# Chapter 1289: Signs of Crisis on the Ancient Path
"Roar…"
A tremendous roar struck like a heavy hammer against everyone's hearts, penetrating through the protective arrays of the ancient city and causing many to feel their blood churn, nearly collapsing to the ground.
Everyone was stunned. This stone man was too powerful. His blood energy filled the heavens, his aura piercing the sky like a vast ocean surging into the heavens.
The fist he swung came crashing down like a small mountain, attacking the Human Race's Tenth Sacred City with a rumbling boom and divine might that overshadowed the world.
The Tenth Sacred City had two layers of protective arrays. Because it was a special place, located in the void above a life-bearing ancient star, facing extremely powerful beings below. Thus, both layers of arrays were at the Great Saint level, established since ancient times and never damaged. Yet now they trembled violently, as if about to be breached.
"So terrifying! What realm has this stone man reached, that he can shake this city?"
"A stone man, brought here by that Saint King-level tyrannosaur. He... comes from the depths of the universe. What is his origin?!"
Everyone's hearts were shaken, fear written on their faces. This stone man was far too formidable. The blood energy he emitted was more vast than a galaxy, shocking to the soul.
Each of his strikes caused heaven and earth to split apart. The two layers of ancient Great Saint-level arrays were on the verge of being shattered, making everyone's scalps tingle with shock.
At this moment, the entire city was alarmed. Countless original inhabitants and thousands of trial-takers were all left speechless, breathing rapidly.
"Is it a Sacred Spirit?! How could this be? Who can subdue it?"
Regarding Sacred Spirits, there had been countless legends since ancient times. Their terror and ferocity were etched into people's bones; they were practically synonymous with invincibility.
From ancient times to the present, aside from the ancient Great Emperors, what other existence could suppress them?
Moreover, there were endless tales that once a true Sacred Spirit reached perfection, it would have no fear of ancient Great Emperors, for it would become an existence of the same level—invincible throughout the ages!
At this moment, many felt ice-cold throughout their bodies. If such a peerless existence attacked, the Tenth City would absolutely not be able to hold out. Everyone in the city would be buried with it, dying in space.
No one had expected such a disaster today. Especially those trial-takers who had just entered the city—their scalps went cold, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.
"It's not a fully matured Sacred Spirit. It emerged prematurely due to an accident. Otherwise, even with the most complex Great Saint-level perfected array patterns protecting this city, it would surely be breached!"
Some elderly cultivators muttered to themselves, still having some confidence that even if this stone man was ferocious and possessed heaven-defying magical power, he could never break in.
"Although it's not an invincible Sacred Spirit, it's still a disaster. There's more than one stone man deep in this star domain. Someone has previously seen an even more powerful one."
This was a fact, and also the reason many faces turned pale. Because an old Enforcer, before his passing, had claimed to have seen an absolutely terrifying stone man, a matter that still caused concern.
"Roar…"
The stone man roared, swinging his mountain-like fist, smashing it against the void above the Tenth City. Array patterns emerged one after another, ancient marks manifested like clusters of immortal fire burning. The Great Dao rumbled, swallowing the heavens.
The Guide Envoy was alarmed. Standing on a Dao platform, he looked up at the sky and said, "This creature is indeed terrifying. One foot has long stepped into the Great Saint realm, and the other foot is only missing a heel."
That tyrannosaur was also roaring, continuously diving and launching attacks. It was a supreme Sacred Beast King, its offensive power terrifyingly shocking, roaring endlessly.
"Human race, quickly return my child, or I will massacre your ancient city. Not a single one of you will survive!" This primordial tyrannosaur roared angrily.
As the cultivators in the city had suspected, someone with heaven-defying methods had stolen the divine egg laid by this tyrannosaur, enraging her.
This was like opening a Pandora's box, inviting great disaster and attracting a terrifying Sacred Beast King to attack the city.
However, it also showed from another angle how extraordinary the trial-takers who remained here were. To be able to steal the offspring of a peak Saint King-level tyrannosaur meant their own cultivation must be astonishing.
"Who did this? Truly heaven-defying in their methods, stealing a tyrannosaur's divine egg and bringing great calamity upon the entire city, becoming the source of disaster."
"Damn it! They've put all of us in a passive position. One person has implicated the entire ancient city. This egg thief certainly has skill."
The reactions among the city's various powers differed. Some admired the feat, while others gnashed their teeth in hatred, watching the tense situation develop.
"Tuolan Sacred King, why do you come demanding justice with such force?" The Guide Envoy rose into the air, clearly recognizing this tyrannosaur, and asked about the cause and process.
The Tenth Sacred City hung in the void of this ancient star, orbiting the earth like a satellite. The cultivators living in the city naturally knew the reputations of some powerful beings below.
Tuolan was a very dangerous Sacred Beast King with considerable notoriety. Normally, they kept to themselves, neither interfering with each other.
"You humans go too far! Seeing my clan's lord pass away, you bully a widow and her orphan!" Tuolan Sacred Beast King roared.
The "lord" she spoke of was once the invincible existence of this ancient star below—a Great Saint-level tyrannosaur who had dominated the world and intimidated this cosmic star domain for seven or eight thousand years.
But no matter how powerful one was, they could not resist time. He had finally passed away four years ago, his body cold, having lost all life force.
The divine egg Tuolan had laid was the offspring of that Great Saint-level lord. Now that it had been stolen, it naturally enraged Tuolan.
After gestating for dozens or hundreds of years, the little tyrannosaur lord was finally about to be born, only to meet such a fate. How could Tuolan not be furious?
This stone man was a quasi-Great Saint. In another few decades, he would likely succeed in his breakthrough. He was an old friend of the former tyrannosaur lord. Moved by Tuolan's tearful pleas for help, he had come to attack.
The cause was that simple. The divine egg had been stolen, and the human cultivators had crossed the line, enraging the Sacred Beast King to the point of attacking the city at any cost.
The Guide Envoy frowned and said, "I just used the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Mirror to illuminate the entire city. The divine egg is definitely not here. There must be some misunderstanding."
He patiently explained that although human trial-takers could be audacious, most would not dare to act so recklessly.
"Deep in the wilderness of this ancient star, there are some ancient existences of unfathomable depth. Even the former lord could not claim to have everything under his control. There may be powerful beings from his era who have not yet passed away."
The Guide Envoy analyzed patiently, advising Tuolan not to be angry. He suggested that perhaps ancient beasts of profound cultivation on the star were causing trouble, or maybe someone was framing others.
"I don't believe it! Over so many years, how many Sacred Beast descendants have you humans taken away? Do you not know? This time, someone must have taken a risk!" Tuolan roared.
She had the body of a tyrannosaur, like a green mountain peak. Each time she wielded her divine power, the ancient city shook with a rumbling sound.
And that stone man was even more terrifying, declaring that if no explanation was given, he would summon old friends and attack this place to demand justice.
Many in the city were uneasy. This was a storm of beast tides. If handled poorly, the result would be the city's destruction and the annihilation of the human race, because the attackers were too powerful.
Many believed it was most likely the work of trial-takers. After all, this divine egg was too astonishing. If made into a mount, it would surely be able to sweep across a star domain in the future.
Its parents—one a Great Saint-level lord, the other a Saint King-level tyrannosaur—such bloodline was truly astonishing, making it a very ideal divine beast cub.
Anyone would be tempted. Some even suspected that it might have been stolen by someone of the Guide Envoy's level.
"Tuolan Sacred King, please calm your anger for now. I will give you an explanation." The Guide Envoy stood on the mottled stone platform, conversing with the two powerful beings, asking them to stop their attacks. They spoke in secret for a long time.
Tuolan said, "Fine. I will trust you for now and give you some time. But if you cannot return my child by then, I will definitely fight you to the death!"
The stone man also nodded stiffly, saying, "If something happens to my never-met nephew, I will certainly raise the banner, summon old friends, and come here to demand justice."
After secretly listening to the Guide Envoy's analysis, the two could not determine whether it was the human race or other powerful beings on the ancient star who had done the deed.
They also did not want to fall out with the human race. After all, the Great Saint-level tyrannosaur lord had passed away. Opposing the human race would be very difficult. On this ancient path, the overall strength of the human race made all star domains cautious.
After all, in a certain sense, this was human territory!
The stone man retreated, and Tuolan returned to the ancient star below. The storm had temporarily subsided, but it was not over.
Immediately after, the Guide Envoy issued orders for many trial-takers to set out, seeking the root cause of this crisis—whether it was ancient beasts causing trouble or simply a human cultivator who had stolen the divine egg.
Whether they were cultivators who had arrived decades ago or those like Ye Fan who had just arrived, all had to undergo this trial and investigate the truth.
Because the Guide Envoy and others sensed a hint of crisis. This might not be a simple incident; perhaps it was the prelude to a disturbance.
"Hmm, our human race's powerful ones once saw an ancient ship in the depths of the universe, pulled by several Sacred Beasts as draft animals. Truly terrifying. Perhaps this is related."
"Old Enforcer Xu Yan, before his passing, truly saw a powerful stone man deep in the starry sky—terrifying beyond measure, his blood energy splitting the sun and moon. He also appeared in that star domain. There must be some connection!"
Within the Tenth City, in a secret chamber, the Guide Envoy conversed with two old men, discussing this incident. All were frowning.
"I've heard that some troubles have also occurred ahead. I fear that some terrifying existence is orchestrating all this, connecting the dots one by one, and then triggering an explosion. That would be a peerless great crisis!"
"We really need to pay attention. We must report this, and then first work to resolve the dark clouds on our own side."
The Tenth Sacred City was majestic and grand, its momentum magnificent. Its city walls were like mountain ranges—tall, thick, and heavy—exuding an air of grandeur.
Ye Fan and the others had only been in the city for a day, not yet familiar or understanding, when they had to set out with the cultivators who had been stationed here for decades, entering the depths of the ancient star to investigate the suspicious circumstances.
This was a dangerous trial, but also a great opportunity and challenge.
Everyone knew that this ancient star was mysterious beyond compare, containing countless heavenly treasures, immortal scripture inscriptions, secrets of ancient Great Emperors, and artifacts left by human ancestors... On ordinary days, many places were not allowed to be entered. First, to protect trial-takers from being attacked by Sacred Beasts, entry was strictly forbidden. Second, it involved many ancient secrets that could not be leaked.
But this time, the Guide Envoy informed them that they could act according to their abilities. If trial-takers felt they could enter certain forbidden zones, they were free to do so, and no one would stop them.
Some powerful cultivators rubbed their hands eagerly. Many had been stationed here for decades without moving forward, waiting for this rare opportunity that came only once every few years, preparing to seek Emperor Scriptures, human ancestral artifacts, and the like.
Legend had it that in the past, young Great Emperors, Human King Physiques, Sacred Bodies, and other invincible bloodlines had obtained extremely heaven-defying things here. Even such people valued them, praising them afterward. Naturally, others valued them even more.
To be continued...