113: Chapter 113 The First Name

Boom!

The Golden Immortal body of the Ancestor of the Wang Family was dragged into the altar.

The entire Little Heavenly Court shook violently along with it.

This commotion did not seem like it was about to collapse.

It was more like... a satisfied burp from having eaten its fill.

The runes on the altar came to life, and the light that burst forth was brighter than the sun.

The Ancestor of the Wang Family's Golden Immortal Law body, which was claimed to be immortal, emitted ear-piercing "crackling" sounds within the light.

It was being crushed inch by inch.

The Immortal Dao Laws he had cultivated for a lifetime became the altar's best fuel at this moment, greedily drained and transformed.

"No!"

The Ancestor of the Wang Family let out a final roar.

His voice was filled with terror and indignation.

But within the divine light of the altar, this roar didn't even raise a bubble before his consciousness was completely ground away.

Only a mass of Origin true spirit remained, still wailing.

Majestic energy erupted from beneath the altar, piercing through the entire Southern Heaven Gate base.

Lifelike Dragon and Phoenix reliefs emerged on the pillars of the palace.

In the bare courtyard, Immortal Plants broke through the soil, and Ganoderma grew in the corners.

The Zhou Tian Star Array, which originally could only cover the Little Heavenly Court, suddenly expanded its range tenfold, pushing the surrounding Chaos mist thousands of miles away.

The greatest change occurred within Li Xuan's mind.

That "imperial decree for the reconstruction of the heavenly court" seemed to come alive; after swallowing most of the energy from the Golden Immortal sacrifice, it gave a sudden jolt.

On the decree, ancient golden patterns recording the secrets of the world's creation lit up one by one.

They intertwined and reorganized.

Finally, above the Little Heavenly Court, they outlined the phantom of a hundred-zhang-long golden scroll.

As soon as the scroll appeared, a dead silence instantly fell over the Immortal Realm.

The sound of the wind, the sound of energy flowing, and the roars of distant Chaos monsters all vanished.

Only a resonance of the Great Dao echoed in the depths of every living being's heart, carrying an aura of majesty.

The scroll was neither gold nor jade; it seemed to be made of pure order and rules.

It slowly unfurled.

It was completely blank, yet it seemed capable of evolving all things.

At the top of the scroll were three ancient primordial characters; they didn't look written, but rather as if they had been imprinted there since the dawn of creation.

[investiture of the gods]!

Although there was a very faint character for "Remnant" after the name, it was already terrifying enough.

"Good grief, it can even be played like this?"

Li Xuan was also dumbfounded.

He had originally thought this Luck Altar was at most an incinerator for turning waste into something useful.

Burning enemies into energy.

But the current style was all wrong.

This wasn't simple energy transformation; this was a damn crushing of rules from a higher dimension.

It was the most core and unreasonable manifestation of the Heavenly Court's authority.

He looked into the altar at the Ancestor of the Wang Family's nearly dissipated true spirit, and an idea immediately formed in his mind.

Killing a Golden Immortal provided a one-time burst of energy.

But there was another way to calculate this account.

What if... he subdued a Golden Immortal?

Even if it was a brainless Puppet, it was still a genuine Golden Immortal-level enforcer.

Using one to guard the Southern Heaven Gate would be the ultimate security captain.

Moreover, since this scroll was called the "investiture of the gods," it might have uses he didn't yet know about.

No matter how he calculated it, it was more cost-effective than simply killing him.

Li Xuan looked at the golden scroll phantom.

He noticed that the Ancestor of the Wang Family's true spirit was about to be extinguished.

The position for the first name on the investiture of the gods was glowing with a faint light, as if waiting for him, the master, to give the order.

Li Xuan did not hesitate.

He raised his hand toward that speck of true spirit in the altar and spoke in a solemn tone.

His voice was not loud, but in this world, it echoed clearly in the Sea of Consciousness of every observer.

"With your Golden Immortal body, offer the first cornerstone for my Heavenly Court."

"Now, I confer upon you the title of—"

"Guardian Divine General of the Southern Heaven Gate. Obey my commands and guard this gate forever!"

As soon as the decree was issued, it triggered the rules of heaven and earth.

A beam of golden light shot out from the "imperial decree for the reconstruction of the heavenly court," enveloping the nearly extinguished true spirit of the Ancestor of the Wang Family in the altar.

The true spirit's wailing stopped.

The golden light washed away the madness, malice, and indignation within the true spirit, making it pure.

The golden light wrapped around the true spirit like a brush dipped in divine ink, soaring into the sky and shooting toward that massive [investiture of the gods] phantom!

Buzz!

The scroll trembled slightly.

At the very bottom of the scroll, the first name was written—Ancestor of the Wang Family!

The handwriting was alive, carrying the pressure of a Golden Immortal, yet it was pinned firmly to the scroll by a stronger force of order, unable to escape.

The moment the name was written, the scene outside the Southern Heaven Gate shocked all the onlookers.

Countless golden light spots appeared out of thin air, rapidly combining, weaving, and outlining a human form.

Flesh, bones, Meridians, Immortal body.

Everything was being reshaped right before their eyes.

In just a few seconds, a perfectly intact Ancestor of the Wang Family appeared out of thin air below the steps of the Southern Heaven Gate.

His appearance was exactly the same as before, and the Golden Immortal pressure on him was even heavier, clearly having been perfected by the rules during the "Investiture."

But his eyes had changed.

Those sinister eyes of his had now become completely hollow.

Containing only absolute obedience.

And an instinctive awe for that golden scroll.

Thump!

This newly "resurrected" Golden Immortal naturally straightened his clothes and knelt respectfully on one knee toward Li Xuan atop the Southern Heaven Gate.

He lowered his head and swore in a loud, emotionless voice:

"Greetings, Heavenly Emperor!"

This kneel caused the hearts of all secret observers to shake violently.

Thousands of miles away, on a floating demonic mountain, the massive eyeball attached to the mountain belonging to a Taiyi Golden Immortal-level Demon Lord from the "Black Abyss" suddenly contracted.

"He... he refined a living Golden Immortal into a Divine General Puppet?"

The Demon Lord's voice was filled with shock and suspicion.

What was a Golden Immortal?

They were overlords who had stepped outside the Laws and were themselves a domain of the Dao.

Even if they could be killed, it was very difficult to grind away their true spirit.

But now, not only was he killed, he was "recycled" and turned into a doorkeeper?

What kind of ghost Divine Ability was this?

What kind of sinister Daoist technique was this?

In the clouds of another fragmented continent, several Old Ancestors from Immortal Dao families were communicating.

"Old Ancestor Wang... is just gone like that? No, he's still there, but it's not him anymore!"

"The investiture of the gods! It's the legendary Divine Artifact of the Ancient Heavenly Court! It has actually reappeared!"

"Who exactly is behind that Southern Heaven Gate? Could it be that some ancient powerhouse has returned?"

"Quick! Retreat! Don't get discovered! From now on, the Southern Heaven Gate is a forbidden zone. Anyone who dares to approach within a hundred miles will have their cultivation destroyed and be kicked out!"

A living Golden Immortal had just turned into a kneeling, kowtowing gatekeeper right before their eyes.

The impact of this scene was far greater than Li Xuan pinning a Magic Treasure with a spear or a hundred Heavenly Soldiers submerging the Wang family army.

It was a kind of erasure that completely wiped out a powerhouse's personality through the rules, turning him into a "tool."

This made them shudder.

Because it meant that today the one kneeling there was the Ancestor of the Wang Family.

Tomorrow, it could be them!

For a moment, the various forces that had previously harbored all sorts of thoughts—whether greed, testing, or just watching the fun—no longer dared to have any extra ideas.

One after another, the Divine Thoughts of the onlookers were hurriedly withdrawn, for fear of being discovered by the existence atop the Southern Heaven Gate.

The entire area for millions of miles around the Southern Heaven Gate instantly quieted down from being a dangerous place where various forces competed.

Li Xuan, holding the newborn Seventh Prince Li Tianfa, swept his gaze across the Void Realm, as if he could see the trails of those fleeing in panic.

He didn't give chase.

The goal of establishing his prestige had already been achieved.

From this day forward, the Southern Heaven Gate could be considered to have truly established its Foundation in this dilapidated Immortal Realm.

He lowered his head, looking at the little guy in his arms who was sucking his finger, completely oblivious to the outside world, and smiled.

Li Tianfa still carried a trace of the Heavenly Punishment aura from the "spear of judgment," enough to make any petty people dare not approach.

Finally, he looked outside the Southern Heaven Gate at the new Guardian Divine General who stood motionless, kneeling there.

A Golden Immortal guarding the gate.

This level of display should barely be worthy of the words "Heavenly Court," right?