Chapter 3462: Merging With The Nine Horizons

"Tell me about the Heavencraft Domain," Lu Yin ordered.

Old Tao explained, "Our Spirit Nidus’s thirty-six domains are formed from interconnected parallel universes. All of those parallel universes are linked with Spirit Silk, all of which comes from the Heavencraft Domain.

"The Heavencraft Domain specializes in producing Spirit Silk, as well as crafting excellent weapons. Weapons made from Spirit Silk are particularly popular. Using them while fighting in any of the thirty-six domains will boost a person’s strength to a certain level, which is why the Heavencraft Domain is so highly regarded among the thirty-six domains.

"The strongest individual in the Heavencraft Domain, as well as the one most skilled in crafting weapons, is known as the Grandmaster. Below them are the master craftsmen, craftsmen, and then junior craftsmen. There are no titles for those beneath the level of junior craftsmen.

"That fatty just now is a junior craftsman. The dividing line between junior craftsman and craftsmen lies in the ability to use the Everchanging Spiritsilk battle technique. Only craftsmen can use it, as crafting Spirit Silk weapons requires one to also use Spirit Silk in battle. That necessitates a level of skill that junior craftsmen simply don’t have."

So that was the case.

Of the thirty-six domains, some were ordinary, while others were exceptionally powerful.

Far away, Zi Yi looked upset.

An old woman moved closer to console the young woman. "Let it go. No one could have expected that fatty to be so incompetent. Next time, you’ll definitely choose a better opponent."

Zi Yi was unwilling to accept her situation. How could she have become such a joke?

She had always been the one in control. She had confronted Yuan Mie, provoked Cat numerous times, and also angered the one who always hid under his blanket. Those people were the Spirit Nidus’s true elites of their generation. They were the ones who had boarded the battleship in the alternate timeline and gone to the Tianyuan Megaverse.

Zi Yi had effortlessly toyed with those people, only to suddenly be reduced to a joke.

If word of this incident spread, how would she be able to face anyone?

She had taken her eighth step, and she had failed. She needed to regain her bearing, but even defeating the strongest in her generation would not be enough to compensate for the loss that she had suffered.

Suddenly, she lifted her head to look at a particular tavern. There was only one way forward: she needed to challenge someone who was absolutely invincible and use overwhelming success to suppress everything that had just happened.

That invincible person was none other than the Third Boss of the Grandverse Manor.

Zi Yi took a step forward, which instantly brought her to the bottom of the tavern, where she faced Lu Yin.

A short distance away lay the man who had been the first to attempt to complete the Nine Steps. He still had not awakened, and no one even had the courage to check if he was alive.

The old woman was startled by the sudden movement. “Young Mistress, what are you doing?”

Lu Yin looked down at Zi Yi.

Another one? Does she want to use me to erase her humiliation? How naive.

Zi Yi’s pride would not allow her to be reduced to a laughingstock. She would rather die than endure that fate.

From a distance, the chubby man saw what was happening, and it startled him. “No way! Is she really going that far? This woman’s pride is too much!”

Everyone was stunned, though many people's eyes lit up excitedly.

This was perfect. If Zi Yi were killed by the Third Boss, then the ruthless figure behind her would certainly make a move. That would be a real show. Only someone at that level could hope to expose the Grandverse Manor’s secrets.

“Young Mistress, don’t be rash!” The old woman grabbed Zi Yi and tried to pull her away.

Zi Yi remained stubborn. “Granny, if I don’t do this, I will be treated as a joke!”

The old woman grew increasingly anxious. “Young Mistress, living is still better than dying! This man has even disregarded the High Seraph himself! He’s announced that he will deface the Ascendant Hall’s Apex Palace. He won’t care about Zi Tianshu or any of the Seven Seraphs. Leave now! Don’t provoke this man!”

Zi Yi clenched her fists. “Whether I live or die will be decided by this step!”

“Young Mistress!” the old woman called out as she glanced at the tavern. Seeing the cold glint in Lu Yin’s eyes made her scalp tingled. Without any hesitation, the old woman struck Zi Yi’s neck, knocking the young woman unconscious. She then lifted her charge and fled.

This was completely outside of Zi Yi’s expectations. The old woman was her protector, and Zi Yi had never imagined that she would one day be knocked out and carried away by her own protector.

Lu Yin did not stop the old woman. After all, neither of the women had provoked him just yet.

The old woman was also quite decisive.

“Who’s supporting Zi Yi? It’s clear that many people were eager to see some drama unfold,” Lu Yin wondered aloud.

Old Tao sighed in relief. “Old Tian Shu. He’s an expert at the level of the Seven Seraphs. He once received the title of Seraph, but he later relinquished it. He is a powerhouse who is genuinely at the same level as the Seraphs.”

Lu Yin was surprised. “He became a Seraph, but then renounced his position? Why?”

Old Tao shook his head. "That, I don’t know."

Lu Yin glanced at Palace Master Yao, but she only said, "I also don’t know."

Lu Yin looked away. For someone to become a Seraph, only to then abandon the title... Lu Yin’s curiosity was piqued, and he wanted to meet this person.

Many people had wanted to watch some drama unfold. They had all been hoping for Lu Yin to kill Zi Yi and offend Old Tian Shu. Then, perhaps some of the Grandverse Manor’s secrets might be exposed.

Lu Yin was out on a journey to placate the High Seraph’s worries, lowering the chances of him taking action, while also strengthening his Karmic Dao. Lu Yin was not trying to start an all-out war with the entire Spirit Nidus.

There was a certain level of balance in place, and Lu Yin would maintain it.

Zi Yi was carried away, and the eve of the Nine Horizons finally came to an end.

Ninerings City was enveloped in complete calm.

No one else would arrive in the city. Those who had come to participate in the phenomena had already arrived, and those who needed to leave had also left.

Countless people throughout the nine domains were awaiting the end of the cycle and the start of a new one.

They were eager to see which of the young elites would appear and who would leave their marks behind in the Waterspire Grove.

Such individuals might one day become Seraphs, and this event would be recorded down in history.

Ninerings City descended into darkness. It was the darkness before dawn.

Lu Yin took a sip of his wine as the first ray of light appeared. This was the start of the Nine Horizons.

Blinding light appeared in the east, and it stretched across the sky.

Everyone in Ninerings City lifted their heads to stare up at the dazzling light. One by one, faces lit up with excitement. It had begun.

"Charge..." someone muttered before taking a step forward, moving towards the dazzling light.

The Nine Horizons would illuminate nine domains, and it would also share the image of the people present in the light. The closer a person was to the light, the clearer their image would become in the nine domains. The greater their ambition, the brighter their light would blaze.

The High Seraph had once spread his image across all thirty-six domains. That moment had been memorialized in history.

His tower still stood taller than all others in the Waterspire Grove.

Everyone aspired to achieve that same feat.

In the cultivation world, strength reigned supreme. However, the Nine Horizons was a rare astral phenomena where strength alone did not determine the outcome.

The Three-Cup Scholar served as an inspiration to all.

Legend claimed that a destitute scholar had once stumbled upon the Nine Horizons. While his cultivation had been abysmal, his ambition had reached the heavens. He had offered three cups of wine to everyone he met and claimed that he would not bow to anyone, not even a Seraph.

Everyone believed his claims to be nothing more than bragging. How could anyone refuse to bow to a Seraph if they actually encountered one? People assumed that the man had made such a claim only because he was certain that he would never meet a Seraph.

After all, the Seven Seraphs were lofty figures whom even Spirit Ancestors could rarely encounter, let alone a destitute scholar.

However, during the Nine Horizons, that scholar had spread his image to eighteen domains, which had shaken the entire Spirit Nidus.

The man’s cultivation had been virtually nonexistent. He could have been defeated by any average cultivator. Even so, that same person had surpassed Spirit Warriors and Spirit Ancestors, spreading his image across eighteen domains, which was equal to the Seraphs of his era.

That event had created a tremendous stir throughout the Spirit Nidus. A Seraph had descended, but the scholar had simply offered that Seraph three cups of wine, laughed heartily, and then departed without accepting any gifts or blessings. Ultimately, that scholar had lived out his years in peace.

Throughout his lifetime, various powerful organizations had expressed their desire to accept the scholar. Even a Seraph had offered to take the man in as a disciple, but the scholar had refused them all.

The Three-Cup Scholar’s ambition had reached the heavens. Others had simply sought to emulate that man’s bearing, believing that doing so would elevate them to new heights in life.

Since the Three-Cup Scholar had done it, everyone believed that they could as well.

People moved toward the light, one after another. Each was accompanied by bold proclamations.

“Today, I, Xi Cang, shall illuminate all thirty-six domains, matching the High Seraph...”

“I mastered my family’s battle techniques while still a child, underwent a Spirit Rebirth at ten, and became a Spirit Wanderer at fifteen. I rose to fame throughout an entire universe by twenty. Who among my peers dares to challenge me...”

“Beneath Ninerings City, all are ants. Someday, even Seraphs will call me their equal...”

“Throughout heaven and earth, I alone will reign supreme...”

...

Countless voices rang out, as people welcomed the light that illuminated Ninerings City.

Within the city, everyone was looking up. Each was hoping that certain individuals would be able to rise higher and illuminate more domains.

Yet, at this moment, no one had managed to merge with the light.

Only by merging with the light could one truly harness it and illuminate the nine domains. Only after this did one’s ambition truly matter.

However, even just merging with the light required sufficient bearing. Unfortunately, no amount of boasting would allow anyone to cover that necessary distance. They were not able to even get close to the light.

Some attempted to approach the light by using battle techniques, moving forward with movement techniques, but all such attempts were futile.

The Nine Horizons was an astral phenomenon. While a Spirit Warrior could use sheer force to get close, that would not allow them to merge with the light. The light would remain illusory and serve no purpose.

After so many years, this matter had been thoroughly tested by multiple sequence powerhouses.

The only way to merge with the light was to have the proper bearing and ambition. Only then could a person’s image appear across the nine domains.

Soon, the first person to successfully merge with the light appeared, though everyone was surprised by them. They were a mere child and looked no older than ten years old, though the child radiated an air of incredible arrogance. "When I come of age, I will trample all the foreign megaverses! I was born with peerless talent, and I will be invincible after undergoing my Spirit Transformation."

Ninerings City was shaken. "That’s Little Salamander from the Primal Beastland!"

"What? That’s Little Salamander?"

"There’s an entire group of old monsters hiding in the Primal Beastland. Most of them have survived for this long because of the unique nature of their beast-form Spirit Rebirths. Old Salamander is one of those old monsters, and it’s said that he is as strong as the Seven Seraphs. That is why no one has the courage to provoke Little Salamander. Who would’ve thought that he’d show up here? Why didn’t anyone know that he was here before now?"

"Shh! I can answer that. Little Salamander has been hiding near the tavern this whole time."

"Near the Third Boss?"

"The Primal Beastland has already gone against the Grandverse Manor, so Little Salamander was afraid of being captured by the Third Boss."

"That makes sense."

In the tavern, Old Tao shared Little Salamander’s background with Lu Yin. Lu Yin was caught off guard. While he had used spirals of karma that had pierced many of the people in Ninerings City, he had inadvertently avoided touching Little Salamander. The little one had intentionally avoided Lu Yin.

Still, the little guy’s bearing was extraordinary. Was he not even of age yet?

The light of the astral phenomena grew brighter and more intense as it spread across the nine domains. Soon, the light covered the entirety of all nine domains, allowing countless people to see the young elite who would appear at the end of each cycle.

During the previous Nine Horizons, many prodigies had successfully merged with the light. Those with powerful backgrounds and extraordinary experiences naturally gained a bearing and ambition that would surpass most others.

However, before Little Salamander could illuminate all nine domains, the light moved away from him.

Little Salamander grew furious. "Who? Who dares to break the rules?"

Others were equally stunned.

For countless years, an unwritten rule had been followed. It dictated that no one would be disturbed while merging with the light. Without such etiquette, no one would be able to truly illuminate the nine domains.

Little Salamander had been the first to merge with the light, which meant that others should only stand back and watch. Anyone who disrupted him during this time would become everyone’s enemy. Despite that, at this moment, someone had clearly violated the rules, and they were using their own ambition to lure the light away. This prevented Little Salamander from illuminating the nine domains.

It had been many years since the last such breach of etiquette had occurred. It was only natural for Little Salamander to be enraged.

Inside Ninerings City, Little Salamander’s guardian was similarly furious. He took a step forward to intervene, but then instantly froze in place. There was sweat pouring from his forehead, and he was completely unable to move.

The light of the phenomena did not move through the sky, as it should have, but instead moved down towards Ninerings City.

Following the direction of the light, everyone could only think of one person: the Third Boss.