Chapter 1256: Open Heaven

The lingering sound of the Grand Dao reverberated between heaven and earth. Around the Four Ancient Immortals, countless ancient runes appeared, which were the vessels for their Dao Fruits.

The ancient runes shimmered, vanishing into the Spiritless Continent and activating the seal at its base.

The world seal had been jointly created by the Four Ancient Immortals, each utilizing their respective Dao Fruits.

The Yin-Yang Dao Fruit formed the barrier's foundation with Yin and Yang energies.

The Time Dao Fruit caused time to flow backward, so if the barrier broke, time would reverse to repair it.

The Survival of the Fittest Dao Fruit allowed the barrier to withstand identical attacks without damage.

The Tribulation Response Dao Fruit imbued the barrier with "Immeasurable Tribulation," which was endless and unpredictable, only breakable by brute force.

The powers of the four Dao Fruits intertwined in such a way that even if all four Immortals attacked simultaneously, they couldn't undo the seal.

Only by them activating their Dao Fruits to weaken the barrier, and then leveraging Immortal Undying's endless self-detonations, could the seal be broken.

"It's still not enough, just a little more!" Immortal Nine Heavens said in a deep voice.

"But this is already all our power!" Immortal Qilin exclaimed, unwilling to accept that even with all their might, this was all they could achieve.

So close, just a little bit more!

Immortal Time said nothing, simply continuing to activate the runes, attempting to break the seal.

Their voices weren't loud, but they were incredibly sacred, carrying the weight of history. Through the heavenly tribulation, their conversation spread throughout the entire cultivation world.

The entire cultivation world felt the frustration of the Four Ancient Immortals.

Immortal Heaven's Response slowly closed his eyes, as if making a profound decision. "No, this isn't all our power. There's one last method!"

The other three Immortals simultaneously trembled. "You mean, striking the seal with our immortal bodies?!"

Immortal Heaven's Response nodded. "Yes, this is the only method left!"

"But if we do this, we'll..."

"No more 'buts'!"

The Four Ancient Immortals finally reached a consensus. They each flew towards one of the four sides of the Spiritless Continent and suddenly self-detonated. The hearts of all onlookers instantly tightened.

After the self-detonations, the Four Ancient Immortals were covered in immortal blood, looking exceptionally tragic.

"Still not enough, continue!" They gritted their teeth and continued to self-detonate.

The onlookers were moved, speechless in awe at this scene. The Four Ancient Immortals had sacrificed too much to break the seal.

Some even wept uncontrollably at the sight.

The sound of the Grand Dao, echoing throughout the entire cultivation world, now seemed exceptionally mournful.

Lu Yang was also deeply moved. The Four Ancient Immortals' acting was truly superb.

To break the seal, it required Immortal self-detonations after the seal had been weakened.

So, Immortal Heaven's Response and the other three requested Immortal Undying to temporarily bestow them with "Immortal State." They then feigned the explosions from impacting the seal to cover up the truth of their continuous self-detonations.

Despite the four of them being covered in immortal blood, they were actually completely unharmed.

The only real thing in this whole charade was their immortal blood. Lu Yang heard that they had collected it by cutting themselves at the very beginning of the plan.

However, there was a small issue. Lu Yang wanted to ask, why did Immortal Heaven's Response and Immortal Time bleed?

One had an immortal golden body, and the other a golden body formed from faith. Did they even have a drop of blood?

Yun Zhi explained from the side, "Their immortal blood was borrowed from Immortal Nine Heavens and Immortal Qilin."

Lu Yang: "..."

What truly loving brothers; even borrowing something like this.

Boom—

With the final self-detonation, the Four Ancient Immortals, exhausted and covered in wounds, collapsed to the ground, lacking even the strength to fly.

But the attention of the onlookers was not on the Four Ancient Immortals.

Because the seal of the Spiritless Land had been broken.

Crack—crack—

The Spiritless Land's plate fractured, continuously collapsing, gradually separating from the four surrounding continents, no longer in contact.

"Father, it's late, time to sleep." A young man walked onto the high platform, carrying tea. His father was the Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

This was the location of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau of the White Horse Dynasty, the tallest building in the White Horse Dynasty, designed to facilitate celestial observations, calculate solar terms, and formulate calendars.

The Director yawned. "Is it that late already?"

"Father, you always say that the movement of the stars follows patterns. Our Bureau has a thousand-year history and has long summarized the patterns of celestial movement. Why stay up late observing the heavens then?" The young man complained a little; if his father wasn't sleeping, he couldn't comfortably sleep either.

"I often observed the heavens at this hour when I was young, so I've grown accustomed to it," the Director said. He had his son late in life and cherished him immensely.

"But you're right. Our Bureau has already mastered the patterns of celestial movement, so there's no need for such hardship. Especially this mysterious place above us; it has remained unchanged since ancient times, so further observation is useless."

The Director smiled, pointing to the boundless divine world above, filled with mysterious legends.

Since civilization was born on this planet, the world above had floated in the sky, numerous stars appearing as tiny as dust before that continent.

Throughout the dynasties, to maintain their legitimacy, they all proclaimed their orthodoxy by revering the Divine Continent.

In their legends, enlightened sages could ascend to the Immortal Realm—the Divine World—in broad daylight.

"Although the Director's position will eventually be yours, after all, only our Bureau in the entire White Horse Dynasty understands the patterns of the stars, you mustn't become too lax. You must firmly remember the celestial patterns I teach you; this is our foundation. For instance, in recent years, when the sea level rose and submerged coastal towns, and His Majesty asked our Bureau for the reason, we'd say it was because His Majesty's reign was unjust, incurring the wrath of heaven and resentment of the people. Do you think His Majesty would believe what we said?"

The Director looked up at the sky again, gazing at the endless world above, his lips curled into a scornful smile. "As for this Divine World, it's nothing but baseless legends. There are no immortals in this world at all. The so-called immortals in legends are merely due to the ignorance of ancient people, mistaking martial artists for gods and spreading false information."

It was perfectly normal for martial artists, capable of lifting a thousand catties of stone, to be mistaken for immortals.

The Director stretched his neck, preparing for bed. He noticed his son gazing blankly up at the sky.

The Director felt a little relieved. His son, though not very studious, had only a superficial understanding of celestial patterns and their meanings, and he was quite worried about his future. Now that his son was interested in celestial phenomena, it was like finding his way back.

The Director patted his son's shoulder with satisfaction. "Alright, stop looking, go to sleep. If you really want to watch, get a good night's sleep during the day, and then take your time watching tonight."

His son didn't answer. His body rigid like a puppet, he pointed stiffly at the sky.

The Director looked up. Terrified, he plopped onto the ground, clutching his heart, his teeth chattering.

That eternally unchanging Divine World was shaking and fracturing. Immediately, dazzling light shot out from the cracks.

The mere light emanating from the cracks transformed their White Horse Dynasty from night to day, overturning the balance of Yin and Yang.

A thousand years of legacy, the accumulated knowledge passed down through generations of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, vanished in that moment.

The Director's mind went blank. He didn't even realize what he was saying, mumbling as if in a dream.

"The Divine World... has opened..."