Chapter 1002: The Darkborn

The six saints' avatars ascended into the sky along with Tang.

They passed through layer after layer of clouds. The temperature dropped rapidly the higher they climbed.

"Your Eminences, if we go higher, I may not be able to handle it," Tang said, frowning.

"That's natural. Countless millennia ago, the heavens placed a great seal over the firmament. Those with weaker cultivation will be suppressed and can't fly further upward. Don't worry. We can take you past the seal," one of the saints replied.

"Weak cultivators can't leave, but stronger ones can? If stronger cultivators can lead weaker ones out, then what's the point of the seal in the first place?"

"We don't know ourselves, but there's a deeper purpose to everything the heavens do. Don't ask too many questions," the saint said.

"Understood!" Tang nodded obediently.

With the saints' help, Tang finally passed throughuntless layers of clouds. The higher they went, thelder it became and the thinner the air, making it difficult for Tang Xiaoyi to breathe. However, at his current cultivation, fasting and holding his breath posed no challenge, so he was barely affected.

After flying for some more time, the sky grew even darker. They reached a place without air. At this point, Tang Xiaoyi felt extreme dimfort, but his powerful cultivation allowed him to endure.

Even sounduldn't travel in this vacuum, but fortunately, theyuldmmunicate easily via transmission of spiritual power.

"How can this be? Howuld the fourntinents all be on a single sphere?!" Tang exclaimed in shock.

"And so what? If not for the formations dividing the four seas, they would bennected as one."

"This world is but a single planet, and its so-called heroes are like frogs trapped in a well—short-sighted and oblivious to the grandeur of the heavens."

"What would ants know about the vast universe?"

The saints cast mocking glances at Tang.

Tang was overwhelmed by what he was witnessing, but dared not speak further. By this point, heuld fly freely on his own and followed after the six saints as they traversed the starry skies. Gradually, another luminous sphere appeared before him.

"What's that?" Tang asked, astonished.

"That's the moon. Surprising, isn't it? The moon is likewise a sphere. Its light is but reflected sunlight," one saint replied.

Tang felt as if all his prior knowledge had just been overturned.

He observed that the sun was much larger than the planetntaining the fourntinents, while the moon, shockingly, was just a sphere in the sky.

They flew to the far side of the moon, where it was dark and shadowy. Nearby, a massive, jet-black object loomed—alossal structure shaped like a long cylinder. Its surface was dotted with lights and numerous metal doors, exuding an air of awe and mystery.

"What's this?" Tang asked in disbelief.

"A starship of the heavens," a saint replied.

"A starship? A ship—a vessel the size of an Immortal city?" Tang exclaimed, amazed.

The group waited outside the starship.

Saint Wu Shang began, "My avatar has gone ahead to request an audience with the heavens. We'll wait here."

"Understood!" Everyone nodded.

After a while, one of the starship's metal doors slowly opened.

"Let's go," Wu Shang said.

The group quickly flew toward the open door after him.

The interior of the starship was pristine and gleaming, filled with an otherworldly sense of technology and mystery. Tang was left awestruck.

They traversed these spotlessrridors and entered specialized transportation devices.

Gradually, they arrived at an expansive chamber equipped with air and gravity. At its center hovered a hazy red orb of light. Within the light, the faint silhouettes of fightersuld be seen.

Guarding the perimeter of the orb were strange, fearsome creatures with octopus-like heads, humanoid limbs, and red scales. They exuded an aura of brutality and immense power.

"And these are..." Tang murmured.

"Silence! Do not speak," a saint lded him harshly.

Tang immediately held this tongue. The saints waited in silence.

After some time, the red sphere of light trembled slightly as figures began to emerge from within. At the forefront was a male humanoid whose face was as pale as arpse. His eyes glowed faintly red. A pair of crimson horns sprouted from his head, causing him to radiate a strange blend of malevolence and majesty.

Behind him were a group of octopus-headed creatures, some bearing visible wounds as though they had just been in a fight. Wu Shang's avatar followed behind them respectfully.

"We greet the heavens!" The six saints that had just entered the chamber all knelt down.

Tang followed suit, bowing toward the horned man, as did Wu Shang's avatar to the man's back.

The horned man glanced at the saintsldly. "Are all of you servants of Sathia?"

"Yes, Lord! We were chosen by the previous rendition of the heavens, who granted us charms of heavenly law. However, those charms were stolen by traitors, and our main bodies destroyed. We now exist only as avatars, but we have brought protection tokens as proof of our identity. We ask that you verify our identities, Lord," one saint explained.

They all presented unique protection tokens.

Tang likewise presented one that a saint had given him. He didn't dare speak, and the horned man paid him no mind.

At that moment, a series of intricately designed chairs and tables floated over. The horned man sat down. The octopus-headed creatures stood silently behind him, their expressions unreadable.

The horned man sipped from a transparent gem-like goblet filled with spirit-infused wine. "Explain everything that has transpired over the past ten millennia, including Sathia's death. Leave nothing out."

"Yes, Lord!" the saints replied, still kneeling on the ground.

They began runting events in meticulous detail, focusing on the battle between Sathia and Yu Fuli.

The horned man listened with ald,ntemplative expression.

When the saints finished, the man sneered. "What useless fools you are. Even with ten millennia and the charms of heavenly law, were none of you able to cultivate the world trees?"

"We are impetent, Lord," the saints admitted.

The horned man tapped his finger on the table. "Sathia picked you lot because he wanted loyal slaves. Your impetence was expected, but even so, you've been extraordinarily useless."

The saints lowered their heads further, not daring to speak.

The horned manntinued, "I once examined your world dozens of millennia ago. The primordial altar here is certainly good at hiding. When Sathia chose you to take custody of the world, he must have given you orders. Well? Have you found the primordial altar?"

"We are impetent, Lord," the saints replied.

The horned man frowned. "Truly. Yu Fuli must have been bolstered by the primordial altar to be able to fight on even footing with Sathia. That must mean that he hadntrol of the primordial altar. Were none of you able to find it before him or seize it from him? How utterly impetent."

The saints lowered their heads, trembling.

The horned man rapped the table with his knuckles. "That said, Yu Fuli is truly an oddball. With the help of the primordial altar, he was able to advance into the Stellar realm. Sathia was a fool. His death disgraces us Darkborn."

The saints didn't dare speak.

"That said, the seal around your planet is unbroken. The primordial altaruld hardly have fled. It must simply have hidden somewhere." The horned man narrowed his eyes.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"We don't know where, Lord," the saints replied in unison.

"Who are the strongest cultivators remaining on the planet? Answer me."

"Yes, Lord!" the saints replied.

The saints bowed as they began to enumerate the strongest cultivators of the world.

"Have all nine charms of heavenly law landed in the possession of cursed kings? And some have even manifested a world tree—but is that it?"

"Yes, Lord!" the saints replied.

"I doubt yourmpetence. What you know may not be accurate. I'll need to gather information myself," the horned man mused. "Sandworms," hemmanded.

The octopus-headed lifeforms behind him stepped forward.

"Yes, Lord!"

The horned man eyed them disdainfully. "Since all of you seek to be king of the sandworms, and since none of you will admit to being bested, there's no point fighting among each other. Head down to that planet and test its inhabitants. Your performance will determine your new king."

"Yes, Lord!" the creatures replied in unison.

"Go," the horned manmmanded.

"Understood!" The octopus-headed lifeforms left the starship.

The horned man waved a hand. A large screen appeared before him, showing the scene unfolding beyond the starship. Eighteen of the lifeforms had emerged in all, each followed byuntless subordinates filtering out from smaller doors all across the starship. They and their eighteen leaders dove down toward the planet in the distance.

The starship likewise emerged from the dark side of the moon. It looked down on the whole planet, transmitting information from the surface back to the starship.

The octopus-headed lifeforms advanced at a rapid clip. Sparks flared from their bodies as they passed through the atmosphere, dropping down on the planet like a meteor shower.

Moments ago, in Yongding's imperial study, Xiao Nanfeng had learned of urgent news from Tang by means of the spectral guards.

"Inform the world that the heavens have appeared once more. Prepare for battle immediately!" Xiao Nanfeng ordered.

"Understood!" the spectral guards replied.

Soon, the leaders of the strongest forces in the world all received Xiao Nanfeng's warning.