Chapter 188. Heart Deification, the Three Rankers Gather

Deep within a secluded mountain range, towering ancient trees blanketed the landscape, their lush canopies blotting out the sky. Thick, gnarled vines coiled between trunks like serpents, exuding an ancient, primal aura. The entire area pulsed with untamed vitality, like a fragment of some long-forgotten primordial world.

At this moment, five figures stood gathered beneath the shade of the trees. Each exuded a terrifying presence; every one of them was at least at the third stage of evolution.

The strongest one among them was a white-haired man with twin wings unfurled behind his back.

His entire body was wreathed in crackling arcs of lightning, and a boundless reservoir of energy pulsated within him. Even a mere ripple of his power caused the massive boulder nearby to fracture apart, spreading deep fissures across its surface.

At his feet was a massive, dying creature—its breathing shallow, its limbs twitching faintly. It was not indigenous to Earth but rather from outer space. And it had already stepped into the Venerable King Realm.

Yet here it was, utterly crushed without resistance.

"Go back and tell your kind," the white-haired man, Lei Xuan, spoke coldly, his eyes glimmered with a sharp glint. "Even in an era of strife, there are things your kind has no right to touch."

As he spoke, Lei Xuan slowly raised his foot.

These past days, while heading toward Kongtong Mountains, he had not remained idle. Along the way, he had begun purging beings of other races. Those who, like him, had descended upon this world from the outer realms.

With the Milky Way Starfield now unsealed, the three thousand starfields had all begun sending their elites to Earth in the hopes of claiming a piece of the emerging Great Age.

As a Celestial and one of the top hundred clans across the starfields, Lei Xuan was clearly dissatisfied.

What right did these lesser races have to meddle in this world's fate?

They had no qualifications.

Thus, he struck first to serve as a warning.

In Lei Xuan's eyes, only the top hundred ancient clans of the starfields were worthy rivals to the Celestials. The rest were merely background noise, disruptors at best.

So he decided to use them to make an example. At the same time, he could reignite the awe the Celestial Race once commanded.

The dying foreign beast beneath his feet trembled. Its eyes were wide with fear, and it dared not argue. Instead, it prostrated itself, uttering breathless assent before scrambling to flee with its life.

"Lord Lei Xuan, we've received word that Lu Yuan already departed for Kongtong Mountains some time ago," a member of the Zhou Family reported respectfully as he stepped forward, his tone low and reverent.

Though the Zhou Family had recently withdrawn into the shadows, their intelligence network remained intact. Moreover, Lu Yuan had not taken measures to conceal his departure from Mount Tai. His movements were deliberate and unhidden.

It was already an open secret where he was headed.

"Oh? So he's finally emerged?"

Upon hearing the news, Lei Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly. The corners of his lips curved up into a faint smile.

The oppressive aura radiating from his body began to recede. The twin wings of wind and thunder folded neatly behind him, and in mere moments, he seemed no different from an ordinary human.

He turned his gaze toward the direction of Kongtong Mountains.

"It seems... we can begin our plan."

From the moment he left the Zhou Family's hidden stronghold, Lei Xuan had been laying the groundwork.

The Three-Headed Ghost Race and the Primeval Daemon Race had both agreed to act and promised to go all out without reservation.

In this matter, the interests of the Outer Cosmos clans were perfectly aligned. None of them wished to see a peerless powerhouse rise from the Milky Way Starfield.

The emergence of such a figure would spell long-term trouble.

As that thought settled, Lei Xuan's voice rang out again, "All Celestials who've descended, head to Kongtong Mountains."

If they were to strike, it would be in a single, overwhelming blow. That was his principle; when the blade is drawn, it must kill.

After all, Lei Xuan was not the only member of the Celestial Race to descend to this world.

Several Venerable King Realm Celestials had arrived alongside him. Of course, among them, only he held the title of Ranker.

"Yes, Lord Lei Xuan." The Zhou Family member nodded and left swiftly to relay the command.

After a brief moment of respite, Lei Xuan rose once more and moved at full speed toward the Kongtong mountains.

The anomalies at Kongtong Mountains had intensified.

Day and night, celestial radiance shrouded its peaks. It was without a doubt that a great legacy awaited within.

The Outer Cosmos beings were the most zealous. After all, this was precisely what they had come for. In contrast, things like spiritual fruits or exotic herbs didn't stir them much.

What truly held value in their eyes was the formidable ancient legacy.

However, if something reached the rank of a divine artifact, then that was a different story altogether.

Meanwhile, Earth's own Awakened also began their journey toward Kongtong Mountains. Some sought a chance at obtaining a legacy, but many were simply curious. They wondered what would unfold when those so-called outer space prodigies finally crossed paths with King Lu.

At that very moment, aboard a high-altitude military aircraft slicing through the clouds, Lu Yuan sat alone, his eyes closed in quiet meditation.

He was circulating his internal energies to reforge his five viscera.

The process was far from simple. It could not be rushed or completed in one sweep. Things had to proceed step by step, and it had to begin with the heart.

The heart was the sovereign of the five viscera, the throne upon which life itself was seated. Nearly all the vital functions of the human body trace their origin back to this central organ.

Previously, Lu Yuan had fused two divine artifacts into his physique. His internal organs had already been forged to an extraordinary degree.

Now, to reconstruct them once more demanded an even more immense energy. But for someone like him, whose very foundation was already profound beyond measure, this was well within reach.

With each passing breath, the sound of his heartbeat grew louder, like a war drum pounding at the gates of heaven.

Within his body, golden blood surged like a tidal current, emanating a pressure so fierce it stirred the air itself.

Even though Lu Yuan wasn't intentionally releasing his aura, around him, Zhu Qingyu and the others instinctively tensed. As soon as they sensed his energy, a chill ran down their spines.

"H-he hasn't even made a move... This is just cultivation, just routine refinement... and yet it's already this overwhelming?" Ice Fairy's voice trembled slightly. Disbelief flickered in her eyes.

She had thought that now, having stepped into the Unfettered Realm and having reaped the blessings of both Mount Tai and the Dragon Palace, she had finally caught a glimpse of this man's back.

But now?

The more she advanced, the more she realized how unreachable he became.

"He's King Lu after all." Gu Sang remarked, his voice tinged with awe. "He's always been far ahead of everyone else."

He remembered once believing they stood on equal footing. But that illusion had long since been shattered. All that remained now was reverence.

Now as he thought back of his title then—Northern Emperor—even that name felt hollow.

That was to be expected. In the early days of the great upheaval, who among the common folk had ever witnessed transcendent power? Back then, idle onlookers threw around rankings and titles with reckless abandon. But now? No one even mentioned them anymore.

Neither Chunyang nor Monk Huikong said a word but they echoed the same thoughts.

Back at Ancient Mount Shu, both had taken pride in their own talent and comprehension, believing that few in this generation could outpace them in such a short span.

Yet now, it was indisputable that the gap between them and Lu Yuan was insurmountable.

Especially in the recent days, many had gone to challenge the Ancient Shu Sword Immortal's legacy again. But the outcome was always the same. Not one among them had managed to approach the ninety-ninth sword stele.

It was likely that for a very long time, no one ever would.

Naturally, Lu Yuan remained oblivious to what the others were thinking. He was wholly immersed in circulating his inner energy to temper his heart.

Though one called it "tempering," in truth, there was little left to temper. What remained was

deification

—to allow the heart to resonate with the shattered genetic shackles and be elevated to an entirely new threshold.

As time stretched on, Lu Yuan could feel the power emanating from his heart growing ever more formidable.

It wasn't quite the sensation of breaking through a genetic shackle; it was something else.

More distinct.

More primal.

More potent.

Finally, no one could say how much time had passed. But with a single mighty beat of his heart, a surge of vast, overwhelming force coursed through his entire body, flooding every inch of his meridians and flesh.

Naturally, Lu Yuan kept it restrained. If he allowed it to erupt fully, this military aircraft wouldn't be able to bear the pressure.

"Heart deification complete. Next will be the liver," Lu Yuan softly said as he opened his eyes. His expression remained calm and composed.

It seemed almost effortless, but in truth, it had consumed no small amount of time and energy. He had begun the process the moment they set out.

And the deeper it went, the more arduous it became.

After all, the next step was a breakthrough into the Saint Realm.

Lu Yuan didn't dwell on it further. Instead, he turned to gaze out the window.

Jagged mountain ridges stretched endlessly across the landscape, ancient forests blanketing the terrain in layers of green. The wilderness extended beyond sight, deep and boundless.

"Are we almost at Kongtong Mountains?" Lu Yuan finally turned away from the window, his voice calm yet clear.

"Yes, King Lu," Zhu Qingyu answered promptly. Meticulous as she was, she had been keeping track of everything. "At most, three days. I've been monitoring the movement; it's not just us. Many others are arriving as well. There's word from the Trials Academy too."

She paused slightly before continuing, "They say the fluctuations at Kongtong Mountains are growing stronger by the day. The secret realm should fully open within the next few days."

Official intelligence, as always, remained swift and precise. Every development, no matter how subtle, was promptly reported.

"Got it," Lu Yuan nodded lightly and offered no further comment.

At the same time, far away somewhere else...

A vast and majestic mountain pierced the sky, towering between heaven and earth.

Above it, radiant strands of multicolored divine light surged into the air, illuminating the firmament in brilliant hues. Even if it were night, that glow could lit up the vicinity for a hundred miles.

If one looked closely, they would notice that within that divine radiance was an immense and hazy domain that stretched endlessly into the unknown.

That place, however, was far too blurred and detached, as if it did not belong to the earthly plane at all. For the moment, no one could enter it.

This was none other than the legendary Daoist sanctuary of Guang Chengzi—Kongtong.

At the foot of the mountain, people had already gathered in droves. Some were human and others, foreign beings from outer space.

Among the outsiders, some bore appearances nearly identical to humankind, albeit with taller statures. Others possessed horns and tails, their presence bestial and savage. There were even those with physiques the size of hills; each breath they took stirred mighty gusts of wind.

Earth's Awakened and the Outer Cosmos beings stood on opposing sides, a clear boundary drawn between them. Neither side made any rash moves.

The humans were actually wary. They dared not provoke those alien beings.

As for the outsiders, they too restrained themselves, aware that Earth was home to a supreme powerhouse. Until the moment came, none dared act recklessly. They stood in silence, waiting.

Of course, exceptions existed.

In the shadows, some human forces had already begun forging covert alliances with certain outer space factions.

Buzz—

Just as the multitude stood in silent anticipation, a formidable aura surged from the rear.

Countless heads turned.

A towering figure emerged, cloaked entirely in mist and shadow. His features were impossible to discern, but his presence alone pressed heavily upon the land. As he drew closer, his form gradually shrank to a human-like scale, yet the eyes beneath the fog gleamed with a sinister, magnetic luster.

At that same moment, the sky split open.

Another being with three heads descended from the heavens. In his grasp was a massive Fangtian halberd. His three faces were twisted with battle intent, his aura rolling outward like an invisible tide, forcing nearby lifeforms to retreat in dread.

Yet no one protested. Not a single soul dared to raise their voice.

One after another, they lowered their heads and stepped aside, clearing a path with silent obedience.

Behind these two monstrous figures, more beings emerged; dozens of them, all shared similar forms.

Rumble!

A thunderclap tore across the heavens.

Everyone instinctively looked skyward.

Six figures emerged hovering in the skies, each looking strikingly similar to Winged Celestial God.

At the center of the group was the most formidable of them all. With his arms folded across his chest, arcs of lightning danced around his frame.

Several Earth's Awakened couldn't help but swallow hard.

The three outer space prodigies—Rankers of the three great clans—had all arrived!