A single iron sword cleaved through the heavens, illuminating Cangzhou. The divine blade severed the firmament like an immortal radiance tearing through eternity!
All who witnessed it were struck with awe.
In Cangzhou, everyone knew who had unleashed that sword—the proclaimed Sword King among deities, a renowned swordmaster whose name echoed across three thousand provinces. Having cultivated for countless years, he was on the verge of ascending to an even higher realm.
A single sword’s cold light illuminated Cangzhou!
Every elite in the province sensed it, their hearts trembling in admiration.
Yet, the battle had barely begun before it swiftly concluded.
*Crack!*
In the sky, the sword light shattered, the iron blade snapped in two, falling from the heights, stained with blood. The other half remained embedded in the chest of Sword King Mu Tie as he plummeted toward the earth.
“Even Mu Tie has fallen. These outsiders are far too powerful. Just who are they?”
Some sighed, a sense of helplessness creeping into their hearts.
Deities from the three thousand provinces had fallen in waves, none able to stand against them. Even the strongest could barely withstand ten moves—such a sight was utterly shocking.
Some deities perished, others suffered grave injuries. These outsiders had traversed hundreds of provinces, challenging all in their path, yet none could oppose them.
“How dull. Their reputations precede them—’Cangzhou’s Supreme Deity,’ ‘King of the Sword Path’—yet they amount to nothing more than this!” A cold voice rang from the heavens.
Above his head, petals of the Great Dao drifted down, threads of Dao principles weaving an aura that made all who beheld it feel unworthy. It was the mark of one shrouded in immortal qi, one who had comprehended the Dao to the pinnacle of this realm!
“I’ve waited for days now. Where are your so-called prodigies? Those called the Banished Immortal, or the Wild One? How tedious.” He clasped his hands behind his back, surveying the heavens like a divine sovereign, impatience creeping into his tone.
“Lin Tian, that’s enough. This land has long since declined,” someone behind him spoke. Four other youths stood there—men as majestic as dragons, women as radiant as phoenixes, all exuding an extraordinary grace.
Each of them was formidable, no weaker than Lin Tian, if not stronger. Though they appeared unassuming, an inexplicable transcendent aura surrounded them.
Compared to ordinary deities, these youths were shockingly young!
“Too weak,” a woman muttered, her gaze sweeping over the deities of the Upper Realm, her expression cold and disdainful.
“You are far too arrogant!” The deities of the three thousand provinces flushed with anger. To be looked down upon so openly was a humiliation beyond measure.
“Then find someone who can stand against us. Across three thousand provinces, not even half a worthy opponent exists. ‘Weak’ doesn’t begin to describe it—you are insignificant!” another youth declared, his bearing akin to a dragon and tiger, a five-colored divine horn adorning his forehead.
“If the Young Master Ye of the Imperial Clan were here, he might be able to oppose them. But his whereabouts remain unknown,” whispered a cultivator from Cangzhou.
Many seethed with indignation. Such contempt for the Upper Realm ignited fury in the hearts of countless deities.
“Indeed, if Young Master Ye were present, he could surely battle them!”
In the Upper Realm, the Ye Clan of the Imperial lineage was a name that shook the ages. In one era, they had been peerlessly mighty, producing countless experts across generations.
In the ancient times, the Ye Clan’s Ye Qianyu, a Supreme Being, had once swept through the world alone, invincible in his path.
Yet, at the very moment of his ascension to immortality, he was struck by an inexplicable corruption, perishing mysteriously.
Surviving the tribulation of the Immortal Dao was a feat even Supreme Beings struggled with, leaving them utterly drained. To be ambushed in such a state—tainted by an unknown force—was no fault of Ye Qianyu’s strength, but the exhaustion of his divine power.
Throughout history, the Ye Clan had birthed many powerhouses. And in this generation, one figure stood above all—Young Master Ye, hailed as the equal of Ye Qianyu.
His divine talent was beyond measure. None knew his true strength, but all who had crossed blades with him proclaimed him the foremost deity of the three thousand provinces.
He had never suppressed his cultivation, never schemed for the sake of entering the Immortal Ancient. His path had unfolded naturally.
“A pity. Young Master Ye is currently exploring the ruins of the Immortal Dao, wandering the untamed wilds, cut off from the world. Otherwise, he would surely return,” someone lamented.
“What Young Master Ye? If he were truly strong, we’d meet him sooner or later,” Lin Tian scoffed. In his eyes, the deities of the three thousand provinces were nothing more than prey to be crushed.
“Hmph! Do you truly believe Young Master Ye can be belittled? Legends say he shares a connection with Supreme Ye Qianyu. Once he returns, you’ll understand true terror,” someone muttered darkly.
At this moment, many wished they could summon the most formidable geniuses from the Immortal Ancient. To be scorned so openly by these outsiders was unbearable.
Yet, what truly unsettled the cultivators of the three thousand provinces were the three middle-aged men standing at the rear—unfathomably deep, their eyes flickering with the birth and death of stars, terrifying beyond measure.
This was why the heroes of the three thousand provinces hesitated to escalate the conflict. These three were simply too powerful.
“Had we not come to inspect the borderlands you were meant to guard, the breach in the passage would have gone unnoticed. When the great calamity arrives, it will shake the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths,” Lin Tian sneered, his disdain for the deities of the Upper Realm evident.
“We acknowledge your strength—few can rival you. But must you speak so arrogantly?”
“At this moment, I find myself not hating the Wild One. I almost wish he would emerge from the Immortal Ancient and face these people!”
Fists clenched in frustration. Even disciples of sects hostile to Shi Hao now wished for the return of the so-called “hated” Wild One, hoping he would step forward and fight.
For rumors had spread—he had stepped into the Sacred Sacrifice Realm, capable of rivaling deities, possessing the strength to dominate all. Surely, he could stand against these outsiders.
“You speak of borderlands, of guarding, of outsiders—just who are you?” an elder deity demanded.
“Have you forgotten your past? Do you not even know where you stand? How laughable, how pitiable,” a beautiful maiden spoke, petals of the Great Dao drifting above her head, threads of chaos qi descending.
“Speak plainly!” The cultivators of the Upper Realm bristled.
“Amusing. The people of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces have truly forgotten their history,” one of the outsiders’ middle-aged men intoned, his eyes flickering with the primordial breath of creation.
“Three Thousand Dao Provinces—that is an ancient term. What are you implying?” an elder deity questioned.
The name was so old, few remembered it. Most simply referred to it as the Upper Realm’s three thousand provinces.
“What gives you the right to be so arrogant? Are you not descendants of those who fled to the desolate stars in the past?” another deity challenged.
“Ridiculous. You take us for barbarians from barren stars?” The middle-aged man shook his head, certain this world had forgotten too much.
“The world was once whole. But in the battle of the Immortal Ancient Era, it was shattered—because those beings were too powerful…” another middle-aged man explained slowly.
The ancient realm had been torn apart, becoming the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths—nineteen worlds of varying strength.
The Upper Realm’s three thousand provinces were one of the Ten Earths, named the Three Thousand Dao Provinces.
“Nine Heavens and Ten Earths?!”
All were stunned. Though the term was occasionally used, it had always been considered symbolic, not representative of nineteen actual ancient realms.
But now, everyone was dumbfounded. Were the outsiders speaking the truth?
“The Three Thousand Dao Provinces were once a flourishing land. Who could have imagined it would decline to this state after endless ages?” the middle-aged man said coldly.
“In the past, the Supreme Beings united, infusing this land with three thousand Dao principles to guard the borderlands. But now, if the great calamity arrives, it will surely begin from the borderlands this land was meant to protect. The tragedy of the Immortal Ancient Era will repeat—and with no immortals left, how will you resist?” another outsider hissed.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Fearmongering!” some refused to believe.
Yet many were pale with shock.
“It seems the Three Thousand Dao Provinces are in grave trouble. The coming chaos will surely begin from this ancient land!” one of the outsiders declared.
“Where are these borderlands? What enemies lie there? Are they truly so fearsome?” The crowd remained skeptical.
“In the era of the Immortal Ancient, when immortals and eternal beings walked the earth, they were the ones who brought ruin, shattering the whole world into the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths! Tell me—is that not fearsome?” the man roared.
According to him, the fragments of the shattered world had become the myriad stars in the sky.
“The enemies of the Immortal Ancient Era… they did not belong to the original, whole world? They must breach the borderlands to enter?” someone asked warily.
“Fallen. The Three Thousand Dao Provinces are finished!” one of the middle-aged men concluded, shaking his head.
“We came to select capable individuals—to invite the strongest sect masters to participate, to nurture a new generation for deeper cultivation. But it seems finding even a few suitable candidates will be difficult.”
He explained that the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths had recently taken major actions, with some realms reconnecting through ancient teleportation arrays.
Particularly in the mightiest layers of the Nine Heavens, Supreme Beings had proposed establishing martial academies or immortal institutes to select and train the strongest youths.
“The Celestial Deity Academy—selecting the most elite young deities from across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths for advanced training?”
“The Sacred Academy—only the most talented geniuses may enter?”
The revelations left the deities of the Upper Realm reeling. Could this be true?
The Three Thousand Dao Provinces were but one fallen land among many. Above them lay the Nine Heavens!
Nine Heavens and Ten Earths—just how vast was this world?
If such selections were made, the geniuses of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces might not even stand out. With over a dozen realms, some flourishing since antiquity, the thought alone was staggering.
Such a grand selection was beyond imagination!
The crowd was overwhelmed, struggling to process the revelations.
Some wiped cold sweat from their brows, realizing that the world was about to change. The three thousand provinces were vast, yet merely one realm among many—and others were far more terrifying.
Now, the Supreme Beings of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were preparing for the coming calamity.
It seemed these outsiders were merely testing the current strength of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces. The youths before them might not even be their strongest.
If the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths united to establish academies, just how monstrous would the selected geniuses be?
A chill ran down their spines. Their hearts trembled with dread!
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