Seeing Mountains Not as Mountains, People Turning on the Peak

"Lord Darksun, you've been beaten down so long that you've lost your edge, hiding in the lower realms for ages. You have no idea how terrifying the Heavenly Court has become."

Heaven-Guide Venerable smiled faintly and walked toward the palace doors. "This body of mine is the crystallization of the Heavenly Court's wisdom over the past million years—the most powerful weapon ever forged! In the future, the Heavenly Court will rely on weapons like this to sweep across the cosmos, purge the universe, wipe out all demon-kind, and ascend to the unknown realms you've spent your whole life chasing but could never reach."

Lord Darksun's expression darkened. He snorted coldly and stood up, following him outside.

"Soon, there will be ten divine men ruling the cosmos, dominating every world—be it Netherworld, Profound Capital, Origin-Capital, or Home's End Abyss. Everywhere, there will be no more power to rebel, no more possibility of resisting the Heavenly Court!"

Heaven-Guide Venerable's voice carried a stirring, almost intoxicating power. "By then, there will be no more so-called reforms or changes, because every technique, every divine art, every Dao, will be encompassed within this body. No matter how many mortals or gods try to use their ingenuity, they will never break free from the knowledge contained in this flesh. They will come to realize, to their despair, that all their efforts—all their reforms—are already within the grasp of this body! The future..."

He smiled. "For those with ambition, it will be a future of utter gloom and despair. But for us, the ones in power, it will be a future where we can rest easy."

Lord Darksun was shaken to his core and muttered in a low voice, "A future of lifeless stagnation..."

He even felt a trace of fear at the future he had just imagined.

Just imagine—in the near future, ten supreme, towering Heaven-Guide Venerables wielding the strongest powers ever known will float above every realm, suppressing all beneath them!

Their faces will embody the very essence of the Heavenly Dao; their eyes, like suns and moons; their bodies, harder than any weapon in existence; and their power, vast and deep as the Nether Sea.

They float above the sun, moon, stars, and even the star-rivers, with the heavens and earth revolving around them.

In this world, the ancient gods will fall into oblivion, and common people will be as worthless as straw. Gods, demons, mortals—all will be mere ants, everything under the watchful gaze of those ten towering divine men.

What kind of terrifying future would that be?

"May that day never come!" Lord Darksun steadied himself and followed Heaven-Guide Venerable.

Heaven-Guide Venerable stepped out of Blackheaven Palace. Quinn Shepherd was standing before the palace, stretching his body into poses that would seem impossible to ordinary people.

Heaven-Guide Venerable smiled, watching him limber up.

After a moment, Quinn turned to Lord Darksun and grinned. "Lord Darksun, is this the champion you've invited? If I defeat him, will our wager take effect?"

Lord Darksun nodded, his voice deep. "That's right. If you defeat him, the three hundred sixteen heaven-lords are yours to deal with as you please. Those three hundred sixteen idiots, you can take them away—I won't interfere. But I'm not handing over the Northern Heavens themselves."

Quinn Shepherd burst out laughing. "I wanted to bind you with Tu Bo's Pact, but you're from the Netherworld too—there are too many loopholes in Tu Bo's Pact, and Tu Bo himself is too honest, not flexible enough. As for the Little Earth Sovereign's Pact, the Little Earth Sovereign might not be able to beat you. So, I can only hope you'll keep your word."

Heaven-Guide Venerable smiled. "Young man, you don't need to worry about any of that—because you simply can't win. You're the legendary once-in-ten-thousand-ages Overlord Body, but this body of mine is the king among Overlord Bodies—one perfected every million years."

Quinn Shepherd let out a soft laugh, stepped back, and melted into the darkness outside the palace—leaving only two rows of gleaming teeth floating in the black.

The floating white teeth opened and closed, and Quinn's laughter echoed: "Brother, please!"

"Brother? You call me brother?"

Heaven-Guide Venerable couldn't help but laugh, stepped into the darkness, and said, "You have no idea how high the heavens are or how deep the earth goes."

Suddenly, light erupted in the darkness—the clash between Quinn Shepherd and Heaven-Guide Venerable swept away the shadows around Blackheaven Palace, revealing a gigantic planet behind the palace.

The planet's surface was dazzlingly variegated, rough beyond belief.

All around Blackheaven Palace, towering gods and demons stood like stone monuments in the darkness—like bizarre, massive mountains, unmoving as the shockwaves of the duel crashed against their skin.

The aftershocks from Quinn and Heaven-Guide Venerable's divine arts whipped up a raging wind, its speed so intense that it sparked lightning and thunder as it tore through the air.

When the wind swept past the bodies of those gods and demons, friction ignited roaring fires that blazed on their skin—like wildfires sweeping across the land.

There were three hundred sixteen of these gods and demons—they were the Northern Three-Hundred-Sixteen Heavens' lords.

Their strength far surpassed that of other gods and demons—most were beings of the Jade Capital realm. Even standing at the center of Quinn and Heaven-Guide Venerable's clash, they remained completely unharmed.

This battle would determine their fate and future—they had to witness its outcome for themselves.

From within Blackheaven Palace, Moses Santon, Xavier Tidal, and the other disciples of Lord Darksun hurried out, peering into the darkness—their faces changed dramatically.

In the darkness, Heaven-Guide Venerable wielded all kinds of Dao-entering divine arts with casual ease—every move he used was like a great Dao-entering technique!

It was as if he had mastered every divine art and Dao-system under heaven—each one comprehended to the level of Dao-entry!

Even among Dao-entry, there were higher and lower levels—gods and demons divided these into layers of 'heavens.'

Comprehending one Dao-entering divine art meant First Heaven; grasping a second, Second Heaven.

Different Daos had their own distinct layers of heavens.

For example, the sword Dao—the greatest record was set by the Pioneer Emperor, who established thirty-three layers of sword Dao heavens. His record remains unbeaten.

Thus, the Pioneer Emperor's Heaven Court had thirty-three layers—the celestial court was built atop the thirty-third heaven.

Likewise, in the Buddha Dao, the greatest record belongs to Great Brahma King Buddha—the Buddha Realm has twenty heavens, all formed from his Dao.

As for the demon Dao, Lord Darksun's demon path had also reached unfathomable depths, but he never revealed how many layers he had achieved.

Last time, when the Martial Emperor—one of the Pioneer Emperor's Four Celestial Teachers—came, Lord Darksun unleashed seventeen Dao-entering divine arts. He and the Martial Emperor, Warren "Chase" Oxley, both suffered heavy wounds.

Moses Santon, Xavier Tidal, and the other disciples were lucky enough to witness that battle. Some among them had not yet entered the Dao, but by watching, they broke through and achieved greatness.

A clash between two throne-level emperors—such an encounter was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

But what truly shocked them was that the youth Lord Darksun had invited could wield any Dao-entering divine art—and no matter how many heavens it reached, he could summon it with ease and uncanny mastery!

Such a thing should have been impossible—yet it was happening before their very eyes.

For the same Dao, such as the Heaven Dao, he could even unleash forty-nine different Dao-entering divine arts—without repeating a single one!

For the Earth Mother's primordial magnetism Dao, he could even display fifty-eight Dao-entering divine arts!