Chapter 1432: Usurpation
How many decades does a mortal have in a lifetime? Looking back, wrinkles have quietly crept onto the face, writing the traces of years, rosy cheeks turn to white hair, youth flows away like water.
Ten years is truly not a short span of time. It carries significant weight in a person's life—it may be unforgettable, it may be brilliant and splendid, it may be bleak and disappointing.
A cultivator's lifespan is relatively long; ten years might be but a snap of the fingers, perhaps causing no ripples in the trajectory of their life. However, on the Other Shore, these ten years have proven to be extraordinary for the various heroes.
These ten years were destined to be unforgettable for the God!
He stood high above, dominating the Eight Wastelands with none to rival him. Yet after ten years had passed, his situation became precarious. The entire world discussed how his life had reached its end, how his fate was no longer secure.
The Supreme God would take his place and emerge into the world—this rumor shook his foundation and status. The most direct and obvious consequence was the weakening of faith and the sharp decline of his divine power.
The outside world would not understand what this faith power meant to him. Once lost, he might truly fall from the divine altar and lose his ruling position.
However, no matter what actions he took, displaying his heaven-reaching divine might and sweeping across the Other Shore, nothing could change the situation.
Rumors ran rampant. The idea that the God would die had taken root in people's hearts. Many believed that he truly could not continue, that he had entered his twilight years and could no longer turn things around.
These factors compounded, producing terrible consequences. The faith was no longer pure, no longer vast. The divine ring outside his body was no longer so radiant—it could even be described as dim.
Only when he expended his origin would brilliant light cover the sky and blot out the earth.
Now, not to mention the outside world, even some hall masters, divine elders, and Dao protectors within the Divine Domain had wavered in their hearts, believing that he might truly be entering his later years.
"My divine might covers the world, sweeping across all heavens and myriad domains without equal—who can oppose me?" The God was furious, roaring alone atop that lofty divine altar, shaking the entire Divine Domain violently.
No one responded. The vast Divine Domain was silent as a graveyard.
From this, one could see the situation. The hearts of the people in the Divine Domain were unstable. Many remained silent, believing they had discerned some clues and began to calculate seriously in their minds.
"I stand atop the divine altar—who can oppose me? The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, I am the peak." The God shouted, nearly mad, because he sensed something and stared coldly at the high, lofty void.
The divine altar was magnificent, towering far higher than a majestic mountain. Together with the altar, he radiated an indestructible divine light, dazzling and brilliant, overlooking the world.
No one answered him. Only he himself surveyed the four directions. His heroic posture covered the world, emitting an aura that made all heavens tremble. He truly seemed like a peerless divine lord, yet now people doubted his ruling position.
The divine altar seemed forged from divine metal, supreme and majestic, emitting boundless light, its pressure spanning the ages. Around it, ancient trees grew in clusters, and a small blue stone path wound through them.
A most loyal maidservant came along the path, trembling with fear. She knelt on the ground, kowtowing to the divine altar, and said, "Your Majesty, even if your divine might covers the world, you must beware of the merciless passage of time. You should make preparations early."
"You also doubt that I am failing?" The God shouted, his body blazing with light, the brilliant divine ring outside him surging like a vast ocean, cascading downward.
With a puff, the maidservant turned into a mist of blood, scattering with the wind, disappearing without a trace.
Boom!
In the distance, one massive divine statue after another rumbled and trembled violently. These were left behind by the Gods of past generations sitting in meditation, as if they sensed something.
An aged voice came, saying, "God, supreme ruler, you are all-powerful, but in the end, you cannot withstand the years. Even possessing a supreme imperial artifact cannot resist reincarnation."
The God's expression grew even colder. His gaze shifted, shooting down from the brilliant divine altar, but he could not find the target.
The Divine Domain shook greatly. Almost everyone was terrified. Had someone begun to challenge the God's authority? Perhaps... a new Supreme God was about to be born!
The surroundings fell silent. No sound remained. The entire heaven and earth lost all voice, dead and desolate.
"A jumping clown, nothing but a chicken or dog in my eyes, not worth a single blow. If you dare to appear, I will crush you all!" The God's majestic voice spread throughout the Divine Domain, making everyone tremble.
This vast divine might made people feel his power, like an unattainable monument eternally standing above the divine altar, pressing down on the Eight Wastelands.
The Divine Domain fell into stillness. No one knew how long passed before the God's gaze shifted to the most sacred place in the Divine Domain. There stood an ancient mountain, flowing with the power of life. No one could approach it. Upon closer inspection, it was even more majestic than the divine altar.
This was the Life Ancient Mountain, the most core forbidden zone of the Divine Domain. No one could set foot there. On ordinary days, it was guarded by a supreme imperial artifact, and only the God could slumber there.
On the mountain, mist flowed, essence energy was like small rivers, and all kinds of light cascaded down.
On the ancient divine mountain, there was a Life Ancient Tree. Its trunk was rough, its bark cracked, like scales upon scales of a dragon. Its branches stretched out vigorously, and the leaves were emerald green and crystalline, shining brightly, as if forged from pieces of emerald green immortal gold, dazzling and brilliant.
Life essence was thick and inseparable, making this place supremely sacred. As soon as one approached, it felt as if one would ascend and become an immortal, every pore opening to absorb the essence of life.
"I still have the Life Ancient Tree—who can deprive me of my years?" The God roared. His gray-white hair was disheveled, dancing wildly in the wind, and his eyes grew even more piercing.
Divine light submerged him, hiding his true appearance. This was only the silhouette revealed, making people understand that his age was truly not young.
"Your Majesty has already consumed the essence of the Life Ancient Tree and lived a second life. Even possessing it now has no effect." In the distance, many ancient divine statues trembled again, transmitting such a voice.
The crowd was horrified. Someone was truly challenging the God, entering the Divine Domain to converse with him. Did they have the strength to fight?
Boom!
The magnificent divine altar shook. The God flew down, landing on the divine statues. Silver ripples spread, destroying heaven and earth. He seized a blurry form and with a puff turned it into dust. From then on, the Divine Domain returned to calm.
"Regardless, the God has lost absolute rule. Whether he has truly entered his twilight years or been schemed against, it is enough to show that a great storm is about to come. We must prioritize self-preservation."
This was a sentence spoken by a divine elder after leaving the Divine Domain to his own people, revealing the subtlety and terror of the situation, a warning and hint to those close to him.
Anyone living in the Divine Domain knew that the transition between old and new Gods was never smooth. It was always accompanied by a bloody storm, the most terrifying of all.
History had proven more than once that the bloody cycle was always playing out. People believed that in the next hundred years, the Other Shore would turn into a sea of blood, become a hell, and everyone would be in danger.
The Divine Domain suddenly became much quieter. The great commanders, the many divine armies, the divine elders, and the Dao protectors all fell silent, silently watching the development of the situation.
"The God is failing. A new God has been born. Gentlemen, pay homage early, lest you be purged in the future."
On the Other Shore, rumors spread everywhere, all kinds of discussions arose. In many great clans, a new divine statue had been secretly erected. It was martial and solemn, its entire body radiating precious light.
This was a middle-aged deity, looking heroic and majestic, more real than the blurry old divine statue. It was actually sculpted in true form.
"The Supreme God Qing Yu Tian descends to the world. This era shall be established!"
The whole world was greatly shaken. A new God had been born, named Qing Yu Tian, spreading throughout the world. Some great clans seeking to speculate began to worship him in advance, shaking the world.
Subsequently, news leaked. The divine statue was secretly transmitted everywhere. Almost all great clans began to secretly sculpt it, just in case. Many powerful clans even began to enshrine it in their shrines.
For the God, this was clearly a catastrophic consequence. His faith power plummeted sharply, from doubt to current disbelief. The world no longer believed in him. His authority was challenged. The Divine Dynasty was about to collapse.
This was a terrible upheaval. From this day on, the faith power he received was so little that it was unbelievable. His entire body had no divine radiance, and he could only rely on his own power to function.
Otherwise, his true form would be revealed, exposed to the world, lacking that sense of majesty.
Such was the power of faith. If people's hearts were unstable, it could be consumed rapidly, declining quickly. It was not so reliable.
And in these ten years, the number one demon of the world had gained great fame, known throughout the world. Because he appeared several times every year, always at large, provoking divine authority, yet the God could do nothing about him.
It could be said that the God's authority had been offended. He was the foremost in this path, becoming the greatest heresy in this world. In the eyes of many, he was a stubborn element trying to pull the God down from the divine altar, the greatest demon in the human world.
"Hiding in a valley to cultivate and still getting shot? Damn it, I curse that usurping new God to die suddenly on the day he takes the throne!" In the Yin Yang Valley, the Dragon Horse said viciously.
Now the situation was very clear. This was a huge conspiracy. Someone was impatient, wanting to replace the old God. Because Ye Fan had never gone out to show off, someone was using him to create chaos and blaspheme the old God.
What realm the God was in became their greatest doubt. He seemed to surpass the Great Sage, but there were some doubts that made them puzzled.
They did not interfere, because the outside world was too dangerous. Even as powerful as the Bull Demon King, as terrifying as the Sacred Spirit who possessed the Immortal Tear Green Gold Ruler, they all stayed low. The various Great Sages had been lying dormant for the past ten years.
"The God will die. The Supreme God descends to the world, taking his place. Qing Yu Tian shall be established!"
Time passed quickly. This was the second decade!
No one expected the new God's offensive to be so fierce, so direct. He began to openly usurp the throne, announcing to the world that he would enter the Divine Domain.
The world was in chaos. The Divine Domain shook. The great commanders, divine elders, holy maidens, and hall masters were all uneasy, not knowing how to choose.
"I wield the supreme imperial artifact—who can contend with me?" The old God roared.
However, on this day, the Divine Domain nearly collapsed. The supreme imperial artifact did not heed his summons, breaking through the sky and leaving the divine altar.
"The divine diagram remains neutral, not helping either side!" a divine elder said in shock.
At the same time, many outside the Divine Domain were shocked. The Bull Demon King, the Sacred Spirit, the Golden Toad, the Gray Flood Dragon, and other Great Sages from beyond the star domain had been watching. Seeing this scene, they felt cold from head to toe.
The supreme imperial artifact of the Divine Domain was actually a diagram array. Looking at the runes on it and the boundless killing aura flowing from it, it was clearly of the same origin as the four killing swords in the Life Spring of the Ancient Heavenly Venerable.
"It is... the diagram array of the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable!" The crowd was shocked. If this item were in hand, one could obtain the four killing swords in the future, combining them to become invincible under heaven.
The divine diagram hung in the sky, floating above the Divine Domain, guarding the Life Ancient Tree. It slowly rotated, its momentum vast, as if it could shatter all heavens and myriad worlds. Chaotic mist rose, terrifying and boundless.
"It is the Immortal Slaying Diagram Array. I never thought it would be here." At this final critical moment, Pang Bo and Ye Fan also arrived, observing from the shadows, wanting to see what a true divine battle was like!