Chapter 1312: Ancient Venerable and Ancient Saint

Amidst many astonished gazes, the sound of a grand bell resonated throughout the heavens. A colossal golden bell appeared out of thin air, and as its chimes echoed, huge golden halos continuously emanated from it.

The golden halos spread, colliding with the ancient colossal diagram that was descending to suppress them. As the two collided, the void continuously collapsed.

However, blocked by the golden halos, the "Sacred Mountain Diagram," which was attempting to descend upon all beings in the heavens, ultimately did not fall. It merely stalemated with the golden bell, as if neither could prevail over the other.

"Ancient Sage Taimi, do you truly believe there is no one in our heavens?" During this standoff, an ancient laugh echoed in the void. As space twisted, an ancient figure emerged, with golden eyebrows drooping down and eyes profound and wise, like an endless, unfathomable abyss.

It was none other than Ancient Venerable Jinluo, one of the three great Ancient Venerables of the Return to Ruin Temple!

With Ancient Venerable Jinluo's appearance, the figure seated on a lotus of light in the spatial rift on the Sacred Race's side cast an indifferent gaze. Immediately after, as the void rippled, his figure suddenly appeared in the secret realm.

It was a man in golden robes with white hair. Though his appearance seemed quite young, his deep, dark eyes inspired awe and fear; even ordinary Sages dared not show the slightest disrespect.

He stood barefoot on a golden lotus, suspended in the void, radiating immense power and pressure, stirring chaos.

It was none other than Ancient Sage Taimi, one of the seven great Ancient Sages of the Sacred Race!

"Jinluo, you old fellow, you certainly know how to cling to life." Ancient Sage Taimi watched Ancient Venerable Jinluo with indifferent eyes and said flatly, "In ancient times, you were merely a newly ascended Sage. I never expected you to become a pillar of the heavens today."

"Compared to your lack of progress over these countless millennia, Ancient Sage Taimi, I'd say I've done quite a bit better." Ancient Venerable Jinluo smiled, his expression benevolent.

Ancient Sage Taimi's eyes narrowed slightly. He could not fail to discern the meaning in Ancient Venerable Jinluo's words, but he did not get angry, merely saying calmly, "Jinluo, you've come so aggressively this time. Are you truly planning to declare war directly on my Sacred Race?"

Ancient Venerable Jinluo said, "The Nine Heavens of the Tianyuan World each have their divisions, but this chaotic void, it's not truly part of your Sacred Race's domain, is it?"

"Furthermore, to be precise, this place is where the ancestral dragon's legacy resides. What connection does that have to your Sacred Race?" Ancient Sage Taimi's eyelids lifted, and the chill in his eyes made all the Sages feel a pervasive coldness.

However, Ancient Venerable Jinluo paid no mind, merely saying slowly, "Taimi, while the Sacred Race is powerful, with the forces you currently have here, you probably cannot stop our heavens' operation this time."

"If we truly fight it out, both sides will only fall into a stalemate, pointlessly wasting time." "So, why not each take a step back and contend for the 'Stone Dragon' based on our own abilities?"

Ancient Sage Taimi said indifferently, "When have your heavens ever defeated my Sacred Race? Jinluo, why bother doing something so self-humiliating?"

His eyes flickered, he paused, then continued, "However, if your heavens wish to court death, then of course, I must fulfill your wish."

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his sleeve, and a surge of immense power descended. This power formed a light barrier, directly splitting the secret realm into two. The center point was precisely the massive Stone Dragon and the mysterious light membrane covering it.

"With this as the boundary, if the heavens dare to take another step..." Taimi's eyes narrowed slightly, and an extremely potent killing intent suddenly erupted: "They shall be mercilessly slain!"

Ancient Venerable Jinluo's face remained unperturbed as he brought his palm down, and immense power also descended, forming another barrier right next to Ancient Sage Taimi's power barrier.

In this way, two layers of power barriers directly partitioned the secret realm.

Ancient Venerable Jinluo and Ancient Sage Taimi's gazes met, and beneath their calm exteriors, indifferent killing intent flowed. It was clear that both harbored intense killing intent towards the other.

But in the end, they did not truly make a move. Instead, they each took a step back, creating a situation where both sides coexisted.

This outcome was actually inevitable because when the Sages of the heavens repelled the Sacred Race's counterattack, they gained the right to establish a foothold in this secret realm. However, similarly, the strength on the heavens' side was not enough to completely drive out the Sacred Race.

And looking at the current situation, neither side should expect much more support.

Since that was the case, they could only occupy separate sides and see whose methods were superior in acquiring the Stone Dragon.

In Heaven's City, many powerhouses sighed in relief upon seeing this outcome, and then cheers began to erupt throughout the city. After all, from the current situation, it seemed the Sacred Race had been forced to retreat a step, tacitly allowing the heavens to share in this gain. This was rather good news for the heavens.

Zhou Yuan in the courtyard also withdrew his gaze, but his brows were slightly furrowed. He was not as optimistic as others, knowing that the Sacred Race choosing to concede a step surely meant they had made preparations. However, he also understood that this was the best outcome Ancient Venerable Jinluo and the others could possibly achieve.

If the Sacred Race weren't currently unable to allocate more strength here, Ancient Sage Taimi would probably never have conceded.

"Now it just depends on which side can first break through that protective light membrane," Yaoyao said from the side.

Zhou Yuan nodded. Currently, the Stone Dragon was protected by a mysterious light membrane, which the Sacred Race had previously spent considerable effort trying to open without success. Perhaps this was one of the reasons the Sacred Race conceded. Next, it would depend on both sides demonstrating their unique abilities.

Perhaps when the light membrane was broken, the situation would change again, and the agreement previously made by the two powerhouses might instantly be torn apart.

After all, no one would be pleased to see the Stone Dragon claimed by the other side.

Zhou Yuan exhaled, feeling a touch of regret. From the current situation, this kind of confrontation was no longer at a level where those of the Origin Infant or Law Domain stages could intervene. Without a chance to act, there would be no substantial merit, making the final distribution uncertain.

Of course, if he leveraged his relationship with Yaoyao, he might still achieve his wish, but frankly, if possible, he still wanted to contend based on his own strength and effort.

It wasn't that relying on others wasn't appealing, but he truly didn't want Yaoyao to keep worrying about him.

As Zhou Yuan's thoughts churned, in the secret realm, Ancient Venerable Jinluo withdrew his gaze from the distance and then turned it towards the mysterious light barrier surrounding the Stone Dragon, his eyes showing a hint of solemnity. Even he felt a difficult challenge when facing that light membrane; no wonder even the Sacred Race had been stalled for so long.

However, he ultimately composed himself and calmly said to Cang Yuan and the other Sages, "Prepare yourselves. No matter what, we must break through this light membrane."

"Because with these resources, perhaps new Sages might be born in our heavens."

"The Sacred Race has been restless these past years, and no one knows when they might suddenly launch a world-ending war, so..."

His eyes were solemn, and his voice resonated deeply.

"For the heavens."

The Sages responded with solemn expressions.

"For the heavens."