Chapter 968: Pan (I)

"Heh."

The Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor responded to the Divine Phoenix King’s threat with nothing but a cold chuckle.

And he had every reason to. Those on the brink of ascension might possess tremendous might, but when it came to actual battle strength, a true eighth-realm cultivator wielding a legendary artifact could overpower them. In fact, such cultivators had the strength to slay even those who had just stepped into the Heavenly Origin Realm.

In the past, the True Form of Ksitigarbha had briefly fought Baize. Although it ranked lowest among the legendary artifacts, it had managed to hold its ground. If Lin Poyun hadn’t been worried about more righteous cultivators showing up to help the Mount Shu Sect, and had chosen to continue attacking, Baize might have been the one to retreat.

After all, being on the brink of ascension was just a stage. It didn’t mean someone was stronger than a true eighth-and-a-half realm expert.

As of now, the Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor had two powerful legendary artifacts provided to him by the Heavenly Star factions. One was the Seven-Star Sword from the Celestial Pivot Pavilion, while the other was the General's Supreme Constellation Disc from the Celestial King Sect. Both were ranked among the strongest artifacts in the world. On top of that, each of these two Divine Nine sects still had several eighth-realm cultivators.

The combined strength of his factions would be far stronger than that of any other sects.

In the past, the Celestial Pivot Pavilion and the Celestial King Sect might not have been so united. But ever since Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor came out of closed-door cultivation, both sects had joined forces with the rest of the Heavenly Star faction to support him without hesitation.

That had always been the case.

Whenever a Hallowed One died and the chance to reach the Profound Realm appeared, people from all walks of life rushed to support any cultivator on the brink of ascension. Everyone knew that the rise of a new Hallowed One would shift the balance of power in the mortal world, so they each made their own plans, hoping to side with the closest person on the brink of ascension.

The Divine Phoenix King, for example, didn’t belong to any faction, but over the past few days, countless demonic beasts had come to pledge their loyalty to him. However, because of the phoenix clan’s pride and his lack of familiarity with these creatures, he didn’t pay much attention to them. He called Crown Prince Phoenix Sheep back to take control of the group. If these beasts were left on their own, they might not be of much help, but they could definitely throw the West Sea into chaos.

As for Grand Ancestor Wuchao, he had always gathered the forces of sea demons. The demons from the Ruins of Return had always obeyed his orders. But now, sea demons from all four seas were rushing toward the South Sea. For the past few days, anyone looking down from above would have seen the sea routes between the East and West Seas covered in thick, dark swarms of sea demon shadows.

There was no need to explain Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor’s situation any further. He was seen as the hope of the human race, and all the immortal sects supported him as the one most likely to ascend.

Baize of Mount Shu, however, was in a more difficult spot. She was backed by the human factions and had been connected to the Mount Shu Sect for thousands of years. The demons felt a bond with her but didn’t dare offer their support. As for the humans, they held back from attacking her out of respect for the Mount Shu Sect, but they didn’t give her any help either.

Because of this, Baize had become everyone’s second choice. It was as if they had all quietly agreed to forget she existed.

The Noble Dharma’s case was rather unique. He had once been highly respected and should have been a natural choice for some within the human race. But after the imperial court revealed that he had worked with a celestial devil and nearly caused the fall of the capital of Yu, most people chose to step back and watch from a distance.

For cultivators on the brink of ascension, what helped the most were legendary artifacts and eighth-realm experts. Whether it be legendary artifacts or eighth-realm experts, the Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor was way ahead thanks to the support of multiple immortal sects.

The Heavenly Star factions might each have their own schemes and plans that they would never hand over the legendary artifact to the Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor. However, helping him fight was not a problem.

Sure enough, just as the Divine Phoenix King’s fiery clouds moved closer, the General’s Supreme Constellation Disc soared into the sky from the base of the Celestial King Sect.

...

"

Keeew!

”

A sharp, echoing cry rang out as blazing flames swept across the skies from the West Sea. From within the fireclouds, the true form of the Divine Phoenix King appeared. Each of his feathers glowed with golden light and a soft, spiritual shine. His wings spread wide, glowing with bright, shifting colors. When people looked into his eyes, it felt as if the sun itself was shining within each pupil. His long tail feathers sparkled with beauty, so perfect it almost didn’t seem real.

The Divine Phoenix was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful creatures in the world.

Like True Dragons, Divine Phoenixes took great pride in their bloodline. However, since no Divine Phoenix had ever become a Hallowed One, their influence in the world had never matched that of the dragons.

But this time, the Divine Phoenix King had come to claim the divine throne for his kind. He wanted the blazing light of the sun to shine across the heavens and the earth!

However, the brilliant river of stars across the sky blocked the fireclouds from moving any farther. As long as Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor stood watch over the Western Province, he would not be able to advance.

Beneath the stars, Wenren Yue[1] soared into the sky, bringing the General’s Supreme Constellation Disc along with the forces of the Celestial King Sect. Since they were defending their home, every expert from the sect had already boarded the disc and taken their assigned star positions.

At this moment, the disc had reached its most powerful state!

The Divine Phoenix King did not attack right away. Instead, he remained hidden within the fireclouds and sent out a storm of flaming meteors to clear the path ahead. Behind the meteors, wave after wave of demonic beasts surged forward from the West Sea.

"

Roooooaaaarrr!

"

The demonic beasts let out wild cries as they landed ashore, their roars crashing like waves. Without slowing down, they charged straight into the Western Province.

"Divine Phoenix King of the West Sea, you have always stayed out of the affairs of this world. Even if you fail to prove your understanding of the Dao, I will not take your life. But if you release these demonic beasts and let them bring disaster to the nine provinces and harm innocent people, then I will kill you myself one day," the Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor shouted. His white robes flowed behind him as he flew through the sky, and his voice rang with a heavy warning.

The Western Province was densely populated at the moment. Worshippers from every direction had gathered to honor him. If the demonic beasts managed to break through the defenses, the consequence would be beyond their imagination.

"The fight for a place in the Profound Realm has always been a battle to the death. There is no path for me to retreat," the Divine Phoenix King declared. His voice echoed through the fireclouds. "The only way forward is to charge ahead."

"You are a celestial beast with a long life. If I succeed in ascending this time, you still have a chance in the future," the Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor said, trying once more to reason with the Divine Phoenix King. "There is no need to risk the entire phoenix race over a single attempt."

Among the three demonic beings close to ascension, Baize and Grand Ancestor Wuchao had already lived for countless years. Even after reaching the brink of ascension, they had waited a long time for a Demon God to die. For them, this was likely their final chance.

The Divine Phoenix King of the West Sea was different. He was younger, and it wasn’t impossible for him to wait for the next opportunity.

However, the Divine Phoenix King treated everything the Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor said as nothing more than empty words. For a brink-of-ascension existence that was currently proving their understanding of the Dao, the only path was to keep moving forward. There was no such thing as saying, "I will become a ninth-realm cultivator this time, and you can go next."

If everything could be settled through negotiation, then why not negotiate with the Heavenly Law to let there be two Hallowed Ones in this world?

The countless demonic beasts rushing ashore were quickly met by the cultivators of the Celestial King Sect. However, their numbers were far too great, and most of the sect’s strongest experts were already positioned on the constellation disc. With no other choice, the General’s Supreme Constellation Disc had to be moved forward to hold them back.

As the disc descended, countless beams of divine light shot down like sharp arrows, cutting through the air. It looked as if stars were falling from the sky like rain.

Bursts of blood and flesh echoed through the battlefield as the light tore through the massive bodies of the demonic beasts.

The demonic beasts had no enchanted weapons to protect them and no divine abilities to dodge the attacks. All they had were their massive bodies, which they used to charge straight into the storm of divine rays.

In just a moment, the ground was covered in gore and broken remains. The battlefield had turned into a bloody millstone where life and death were crushed together.

The Divine Phoenix King of the West Sea was clearly using these demonic beasts as cannon fodder. Even so, they charged forward willingly. They knew they might die, but they were driven by passion and determination. All they cared about was breaking through the defenses and reaching the other side. If they could do that, they would earn the chance to become the vanguard of a new Hallowed One.

"

Raaawr!

"

1. She’s the leader of the Celestial King Sect. ☜