124: I am the sky, the sky above the sky, a new era begins

The scene unfolding here drew everyone present, who, like moths to a flame, converged without prior agreement, gazing from a distance at the pillar of light that tore through the sky.

Accompanying this were the successive Divine Halos that condensed behind Jun Lingxiao.

His Realm began to surge uncontrollably, like a breached dam.

Divine Domain One.

Divine Domain Two.

Divine Domain Three.

Divine Domain Four... Divine Domain Seven!

Jun Lingxiao's cultivation only just stopped after reaching Divine Domain Seven! The Divine Halos behind him, one interlocking the next, were intricately intertwined, ceaselessly circling, before slowly shrinking and settling behind him.

Breaking through seven Realms consecutively after a Bottleneck was an astonishing feat, yet it paled in comparison to the towering pillar of light.

(Speak.)

(Speak it out.)

(Proclaim it to the world.)

(Speak, countless existences are waiting for this moment.)

(Declare. Declare it, declare the beginning of an era.)

At this moment, Jun Lingxiao's eyes were tightly closed, his state had never been better, and the Great Dao Voice in his mind became increasingly clear.

They were unexpectedly orderly, all whispering, as if wanting him to speak something.

Although They did not specify, Jun Lingxiao surprisingly knew what he should say at this moment.

"Mm, I will."

His tightly closed eyes slowly opened, his lips parted slightly, and that low, deep voice drifted out, like the whisper of a god:

"I, hereby declare."

"I am Heaven, Heaven above Heaven."

As his voice fell, with a 'boom'!

The purple pillar of light instantly spread out, and the strange purple light exploded, engulfing everyone present.

As the smoke and dust dissipated, Jun Lingxiao still stood in his original spot, as if nothing had happened, yet also as if something extraordinary had occurred.

He seemed to have fallen into a strange state just now, a faint, indifferent smile on his lips the entire time. After fully regaining consciousness, he looked at the Seniors around him, who were wide-eyed, feeling a bit bewildered.

He glanced behind him; eight Divine Halos were stacked, forming a strange ring. Although everyone's Divine Halos appeared circular, their details were actually not the same. A Divine Halo was not just a symbol, an outlet of Heaven and Earth Dharma, but more like a manifestation of that person's insights.

The more complex the Divine Halo, the stronger the power.

But even so, Jun Lingxiao didn't think his Divine Halo should elicit such expressions from these experienced individuals, right?

"Senior?"

Jun Lingxiao looked at the stunned crowd, then called out to Jun Yongzheng in front of him.

Jun Yongzheng snapped back to reality, but his eyes were still filled with terror.

"What did you just say? Declare?"

He excitedly grabbed Jun Lingxiao's hand, but then immediately retreated, clutching his head, only to then lunge forward in the next instant, questioning him.

In a mere breath, his surprise, disbelief, and finally his urgency were expressed vividly.

"Nothing, just spouting nonsense."

The words of the Great Dao Voice, generally speaking, usually held no meaning, and it wouldn't be strange to call it a sudden fit of madness.

Jun Lingxiao thought this, but in the next moment, Jun Yongzheng suddenly gripped his shoulders tightly, exclaiming excitedly: "No! It's not nonsense... That is one of the Twelve Heavenly Divine Lights, you have obtained a Divinely Bestowed Divine Authority!"

"Divinely Bestowed Divine Authority... I always thought it was a legend."

"Who doesn't? Legend has it that when Heaven and Earth first opened, the Laws were still very complete. Heaven bestowed twelve favored ones, each possessing different Divine Authorities. From then on, a prosperous era began. But now, with the Laws dissipated, the Divine Sons of Divinely Bestowed Divine Authority have long become a legend. I never thought I'd live to see this legend verified, even after all this time."

"Purple light... according to ancient records, isn't that the Seventh Divine Authority?"

"That's probably correct. Legend says that Divine Authorities will resonate with each other; once one awakens, the others will follow. It seems the darkness is truly upon us."

"It's not an Awakening, but a selection. The prosperous era is declining; the era of Divine Authority is coming. Prodigies and Geniuses are no different from weeds under Divine Authority. This boy has truly ushered in a new era."

The successive Human Emperors present all sighed with emotion. One must know that even the most ancient Human Emperors had never seen a so-called Divine Authority Holder. Otherwise, why would they be the ones to save all living beings and resist foreign tribes?

"Divine Authority..." Jun Lingxiao listened to the discussions and began to understand what was happening. He seemed to have caused something extraordinary.

Or rather, his words just now were the problem—six words that suddenly surged from the depths of his being.

But upon careful thought, Heaven is already the limit; who dares to call himself Heaven above Heaven?

He just did.

"Divine Authority, yes! Divine Authority."

"Lingxiao, do you feel anything unusual, or have you gained any power? Don't think too hard about it; it should be an ability engraved in your body like an instinct, as easy to use as eating and drinking..."

"It should be a Law, but even more powerful than a Law; it's a rule, or rather, a Divine Authority. Quick! Display it for me to see!"

Jun Yongzheng grew excited as he spoke.

A Divine Authority Holder! And the first Divine Authority Holder to appear was from their Jun Family; the excitement this brought him was unimaginable.

"Divine Authority."

Jun Lingxiao lowered his gaze and repeated the word. He had indeed gained power, but he had initially thought it was a product of his Domain advancing after his Breakthrough. Now, it seemed that wasn't the case.

Thinking this, he suddenly raised his hand, forming a sword with his finger, and casually brought it down.

Crack!

Despite being an independent Legacy space, a divine thunderbolt struck in response to Jun Lingxiao's fingertip!

Or perhaps it wasn't a divine thunderbolt, but a pillar of light? Or a sword light? Or even just a void?

No one knew what it truly was; they only saw that after a flash of light, space was torn apart.

Everyone present could tear open the Void Realm, but compared to this moment, it seemed different.

It wasn't a tearing; rather, a bolt of lightning struck, and the world seemed to mysteriously disappear in a section, as if directly erased.

It belonged to no specific power, so natural, as if it had always been this way.

"Slash."

As everyone was once again stunned, Jun Lingxiao spoke, a massive black crack appearing behind him.

"My Divine Authority is Slash."

"An extremely fast, extremely heavy Slash that can cut through everything."

Jun Lingxiao spoke calmly, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

He was thinking:

'If this Slash can cut through space, can it also cut through time, or rather, worlds, or even, creation? Or even, cut open the Divine Gate?'

After gaining such powerful strength, he was not carried away, but instead thought more carefully.

But no matter how Jun Lingxiao thought about it, he felt that everything seemed to have been predestined in the dark.

Now, the Divine Gate.

And the key to opening the Divine Gate seemed to have fallen into his hands.

All that awaited was his choice.

— — — — — —

At this moment, everyone in the entire Ten Directions Immortal Court saw the purple light that gradually spread, until it engulfed the entire world.

"The Human Emperor's Legacy has appeared, but is this... Divine Authority?"

The Old Ancestors of the Jun Family, Qiu Family, Qin Family, and even the Chu Family had all appeared. The Ye Family's Old Ancestor also had no choice but to emerge from seclusion, and upon doing so, he witnessed such a scene.

He said, glancing at the ethereal figure on the cold jade bed in the Ye Family's Forbidden Ground secret chamber, and sighed slightly: "There's still no sign of Awakening, but... a new era has arrived."

The one lying on the bed was none other than the Ye Family's youngest Genius in history, their most powerful Prodigy, and also... Jun Lingxiao's nominal fiancée.