Chapter 1833: Ruler Stage

Li Luo sounded like a god as his majestic voice reverberated throughout every corner of the world, drawing the attention of countless living creatures. The ones who were most surprised were the Heavenly Emperors. They were in a daze when they heard his imposing words. Their bodies started shaking uncontrollably, unable to hide their excitement and joy. They couldn't believe what they had heard.

In reality, the King Stage was effectively the final realm, and the Heavenly Emperor Stage was actually part of it.[1] There was nothing after the Heavenly Emperor Stage. No, strictly speaking, it wasn't that there was no way forward from there. Obtaining a tenth-grade resonance was one method to grow more powerful, but it was not the same as reaching another cultivation level. It was simply a way to reach the absolute pinnacle of power.

Reaching the tenth-grade was incredibly difficult and couldn't be considered an advancement to the next realm. This was made clear by the fact that only two tenth-grade resonances had ever been produced. Furthermore, the tenth-grade only referred to one's resonance grade—it wasn't an entirely new cultivation realm.

Li Luo's words were like a mandate straight from heaven, containing indescribable power and altering the laws of the world. He had forcibly changed the reality of the King and Heavenly Emperor Stages being the limit and opened up a new path for the people of the world to travel. The next level was called the Ruler Stage. This stage would thus be engraved on the laws of the world, written into existence by Li Luo.

In that instant, all of the Heavenly Emperors could vaguely sense that a path above the King Stage had appeared. If they continued to cultivate until the end, they would reach the so-called Ruler Stage.

When one reached the Ruler Stage, their resonances would undergo an evolution, reaching the fabled tenth-grade. This tenth-grade resonance would actually be at the level of a quasi tenth-grade, not nearly as powerful as Li Luo's or the Dark Sect Master's resonances. Even so, it would be qualitatively stronger than before as it had stepped into the realm of the tenth-grade.

The Heavenly Emperors were excited as well as taken aback. Heavenly Emperors Jiang, Zhen Jie, Yan Changsheng, and Su Ying had long reached the Divine Fruit Realm, but due to the difficulty of obtaining a true tenth-grade resonance, they had been trapped and unable to advance any further. It was only when Li Luo had used the absolute power of the void resonance to rewrite the laws of the world and establish a new stage that they could sense their bottleneck finally start to loosen.

The path to the Ruler Stage was even clearer to them than the other Heavenly Emperors. The laws had truly been changed and the constraints had been removed. The normal Heavenly Emperors watched enviously as Heavenly Emperor Jiang and the other three's auras started to climb, perhaps due to the benefits of being present at this pivotal moment. This was completely unimaginable.

The entire world rumbled, and all sorts of wondrous phenomena came into existence as the four of them gradually reached the new stage Li Luo had just created. Four new Rulers were soon born.

When the living creatures of the world witnessed their ascension, it was as though they were being blessed by divine providence. The names of these individuals rang out in their minds, and their hearts were filled with reverence.

The Ruler of Wood, Jiang He.

The Ruler of Dragons, Zhen Jie.

The Ruler of the Golden Pengs, Yan Changsheng.

The Ruler of the Rosy Skies, Su Ying.

With a wave of Li Luo's hand, a new stage had been created, and these four became the first group of Ruler Stage experts.

When faced with the sudden promotion to the next stage, they couldn't help but be overwhelmed by a surge of emotions, and their eyes welled up with tears. This was the enlightenment that they were willing to die for, after all. They had never, ever thought that there would come one day when they would break through the shackles on their cultivation and ascend further. As a result, they felt boundless respect for Li Luo. The four of them solemnly bowed towards him.

Li Luo, still seated on his twelve-petaled golden lotus, suddenly began shining exceptionally brightly. Four particular Authorities shone within the scene of the starry river that surrounded him. They then attracted even more Authorities to swirl around him. His aura gradually transformed, becoming inconceivably vast and boundless.

When the Dark Sect Master sensed Li Luo's aura rising, she instantly understood his goal. Even she couldn't help but reveal a look of amazement in her eyes as she watched him execute this miraculous move.

She said, "Interesting. You actually thought of such a method, to open up a new path of cultivation for all of the living creatures in the world. You then used this opportunity to allow yourself to ascend and reach a new stage that's capable of surpassing me.

"You've opened up the Ruler Stage, a step that goes beyond the Heavenly Emperor Stage, allowing all creatures to peer into the secrets of the tenth-grade. The other Rulers are like stars and you are like the sun and the moon. They orbit around you, and you can use them to completely control the will of the world. That makes you a supreme sovereign who stands head and shoulders above all other Rulers. At that point, you will supersede me in terms of cultivation level."

Li Luo's actions were truly divine. Originally, he and the Dark Sect Master had reached the tenth-grade, the limit of their Dao. This made them truly equal in terms of strength. But when the Ruler Stage was created, a new ruler was born. The ruler could carve out a path to greater heights. Simply speaking, it was as though Li Luo had created his own cultivation system. Those who chose the path to become a Ruler would forever bear his mark, turning into his divine generals and supplementing his power. Only the word "miracle" could describe this feat.

If Li Luo could follow through with his plan, the world's will would be under his control. Above the King Stage was the Ruler Stage. Above that was the Absolute Ruler! Li Luo would then become the Absolute Ruler of the world, far surpassing the Dark Sect Master. He could then suppress her and end her.

"What wild ambitions," said the Dark Sect Master as she lightly chuckled, her eyes burning feverishly.

Li Luo's goal had truly piqued her interest. What did it mean to be the Absolute Ruler of the world? She wanted to become one as well. The world did not possess a true owner, and she and Li Luo were the only ones capable of competing for the position. If Li Luo was able to rewrite the laws of the world, she could do so as well.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The Dark Sect Master's indifferent words echoed throughout the world. "In this world, there are those who are superior and others who are inferior. Even those who reach the Ruler Stage aren't all equal. Some are lesser, and others are greater."

These words immediately caused an invisible restraint to bear down on Heavenly Emperors Jiang, Yan Changsheng, Zhen Jie, and Su Ying. They had all been relegated to become Lesser Rulers. As the true Rulers, the Greater Rulers, there were only two: Li Luo and the Dark Sect Master.

They were akin to two gods dueling, both possessing the power to reshape the world's laws in order to control it. The world changed at their whims. The Heavenly Emperors felt a deep sense of awe within their hearts. Was this what a battle at the absolute pinnacle looked like? It far exceeded their imaginations.

With her intervention, the Dark Sect Master's aura began to climb. This meant that she had plundered a portion of the power that belonged to Li Luo. She was now grappling for control of the position of Absolute Ruler.

Li Luo's deep eyes were locked onto the Dark Sect Master. She was indeed an impressive opponent. After understanding his aim, she had taken action without hesitation, taking away a part of his power to vie for complete dominance of the world.

An indifferent smirk appeared on the Dark Sect Master's elegant features as she said, "Li Luo, don't accuse me of stealing your thunder. In the struggle of the Grand Dao, there is only success or failure, not who comes first or last.

"You are indeed impressive, having come up with such a method to stop me. However, I regret to inform you that this path fits me far better than it does you. My previous selves were the Sect Master and the Origin of Absolute Corruption. They were the rulers of the divine continents and the Shadow World. I have inherited all that they are and thus, in terms of fate and destiny, I'm the prime successor. You, on the other hand, are just a failed usurper. You've opened up a new path of the Dao, just to give it to me and create your own end."

As her words rang out, the void behind the Dark Sect Master began to tremble and was filled with chaotic streams. At the end of these streams were two blurry figures. One of them was immediately familiar to Li Luo—it was the Sect Master. The other emanated an ancient and primordial darkness, triggering the birth of countless negative emotions. It was the Origin of Absolute Corruption!

When they appeared, the world began to shake violently. These two beings had been far too critical in the development of the world. Their importance and contributions had been so great that the world couldn't forget about them. These were the bodies that had fused to become the Dark Sect Master and thus bore a great amount of Heavenly Fate.

At this moment, all of the living creatures felt an impending sense of dread. It was as though the control of the world was gradually shifting towards the Dark Sect Master. The position of Absolute Ruler of the World was going to land in her hands.

1. TL Note: So it's finally clear why Transcendent Dukes can skip the King Stages and go straight to the Heavenly Emperor Stage. Kings and Heavenly Emperors are actually part of the same cultivation realm. ☜