Celestial Venerables were divided into upper, middle, and lower ranks, but this division was not based on their actual cultivation.
Strictly speaking, a Celestial Venerable's cultivation was at the Great Realm Lord level. After the World Within expanded several times, it would gradually enter a state of stagnation. What truly allowed Celestial Venerables to surpass Realm Lords was that Heavenly Mandate.
Thus, the difference between an Upper Celestial Venerable, Middle Celestial Venerable, and Lower Celestial Venerable lay in the strength of that Heavenly Mandate.
Saint Altar Celestial Venerable's Heavenly Mandate actually belonged to the category of "summoning." This type of Heavenly Mandate was relatively weak and ranked near the very bottom among Celestial Venerables. It could not even reach the level of a Middle Celestial Venerable!
However, Saint Altar Celestial Venerable had reached the level of an Upper Celestial Venerable precisely because of the special nature of this altar.
The Saint Race desolate beasts summoned from this altar were all extraordinarily powerful. Every one of them possessed strength comparable to a Lower Celestial Venerable, while some Saint Race desolate beasts had special abilities even comparable to the Heavenly Mandates of Middle Celestial Venerables!
Like this Qiongqi, which the Old Patriarch had directly crushed beneath his foot—it was an exceptionally terrifying fiendish beast.
If Luo Zheng had fought it one-on-one, he might not necessarily have gained the upper hand...
But the Old Patriarch had now attacked with the Great Lotus Bloom, harnessing the might of the entire cosmos. His strength was unprecedentedly formidable, and with that single attack, he had stomped the tiger-headed, ox-bodied Qiongqi into a bloody mess...
The Saint Race had never expected the Heavenly Rank Race to strike at this moment. A trace of astonishment appeared on Saint Altar Celestial Venerable's face, but then he seemed to realize