Myriad Dragon Divine Sovereign

Wen Qingye weaved through the gloomy forest, his pace neither fast nor slow.

The Dao Patterns of the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele had not yet fully manifested, so he was naturally in no hurry.

Legend had it that the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele was the Gate Guardian Stone of an Ancient Sect from antiquity, containing countless Martial Arts: King Grade, Emperor Grade, and even Spirit Grade.

Initially, the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele would release several Dao Patterns. Martial Arts would manifest within these patterns, which everyone could observe and learn from. After the Dao Patterns dissipated, several auras would appear around the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele. These auras contained all the Martial Arts from the stele, and people could collect them at random.

The grade of the Martial Arts within could be discerned from the essence and size of these orbs of light. However, historically, once seven auras were claimed from the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele, all the surrounding orbs would dissipate.

Therefore, the final battle for the Martial Arts Auras was always the most intense.

BOOM!

Suddenly, Wen Qingye heard a massive roar, like the death cry of a Demon Beast.

A flicker of curiosity stirred in Wen Qingye, and he leaped forward several steps.

.......

Sima Feng took a deep breath, pulled out a blood-soaked dagger, and began gasping for air. ’This Xu Vulture was truly a tough one. If it weren’t for my agile Body Technique, who knows how long it would have taken to kill it.’

Suddenly, Sima Feng felt someone rushing toward him from his left.

"It’s you." Sima Feng’s brow furrowed as he recognized the newcomer.

Wen Qingye’s gaze swept over the giant vulture lying on the ground and then to Sima Feng standing beside it. His eyes suddenly locked onto a tattoo on Sima Feng’s wrist. "You’re from the Heaven-Burying Sect?" he asked coldly.

Sima Feng couldn’t help but flash a sinister smile. "What? You have a problem with the Heaven-Burying Sect?"

Wen Qingye smiled faintly, his killing intent completely unconcealed. "That’s right," he said.

Hearing Wen Qingye’s words, Sima Feng’s smile vanished. He fell silent for a long moment before saying, "I was once a member of the Heaven-Burying Sect, but I left a long time ago."

"You’re not?" Wen Qingye’s interest was piqued, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Sima Feng raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to kill members of the Heaven-Burying Sect? Is it for the Taiyi Pavilion?"

"Oh? A good guess," Wen Qingye said, a sharp glint in his eyes.

Sima Feng nodded, then said, "The Heaven-Burying Sect and the Asura Sect are deep and inscrutable powers. Although they can’t compare to the Super Sects, they can be considered the right and left arms of the Taiyi Pavilion. If you were to eliminate the Heaven-Burying Sect and the Asura Sect, the Taiyi Pavilion would surely suffer a great loss of strength."

"Are you helping me?" Wen Qingye asked, studying Sima Feng with a thoughtful gaze. "Or are you trying to instigate me?"

Sima Feng hadn’t expected Wen Qingye to catch on so quickly. He was taken aback for a moment, then said with a serious expression, "I used to be with the Heaven-Burying Sect, but from the moment I left, we have shared a feud of irreconcilable hatred."

"So, you want me to help you eradicate the Heaven-Burying Sect?" Wen Qingye said, his eyes fixed on Sima Feng.

For some reason, Sima Feng felt an immense pressure bearing down on him, and his breathing grew ragged.

After a moment, Sima Feng recovered and looked Wen Qingye squarely in the eyes. "Not for you to help me, but for us to do it together."

"Together?" Wen Qingye chuckled softly, his gaze shifting toward the place where the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele had appeared.

Wen Qingye’s expression suddenly grew focused. He turned his head, looked at Sima Feng, and smiled. "Alright. Together."

Sima Feng laughed as well. He stretched his body, producing a series of sharp cracking sounds. "For now, we should head to the summit. Today is a fine day for this."

.......

「The summit of Xuwang Mountain.」

The yellow glow around the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele grew brighter and brighter, and white mist churned like billowing smoke.

But in the very next moment!

An immense, dusky-yellow light bloomed before everyone’s eyes, piercingly bright and dazzling.

RUMBLE!

The earth seemed to crack apart as the ground shook violently. Everyone’s footing became unsteady, and they swayed like small boats in a tempest.

A massive, illusory shape began to solidify, slowly emerging as if rising from the earth to pierce the heavens.

An unknown amount of time passed before the crowd felt the earth cease its shaking. A clear, crisp aura surged outward.

A colossal Ancient Stele, seemingly as tall as the clouds, now stood amidst the dusky-yellow glow and azure smoke.

The entire stele had an ancient patina and was covered in faint patterns that seemed to carry the most profound Daoist Techniques. Gazing directly at the Ancient Stele made everyone feel infinitesimally small, as if they were looking up at an endless, desolate expanse.

"So this is the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele? It’s just as miraculous as the legends say!"

"The Great Wilderness Ancient Stele has appeared!"

"The Great Wilderness Ancient Stele is here, which means the Dao Patterns will soon emerge!"

.......

In an instant, the summit of Xuwang Mountain erupted like a pot of violently boiling water.

"Everyone, be silent!"

Just as the crowd was overcome with excitement and fervor, Huang Zhentian abruptly stood up and bellowed at the masses.

Even if many present didn’t know Huang Zhentian by name, they recognized his attire. One by one, they fell silent, their eyes fixed on him with confusion.

Huang Zhentian seemed quite pleased with this effect. He began to speak slowly, "The Great Wilderness Ancient Stele is a wondrous object that captures the very essence of creation. Who knows how many years pass between its appearances. It has been a century since the last time the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele manifested, and its reappearance in our Eastern Profound Domain should be a joyous occasion."

Here, Huang Zhentian paused, his tone shifting. "However, each appearance of the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele has resulted in brutal slaughter, with countless disciples perishing. Other Sects aside, even my Taiyi Pavilion has not been spared. Therefore, for the sake of unity among the Sects, my Taiyi Pavilion intends to organize everyone so that all may have a chance to gain something. We hope that when the Dao Patterns appear, everyone will refrain from fighting over them. Instead, you can all observe them in turn until they fade. This will prevent bloodshed, and everyone can reap immense benefits."

After the Dao Patterns of the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele emerge, powerful Martial Arts from the stele will be visible within them. However, the Dao Patterns do not last long; once their time is up, they will vanish.

In the past, everyone would fight over the Dao Patterns, as comprehending the Martial Arts within them personally was much faster. The Martial Arts within the Dao Patterns can also be made to radiate outward for all to see, but doing so disperses their divine essence. Though everyone could then attempt to comprehend them, their understanding would be too shallow, and it’s possible that no one would succeed in learning the Martial Arts at all.

"If this is really for everyone’s benefit, why not just radiate all the Martial Arts from the Dao Patterns for everyone to observe? Why insist on having people comprehend them one by one? In that case, I’d like to ask: who exactly gets to be in the first group to access the Dao Patterns?"

A thunderous shout suddenly erupted from the crowd.

"Who said that? If you have the guts, then step forward! Don’t hide like a rat!" Huang Zhentian roared upon hearing the challenge, his voice booming toward the crowd.

A burly man stepped out from the crowd, glaring defiantly at Huang Zhentian. "I am Xiaoo Sanshi of the Silver Jade Tower from the Fenghua Ancient Country, and I am no rat," he declared.

Xiaoo Sanshi’s cultivation was not low—he was at the Ninth Heaven of Yin Yang Realm, and his Primordial Qi was abundant. Although Huang Zhentian was at the Peak of the Ninth Heaven of Yin Yang Realm, Xiaoo Sanshi was not afraid of him.

’The Fenghua Ancient Country?’ Huang Zhentian thought to himself. Then, with a sudden, vicious grin, he snarled, "You’re courting death!"

Huang Zhentian’s body shot up from the ground like a hurricane, rushing toward Xiaoo Sanshi as he aimed a palm strike straight at his skull.

Xiaoo Sanshi hadn’t expected Huang Zhentian to attack without warning. His expression changed instantly as he rotated his palm, unleashing a great surge of grey-green light and sending a punch flying toward Huang Zhentian.

"BANG!"

The flash of light and the sound of impact erupted simultaneously. The surrounding crowd hastily retreated, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.