Chapter 1 Unwilling

The three words escaped his lips, yet without the slightest hint of emotion, as if simply stating a fact.

But above and below, regardless of cultivation level or location, in Celestial Pride City, even throughout the entire Heavenly Cauldron Kingdom, the hearts of all watching cultivators trembled, a desolate feeling of unknown origin filling their minds.

"Father!"

"Your Majesty!"

In Celestial Pride City, countless people cried out, an indescribable grief instantly filling everyone's hearts.

For the many people of Celestial Pride City, the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor had protected their ancestors for nearly a thousand years, and countless people revered him as a god.

Hearing this sigh at this moment, people immediately emerged from their houses.

It was an ordinary middle-aged man, his blood energy not particularly vigorous, seemingly without any cultivation.

He walked out of the house, looked up at the sky, and even though he couldn't see anything clearly, he still knelt on the ground.

He was the first, but not the last.

In the nine districts of Celestial Pride City, nearly ten million people, countless numbers emerged from their houses, some in fear, some trembling, some in grief and indignation, in sorrow.

Each one silent, yet all kneeling on the ground.

Whoosh~

Above the sky, energy exploded, no one caring about what was happening in Celestial Pride City, because it was meaningless.

A mighty ruler at the end of his road, pitying himself?

Qian Shisi's eyes narrowed slightly, he certainly wouldn't think so.

He could feel the decline in the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor's aura, that he was about to launch an assault towards an even more terrifying height.

"The sages and worthies of the past left behind treasures to protect their descendants, yet they never imagined they would be reduced to tools for you to suppress the world..."

The Heavenly Cauldron Emperor's aura plummeted, like a firefly in a storm, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

But his voice remained calm, without a trace of trembling:

"But that is, after all, not your power!"

Magical artifacts are forged from minerals, mixed with runes and restrictions to exert their effect, while above magical artifacts, there are already the law and reason of the caster.

And spiritual treasures already possess spirituality, to some extent a continuation of the caster's life.

Containing various laws and principles, they are inheritance, and also divine weapons.

But even if one law is cultivated by ten thousand people, there are still differences. The law of others, the divine weapon of others, is ultimately not one's own.

The ancient sage emperors, Heavenly Venerates, before attaining the Dao may have had various treasures with them, but before and after attaining the Dao, they would definitely refine their own Dao-achieving weapon.

Because there is no absolutely strong law in this world, nor the strongest divine weapon.

What suits oneself is the best!

A King-Sealing Spiritual Treasure was naturally invincible in the hands of its former master, perhaps suppressing an era, but they were, after all, not the masters of the King-Sealing Spiritual Treasure!

"Hmm?"

Qian Shisi's expression changed as he gazed from within the light of the Myriad Dragon Boat.

He saw streams of King-Sealing aura permeating the sky, and amidst the surging chaos, the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor advanced instead of retreating, meeting the vast and mighty aura of war and slaughter.

The war and slaughter aura stirred by the 'Blood Refinement War Dragon Banner' was unstoppable. The Heavenly Cauldron Emperor's tattered battle robes were completely torn apart, his physique instantly resembling porcelain that had been smashed and then glued back together from the heart.

Shocking to the eye.

"I gave you the opportunity, but you are useless!"

But he seemed unaware, striding forward and punching, striking horizontally at the furious Headmaster of the Refinement Platform:

"Then I'll kill you first!"

Boom!

A vast divine light rose from the ground!

The nine districts of Celestial Pride City shook violently, erupting with streams of divine light. The myriad rays of light seemed like ten thousand divine swords cutting through the sky, piercing into the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor's magnificent body.

The Heavenly Cauldron Emperor's aura erupted again, his body swelling with the surging blood energy!

In an instant, it was as if he was about to fill the heavens and the earth!

With just one punch, the Refinement Platform Headmaster's expression changed drastically, half of his body 'crackling' : "You, you have already broken through?"

Bang!

The fist imprint crossed the sky.

The Refinement Platform Headmaster exploded again!

"Ah!"

The Refinement Platform Headmaster let out a suppressed, painful roar.

And this time, he had no chance to catch his breath. The Heavenly Cauldron Emperor's punch swept across the sky, followed by blood energy burning like a golden sun.

Like adding fuel to the fire, in an instant, a huge fireball spanning hundreds of miles exploded in the sky!

Boom!

But at the same time, the 'Blood Refinement War Dragon Banner', tens of thousands of miles away to the northwest, also shook down.

The Heavenly Cauldron Emperor also exploded like fireworks in the sky!

Mutual destruction?

This scene left the many watching cultivators both horrified and astonished.

Dang!

In a loud sound of metal clashing, the divine light that erupted from the nine districts of Celestial Pride City actually transformed into a huge bronze cauldron amidst the crisscrossing rays!

Whirr~

The Heavenly Cauldron Emperor, whose body had been shattered by a single blow, reformed his body again within the bronze cauldron.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Countless people were still shocked by the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor's mutual destruction with the Refinement Platform Headmaster, when they saw him 'revived' seemingly without any weakness.

Even the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor's aura was even stronger!

"Breakthrough? Not right..."

"Impossible, impossible to be so silent and without a sound! Sealing a Marquis must involve tribulation, how can one seal a Marquis without disaster?"

"It's a pity for Daoist Yang, this time he has injured his vital energy, I'm afraid he will have to abdicate."

The expressions of the many headmasters were subtle, and they exchanged glances, all seeing the solemnity in each other's eyes.

At the instant when the Refinement Platform Headmaster was blasted apart by a punch, they each retreated thousands of miles, and together triggered the King-Sealing Spiritual Treasures.

Regardless of whether the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor had truly broken through, they had no choice but to act at this moment!

The next moment,

The Myriad Dragon Boat soared in the sky, like a mad dragon sweeping across and crashing towards the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor!

"How pitiful..."

Facing the fierce crash, the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor shook his head slightly, seeming to sigh.

His voice seemed to ignore all spatial distances, and exploded in the hearts of many.

The next instant, as the divine light transformed into imperial robes covering his body, the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor had already made his move again.

"I said, King-Sealing Spiritual Treasures are not omnipotent..."

The Heavenly Cauldron Emperor's eyes became indifferent, even dim, and beneath the surging powerful aura, no one noticed what seemed to be extinguishing in the depths of his eyes.

He had been in charge of the Platform of Kings for thousands of years, and had extremely high insights into spiritual treasures, because his compatibility with the Platform of Kings was incredibly high.

It could even be said that, apart from the Supreme who created the Platform of Kings,

No one was more compatible with the Platform of Kings than him.

Because of this, he discovered many 'flaws' that were not flaws of the Spiritual Treasures.

Any spiritual treasure with spirituality and an inner heaven would subconsciously avoid shaking the earth's ley lines, because that would aggravate the 'Heavenly Cave Tribulation'!

Those with spirits in the world, seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune, is almost an instinct!

And this, other headmasters may have noticed, or may not know.

But for him, this was already enough!

Boom!

The Myriad Dragon Boat displayed its power, even overshadowing the sharpness of the 'Blood Refinement War Dragon Banner'!

Between the flashing and flowing of thousands of runes, the Myriad Dragon Boat truly resembled a monster formed by the intertwining of thousands of divine dragons, and this monster seemed to have no ability to attack or defend.

Only its speed, was fast to the extreme!

In an instant, it had already crashed heavily into the Heavenly Cauldron that the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor had slammed down!

Buzz~~

Ripples visible to the naked eye spread out, sweeping across all directions in a barbaric and overbearing manner, and wherever they passed, the void was completely torn apart!

It must be known that the void of the heavens and the earth is far from comparable to a Heavenly Cave.

If the void of a Heavenly Cave is as thin as a piece of paper, the void between heaven and earth is like cold iron essence that has been tempered a thousand times!

At this moment, the void between heaven and earth was torn open, revealing the unfathomable black abyss behind it.

"How could this be?"

But Qian Shisi's brow furrowed, and then his eyes widened: "You have gathered the earth's fortune of the entire Heavenly Cauldron Kingdom on this great cauldron?!"

Heavenly Cave Tribulation!

Is a more dangerous tribulation than a breakthrough in realm, and it runs through the life of any cultivator who condenses a Heavenly Cave!

Any Heavenly Cave cultivator must maintain their peak state at all times, and even constantly improve, otherwise, they will die!

In fact, over the countless years in Eastern Continent, there are very few Heavenly Cave experts who have lived past three thousand years and died peacefully.

Heaven and earth have cut off the path of cultivation, but the Heavenly Cave Tribulation will not let you go because of your stagnation!

Therefore, whether it is a Heavenly Cave expert or many spiritual treasures, as long as they have spirituality, they will subconsciously avoid touching the earth's ley lines, the continent.

Because cultivators cannot advance, and spiritual treasures naturally do not need to be said.

This is also the reason why they choose the battlefield in the sky.

But he did not expect that this Heavenly Cauldron Emperor would actually gather the earth's fortune of the entire Heavenly Cauldron Kingdom, where billions of people live, on this cauldron!

If this cauldron is broken, wouldn't the entire Heavenly Cauldron Kingdom have to sink?

The several headmasters simultaneously guessed this, and their hearts thumped. The Heavenly Cauldron Kingdom had thousands of cities and hundreds of millions of people, and it was sparsely populated. Among the hundred kingdoms of Eastern Continent, it was not the largest, but it was not small either.

If someone were to destroy such vast earth's ley lines, wouldn't their next Heavenly Cave Tribulation be a dead end?

The expressions of the headmasters shifted, and they inevitably hesitated for a moment.

Boom!

At this time, it was also just when the Myriad Dragon Boat brushed past the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor.

The wind it stirred was extremely violent, blowing the void for hundreds of miles like paper, shaking frantically.

The Myriad Dragon Boat actually avoided it!

All the cultivators who saw this scene were in an uproar. Did spiritual treasures still show mercy?

Or rather, did the Myriad Dharma Building Master not want to kill the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor at all?

For a time, even the many true disciples in Celestial Pride City, Miao Meng, the Fourth Prince, the Second Prince, the Ninth Prince, and other Heavenly Cave experts, changed their expressions.

Somewhat dumbfounded.

"This cauldron is called the Cauldron of Humanity!"

The Heavenly Cauldron Emperor took a step forward, his body seemed to be constantly changing between illusion and reality, but he had a vast and boundless aura sweeping across the heavens and the earth:

"This is not my choice, but the choice of the entire Heavenly Cauldron Kingdom!"

Boom!

With one step, the void trembled wildly.

The Heavenly Cauldron Emperor did not use any supernatural powers or wondrous techniques, he simply held the bronze-colored cauldron, neither dodging nor blocking, just slammed it down!

Boom!

The first slam, the Soaring Sky Sword 'buzzed' and trembled for a moment, unwillingly shifting the tip of the sword.

Bang!

The second slam, the 'Blood Refinement War Dragon Banner', which made a comeback, made a 'whirring' sound, and did not collide with this Heavenly Cauldron.

......

The Heavenly Cauldron Emperor took ten steps, and the ten King-Sealing Treasures, including the Myriad Dragon Boat, were smashed by him all over.

And, unscathed!

"So you became the ruler of this Heavenly Cauldron Kingdom with this purpose in mind!"

The Soaring Sky Sect Master's face was ashen, he did not seem to have expected the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor to do this, and said with some gnashing of teeth: "It is not surprising that a traitor who killed his teacher and betrayed his sect would do such a thing!"

His fingers trembled, as if he wanted to take action at any moment and urge the Soaring Sky Sword to kill him.

But the Soaring Sky Sword had spirituality, and it was not something he could easily control, not to mention, destroying the mountains and rivers of a kingdom, he was afraid that he would have to be buried with it!

His tone was extremely unkind, but his body retreated extremely quickly. The sharp sword light only flashed, and the whole person had swept out, just dodging the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor's barbaric and overbearing slam!

The other headmasters also retreated extremely far, their faces were not good, and it could even be said that they were extremely ugly.

"Unexpectedly, you almost succeeded, what a pity..."

The Supreme Oneness Gate Master was slightly calmer, and he took a deep look at the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor.

Dimly, he could feel something within the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor's body, but he did not say it out loud, and turned around and disappeared into the void.

He retreated directly because he saw that things could not be done!

Extremely decisive.

He left so decisively, and the other headmasters of the major sects moved in their hearts, as if they had heard some sound.

First there was doubt, then surprise.

Then they shook their heads, and although there was still unwillingness in their hearts, they still retreated.

Several King-Sealing Spiritual Treasures were unwilling to destroy the earth's fortune, but with the aura of spiritual light protecting them, they naturally retreated quickly.

It was only a few moments before and after.

The divine light above the sky had already disappeared for the most part, and the boiling and激荡 celestial phenomena, the swirling and dancing air currents and clouds also slowly calmed down.

The terrifying aftermath seemed to have dissipated into thin air.

For a time, countless watching cultivators felt a sense of unreality in their hearts. They had already fought to this point, but suddenly stopped?

"This, is this a win?"

Inside and outside Celestial Pride City, regardless of the enemy or ally, everyone was a little incredulous.

Including the Fourteenth Princess and other Heavenly Cauldron Kingdom experts, they were all a little dazed, while the Fourth Prince closed his eyes and sat cross-legged in the Forest of Tablets.

In the last moment of closing his eyes, he looked up.

The wind in the sky gradually calmed down, and in the gentle breeze, the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor stood with the cauldron.

Six thousand three hundred miles away in front of him, Qian Shisi quietly looked at the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor, and sighed softly: "Brother Li, it is indeed a pity for you."

A breakthrough may not always be earth-shattering, but may be subtle and silent.

His eyesight was not bad, and more importantly, his understanding of the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor was extremely deep. He was the only one besides the Supreme Oneness Gate Master who had seen something.

The Heavenly Cauldron Emperor had broken through.

But he was also dying soon...

"Pity, pity, what is called pity?"

When the Heavenly Cauldron Emperor opened his mouth, light golden blood flowed from the corners of his mouth, staining his teeth red.

Since the battle began, even if he was blasted apart by a single blow, he had never bled.

But at this moment, he was bleeding.

This showed that he had already lost control of his own blood energy.

"If there is a great change in the world, it must be an unparalleled great era. You have exhausted your blood energy, lifespan, and destroyed yourself at this time, so naturally it is a pity."

Qian Shisi shook his head slightly, feeling regret.

Most of their peers from a thousand years ago had been killed by the two of them, leaving only each other, so naturally he felt regret.

"Phew!"

Like a stone falling into a lake, ripples accompanied a 'crack' sound, a voice rang in the ears of the two:

"The world may change greatly, but what if it is not the so-called 'unparalleled great era' but a 'world-destroying catastrophe'?"