha! Not at all. If not for this encounter, I’d nearly forgotten you were present at the battle of the Seven True Monarchs.”

Lan Changʼan accepted the pouch with a gentle smile and exchanged pleasantries with Golden Kun.

To an outsider, it might have seemed like a reunion between old friends.

In truth, Lan Changʼan had never planned to target Golden Kun.

First, there was no real enmity, it was barely a proper confrontation back then.

Second, the old monster still had one or two centuries of lifespan left. In the vast Great Yuan, Lan Changʼan might not be able to wait to see the day the old monster withered away.

So after confirming Golden Kun harbored no lingering hostility, Lan Changʼan had never intended to strike.

Seeing his gift accepted, Golden Kun breathed a long sigh of relief.

Earlier, the look in Lan Changʼan’s eyes had chilled him to the core.

Xiang Dalong seemed closely tied to the Great Cultivator of the Sea Suppressing Sect and was now firmly standing atop the cultivation world of Great Yuan.

If the Great Yuan Twin Dragons truly meant to kill him, no one in Great Yuan could protect him.

…

Back in Yunxia Sect, Lan Changʼan returned to secluded cultivation.

After witnessing the clash of Great Cultivators, he clearly recognized the gap between himself and true Nascent Soul Great Cultivators.

Within the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm, Lan Changʼan was solid, balanced in all aspects, a well-rounded cultivator.

But compared to Great Cultivators, his shortcomings were obvious.

“Give this monarch a hundred years, just a single sixty-year cycle and I’ll close most of the gap.”

Lan Changʼan resolved silently.

He planned to cultivate in Great Yuan for at least another sixty years.

Only when his divine arts, sword formation, and puppet techniques reached their bottlenecks would he consider venturing into the Outer Seas, depending on the prevailing situation.

…

Nearly three years passed.

One day, the Yunxia Sect received vital intelligence.

The Marquis Tianwu had already left the Great Yu Kingdom and even departed from the lands of Great Yuan.

Traces of his passage were found at the cross-province teleportation array used by the Sixteen Sea-Suppressing Sects.

“He’s returning… I wonder what decision the imperial family reached.”

Lan Changʼan did some brief divination and, as expected, found nothing conclusive.

The Marquis Tianwu’s movements were under close watch by all major intelligence networks in Great Yuan.

According to their analysis, negotiations may have broken down or perhaps no agreement was reached, and the imperial family was stalling for time.

By all logic, the Yu Imperial Clan was branded a clan of sinners and having separated from the Immortal Dynasty for so long, was unlikely to return. Not to mention, with the support of the Sea Suppressing Sect’s Great Cultivator, the Immortal Dynasty was in no position to use force.

Yet Lan Changʼan frowned, sensing an inexplicable intuition, that things might not be so simple.

That very night, as a fourth-rank diviner, Lan Changʼan suddenly experienced a burst of inspiration.

“Hmm? The flow of heavenly fate is shifting…”

He rose abruptly and flew above Yunlan Peak, activating his Qi-Observing Technique.

At first, he observed the fate of the Great Yu Kingdom.

Then he soared higher, examining the fate of the Central Region and even all of Great Yuan.

Lan Changʼan’s expression grew solemn.

From his observations and calculations, the changes in heavenly fate were originating from the heart of the Heaven Honoured Continent.

Something significant was shifting in the cultivation world’s landscape.

“Could it be…”

At that thought, Lan Changʼan’s heart stirred with suspicion.

Perhaps something… or someone…

He rushed to the underground palace beneath Yunlan Peak to confirm his hunch.

Beside the stone pool, Lord Earthrock and Profound Water Monarch were squatting before the great vat where the Xuanmu Vine Gourd was planted.

The two spirit beasts had wide, gleaming eyes, basking in ecstasy as they greedily absorbed… something.

“Get out of the way!”

Lan Changʼan forcefully parted them and squeezed between them.

What he saw left him stunned.

The young sapling on the vine shimmered with a greenish-gray radiance, emanating profound waves of heavenly Dao resonance.

“The vine gourd’s luck is rising… Its growth rate has surged…”

Lan Changʼan couldn’t help but smile with delight.

Unfortunately, he’d arrived late. The abnormal phenomenon lasted only a few dozen heartbeats before fading.

Still, he wasn’t empty-handed.

First, he absorbed a trace of the luck, though far less than his two spirit beasts.

Second, the brief exposure to the heavenly Dao rhythm gave him a fleeting moment of enlightenment.

“You two little bastards!”

“Such a rare fortune, and you didn’t think to notify me sooner?!”

Lan Changʼan’s face twisted with jealousy as he glared at the two wide-eyed, “innocent” beasts.

They had feasted on a grand banquet. While he, their master, showed up late and had to scrape the leftovers.

Outrageous, the heavens must be weeping at this injustice!

Lord Earthrock and Profound Water Monarch shrank back, guilt-ridden and avoiding his gaze.

To be fair, it all happened too fast.

Profound Water Monarch, guardian of the vine gourd, had first sensed the change and alerted Earthrock.

Both approached in curiosity, got caught in the fortune, and lost themselves in the profound resonance of the Dao.

By the time Lan Changʼan arrived, the moment had nearly passed.

…

At the same time.

Throughout the Heaven Honoured Continent, one after another, diviners and seers stirred with sensation, watching closely the shifting tides of the heavenly fate.

Those with strong cultivation and heightened senses noticed it as well.

In the Imperial Ancestral Grounds of the Great Yu Kingdom. The True Monarch of Iron Calculation suddenly sprang to his feet, alarmed by the unseen changes in the heavenly fate.

At the Sacrificial Altar to Heaven,

He observed the night sky, calculating for a moment.

Moments later, he coughed violently, his eyes filled with suspicion and dread as he turned toward the heart of the Heaven Honoured Continent.

“This change in fate... Could it be the legendary…”

“Heavenly One Great Tribulation!”

...

The ripples of fate did not stop at the borders of Great Yu.

The three overlord factions of the Great Yuan, and various regional powers, also sensed the tremors.

Deep within the Western Forest. The Palace of Black Phoenixwood tree.

Ruler of the western forests and worshipped by myriad demons, the “Black Phoenix” opened a pair of narrow, purple-black eyes.

Whoosh!

The Black Phoenix man retracted his spread black feathers, as forbidden and ominous phoenix black flames swirled around his body, merging into the true spirit descendant’s flesh alongside the phoenix-patterned black plumage.

Before long, Priestess Piao and Lord Thousand Shadows arrived at the palace beneath the colossal phoenixwood tree.

Visibly uneasy, the Black Phoenix spoke:

“There’s a shift in the world’s fate... Do either of you know what has happened? Is it truly the legendary ‘Heavenly One Great Tribulation’?”

The usually cold and aloof Priestess Piao broke into a rare, graceful smile.

“Yes. The Heavenly Calamity has been set in motion.”

“Heaven Honoured Continent has long been shackled by its world-tier limitations. Each cultivator who reaches the Deity Transformation Heavenly Lord realm is a miracle wrought by immense fortune. If my intuition is correct, one of them has just perished.”

“A Heavenly Lord has fallen?!”

The Black Phoenix paled in shock, dread clutching at his heart.

As a true spirit descendant, it was one of the rare beings in the human realm closest to reaching the Heavenly Lord stage.

Even with his innate divine powers fully cultivated, he could at best contend with a Heavenly Lord’s avatar but was no match for a true Heavenly Lord.

Now, a genuine human Deity Transformation Heavenly Lord had mysteriously perished in the calamity...

Lord Thousand Shadows added coldly, “To us, this is excellent news.”

“With the Heavenly Tribulation triggered, the old and new Heavenly One Divine Sovereigns must now pass the torch. It will take at least a few hundred years for the new one to reach peak strength. In this interim, if the two worlds realign, the Sacred Clan’s invasion of Heaven Honoured Continent has a much higher chance of success…”

...

Eastern Heng Province, Heaven Honoured Continent.

Marquis Tianwu and his entourage from the Jin Immortal Dynasty stepped out of a cross-province teleportation array controlled by the local ruling faction.

Without warning, Marquis Tianwu halted, staring into the night sky.

“Marquis, are you tired from the journey? Should we rest in this province?”

Qi Xiuyuan asked respectfully.

But Tianwu didn’t respond. His eyelids twitched as he gazed toward the Heaven Honoured Continent’s center.

A subtle karmic bond stirred, an invisible tether forged by a master-disciple relationship, caused his heart to tremble and his face to twitch. Shock spread across his features.

“The Heavenly One Great Tribulation!”

This calm and calculating marquis, so poised in the Great Yuan, now lost all composure.

Tears welled in his eyes, his voice trembling in anguish:

“Master…!”

...

Great Jin Immortal Dynasty.

Grand Confucian Palace, Fifth Rank Dragon Vein Cultivation Grounds.

Within the secluded Nine-Vault Bamboo Grove, at the Yansheng Lodge.

An elderly Confucian master in his sixties, clad in a plain robe embroidered with cloud cranes. The deep-set lines of his face were etched like a jade relief sculpted by the passage of time, and a few strands of frost-white beard cascaded gently over his chest.

Sigh!

The old Confucian master, tranquil as a still abyss, gently set down the pruning shears. A light of boundless compassion flickered in his eyes as he let out a heavy sigh, “Why must it be me?”

Ten paces away, the air in the bamboo grove twisted, a man in coarse robes stood with hands behind his back, appearing out of nowhere.

His back was broad and his presence vast, with natural heavenly energy flowing around him, as if fused with the very fabric of the world.

Buzz!

Suddenly, the fifth-rank formation of the Nine-Vault Bamboo Grove activated, azure and violet Confucian aura surged into the skies.

Six Harmonies Literary Seal Formation!

Three thousand six hundred bamboo scrolls shimmered into view across the six directions, ancient runes sealing the entire grove in forbidden power.

The spiritual energy surrounding the man in coarse robes solidified, then vanished.

“How dare you trespass upon the residence of the Confucian Saint!”

Three formidable auras, each near the Deity Transformation stage materialized instantly:

A robed scholar, a noble girl in a palace gown, and a hulking man clad in golden armor.

They were all ”False Heavenly Lords” each crowned by the aura of dragon fortune, bound intimately to the destiny of the immortal dynasty.

The Confucian Saint raised a hand, silencing their protest.

Realizing the situation, the three False Heavenly lords stiffened. Recognizing the legendary figure from “Worldly Wonders series,” they dared not speak.

To them, the man radiated no power, he appeared merely as an unassuming mortal.

Yet, the Confucian Saint’s gaze turned sorrowful, tinged with reluctant awe.

Why me?

He couldn’t comprehend the choice.

Among all Deity Transformation Heavenly Lords of the era, his rank was near the top.

With the dynasty’s fifth-rank formation and imperial dragon luck enhancing his strength, his power had reached a fearsome peak.

“If Fellow Daoist Confucian Saint can survive this calamity, perhaps you can ask the next Heavenly One Divine Sovereign why,”

said the man in coarse robes, expressionless, as if none of this concerned him.

Could he be that…?

The three False Heavenly lords glanced at each other, the same suspicion forming in their minds.

They weren’t sure if this Heavenly One Sect secret could be revealed...

“The Jin Immortal Dynasty and the Heavenly One Sect both strive for ascension to the upper realm. Our paths lead to the same goal. Why must we be enemies, spilling mortal blood and giving the Demonic Peak Realm an opening to invade?”

The Saint gave a bitter smile.

Even with the fifth-rank formation and three False Heavenly lords, he hadnʼt lifted a hand. Instead, he offered peace.

A name is like the shadow of a tree, every Heavenly One Divine Sovereign before passing, had slain at a Deity Transformation cultivator, never once failing.

The three False Heavenly lords, breathing heavily, were stalling to buy some time.

Although the Grand Confucian Palace was near the imperial capital, any major disturbance here would soon draw the attention of the Retired Emperor who was a Deity Transformation Heavenly Lord himself and other False Heavenly lords nearby.

“The path of your Immortal kingdomʼs ascension... to the Radiant Heaven Realm? You and I do not walk the same path.”

The Heavenly One Divine Sovereign chuckled.

The Saintʼs expression changed subtly, as if something had been seen through, his face slightly unnatural.

He realized, the Heavenly One Sect had somehow uncovered the true lineage of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty.

On the surface, all peak cultivators in Heaven Honoured Continent pursued longevity and ascension to the upper realm.

Ordinarily, those who reached late-stage Deity Transformation were eligible for ascension to the Fallen Immortal Realm.

As for sneaking through, there is virtually no chance of survival.

This is because the Fallen Immortal Realm lies at the center of this boundary sea, too distant from the remote corners of the Heaven Honoured Human Realm.

Only Void Refinement cultivators could safely and reliably cross the void of the boundary sea.

Besides reaching late Deity Transformation.

The Grand Jin Immortal Dynasty’s immortal kingdom fortune inheritance also provides a stable method to ascend to the upper realm, but it requires a massive national fortune qi, unifying at least half of the Heaven Honoured Continent to even attempt it.

But their ascension path didn’t lead to the Fallen Immortal Realm, it led to the Radiant Heaven Realm.

The Radiant Heaven Realm is ruled by the Immortal Kingdomʼs Great Emperor, where orthodox cultivators lose their freedom and are bound by numerous imperial laws. Typically, ascending cultivators were exceptional and refused to choose this realm.

In contrast the Fallen Immortal Realm endured the ancient spirit worldʼs ”True Immortal War,” where immortals fell with lingering regrets. It later merged with fragments of the Ancient Immortal Realm, elevating its status and offering greater hope for true ascension to immortality.

That was why, knowing the truth, the Heavenly One Divine Sovereign had said:

“You and I do not walk the same path.”

“This will be the final strike of my life. I wonder… how many moves can the Confucian Saint withstand?”

The Heavenly One Divine Sovereign was well aware, Confucian Saint and the three False Heavenly Lords were merely stalling for time.

He did not mind.

His tone, desolate and distant, echoed from the highest peaks of the human realm.

“Ten breaths! We just need ten more breaths, reinforcements from the Imperial Capital will arrive soon!”

The Confucian Saint remained impassive, exchanging glances with the three False Heavenly Lords.

But Heavenly One slowly raised his hand, no longer willing to grant them even a moment more.

“Activate the formation.”

The three False Heavenly Lords unleashed their full cultivation, not to attack Heavenly One, but to pour their power into the Six Harmonies Literary Seal Formation.

The combined force of the three rivaled that of two true Deity Transformation Heavenly Lords.

At the heart of the Immortal Dynasty, blessed by the Dragon Vein’s luck, their strength surged to its peak.

Buzz!

Three thousand six hundred bamboo slips of azure and violet burst forth across the Sixfold Directions, summoning a boundless sea of ancient rune-like calligraphy that congealed in the air, Poetry, Rites, Classics, Music, Changes, the very essence of Confucian scripture.

Mountains of scrolls. Oceans of verse.

A domain that sealed the skies.

Heavenly One’s raised hand had yet to fall, but it was already bound, constrained by the sheer power of the ancient characters, locked by sacred interdiction.

“Subtle words with great meaning!”

The Confucian Saint, hair and beard flowing, summoned a mystical inkstone before him. Black ink splashed and curled through the air.

With the Spring and Autumn Brush in hand, his sleeves billowed as he swept it across the sky, carving grand calligraphic symbols into the heavens.

Wherever those ink-black characters traveled, translucent threads of judgment followed. Within the domain of the Six Harmonies Literary Seal Formation, the Saint established laws of his own.

A prison drawn with words.

Heavenly One was now trapped within this calligraphic cage, and at the same time, encased by the fifth-rank formation.

A double-layered restriction.

Even a mid-stage Deity Transformation expert would take a long while to break free.

“…Interesting.”

Heavenly One’s eyes glowed with a dim, ancient light. Dao patterns shimmered along his trapped palm, which calmly slashed across the calligraphy-infused void.

Shhhk-!

A thin black fissure tore through space itself.

That condensed force woven with multiple Dao attributes, pierced the very limits of the human realm’s laws.

If the Saint’s calligraphy was the divine script of order…

Then Heavenly One’s strike was the chaos beyond, a force from outside this world that casually shredded the painted order.

Boom!

The space of the human realm reeled, a terrifying backlash of heaven and earth surging forth and restitching the rift while sweeping toward all cultivators present.

The literary domain collapsed, shattering into streams of light.

Ripples and wrinkles surged across the void between Heavenly One and the Saint.

The three False Heavenly Lords groaned in unison, thrown back, their treasures and spiritual defenses flickering chaotically.

The Saint’s form disappeared, replaced by a bamboo fragment, which was instantly reduced to powder.

“Leaving so soon, Saint?”

Heavenly One sighed lightly, a trace of regret in his voice.

Behind the False Heavenly Lords, calligraphy surged once more, forming the Saint’s true body anew.

“…Mid-stage Deity Transformation, at its peak.”

The Saint’s expression was shaken, sensing the faint yet overwhelming force in Heavenly One’s casual move.

A cultivation at the very peak of mid-stage Deity Transformation was unmatched in the human realm.

But that was not all.

The Dao resonance around Heavenly One surpassed all expectations for this realm.

A formless pressure of cultivation made the three False Heavenly Lords feel as if they were suffocating, and it didn’t stop there.

Heavenly One’s dim golden eyes suddenly deepened, unfathomable as the void itself.

A spiritual will swept out, majestic, peerless.

Late-stage Deity Transformation spiritual sense!

The Saint trembled as if struck by thunder. His heart was seized with terror. Any final shred of defiance vanished.

In the Heaven Honoured human world, even early-stage Deity Transformation was the peak of achievement.

Mid-stage? Not even once in ten thousand years.

Yet Heavenly One had not only reached its pinnacle, his soul strength had advanced even further.

The gap was like that between a newly advanced Nascent Soul and a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator.

“Cycle of Samsara!”

Heavenly One’s eyes turned into twin pools of yellow spring water, spinning endlessly, containing the tides of eternal reincarnation.

“Don’t look into his eyes!”

The Saint’s consciousness began to fall, dragged into the rotating abyss of reincarnation.

He clenched his spiritual platform in his mind tightly as a faint pure energy from his mysterious treasure suddenly jolted him awake.

Huff-!

As though surfacing from drowning, the Saint escaped the gates of death.

But the three False Heavenly Lords stood frozen, as if turned to stone, their gazes locked upon Heavenly One.

“Samsara Divine Art!”

The Saint swept his spiritual sense across them, his scalp went numb.

Their souls had fallen into deathlike stillness, their awareness forcibly pulled into that illusory world of reincarnation.

Even the ones who had avoided Heavenly One’s gaze… were not spared.

Run!

The Saint understood, their souls that were merely at False Deity Transformation level, couldn’t endure such divine might.

Even if they bought a breath or two of time, it would ease the pressure from Heavenly One’s spiritual sense.

Just as the Confucian Saint activated his escape technique, he felt the void around him turn into a quagmire, slowing his movements.

His soul was locked onto by a sword intent that pierced through space.

Spatial divine power? Sword intent?

Despair washed over the Confucian Saint. The Heavenly One Divine Sovereign seemed like a worldly deity, vastly knowledgeable, omnipotent, and all-knowing.

A peculiar, ancient-looking sword appeared in Heavenly One’s hand.

Set with an eerie blue gem at the hilt, its blade thin as cicada’s wings, etched with gluttonous beast patterns along the spine, exuding a smoke-like aura of fate.

Four Tribulation Marks glowed upon the blade.

At the sword’s emergence, all of the Saint’s artifacts, including his spiritual treasures began to tremble uncontrollably.

Like lowly stars before a blazing sun.

His eyes landed on the four tribulation marks, and his heart trembled violently.

“Heaven-Connecting spiritual treasure… the Heaven-Severing Fate-Stealing Sword!”

Only spiritual treasures that had passed through four tribulations could earn the title “Heavenly Spiritual Treasure.” Even Void Refinement Venerables might not possess one.

The thought had barely formed when the Heaven-Severing Fate-Stealing Sword pulsed with an ancient, greedy sentience before vanishing from Heavenly One’s grasp and reappearing instantly above the Saint’s head.

Crack!

The protective inkstone tried to shield him but it was split like paper by the sword’s edge.

The Saint coughed blood, his soul trembling in chaos.

A second slash fell.

His body was cleaved in two, life extinguished.

A third slash followed.

His escaping Confucian Dao Nascent Soul was automatically locked onto by the Heaven-Severing Fate-Stealing Sword, which traced several real and illusory paths. All were struck, reduced to ash, and annihilated.

“Not bad… You endured three strikes.”

Heavenly One raised a hand, the Heaven-Severing Fate-Stealing Sword returned to him.

With the Saint’s fall, the eerie blue gem on the sword pulsed, absorbing the karma and fortune that returned to heaven and earth.

That immense fate… had once belonged to Heaven Honoured human world.

The sword could only forcibly absorb part of it, reversing yin and yang, seizing the destiny of heaven and earth.

The greater portion of the fortune’s power returned to its primal form, flowing back into the Heaven Honoured Continent.

But fortune was ethereal and unstable, formless and intangible.

Heavenly One never noticed… that a portion of the dissipated fortune quietly flowed toward a mysterious province, drawn into a segment of an ancient, hidden vine-gourd.

(Chapter End)