Volume 1, Chapter 331 – Yun Shun

It had been nearly fifty thousand years since Taishi attained the Dao. Compared with some Sovereigns of shorter lifespan, he was no longer young. In recent years, rumors had been circulating in the world that Taishi’s final years were not far off, and that he was preparing to choose his successor.

Taishi’s life was steeped in legend. He rose from obscurity and strode across the Vast Land of Shenzhou with blade in hand. On the road to Sovereignty, he defeated every heavenly prodigy he encountered. Even after becoming a Sovereign, he never ceased his campaigns. A figure like him had not appeared in the annals of the human race for nearly a million years.

The only thing the world could not understand was that Taishi had never taken a wife, nor had he left behind any children. In his youth, he had had a few romantic entanglements with divine maidens from great sects, but that was all. Flowers had bloomed, yet borne no fruit.

This was quite different from the Sovereigns of the past. Even now, there were still quite a few imperial clans in the Central Heaven Domain whose lineages had been passed down, basking in the protection of their ancestral Sovereigns, their power anything but ordinary.

In the eyes of the world, the one who became the successor of a Sovereign would surely be a top-tier heavenly prodigy.

And all the heavenly prodigies of the Vast Land of Shenzhou were ranked on the Heavenly Prodigy Record. In most people’s view, the higher one ranked, the greater the chance of attracting Taishi’s notice, and the greater the hope of winning his favor.

The day before yesterday, Taishi had opened the Road to the Yellow Springs, and the commotion that caused had not been small. At such an “advanced age,” he had gone to wage war beyond this world, then taken the risk of walking along the border of yin and yang. Many people had sensed that something was amiss.

Although many outstanding figures had died in the battle in Chengtian Domain, for the human race it was still far from the point of breaking bone and sinew. There had been no need to pay such a price.

As for mortals with no cultivation, in the eyes of some powerful figures, they were scarcely of more value than roadside grass. Give them a hundred years, and their numbers would recover on their own.

Taishi’s somewhat urgent conduct only made those rumors seem even more credible.

[…]

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Above the sky, the heavenly prodigies who had stepped forth from the various war chariots and ancient warships all bared their sharp auras. Even before any blows were exchanged, the invisible momentum of heaven and earth was already colliding around them. Each was using the others as whetstones to hone themselves.

The void trembled as a spatial passage opened, and an immortal palace wreathed in drifting mist slowly flew out. Above the palace hung a phantom sun, and beneath it stood several dozen figures.

The one at the front was surrounded by Emperor laws. He was clearly a Human Emperor. His aura was unstable and fluctuating violently, and battle-blood dripped through his Emperor domain, making it obvious that he had recently gone through a world-shaking slaughter.

“Sacred Martial Immortal Sect!”

“Yun Shun…”

Although nine out of ten of Chengtian Domain’s natives had died in the demon calamity, there were still quite a few survivors from Xianwu City, and someone instantly recognized the group upon the immortal palace.

Yun Shun, the Sect Master Supreme of the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect, a supreme Emperor-path powerhouse famous for several thousand years, the unquestioned uncrowned king of Chengtian Domain.

He looked only a little over forty, with a tall, upright build. He wore a blue-and-white brocade robe, tied at the waist with a jade belt engraved with spirit patterns. Altogether, he looked refined and scholarly.

As the absolute overlord that had once dominated Chengtian Domain, the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect still retained a considerable power of intimidation, enough to make people wary.

Among the crowd, Shi Lan narrowed her eyes slightly. Within the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect party, she saw a somewhat familiar figure.

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[…]

“Everyone, let us act together. Relying on one’s own strength alone, I fear it will be difficult to achieve anything.”

From atop a golden war chariot came a deep male voice. It sounded gentle and courteous, making people unconsciously feel goodwill toward him.

From the conversations around her, Shi Lan had already formed a rough idea of these forces. Inside the golden war chariot was a first-grade power from the Central Heaven Domain, Sacred Spirit Academy, an ancient tradition inherited since the Middle Antiquity.

Within the Vast Land of Shenzhou, Sacred Spirit Academy practically held up half the world of the Confucian Dao. Rumors often circulated that within Sacred Spirit Academy there were still living ancient sages whose might could reach the heavens.

“Agreed. But once it opens, my Purple Lightning Manor will enter first.” From the war chariot covered in lightning came a thunderous voice that rumbled like crashing thunder.

“You think everyone fears your Purple Lightning Manor?” one great figure said coldly, his tone tinged with mockery.

No reply came from the lightning war chariot, as though its occupants were somewhat wary.

For a time, the atmosphere became taut as drawn bows. The momentum of rivalry among the gathered heavenly prodigies only intensified.

“This place lies within my domain. I am the host here, and you all are guests from afar. Since we do not know whether danger lies within, why not let the disciples of your sects go first and scout the way?” a calm voice rang out from the immortal palace.

As the Sect Master Supreme of the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect, Yun Shun naturally spoke with commanding presence.

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“You’re a nobody no one’s ever heard of. Since when is there room for you to speak here? Host? Are you worthy?!” The person atop the lightning war chariot seemed to have found an outlet and suddenly barked out the words as though rebuking him.

Chaotic lightning erupted in the void, like a world-ending great tribulation. It poured down in a vast ocean, seeking to drown the immortal palace and filling all who saw it with dread.

The sea formed from thunder carried terrifying divine might. Mere strands of escaping lightning reduced several mountain ranges to powder.

Yun Shun raised his head slightly. Cold light shot from his eyes toward the stars. In an instant, the phantom sun above the immortal palace seemed to become solid. Within it, a divine bird could faintly be seen spreading its wings. Golden divine radiance surged into the sky and spat out a sea of fire.

On the ground, Shi Lan was inwardly startled. This was genuine Solar True Fire. Beside her, Tianbai’s face had turned deathly pale, utterly drained of color. The clash in the sky was already far beyond her level.

The terrifying collision Shi Lan had expected never came. The sea of fire formed from Solar True Fire swept upward from below, engulfing the entire sea of lightning. Then, after condensing into a gigantic divine bird that blotted out the sky and covered the earth, it flew straight back into the sun above the immortal palace, and all became still once more.

In that instant, the superiority of one side over the other was plain to see.

“The battle-blood in my Emperor domain has yet to dry. If you wish to fight, then come with me to the starry sky beyond this world.”

Yun Shun spoke coldly, the hair at his temples flying as he struggled to restrain his anger.

When Emperor-level experts clashed, the effects were too great. At every turn they wielded enough might to pierce heaven and earth, making it easy to harm the innocent. On top of that, the heavy shackles between heaven and earth also limited them, preventing them from fighting without restraint.

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Silence fell within the lightning war chariot, and the thunder filling the sky slowly receded, clearly a wordless admission of defeat.

Quite a few people from the Central Heaven Domain quietly drew sharp breaths. Purple Lightning Manor, which had dominated the world so arrogantly, had actually yielded today.

In the eyes of many people from the Central Heaven Domain, Chengtian Domain was nothing more than a backward wasteland. Even if an Emperor occasionally emerged there, it was still as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

But Purple Lightning Manor’s retreat at this moment made many people put away their contempt and, for the first time, begin to look squarely at the outstanding figures of Chengtian Domain.

[…]

“I never expected that such a figure would exist in this borderland. I have secluded myself for too long and underestimated the people of this world.”

Inside the lightning war chariot sat a middle-aged man dressed in violet robes. The violet-haired youth with the inborn Thunder Spirit Body stood at his side.

“Third Uncle, is he really that strong?” the violet-haired youth asked in confusion.

“Your father might be able to exchange a few moves with him. I cannot.” The middle-aged man shook his head, his expression full of emotion, and admitted it frankly.

“In Lingyang Realm, he could kill me within ten moves.”