The divine city’s air was permeated with a bloody scent. In the day before the impending battle, forty-one incidents of bloodshed had occurred, with many casualties — all of it arising from the ultimate duel that was about to begin.

“I wager one Nine Heavens Divine Jade — the Crimson Jade King — that Yuangu wins!”

A world-shaking wager was opened. Nine Heavens Divine Jade of every rank were all divine materials, capable of forging world-heirloom Sacred Weapons — exceedingly rare to find in the mortal world, priceless beyond measure, enough to move even Saints.

“One block of Great Luo Silver Essence!”

The Monkey had arrived. He acted with extravagant generosity, matching that ancient clan member’s wager — equally a fist-sized block of worldly rare divine material, something one would be hard-pressed to encounter even across many long years.

“Sacred Prince — you are betting on the Human Sacred Body winning?” An ancient clan powerful figure was somewhat displeased, but given the other party’s status, could not directly express it.

“Is something the matter?” The Monkey glanced over, extremely forceful. “Have all the primordial clans now come under the Ancient Lake’s tribe?”

A world-shaking wager — anyone could join. Of course there were also those wagering in private, between only two people, betting on rare and priceless treasures — because others could not produce such things.

In another corner of the gambling establishment, Dongfang Ye, Li Heishui, and Li Tian were each separately engaged in their own bets — all wagering that Ye Fan would certainly win and claim Yuangu’s head.

However, they found it difficult to wager privately as the Monkey had done — because truly divine materials were far too rare. Even ancient clans with abundant precious materials would not do — who would be willing to bring them out?

Within another gambling establishment, the Celestial Prince appeared — causing all cultivators there to tense up at once. He took out a crystal pendant, emanating no radiance whatsoever, yet it drew people’s hearts toward it.

The heart of an ancient Enlightenment Tea Tree.

When someone identified the origin of this pendant, it immediately caused a great commotion — many people were astounded. This was a priceless divine material; nothing could be traded for it.

“Is that truly the essence core of an Enlightenment Tea Tree?”

The gambling establishment erupted at once. What a supremely heaven-defying treasure was this? Holding it during cultivation would greatly accelerate progress — it could aid in comprehending the Dao — a divine rarity dreamed of by all.

“Left behind by the Immortal Celestial Emperor…”

Very quickly, people thought of some ancient secrets. In that age, the Immortal Celestial Emperor had felled the Enlightenment Tree, refining it into a Dao Coffin — burying himself in the manner of a divine being, unmatched throughout all ages past and present.

Evidently, this essence core of the ancient Enlightenment Tea Tree was genuine — refined at that time and bequeathed to his descendants. No second one could be found anywhere in the world — a dreamlike divine material of the highest order.

The crystal essence core was no larger than a dragon’s eye, lustrous and translucent, rippling with one strand after another of Dao waves. Around it, a mysterious and profound network of patterns naturally intertwined — born capable of resonating with the Dao.

The gambling establishment was in great commotion. The news spread out immediately. This pendant was too precious; its value was nearly beyond measure.

“I wager that Yuangu will certainly win, that the Human Sacred Body’s blood will drench Dwelling in Rosy Clouds Plain.” The Celestial Prince was exquisitely refined in appearance, speaking plainly. His black hair draped over his shoulders; he was more beautiful than a woman, his physique luminous, nearly flawless — a supremely unblemished man.

The divine city all knew of it. Many people rushed toward that place.

“I wager against you!” An elder human cultivator brought out a damaged Sacred Weapon.

The Celestial Prince shook his head with disdain: “Not nearly enough — completely unqualified. If you want to wager against me, first reveal your own stake. It must be at minimum one volume of a Great Emperor’s ancient scripture.”

“Poor Daoist will wager with you!” Duan De appeared at the first opportunity. The grave-robber could not remain calm — he brought out two ancient medicinal kings, immediately setting off a great commotion.

“Medicinal Kings — a single one can extend one’s lifespan by hundreds of years. He has brought out two at once. What is this fat man’s background?”

This was truly astonishing. The exhaustion of one’s lifespan was a problem every cultivator would ultimately face. A single medicinal king was extraordinarily rare to find anywhere in the world — let alone bringing out two living specimens at once.

Only a very small number of people recognized Duan De’s identity and warned those beside them, saying: “Hush — keep your voice down. Do not speak ill of him. This is someone who bears the longest of grudges. Be careful he digs up the graves of your ancestors.”

“Two medicinal kings are still nothing to speak of. If you could rob a qilin divine medicine seed, that might be another matter.” The Celestial Prince laughed coldly one time after another.

At this point, people finally understood — he had come specifically for the immortality medicine on Ye Fan’s person. This was a wager of life and death before the true battle.

“Woof!” The Black Emperor let out a low growl, furious that Ye Fan was nowhere to be found — otherwise it would have thrown caution to the wind. It wanted to gamble extravagantly. Its pair of copper-bell-large eyes had fixed upon the essence core of the ancient Enlightenment Tea Tree and could not be moved.

The Monkey, Li Tian, Dongfang Ye, and the others had also arrived. They fixed their gazes on the Celestial Prince before them, forcibly restraining themselves — not rushing over to fight — for he had guardians of his Dao beside him.

Naturally, the people on the other side did not dare to act against them either. As long as the Battle-Victorious Saint existed in this world for even one day, every person who stood against that lineage would have to be on their guard.

“Sacred Prince, why don’t we wager against each other? If you have no suitable stake, choose one or two volumes of scripture composed by your father.” The Celestial Prince said.

“This damnable scoundrel is provoking us.” The Black Emperor bared its teeth.

“Why don’t you and I also go to Dwelling in Rosy Clouds Plain for a great battle? If I die, you take the scriptures my father left behind. If you die, I take the essence core of the ancient Enlightenment Tea Tree.” The Monkey met him head-on.

“What is there to argue about? We are all imperial clans that have survived from primordial times — we should live in harmony with one another.” An elder of an ancient clan stepped forward to smooth things over.

Both the Monkey and the Celestial Prince snorted coldly. The primordial imperial clans may have appeared harmonious on the surface — but had they ever been truly at peace? Each commanded some powerful factions, and they rarely presented a unified front against outsiders.

“Poor Daoist will wager with you.” At this very moment, a young Daoist walked in, holding in hand only a single page of scripture. Flowing Dao traces emanated from it — yet before people could see it clearly, he had already put it away.

“Who are you? And with what do you wager?” The Celestial Prince asked in a perfunctory manner — though his heart secretly jolted. That page of scripture just now was absolutely no ordinary thing.

“Poor Daoist Yuanshi — my wager is one volume of the scripture of Yuanshi.” The young Daoist revealed a row of snow-white teeth, smiling with great confidence.

“Never heard of it. Does just any volume of scripture compare with the essence core of the ancient Enlightenment Tea Tree?” A person beside the Celestial Prince laughed coldly.

“Whoosh!”

The scripture flashed once more. Nine mysterious ancient characters burst forth with brilliant radiance — appearing for an instant before vanishing again — yet leaving behind a Dao resonance that instantly astonished every powerful figure present.

“How about it? There are nine imperial characters upon it. Is the stake sufficient now?” This Daoist was naturally Ye Fan. He too had come to the divine city. By now, his Source Arts were not far from the Heavenly Master realm — even with the Heavenly Eye, no one could see through his true identity.

“Good — I wager with you!” A world-shaking great wager began.

…

Dwelling in Rosy Clouds Plain — an ancient battlefield, where not a blade of grass grew, vast and boundless beyond the eye’s reach. It had existed since primordial times, and about it there were endless legends.

Ancient records among various clans stated that the Yuan Emperor had here slain the most powerful foe of his entire life — and from that point onward walked the path of invincibility, ultimately proving the Dao and becoming emperor.

That Yuangu chose this place for the decisive battle — his resolve and intent were plain to see. He was determined to prove the Dao, to walk out his own supreme imperial path!

Early morning. A thread of rosy light cleaved heaven and earth apart. A crimson sun rose above the horizon, its brilliance flooding the plain, bestowing upon this place a measure more of vitality.

At this moment, Dwelling in Rosy Clouds Plain was far from quiet. Shadows were already everywhere — dense and innumerable — packed with people. Who knows how many cultivators had crossed through the void to arrive. And more were still coming. From time to time, dimensional gates opened — all for this one battle. People had already been waiting for many days.

This was originally a wasteland, yet now it was a sea of people as far as the eye could see. It had become a spectacular sight in its own right.

The Southern Ridge Barbarian King arrived, riding upon a gray dragon as it descended. Sharp-eyed people noticed a small black turtle crouching atop his head — and every heart jolted with a start.

“People from the Demon Emperor’s Palace have also arrived…” A group of ancient demons descended — among them the Southern Demon and Qi Huoshui — unwilling to miss this battle.

“Amitabha.” A Buddhist proclamation rang out. Several golden-bodied arhats appeared, followed by over a dozen young monks — each with a halo of Buddhist light behind their heads, transformed into a wheel, mysterious and powerful.

“These are the people of the Great Thunder Sound Temple!” Many people cried out in alarm. In the Western Desert, there were many ancient temples — but tracing all of them to their roots, all originated from Mount Sumeru. This lineage had arrived.

Suddenly, a great commotion erupted in the distance. The people of the Ancient Lake had arrived — a great dense mass — more than a thousand people had come. Of those, the imperial clan members alone numbered no fewer than a hundred, and among them were Ancestral Kings!

Not to speak of anything else — this aura alone was sufficient to intimidate any opponent. With an Ancestral King presiding over the field, who would not be shaken to the core? On the contrary, Yuangu’s dominance would surely surge all the higher.

“Can Ye Fan win?” Ji Ziyue was filled with anxiety. Her pair of bright, animated eyes searched around — Ye Fan had not yet arrived. She stood beside Ji Haoyue, with quite a few elderly figures attending on all sides. The Ji Family had also come.

“What gives a Sacred Body the right to contend against the bloodline of an ancient emperor? Making such a grand show of things — we could cut him down with a wave of our hands!”

Over on the Ancient Lake’s side, a thousand people had gathered. Quite a few hot-headed young disciples were discussing it among themselves, not at all convinced by a Sacred Body. They believed there was no need for Yuangu to make a move — they themselves would be more than sufficient.

Immediately, quite a few people from other neighboring ancient clan factions responded in kind. For a time, the aura here swelled to the extreme. Yuangu had not yet appeared, yet this place was already close to boiling over.

“Where is the Human Sacred Body?!” A young man of an ancient clan stepped forward, standing tall and proud, his eyes cold, saying: “Do you truly think you can challenge the bloodline of an ancient emperor? I see there is no need at all. Let me step forward to cut you down!”

This was a royal clan youth — a branch of one of the eight great royal clans under the Ancient Lake’s banner. His cultivation had reached the second great perfection level of the Immortal realm, already approaching the severing of his Dao.

Everyone’s heart tightened at once. This was absolutely someone’s deliberate arrangement: simultaneously building up Yuangu’s momentum while striking down the Human Sacred Body — incessantly weakening his momentum before the battle even opened.

It was not necessarily the imperial clan of the Ancient Lake that wished for this. It may have been the subordinate powerful clans acting on their own initiative.

“Correct — what does the Human Sacred Body amount to? What gives him the qualifications to battle the bloodline of an ancient emperor? I say let me go first and cut him down!” Yet another ancient clan young powerhouse stepped forward.

“A pack of vile and reckless louts — Poor Daoist comes to cut you down.” At this very moment, a tall and imposing figure stepped forward, striding onward.

“Who are you?”

“Poor Daoist Tongtian is here — to cut down all you rotting timbers, so you do not interfere with the true decisive battle.” This young Daoist who called himself Tongtian strode into the field with great steps.

“Since you dare to come, this is a battle to the death.” The several ancient clansmen who had been clamoring before stepped forward, sinister smiles on their faces, advancing.

“Poor Daoist Tongtian will send you all on your way together!” This young Daoist gave a great shout, and incredibly moved simultaneously against several of them at once.

In an instant, all kinds of light flew everywhere. These several individuals were all drawn in, and a life-or-death struggle commenced.

Yet the battle did not continue for long. Soon, blood-light erupted. The several ancient clansmen were cut down one after another, their blood dyeing the earth red.

A pair of crimson dragon-sparrow birds crossed the sky — the great heads of the Eastern Desolation’s demon clans had arrived. The Red Dragon Daoist, Yao Yue Kong — heir to the Celestial Demon Palace — and a group of others descended. Among them was a woman who seemed to have descended like the Mysterious Lady of the Ninth Heaven — unmatched in beauty and grace, supremely captivating, able to topple cities and kingdoms. She was none other than Yan Ruyü, descendant of the Green Emperor.

On the other side, a dimensional gate opened wide. The Sacred Son of Yao Guang appeared in the capacity of successor — bearing about him an indescribably profound air, attended by numerous aged figures who showed him great reverence.

“The Nine Phoenix Ancestral King has arrived!”

In the distance, nine terrifying primordial great beasts pulled a carriage. An ancient divine chariot appeared in the void. No one had anticipated that such an absolutely supreme figure had been moved to come and witness this battle.

“No one shall cause any unseemly disturbance. Let the Human Sacred Body and Yuangu settle this between themselves.” A cold, clear voice rang out from within the chariot.