Chapter 1640: Gathering of Heroes

Four stone horses, galloping like thunderbolts, made the earth rumble as they approached. They pulled a stone chariot, from which emerged a tall Holy Spirit, the formidable stone being known as Great Might.

Nine layers of tribulation clouds filled the sky as a Taoist priest arrived, a long sword on his back. He possessed none of the ethereal grace of an immortal sage; instead, his eyes were as sharp and piercing as cold lightning.

These were all renowned overlords of the One True Path, possessing immense, invincible power, never having suffered a defeat. Yet, they harbored mutual apprehension, and none had ever truly fought to the death against each other.

"That stone being has killed too many people; he is utterly bloodthirsty and has never left a single survivor. All who oppose him die."

"The Nine Tribulations Taoist is no saint either; the path he has carved is certainly blood-soaked."

Both had forged their reputations through slaughter. The moment they entered the Heaven-Piercing Pavilion, whispers and discussions erupted behind them.

"The Heavenly Maiden Xin Lan of the God Clan has arrived," someone exclaimed in surprise.

In the distance, flower petals fluttered. A beautiful woman gracefully approached, her path accompanied by a shower of crystal-clear petals, making the area appear incredibly magnificent and shimmering.

She was a powerful female warrior of the God Clan, whom few dared to provoke in ordinary times, as it was rumored she might have some blood relation to the God Venerable. Currently, everyone feared the God Clan's overlord.

Surprisingly, the two powerful figures from the God Clan arrived separately, not traveling together.

A grey flood dragon, hundreds of meters long, flew across the sky, pulling a grand carriage. Chaos energy permeated its presence as it headed directly for the Heaven-Piercing Pavilion.

Everyone gasped, drawing in a cold breath. This old flood dragon was a peak-level Great Saint, yet it had become a beast of burden, pulling a carriage, which was truly astonishing and shocking.

People knew who had arrived; it had to be the God Venerable, no one else. He had subjugated eight mounts in total, all of whom were supreme experts from different regions who had embarked on the ancient starry path. Now, they had become his carriage-pulling laborers.

The God Venerable was considered to be low-key. He only used one ancient beast to pull his carriage, not bringing all his mounts, yet it still drew gasps of admiration.

The grey flood dragon transformed into an old man. He rose to his full height, lifted the beaded curtain of the grand carriage, and invited a man out, capturing everyone's attention.

This was a man of medium build, not appearing particularly tall. Yet, he exuded an aura of inherent authority, commanding respect without needing to show anger, as if he alone dominated the eight directions.

His hair was a dense mass of purple, and his purple eyes were almost demonic. The electric light in his gaze had materialized, and when it swept over the crowd, people felt as if knives were scraping their bones and arrows piercing their marrow, an infinitely terrifying sensation.

He wore an imperial crown on his head, shimmering with purple-gold radiance, binding his purple hair. He was clad in a divine emperor's robe, embroidered with scenes of ascension and patterns of gods and demons in submission.

His entire being radiated a noble, oppressive aura, flowing with brilliant light. He possessed the imposing presence of one who reigns supreme over the world, standing at its pinnacle. He was not particularly muscular, yet he inspired awe and fear.

With every step he took, a unique ripple emanated, causing heaven and earth to resonate with his Dao. He didn't seem like a mere mortal, but rather an ancient celestial god descended, looking down upon the human realm.

Anyone swept by his gaze nearly suffocated, instinctively recoiling, their muscles and bones feeling as if they would split, unable to resist.

This was the God Venerable, the strongest of the current generation in the God Clan, undefeated throughout the ancient path. After entering the Emperor's Pass, he had further suppressed all the powerful experts of the myriad races, leaving them unable to raise their heads.

Only after he entered the Heaven-Piercing Pavilion did people finally exhale and dare to speak freely.

"This is the God Venerable; he's terrifying! Just looking at him makes one feel uncontrollably drawn into an abyss, desiring self-destruction. Who can stand against him?"

"Truly worthy of being the powerful one who subjugated ancient beasts and made even Great Saints pull his carriage!"

A group of supreme experts had all entered. Ji Chengdao also arrived, his armor heavily damaged and stained with dark red blood, and he proceeded directly upstairs.

He had come to challenge the God Venerable to a fight, an intention that had already caused a sensation. Many people followed him upstairs, eager to witness the outcome.

The building was tall and majestic, imbued with spatial laws. It could easily accommodate not just a few arrogant powerhouses seeking excitement, but even a hundred thousand people entering simultaneously.

The highest floor was ethereal, featuring a massive high platform. It appeared to be a colossal platform formed by a giant mountain that had been cut off, permeated with chaos energy. There, jade tables were arranged, each with a corresponding stone chair, spaced far apart, where the current overlords were seated.

Those with weaker cultivation who entered this floor could not ascend the colossal platform that resembled a severed mountain. They could only gaze up from below, because the powerful individuals above made no attempt to conceal their oppressive auras, which invisibly blocked the path of lesser heroes.

This disheartened many; they knew that, through this occasion, their path to emperorship had already dimmed. They had no way to contend with those above; they had already lost without even making a move!

However, some still-young faces did not lose heart, secretly clenching their fists. They were still young and had time to hone their skills.

"God Venerable, do you dare to fight?" Ji Chengdao directly strode onto the ancient platform, which was as high as a half-mountain. With a loud roar, he made the entire building tremble three times.

For many years, his heart had been filled with bitterness. He had a mother he couldn't see and a father who had departed. To this day, he remembered the scene when he grew into an adult: his naturally proud father, with prematurely frosted temples, quietly prepared himself, dressed in grey slave attire, and left. He couldn't stop him then and still didn't know his whereabouts.

Over three hundred years ago, his father was revered as the Divine King. He was invincible, steadfast, and unyielding, whether in the Big Dipper Star Domain or on the ancient paths he had traversed. Yet, in the end, he faded into obscurity so bleakly.

After secretly learning much, Ji Chengdao discovered that past events were related to the God Venerable. The God Venerable had suppressed his mother, defeated his father, and ruthlessly, almost humiliatingly, driven the Divine King away.

Over three hundred years had passed, and Ji Chengdao had surpassed his mentor, becoming far stronger than his father had been back then. He had reached the peak of the Great Saint realm.

This was a bottleneck that had halted many, including older generations of cultivators, who were all stuck here, finding it difficult to surmount. Although he was relatively "young," he was already no weaker than others.

"Child, you are not ready yet. I told you, you will only be barely able to fight in at least fifty years. You are far from it now." On the high platform, the God Venerable spoke, his form indistinct, like a Celestial Venerable seated in chaos, his expression unclear.

"Pretentious!" Ji Chengdao sneered, sweeping his gaze across everyone present, then fixing his eyes on the God Venerable, saying, "Let's fight with actual action!"

The God Venerable remained seated, like a clay statue of a deity, completely unruffled. He said, "I merely fear that striking you down would destabilize your Dao heart, forcing you to cultivate for another fifty years. I will wait for you."

"I, Ji Chengdao, do not fear failure. Having grown up enduring the rigorous training of one elder after another, would I be afraid of a little setback?"

Upon hearing this, the Black Emperor nodded. Little Chengdao had been raised through their harsh 'abuse' since childhood. Not only did he endure the roars of the real wildman and the bites of the Dog Emperor, even the scoundrel Taoist priest had 'repaired' him using his tribulation-crossing heavenly art. He had undergone hellish training.

Little Chengdao's greatest strength was his resilience; he did not fear failure and grew stronger with every setback. After each battle, he would reflect and inevitably ascend to a higher level. For this reason, Ye Tong had passed on several supreme forbidden secret arts to him, such as the 'Warrior' character secret and the 'Movement' character technique, for self-preservation.

A string of silver bell-like laughter rang out. The Heavenly Maiden Xin Lan of the God Clan rose and beckoned to Ji Chengdao, saying, "Good child, you have ambition. Come, come to your auntie here."

"Who are you?" Ji Chengdao was unappreciative. He knew well that this female powerhouse also belonged to the God Clan, and he harbored no fondness for them.

"Oh, dear. You truly inherited your parents' arrogance. Your auntie harbors no ill will towards you; I just find your stubbornness rather adorable. That's right, what is the God Venerable? It's perfectly fine for you to curse him a bit; I support you!" Xin Lan said with a smile, appearing as if she wished for chaos to erupt.

Ji Chengdao sneered coldly, ignoring her and continuing to stare at the God Venerable.

"You wish to fight me?" the God Venerable spoke, his eyes suddenly becoming many times colder and sharper, shooting out two terrifying beams of light. This startled many people below, who recoiled, their faces turning ashen white. Many others seemed struck by lightning, coughing up large mouthfuls of blood.

How immense was this power? It was merely a gaze, yet it was like the Thunder God's two great hammers of divine punishment, injuring all the Great Saints who had embarked on the Emperor's Path.

"That's right!" Ji Chengdao stood there like a spear firmly planted, his expression unwavering. His battle intent soared to the clouds, and his aura climbed to its peak.

"Very well, then. Come and sit beside me. I will give you a chance to act in the future," the God Venerable said.

"Why should I sit beside you?!" Ji Chengdao retorted indignantly.

"I mean well. Those people you followed in the past were all useless, wasting much of your time. In the future, I will personally guide you," the God Venerable said expressionlessly, resembling an ancient deity statue even more, shrouded in mist.

"You're not worthy to say that," Ji Chengdao's face darkened.

"He is your maternal uncle; he would not harm you. And I am your maternal aunt, I can assure you," said the Heavenly Maiden Xin Lan of the God Clan.

Everyone was startled upon hearing this, their hearts stirred. It was the first time many had heard that Ji Chengdao's mother was actually the biological sister of the God Venerable and Xin Lan, finding it unbelievable.

"The supreme blood of my God Clan flows within you. However, when you were young, I sealed a fragment of the Divine Lord within you. Come back to the God Clan with me, and I will help you unlock it," the God Venerable said indifferently.

"No need, my goal is to defeat you!" Clearly, Chengdao had long guessed their relationship. Although he was shouting about fighting and killing, he still maintained a shred of restraint.

"You are not capable. You have wasted too much time being delayed by a group of useless individuals. In the future, stay by my side, and I will personally teach you. Fifty years from now, you may be able to fight me," the God Venerable stated, his words devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

"Who do you think you are?!" Ji Chengdao was ungrateful and grew angry. He had been tutored by his father, the Black Emperor, Duan De, Dongfang Ye, Li Heishui, Ye Tong, and others, and would not tolerate being looked down upon.

"In my opinion, the so-called Heavenly Court is a joke. A true powerhouse can cut through the universe alone; any organization is mere illusion," the God Venerable said calmly.

Beside him, a person's face showed displeasure; this was the supreme expert from the Divine Court, secretly called the 'Little Emperor Lord.' He was the youngest son of the Divine Court Emperor Lord and had also embarked on this path, feeling that the God Venerable's criticism was too broad.

"Let's not discuss these matters for now. Today, we are merely sitting down to discuss a few things. Someone has invited us to drink divine tea, child. Come sit with your auntie; don't be angry," Xin Lan said, walking towards Ji Chengdao.

At this moment, Di Tian stood up, a friendly smile on his face. A brilliant orb of light appeared between his palm and fingers; the moment it emerged, the Great Dao roared, and myriad Dao principles cascaded down, engulfing the entire high platform, astonishing everyone.

"Source of Dao!" Many people below exclaimed, gazing eagerly. This was absolutely an heaven-defying treasure.

Especially now, as cultivation became more difficult with higher realms, the value of this essence, which was born from heavenly recognition and bestowed upon extraordinary individuals, became even more apparent.

A path lay before all the heroes: if one gained the recognition of heaven and earth, there would be hope of achieving the Quasi-Emperor position, thus breaking through.

"He really has the Source of Dao!"

People marveled, envied, and felt jealous. Such an item was rare since ancient times, difficult to encounter or seek, and one of the most precious divine treasures in the eyes of cultivators. Many people's eyes turned red with desire.

Di Tian refined the Source of Dao, using it to brew tea in a jade tiger-shaped pot. The aroma of tea filled the air, wafting out in delicate tendrils. Finally, the Source of Dao dissolved into the pot, nourishing and nurturing the brew.

In the end, a translucent jade cup appeared on each stone table, its alluring aroma permeating the air. Myriad Dao principles were nurtured within, making one desire to enter a state of enlightenment merely by looking at it.

"It is regrettable," Di Tian said, "that for all these years, though I obtained the Source of Dao, I could not truly integrate it into my Immortal Platform. It is a pity, a lamentable fact. Therefore, I offer this to all of you to taste the tea together."

The Source of Dao flew out from the jade pot, visibly dimmed, and was then put away by him, disappearing from sight.

Many people raised their cups, and even Great Might, the Holy Spirit, and the Nine Tribulations Taoist were moved. Such a thing was too rare, and they indeed needed it greatly.

Even the King of Shaking Light and Yin Tiande showed unusual expressions, a divine light flashing in their eyes before disappearing. Although they said nothing, a ripple passed through their hearts.

Dongfang Ye, Li Heishui, and others were seeing Yin Tiande for the first time, and they secretly nodded. This person was certainly extraordinary.

He was not grand in stature, yet he possessed an inherent Dao charm, like a reincarnated Immortal King. Beneath his otherworldly demeanor, a keen and formidable aura lay dormant, inspiring awe.

"So this is Yin Tiande," Li Heishui sighed softly. "Back then, for the ancient scripture of the divine spirit, he dared to confront several perfected kings like the Human King and Taoist Qinggu right after becoming a king. He even killed the father of Sanque Taoist, his sworn brother, without hesitation. He is formidable, ruthless, and decisive—a truly difficult opponent." Li Heishui felt that this person was very hard to provoke and certainly a terrifying enemy.

On the ancient platform, resembling a severed mountain, the tea aroma wafted enticingly, its scent discernible from a great distance, making those below envious.

"Don't drink it." As many raised their cups, the Black Emperor's voice secretly entered Ji Chengdao's ear.

Little Chengdao's heart trembled. He naturally wouldn't drink it, but he hadn't expected the Black Emperor to be here, feeling deeply excited and invigorated.

The Black Emperor had witnessed the preceding scenes. Given its personality, it naturally had to make a statement, as it was very displeased with the God Venerable, Yin Tiande, and Di Tian.

In a corner beneath the high platform, the Black Emperor concocted several jade basins, filling them with divine water, then cut open a sealed Source of Dao and threw pieces into each basin.

It gestured to Dongfang Ye, Li Tian, and Li Heishui, pointing at their big feet, and then at the jade basins.

"You're just being wicked! How will those people react then?"

No one noticed them at this time, as the Black Emperor and the others were in a corner behind the crowd and had activated an flawless heaven-deceiving array formation, proceeding very discreetly.