Chapter 1155: Finally Entering Zhou Tian
Eastern Domain Fandi Shennü—the only daughter of Fantian Shen Di—Qianye Ying'er!
She directly passed through the Zhou Tian Realm's restrictions, arriving outside the Feng Shen Platform. Her gaze pierced through the distant space, landing upon the Feng Shen Platform. Clearly, she had come for this Xuan Shen Conference, but she had no intention of entering the Feng Shen Platform to observe the battles. Instead, she chose to watch from afar, keeping her distance from the crowd.
At her side was an old man who looked exceptionally aged. He was less than six feet tall, his upper body hunched over, his entire frame as withered and dry as a corpse left to scorch in the desert sun. He wore a set of gray robes that were clearly too large for him, so tattered and worn that they could barely cover his body.
The old man's head was deeply bowed, making it impossible to see his eyes. His aura was strangely turbid, his entire body stiff as if paralyzed, completely motionless. Even his ragged gray robes hung perfectly still, untouched by the wind.
Behind them, two young maidens stood quietly. They wore identical silver soft armor. The maiden on the right was slender with a delicate figure, while the one on the left was much plumper, her silver chest armor bulging high, rising and falling with her breaths.
Both maidens kept their heads lowered, their demeanor one of extreme reverence and respect. They did not even dare to look directly at Qianye Ying'er's back, as if they feared a divine being.
Yet these two seemingly cautious women, clearly just attendants, emanated Xuan Dao auras that were absolutely enough to send countless Realm Kings on the Feng Shen Platform into shock and alarm.
"It seems we have uninvited guests arriving." Qianye Ying'er spoke, her delicate cherry-like lips, seemingly coated with flower nectar, emitting a voice that was extremely cold and ruthless.
"One is Long Huang, the other is Cang Shitian of the Southern Domain." The hunched old man replied. His voice was incomparably harsh and unpleasant, hard to believe it came from a human throat.
Qianye Ying'er's golden brows moved slightly: "Even Long Huang came? It seems it's also because of that so-called crack in the Chaos Wall."
"Would Young Miss like to go pay respects?" The hunched old man asked. As he spoke, his entire body remained utterly still... it seemed even his lips did not move.
"No need." Qianye Ying'er did not hesitate for even a moment: "In this world, the only one worthy of my bow is my father, the King."
"Uncle Gu, what do you think? Will this trip yield anything?"
"Young Miss is blessed by the heavens." The old man called "Gu Bo" replied hoarsely.
"Timewise, it should be about to begin." Qianye Ying'er murmured softly, her gaze fixed firmly on the Feng Shen Platform: "Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body... no matter how well it's concealed, it can never escape Uncle Gu's eyes."
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Inside the Zhou Tian Pearl, the second round of preliminaries for the Xuan Shen Conference had finally reached its end. The voice of Zhou Tian rang out on time:
"Young warriors, the second round of preliminaries is about to conclude. Who among you will become the one thousand chosen ones? You have already given your answer."
At that moment, the battlefield froze. All profound energy vanished in an instant, including that of those who were still in the midst of fierce combat. It was as if their profound veins had been drained in a single moment, unable to release even a shred of power.
The outcome of the second round of preliminaries was thus completely sealed.
The battlefield fell silent. Everyone looked up at the sky, waiting to learn their fate. Some were ecstatic, others calm and indifferent, and some even wept loudly. Others descended into hysterics... especially those who had just missed the threshold of the top thousand.
Though separated by only a single line, their fates would be worlds apart.
The thousandth place and the thousand and first place... the former would enter the Zhou Tian Divine Realm; the latter would be cast aside, losing three thousand years of cultivation in that divine realm. The difference between heaven and earth could not even begin to describe the gap.
"Those who failed to enter the top thousand on this battlefield will be sent away, your true bodies transferred outside the Zhou Tian Realm. I hope this Xuan Shen Conference may bless you with infinite futures and possibilities on your path of cultivation."
White light descended from the heavens. As the voice of Zhou Tian faded, all the projections of Xuan practitioners who had not made it into the thousand-name list vanished completely.
The quiet second battlefield now held only a thousand people. Among them was Yun Che.
"Young geniuses, you have successfully proven yourselves with your strength and will, becoming the 'chosen ones' of this Xuan Shen Conference." The voice of Zhou Tian rose several notches, even more thunderous and soul-shaking: "You will be eligible to enter the Zhou Tian Divine Realm. There, you will reshape your lives, and perhaps even completely alter your destiny."
"But before that, your battles are not yet over."
"Next, your true bodies will be sent to the Feng Shen Platform in the Zhou Tian God Realm. There, a more brutal third round of elimination awaits, and..."
"The final God-Sealing Battle!"
"A thousand chosen ones. Only thirty-two will be qualified to participate in the God-Sealing Battle!"
"And only four will ultimately be granted the title of God!"
Everyone listened intently, afraid to miss a single word. Only Yun Che closed his eyes, letting out a long, slow breath...
"Finally... finally..."
He cared not at all about the third round of elimination or the God-Sealing Battle. The phrase "will be sent to the Zhou Tian God Realm" was more than enough for him.
The journey here had been full of twists and turns, truly not easy... though with Wu Guike as an incredibly powerful stepping stone, perhaps it wasn't that hard?
He had a good idea of what kind of scene he might face after being sent to the Zhou Tian Realm, to that place called the Feng Shen Platform. But instead of worry, he was already impatient with anticipation.
"Young ones who will dominate the future of the Eastern Divine Region, go to the Feng Shen Platform and continue your battles!"
Zheng—
Light radiated down. All the projections slowly dissolved, as if melting away.
At the Feng Shen Platform in the Zhou Tian God Realm, Zhou Tian Shen Di also stood up at this moment, smiling as he said: "It seems the final results are out. Let us welcome the thousand 'chosen ones' personally selected by the Zhou Tian Pearl."
"Quhui, the current third round of preliminaries and the final God-Sealing Battle will be presided over by you. Be sure to be fair and strict!"
Behind Zhou Tian Shen Di, a middle-aged man dressed in black rose to his feet. He had a face that would make anyone who saw it jolt with palpitations—eyebrows like cold swords, slanting into his temples; his lips thin and tightly pressed, as if he had never smiled. His features were sharp and angular, every line of his facial skin carved like knife and sword. His eyes were like a hungry eagle soaring in the sky—sharp, piercing, and ice-cold.
"Rest assured, Master." Just four words, each one like a blade.
The moment he stood up, the noise on the Feng Shen Platform dropped significantly. Countless Realm King-level figures suddenly fell silent, their hearts trembling, unwilling to speak for a long time.
"Quhui Zunzhe... it's him presiding this time!" Yan Juehai said in a low voice, surprised.
"Quhui... Zunzhe?" A Phoenix disciple murmured, then suddenly remembered where he had heard that name, and let out a startled cry: "It's that... Arbiter... Quhui Zunzhe!"
"The Supreme Commander of the Zhou Tian Realm's Arbiters. In terms of fairness, strictness, and impartiality, in the Eastern Divine Region, if he claims second place, no one dares to claim first." Huo Rulie said in a low voice. "He was actually appointed to preside over the God-Sealing Battle. It appears the Zhou Tian Realm truly places great importance on this Xuan Shen Conference."
"Naturally. After all, it's related to the calamity that might erupt in the future... this isn't a game." Yan Juehai said.
The name of Quhui Zunzhe was no less famous in the Eastern Divine Region than the Four Divine Emperors.
Because he was the Supreme Commander of the Zhou Tian Realm's Arbiters. During his years leading the Arbiters, countless Xuan Dao experts and star realms had been punished by him. Once someone's evil deeds were confirmed, no matter who they were, no matter their background, no matter which star realm they belonged to, they would be subjected to extremely severe punishment—no leniency, no mercy.
His name "Quhui" meant "to purge the filth of the Eastern Domain."
Quhui was not his birth name; he had changed it after becoming the leader of the Arbiters, showing the firmness of his resolve.
He was revered and feared by countless Xuan practitioners and star realms in the Eastern Divine Region. Those with evil deeds to their name, no matter their status, would tremble just at the sound of his name.
The Zhou Tian God Realm's unparalleled prestige in the Eastern Divine Region was greatly tied to the Arbiters and to Quhui Zunzhe who led them.
The reason Wu Guike had to swallow his humiliation and comply when confronted with the first Xuan Ying Stone in Yun Che's hand... the killing of Wood Spirits was one of the major prohibitions of the Eastern Divine Region. If the contents of that Xuan Ying Stone were made public and learned by the Arbiters, even the Shenwu Realm, a very high-level upper star realm, would not be able to handle the consequences—they might even be made an example of, given the ongoing secret hunting of Wood Spirits.
White light blazed. A massive spatial profound formation suddenly appeared at the center of the Feng Shen Platform. As the formation rotated, the auras of a thousand young warriors emerged simultaneously.
As the white light dispersed, the thousand "chosen ones" who had been decided through two rounds of brutal slaughter were all presented before the eyes of the crowd.
The Feng Shen Platform stirred with commotion. More than half of the people stood up, somewhat losing their composure. Since the start of the second round of preliminaries, they had been discussing major affairs here on the Feng Shen Platform, unable to know the battlefield situation through the Star Monument—meaning they were the last to learn the results. It was only at this moment that they truly knew whether their children, disciples, or those they cared about had become part of this thousand "chosen ones."
Instantly, the Feng Shen Platform echoed with both laughter and wails. Many elders saw their descendants appear on the platform and could not suppress their excitement, laughing out loud.
"Hahahaha!" Huo Rulie locked onto Huo Poyun's aura the moment he appeared. Although he had long been confident that his disciple would be among the top thousand, seeing it with his own eyes still left him flushed with excitement, his blood boiling. He no longer cared about the occasion, and roared loudly: "Good Yun'er! Well done! Well done! You are the pride of my Golden Crow Sect, and of the entire Flame God Realm! Hahahahaha!"
Amidst the laughter, Huo Rulie did not even notice that two streams of hot tears were rolling down his face. Because Huo Poyun's success was not just a ranking, not just an honor—it would rewrite the status of the Golden Crow Sect within the Flame God Realm, and the entire future of the Flame God Realm.
And this person was his disciple.
To have such a disciple was a dream fulfilled, leaving no regrets. All his efforts were more than worth it.
"Sect Master Huo, Sect Master Yan, congratulations. It seems that your Flame God Realm has truly received the favor of the heavens this time."
Mu Huanzhi spoke to Huo Rulie and Yan Juehai. Though his congratulations were sincere, he felt a tinge of envy in his heart. Just as he finished speaking, his gaze suddenly locked, and his old eyes widened as if pricked by needles, as if he had suddenly seen the most unbelievable scene in the world.
In the middle of the thousand chosen ones, at a position most easily overlooked, he saw a person who absolutely should not be there.
"Yun... uh... thi-thi-thi-this..." Mu Huanzhi opened his mouth but could not for the life of him call out that name. He blinked heavily several times, yet still could not believe it.
"Yun Che!?" Mu Bingyun suddenly stood up, her snow-white face filled with deep shock, and a sense of disbelief no less than Mu Huanzhi's.
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[Review of Divine Path cultivation realms: Divine Origin Realm (Level 10) → Divine Soul Realm (Level 10) → Divine Tribulation Realm (Level 9) → Divine Spirit Realm (Level 10) → Divine King Realm (Level 10) → Divine Sovereign Realm (Level 10) → Divine Lord Realm (Level 10).]