Chapter 1253: The Struggle of the Divine Emperors (Part 1)

Ten dazzling golden characters, imbued with a mysterious and ancient power of heavenly secrets, imprinted themselves deeply into the eyes and souls of all present.

A brief silence was followed by an explosive, storm-like uproar.

The mere words of the three Heavenly Mystery Elders had already deeply shaken everyone. But what now appeared before them was an ancient prophecy, embedded within the Heavenly Mystery Divine Tome, inscribed on its very first page.

No profound practitioner present could fail to recognize that the aura emanating from these ten golden inscriptions was incredibly ancient and distant, dating back at least hundreds of thousands of years, and certainly not a recent or temporary engraving.

This meant that the words of the three Heavenly Mystery Elders were absolutely true!

Although the Heavenly Mystery Realm’s profound cultivation was modest, its ability to glimpse heavenly secrets granted it an exceptionally high status in the Eastern Divine Region. On the Conferred God Stage, it was the only star realm deemed worthy of sitting alongside the King Realms, a testament to the immense power of its heavenly mysteries.

The Heavenly Mystery Realm never uttered falsehoods; its prophecies and insights were renowned for their extraordinary accuracy. This was common knowledge throughout the Eastern Divine Region, for otherwise, it would certainly not have been held in such high regard by the four King Realms. Indeed, even some supreme experts from the Western and Southern Divine Regions often journeyed across vast distances to personally visit the Heavenly Mystery Realm.

Many significant prophecies of the Heavenly Mystery Realm were often left by its masters on their deathbeds. It was believed that just before death, as the soul begins to depart, one could glimpse realms otherwise inaccessible during life.

And this particular prophecy was not only left on a deathbed, but it also originated from the Heavenly Mystery Patriarch himself!

The profound shock it delivered to everyone was undoubtedly like colossal waves.

"The Heavenly Mystery Patriarch's prophecy says Yun Che might become a True God... a True God!"

"This... this can't be true, can it? True Gods belong to the ancient era; it's simply impossible for a true god to appear in the current world. That's basic common sense!"

"Then use your common sense to tell me: Is it possible for nine-stage lightning tribulations to appear in this world!?"

"The Heavenly Mystery Patriarch actually predicted the nine-stage lightning tribulations long ago, so will the return of a True God also be true?"

"If a True God truly appears in this world, wouldn't that person dominate heaven and earth, rising above all King Realms!?"

"More than just being above the King Realms, True Gods in ancient legends could move stars and change moons, creating myriad life with a single thought. It's feared that all the King Realms in the God Realm combined couldn't possibly threaten a true deity."

"Gasp... Is this real? Would anyone actually believe a prophecy like that?"

"What kind of place is the Heavenly Mystery Realm? What kind of person is the Heavenly Mystery Patriarch? We truly don't know, but just look closely at the expressions of the God Emperors..."

The Conferred God Stage erupted in a tumultuous uproar, but the God Emperors’ gazes remained intently fixed on the Heavenly Mystery Divine Tome. Regardless of the surrounding commotion, their eyes and minds did not deviate for an instant, as if they were desperately trying to peer into the deeper heavenly secrets concealed within that ten-character prophecy.

These two words, which they had yearned for their entire lives, had never resonated so intensely within their souls as they did at this moment.

Even the Shitian God Emperor, who had previously been full of disdain, now had bulging eyes, frozen in place and motionless for a long time.

Yun Che, on the other hand, was only slightly startled before subtly curling his lips.

"This Heavenly Mystery Realm is utterly nonsensical!"

"I don't fear lightning tribulations because I possess the Heretic God Profound Veins, making me immune to any form of lightning in this world. What a 'Son of Heavenly Dao' my foot! That nine-stage lightning tribulation earlier was incredibly ferocious and furious, as if it wanted to utterly annihilate me, leaving nothing behind. How could it possibly be, as these three old men claim, 'to announce the birth of the Son of Heavenly Dao to the world'!"

"But then again..."

"What these three Heavenly Mystery Elders said is brilliant!"

"I didn't even know how to explain it away, and could only pretend to know nothing, but they actually managed to complete the explanation for me!"

"And it seems that these people, including all the God Emperors, actually believed it!?"

"The Heavenly Mystery Patriarch..."

"The first page of the Heavenly Mystery Divine Tome..."

"The 'Nine-Stage Heavenly Tribulation' that perfectly matched the prophecy..."

"It's almost convincing even to me!"

Before the Snow Song Realm could recover from the shock of the nine-stage lightning tribulation and the "dream-like" reality of Yun Che securing first place in the Conferred God Battle, they were once again plunged into an even more astonishing and absurd "dream" by this prophecy from the Heavenly Mystery Patriarch.

"Bingyun," Mu Huanzhi uttered with immense difficulty, "Is this young man truly someone you brought from the lower realms?"

Mu Bingyun remained silent for a long time.

Yes, this young man who has completely shaken the Eastern Divine Region, alarmed the God Realm, and even made the God Emperors change color...

Is he truly the one I brought into the Snow Song Realm, simply to repay a life-saving kindness?

That was only three years ago.

Three years ago, he hadn't even entered the Divine Way, and she had to quietly protect him in everything. Yet today, he has reached the pinnacle of the younger generation in the entire Eastern Divine Region, standing at a height unprecedented in the entire history of the Snow Song Realm.

He even attracted the heaven-shaking, legendary nine-stage lightning tribulation, and it corresponded to the "True God" prophecy, which is destined to turn the entire God Realm upside down.

Such a person was actually brought by her from the lower realms...

Huo Rulie and Yan Juehai exchanged glances, both rendered speechless.

"Nine-stage heavenly tribulation, True God prophecy..." Shui Yingyue murmured. "Father, you once said that the Heavenly Mystery Realm primarily focuses on 'scrying' and rarely makes prophecies. But all prophecies recorded in the Heavenly Mystery Divine Tome eventually come true, without exception. Could this time also be true?"

Shui Qianheng, however, remained wide-eyed and unresponsive for a long time; a closer look would reveal his lips trembling continuously.

The higher one's status and the stronger their profound cultivation, the more deeply they understood the true implications of "Heavenly Mystery Realm prophecies" and "True Gods."

"The Heavenly Mystery Divine Tome was established by the Patriarch, and he personally inscribed this ten-character prophecy on its first page," Mo Yu said, somewhat agitated. "The Patriarch made seven prophecies in his lifetime, and six of them have come true. His final prophecy, the 'nine-stage heavenly tribulation,' which sounded utterly absurd to anyone, has now also come true. The matter of 'True Gods returning' is too shocking and preposterous, and perhaps no one will truly believe it, but the three of us old men are firm in our belief!"

Mo Yu looked at Yun Che, his voice suddenly rising. "As this old man said earlier, the nine-stage lightning tribulation could not even be withstood by the God Emperors, yet it failed to harm Yun Che in the slightest. Instead, it allowed him to be reborn, and he can even control the Heavenly Dao Tribulation Lightning. All of this corresponds to the 'Son of Heavenly Dao' theory left by our ancestor! Since he is the Son of Heavenly Dao, he must be protected by Heavenly Dao. If he becomes a True God in the future, it will also be the will of Heavenly Dao, and no one can defy it!"

"Because no one can defy Heavenly Dao!"

After Mo Yu finished speaking, he waved his palm, and the Heavenly Mystery Divine Tome immediately floated before the three Heavenly Mystery Elders, then slowly closed.

As the ten dazzling golden characters vanished from their eyes, the expressions of the various God Emperors changed simultaneously. However, what remained constant was that all their divine senses were now focused on Yun Che.

Mo Yu reached out, preparing to put away the closing Heavenly Mystery Divine Tome. But just an instant before the Tome completely closed, two additional lines of golden inscriptions suddenly appeared below the ten-character prophecy:

"If benevolent, all heavens shall know eternal peace;If malevolent, the Devil God shall slaughter the world."

The Heavenly Mystery Divine Tome vanished, and in that instant, the expressions of the three Heavenly Mystery Elders drastically changed.

Although it was only a fleeting glimpse, these twelve characters, as if possessing a strange sentience, deeply imprinted themselves into their hearts and souls.

"This..."

Mo Yu, however, raised a hand and slowly shook his head. "Since our ancestor did not wish it to be made public, it must never be spoken! Only the three of us shall know these twelve characters!"

"Furthermore, although Yun Che's temperament is fierce, his eyes are clear and there is no negative aura about him. There is absolutely no possibility that he would fall and become a 'Devil God'."

Mo Wen and Mo Zhi also nodded slightly.

As the three Heavenly Mystery Elders, they were excellent judges of character. Although they could not fully grasp the precise meaning of the twelve characters Patriarch Huan Tian left after the ten-character prophecy, at the very least, Yun Che's steadfast and upright character bore no resemblance to "the Devil God slaughtering the world."

Moreover, as the "Son of Heavenly Dao," he was naturally the least likely person to defy Heavenly Dao.

The Heaven Smiting God Emperor rose, letting out a soft sigh. "I never expected Patriarch Huan Tian to have left such an astonishing prophecy back then. What a pity, what a pity."

"Could it be that the Heaven Smiting God Emperor actually believes this so-called prophecy?" The Shitian God Emperor said with a slight sneer. "This King has heard much about the Heavenly Mystery Realm even in the Southern Divine Region. If it were other prophecies, this King might believe one or two, purely for amusement. But 'True God'? Tsk, tsk... are mere mortals even worthy of 'prophesying' a True God?"

The three Heavenly Mystery Elders remained unmoved by the Shitian God Emperor's mockery.

The Heaven Smiting God Emperor said, "'Heavenly mysteries' cannot be fully believed, yet they also cannot be entirely dismissed. The prophecy of 'True Gods returning' is indeed hard to believe. However, the 'nine-stage heavenly tribulation' is real, and Yun Che's talent—defeating a Divine Spirit Realm practitioner while in the Divine Tribulation Realm, and utterly vanquishing a Divine King Realm practitioner while in the Divine Spirit Realm—is undeniable, witnessed by all."

"So what?" The Shitian God Emperor narrowed his eyes.

The Heaven Smiting God Emperor ignored him, looking at Yun Che with a solemn expression. "Yun Che, although heavenly prophecies cannot be entirely believed, your talent and aptitude are truly rare through the ages. Even a slight waste of them would be an immense loss for our Eastern Divine Region."

"Therefore, this King wishes to admit you into my Heaven Smiting Realm. What are your thoughts?"

As soon as these words were uttered, the entire audience erupted in an uproar.

King Realms represented the highest echelon of existence in the God Realm. Their power, profound way, and renown stood at the absolute pinnacle of the entire Primal Chaos. To be part of a King Realm, even as the lowest-ranking guard or attendant, meant one could look down upon all worlds and disdain all other beings.

Entering a King Realm was the ultimate aspiration for all profound practitioners in any Divine Region or star realm, yet it was also the most unattainable luxury.

And now, the Heaven Smiting Realm had actually taken the initiative to admit Yun Che!

And it was the Heaven Smiting God Emperor himself who extended the invitation!

If it were anyone else, such an invitation would surely cause a massive shock throughout the audience. But after the initial, subconscious uproar, no one felt overly surprised; instead, they gradually began to find it reasonable.

Being first in the Conferred God Battle, a Divine Spirit Realm practitioner completely defeating a Divine King, possessing three divine powers and three elements, attracting a nine-stage lightning tribulation, and then the True God prophecy—any single one of these points was astonishing. For him to attract the favor of the Heaven Smiting Realm was simply too normal to be surprising.

The Snow Song Realm was initially stunned, then all its members broke into expressions of wild joy.

Yun Che was the personal disciple of the Snow Song Realm King and had just won supreme glory for the Snow Song Realm. If he were "poached" by any other star realm, it would undoubtedly be a great disgrace. However, to be "poached" by the Heaven Smiting God Realm would only bring immense glory to both Yun Che and the Snow Song Realm.

"Yun Che, quickly accept!" Mu Huanzhi urged.

Other Snow Song Elders and Palace Masters all wore joyful expressions, feeling that Mu Huanzhi's excited words were entirely superfluous. It was the Heaven Smiting Realm, and the Heaven Smiting God Emperor himself had extended the olive branch; how could Yun Che possibly refuse? Indeed, no one would refuse.

To leap from a mid-rank star realm like the Snow Song Realm directly into a King Realm was undoubtedly the most astonishing ascent in the history of the God Realm. Yet, given Yun Che's talent and performance, it was truly what he deserved!

Mu Bingyun fell silent.

"Today's Yun Che is indeed no longer someone the Snow Song Realm can truly be matched with," Yan Juehai sighed softly.

"Nine-stage lightning tribulation, True God prophecy..." Huo Rulie sighed deeply, his heart unable to settle.

Yun Che's eyebrow twitched, but before he could respond, the Brahma Monarch God Emperor suddenly rose, chuckling. "Heh heh, this King deeply agrees with the Heaven Smiting God Emperor's words. With Yun Che's peerless talent, which drew forth a nine-stage lightning tribulation, it truly cannot be wasted in the slightest."

"However, if this King may speak frankly, in terms of profound cultivation alone, the foremost realm in the Eastern Divine Region is not the Heaven Smiting God Realm, but rather my Brahma Monarch God Realm! This means that if one truly wishes not to waste Yun Che's talent, there is no place in the Eastern Divine Region more suitable than my Brahma Monarch God Realm."

As soon as these words were uttered, everyone held their breath.