Chapter 1429: Usurpation

How many decades does a mortal truly have in a lifetime? Looking back, wrinkles have quietly etched themselves onto the face, leaving the marks of time. Youthful beauty fades into white hair, and one's prime years slip away like flowing water.

Ten years is truly not a brief span; it holds profound significance in a person's life. Such a period can be deeply memorable, brilliantly glorious, or profoundly sorrowful and disheartening.

While cultivators live relatively long lives, ten years might be but a fleeting moment, barely registering a ripple in their life's journey. Yet, for the powerful beings on "the Other Shore," these ten years proved remarkably different.

These ten years were destined to be unforgettable for the God.

He reigned supreme, unparalleled across all realms. Yet, after ten years, his situation grew precarious. The world was abuzz with speculation that his life was nearing its end, and his existence was in peril.

Rumors that a Supreme God would emerge to replace him shook his very foundation and status. The most immediate and apparent effects were a weakening of faith in him and a sharp decline in his divine power.

The outside world couldn't grasp what this faith meant to him; its loss could truly cause him to fall from his pedestal and forfeit his reign.

However, even when he intervened, demonstrating world-shaping divine power and sweeping across the Other Shore, nothing changed.

Rumors proliferated, and the belief that the God would die had become deeply ingrained. Many were convinced he was truly failing, having entered his twilight years with no hope of recovery.

These factors compounded, leading to dire consequences. Faith in him became impure and no longer widespread. The divine aura surrounding his body was no longer brilliant; it could even be described as dim.

Only when he expended his essence would overwhelming radiance spread.

At this point, it wasn't just the outside world; even some hall masters, divine elders, and protectors within the divine realm had begun to waver, believing he might genuinely be entering his twilight years.

"My divine might covers the world, invincible across all realms. Who can stand against me?" the God roared in a fit of rage from his lofty altar, causing the entire divine realm to tremble violently.

No one responded; the vast divine realm fell silent.

This silence revealed the instability within the divine realm; many remained quiet, convinced they had noticed troubling signs, and began to seriously consider their own positions.

"I stand upon the altar; who can contend with me? In the nine heavens and ten lands, I am the peak!" the God bellowed, almost frantic. He seemed to foresee something, his gaze fixed indifferently upon the vast emptiness above.

The altar was magnificent, towering far above even the most colossal mountain. He and the altar together emanated an indestructible divine light, dazzlingly brilliant, as he gazed down upon the world.

No one responded to him. Only he gazed around imperiously, his heroic bearing unsurpassed, exuding an aura that made all heavens tremble. He truly seemed like a supreme divine ruler, yet now, his reign was being called into question.

The altar appeared to be forged from divine gold, supreme and grand, emitting boundless light that seemed to suppress all ages. Ancient trees stretched across the surroundings, and a small flagstone path wound through them.

A most loyal maid approached along the path, trembling with fear. She knelt on the ground, bowing her head to the altar, and said, "Your Majesty, even with your boundless divine might, you should be wary of merciless time and make plans early."

"Are you also doubting my strength?" the God bellowed, his entire body radiating boundless light. The brilliant divine aura around him surged and rippled like a vast ocean, crashing down.

With a soft pop, the maid dissolved into a mist of blood, scattered by the wind, and was gone.

Boom!

In the distance, one colossal divine statue after another rumbled and trembled violently. These were relics of Gods from previous eras who had passed away, seemingly reacting to the event.

An aged voice resounded: "God, supreme sovereign, you are omnipotent, but ultimately, you cannot withstand the passage of time. Even possessing a supreme artifact cannot halt the cycle of reincarnation."

The God's expression grew even colder. His gaze swept and shot directly down from the brilliant altar, but he found no target.

The divine realm instantly quaked, and nearly everyone's face was etched with terror. Had someone dared to challenge the God's authority? Perhaps... a new Supreme God was about to be born!

Silence fell across the lands; there was no longer any sound. The entire world fell silent, engulfed in a deathly stillness.

"Clowns, in my eyes, are nothing but weaklings, easily shattered! Dare to appear, and all shall be pulverized!" The God's majestic voice echoed throughout the divine realm, making everyone tremble.

This immense divine power made people feel his strength, like an insurmountable monument standing eternally above the altar, dominating all realms.

The divine realm fell silent for an unknown period before the God's gaze shifted towards its most sacred place. There stood an ancient mountain, imbued with the power of life, which no one could approach. Upon closer inspection, it appeared even more majestic than the altar itself.

This was the Ancient Mountain of Life, the divine realm's most sacred forbidden zone. No one could set foot there; it was typically guarded by a supreme artifact, and only the God was permitted to slumber within.

On the mountain, mist flowed, vital energy resembled small rivers, and various radiant lights trickled down.

On the ancient divine mountain stood an ancient tree of life. Its trunk was rough, with bark cracked like dragon scales. Its branches stretched vigorously, and its leaves, emerald green and sparkling, gleamed brilliantly, as if forged from pieces of jade-green immortal metal, dazzlingly bright.

The life essence was so dense it was almost tangible, rendering the place incomparably sacred. Upon merely approaching, one felt as if they might ascend to immortality, their pores opening to absorb the vital essence.

"I still have the Ancient Tree of Life! Who can strip away my years?" the God roared, his grayish-white hair disheveled and wild in the wind, his eyes growing ever more terrifying.

Divine light engulfed him, obscuring his true form. This mere glimpse, however, revealed that he was indeed quite ancient.

"Your Majesty has already consumed the essence of the Ancient Tree of Life and lived a second life," a voice echoed from the distance as numerous ancient divine statues trembled again. "Even possessing it now, it will have no effect."

Everyone was greatly shocked. Was someone truly challenging the God, entering the divine realm to converse with him? Did they possess the strength to fight?

Boom!

The magnificent altar trembled as the God descended, landing on a divine statue. Silver ripples spread, causing world-shattering destruction, and a blurred figure was restrained. With a soft pop, it was reduced to dust, and the divine realm consequently returned to tranquility.

"No matter what, the God has lost absolute control," a divine elder stated to his kin after leaving the divine realm. "Whether he has truly entered his twilight years or been schemed against, it is clear that a great storm is coming, and our self-preservation is paramount."

This was a statement made by a divine elder to his kin after leaving the divine realm, highlighting the delicate and terrifying situation and subtly advising those close to him.

Everyone living in the divine realm knew that the transition between old and new Gods was never a smooth one; it was always accompanied by terrifying, bloody storms.

History had proven more than once that a bloody cycle was always playing out. People believed that in the coming century, the Other Shore would transform into a sea of blood, a living hell where everyone would be in peril.

The divine realm suddenly became much quieter. All major commanders, numerous divine armies, divine elders, and protectors remained silent, quietly observing the evolving situation.

"The God is failing. A new God has been born. All of you, worship him early to avoid being purged later."

On the Other Shore, rumors proliferated, and discussions were incessant. Many prominent clans had secretly erected a new divine statue, which appeared majestic and solemn, emanating a precious radiance from its entire form.

This middle-aged deity appeared grand and imposing, more realistic than the blurred old divine statue; astonishingly, it was sculpted in his true form.

"Supreme God Qing Yutian has descended; he shall reign in this era!"

The whole world was greatly shaken. A new God, named Qing Yutian, was born and introduced to the world. Some opportunistic great clans began to worship him in advance, astonishing all under heaven.

Subsequently, the news leaked, and the divine statue was secretly spread everywhere. Almost all great clans began to secretly sculpt it as a precaution, and many powerful clans even started enshrining it in their altars.

For the God, this was clearly a catastrophic consequence. His faith power plummeted, evolving from mere doubt to outright disbelief. The world no longer trusted him, his authority was challenged, and the divine dynasty was on the verge of collapse.

This was a terrifying upheaval. From that day on, the faith power he received was unbelievably scarce. His entire body lacked divine radiance, and he could only function using his own power.

Without that power, his true form would manifest and be exposed to the world, lacking its usual majestic presence.

Such was the power of faith: if people's hearts were unstable, it could be rapidly consumed and decline quickly, proving far from reliable.

And during these ten years, the world's foremost demon lord's prestige greatly increased. He became known worldwide because he appeared several times each year, remained at large, and openly defied divine authority, yet the God was powerless to stop him.

It could be said that the God's authority was openly defied; this demon lord was the first to do so, becoming the world's greatest heretic. In the eyes of many, he was a stubborn rebel determined to drag the God from his pedestal, the greatest demon among mortals.

"Even cultivating in a valley, we're targeted! Damn it, I curse that usurping new God to die violently on the very day of his ascension!" the Dragon-Horse said viciously from the Yin-Yang Valley.

The situation was now very clear: this was a huge conspiracy. Someone was impatient to replace the old God. Since Ye Fan had never flaunted himself, someone was using him to create chaos and desecrate the old God.

The God's true realm became Ye Fan and the others' greatest uncertainty. He seemed to transcend the Great Saint realm, yet there were still some puzzling aspects that left them bewildered.

They did not interfere because the outside world was too perilous. Even mighty figures like the Ox Demon King and terrifying beings like the Holy Spirit, who wielded the Immortal Tear Green Gold Ruler, remained quiet. All the Great Saints had been in dormancy for the past ten years.

"The God will die, the Supreme God has descended to replace him. Qing Yutian shall reign!"

Time hurried on; this marked the second decade.

No one expected the new God's offensive to be so fierce and direct. He began openly usurping power, announcing to the world that he would take control of the divine realm.

The world plunged into chaos, and the divine realm trembled. All major commanders, divine elders, holy maidens, and hall masters were unsettled, unsure of which side to choose.

"I wield the supreme artifact; who can contend with me?" the old God roared.

However, on that very day, the divine realm almost collapsed. The supreme artifact disobeyed his summons, broke through the heavens, and departed from the altar.

"The divine diagram is neutral, helping neither side!" a divine elder exclaimed in surprise.

At the same time, many outside the divine realm were shocked. Great Saints from outside the realm, such as the Ox Demon King, the Holy Spirit, the Golden Toad, and the Grey Dragon, who had been observing, all felt a chill run down their spines upon witnessing this scene.

The supreme artifact of the divine realm was surprisingly a formation diagram. Judging by its runes and the boundless killing intent flowing from it, it was clearly from the same source as the four killing swords from the Ancient Celestial Venerable's Spring of Life.

"It's... the Lingbao Celestial Venerable's formation diagram!" Everyone was utterly shocked. If this item were in hand, one could eventually obtain the four killing swords, and combined, they would be invincible across the world.

The divine diagram appeared in the sky, floating above the divine realm and guarding the Ancient Tree of Life. It rotated slowly, its aura immense, as if it could crush all heavens and myriad realms. Chaotic mist billowed, terrifyingly boundless.

"It's the Immortal Slaying Formation Diagram! Unbelievable that it's here." At this crucial moment, Pang Bo and Ye Fan also arrived, observing secretly, eager to witness a true divine battle.