Library of Heaven’s Path

Thousandleaf Mountain consisted of sharp cliffs that rose into the sky, reminiscent of spears planted into the ground.

“It’s rumored that Kong shi once fought with a deity in this mountain range, and this was caused by the other party throwing a weapon down,” Ancient Sage Mo Ling remarked as they flew through the mountain range.

Zhang Xuan also could not help but be bewildered by the bizarre geography in the area.

It did not take long for the group to arrive at the highest mountain peak. There was a flat plateau of roughly thirty mu ¹ large at the peak, and at the very center, there was a circular stone platform with a diameter of three meters. From afar, it looked like a natural altar.

“Is this the place where one can establish communication with the heavens?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

Sovereign Chen Yong nodded weakly.

“Do we require any artifacts or the sort to initiate the ritual? I’ll make preparations right now,” Zhang Xuan said.

Sovereign Chen Ling’s altar was surrounded by innumerable precious herbs, ores, and all kinds of rare materials. On top of those, he had even needed to tribute the blood of over a hundred thousand cultivators before he had been able to break open the dimension barrier to summon a deity from a higher dimension. It was unlikely that it would be any easier for him to establish a connection with Luo Ruoxin.

“There’s no need for that. The materials required for the ritual have already been prepared,” Sovereign Chen Yong said as he turned his gaze to Liu Yang.

Nodding in response to Sovereign Chen Yong’s gesture, Liu Yang walked up to the stone altar and waited patiently. Soon, the Sempiternal realm cultivator whom he had instructed prior to setting off there arrived with a storage ring in hand.

Liu Yang took the storage ring and flicked his wrist. A huge bunch of golden flags materialized in the air, and they swiftly took their position around the stone altar.

“Let’s begin the ritual.” Liu Yang turned around.

The Sempiternal realm cultivator nodded before taking his leave.

This time, the group waited roughly two hours before Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a jolt in his heart. He hurriedly raised his head, only to see numerous pillars of lights rising from all around. The pillars of light seemed to be drawn to the altar as they swiftly surged over.

“They’re coming from the Eight Genesis Temples. Tens of thousands of individuals are praying to the heavens simultaneously, their power of faith converging together to form a formidable force,” Ancient Sage Mo Ling remarked in wonder.

“Genesis Temple?”

“Those are the temples that the Otherworldly Demons use to pay respects to their ancestors. Whenever a ritual is conducted, there must be a priest to preside over the ritual to gather the faith of the tens of thousands of Otherworldly Demons together and complete the ritual,” Ancient Sage Mo Ling explained. “Only Sovereign Chen Yong has the power to rally tens of thousands of Otherworldly Demons to pray at the Eight Genesis Temples simultaneously. Even the other two Sovereigns would have trouble pulling off something of this scale.”

Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

Sovereign Chen Yong had once told him that they had to kill Sovereign Chen Ling and Sovereign Chen Xing and regain the support of the entire Otherworldly Demonic Tribe before he could help him complete the ritual. From the looks of it, that was indeed the case.

A ritual of such scale was not something that could be completed without the support of the masses.

It was likely that Liu Yang had instructed the Sempiternal realm cultivator to make arrangements for this matter earlier.

As the eight rays of light converged on the formation flags, the stone altar was swiftly coated with a warm color. As if a mirror, after gathering the many rays of light, they were redirected right into the sky.

“It’s finally my turn,” Sovereign Chen Yong mumbled with a slight smile as he staggered over to the center of the altar, where he sat down cross-legged.

Seeing this, Liu Yang’s eyes reddened. He lowered his head as he clenched his trembling hands tightly together.

“I, Wu Chen, am willing to offer my life as an offering to the heavens to ask for an audience with the Spirit God…”

Boom!

As his voice sounded, a ball of fire seemed to blossom within Sovereign Chen Yong’s body. It burned furiously, swallowing Sovereign Chen Yong in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Xuan’s face darkened.

He had thought that the ritual would only require the offering of treasures and the like. He did not know that it would require Sovereign Chen Yong to sacrifice his life.

Even if Sovereign Chen Yong would not survive the night, he was not willing to see the other party sacrifice himself for his sake.

Zhang Xuan quickly rushed forward and shrouded Sovereign Chen Yong with his Heavens’ Path zhenqi, bellowing, “Stop the ritual!”

There was no doubt that he wished to see Luo Ruoxin, but he did not feel that it was right for blood to be shed in order to fulfill their relationship.

Refusing to take in the Heaven’s Path zhenqi that Zhang Xuan was attempting to infuse into him, Sovereign Chen Yong replied with a smile, “I don’t have much time ahead of me anyway. It’s my wish to be able to do something for you, Young Master!”

There was such a kind look on his aged face that it almost seemed as if he was standing not amid flames but a warm spring.

It was not difficult for a cultivator to end their life. All it took was a single thought, and the entire process would be devoid of pain and suffering. In contrast, dying from flames was rumored to be the most painful way to die. One’s flesh would melt, and one’s blood would boil under the intense heat, but the sheer pain that one was inflicted with would constantly keep one from losing consciousness. Furthermore, death would not come swiftly to the victim to relieve them of their suffering. It was almost similar to death by a thousand cuts.

Feeling a crushing pressure in his heart, Zhang Xuan waved his hand in agitation. “I’ll find my own way to meet Ruoxin, so there’s no need for this anymore!”

Since the other party was unwilling to agree to it, he would just have to destroy the stone altar and the formation flags to forcefully halt the ritual!

He did not want others to sacrifice themselves for his sake, and he did not want to live with such a heavy weight inside of him.

However, before he could ruin the stone altar and the flags, a powerful aura suddenly descended from the sky and cloaked Sovereign Chen Yong.

Cloaked by the aura, the flames burning around Sovereign Chen Yong slowly began to extinguish, and shockingly, a hint of vitality began sprouting in his languishing soul and body!

Hong long!

It was as if an enormous gate had opened up in the world. A towering silhouette appeared right above the altar, emanating an air of inviolable authority.

“Ruoxin?” Zhang Xuan quickly raised his gaze, only to stagger a little from seeing a foreign face. “Who are you?”

The Spirit God who had been summoned by the altar was not Luo Ruoxin but another individual!

Be it the disposition that the other party commanded or the gaze that the other party looked at him with, he was certain that he had never seen the other party before.

“The Spirit God has already returned to where she belongs. I am just her subordinate,” the towering silhouette in the sky replied. Lowering her gaze upon Zhang Xuan, she remarked, “You must be Zhang Xuan.”

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly together.

Without waiting for Zhang Xuan’s response, the towering silhouette in the sky impassively said, “Prior to her departure, the Spirit God requested that I offer you any help that you require… I was reluctant, but I eventually accepted her request. Nevertheless, I still want to offer you a word of advice. The Spirit God is an esteemed individual far beyond the reach of ordinary mortals like you. You’re better off dispelling whatever thoughts you have toward her, or else you will only be hurting yourself and her!”

Hong long!

Those words carried immense pressure with them. Even though Zhang Xuan wielded strength comparable to a Blood Reincarnation realm cultivator, he still felt completely powerless in the other party’s presence, almost as if his body was instinctively deferential to the other party.

The person who had been summoned was only manifesting in this world in the form of an avatar, but she was already much stronger than the deity that Sovereign Chen Ling had summoned!

“There’s no need for you to involve yourself in our affairs. You just have to tell me who the Spirit God is and where she is at the moment!”

“It seems like you have quite some guts. If you are able to overcome the dimension barrier just like Kong shi, come and find me at the Spirit God Palace, and I’ll tell you her whereabouts. Otherwise, don’t even dream of it.” The towering silhouette harrumphed.

With a flick of her wrist, the silhouette began to fade from the world.

“Hold it for a moment,” Zhang Xuan said.

The silhouette lowered her gaze to look at Zhang Xuan once more.

“The Spirit God instructed you to offer me any help that I require, right?” Zhang Xuan asked.

The silhouette frowned a little, but she eventually nodded in response. “That’s right. However, I’ll only make a move once, so think it over. Don’t waste this precious opportunity.”

“I have already made up my mind!” Zhang Xuan said with a wave of his hand. He pointed at Sovereign Chen Yong and said, “This person over here is Wu Chen, a subordinate serving the Spirit God in this world. He has sustained severe injuries and is on the brink of death. I implore you to save him.”

“Young Master…” Hearing those words, Sovereign Chen Yong’s eyes reddened a little.