"Aside from the Indestructible Divine Sense, there are also sword Dao, creation, and other types of divine arts embedded within it."
Lord Darksun continued to study the back-sword diagram, a playful smile on his face.
The black sun behind his head breathed black vapors in and out—these vapors were the source of the darkness spanning ten thousand miles around Lord Darksun.
"But the strange thing is, even gods at the Divine Realm can't trigger his Indestructible Divine Sense, nor sense his sword Dao or creation mastery. His divine arts target only divine arts practitioners. We can't perceive his Dao or techniques—only see them with the naked eye—and so it's almost impossible to grasp their true essence."
Lord Darksun smirked and praised, "This Everpeace Overlord Body really has some skill. Destroying his war letter is easy, but breaking through his divine arts is hard."
Inside Blackheaven Palace, the gods of the Northern Heavens exchanged uneasy glances.
Back at Goldenridge Academy, Quinn Shepherd had used his sword as a brush and space as canvas, swiftly painting his own sword diagram and forging it into a war letter.
He had drawn it with ease back then, but now that the sword diagram had arrived here, even these high and mighty gods found it deeply troublesome.
"Each of you will return to your own heaven and select the most outstanding divine arts practitioners, regardless of cultivation level."
Lord Darksun closed the war letter and said, "Gather these people and send them here. The only requirement is that they must have entered the Dao. Young divine arts practitioners who haven't entered the Dao—sending them here is just sending them to their deaths."
The gods of the Northern Heavens exchanged glances again. One god-demon mustered his courage and said, "Entering the Dao is incredibly difficult. The Northern Heavens have over three hundred realms, each with billions of inhabitants, yet to select even one divine arts practitioner who has entered the Dao is a near-impossible task."
Lord Darksun replied coolly, "Then why does Everpeace have so many divine arts practitioners who have entered the Dao?"
"Uh..."
"War!"
Lord Darksun stood up. The black sun behind his head seemed to send out countless threads, weaving into the darkness. As he moved, the black vapors spilling from the sun rippled like silk, pulling the darkness along behind him, shifting with his every step.
"Everpeace has endured eight hundred years of war. People living in that tiny land had to do everything possible to improve themselves. Their Divine Bridges were severed, so they couldn't ascend to the Heaven Palace—they had no choice but to seek breakthroughs in every other way."
Lord Darksun intoned, "War became the best crucible for their breakthroughs! The Northern Heavens have been stable for too long—these kids are lost in comfort and pleasure, and it's been ten thousand years since we've seen a single divine arts practitioner enter the Dao. Let them fight, let them kill—it's like raising gu. Put them in a basin and let them slaughter each other until only one or two gu bugs remain; those are the most venomous."
The gods of the Northern Heavens shuddered in horror.
The bull-headed god-demon ventured, "Lord Darksun, your disciples are already extremely powerful..."
Lord Darksun shot him a sidelong glance, half-smiling: "You lot made a secret pact with that scheming Heavenly Master from Wenhui Pavilion, swore the Little Earth Sovereign's Pact, and now you can't take him down. You want me to clean up your mess? Who rules the Northern Heavens—you or me? Get down there and start selecting. One month from now, I want to see the strongest gu bug you've raised!"
In Frost Heaven, snow blanketed everything. Within a vast basin, countless divine arts practitioners hunted, hid, and slaughtered one another in this world of ice and snow. The once-beautiful snowscape was now dotted with plum-blossom-shaped bloodstains.
Snowflakes drifted through the air, gradually covering the blood.
Beyond this ice valley, other valleys saw the same slaughter—each filled with divine arts practitioners, all at the same cultivation realm.
The gods of Frost Heaven, seeking to select the most outstanding practitioners, gathered thousands together—like raising gu insects—forcing them to kill each other, all to choose the strongest and drive them to enter the Dao through life-and-death battle.
This was only one of the northern heavens.
In the northern reaches of the Origin World, there were more than three hundred heavens—some populous, some sparse, but even the smallest held several hundred million people, while the largest numbered in the tens of billions.
In just one month, divine arts practitioners across hundreds of heavens suffered devastating losses, but the results were remarkable: many powerful practitioners were selected.
Among them were more than a dozen who had entered the Dao, each formidable in their own right.
As scheduled, the gods of the northern heavens led their chosen practitioners to Blackheaven Palace to seek audience with Lord Darksun.
Over three hundred practitioners stood in neat rows outside Blackheaven Palace, each an elite among elites, brimming with murderous intent, fighting spirit, and unshakable confidence.
“But there are still too many who haven't entered the Dao.”
Lord Darksun did not allow them into the palace. Instead, he sent an edict: “Letting these people see Everpeace’s Overlord Body’s war letter would only make us a laughingstock. Do you want the bumpkins of Everpeace to mock me? Have them keep fighting—only those who have entered the Dao may remain. Even one more is worth it.”
With a single command outside the palace, over three hundred practitioners erupted into violence, their divine arts illuminating the surrounding darkness!
With every flash of light tearing through the darkness, another practitioner fell, their life ending on the spot!
After a long while, another order came from within Blackheaven Palace: “Stop!”
The surviving practitioners ceased fighting, gazing at the brilliantly lit Blackheaven Palace.
Now, only seventeen remained. These seventeen were demigods among demigods, their bloodlines incomparably powerful, each a master who had entered the Dao, exuding unmatched sharpness and fighting spirit!
“Lord Darksun!”
A god-demon bowed and called out in a clear voice: “Among the three hundred and sixteen northern heavens, with billions of practitioners, we have selected seventeen who have entered the Dao! This one selection left over a million corpses! Just to see Everpeace’s Overlord Body’s war letter—was it worth it? With a million practitioners, we could have razed Everpeace several times over!”
“Ignorant fools!”
Lord Darksun’s voice echoed coldly from the palace: “I am saving you! If you hadn’t sworn Little Earth Sovereign’s Pact with Worryless Pavilion, you could have wiped out Everpeace in a snap! But since you made that pact—never mind a million deaths, even ten million must die if necessary!”
Inside the palace, darkness surged as Lord Darksun approached, the black sun behind his head dragging the shadows along, swallowing up the blazing furnaces lining the hall so not a trace of light escaped.
“The Earth Sovereign was forged by the Dao, and the Little Earth Sovereign is the Netherworld Divine Son, possessing ancient god power and the might of a postnatal being. I am the first demon god from Youdu to enter the Dao, and I know well the terror of the Netherworld Divine Son. To swear an oath by the Little Earth Sovereign—you are truly reckless!”
Lord Darksun took out Quinn Shepherd’s war letter, shook it fiercely, and hung it in midair. “Read the letter!” he commanded.
The seventeen demigod practitioners gazed at Quinn Shepherd’s war letter. Within, Quinn stood with a sword on his back, smiling silently.
After a moment, one practitioner who had entered the Dao stared wide-eyed, his body trembling violently. Suddenly, he screamed and split into pieces, dying on the spot!
Moments later, another practitioner who had entered the Dao drew his sword and danced, his sword moves swift as light and lightning, fighting with wild abandon.
“Magnificent swordsmanship—”
Suddenly, he sheathed his sword and stood still. A sword-light burst from his brow, leaving a bloody sword wound that streamed down his face.
Another spun his qi into a furious whirlwind, the air ringing with the clangor of bells and drums. Runes coalesced into a giant bell, which trembled with his divine arts, exquisite and powerful.
Suddenly, blood erupted inside the bell, dyeing the rune-forged bell crimson.
The bell dissolved, runes collapsed, leaving only a corpse riddled with wounds.
Their numbers dwindled, and soon only six of the original seventeen remained.
These six demigod practitioners withstood the Indestructible Divine Sense within Quinn Shepherd’s war letter, gaining tremendous experience and insight. Their minds were clear, their qi refined, and their skills visibly improved!
The gods and demons of the various heavens breathed sighs of relief at the sight.
“The northern heavens now have six who can match Everpeace’s Overlord Body. At last, our reputation is somewhat restored.”
“These six practitioners are extraordinarily gifted, their comprehension remarkable. Using the back-sword diagram to advance, they can finally face the challenge of Everpeace’s Overlord Body!”
“After this battle, the northern heavens will gain six more prodigies who will astonish the world. Their future achievements will surely shake the heavens!”
……
Lord Darksun’s expression remained cold. He said indifferently, “This is only the first test. The war letter from Everpeace’s Overlord Body—only when the back-sword diagram is destroyed is the challenge truly accepted. The divine sense within is tailored to each challenger’s realm, so there’s no cheating by higher cultivation. You must defeat him on equal footing.”