After a long pause.
A deep voice echoed from the blood-red temple, “Godly wars are forbidden in the Heavenly Realm, I cannot break that rule. This matter was indeed the fault of Lord Yan and Second Jia Blood Ancestor, name your terms for their release!”
What followed between the Moon God and the temple’s master was a conversation no one could hear.
Whatever agreement they reached, the Moon God eventually freed Lord Yan and Second Jia Blood Ancestor from the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron.
However, both gods emerged having lost something within the cauldron, visibly weakened to an extreme.
They glared towards Moon God Mountain, humiliation and rage swelling within, before transforming into two beams of divine light, streaking towards the blood-red temple in the sky.
Moments later, the temple vanished, retreating into the void.
Lord Yan and Second Jia Blood Ancestor appeared before the Blood War Temple, their emotions masked, exuding an imposing air as they conversed with its master.
Lord Yan’s eyes flickered with flame, “Second Jia Blood Ancestor and I had ninety percent of our divine blood, vast divine thoughts, and souls stripped by the Moon God, we’re gravely depleted, recovery in the short term is impossible. I can’t swallow this insult.”
The vast voice from the temple replied, “Wrongdoing demands punishment, even gods aren’t exempt. You bear much blame for this mess.”
Lord Yan fell silent, offering no excuses.
Victory crowns kings, defeat brands losers, failure was the ultimate fault, no justification mattered.
Second Jia Blood Ancestor said, “Master, I don’t understand why you compromised with the Moon God. I refuse to believe you fear her threats, even if she could breach the Paradise Realm, raze the Blood War Temple, and slaughter its beings, she’d only face death in the end. Such mutual destruction isn’t something she’d rationally pursue.”
The voice from the temple spoke again, “Today’s events already exceeded our expectations. Someone from the Heavenly Palace has declared this matter closed. Pressing further would only worsen things, to our detriment.”
Second Jia Blood Ancestor frowned, “Someone from the Heavenly Palace? Who? Why disregard even your standing?”
“The one guarding the Heavenly River.”
Second Jia Blood Ancestor and Lord Yan exchanged a glance, then fell silent.
…
…
The storm in the Shatuo Heavenly Domain swept through the Heavenly Realm like a tidal wave, soon reaching every mortal world.
Once obscure, the Shatuo Heavenly Domain—along with the Guanghan and Kunlun Realms—gained instant fame.
The long-forgotten Moon God, through this battle, made herself known to a new generation.
Her name resounded like thunder.
Of course, the realm of gods was beyond most cultivators’ grasp, too daunting to discuss freely, so Zhang Ruochen, a young Saint King, became the focal point of talk across the myriad worlds.
His feats in the Truth Heavenly Domain had only earned him recognition among top prodigies.
But the Moon God Mountain battle catapulted his name across the Heavenly Realm, making him a polarizing, celebrated figure among saint realm cultivators, outshining even the most popular talents on lists like the Saint King Merit List and Assassin King List.
After all, a Saint King altering a godly war was likely unique to him.
Thousand Stars Heavenly Domain.
This domain, assigned to the Thousand Stars Civilization by the Paradise Realm, boasted saint qi ten times denser than the Shatuo Heavenly Domain, with far more active natural rules, marking it a superior realm.
The Thousand Stars Heavenly Maiden said, “That fellow’s truly formidable, daring to defy gods directly, his resolve far surpasses mine, it seems I must redouble my efforts to temper my heart.”
Death God Temple.
Hearing of the Moon God Mountain divine clash, Han Qiu’s lovely face broke into a smile, “Worthy of the man I’ve chosen, utterly exceptional.”
She added with concern, “I hope he didn’t perish in that godly war.”
A Le, wiping his sword, murmured, “Zhang Ruochen won’t die, even if he did, he’d fight his way back from the gates of death. His life’s tougher than anyone’s.”
The divine war’s ripples didn’t linger long, soon overshadowed by even more staggering news.
Ten thousand years ago, the Kunlun Realm—once ranked top five on the Myriad Realms Merit List—was breached by the Hell Realm. As a mortal world under the Heavenly Realm, the Heavenly Palace gods rushed to defend it, repelling the Hell Realm’s invasion.
The Kunlun Realm, one of the universe’s rare eternal worlds, had birthed countless legends, leaving behind myriad divine traces, opportunities, and legacies.
Though fallen, it remained a treasure trove coveted by gods, one they couldn’t let slip into Hell Realm hands.
In the starfield near the Kunlun Realm, a colossal divine war erupted.
Gods of the Heavenly Palace and Hell Realm’s ten clans devastated a boundless expanse of stars, extinguishing them one by one, like countless fireballs streaking through the night.
Every evening brought meteor showers.
All cultivators grew tense and restless, fearing the war would escalate as it had ten millennia ago, felling nearly half the gods and destroying thousands of worlds.
A month later, the starry war ceased.
A message spread through the Heavenly Realm, “Gods fell in the stars. The Heavenly and Hell Realms, unwilling to let matters spiral beyond control, halted the fight.”
Cultivators across the worlds sighed in relief.
But they knew the Hell Realm wouldn’t relent, with the divine war over, its saint realm armies were likely already marching towards the Kunlun Realm.
The Kunlun Realm became the battleground for the Heavenly and Hell Realms.
This was the outcome both realms’ gods desired, now it was a contest of skill to seize its treasures and opportunities.
…
Merit Temple.
Shang Ziyan clasped his fists, bowing to a tricoloured divine mist above, “Greetings, Master.”
Lord Yan’s voice emerged from the mist, “Ziyan, you’ve not disappointed me, surviving the Purgatory Furnace’s torment, your physique has grown stronger, and your cultivation has broken through to the Eight-Step Saint King realm, hasn’t it?”
“Yes,” Shang Ziyan replied calmly.
“Then you’ll lead the team to the Kunlun Realm this time.”
Shang Ziyan’s gaze remained steady, devoid of emotion, “I’m too young! Many senior brothers surpass me in strength and experience, they’d be better suited to lead.”
“No need for modesty, though you’re slightly weaker now, your potential far exceeds theirs, reach the Nine-Step Saint King realm, and even those on the Saint King Merit List won’t touch you.”
“Don’t claim you lack ambition, this trip to the Kunlun Realm is your chance to prove yourself. There, you might seize a supreme opportunity, forging an immortal saint body beyond any Greater Saint’s reach.”
Shang Ziyan ceased objecting, “Will Greater Saints join the fight?”
“Greater Saints can’t enter the Kunlun Realm, their battlefield lies beyond it, you’re the true force in this war,” Lord Yan’s voice answered.
Shang Ziyan asked again, “What of the Kunlun Realm’s native Greater Saints?”
“No need to worry, they’ll depart the Kunlun Realm.”
Lord Yan continued, “If the Kunlun Realm seeks Heavenly Realm protection, it must abide by our rules. Remember, this isn’t just a clash with the Hell Realm, it’s a chance to sever the Kunlun Realm’s path. And eliminate Zhang Ruochen, he can’t keep causing trouble, if he reaches Greater Saint realm, he’ll be harder to handle!”
…
Rhea Realm.
You God’s voice rang through a dark space, thick with fury, “You two will lead an army to the Kunlun Realm, capture every being tied to Zhang Ruochen at once, force him out. Kill him, extract his saint soul, and bring it to me.”
“Rest assured, Master, we’ll make Zhang Ruochen wish for death,” came the reply.
Below You God stood a man and a woman.
The man, three metres tall, burly, radiated black saint light, tens of millions of saint path rules flowing across his skin—an astonishing feat for a Nine-Step Saint King.
Cultivating ten million rules at that level marked exceptional prowess.
The woman, clad in a provocative black robe, wielded a wooden staff, her snow-white legs bared, hinting at a stunning figure beneath, yet her spiritual power matched the man’s saintly aura.
…
Black Demon Realm.
Black Heart Demon Lord’s phantom loomed in the sky, “You’re the Black Demon Realm’s Saint Kings who’ve mastered the thirty-six Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings to their peak. Go to the Kunlun Realm, retrieve the carvings’ original thirty-six tablets, bring them back. Plus two tasks, eliminate Zhang Ruochen, find Thousand Bones Empress.”
“Yes.”
Thirty-six Saint King realm beings knelt on one knee, each a top-tier force below Greater Saint level.
Qiong Lin, the Black Demon Realm’s leader in the Truth Heavenly Domain, was the youngest among them, his aura notably weaker than the other thirty-five.
Further off knelt countless demonic cultivators, all saint realm, a sea of figures stretching beyond sight.
…
Blood War Temple.
After Fourth Jia Blood Ancestor issued a divine decree, blood-red light specks, like a rain of blood, flew towards the teleportation array.
Each speck was a saint realm cultivator.
…
In the boundless starry sky, a massive star shone, orbited by twelve suns to illuminate it.
Even those suns seemed small beside it.
Raksha Princess Luo Ji, in a sheer Ten Thousand Saints Plain Dress, sat atop a war chariot.
Behind trailed a Raksha army, advancing slowly towards a spatial rift.
Her delicate, snow-white fingers brushed her rosy lips as she mused, “I’m rather excited, will that fellow return to the Kunlun Realm? My destined one, you’d better show up!”
