122: Trials for trillions of martial artists at the Law Realm

Lin Yuan's gaze, following Li Xuan's guidance, turned back towards the ten-light-year giant stele that spanned the firmament and suppressed the ages.

At this moment, the billions of flowing gilded ancient characters on the stele's surface became increasingly clear and brilliant, each name like a burning star, emitting terrifying dao rhyme fluctuations that made Souls tremble and dao foundations shake!

Even the relatively dim names at the very bottom emitted an aura as deep as an abyss, carrying a supreme majesty that traversed eras!

"Those names..." Lin Yuan's voice held a trace of imperceptible dryness.

"Each name... represents an era, an age, an invincible existence standing at the very Peak of the Myriad Laws Realm!" Li Xuan's voice was low and distant, as if narrating an epic that spanned the Universe, "Taichu Divine Continent, since the creation of the world, since the Grandmist was first settled... to this day, has passed nine hundred and two complete eras!"

He extended a withered finger, pointing to the endless inscriptions:

"Each era... is one hundred million years!"

"This myriad laws heavenly stele... records the strongest ten million Prodigies of the Myriad Laws Realm... in this long river of 90.2 billion years of time!"

"Nine hundred and two ... billion years?!" Lin Yuan's breathing stopped abruptly! The pressure of time and space brought by this number almost suffocated him!

The Spirit Martial Hall had only been established for a few million years, which in his eyes was already as ancient as a legend, but before this heavenly stele... it couldn't even be counted as a speck of dust in the River of Time!

"Then... the names ranked at the very end... are they also very strong?" He couldn't help but ask, his voice carrying a hint of awe he didn't even realize.

Li Xuan suddenly smiled, a complex and difficult-to-understand smile, mixed with reminiscence, emotion, and a hint of... indescribable awe:

"In the last era... the rankings on the heavenly stele only changed by ten thousand spots!" He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through time and space, seeing a figure burning with endless flames, "Do you know who was able to squeeze into that last spot at the time?"

"It was the 'Fire Prison Demon Lord'!" Li Xuan's voice suddenly intensified, "That person... with the body of a Myriad Laws Realm Cultivator, wielding the World-Burning Demon Blade, on the battlefield of the 'Purgatory Star Sea'... killed thirteen Peak Feather Transformation Realm experts in a row... a peerless fierce man!"

"Legend says... when he was in the Myriad Laws Realm, he had comprehended the Fire Origin Law... to... 80%!"

"80%?!" Lin Yuan's heart felt as if it had been fiercely gripped by an invisible giant hand!

Killing a Peak Feather Transformation Realm expert while at a lower Realm might be possible for a peerless Prodigy relying on Heaven-Defying Opportunities or secret techniques! But... to comprehend an Origin Law to 80% while in the Myriad Laws Realm?!

If not for his own Chaos Dharma Body, this kind of Heaven-Defying Foundation, if not for the coincidental Opportunity of obtaining part of the heaven swallowing pagoda's Legacy, if not for the baptism in the river of origin of the Taichu Virtual Network... he would not dare to imagine when he would be able to touch the threshold of that Realm!

And yet, this kind of peerless fierce man who shook the past and present and made Saints shudder... on the vast list of the myriad laws heavenly stele, could only... rank at the very end?!

Just as Lin Yuan's mind was shaken—

Hum—!!!!!

The myriad laws heavenly stele suddenly erupted with boundless golden light, billions of times more dazzling than a star!

The billions of runes flowing on the stele's surface, like awakening star-river dragons, boomed as they detached from the stele body, dancing and combining in the boundless Void Realm, finally transforming into lines of golden text directly condensed from Dao Laws, radiating supreme majesty, resounding in the depths of the Souls of all Myriad Laws Realm Martial Artists:

【myriad laws heavenly stele · Era Trial · Begin!】

【Communicate with the heavenly stele with your thoughts · to sign up and participate!】

【All Myriad Laws Realm Martial Artists in the Taichu Divine Continent · may all sign up!】

【Seven days later · based on the 'Peak combat power' of the applicants · one trillion in number will be selected · to enter the stele for the trial!】

The last trace of hesitation in Lin Yuan's eyes was instantly replaced by heaven-burning Battle Intent! He no longer had any hesitation, his powerful Divine Sense, like a breached star river, fiercely rushed towards the monumental stele that spanned the firmament!

The moment his Divine Sense touched the stele body—

A vast, cold, supreme will that seemed to originate from the Universe's Origin instantly insightfully analyzed him from the inside out, from his flesh and bones to his Soul Origin... completely! In the face of this will, he felt himself as small as dust!

【Registration · Successful!】

【Seven days later · the final selected list will be announced!】

Meanwhile!

The entire Taichu Divine Continent was completely boiling! It was as if it had been thrown into a scalding frying pan!

Countless old monsters of the Myriad Laws Realm hiding in dead seas of Forbidden Grounds, cracks in space-time, and deep in Secret Realms, all broke out of seclusion, their decaying auras erupting with earth-shattering desire!

The contemporary Prodigies cultivated by various Holy Lands, temples, and Imperial Dynasties were all ready to go, their Battle Intent soaring to the heavens!

Even... those ancient existences sleeping in the deepest parts of Forbidden Grounds, buried by the dust of time for who knows how many eras, seemed to be awakened by this era's trumpet, slowly opening their cold eyes that pierced through the ages!

And those forty-nine Heavenly Realm Lords who originally intended to recruit Lin Yuan were now too busy to care about anything else! They gripped the constantly flashing Jade Slips in their hands, their fingers flying as they sent out top-level instructions across endless space— The myriad laws heavenly stele had descended!

Those old monsters who had comprehended an Origin Law to 80%, 90%, or even... near Perfection while in the Myriad Laws Realm, and who had been silent for who knows how many ten thousand years, would all be awakened to participate in this grand event of the era! Lin Yuan, at this moment, might have reached the pinnacle among his peers, but in front of those Era Prodigies who had lived for who knows how many ten thousand years and possessed unfathomable Foundations... he still needed time! And the stele trial... only gave everyone a mere seven days!

Before leaving, all the Realm Lords left behind a communication mark containing their own aura, took one deep look at Lin Yuan, and then stepped onto their respective holy carriages without hesitation!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

Starlight Jade Carriages tore through the sky! Ten Thousand Sword Flying Ships pierced through the sea of clouds! Nine Phoenix Imperial Carriages burned the sky as they departed! Chaos War Chariots crushed the Void Realm...

They had to race against time! They rushed back to their respective Heavenly Realms to gather all the Myriad Laws Realm Prodigies under their command who had potential! Exhausting all resources, in these last seven days, they would conduct crazy, no-cost-spared extreme improvements!

Because... as long as any Prodigy under their command could squeeze into those one trillion spots, their Heavenly Realm would be able to share in a trace of precious Era Luck! This had immeasurable benefits for the future development of a Heavenly Realm!

One trillion spots might seem vast, but when divided among the Taichu Divine Continent, which ruled over trillions of Star Continents and countless Heavenly Realms... on average, a single Heavenly Realm would probably only have a mere dozen or so spots! The intensity of the competition could be imagined!

Hum—

The ten-light-year world-extinguishing heavenly stele still floated quietly at the Peak of the firmament, emitting an unchanging, ancient grayness and majesty. It was like a mirror reflecting the heavens and measuring the ages, coldly reflecting the burning ambition and desire in the hearts of the trillions of Cultivators in this era!

The departure of the Heavenly Realm Lords did not stir a ripple in Lin Yuan's heart. He just quietly, almost piously, looked up at this miracle of the era that connected the past, present, and future. Inside his body, the silent Devouring Origin was now like an ignited star core, becoming unprecedentedly active and roaring!

He slowly clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force, and in his deep eyes, Battle Intent as intense as a sun's core roared into flames!

"Era Opportunity..."

"Let me, Lin Yuan... start from this myriad laws heavenly stele..."

"And embark on... the journey to rise to the pinnacle of the heavens and myriads of worlds!"

That gray giant stele spanning ten light-years, flowing with billions of ancient dao patterns, was like a world-extinguishing deity awakening from the Chaos, thoroughly branding its supreme majesty into this vast world. The moment it fully manifested—

"Boom—!"

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi of the entire Taichu Divine Continent was like boiling oil with a giant boulder thrown into it, instantly falling into an unprecedented violent boil! Countless existences sleeping in the depths of the River of Time, with auras so ancient it was despair-inducing, were fiercely awakened by the bell of this era!

"The myriad laws heavenly stele... has finally... appeared!" A figure draped in a mysterious black nine-dragon imperial robe suddenly opened their eyes in the endless darkness!

"Hum—!"

In their eyes, it seemed as if the heavens and star rivers were rotating, living and dying, with the myriad worlds returning to ruin, floating and sinking! They merely stood up slowly—

"Ang—!!!!"

The entire vast and boundless Tianyuan Imperial City had all its defensive arrays instantly activated to the extreme! Nine ten-thousand-foot-long golden dragons of Luck, condensed from majestic national destiny and Dragon vein Qi, rose into the sky from the nine major Dragon vein nodes of the Imperial City, circling and roaring around the Imperial Palace, the sound of their dragon roars resounding through the clouds! The terrifying imperial pressure made all living things submit!

"Transmit My... Heavenly Decree!" The Tianyuan Emperor's voice was low, yet like thunder condensed from the cold ice of the Nine Netherworlds, instantly piercing through endless space and resounding across every inch of the Imperial Dynasty's territory, "All Myriad Laws Realm Prodigies... belonging to My Tianyuan... sign up for the heavenly stele trial immediately!"

His gaze pierced through the palaces and landed on the world-extinguishing heavenly stele, enunciating each word, heavy as stars:

"Whoever leaves their name on the heavenly stele... shall be bestowed... one drop of 'Primordial Ancestral Dragon True Blood'!"

Cangqiong Imperial Dynasty · Golden Luan Divine Temple

The Emperor of Cangqiong, sitting on the Nine-Dragon Star Imperial Throne, suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes!

"Chi la—!"

Two substantive golden divine lights, like world-opening divine swords, instantly pierced through the ten thousand layers of the palace dome, shooting straight at the world-extinguishing heavenly stele in the Nine Heavens! His Nine-Dragon Imperial Robe fluttered without wind, and nine five-clawed golden dragon phantoms condensed from Imperial Saint Qi, capable of crushing stars, circled his body, emitting dragon roars that shattered the Void Realm!

"myriad laws heavenly stele!" Like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens, the entire resplendent imperial court trembled under the imperial might! "Someone come! Quickly summon... the Ninth Prince · Cang Jiuyou!"

Depths of the Imperial Dynasty · Nirvana Sword Palace

In the dark and deathly silent palace, a youth dressed in a mysterious black sword robe slowly raised his head. His face was as cold and stern as if carved from ten-thousand-year black ice, and in his eyes, it seemed as if endless stars were being born, expanding, and finally collapsing into eternal nirvana!

Before him, an ancient longsword, pitch-black all over, with its blade wrapped in a death aura that seemed capable of devouring all light and vitality, was floating in mid-air, emitting a harsh humming sound craving blood and destruction!

"Your Highness! His Majesty has urgently summoned you! The heavenly stele... has appeared!" An old servant knelt outside the palace, his voice trembling with excitement.

The black-clothed youth— Cang Jiuyou, the recognized King of Slaughter among the contemporary Myriad Laws Realm Cultivators of the Cangqiong Imperial Dynasty, slowly stood up. With his movement, the black sword named "Nirvana" suddenly became sharp and bloodthirsty in its humming!

"Finally... waited for this day." The corner of Cang Jiuyou's mouth curled into an arc that was cold to the extreme, as if it could freeze even space, "My 'Nirvana'... should drink deeply... of the blood of Era Prodigies!"

Taiyan Dynasty · Corridor of Fate

A woman dressed in a plain white flowing cloud fairy dress floated out from the Corridor of Fate in the depths of the Imperial Palace. She had a peerless face and an ethereal temperament, and her slender fingertips were wrapped with countless threads of fate that shimmered with inscrutable brilliance, as if connecting the destinies of all living beings! She looked up at the heavenly stele, and in her eyes, it seemed as if all kinds of futures were intertwining and collapsing.

Eternal Dynasty · Primordial Martial Arts Arena

"Dong! Dong! Dong!..." The sound of war drums, as if from the ancient primordial wilderness, carrying Battle Intent that awakened Bloodlines, resounded throughout the entire martial arts arena! A youth clad in dark gold immortal battle armor, holding a divine spear wrapped in undying Battle Intent, stood before the mountain-like and sea-like warriors, looked at the heavenly stele, and let out a cold laugh that shook the mountains and rivers:

"The top of the heavenly stele in this life... should change hands!"

Great Yu Dynasty · Feather Transformation Heavenly Palace

Deep in the celestial palace in the clouds, a figure was like an immortal descending to the mortal world, surrounded by ethereal Feather Transformation immortal light. He looked at the giant stele that spanned the heavens and earth and whispered softly, his voice seeming to contain a depth that pierced through the eras:

"Heavenly stele... finally... waited for you."

— — The Five Great Immortal Dynasties, the dormant dragons... at this moment, were all awakened! Their dragon heads... all pointed to the ten-light-year monumental stele of the era!

Time-Space Divine Temple · Eternal Gear Sacred Hall

In the deepest part of a magnificent hall composed of countless huge, slowly rotating bronze gears engraved with space-time dao patterns.

"Click..." It was as if some invisible shackle had been completely shattered!

A youth with waterfall-like silver hair, a youthful face but weary eyes, slowly opened his eyes. In his pupils, endless, endlessly living and dying space fragments and tributaries of the River of Time were reflected!

"The Space Origin Dao... is already in my palm." His voice was calm and waveless, yet carried the absolute self-confidence of controlling time and space, "In this life's Myriad Laws Realm... I, 'Clear Emptiness'... shall be the leader... of the space-time lineage!"

Temple of Light · Peak of Holy Radiance

On the Peak of the holy mountain, flowing with pure Holy Light, seemingly capable of purifying all filth in the world.

A young girl dressed in a pure white holy robe, with golden hair like flowing sunlight, was kneeling on one knee, praying piously to the eternal source of Holy Light in the deepest part of the temple.

Her face was holy and flawless, her voice ethereal and firm, resonating with the Holy Light, echoing throughout the entire Peak:

"Light... is eternal!"

"I... will surely in the name of Light... ascend to the... pinnacle of the heavenly stele!"

The storm of the era had already swept across the heavens! The contention of a trillion Prodigies... was about to... open the prelude of blood and fire on this ten-light-year monumental stele!