231: Fifth Patriarch, Tianyang Assembly

Tianyang Divine Mountain, halfway up the mountain!

Here, shrouded in clouds and mist, an ancient and sacred complex of palaces stood.

This palace complex, with the Qian trigram in the south and the Kun trigram in the north, was laid out along the meridian axis, facing south. It consisted of a mountain gate, Heaven General Hall, Bell and Drum Tower, Heavenly King Hall, Heaven Lord Hall, Yang Heaven Palace, and other structures. On both sides were side halls, steward's offices, guest halls, and dining halls.

Each grand hall exuded an ancient aura, inscribed with special runes.

The Power Of Faith here was dense, like an Immortal realm, as if it were in a different world from the outside!

Yang Heaven Palace, the core of this palace complex. Inside the majestic hall, six divine statues were enshrined. The central statue was three zhang, six chi, and five cun tall, with a blurred appearance, radiating golden light, and enveloped by dense Power Of Faith.

On either side were five divine statues of varying appearances. The first on the right was a black-clad middle-aged man with a rugged look, exuding monstrous demonic flames. The first on the left was a handsome young man with eyes emitting an eerie glow.

Of the remaining three, one resembled a white-clad Immortal, radiating an ethereal Qi, but with a vertical eye on his brow. Another was an unremarkable-looking old man with crimson eyes, exuding monstrous Saber Intent.

The last one was an old Immortal with a Daoist demeanor, a benevolent face, and an air of compassion.

These five divine statues were two zhang and four cun tall, all surrounded by Power Of Faith.

These five divine statues were the Five Ancestors of the Five Great Religions, yet they were enshrined together in the same great hall. If this news were to spread, it would undoubtedly cause a huge uproar.

Suddenly!

“Om!”

With a ripple, five auras simultaneously descended into the great hall.

“Everyone! The gate to the Tianyang World has opened. The location it leads to should be the Eternal Great World that Tianyang Great God spoke of!”

“What should we do now?”

Within the majestic hall, an ancient voice resonated, as if spanning countless eons.

The voice originated from the Demon Ancestor statue. At this moment, the statue seemed to have come alive, filled with Life Qi.

“The Eternal Great World, rumored to be vast and boundless, with countless powerful individuals, is an ancient Dao world. Perhaps the opening of this ruin is an Opportunity for us five!”

“Trapped in this world, though our Lifespan is Eternal, the Dao is out of reach. I am unwilling!”

Another ancient voice sounded, coming from the Blade Ancestor. His voice revealed a yearning for the outside world.

“Indeed, this Venerable One was formed from an Emperor’s corpse and is destined to bear the Mandate of Heaven!”

The Demon Ancestor statue emitted a cold voice.

“Everyone, have you forgotten? Tianyang Great God once said that there are many powerful individuals outside. While we five are unrivaled in this world, once we leave the Tianyang World, we will be unable to use the Heavenly Dao power of the Tianyang World. At that time, we will only be able to exert our true strength. How will we cope?”

A peaceful voice came from the Ancestor statue.

“What if we cannot exert the power of the Heavenly Dao? If we don't even dare to take such a risk, how can we bear the Mandate of Heaven?” the Blade Ancestor statue said unceremoniously.

“Hmph! This Venerable One is raising a question and inviting you all to discuss. When did I say I wouldn't dare to take risks?” The Ancestor was somewhat annoyed!

He held a grudge against the Blade Ancestor. Before he ascended the Tianyang Divine Mountain, it was the latter who tried to stop him.

“Hmph! I hate your hypocritical, Immortal-like demeanor the most!”

The Blade Ancestor said coldly. Despite the Ancestor's Immortal-like appearance, his methods were extremely ruthless, far surpassing even the Demon Ancestor.

Coupled with their past grievances, he genuinely looked down on the other party.

“Dao Ming, are you looking for trouble?”

The Ancestor’s face darkened!

“Alright, alright, both of you! The Tianyang Assembly is imminent. Let's not hurt each other's feelings!”

“With external enemies at hand, what we need to do is ascertain their strength. I suggest we have our subordinates capture those outsiders, gather intelligence from them, and then make our plans!”

The ethereal voice of the Heaven Ancestor sounded, clearly playing the role of a peacemaker.

“Very well! Let's do that! All of you issue a decree and have your subordinates act quickly! The Tianyang Assembly is about to begin. During this assembly, Tianyang Great God will bestow blessings, and this Venerable One does not wish for the assembly to be disturbed by outsiders!”

“Therefore, before that, these outsiders must be dealt with!”

The Demon Ancestor spoke.

The other Four Ancestors, hearing this, stopped bickering.

Thus, the entire Tianyang World mobilized at this moment, which brought many troubles to various forces. In just one month, three top-tier forces were annihilated.

The remaining people also learned from the local natives about the extraordinary nature of this ruin. Besides their shock, there was more fear, and they quickly contacted powerful individuals from the outside. However, the ruin was shielded by a mysterious power, and even the original passage had disappeared.

Under these circumstances, various forces had no choice but to start saving themselves. Some headed towards remote areas, while others converged on the Tianyang Divine Domain.

This also allowed the people of the Five Great Divine Religions to discern their intentions and quickly formulate countermeasures, consciously herding them towards predetermined targets, attempting to encircle them.

However, the Eternal faction was not foolish. This move was seen through by the Demon Suppressing King of the Great Yi Immortal Kingdom. After paying some price, he occupied a vital strategic point in the Yang Heaven Divine Domain, resisting the Tianyang World's offensive.

Although the Tianyang World's strength was greater than that of the Eternal faction, the Eternal faction had many individuals from Emperor Sects, and they brought Emperor items with them. Several super forces even brought Emperor weapons.

When used by an Eight-Step Quasi-Emperor, they were enough to contend with a Nine-Step Quasi-Emperor, and there were not many powerful individuals of this level in the Tianyang World.

Moreover, the Eternal Realm's Legacy was, after all, long-standing, with developed martial Dao civilizations, while the Tianyang World was relatively backward.

Therefore, for a time, both sides were at a stalemate.

Compared to these forces, the Wuqian Empire and some peripheral forces were in a much better situation. They were not jointly targeted by various races and were quietly profiting in the periphery.

The powerful individuals of the Tianyang World also rarely went to the peripheral areas, which gave these forces an Opportunity.

On the other side, after Xu Qing left Man Niu City, he did not directly go to the Tianyang Divine Mountain. The Tianyang Divine Mountain had been managed by the Five Great Divine Religions for countless eons, and countless divine Restrictions had been laid out within it.

The Tianyang Divine Mountain was not something one could just climb. The area tens of thousands of miles around it contained a powerful Restriction that even a Quasi-Emperor at Perfection could not break. Only the divine tokens in the hands of the Five Old Ancestors could open it.

Furthermore, each opening required a vast amount of Power Of Faith. Therefore, every million years, the Five Ancestors of the Five Great Religions would open the Tianyang Divine Mountain once, and this was the Tianyang Assembly. At that time, the beings of the Tianyang World could ascend the divine mountain, and if they could reach the summit, it would mean they had the favor of Tianyang Great God.

Tianyang Great God was the deity residing above the Tianyang Divine Mountain. Xu Qing speculated that perhaps, like the Demon Ancestor and others, he was also the spiritualized corpse of that ancient deity.

In addition, at the Tianyang Assembly, Tianyang Great God would also bestow blessings, which was a great fortune for the beings of the Tianyang World.

And there were still three months until the start of the Tianyang Assembly!

Xu Qing had Dark Moon try to break this Restriction, but it almost attracted the attention of the Heavenly Dao of this world. This Restriction had a deep connection with the Heavenly Dao of this world.

He speculated that perhaps the so-called Tianyang Great God had already controlled the Heavenly Dao of the Tianyang World. This was a very terrifying thought. If so, things would become somewhat tricky.

Xu Qing was left with only two choices: either wait for the Tianyang Assembly to arrive and then blend in, or forcefully act now and contend with the Heavenly Dao of this world.