"How is that possible?" a Celestial Venerable of the Light Clan with twelve wings on his back immediately expressed his disagreement. "In this life, the Great Lord of Light of our Western Starfield will surely seize the Mandate of Heaven."
The Celestial Sect expert couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this and asked, "Have you all heard the name of the Ten Absolute Celestial Emperor?"
As soon as these words were spoken, many alien Celestial Venerables shook their heads, their eyes filled with confusion. "I visited the Eastern Starfield tens of thousands of years ago and only knew of four peak Heavenly Dao realm powerhouses: Celestial Emperor Qingyun, Celestial Emperor Xuanlong, Celestial Emperor Hunyuan, and Buddha Puji. I never heard of any Ten Absolute Celestial Emperor. Could it be a rising star that emerged in the last tens of thousands of years?"
"The rise of the Ten Absolute Celestial Emperor is a miracle of the entire universe. He didn't rise within tens of thousands of years, but within the last millennium. Some powerful beings have traced the cultivation path of the Ten Absolute Celestial Emperor and discovered that he originated from a desolate star domain. From the moment he embarked on the path of cultivation until now, it has only been a thousand years."
This statement sent shockwaves through the powerhouses from the other three starfields. Celestial Emperor Qingyun's breakthrough to the Celestial Emperor realm tens of thousands of years ago was already considered exceptional. Little did they expect this Ten Absolute Celestial Emperor to be even more monstrous.
The Celestial Sect expert was very pleased with the reactions from all parties and continued with a smile, "Furthermore, the Ten Absolute Celestial Venerable once defeated a Celestial Emperor in the Sovereign realm. Countless cultivators in our Eastern Starfield witnessed that battle."
"Impossible. No matter how monstrous he is, the gap between a Celestial Venerable and a Celestial Emperor cannot be bridged. An invincible Celestial Venerable would be proud enough to withstand a hundred moves from a Celestial Emperor, how could he possibly defeat one?" a Tribulation Crossing Celestial Venerable of the Asura Clan stated.
In his mind, the undeniably invincible Lord of Reincarnation could only withstand a hundred moves from a Celestial Emperor in the Sovereign realm without defeat. Yet, such a feat was considered a legend in their Northern Starfield.
The powerhouses from the other two starfields also nodded in agreement, utterly disbelieving the words of the Celestial Sect expert.
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it either. After that battle, the Ten Absolute Celestial Emperor personally admitted that his Extreme Point Sword Dao was a fusion of the ten great daos: Five Elements, Yin and Yang, Time and Space, Sword Dao, and Lightning."
Silence descended. Fusion of eleven great daos. Could someone truly achieve this in the world? The Lord of Reincarnation cultivated the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and upon its completion, he stood at the pinnacle of the Northern Universe. To fuse eleven great daos, what level would that reach?
"Do you know why I say Celestial Emperor Qingyun has no chance? Because after that battle, Celestial Emperor Qingyun attempted to steal the dao of the Ten Absolute Celestial Emperor to perfect his own Seven Heavens Dao. But by the time Celestial Emperor Qingyun arrived, the Ten Absolute Celestial Emperor had already entered the Heavenly Dao realm. The two engaged in an unprecedented and epic battle in the starfield."
"Celestial Emperor Qingyun lost this battle."
The eyes of many Celestial Venerables present were filled with shock. They no longer doubted the words of the Celestial Sect expert, for if it were a fabrication, it would be too outrageous and utterly unbelievable. Moreover, it would be too easy to expose such a lie; a simple tour of the Central Continent would reveal the truth.
After this exchange, the powerhouses from the other three starfields traveled across the Central Continent and visited many old friends. They ultimately confirmed the authenticity of this news, causing the powerhouses from the other three starfields to lament their fate and cry out, "Time waits for no one."
They had arrived with the pride and confidence of their respective starfields, but as they began their journey back, they felt as though all scenery had lost its color, and even the wind in the starlit sky tasted bitter.
...
As the day of the Mandate of Heaven's descent drew closer, there was no precise time, but every Celestial Emperor who mastered the Dao could sense unusual fluctuations in the primordial energy of the universe, gathering in large quantities.
Finally, on this day, this power reached its peak, its influence rippling across the entire universe. Cultivators from the four starfields perceived it, their eyes gleaming with shock and excitement.
The Mandate of Heaven had finally descended!
This was an incredibly vast and dark region in the Myriad Domains Starfield, difficult for even Dao Integration Celestial Kings to traverse. It was precisely because of this region's existence that the boundless cosmic space was divided into four starfields.
As the Mandate of Heaven descended, the darkness was illuminated. Countless primordial energies surged through the entire starfield. Powerful figures, each a top expert from their respective starfields, crossed billions of miles of starlight to arrive here.
A transparent object, no larger than a thumb and resembling a droplet of water, floated in the starlit sky. It existed, yet even Celestial Emperors could not sense it, let alone touch it.
"Is this the Mandate of Heaven?"
A mass of chaotic energy took on human form. Even with his immense power, he felt incredibly insignificant before this droplet. After all, he was the Emperor of the Five Elements Spirit Clan of the Southern Universe, his strength among the very top in the entire universe.
Accompanying him were several peak Great Dao realm powerhouses. As the strongest of the Five Elements Spirit Clan, the Emperor's arrival here with other Great Dao realm experts was to assist him in seizing the Mandate of Heaven.
"The causality is in disarray. I sense countless terrifying presences within it. A vague premonition warns me not to approach it, yet an irresistible urge arises within my heart, compelling me to refine it." A figure shrouded in black robes appeared in the dark region. His face could not be seen, only a blood-red single horn on his head, which symbolized his identity.
He was the Lord of Reincarnation of the Nether Clan from the Northern Starfield.
Concurrently, a brilliant radiance illuminated the void, intertwining with the power of the Mandate of Heaven. A handsome man with twenty-four wings on his back strode forward. This person was the Great Lord of Light of the Western Starfield, and accompanying him was a blood-aura-filled expert from the Blood Clan.
A divine spear pierced through the void, forming a vortex of reincarnation. Celestial Emperor Qingyun, wielding the Qingyun Divine Spear, emerged from the vortex. His arrival drew the attention of many strong individuals present.
"Celestial Emperor Qingyun, are you the only one from your Eastern Starfield?"
"Celestial Emperor Xuanlong, Celestial Emperor Hunyuan, and Buddha Puji have they all abandoned the contention for the Mandate of Heaven in this life?"
Several peak Great Dao realm powerhouses from the other three starfields had arrived, yet only Celestial Emperor Qingyun was present from the Eastern Starfield, leaving them all filled with confusion.
Although not all the arriving powerhouses were necessarily contenders for the Mandate of Heaven, in this chaotic battlefield, having an additional helper would significantly increase one's chances of seizing it.
Despite the fact that the other three starfields had sent envoys to the Eastern Starfield a century prior, it was clear they had not yet transmitted the news back. The top powerhouses from the other three universes were still unaware that Celestial Emperor Xuanlong, Celestial Emperor Hunyuan, and Buddha Puji had all publicly announced they would not participate in this contention for the Mandate of Heaven.
...