The city was vast and magnificent — a closer look revealed it was constructed entirely from stars. Even the Black Emperor and Dongfang Ye, who had witnessed countless grand spectacles, were left momentarily stupefied. How many stars must have been consumed in its construction?

Every single star had been refined and smelted down, ranging in size from basin-wide to several zhang in length, compressed into something so small that incomparable Dao patterns and laws were already condensed within. A city built this way required no additional formation arrays — it was sufficiently sturdy on its own.

Moreover, as the Fifth Imperial Pass, how could it possibly lack engraved formation runes? These were all sigils left behind by the Great Emperors themselves, guarding this place. Even peerless powerhouses clashing here would find it nearly impossible to destroy the city.

Palaces and halls floated suspended in the air, with immortal mist drifting between the towers and pavilions — ethereal and spiritually vibrant, as though one had arrived at a blessed land of the immortals.

Within the city, there were actually the sounds of peddlers hawking their wares. This left the group — who had just been feeling somewhat awestruck — standing in a daze. What kind of place was this? This was a battleground for those competing along the Emperor’s Road — how could such sounds exist here?

Looking more carefully, there were actually stalls lining both sides of the streets, and quite a few of them at that, creating a scene of bustling, prosperous activity.

“What’s going on?” several of them asked, puzzled.

“Grand Radiance Silver Essence! The main body contains dozens of grains of Immortal Tear Green Gold Sand — a sight rarely seen in this world, one of a kind!”

“Demon God Bone! True remains of a supreme ancestor from the demon race — can be forged into a divine weapon!”

That was a four-inch length of white bone, resembling a finger bone of some creature, dull and without luster. Yet it had drawn a crowd of onlookers, all of them marveling at it.

“Starriver Divine Sand, gathered from across all the myriad heavens and domains — a full ten thousand jin of it! Refine it properly and you may succeed in creating a quasi-Emperor weapon!” Someone shouted this out as they hawked their goods, and a crowd immediately surged forward, packing the stall until not a drop of water could have gotten through.

“Thunder Resonance Treasure Tree — containing the primordial thunder of heaven and earth. Through it, one can gain insight into the mysteries of heavenly tribulation. It is the rarest and most precious divine tree of mutated species in all the world.”

This was a half-person-height ancient tree, its branches twisted like hornless dragons. Though it was not particularly tall, it radiated a gnarled, vigorous energy, with rolling arcs of lightning crackling across it, nurturing a primordial Law-Dao power within.

A swarm of people surged forward, all of them wearing expressions that said they were determined to obtain this precious tree, every one of them rubbing their hands together eagerly, hoping to get their hands on it.

Ye Fan, Yan Yixi, and the others entered the city quietly and inconspicuously, and through observation and inquiry, they learned that some Imperial Passes had indigenous inhabitants — guardians of the ultimate ancient road.

The nine Imperial Passes, this ancient road itself, and the ancient life grounds connected to it — such as the Feixian Battlefield — all required caretakers. Over the immense span of time, necessary adjustments and repairs had to be made. Those who served as caretakers were all descendants of exceptional individuals who had once walked this road and ultimately failed; they could not leave this place.

Their numbers were not overwhelmingly large. Across the entire ancient road, the nine Imperial Passes, and the various ancient life grounds and battlefields connected to them, the total number of administrators combined was enough to fill half a city.

Now that those competing on the Emperor’s Road had fought their way to the later passes, these people had begun to appear, conducting necessary trades and bringing out extraordinarily rare objects.

Some exceptional individuals from thriving ancient domains who witnessed this were left feeling ashamed — the combined treasures of an entire ancient life ground might not match a single item these people had brought out.

The worst of these trade goods were still Great Sage–level materials — and top-tier ones at that — among which were rare divine materials needed to forge quasi-Emperor-grade magical artifacts. And if luck held, finding even a small piece of immortal gold or other materials exclusive to ancient Emperors was not entirely out of the question.

Many powerhouses who had fought their way here discovered that the divine objects they had relied upon and taken pride in were nothing more than common street-stall goods in this place — not even worth bringing out.

“Dao-Stealing Sword — a treasure with the potential to evolve into a quasi-Emperor weapon! The divine spirit within has undergone nirvana and is awakening anew. It can be bonded a second time. A supreme treasure that can be encountered but never sought!”

“When our ancestor fought his decisive battle on the Emperor’s Road, he was only a hair’s breadth away from achieving the Dao. He passed down this Immortal-Stunning Bow — a supreme quasi-Emperor weapon of the highest grade. Nothing can withstand it; it shoots down gods and slays demons, and a single arrow can shatter the cosmos. Though it is now damaged, there is still a possibility of repairing it!”

The city was lively and bustling. On both sides of the streets were many stalls — simple in appearance, needing only a grass mat to be set up — yet they truly held many extraordinary divine objects.

Some of these ancestral magical artifacts had been left behind by peerless exceptional individuals who had once stormed through the nine Imperial Passes, possessing the wondrous power to seize the creative forces of heaven and earth.

Of course, to exchange for these things, one also needed items of equal value — ancient scriptures, secret arts, and the like — otherwise there was absolutely no trading to be done. These people would never conduct transactions using divine sources and similar currencies the way ordinary cultivators would.

The Black Emperor’s eyes were dazzled by everything it saw, and it nearly began drooling, but it forcibly restrained the impulse and refrained from committing robbery. At this moment, it had the look of a respectable person — standing upright on two legs — and had even transformed its dog head into a human head, while the rest of its body remained unchanged.

“Such fine things, such fine things — I really want to rob the lot of them,” the Black Emperor muttered to itself, but considering its actual combat power, it thought that if it provoked everyone’s wrath, it wasn’t entirely certain who would end up looting whom.

The main street of the city was bustling with trade in divine materials and supreme treasures, but the other districts were filled with an extremely tense atmosphere.

Fighting their way here from the Feixian Battlefield had taken ten years of bloody warfare, and many people had died — yet newcomers arrived in an endless stream, filling in the gaps.

Over all these years, the ancient roads of the various clans had still not been sealed. There were always young faces setting out on the journey, and eventually quite a few of them stood out from the rest and fought their way here.

Among all the races, the human race had a relatively decent showing, but among the tens of thousands of races gathered here, they would quickly be swallowed up.

Ye Fan and his group entered the city quietly, deliberately concealing themselves, and did not draw any particular attention from the various races.

“Hmm, that person looks a bit familiar — looks like the Holy Body Ye Fan. Didn’t he withdraw from the world in disgrace? He shouldn’t be appearing again.”

Only a few individuals showed expressions of doubt, but none of them followed up on it, for such behavior within the city was extremely dangerous — it could very easily trigger a life-or-death battle.

Over the course of several days, they gathered much information: Yang Xi and Ye Tong had entered the Divine and Demonic Battlefield outside the Fifth Pass and were already there fighting for their lives.

Over all these years, some powerful figures had chosen not to face off immediately. Instead, they advanced through selective campaigns, each wary of the others, not lightly making a move.

Of course, there were also those who were genuinely supremely confident — who had implemented “cultivation plans” for certain younger powerhouses of great potential, anticipating a peak-level battle in the future.

It was said that the strongest of the Divine Race in this generation — the Divine Sovereign — was such a person. He had already openly declared that no one was allowed to touch the people he had designated, and that any who dared to intercept and kill them would be immediately cut down by him.

This was no longer mere ordinary confidence — it bordered on obsession.

Among these rumors, there appeared a name that Ye Fan and his group were familiar with — Ji Chengdao. Three hundred years had passed, and the child had long since grown into an adult. He was accomplished beyond measure, having received the true teachings of the Divine King Ji Haoyue and the Ji Family. The moment he entered the One True Path, he was locked onto by the Divine Sovereign, designated as a target — with plans for a minor clash in twenty years and a proper battle in fifty.

Ten years ago, Ji Chengdao had entered the One True Path and crossed paths with Ye Fan without meeting him. This time, they had come here also wanting to check on the young one and make sure nothing had happened to him.

“Sigh — where has Brother Haoyue gone? First a defeat on the ancient road, then Ji Zi dying in his place — the blow to him was too great. After raising little Chengdao into adulthood, he simply disappeared. I truly don’t know how he has spent these years,” Li Heishui said with a sigh.

“Mm. Little Chengdao is at the Fourth Pass. Word has it that a group of people is about to arrive here in a few days — we’ll likely be able to meet him then.”

This was information that Ye Fan, Dongfang Ye, and the others had learned.

In fact, it was only two days later that sounds of commotion erupted throughout the Fifth City — that group had arrived. Ji Chengdao was among them. The moment he entered the city, he let out a great roar that shook the entire city, declaring his intention to challenge the Divine Sovereign.

This was a group of rising stars, each one extraordinarily outstanding. Their mounts were all rare and exotic creatures of heaven and earth — riders and mounts alike were wild and untamed.

“Isn’t that a Heaven-Swallowing Beast? It’s actually been tamed as a mount!”

“A Demon Soul Horse — what a powerful aura! Its entire body’s markings are all naturally-born Dao runes.”

This group’s arrival into the city drew people’s attention.

Among them, Ji Chengdao bore a close resemblance to the Divine King Ji Haoyue — carrying the heroic bearing his father had possessed in his youth: sword-sharp brows and tiger-keen eyes, an upright and towering physique, striding with the gait of a dragon and the bearing of a tiger, projecting authority without anger.

No one had expected that he would challenge the Divine Sovereign the very moment he entered the city. One had to understand that the Divine Race’s strongest in this generation had by now earned a name that shook the entire Emperor’s Road. In every battle he had fought, he had enjoyed an overwhelming and crushing advantage.

“Back then, the one who caused Brother Haoyue’s crushing defeat was likely the Divine Sovereign. And Chengdao’s mother was most probably someone from the Divine Race — he’s here seeking an explanation.” Yan Yixi said.

More than three hundred years had passed. Though Ji Haoyue never spoke of what had happened, through extensive inquiries from many sources, they had pieced together part of the truth.

“The Divine Sovereign may be heading to the Cloud-Piercing Tower. Emperor Tian, the Immortal Maiden Qingshi, the Divine Race Celestial Maiden Xinlan, the Great Mighty Sacred Spirit, the Nine Tribulations Daoist, and many other powerful figures are also gathering there.”

Someone transmitted this through their voice — not out of any goodwill toward Ji Chengdao, but hoping to immediately witness a violent clash and enjoy a spectacle of fierce battle between dragons and tigers.

Li Heishui was about to step forward and pull little Chengdao over to them, but was stopped by the Black Emperor: “Let’s watch a bit more first. He’s still young — he can withstand some knocks.”

Though those were its words, they all followed behind him anyway.

“Hey, little fellow — buy this Immortal-Stunning Bow from me! Back in the day, our ancestor used it to single-handedly take down the Divine Race’s Twin Supremes. If you can repair it, no one in the Divine Race will be able to stop you.” Partway along the road, someone tried to sell the precious bow to Ji Chengdao.

“I have nothing to exchange,” Ji Chengdao shook his head.

“No matter — you can put it on credit and pay me back in the future. Sooner or later you’ll have something I find interesting.” This was a big-bearded man wearing a fake smile across his face.

“Not interested,” Ji Chengdao turned and walked away, ignoring him entirely.

On the other side, Li Tian was jumping in agitation, and Yan Yixi opened her eyes wide in surprise — they had both recognized this big-bearded man. More than three hundred years ago, when Ye Fan and the other two had rushed to the Ziwei Star Domain to look for Xiao Nannan, they had encountered him.

At the time, the three of them had disguised themselves as ordinary people, only for a big-bearded man at the Dao Palace realm to approach them and shamelessly try to take Li Tian and Yan Yixi — both at the Saint King realm — as his disciples, only to be indignantly refused by the two of them.

And now, they had encountered him again. This big-bearded man was definitely not ordinary — he was no common person.

“Back then I got rejected trying to take two little brats as disciples, and today I got rejected trying to give away a bow. It really isn’t easy being a good person, us old folks have it rough,” the big-bearded man shook his head, turned, and disappeared into the crowd.

“Who are you calling little brats — don’t go, stop right there!” Li Tian wanted to give chase, but was held back by Ye Fan, who shook his head: “You can’t catch him. He’s already entered the starry void.”

“That fast — just a blink of an eye!” Li Tian was stunned. In the time it took to blink, the big-bearded man had simply vanished into thin air.

“Quasi-Emperor!” Ye Fan spoke only these two words, his expression grave, as he stared at a stretch of distant starry space for a long while before finally withdrawing his gaze.

Everyone felt a chill run through them. Li Tian and Yan Yixi stood in a daze — they had once brushed shoulders with a quasi-Emperor, and for a long time neither could find words to speak.

The Cloud-Piercing Tower was the tallest structure in the Fifth City, suspended in midair, suffused with violet energy, filled with an aura of auspiciousness and harmony.

“The Immortal Maiden Qingshi has arrived.”

Brilliant rays of light streaked across the sky in ten thousand directions, auspicious colors cascading in a thousand streams. A graceful, slender silhouette descended — her hair done up in a high cloud coiffure, her skin luminously pale, her beauty the kind that could captivate an entire nation, as though an immortal maiden had stepped out of a painting.

She was strikingly beautiful and transcendently unique, drawing the sidelong gazes of countless cultivators.

Inside the tower, people came forward to welcome her — clearly this was also a Dao Enlightenment Pavilion opened by the indigenous inhabitants of the Imperial Pass, specially provided for peerless powerhouses to drink tea, exchange pointers, and gather.

“The Lord Emperor Tian has arrived.”

From a distance, a wave of discussion immediately arose.

“It’s said he was once a rival of the Holy Body Ye Fan. Though he suffered greatly back then, it was no disgrace — he lost to the Green Emperor’s avatar that manifested through the Holy Body Ye Fan’s heavenly tribulation.”

“Indeed, I’ve heard about it. This man is truly formidable — he was actually able to contend with the Green Emperor, fighting for so long a time. Though he lost, it was an honorable defeat!”

“Mm, what a pity about the Holy Body though.”

Emperor Tian’s arrival drew people’s attention and discussion.

“King Yao Guang has arrived!”

Another wave of commotion erupted before the Cloud-Piercing Tower. Over all these years, Yao Guang had perfected his divine abilities to the utmost, shaking the starry heavens, going undefeated wherever he went — he had become one of the most brilliant Emperor-Stars on this road.