The towering walls of Anhai Prefecture City, resembling a celestial curtain, were inscribed with countless arcane formations. The faintly resonating formations exuded an overwhelming aura that permeated the surrounding millions of miles, pressing down on everyone—even the strongest among them, the second-level Heaven God “Madame Sang.”
“Anhai Prefecture City has been reinforced and enhanced by generations of prefecture lords, making it extraordinarily formidable,” said Patrol Commander Guan. “The current prefecture lord can activate these formations with a mere thought. Even the lofty fourth-level Heaven Gods would be suppressed, and a single misstep could cost them their lives. As for weaker Heaven Gods like us, we’d be annihilated in droves. Moreover, many here possess significant backgrounds and influence, so it’s best to keep a low profile within the city.”
“Yes.”
“Understood, Commander.”
The selected divine-level experts all responded in unison. However, His Highness the Seventh Plum Rain and Dongbo Xueying remained composed, as they were well aware of the unspoken rules.
Patrol Commander Guan continued, “But rest assured, you are all participants in the Divine Court’s Myriad Flowers Banquet. His Majesty has forbidden anyone from disrupting the event, so no one would dare act recklessly against you. Now, let’s enter the city.”
Above the main gate of the prefecture city were two massive divine characters—”Anhai.” These characters radiated boundless power, each stroke forming an intricate and profound arcane formation.
—
Upon entering Anhai Prefecture City, they were greeted by soldiers from the legion. The Divine Court’s Myriad Flowers Banquet was the grandest event in the divine realm, and no mishaps were tolerated.
Anhai Prefecture City, Bloodblade Domain.
A sprawling complex of cave mansions.
“This cluster of cave mansions is temporarily assigned to your Wushan Star Domain,” said the legion soldier guiding them. “The surrounding areas belong to other star domains. Any updates regarding the prefecture city battles of the Divine Court’s Myriad Flowers Banquet will be relayed to Patrol Commander Guan, who will then inform the sixteen divine-level experts under his command.”
“Understood,” Patrol Commander Guan nodded promptly.
“Commander, please arrange for everyone to rest. Any news or orders from the prefecture lord will be delivered immediately.”
The arrangements were meticulous.
Dongbo Xueying led Jing Qiu and Yun Hai into their assigned cave mansion.
—
“Anhai Prefecture City!”
A disheveled man carrying a battle blade gazed at the towering city ahead, his eyes filled with anticipation. “I heard many of our Xia Clan deities have gathered here. It’s been too long since we last met.”
This man was none other than the Flame Emperor.
—
“I even sold my weapon to scrape together twenty divine crystals, just to make it here. According to Yun Hai’s message, Dongbo has already arrived in Anhai Prefecture City.” A gray-robed young man exhaled deeply. “Cultivating in the divine realm is truly arduous. Following Dongbo will make life much easier.”
—
“Anhai Prefecture City!”
Amidst a group of legion soldiers, the amiable elder, Purple Thunder Emperor, smiled as he looked at the distant city.
—
“Hahaha, here we are! Our Xia Clan deities are participating in the Divine Court’s Myriad Flowers Banquet!” A burly man grinned broadly as he gazed at Anhai Prefecture City.
—
In Dongbo Xueying’s temporary cave mansion within Anhai Prefecture City, more and more Xia Clan ancestor deities gathered.
“Brother Purple Thunder, you only sent a divine power clone?” The Xia Clan deities were overjoyed, drinking merrily together. In the past, they had only communicated through messaging artifacts or spatial imprints left in the Xia Clan. Never had they gathered on such a large scale. Scattered across the realms, the cost of teleportation for such a gathering was exorbitant.
“No choice. I joined the legion and can’t leave casually. But since it’s just to spectate, there’s no difference between my true form and a clone,” Purple Thunder Emperor replied with a laugh, then turned to Flame. “Come, Flame, let’s share a drink.”
“Longshan, Longshan! Quick, Dongbo was born during your Longshan Empire era. Come, both of you, drink up!”
United under the banner of the Xia Clan, they were as close as brothers.
Dongbo Xueying raised his cup to the somewhat disheveled Flame Emperor. “Brother Flame, I toast to you. Your title is so imposing—sharing a name with a mighty figure!”
“Ah.” Flame Emperor blinked. “Really?”
“Indeed.” Dongbo Xueying grinned.
Flame?
The ancestor who had saved his wife was none other than Patriarch Flame!
But in the divine realm, countless beings shared the same name, making it a common occurrence.
Just as invoking “Bloodblade” wouldn’t draw the attention of His Majesty the Bloodblade Divine Emperor—because the term was uttered too frequently, like in references to the Bloodblade Divine Court or Bloodblade Tavern. Similarly, “Spacetime Island Lord” wouldn’t react to mere mentions of “spacetime,” as the term was too generic.
True divine sense was triggered only by direct titles—such as “Spacetime Island Lord” or “Bloodblade Divine Emperor.”
“Seems I chose a good name.” Flame Emperor chuckled, his loneliness momentarily dispelled by the camaraderie of his Xia Clan kin.
“By the way, Dongbo,” Longshan Emperor said with a smile, “do you have confidence in the upcoming prefecture city battles of the Divine Court’s Myriad Flowers Banquet?”
“Yes, Dongbo, are you confident? We’re all counting on you to reach the Divine Court! We could hitch a ride with you—teleporting to the Bloodblade Divine Court costs a whopping hundred divine crystals! Normally, we’d never afford it.” The others all looked at Dongbo Xueying expectantly.
Dongbo Xueying replied hastily, “Across all the star domains of Anhai Prefecture, about thirty-two thousand divine-level experts passed the preliminary selections. The prefecture city battles will narrow this down to the top one hundred. The elimination rate is staggeringly high. I can only say I have confidence, not absolute certainty.”
“Thirty-two thousand, narrowed to one hundred?” Purple Thunder Emperor and the others gasped.
“Many are disciples of powerful Heaven Gods, even mighty figures. Some have cultivated for millions of years,” Yun Hai added.
The odds were daunting.
—
While Dongbo Xueying reveled with his Xia Clan kin, the other divine-level experts from various star domains prepared for the brutal selection ahead. The prefecture city battles were the most merciless, with an exceptionally high mortality rate.
In a side hall of the prefecture lord’s majestic palace within Anhai Prefecture City, five figures sat in solemn assembly.
“Hahaha…”
A hearty laugh reverberated through the void as a man forged from black metal strode into the hall. A member of the Metal Clan, he was infamous throughout Anhai Prefecture—his name, Ronghai King, struck fear into the hearts of many Heaven Gods.
Upon entering, the black metal man bowed slightly to the elderly figure seated at the head of the hall. “Greetings, Prefecture Lord!”
“Ronghai, take your seat,” the elder commanded. Despite his benign smile, he was the undisputed strongest in Anhai Prefecture—its prefecture lord.
“As you command.”
The black metal man scanned the room, noting the four other figures, each exuding an aura no less formidable than his own. His eyes landed on a plump, white-robed man engrossed in eating. “Brother White Sand! Weren’t you in deep slumber? What brings you here to spectate?”
He took a seat beside White Sand City Lord.
“I was, until a little fellow woke me up,” White Sand City Lord replied with a chuckle.
“Who dares disturb you? Did you devour them in a rage?” the black metal man asked, astonished.
“I may have an appetite, but I don’t eat people,” White Sand City Lord retorted, glaring.
“It was a lad named Dongbo,” a yellow-robed woman across from them interjected. “He’s participating in this Divine Court’s Myriad Flowers Banquet.”
“Oh?” The black metal man raised an eyebrow.
“His name is Dongbo, from the Wushan Star Domain’s preliminaries,” White Sand City Lord said, stroking his upturned mustache with pride. “This young brother is quite impressive. I have high hopes for him—I believe he’ll pass the prefecture city battles.”
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