With a thunderous roar, the cosmos erupted in boundless divine light, illuminating the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. The world was awash in a blinding white glow.
On this day, countless beings witnessed a radiance surpassing the sun, turning night into day.
The heavens and earth brimmed with light, banishing all darkness. Like a guiding beacon, it seemed to clear every path forward, dispelling hesitation and doubt.
___
After a prolonged silence, the world grew still once more, as if nothing had occurred. The stars resumed their orbits, and life continued its course.
In a desolate star domain, nothing remained—not even stars. Only endless darkness and a deathly calm prevailed.
Wuuu…
Suddenly, strange phenomena manifested across the heavens and earth. Blood-red light surged, staining the cosmos. The sky wept, raining blood, and the earth mourned, trembling in all directions.
"This is the sign of a supreme powerhouse's fall!" someone declared, their voice heavy with sorrow.
Legends spoke of such omens when a Supreme Being or greater perished, but over countless eons, such figures rarely fell, and the tales had faded into obscurity.
"Holy Emperor…"
After a brief silence, the truth dawned on the masses. In the domains of the Holy Emperor Palace, many wailed in anguish, calling out for one man, praying he might return to the world.
Meng Tianzheng arrived at the star domain where Lin Tianfan had faced his tribulation. His expression was grave, tinged with loneliness and grief, mourning the loss of an unparalleled hero.
"He… succeeded, yet… also failed," Meng Tianzheng sighed, his weathered face etched with sorrow. He gazed at a cracked cauldron nearby.
In this great calamity, it had not been destroyed with its master, enduring as proof of a once-mighty warrior's existence.
Though fractured, the golden cauldron still spewed chaotic qi, radiating immortal light, a testament that the Holy Emperor had stepped into the Immortal Dao realm before falling to the black fog.
Members of the Holy Emperor Palace arrived—eight war generals, each brimming with surging blood qi. They appeared youthful, powerful, and formidable.
"Lord Holy Emperor… you shouldn't have left us. You were unmatched, destined to tower over the world, eternal in existence…"
The eight war generals wept, their pillar of faith shattered, their grief profound and desolate.
Swish!
At that moment, many powerhouses converged on the site—top-tier cultivators from the Nine Heavens, hailing from immortal families, orthodoxies, and dynasties. Each was a titan capable of shaping the world's fate.
"Alas, for Friend Holy Emperor to depart so young is far too tragic," said Xu Mingxuan, lord of the Xu Dynasty, one of the few factions that had never clashed with the Holy Emperor Palace.
In his youth, Lin Tianfan had made enemies of many powers, some of whom remained hostile. Only his rise to supremacy had silenced their schemes.
"Is it truly impossible to become an Immortal?" a youth of sixteen or seventeen wondered aloud.
This was Wang Changsheng of the Wang Family. Though he appeared young, he was an ancient monster who had lived over a million years, his strength among the top five in the Nine Heavens. Only Lin Tianfan and Meng Tianzheng could suppress him.
For Supreme Beings at the pinnacle of the Mortal Dao, the dream was to take the next step—to become an Immortal.
Yet, it seemed a curse, unbreakable by any. Seeing even the Holy Emperor's might fall short, they felt an oppressive weight, like a mountain crushing their hopes, plunging them into despair.
The Holy Emperor's fall brought sorrow to some, but joy to others. The Jin and Feng Families were the most elated, their great enemy gone, freeing them from fear of retribution.
These two families had once gravely offended Lin Tianfan, paying a steep price to quell his wrath—a cost that pained them deeply.
They had surrendered half their clans' immortal treasures and divine materials, along with billions of miles of prime cultivation lands under their control.
The Holy Emperor Palace had been built and swiftly grown powerful, fueled by the resources of these families.
Of course, Meng Tianzheng's mediation had been crucial. Without it, Lin Tianfan's fiery temper would have obliterated any who dared oppose him.
"We must build a divine temple for the Holy Emperor, to bring our lord back to the world!" the eight war generals proposed, unwilling to accept his permanent loss.
Though the Holy Emperor Palace was younger than other immortal factions, spanning just over a hundred thousand years, it had uncovered many secrets.
By erecting a temple and crafting a golden statue, they could gather the power of faith to summon his soul back to the world. The chance was slim, but worth attempting.
"Heh heh heh, why waste effort on a dead man? Utterly pointless!" an ornately dressed old woman sneered from the crowd, her voice dripping with mockery.
This was Jin Tai Jun of the Jin Family, a Supreme Being who had lived longer than a tortoise. Once, Lin Tianfan had subdued her, publicly humiliating her with a slap, shaming her across the Nine Heavens. Her hatred for him burned deep.
Now, with Lin Tianfan gone, Jin Tai Jun was the most gleeful. I'm back in control, she thought, eager to reclaim what she had lost.
"Jin Tai Jun, you dare insult the Holy Emperor? You're courting death!" The eight war generals roared, their killing intent surging, eyes blazing with fury.
"Hmph, a bunch of youngsters dare disrespect me?" Jin Tai Jun sneered, unleashing her Supreme Being aura, vast as an ocean, causing the void to collapse.
In her eyes, the Holy Emperor Palace was nothing without Lin Tianfan.
For her to dishonor the Holy Emperor so soon after his fall was intolerable.
Boom!
The eight war generals struck, their divine might unparalleled. They surrounded Jin Tai Jun, each erupting with unmatched pressure—eight Supreme Beings in unison.
"This… how is this possible?!"
Jin Tai Jun panicked, disbelief flooding her. Am I going blind in my old age? Since when did the Holy Emperor Palace have such strength, boasting eight Supreme Beings?
She wasn't alone in her shock. Everyone present was stunned, unable to fathom it. Eight Supreme Beings in one sect—and not mere pseudo-Supreme Beings, but true, transcendent Supreme Beings, the pinnacle of the mortal realm.
Hiss!
Many onlookers turned, their expressions uneasy. The Holy Emperor Palace's terrifying power sent a chill through the immortal orthodoxies, the atmosphere heavy with tension.
In the Nine Heavens, what orthodoxy could match this? Beyond their leader, to cultivate so many formidable beings was unheard of.
Supreme Beings weren't mere Self-Release cultivators, easily raised with resources. They required not just accumulated power but profound insight and innate talent—a near-impossible feat.
The Nine Heavens and Ten Lands could count their Supreme Beings on one hand. Since ancient times, how many had risen? Most fell on the path, the road to supremacy paved with bones, as the saying went.
Supreme Beings overlooked the heavens and earth, living millions of years, dominating lesser cultivators with absolute might. They were the closest to immortality, invincible across the world.
They could found sects, establish eternal orthodoxies, and elevate their clans to imperial or royal status. In this era without Immortals, they were the apex.
The gathered powerhouses distanced themselves from Jin Tai Jun, casting her glances that said, You've brought this upon yourself!