In merely a hundred years, the place at the foot of Mount Sumeru where Shakyamuni had attained enlightenment was no longer the tranquil realm it had once been. In the heavens and upon the earth, east, west, south, north, above and below, living beings packed the space densely. Some had condensed Innate Dao Bodies, their jade-like bones shining with clear light; some had transformed into Innate Demon Gods, even taking on the forms of Chaos Demon Gods. Their bodies stretched like an endless chain of mountains, immeasurably tall, spreading out in a vast black mass like thick clouds bearing down upon the land.
Farther away, countless figures continued to arrive through the air. Some tore apart the void, some rode rainbows that pierced the sun, and some walked upon the stars, arriving in an unbroken stream. Before long, the entire Mount Sumeru—from its main peak to its jagged lesser ridges, from secluded valleys to sheer cliffs—was completely filled. The mountain's very outline was nearly swallowed by the multitude, leaving only a heavy swath of darkness. Yet though the crowd surged like the sea, not one person made a sound. It was so quiet that they could hear the faint whisper of wind sweeping over the mountain stones. This was a Sage's Dao Field—who would dare stir even a reckless thought?
Though the beings of this realm had never personally experienced a Sage's might, the telepathic message that had descended from the Ninth Heaven moments ago had struck their ears like thunder, every word carrying the heavy, vast, unfathomable breath of the Heavenly Dao—an authority that brooked no defiance. Everyone knew that it belonged to an existence older than heaven and earth, deeper than the years themselves. They had come solely to hear the Dao; no one wished to ruin an