...

At the gap in the light curtain, Huang Mi stood holding his sword, with sword-shaped eyebrows and starry eyes, exuding the aura of mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation.

"Heh heh heh! Youngster, today is your unlucky day!"

The Venerable Youming let out a piercing, eerie laugh.

In the cultivation realm, sword lords who can cut down Yin Deities with a Nascent Soul are indeed rare, and he deliberately avoids those real geniuses with such strength.

The Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator before him had an ordinary aura, clearly not one of those figures.

Facing this person’s imposing Yin Deity presence, Huang Mi showed no fear. He gripped his longsword tightly and thought to himself:

"The Blood Path Yin Deity Venerable, truly a big catch. The Ancestral Master is indeed infallible in his calculations!"

Though he wasn’t a genius who could defeat enemies across realms like a sword lord, his confidence was unshakeable compared to any genius—because his father was Yellow Jade!

...

Huang Mi’s composure caused the Venerable Youming to grow suspicious.

A typical Nascent Soul Cultivator would be trembling at the sight of a Yin Deity Venerable, but this youngster was unfazed—could he have a trump card?

His mind raced, deciding to make the first move: "Youngster, die!"

With a swing of the Blood God Banner, a blood-red Shura claw materialized in the air, its tips tearing through space as it lunged at Huang Mi.

Though this strike seemed fierce, it held back seventy percent of its power. If Huang Mi had a backup plan, he would immediately use a forbidden technique to escape.

Seeing the situation, Huang Mi advanced instead of retreating. He quickly formed a complex Dharma Seal with both hands, bowing respectfully to the void, his voice booming:

"Disciple Huang Mi humbly requests the Ancestral Master’s divine intent to descend!"

In an instant, the world changed color!

The miasma above Black Wind Ridge was dispersed by an invisible pressure. An utterly condensed divine intent appeared from the void, transforming into the projection of a white-robed figure.

This projection stood with a sword, exuding a domineering aura. A mere cold glance at the Venerable Youming was enough to make him feel as though he had fallen into an ice cellar, his blood freezing.

"Sword Lord!"

The Venerable Youming cried out in shock, his soul nearly scattering in fear.

The sword intent contained within this divine intent was unforgettable—he had once seen the Sword Lord’s attack from afar during the battle at Jiuxiaos Peak a century ago. It was this terrifying sword intent that could annihilate divine souls!

Without a second thought, he spat out a mouthful of essence blood, urging the Blood God Banner to transform into a blood-colored rainbow, attempting to escape into the void.

"Too late."

The white-robed projection spoke in a detached voice, pointing lightly with a palm, causing sword qi to gather out of thin air, forming a five-colored Sword Net that blotted out the sky.

As the Sword Net descended, the void was locked in place. The Venerable Youming found himself enveloped by countless strands of sword intent, unable to even move his divine soul.

"It’s just a manifestation of divine intent. I refuse to believe you are invincible!"

Driven to desperation, a crazed look flashed in the Venerable Youming’s eyes.

He pushed the Blood God Banner to its fullest, the thousand Shura projections on the flag roaring as they turned into a massive Shura sickle, aiming to slash the Sword Net with an aura of utter destruction.

But on the Sword Net, the five-colored brilliance flowed. As soon as the Shura sickle touched it, it melted away rapidly like ice encountering fire, not even causing the slightest ripple.

The Sword Net descended, firmly enveloping the Venerable Youming. Countless sword intents surged into his body, instantly annihilating both his flesh and divine soul.

Huang Mi let out a gentle sigh of relief, feeling impressed: "The Ancestral Master is truly the greatest Sword Cultivator of all ages. Just a divine intent can slay a Venerable!"

...

Suspended Mountain, located at the heart of Central State.

The entire immortal mountain floated above the ten-thousand-mile cloud sea, with jade palaces and splendid buildings on the summit. Among ancient pines and cypresses, immortal air swirled, and occasionally, immortal cranes fluttered past, exuding the charm of an immortal family.

In the depths of the mountain’s peak, within the "Ten Thousand Beasts Hall," a figure in a purple-gold Daoist robe sat on the Nine-Dragon Throne, none other than the Ten Thousand Beasts Celestial Immortal.

Before the throne, within the void, a water screen about a square meter in size floated, crystal clear, replaying the final moments of the Black Wind Ridge battle with astonishing clarity.

The five-colored Sword Net blotted out the sky, easily dissolving the Shura sickle and slaying the Venerable Youming...

To avoid causing shifts in the source, he had only been maneuvering indirectly all these years. The fact that the Venerable Youming managed to cultivate into a Yin Deity was also part of his machinations, meant to probe the depths of Zhang Ling’s power.

In retrospect, that chess piece’s death was indeed "worthwhile."

The Ten Thousand Beasts Celestial Immortal pointed a finger, causing the Sword Net in the water screen to slowly enlarge, vividly revealing the circulation of the Five Elements Spiritual Qi. He nodded lightly:

"To have already grasped the Dao of the Five Elements in advance, truly the child of destiny of this realm."

In this realm, cultivators have fleeting lifespans like morning dew, yet their temperament is extraordinary, all transforming into divinity through their mental state.

Understanding Dao Principles is considered "homework after becoming immortal," a brand new stage after immortality—Profound Immortal.

Ordinary cultivators spend their entire lives, and if they manage to cultivate to the Divinity Transformation before their lifespans run out, they are considered prodigies, but advancing to touch the Dao Principles seems like a pipe dream.

Take Chen Sheng as an example from back then; although he had guidance from two Celestial Venerables of Divinity Transformation, he spent several hundred years to comprehend the basic Penetration Dao Principle.

And in this realm, cultivators have even shorter lifespans; they never live long enough to understand Dao Principles and turn to dust long before.

...

The Ten Thousand Beasts Celestial Immortal recalls Zhang Ling’s achievements with a gentle smile:

"In the Lower Realm, he can comprehend the Dao of the Five Elements. Once he ascends, he will become a Profound Immortal, and a powerful Profound Immortal at that, mastering the Dao of the Five Elements."

"Unfortunately, I have already opened the heart imagery as a Heavenly Immortal; between you and me, the gap is ultimately one realm, a world apart!"

His heart moved, and behind him appeared a huge beast-shaped phantom, transforming into a Dao Domain of Ten Thousand Beasts, exuding a force suppressing the heavens and earth.

The Heavenly Immortal Realm requires cultivating the heart imagery foundation to open the "Heart Imagery Illusion," where the Dao Domain is evolved within the illusion, this understanding far exceeds simply comprehending Dao Principles.

Even in the Immortal Realm, countless prodigies from the Lower Realm who ascend, those who can open the heart imagery and promote to Heavenly Immortal are rare.

It is precisely this gap in realms that allows the Ten Thousand Beasts Celestial Immortal to remain unshaken.

At this moment, he used the suspended treasure mirror to silently spy on the origin core of this world, already brewing with Zhang Ling’s rising fate.

Ten Thousand Beasts Celestial Immortal’s eyes flashed with brilliance, whispering:

"It’s close, close! Once the origin ground opens wide, it will be the day I cross the tribulation and reap!" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The "origin ground" he speaks of is the core of this Small Thousand World, akin to the Big Dipper Seven Palace of the Star River World, nine volcanoes of the Nine Suns World, the source of the Small Thousand’s laws.

This sort of core area is always tightly controlled by the world’s origin, absolutely impossible to open to outsiders.

But the "Child of Destiny" is the exception—as Zhang Ling’s fate gathers more intensely, the origin ground’s barrier will slowly loosen, ultimately opening up completely.

Then he can easily invade the origin through earlier placed pieces on Zhang Ling.

Ten Thousand Beasts Celestial Immortal’s eyes reveal a hint of calculation:

"Not for nothing have I pushed secretly, allowing you to sweep across this realm’s fate."

Over the years, he has secretly laid out plans, aiming to have Zhang Ling constantly experience battles, obtain opportunities, and accelerate the condensation of fate.

Now, everything is developing as he anticipated, only waiting for the origin ground to open for him to achieve success in one fell swoop.

...

Meanwhile, at the foot of the Suspended Mountain.

The void suddenly rippled with a circle of faint purple waves, a figure in white silently emerged.

Chen Sheng stood with hands behind his back, his white clothes fluttering lightly in the wind, with faintly visible purple aura surrounding him, skillfully merging with the suppression emanating from the Suspended Mountain, completely concealing his aura like a drop of water merged into the ocean.

Traversing this world for a hundred years, from an outer disciple of the Pan Sword Sect to a Sword Venerable who shakes the world.

He has traversed five states and seven domains, slayed the evil Venerables, collected innate immortal treasures, and found countless ancient legacies within countless secret realms.

The information he possesses has already pieced together many secrets of this world, many guesses from back then have either been verified or overturned.

At this moment, Chen Sheng raised his eyes to look at the mountain peak, slowly closed his eyes, and the faint purple mark of divine will on his brow suddenly brightened, the secret technique of "The True Solution of Big Dipper Fortune" operated to the extreme.

In an instant, he looked toward the peak of the mountain, the richest purple fate—a manifestation of the core of the Ten Thousand Beasts Celestial Immortal’s fortune, suppressed by a refined Ten Thousand Beasts Immortal Cauldron, exuding an aura that suppresses heaven and earth.

With Chen Sheng’s fortune secret technique reaching Great Success, he can penetrate the immortal cauldron suppressing the fortune and glimpse the universe inside.

Under the cauldron of purple fate, a figure’s outline gradually becomes clear.

A Daoist dressed in purple-gold Daoist Robe, surrounded by Ten Thousand Beasts Dao Domain, is indeed the Ten Thousand Beasts Celestial Immortal.

"Peak of Yin Spirit... indeed, in the same realm as me, further advancement will trigger Immortal Light Ascension."

"The Dao Domain is rough; although evolving stronger than what is in the Ten Thousand Beasts Immortal Scripture, it is also limited, not yet at the two tribulation level, indeed not the Heavenly Emperor’s laid piece!"

"The Heavenly Emperor of this realm is weaker than I imagined!"

The secret technique continued to operate, and the purple aura surrounding that person gradually dissipated.

When Chen Sheng saw that figure’s face clearly, a flash of comprehension passed through his eyes:

"So it’s like this, that Zhou Ming is also a Void Refining avatar."

"All matters are clear; the hundred-year karma must be settled today!."