Just as the old patriarch forced me to my death, I achieved the unity of Dao and fruition.

"Has something happened here?"

As the voice faded, none of the young prodigies who had entered the perilous place answered.

Everyone was silently sensing their surroundings.

That eerie power that was said to be constantly draining one's lifespan has completely disappeared.

This place is not a secret in the Eastern Continent of the Imperial Ruins.

Its name is—the Ancient Realm of Tranquility.

No one knows exactly how many years it has existed. All that is known is that thousands of years ago, a rogue cultivator accidentally entered a spatial rift and survived, which brought this place into the sights of major powers for the first time.

The most distinctive feature of the Silent Ancient Domain is its ability to steal lifespan.

Once you enter this place, whether you are a mortal or a cultivator, your lifespan will continue to decline, and the higher your cultivation level, the faster it will decline.

Therefore, the true elders and powerful figures of the major holy lands and imperial clans do not easily enter.

An old monster whose lifespan is already limited might not find any opportunities if he stays here for several months, and he might even lose his life before he does.

But danger as it may be, there are also good things here.

The Life-Destiny Fruit is a rare fruit that only grows in the Ancient Realm of Year's Desolation.

One pill can replenish lifespan. Although its effect is far inferior to the elixir of immortality, or even to those truly top-tier life-extending elixirs, it is superior in that it is equally effective for young cultivators, and it also contains a trace of extremely special Daoist charm of time.

If one cultivates secret techniques related to lifespan, time, and the cycle of life and death, one can gain considerable benefits from them.

However, this thing only matures once every thousand years, and only a few pieces are produced each time.

Therefore, whenever the Life Fruit ripens, the major powers of Dongzhou will send their younger generation in to gain experience and see if there are any other opportunities.

This time, naturally, is no exception.

But now...

A young member of the imperial family frowned and looked at the people around him.

"Ancient texts record that after just ten breaths of entering the Ancient Domain of Tranquility, one can clearly feel the life-giving fire flowing away."

"How long have we been here?"

"Half a quarter of an hour."

"Then why is there no reaction at all?"

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, and finally, one of the most outstanding talents from the holy land spoke in a deep voice.

"Go to where the Tree of Fate is first. Don't separate. Something must have happened here."

No one objected.

A group of people who originally planned to separate and seek their own opportunities have now come together in a rare turn of events.

Those who are sent in by various powerful forces are not fools.

Unknown changes are often the most dangerous things.

The group quickly headed towards the depths of the Silent Ancient Domain.

They possess simplified maps drawn by cultivators throughout history, which contain general records of the major regions of this ancient domain.

The further they went, the stranger their expressions became, until they crossed a gray-black mountain range.

The person at the front suddenly stopped, and the people behind almost bumped into them.

"What's wrong?"

No one answered.

Everyone is looking ahead.

Nestled among the mountains, an ancient bronze palace stands silently.

The bronze walls were mottled, the eaves were heavy, and there was no celestial light or precious aura around.

Yet, just one glance is enough to instill a strange sense of oppression in one's heart.

Everyone was stunned.

"Ancient Bronze Temple?"

"When did this temple come into being here?"

"impossible!"

A young man from an ancient holy site took out a map and compared it repeatedly.

"This is the area where the Tree of Life is located."

"There is no record of any palace in ancient books!"

The eyes of another imperial prodigy gradually brightened.

"It didn't exist before, but it does now."

As soon as those words were spoken...

Everyone understood what he meant.

The Ancient Domain of Year Silence suddenly stopped its lifespan-snatching, and at this moment, a bronze ancient palace that had never been discovered before appeared near the Tree of Lifespan.

The two things are unrelated.

Who believes?

Someone's breathing became slightly rapid.

"Could it be an ancient emperor's cave dwelling? Or a legacy left behind by some ancient powerhouse?"

"It can remain hidden for thousands of years, or even longer, so that no one who has entered the Ancient Domain of Tranquility throughout history has been able to discover it..."

"What's inside is probably not simple."

The group of people, who had been very cautious before, gradually changed their expressions.

The word "opportunity" is enough to make most talented individuals temporarily forget the danger.

Someone has already taken a step forward.

But just then, darkness suddenly flowed out from the gate of the ancient bronze palace.

It didn't even resemble fog; it was more like a pure darkness, quietly spreading outwards from the depths of the ancient temple.

"What is it?"

The leading prodigy had just frowned when darkness was already upon him.

It was too fast. One moment they were at the bronze palace gate, and the next, the whole world went dark.

Everyone simultaneously lost their sense of the outside world.

"Form ranks! Don't panic!"

Someone shouted, but the sound had barely left their mouth.

Footsteps echoed from the depths of darkness.

Hey.

Hey.

A blurry figure emerged, exuding holy might, followed by a second, a third... and more and more.

Saints, Saint Kings, even... Quasi-Emperors!

A young prodigy's pupils suddenly contracted.

"impossible!"

"How can there be a quasi-emperor here?!"

The quasi-emperor phantom had already raised its hand.

boom!

A divine light swept across.

The people at the very front didn't even have time to scream before their bodies exploded simultaneously.

On the other side.

A figure wielding a broken holy lance emerged from the darkness.

Another blow, and a cloud of blood mist erupted.

"Run! Run!"

The remaining people completely broke down.

At this moment, all the imperial clan prodigies and holy sons of holy lands are meaningless.

Because darkness had sealed off the surroundings, every figure that emerged from here was an overwhelming terror to them.

After a few breaths, the sound completely disappeared, and the darkness returned to silence.

Strands of life essence and fortune flowed from the depths of darkness into the ancient bronze palace.

Gu Changjin sat cross-legged in front of the ancient lamp, without even opening his eyes.

"Bad luck, be more careful in your next life."

As soon as he finished speaking, the last wisp of life essence was swallowed into his body by the "Burial of Heaven and Devouring of the Dao Scripture".

The aura of the quasi-emperor at the ninth level, which was already close to its limit, rose again.

Eventually, all the commotion subsided and calm returned.

But beneath that calm exterior, Gu Changjin's path to enlightenment had truly reached the limit that a Quasi-Emperor could achieve.

Quasi-Emperor, Ninth Heaven Perfection!

Further ahead, there is no tenth level, only... the Emperor.

Gu Changjin slowly opened his eyes.

A bronze lamp hung in front of him, and the darkness gradually retreated behind him.

The entire universe is now waiting for the opening of the Emperor's Path.

Countless holy bodies, overlord bodies, descendants of emperors, and ancient freaks are sharpening their knives.

They all dream of storming the ancient starry road, fighting to the very end for the sole imperial throne.

Gu Changjin thought for a moment.

"What are you waiting for, the Imperial Road?"

"I've already reached the Quasi-Emperor level."

"Why not just get a certificate directly?"

As for whether others agree or not, what does it have to do with him?

Gu Changjin stood up and stepped out of the ancient bronze hall.

Looking up, it felt as if I were looking out at the boundless universe through this spatial interlayer.

The next moment, he stopped suppressing his own Dao.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The aura of a Quasi-Emperor at the ninth level of perfection soared into the sky!

Above the desolate ancient domain, the spatial barrier was instantly pierced!

A dark path pierced through the spatial rift, rushed into the sky above the Imperial Ruins, and then spread from the Imperial Ruins all the way into the depths of the starry sky.

In that instant, the entire Imperial Ruins trembled!

Then, the nearby ancient star trembled!

Then, across star fields, countless powerful beings suddenly opened their eyes.

The ancient prodigies who had been slumbering in the divine source were suddenly awakened.

The old quasi-emperor deep within the holy land looked up at the sky.

Within the ancestral land of the imperial clan, the dust-covered imperial weapons faintly hummed.

Even in some ancient forbidden zones that have been silent for countless years, gazes have been cast out from the darkness.

Because all the myriad paths of the universe... began to tremble.

Gu Changjin's Dao is being forcibly elevated.

It pressed down upon all the heavens and myriad paths!

In the depths of the universe, a Heavenly Emperor Seal, representing the current emperor's throne, slowly manifested.

In this lifetime, someone is about to become emperor!