Chapter 2077 : Bagua Avenue

Clearly, at this moment, the Ant Emperor was sending his youngest son to contend for the Heavenly Mandate, while the Heaven-Slaying Great Emperor, who had no need for the Heavenly Mandate, served as Heaven’s Punishment’s guardian.

At this moment, Tian Xing gazed at the 10 Golden Crow Imperial Sons and inquired with measured calm, "Are you gentlemen planning to determine a victor first among yourselves?"

Upon hearing this, the 10 Golden Crow Imperial Sons showed a trace of apprehension.

If it were merely the Heaven’s Punishment, they might not have been so deeply wary. But the War Emperor of Heaven’s Slaughter possessed combat prowess capable of confronting a Quasi-Saint head-on—enough to make them feel an overwhelming sense of threat.

Most crucially, if they were to truly clash at this moment, even if the Ant Emperor's lineage did not intervene, it would pose an immense threat to them.

With this thought in mind, Ling Tian Di Zi (Person Name), 1 of the 10 Great Di Zi, grasped Ling Xiao Di Zi's (Person Name) arm and gave a slight shake of his head.

"Hmph—"

The Celestial Ridge Imperial Heir grasped the meaning, let out a cold snort, and vanished into the depths of the primordial chaos.

Seeing this, Chen Xianzhu cupped his hands and said, “My gratitude for your assistance.”

"Not a problem."

Tian Xing smiled faintly before speaking, "I share some camaraderie with the Ancestor of the Returning Abyss, so this matter is truly insignificant."

Everyone nodded and said no more.

Meanwhile, the powerful figures within the chaos gradually assembled. To their astonishment, they discovered that this time, over a 100 Emperor-level experts had gathered.

Chen Xianzhu exchanged glances with the others and sighed helplessly. "With those undergoing tribulations and their Dao Guardians combined, it seems over half of the Great Emperor experts from the 7 Domains of the Southern Abyss have gathered here."

Magnus the Virtuous Lord (Person Name) nodded and said calmly, "The opportunity to set foot in the Quasi-Saint Realm is something they cannot help but covet."

At that very moment, a tremor ran through the world beyond the Primordial Wilderness Domain as an invisible barrier was torn apart by the gathered experts.

Immediately after, numerous experts at the Great Emperor level surged into the Primordial Wilderness Domain.

Ye Yinghui and the others exchanged a glance, then without the slightest hesitation, stepped into the Primordial Wilderness Domain.

"Hoo—"

As soon as they stepped into the Primordial Domain, everyone instantly sensed a murderous aura permeating the heavens and earth.

An overwhelmingly domineering and tragic aura permeated this primordial domain, as countless unwilling grievances filled the entire expanse of the void.

"This is the lingering resentment left behind after the 9 Heaven-Appointed Divine Sovereigns had their fates shattered and fell from grace."

Chen Xiannian spoke slowly, a trace of solemnity flickering in his gaze.

Ye Yinghui gave a slight nod before speaking, "There are 3 tasks we must undertake next. First, we must purify the baleful energy and lingering resentment permeating this world."

Second, it was to widely recruit disciples and followers within this newly born primordial realm, where the legends of this world’s path of cultivation were said to originate.

Third, to restore the primordial qi between heaven and earth, ultimately contending for the authority over this tribulation's heavenly power.

The Little Scale Emperor also nodded, then spoke, "Aside from these matters, we must also guard against potential attacks from others."

The Carefree Sovereign gave a slight nod and spoke, "Let us each first claim a renowned mountain as our own dojo, where we may impart the ways of cultivation, while also purging the world of its baleful energies and lingering resentment."

"As for contending for the authority of the Heavenly Dao and restoring the Primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth, we can take it 1 step at a time."

"If we encounter a siege by formidable foes, we shall coordinate our offense and defense accordingly."

The others nodded in agreement upon hearing this, and Magnus the Virtuous Lord immediately declared, "In that case, let us act at once."

As the words fell, the crowd immediately dispersed, each setting off to seek out renowned mountains and daoist sanctuaries scattered across the world.

As a newly born primordial realm, it naturally abounded with lofty mountains and sacred sites of various high ranks, including those of Great Emperors and even Quasi-Sages.

Among these sacred grounds, the 9 ancestral veins that nurtured the 9 Fated Divine Sovereigns held paramount importance.

Legend has it that the 9 ancestral veins contain the Mandate of Heaven, and whoever gains complete control over even 1 of them may ascend as 1 of the 9 new Heavenly Mandate Divine Sovereigns.

For this very reason, after stepping into the Primordial Wilderness, most of the Emperors contending for the Mandate of Heaven immediately set out to seize the 9 great ancestral veins.

However, Chen Xianzhu, Chen Xiannian, and Ye Yinghui did not contend for these 9 Ancestral Veins.

It was not that the Chen Clan lacked strength. In truth, if everyone joined forces, with the assistance of Magnus the Virtuous Lord (Person Name) and the young Scale Emperor, they stood a very real chance of seizing 1 of the ancestral veins.

However, this meant that in the days to come, they would become the target of everyone's criticism.

After all, control over 1 of the 9 Ancestral Veins is pivotal to obtaining the Mandate of Heaven. Those sovereigns who have reached the Great Emperor Realm would never let such a rare opportunity slip through their fingers.

Among the Great Emperors contending for the Heavenly Mandate this time, there were top-tier and even invincible-level experts. Should they become targets of collective assault, they would undoubtedly face grave consequences.

Rather than painstakingly managing endless disputes after seizing an ancestral spiritual vein, it would be wiser to lie low for now—spreading teachings, restoring the world's spiritual energy, and incidentally enhancing 1's own power.

When my strength grows further, it might be easier to claim the Ancestral Vein.

In truth, many shared the same thought. While those with soaring ambitions contended for the Primordial Chaos Ancestral Vein, others settled for second best and sought to claim the imperial dao fields.

However, comparatively speaking, there are a greater number of Emperor Dao Fields, making them far easier to contend for.

With their level of strength, seizing the Emperor's Dao Field was naturally well within their grasp.

Before long, everyone had successively claimed a Great Emperor's Dao Field.

Chen Xianzhu secured a great emperor-level spiritual mountain dojo in the Western Extremity, purifying the karmic miasma of heaven and earth with Buddhist radiance. He enlightened all living beings, awakening their wisdom, and imparted the Buddhist cultivation methods to myriad creatures.

Chen Xiannian arrived in the Eastern Domain, where he conquered the innate forbidden ground 'Mount Bagua' and planted a supreme innate spiritual root, the 'Bagua Treasure Tree', to purify the world's baleful energy and lingering resentment.

Ye Yinghui journeyed to the Eastern Extreme Sea, where after securing a monastic sanctuary, he scattered hundreds of millions of incarnations across boundless dimensional realms to propagate the path of Sacrificial Ascension cultivation.

Unlike the Buddhist and Daoist methods, the Jiewo Dao placed no demands on 1's foundation or innate talent. Rather than spreading its teachings solely within the Primordial Wildlands, it would be far more fitting to impart this path throughout the boundless heavens and myriad realms.

After all, the Primordial Wilderness had only recently taken form, and there were scarcely any mortals left between heaven and earth. For those innate divine spirits to cultivate the Path of Self-Offering, they would have to sever all ties and reincarnate anew—the price remained far too steep.

It would be better to preach the Dao across all realms, enabling the mortals in the endless dimensional void to embark on the path of cultivation.

Apart from the 3 disciples under Eldrin (Person Name), the Young Scale Emperor and the Carefree Great Emperor had also each secured a Dao Field.

Among them, the young Scale Emperor leveraged his status to directly join the local Qilin race, becoming the founding ancestor of the Qilin lineage in this tribulation.

The Carefree Great Emperor also conquered a divine mountain, where he imparted the immortal dao scriptures of the Taiyuan lineage, effectively establishing a branch of the Taiyuan Ancestral Court to weather the tribulation in this realm.

Magnus the Virtuous Lord (Person Name) even occupied a sovereign-level star amidst the endless cosmos, transforming it into the Confucian Star of Literary Arts.

With the starlight of the Literary Star as his foundation, he began imparting the cultivation methods of the Confucian path across the boundless dimensions.

Thus, the 6 contenders vying for the Heavenly Mandate had each completed their initial strategic maneuvers.

While the 6 were completing their arrangements, the 9 ancestral veins were still embroiled in fierce contention. Over a 100 Great Emperors had already engaged in numerous battles over these 9 ancestral veins.

In the end, only the Solar Ancestral Star and the Abyssal Barrens—these 2 ancestral veins—were seized by the 10 Golden Crows and the lineage of the Ant Emperor.

The other 9 great earth veins, however, were embroiled in fierce battles. Not only did the conflicts remain persistently unresolved, but the shockwaves of war even inflicted considerable damage upon this primordial realm.

"These people only know how to vie for the Mandate of Heaven's opportunities, yet they completely disregard the lives of all living beings in this realm."

Witnessing the heavens and earth suffer continuous damage, Chen Xianzhu couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

However, given his current strength, he was powerless to stop either side of the conflict.

Left with no other choice, he could only traverse the realms ceaselessly, using his own spiritual power to disperse the karmic miasma of heaven and earth, mending damaged ley lines and healing fractured spacetime.

The Emperors who had yet to join the battle were much the same, tirelessly mending the earth veins and vital energies.

Thus, before anyone realized it, the great war had persisted for dozens of kalpas.

Until this day, the emperors vying for the 9 great earth veins finally realized that the karmic miasma in the world had significantly diminished.

Those Great Emperors who had successfully transcended the karmic miasma all obtained varying degrees of merit radiance, and their cultivation bases experienced notable advancement.

In stark contrast, their cultivation bases had seen little improvement, and instead, they had suffered significant depletion from the relentless battles.

Those who had successfully claimed the 9 Great Ancestral Veins were fortunate, but those who failed to secure the Chaos Ancestral Vein had already lost the subtle advantage bestowed by fate.

Left with no other choice, they too ceased their battle and began repairing the damaged Primordial Wilderness Domain, hoping to atone for their transgressions.

However, by this time, all the Earth Veins at the Emperor level had already been claimed by others. They had no choice but to settle for a Superior-Grade Primordial Chaos Dao-Field.

With these individuals taking action, the primordial baleful energies of the Savage Ancient Realm finally began to dissipate at an accelerated pace.

As time flowed on, roughly a dozen or so kalpas later, nearly 90 percent of the baleful energies between heaven and earth had dissipated.

At this stage, the baleful energies between heaven and earth were essentially no longer a major concern.

To accumulate virtue and become this realm's Chosen 1, the next step is to restore the world's primordial qi.

The method to restore the primordial qi of heaven and earth was to repair the damaged Primordial Earth Veins.

In ages past, the 7 Ultimate Celestial Maiden and the Emperor of Unyielding Primordium took action, obliterating the 9 nascent Heaven-Mandated Divine Sovereigns of this realm, along with countless beings bearing the makings of Great Emperors.

This has resulted in most of the Dao Fields above the Great Emperor level in this realm being in a semi-destroyed state.

To restore vitality to this realm, the first task is to repair the 9 Ancestral Veins, along with those 70-2 Emperor-level Earth Veins.

Depending on the number of restored earth veins, everyone would receive vast amounts of merit.

In the end, those with the greatest accumulation of virtue would earn the right to contend for this realm's Mandate of Providence.

It was precisely for this reason that everyone chose to preach to all living beings, purify the heavens and earth, restore the earth veins, and even contend for the ancestral veins.

For these actions would ultimately be rewarded with virtue bestowed by heaven and earth.

And those people vied for the 9 ancestral veins precisely because the merit gained from restoring them was far too immense.

Restoring a single Chaos-level ancestral ley line would yield more merit than repairing 10 Emperor-level earth veins.

Moreover, the 9 great chaotic earth veins contain the power of the Heavenly Mandate. Should 1 gain control over any of these ancestral veins, even if their accumulated merit is insufficient, they would still qualify to contend for the status of the Heir of Heavenly Mandate.

It was precisely for this reason that a great multitude had vied for the Primordial Chaos Ancestral Vein from the very beginning, even willing to squander dozens of kalpas in pursuit of it.

As the heaven and earth's baleful energy was restored at this moment, those Great Emperors who sought to contend for the Emperor Earth Veins discovered they were already somewhat late.

These earth veins were, to varying degrees, already claimed. Chen Xianzhu went so far as to directly restore the 3 great emperor's dojos of the Western Regions, designating them as the 3 great spiritual mountains of Mahayana Buddhism.

The spiritual veins of these 3 great spirit mountains had already been restored, and the merit had been credited to Chen Xianzhu. There was no longer any meaning in contesting them, especially since these 3 spirit mountains were now protected by the Emperor-Slaying Array.

The remaining members of the Chen lineage were, to varying degrees, much the same.

Seizing the initiative, they restored 3 Imperial Dao Fields and claimed them as the 3 ancestral sanctums of the Sacrificial Dao and the Immortal Dao.

Even the Carefree Great Emperor and the Scaleborn Sovereign had each claimed 2 or 3 Great Emperor Dao Fields.

In the endless void, Magnus the Virtuous Lord (Person Name) had restored 12 Emperor-grade stars, using them to deploy the Confucian Dao Star Formation (Formation), thereby partially altering the laws of the Primordial Wilderness Realm (World).

Under the influence of these celestial bodies, the Primordial Wilderness gave birth to the Majestic Righteous Qi, paving the most crucial step for cultivating the Confucian Dao methods within this realm.

Seizing the initiative, they all received immense virtue. Though it couldn't compare to those who controlled the 9 great primordial chaos ancestral veins, they were undoubtedly a step ahead of others.

And after the earth veins were restored, they all received feedback from the earth veins to varying degrees, and their cultivation began to advance by leaps and bounds.

As early as a dozen or so kalpas ago, Jiang Huang was the first to break through to the Great Emperor Realm.

Having stepped into the realm of Great Emperor, Lord Jiang once again shattered his limits, obtaining a True Spirit Mark.

He infused all the Soul Imprints accumulated over the years into the Immortal Vaults, ultimately achieving the cultivation of the 4 Great True Spirit Immortal Vaults.

With the empowerment of the 4 True Spirit Immortal Vaults, Emperor Jiang’s combat prowess instantly transcended the limits of a Great Emperor, ascending to an invincible level rivaling that of a Quasi-Sage.

Apart from Emperor Jiang, the others had also achieved breakthroughs to varying degrees.

Ye Yinghui had broken through to the eighth level of the Primordial Chaos Emperor. Though his strength still fell short of Emperor Jiang's, he could already be counted among the most supreme Great Emperors.

Chen Xianzhu was the third to break through, attaining the Great Emperor Realm through the Path of Self-Devotion, with a foundation no less formidable than even Emperor Jiang's.

在大威天龙经的加持之下，陈贤逐的实力甚至还要略强一分。

As for Chen Xiannian, his cultivation progress had slowed by half a step, yet he now stood at the threshold of breaking through to the Great Emperor Realm.

"Your foundation is not far from a breakthrough."

That day, within the Eastern Wilderness Holy Land, Eldrin’s incarnation sat facing Chen Xiannian.

Eldrin looked Chen Xiannian over, a faint smile playing on his lips. "After accumulating power for all these years, isn't it time for your breakthrough?"

"Hmm."

Chen Xiannian gave a slight nod before speaking, "Father, I find myself somewhat lost regarding the path that lies ahead."

"Speak your mind," Eldrin said slowly, his voice calm and measured.

Chen Xiannian pondered briefly before speaking, "Father, do you believe I should pursue the path of 8 Trigrams unification, or continue on my current trajectory?"

Eldrin's eyes flickered with a faint light as he instantly grasped Chen Xiannian's intent.

This child of mine, born with the innate 8 Trigrams, is capable of cultivating all 8 Great Daos simultaneously. After years of meticulous refinement, he is now confident in manifesting all 8 Divine Forms of the Great Dao at once.

The so-called path of 8 Trigrams unification entails completely sacrificing the 8 great Daos and fusing them into the 8 Trigrams Dao, which embodies the divine forms of all 8 great Daos.

In this way, Chen Xiannian had effectively pioneered a new Dao, directly ascending to the heavens in a single step to break through the Quasi-Sage Realm.

This path would not only allow his power to advance by leaps and bounds, but it also carried minimal danger. There was no need to compete with others for the authority over the Dao.

Another path was to cultivate all 8 Great Daos to the realm of Dao Mastery, though this road was likely to be exceedingly arduous.

Each of the 8 great paths under the Bagua Great Dao represents a perfected innate great path, with some even being governed by experts at the level of Chaos Heavenly Emperor.

Chen Xiannian's journey along this path was bound to be fraught with thorns and pitfalls.

With this thought in mind, Eldrin did not speak directly, but instead said, "The complete 8 Trigrams Dao—individually, each might not amount to much."

"However, the 8 Great Daos possess near-perfect compatibility. Once fused into the Bagua Dao, they shall manifest 70-2 divine forms of the Dao."

"This is theoretically 1 of the most supreme paths of Limitless Dao. Should you miss this opportunity, you might remain forever confined to the first realm of Chaos in this lifetime."

Chen Xiannian’s heart stirred slightly, and he nodded at once. “I understand, Father.”

Chapter 1 The biting mountain wind whipped across the cliffside, carrying with it the scent of pine and damp earth. Lin Chen gritted his teeth, his knuckles white as he gripped the rough stone ledge. Below him, a sea of clouds churned, obscuring the treacherous depths of the ravine. He had been climbing for what felt like an eternity, his body pushed to its absolute limit. His mind, however, was elsewhere, replaying the events of the past few days. The ambush. The betrayal. The cold, mocking laughter of his former senior brother, Eldrin (Person Name). A wave of fury, hot and bitter, rose within him, but he forced it down. Anger was a luxury he couldn't afford right now. Survival was the only thing that mattered. With a final, grunting heave, he pulled himself over the cliff's edge and collapsed onto a small, relatively flat plateau. His lungs burned, and every muscle screamed in protest. He lay there for a long moment, staring up at the vast, star-dusted canvas of the night sky. The spiritual energy here was noticeably denser, a faint, soothing hum against his skin. He had made it. This was the Secluded Peak of Whispering Pines, the place mentioned in the tattered map he'd found sewn into his father's journal. Pushing himself up onto his elbows, he took stock of his situation. His robes were torn and stained. His dantian felt hollow, the core of his spiritual power nearly depleted. He fumbled in his pouch, his fingers closing around a small, cool jade vial. He uncorked it and shook out a single pill, its surface shimmering with a soft, milky light. A Basic Qi Restoration Pill. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. He swallowed it dry, feeling a trickle of warm energy begin to seep into his meridians. As the pill's effect took hold, a measure of clarity returned to his thoughts. He needed a plan. He needed to get stronger. The memory of Eldrin's sneering face, the effortless way he had summoned the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure), fueled a desperate resolve in Lin Chen's heart. He would not remain weak. He would not be prey. His gaze fell upon a narrow crack in the cliff face, half-hidden by a curtain of thick, ancient vines. A faint, almost imperceptible draft emanated from within, carrying a strange, metallic tang. Curiosity piqued, he crawled towards it, pushing the vines aside. The opening led into a dark, narrow passage. Lin Chen summoned a small, flickering flame in the palm of his hand—a basic Fire Ignition technique that cost him precious little qi. The weak light illuminated damp, moss-covered walls. The air grew colder as he ventured deeper, the silence so profound he could hear the frantic beating of his own heart. After what felt like a dozen or so paces, the passage opened into a small, circular cavern. In the center of the cavern stood a simple stone pedestal. And on that pedestal rested a single, pristine scroll, seemingly untouched by the countless years that had passed in this forgotten place. Lin Chen approached with cautious reverence. There was no dust on the scroll, no sign of decay. It seemed to pulse with a gentle, latent power. His hand trembled slightly as he reached for it. This was no ordinary scripture. This felt like fate. He carefully unrolled the brittle parchment. The script was elegant and archaic, but he could decipher it. The title sent a jolt straight through his soul: "The Celestial Annihilation Art." His heart hammered against his ribs. This was a legendary, high-tier cultivation art, 1 said to have been lost for thousands of years. It was a path of immense power and, according to the whispers, immense peril. Many had supposedly gone mad attempting to master its profound and ruthless doctrines. A grim smile touched Lin Chen's lips. Madness? What was madness compared to the humiliation he had suffered? What was peril compared to the burning need for vengeance? He began to read the first chapter, his voice a low whisper in the silent cavern, the words tasting of ancient power and forgotten oaths. "To grasp the heavens, 1 must first shatter the self. To command annihilation, 1 must embrace the void..." Outside, the wind howled, but within the cave, a new storm was beginning to brew. The storm of Lin Chen's destiny.