Tiny glimmers converged, and the aura of humanity permeated the air. Within Chang Le, a pale golden radiance transformed into a magnificent pillar of light that soared into the heavens, enveloping the entire city, disrupting the celestial winds, and painting the sky with its brilliance.
Misty layers emerged one after another, totaling nine distinct tiers, each clearly demarcated yet ethereal and supreme. Yet, they bore an air of decay and collapse. The uppermost layer remained hazy, obscuring any view beyond.
“Is that the Celestial Realm manifesting?”
“Has another achieved the Legendary Realm?”
“Judging by the core of the light pillar, it seems to originate from the Chang Le Palace. Could it be the current emperor seeking to prove his uniqueness?”
Voices echoed across provinces, prefectures, and cities. With the precedent set by Meng Qi, the people were no strangers to such phenomena. They chattered excitedly, a mix of astonishment and exhilaration.
Who would have thought that the second figure of this era to attain the Legendary Realm would emerge so swiftly?
And it wasn’t Su Wuming, the widely anticipated candidate, but the Emperor of Great Zhou, the current Human Sovereign. It seemed the construction of the Fengtian Platform had greatly aided him, sparing him much tedious effort.
Celestial light shimmered in the sky, faint glimpses of the Heavenly Court flickering into view. Shao Xuan, guarding the palace, and Xi E, atop the Fengtian Platform, gazed with starry eyes filled with emotion and relief. Only by achieving the Legendary Realm could Gao Lan truly become the Human Sovereign.
Just then, the heavens darkened abruptly. Above the illusory nine-layered sky, a colossal palm, suffused with pale golden glass-like radiance, descended. It exuded flawless Buddhist light, embodying an all-encompassing presence.
In an instant, Shao Xuan and Xi E found themselves severed from Chang Le, trapped in a boundless, dark alternate universe. Strewn with brilliant star-lines, it exuded an icy, enigmatic aura, steeped in silence and desolation, leaving them lost and unable to break free.
At the heart of this vast cosmos stood an ancient glass lamp, shimmering with hues of karma. Its flickering flame illuminated a Buddhist Pure Land spanning countless kalpas.
“Ancient Buddha Dipamkara!”
“He seeks to obstruct the Human Sovereign’s ascension to the Legendary Realm!”
Shao Xuan and Xi E’s hearts sank. What was destined to come had arrived.
Unlike “Primordial Emperor” Su Meng, who attained the Legendary Realm within the Eastern Glazed World, shielded from interference, the current Human Sovereign’s path was fraught with obstacles. His connection to the infinite heights was vulnerable, and while the Brocade of Rivers and Mountains protected him, it also hindered his transcendence. Thus, it was inevitable that mighty figures would seek to block his way.
As their thoughts raced, a azure sword light suddenly descended from beyond the heavens, piercing this eerie, frigid alternate universe. Its killing intent surged, destruction roiling as its radiance shot straight toward the glass lamp. Simultaneously, crimson, black, and white sword lights followed, anchoring the four cardinal directions, instantly forming the Sword Formation of Slaying Immortals. The crisscrossing sword beams filled Dipamkara’s karmic Pure Land.
To the outside world, the four immortal swords formed an array mid-air, their red, azure, black, and white lights interweaving to trap the pale golden Buddhist palm, preventing it from striking Chang Le Palace.
Yet this alone was insufficient. Without the formation diagram, the Four Swords of Slaying Immortals could only slightly weaken Dipamkara’s palm, not truly halt it. Thus, the sky grew darker as an ancient cyan-black seal plummeted, overturning heaven and earth, pressing down upon the golden palm that housed the Buddhist realm.
A hazy, ethereal sword light also slashed from beyond, exploiting the shifts in the universe’s axis and the gaps in the Buddhist realm’s cycle of creation and destruction. With supreme wisdom, it struck the palm like a master butcher dissecting an ox, cleaving into the icy, enigmatic karmic cosmos.
The not-yet fully awakened Guangcheng Heavenly Lord, Manjusri Bodhisattva, Chijingzi, Yuding Zhenren, and Daoxing Immortal Lord all acted in unison, jointly intercepting Dipamkara, who had been forced to return prematurely.
Knowing that obstacles would arise to prevent his ascension, how could Gao Lan remain unprepared, waiting passively for doom?
Within the dark, boundless universe, Shao Xuan and Xi E summoned the “Ark of the Apocalypse,” seizing the moment when sword lights, the ancient seal, and the lamp’s flame clashed, attempting to breach this realm and intercept other foes.
Meanwhile, atop the Fengtian Platform, myriad colors swirled autonomously, linking every corner of Great Zhou’s territory. The tremors of the real world coalesced into an increasingly potent Brocade of Rivers and Mountains, which then enveloped the area, shielding it from destruction and safeguarding Chang Le.
The vision of the Celestial Realm gradually faded, replaced by shimmering water-light in the sky. Each droplet reflected facets of humanity and the myriad states of mortal life, converging into a clear river that drowned the heavens, nourishing all realms.
The water-light scattered like fine rain, sprinkling the mortal world. Those touched by it found their health restored and their potential elevated, with many barriers effortlessly overcome.
The virtue of the sage nourished all, bestowing blessings upon the masses!
For a moment, joy and worry mingled among the people—joy at the unexpected boon, worry over the obstacles hindering the emperor’s ascension.
As the four-colored sword lights, the Heaven-Overturning Seal, and the Great Wisdom Sword held the golden palm at bay, and the Ark of the Apocalypse strained against the boundaries, the white ape meditating on Golden Turtle Island suddenly opened its eyes.
A colossal black staff pierced the heavens, its destructive force slowing time as it shattered through the virtuous water-light, crashing toward Chang Le Palace to raze it flat. Its aim: to prevent Gao Lan from manifesting further phenomena and strangle him at the “Gate of Legend.”
The Human Sovereign’s path to enlightenment was barred by demonic forces!
Yuan Hong, the “Great Sage of Mount Mei,” fueled by past grievances, wrath, and humiliation, struck without mercy.
Then, the heavens brightened abruptly. Purple lightning, sovereign over all divine thunder, danced wildly across the sky as a translucent, weighty violet blade descended from beyond, slashing against the colossal staff.
Meng Qi, from the Jade Void Palace atop Kunlun Mountain, had also made his move.
*Clang!*
The heavens and earth quaked, the sound unsettling all spirits. Yuan Hong’s staff was forcibly deflected by the blade, as though the two were evenly matched!
“You—!” The staff trembled, emitting a furious roar.
Yuan Hong was utterly stunned that Meng Qi could block his strike!
Though still recovering from severe injuries and his previous ordeal under Lu Ya’s “clutches,” he was, after all, a mighty figure of the Creation Realm. How could a mere Legendary stop him?
Had Su Meng ascended to the Creation Realm at an impossible speed?
No—it was his Peerless Heavenly Blade awakening to the Creation level!
And this had happened unnoticed!
Thanks to the erosion of the “River of Fate,” the demonic Buddha’s imprint had weakened further, allowing the Peerless Heavenly Blade to recover more power. Only then did Meng Qi dare to confront Yuan Hong alone.
Though his own realm fell short and he relied on divine weapons, his strength was still inferior to Yuan Hong’s. Yet, he didn’t need to win—only to stall for the few moments Gao Lan required to complete his ascension.
One at Kunlun’s Jade Void, the other at Golden Turtle Island in the Eastern Sea, Meng Qi and Yuan Hong clashed through their weapons, their battle manifesting everywhere in the sky—flashes of violet lightning and dark iron colliding fiercely, sparing only Chang Le and Gao Lan’s location. Not for lack of trying, but inability!
As the water-light faded, specks of profound yellow emerged, coalescing into countless golden lamps.
“Ten Thousand Golden Lamps” illuminated the world, neutralizing all residual forces to protect Great Zhou’s lands.
Gao Lan had manifested two phenomena simultaneously!
Before the Fengtian Platform, a figure materialized—Prince Zhao Heng of Jin.
With solemn resolve, he ascended in one step, passing unhindered through the Brocade of Rivers and Mountains as the rightful heir.
In his right hand, he unfurled a scroll glowing with pale golden light, as though the heavens and earth made manifest. Three indescribable seal characters adorned it:
“*The List of Deification!*”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage