Chapter 1291: Chapter 1259: Heavenly Monarch Wanjiâs Promotion to Refining Nothingness, Commanding the Metallic Life of the Endless Starry Sky Fleet
Horned Ming Realm, Medium Thousand World Nine Spirits Realm.
The internal war of the Nine Great Immortal Sects approached its end. Eight Great Experts and their Refining Void Dao Soldiers occupied half the starry sky, their oppressive presence dense and suffused with chaotic energy.
The remaining half of the starry sky was filled with billions of warships and Starry Sky Fortresses, exuding an overwhelmingly terrifying aura.
Within tens of thousands of miles of the starry sky, shattered rules and broken spaces were everywhere. Many areas had fallen into chaos and had not recovered for a long time.
Both sides simultaneously chose to cease the warfare, refraining from mutual destruction.
On the ground of the Medium Thousand World, both sidesâ landing troops infiltrated the Nine Spirits Realm, beginning to lay down their respective Boundary Formations. No longer bound by any agreements or alliances, the Xianmen Sect forcefully occupied nearly half of the Medium Thousand World, designating it as their territory, and began setting up attack and defensive arrays.
The Eight Great Immortal Sects were naturally deeply dissatisfied but lacked the power to stop them.
Thus, the war shifted from direct heated combat to one of confrontation and standoff.
Without a doubt, the Great Experts of the Eight Great Immortal Sects were now certainly meditating near seventh-rank Spiritual Veins, accumulating the foundation for breakthroughs to the Harmonization stage. No one could tell when they might take their ultimate leap.
Meanwhile, the Xianmen Sect also embarked on corresponding plans.
âWan Ji, you may break through now,â
Yuan suggested, âUnder the protection of our Army Formation, your breakthrough will face no obstruction. Additionally, your Refining Void opportunity can now be claimed as well.â
Refining Void opportunity.
This had fallen into the Xianmen Sectâs hands when the Nine Great Immortal Sects formed their alliance. It was impossible to wait until the dust settled to request it from the Eight Great Immortal Sects. The Xianmen Sect held a total of nine Refining Void opportunities.
âHahaha!â
âGood, right now it is!â
Heavenly Monarch Wan Ji, a figure with a computer-like head and mechanical arms and limbs, laughed heartily upon hearing this: âThis old man will break through to Refining Void now! Letâs see if those eight old fellows dare to stop me!â
He leaped through the air, landing on the seventh-order Spiritual Vein within the Nine Spirits Realm territory controlled by the Xianmen Sect. Without hesitation, he immediately triggered the Void Refining Thunder Tribulation.
He had waited for far too long in this realm, reaching the limits within limits. There was absolutely no need to wait any further.
Boom!
Over one hundred thousand miles of sky, rolling dark clouds surged forth, blotting out the sun. The pressure of the Thunder Tribulation spread across the heavens, accompanied by strange phenomena that resonated throughout the Star River, drawing the attention of countless beings.
âThisâŠâ
âWan Ji!â
âItâs that old man Wan Ji advancing to Refining VoidâŠâ
Observing this scene, the cultivators of the Eight Great Immortal Sects immediately took notice. Countless Nascent Soul Cultivators displayed extreme expressions of envy and jealousy, nearly lost in madness.
Within the Nine Spirits Realm,
A Refining Void Cultivator, one outside the status of Taoist disciples, was about to be born again!
The repeated appearance of such events caused the Dao Hearts of many Nascent Soul cultivators within the Eight Great Immortal Sects to waver. Countless cultivators fell into fantasies but dared not openly discuss them with their sectâs Great Experts.
âWan JiâŠâ
This sight was not ignored by the Eight Great Experts, whose gazes gleamed with killing intent.
A junior about to rise to their level would significantly increase the threat against them, stoking the crisis within their hearts.
Yet, after lengthy hesitation, they ultimately chose not to intervene.
Because this was a Heavenly Tribulation!
In Heavenly Tribulations, anyone who interferes with another cultivatorâs tribulation would draw the wrath of the heavens upon themselves, invoking their own Thunder Tribulationâand at a higher rank.
If a Refining Void Cultivator interferes with anotherâs Heavenly Tribulation, the energy resonance would likely trigger a Harmonization Thunder Tribulation!
This was by no means a trivial matter.
If a Thunder Tribulation is not self-initiated, it is purely a calamity, offering no benefit. This essentially means facing the Thunder Tribulation while already in a Refining Void state, plunging immediately into the survival crisis of life and deathâlucky to escape alive, though typically leading to inevitable demise.
Aside from Xi Yuan, no one has ever survived a Harmonization-level Thunder Tribulation.
Moreover, even if one survived such external Thunder Tribulations, they yielded no advantages to oneâs cultivation base.
Thus, within the cultivation world, aside from the intent of mutual destruction, it was exceedingly rare to find cultivators interfering in the midst of anotherâs Heavenly Tribulation. Revenge was most often sought after the tribulation when the cultivator had been weakened by injury.
âFellow Daoists, how long until you reach Harmonization yourselves?â
A Great Expert of Xuanwu Heavenly Palace asked with a laugh.
âOne thousand years will suffice.â
A Great Expert of Shadow Demon Abyss replied.
âMy abilities pale compared to Shadow SisterâsâI need thirteen hundred years.â
A Great Expert from the Green Wood Immortal Sect answered.
âI fare far worse than all of youâI will need two thousand years.â
A Five Elements Heavenly Sect Great Expert chuckled bitterly.
âTwo thousand five hundred years.â
âThree thousand yearsâŠâ
ââŠâ
One Great Expert after another sighed, seemingly resigned.
Suddenly, the air grew still.
The eight looked eye-to-eye, silent for a time.
âPfft!â
âFellow brothers and sisters, you are far too honest!â
The Green Wood Immortal Sectâs Great Expert covered her mouth with a light laugh.
Though none knew what she found amusing, her joy was evidentâher lively demeanor and bright laughter seemed to mirror youthful vitality once more. She no longer carried the cold detachment of a divine being who overlooked the human world, but instead resembled a mortal maiden.
âHahahaâŠâ
The surrounding Immortal Sect Great Experts also joined in joyful laughter.
âWhatâs the point of pretense!â
âThis old man needs merely three hundred fifty-seven years before triggering the Harmonization Thunder Tribulation!â
The Xuanwu Heavenly Palace Great Expert laughed boldly and said with grandeur, âFellow Daoists, if fortune allows me to advance first, do lend me one or two protections.â
âNaturally.â
âBrother Xuanwu truly has profound Dao achievementsâŠâ
The surrounding Great Experts all offered heartfelt congratulations.
Yet, some of the more perceptive Great Experts detected subtle changes in the atmosphere. A sense of dread and worry slowly surfaced among many present.
The Eastern Devil School harbors wild ambitionsâthis was known.
But could Xuanwu Heavenly Palace truly be called virtuous?
Recalling past events, especially the period three thousand to six thousand years before now, many Great Experts of different sects could not help contemplating anew. That stretch of time marked the zenith of Xuanwu Heavenly Palace, as it launched offensives on strategic directions across southeast, southwest, and northwest, devouring forty-two Minor Thousand Worlds in its march toward dominance once held by the Great Sun Sword Pavilion in its heyday.
If such power prevailed, would it not just be another Great Sun Sword Pavilion?
Perishing under the Great Sun Sword Pavilion, or under the Eastern Devil School, or under Xuanwu Heavenly Palaceâwhat difference did it make?
The emergence of a Harmonization-level cultivator, after all, would profoundly shake the Domainâs balance.
While faces displayed smiles of congratulations, inner turmoil stirred relentlessly.
âSigh!â
âIt seems mutual trust among us remains out of reach,â
The Xuanwu Heavenly Palace Great Expert, fully aware of the brewing unease among the group, laughed lightly and said, âYet this is merely typical. When all of you advance equally, the state of the Domain shall naturally return to its former equilibriumâunchanged.â
âIndeed so.â
The surrounding Great Experts nodded.
âŠ
Years later, the Heavenly Tribulation in the starry sky gradually dissipated.
A towering, radiant machine giant, spreading data with light-speed precision, stood in the starry void. His body was covered with fiber-optic data threads.
A massive head, robust machine physique, and arms of steel akin to meteorite beltsâit seemed he could obliterate stars with sheer brute force.
A terrifying aura radiated from him, along with the unfathomable power of Light Path Rules.
Heavenly Monarch Wan Ji, bearer of the Divine Light All-Illuminating Scripture!
To the Celestial Lords of the Xianmen Sect, the Divine Light All-Illuminating Scripture did not grant overwhelming strength or destructive manaâthese were secondary. Its primary gift lay in the speed of information transmission, fleet coordination, and the efficiency of channeling Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi from the sun, moon, and stars.
These were specialized Refining Void Rules,
akin to commanding the Endless Starry Sky Fleet, Starry Sky Cities, or an indestructible metallic machine life!