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

Beyond the ancient, desolate realm of the Imperial Ruins, in the Eastern Continent.

A massive void rift stretched across the sky.

Around the rift, ancient warships hovered in the air, divine chariots were stationed, and several ancient figures sat cross-legged on the clouds.

Those who can guard this place are at least Saint Kings, and there are even some Quasi-Emperors among them.

After all, most of the young people who entered the Ancient Domain of Tranquility this time came from the top forces in the Eastern Continent.

There are holy sons of sacred lands, descendants of ancient clans, and direct descendants of imperial families. If any one of them dies, it will be difficult to explain back home.

However, the atmosphere outside is relatively relaxed at this moment.

"Judging by the time, someone should have found the Destiny Fruit by now."

A black-robed saintly king stroked his beard and smiled.

An elderly man next to him, who clearly didn't get along with him, snorted coldly.

"There are only a few Life-Saving Fruits left."

"I'm afraid your younger relative doesn't have that ability."

The black-robed saint king was not angry.

"Whether you have the ability or not, you'll know once you get out here."

He had just finished speaking.

A jade pendant at his waist suddenly made a crisp sound.

Click!

The black-robed Saint King's smile froze. He lowered his head, and the soul tablet representing the life of his prodigy cracked in the middle.

"..."

The surroundings were quiet for a moment.

The old man who had just made the sarcastic remark was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"What did I say again?"

"Although the Ancient Territory of Tranquility is a place for the younger generation to train, it is ultimately a forbidden zone."

"Young people aren't capable enough, so they shouldn't be too greedy..."

Click.

Another sound.

The old man's laughter stopped abruptly.

The spirit tablet at his waist was also cracked.

Someone nearby almost burst out laughing.

But before he could even speak...

Click!

Click!

Click!

In an instant, the sounds of soul tablets shattering echoed everywhere.

Those Saint Kings and Quasi-Emperors who had initially appeared relaxed gradually changed their expressions.

"What's going on?!"

"Our clan's imperial prince is dead?!"

"impossible!"

"The saintess's life lamp has been extinguished!"

"Who did this?!"

boom!

A quasi-emperor suddenly stood up.

The quasi-emperor's aura instantly caused the surrounding void to tremble.

But he soon discovered that it wasn't just his own family members who had died.

Everyone, they're all dead!

The group of Eastern Continent prodigies who just entered the Ancient Domain of Tranquility.

Without exception, the life lamp went out and the soul tablet shattered.

An old patriarch from a sacred site turned pale.

"In an instant?"

"How could so many people die together in such a short time?"

"There's something inside!"

Several quasi-emperors looked towards the void rift almost simultaneously.

Some people are already preparing to forcibly tear open space and enter the Silent Ancient Domain to check the situation.

But the next instant, everyone stopped moving at the same time.

Because... a certain aura emerged.

It was neither the pressure of a saint nor the pressure of a quasi-emperor.

Rather, it was a terrifying fluctuation of the Great Dao that many of them had only experienced in their entire lives when ancient books and imperial weapons were revived!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The void rift trembled violently, and a dark path suddenly pierced through from the depths of the Silent Ancient Domain.

In an instant, ten thousand beams of light resounded across the sky above Dongzhou!

Countless laws of the Great Dao seemed to have encountered something even more domineering, and instinctively began to tremble and retreat.

The group of old monsters who had just been roaring about finding out the cause of their prodigy's death all fell silent.

A quasi-emperor slowly raised his head, his expression even somewhat bewildered.

"This is……"

The old emperor beside him swallowed hard.

"Someone..."

"Trying to break through to the Emperor Realm?"

One sentence left everyone completely dumbfounded.

No... wait! Huh??

Who? What? The Emperor? No? Huh? Where did you come from?

……

Imperial Ruins, Central Plains.

In the ancestral land of an ancient imperial clan.

A divine source that had been sealed for countless millennia suddenly cracked open with a snap.

Among them, a young man who looked to be no more than twenty years old suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze as sharp as a divine sword, instantly piercing through the hall.

"The Imperial Road has opened?"

He was an ancient freak hidden by this clan for several eras. There were strange phenomena at his birth, and he entered the sacred realm at the age of over three hundred.

In order to wait for this life, it was sealed by the clan with divine power until now, and it was only revived a few days ago.

The clan's ancestor told him that a glorious era was coming, and the Starry Sky Imperial Road would soon reopen.

He has only one goal: to attain enlightenment!

The young man had even thought about it countless times in his mind.

What kind of opponents will I encounter in this life?

Holy Body? Overlord Body? Imperial sons of other imperial clans?

Or are they monsters that are even older than those that have been sealed away for a longer period of time?

But right now, he has only crawled out of the divine source a few days ago.

The Imperial Road hasn't been opened yet, and no one has left the Imperial Ruins.

How come some people have already started trying to reach the Emperor Realm?

The young man remained silent for a long time.

For the first time, I began to doubt the time of my birth.

"Ancestor."

"Are we... too late?"

……

In another sacred place, a young man with an ancient battle physique is deducing the ancient path of the starry sky with three guardians of the sacred realm.

The moment he sensed the myriad changes, he suddenly stood up.

"Is someone trying to become emperor?!"

"impossible!"

"The heroes of this generation have only just been born!"

"Who could be that fast?"

No one answered, because even the guardians were bewildered.

They had been preparing for hundreds of years, researching everything from the routes through the stars to the possible adversaries they might encounter, and the characteristics of the various imperial scriptures and supernatural powers.

Before the race was even officially started, some people were already standing at the finish line.

The young prodigy's expression changed several times: shock, anger, and finally... bewilderment.

"Then what am I arguing for?"

There can only be one imperial throne.

"If he really succeeds... what are we doing out here?"

A guardian standing nearby opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.

I can't exactly reveal it to others as witnessing their own success, can I?

……

Similar scenes played out repeatedly throughout the entire Imperial Ruins.

One after another, the ancestral lands of imperial clans are revived, and ancient traditions are shaken.

Those contemporary prodigies on whom great hopes were placed, descendants of emperors, and ancient oddities sealed away for countless years all looked up at the sky at this moment.

Some people didn't believe it, some cursed angrily, and some rushed out of their secluded cultivation place, wanting to find the source of that Great Dao aura.

But many more people were simply bewildered, truly bewildered.

Everyone is waiting for the Emperor's Road to open.

Everyone felt that this life would be an unprecedented and brutal struggle.

The outcome was unexpected.

This great battle has not yet begun.

Suddenly someone flipped the table.

……

Beyond the Imperial Ruins, in the deeper reaches of the boundless starry sky, in those truly silent places, eyes have also opened.

In a dark, forbidden zone.

Two ancient divine thoughts slowly collided.

"Someone wants to prove the truth."

"How come it's so fast?"

"The Emperor's Path has not yet been fully manifested."

"The seeds of all races have just been born."

After a moment of silence, another voice slowly emerged.

"I can't see through it."

"This person's path is very strange."

"It has the meaning of devouring everything."

"And... he seems to be quite old."

This time, the silence lasted even longer.

They had already planned it out.

The great era begins, and heroes vie for supremacy. We'll decide whether to intervene when the final battle for the throne reaches its most brutal stage.

Even if someone really does take the final step.

They can also seize the opportunity to elevate themselves to the extreme and interfere with the path to enlightenment.

But now... it's all too sudden.

They started even though no one knew who was in charge of the certification.

"Should we make a move now?"

"..."

No one answered.

We haven't even been able to pinpoint their exact location yet.

What to do?

……

Meanwhile, Gu Changjin, who had caused chaos throughout the entire universe, had already left the Silent Ancient Domain.

The spatial rift slowly closed behind them.

He stepped into the true world of the Imperial Ruins.

In his hand, the ancient bronze lamp floated silently, a wisp of azure imperial fire flickering, the supreme imperial might faintly visible.

Gu Changjin paid no attention to the holy lands and imperial clans in Dongzhou, which were already in complete chaos.

They didn't care how many people in the entire universe were cursing right now.

His attention was entirely focused on the sky.

There, where all paths converge and endless laws gather, an ancient mark, invisible to the naked eye yet perceptible to every high-level cultivator, is gradually emerging from the deepest part of the Great Dao.

Heavenly Emperor Seal

As long as it can suppress all paths and bear the imperial seal.

The throne in this life... belongs to him.

Gu Changjin raised his head, the ancient bronze lamp hanging beside him, and the boundless darkness slowly spreading behind him.

The aura of a Quasi-Emperor at the Ninth Heaven Perfection was no longer concealed in the slightest.

"Come on!! Let this old man take a look."

"Just how difficult is it to obtain the throne of the Great Emperor?"

P.S.: Still writing, trying to be a good kid and not get stuck on chapters. ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩