Chapter 1 The Curtain Falls

As the sun rose and the morning stars faded, the battle at Zhuwang Stage finally came to an end.

With the departure of many cultivators and the spread of the events of the battle at Zhuwang Stage, a great uproar arose within the hundred countries of Dongzhou.

The phantom of the Gate of All Wonders appeared in the Tianding Kingdom, suppressing the Zhuwang Stage, known as the number one king-tier treasure below the Supreme Treasure!

The ten great masters besieged Emperor Tianding in a shocking battle, and Emperor Tianding tore apart the Lianfatai master.

A peerless behemoth shed blood outside Tianjiao City!

In Zhuwang Stage, Yuan Yang Daoren emerged out of nowhere, collected twelve enfeoffment spirit treasures, and challenged Qian Shisi, the landlord of Wanfa Tower, to a battle in the sky.

In one battle, the five-colored divine light shook the heavens and the earth, and actually suppressed the peerless genius Qian Shisi!

The world was vast, and there were various methods of communication between cultivators that ordinary people could not understand. Soon, the shocking news had spread among countless large and small sects.

Any one of these major events was earth-shattering and could cause a major earthquake throughout Dongzhou, let alone so many major events happening in one day!

As the news spread, everyone in Dongzhou was shocked and horrified!

"The ten shattered-void experts joined together, but they still couldn't kill him, and he even killed the Lianfatai master and forced back the other experts!"

"Earth-shattering, earth-shattering! Emperor Tianding is worthy of being called the number one person in the world, such combat power is already amazing!"

"It's a pity, such a peerless figure, comparable to the ancient kings, seems to be running out of time, a genius envied by the heavens!"

"The ten major sects miscalculated this time. The ten masters were all injured, one died in battle, and one was suppressed. Even if Emperor Tianding was seriously injured and dying, there was still a Yuan Yang Daoren!"

"Man proposes, Heaven disposes, hahaha."

As the news spread, some were shocked, some were horrified, but some sneered secretly.

Dongzhou's hundred countries were headed by the ten major sects and the three holy lands, but there were even more large and small sects besides these thirteen.

They were either formed by scattered cultivators who obtained fortuitous encounters, or split from other large sects, but in any case, in this world where they were oppressed by the ten major sects and could hardly breathe.

None of them were unwilling to see the ten major sects suffer.

In fact, on Emperor Tianding's escape route a thousand years ago, there were many figures of experts from large and small sects. They did not dare to openly be enemies with the ten major sects and the three holy lands.

But it was perfectly normal for them to make things difficult for them.

"However, who exactly is that Yuan Yang Daoren? He appeared out of nowhere, and I've never seen anyone so fierce!"

"A few days ago, I was still amazed at this person's audacity to suppress the elders and direct disciples of various sects and holy lands, but now he has even suppressed the Wanfa Tower master! This momentum is even fiercer than Emperor Tianding a thousand years ago!"

"Wanfa Tower will not let it go! The other major sects will not allow the enfeoffment spirit treasure to fall into the hands of others."

"So what? The ten major sects and the three holy lands are not truly invincible, otherwise, where would we have room to survive?"

"Heh! If there really is a major change, my 'Faha Association' will have to help out!"

Dongzhou was shaken, and countless large and small sects, even scattered cultivators, and even some important figures in the dynasties all remembered the name 'Yuan Yang Daoren'.

Challenging the powerful has always been the most popular thing.

There are many people in the world who fear that the world will not be in chaos.

......

Screech~~~

The mountains were majestic, stretching for hundreds of thousands of miles, with patches of ancient forests, verdant and lush, with strong, thick, and withered vines surrounding ancient trees that were thousands of years old, nestled between majestic mountain peaks.

Various spiritual birds resembling golden crows, phoenixes, and peacocks circled and danced in the forest, chirping from time to time.

In the misty mountains and forests, countless mountain spirits, tree monsters, and spiritual demon beasts were staging scenes of the survival of the fittest.

No one could know how many creatures could be nurtured in hundreds of thousands of miles of mountains and forests.

This mountain was called 'Mingyue Mountain'.

It was the location of one of the three holy lands, the 'Mingyue Holy Land'.

Beside the mountains were located three major dynasties, each with vast territories, no less than the Tianding Kingdom, with tens of millions of people and spiritual fields everywhere.

However, the spiritual fields in these dynasties did not belong to the Mingyue Holy Land, and the Mingyue Holy Land never planted spiritual fields among the people.

Deep within the majestic and endless 'Mingyue Mountain', in the misty clouds, in the layers of overlapping void, there was a floating mountain peak 100,000 feet above the ground.

This mountain was covered in clouds and mist all year round, surrounded by divine light, with countless spiritual birds circling around it, and even more so with the great formation built by the Mingyue Holy Land over millions of years.

Under the countless array patterns flowing down from the great formation, the earth vein spiritual machine and luck of the 'Mingyue Mountain', spanning hundreds of thousands of miles, all converged towards this divine mountain.

This divine mountain was the location of the Mingyue Holy Land's residence.

A holy land in the minds of countless cultivators in Dongzhou.

In the divine mountain, spiritual herbs were everywhere, exotic flowers bloomed in competition, countless small mountain spirits ran all over the mountain, and even more so, there were bursts of lingering Danqi (elixir energy) floating about.

Faintly, a bright silver-white full moon could be seen looming in the layers of void.

Exotic flowers and herbs, spiritual springs and divine waterfalls, auspicious energy and colorful clouds danced together, and divine light and holy light flowed in the same direction.

There were no myriad palaces, no golden splendor.

The bamboo and wooden thatched huts built against the mountain, without any cultivators, were scattered all over, and at first glance, it did not look like a holy land that had been famous in Dongzhou for millions of years.

But it seemed like a village where ordinary people worked at sunrise and rested at sunset.

Somewhere in the divine mountain, a spiritual spring flowed gently, and a delicate, god-like white-clothed boy sat cross-legged on a white jade-like boulder, facing the sea of clouds, swallowing clouds and spitting fog.

That was the fog formed by the Danqi of countless elixirs mixed with the spiritual machine of the great formation, the most precious of all.

Any wisp of it was extremely rare in the outside world, but here it was as plentiful as air.

"...Emperor Tianding is suspected of having exhausted his vitality by the Zhuwang Stage, and the day of his death should not be far away, but that Yuan Yang Daoren, according to the information searched..."

A young woman in a palace dress stood behind the boy, bowing slightly as she spoke. At the end, she also hesitated slightly:

"He should indeed be a person from my Dongzhou."

"In the past 30 million years, there have been not a few people born in the world with pre-existing wisdom. It is said that several of the ancient emperors and supremes were such people, but those like this person are rare, rare..."

The boy threw food into the spiritual spring, and a tail of spiritual fish chased after it, even making baby-like 'woo woo' sounds.

These were 'dragon fish', said to have the bloodline of the ancient old dragon king. Not only did they have abundant spiritual machines, but their taste was also the most delicious, and they were most loved by cultivators.

Many sects and holy lands, including the Mingyue Holy Land, raised many of them, and they were delicacies that only a few people were qualified to eat.

"It's a pity that the Holy Master was severely injured when he deduced the future, otherwise, with just a glance of the Mingyue, we would know his origin."

The white-clothed boy had an unparalleled appearance, and every part of his body was perfect. He shook his head slightly, and the surrounding void flowed like water waves.

"Wanfa Tower and Butian Pavilion are too disappointing. They were afraid of Emperor Tianding and didn't dare to take action, which led to raising a tiger." The woman's expression was solemn.

"This matter can't be blamed on Wanfa Tower and Butian Pavilion. Who could have expected that in just two years, he would have become one of us? Warn the sect not to make things difficult for Butian Pavilion for this reason."

The white-clothed boy said lightly.

"Yes, Grand Elder."

The woman did not dare to neglect and bowed in response.

The one in front of her who looked like a boy was actually the Grand Elder of the Mingyue Holy Land, Qi Shenyu, the true controller of all affairs when the Holy Master was not in the world.

"Shuanji Shimei (Junior Sister) has not been rescued, and Yuan Yang Daoren has not been killed. Should we still give Butian Pavilion what we promised?"

She asked again.

"What was promised must naturally be given. It's their business if they can't do it."

Qi Shenyu's voice was calm:

"As for Shuanji, this is her tribulation. Only if she can return will she be qualified to become a Holy Maiden. If not..."

He stopped talking here.

The woman bowed and retreated.

Whoosh~

Perhaps it was just a moment, but a figure arrived with the wind and landed behind Qi Shenyu in the clouds and mist, hoarsely saying: "That one from Butian Pavilion has been lost."

The figure was as black as ink, and even in broad daylight, its figure and appearance could not be seen clearly, and its voice was even more hoarse like a ghost.

"What a pity."

Qi Shenyu shook his head slightly, but he didn't care too much: "Butian Pavilion has been in Dongzhou from other states for a long time. If it could be easily tracked, it would have been wiped out long ago."

The black figure remained silent, standing quietly behind him listening.

After Qi Shenyu finished speaking, he spoke again: "This time, the ten major sects failed to target Emperor Tianding. What should we do next?"

"Failure, it can't be considered that way. In the future, there will be no his existence in the world, but that Yuan Yang Daoren..."

Qi Shenyu pondered, hesitating slightly.

In today's world, shattering the void was already a peerless expert. Even he and the Mingyue Holy Master were only at this level.

Killing him was extremely difficult.

And once he escaped, the hidden dangers would be too great afterwards.

"If, as the Holy Master said, the world will undergo a major change in the near future, then the existence of this person is a bit of a hidden danger."

The black figure hoarsely said: "Should we kill him?"

"No one knows exactly how long this 'near future' will be. It could be thousands of years, ten thousand years, or it could be tomorrow. We killed Emperor Tianding, and then there was Yuan Yang Daoren. Without Yuan Yang Daoren, there might be others..."

Killing, it can't be killed cleanly."

Qi Shenyu looked up at the dome of the sky, his eyes deep:

"Do you know why our three holy lands want to be detached from the outside world and not get involved in worldly disputes? Even when besieging Emperor Tianding, we don't take action?

Even if we ask Butian Pavilion to take action, it's only to save Xuanji, and not to kill that Yuan Yang Daoren?"

The black figure shook his head slightly: "I don't know."

He really didn't quite understand the thoughts of the three holy lands.

In his opinion, Emperor Tianding and Yuan Yang Daoren were nothing compared to the millions of years of accumulation of the holy land.

If they were truly furious, they might not be able to completely suppress and kill them, just like they killed the 'Extinction Dao Patriarch' back then.

"Time, fate, luck, number...When the great luck of the world has not yet flourished, it is ultimately difficult to see the true dragon. Reckless and willful behavior will ultimately consume it.

Even if there are supreme treasures to suppress luck, it is not truly invincible. Have you forgotten why the 'Xuan Tian Divine Dynasty', which was in its heyday back then, provoked the Guanglong Supreme who had not yet attained the Dao?"

Qi Shenyu said calmly:

"Throughout the ages, there have been quite a few holy lands that were destroyed because they tried to strangle geniuses but were instead overthrown. This, there is no need..."

The world was vast, and no one except the ancient emperors and supremes could truly control it.

Those who want to suppress everything will inevitably be resisted. Under the flourishing of great luck, even million-year-old holy land sects may not be as stable as Mount Tai.

The black figure was slightly stunned:

"So that's how it is..."

He was thinking in his heart, but he was still a little puzzled: "But Xuanji was captured by that Yuan Yang Daoren. If we don't ask about it, wouldn't that be too much?"

"How can we not ask about it?"

Qi Shenyu asked: "This time, asking Butian Pavilion to take action cost so much that it was enough to create a Great Power. This is enough to appease the hearts of the disciples."

"Then, we'll just let him be free?"

The black figure frowned. He didn't not understand the reasoning, but he still felt it was a little unacceptable.

"We seek to exist forever in the world, and he seeks to be free for one lifetime, then let him have it! Thousands and tens of thousands of years later, we will still be mighty in the world. Whether Yuan Yang Daoren and Emperor Tianding can leave a trace in the world is still unknown."

Qi Shenyu exhaled, closed his eyes, and slowly calmed his heart:

"Watch him be free, watch him be rampant, watch him be happy, and also watch him decline...

If he wants to be the number one in the world, then give it to him. If he wants to laugh proudly at the kings and marquises, then let him do as he pleases."

The biggest difference between the holy lands and the ten major sects.

The former has already transcended the material world, while the latter is still rolling in the mud.

The holy lands don't need to care about one or two geniuses. Even if he may be enfeoffed as a marquis or king in the future, so what?

How many kings and marquises have there been throughout the ages, and how many can leave a trace today?

Those who compete for a moment are not enough to plan for eternity.

Qi Shenyu didn't say this, because there was no need to say too much to a 'shadow'.

The black figure stopped talking.

......

Whoosh~

The great formation calmed down until it returned to silence.

The phantom of the Zhuwang Stage also gradually disappeared into the void.

An Qisheng stood with his hands behind his back, and the depths of his eyes seemed to still reflect the free and easy yet solemn back of Emperor Tianding.

Just like the Zhuwang Stage, even he could not capture Emperor Tianding's aura. Whether he was alive or dead, and whether there would be a time to meet again in the future, there was no certainty.

"Old man, have a good journey."

The Fourth Prince stood quietly with his hands hanging down, looking into the distance at the void, only feeling empty in his heart.

Not far away, the other children of Emperor Tianding were all silent, many of them weeping sadly, and the youngest, the Fourteenth Princess, was sobbing, extremely grief-stricken.

They knew that the hope of seeing Emperor Tianding again in this life was very slim, and perhaps this was the last meeting.

"Holy Land..."

On the city wall illuminated by the灿golden light, An Qisheng murmured in his heart. The two had talked a lot, and Emperor Tianding knew everything except for some of the true secrets of the holy lands that could not be revealed.

Seeing a part of the whole, the depth of the holy lands' foundation was self-evident.

But this was inevitable.

The Wangquan Dao had been established for three thousand years and already had a deep foundation, not to mention the holy lands in this Wanyang Realm, which often had tens or hundreds of millions of years.

The long time was enough to wash away the lead, and what was left should not be underestimated.

The atmosphere on the city wall did not last too long. Except for the Fourteenth Princess, the other princes had already restrained the grief in their hearts.

They looked at An Qisheng. Before seeing him, Emperor Tianding had seen them first. They had no objection to Emperor Tianding's arrangements.

"Mr."

The Fourth Prince bowed deeply, his sleeves touching the ground:

"Tianding, is entrusted to you."