The Upper Realm was vast and boundless, divided into three thousand continents.
Across this vast territory stood supreme powers guarded by Divine Kings, ancient lineages that had been passed down for millions of years, and mysterious organizations hidden at the edge of chaos.
The strong were as numerous as a forest, and the laws were strict.
The legend of the "Dust Star Gate" had circulated throughout the Upper Realm for tens of millions of years.
After all, this was the entrance to the inheritance left behind by the Ancient Divine King Titan, Dust Star Daoist. Whoever obtained the inheritance key and entered had a chance to gain a Divine King-level opportunity.
Over the millions of years, countless factions had spent enormous resources searching every corner of the universe for traces of the Dust Star Gates.
Some factions had been lucky enough to find one, but because they could not unravel the secrets of the inheritance key, they could only designate it as a Forbidden Zone and guard it.
Some factions had fought earth-shaking battles over a Dust Star Gate, ultimately leaving both sides gravely wounded.
There had even been Divine King-level experts who personally tried to force open the stone gate, only to be struck back by the remnant Divine Rule of Dust Star Daoist and suffer severe injuries.
Yet on the third day after Bai Ye obtained Dust Star Daoist's complete inheritance, the seventy-two Dust Star Gates discovered throughout the Upper Realm had almost simultaneously begun to fade away.
The first to discover the anomaly was the "Purple Extreme Divine King Family."
The Purple Extreme Family had been passed down for thirty million years. Their ancestors had once met Dust Star Daoist by chance, and their family's Forbidden Zone guarded a Dust Star Gate.
On this day, the Forbidden Zone's guardian suddenly sent an urgent report, stating that the stone gate had begun turning transparent and the Divine Patterns covering its surface were gradually dimming!
The family patriarch, Zi Ji Tian Chen, a supreme expert who had reached the Divine King Third Layer, immediately went personally to the Forbidden Zone.
When he arrived, the pitch-black stone gate that had stood for ten million years was transforming into specks of starlight and slowly dissipating into the air.
The instant the stone gate vanished, a faint yet distinct wave of Divine King Inheritance spread through the void of the Upper Realm before falling completely silent.
"The inheritance... was taken by someone?"
Zi Ji Tian Chen stood at the center of the Forbidden Zone, purple-gold Divine Rule power surging around him. His eyes were filled with disbelief and intense greed. "Ten million years! A full ten million years! Someone actually obtained all of Dust Star Daoist's inheritance!"
He immediately ordered all the family elders and core members to be summoned. Dozens of terrifying auras instantly gathered inside the Council Hall, the weakest of them belonging to Divine Venerable Realm experts!
"Patriarch, the disappearance of the Dust Star Gate—does it mean the inheritance has fallen into someone else's hands?"
Grand Elder Zi Ji Yuan asked in a low voice, anxiety coloring his tone.
The Purple Extreme Family had paid countless prices to guard this stone gate. How could they accept it now that the inheritance had fallen into another's hands?
"That's right." Zi Ji Tian Chen nodded, his expression solemn. "That wave just now was precisely the mark of Dust Star Daoist's inheritance. It seems someone not only entered Dust Star Valley but also passed every trial!"
"Pass down the order. Mobilize every intelligence network the family possesses and thoroughly investigate all recent anomalies in the Upper Realm, especially True God Realm cultivators among the younger generation. We must find the inheritor!"
"Patriarch, how should we deal with this person if we find him?" A middle-aged elder's eyes flashed with ruthless intent. "Dust Star Daoist's inheritance is of immense importance. It absolutely cannot fall into an outsider's hands!"
"Reclaim the inheritance at any cost!" Zi Ji Tian Chen's voice was cold, carrying unquestionable authority. "If the other party knows what's good for him and is willing to offer up the inheritance, we can spare his life and take him in as an affiliated force of the family. If he resists, erase him directly—body and soul!"
The elders in the Council Hall nodded one after another, greed glittering in all their eyes.
A Divine King-level inheritance was enough to raise the Purple Extreme Family's strength another level. It might even give them a chance to break into the Divine Emperor Realm. They could never afford to miss it!
The news spread rapidly through the major factions of the Upper Realm like a surging tide.
The sect master of the "Blazing Heaven Divine Sect," Fen Tian Zhan, was seated in the sect's Ancestral Land, refining a Divine Emperor-level flame seed.
When news of the Dust Star Gate's disappearance arrived, he suddenly opened his eyes. Two golden flames shot from them, burning two black holes into the void before him.
"Someone actually obtained the Dust Star inheritance?" Fen Tian Zhan's voice carried fury and unwillingness.
As a newly rising superpower in the Upper Realm, the Blazing Heaven Divine Sect had devoted itself to searching for the Dust Star Gates for nearly a million years. It had even lost three Divine Venerable Realm elders in the process. Now someone else had gotten there first—how could they endure it?
He immediately summoned the master of the sect's "Hunting Hall," a supreme expert at the ninth layer of the Heavenly God Realm. "Lead every member of the Hunting Hall and split up across the Three Thousand Continents. You must find the inheritor!"
"Remember, alive, I want the man; dead, I want the corpse. The inheritance must be brought back to the sect!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Hunting Hall Master bowed and accepted the order. He then turned into a streak of fire and vanished into the Ancestral Land.
At the headquarters of the Upper Realm's neutral organization, the "Eternal Dao Alliance," inside a giant palace suspended in the chaotic Cloud Sea, the alliance master, Gu Dao Zhen Ren, was playing chess with the various elders.
When news of the Dust Star Gate's disappearance arrived, the chess piece in his hand abruptly stopped in midair, and a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.
"I never expected that, after ten million years, someone would truly be able to unravel Dust Star Daoist's inheritance trials."
Gu Dao Zhen Ren sighed softly and placed the chess piece down. "Back then, Dust Star Daoist was a Divine King Titan capable of contending with experts of the Divine Emperor Realm. His inheritance is enough to stir the balance of the Upper Realm."
"Alliance Master, should we intervene?" a white-haired elder asked. "If the Purple Extreme Family or the Blazing Heaven Divine Sect obtains the inheritance, it will be disadvantageous to our Eternal Dao Alliance."
"No need." Gu Dao Zhen Ren shook his head, his gaze deep. "Let's watch the situation for now. The inheritor was able to pass Dust Star Daoist's trials, so he is no ordinary person. Perhaps he can bring new variables to the Upper Realm."
"We only need to watch closely and make plans once the situation becomes clear."
Aside from these supreme factions, countless middle- and small-scale forces and Rogue Cultivators throughout the Upper Realm were also shaken.
"The Dust Star Gates have vanished! Someone took the inheritance!"
"Who? Just who could have such an opportunity?"
"A legend spanning ten million years has finally reached its conclusion! If I can find this person, even a shred of the inheritance would be enough to let me break through to the Divine Venerable Realm!"
Countless cultivators spontaneously formed search parties and roamed every corner of the Three Thousand Continents, attempting to find traces of the inheritor.
The air of the Upper Realm seemed to turn thick and tense in an instant. A struggle over the Divine King Inheritance was already quietly brewing in the shadows.
At this moment, Bai Ye, who was in the Azure Cloud Sect of Azure State in the Lower Realm, still knew nothing about it.
He was immersed in cultivation, constantly tempering the foundation of the True God Realm.
He was making his final preparations to break through to the Heavenly God Realm!
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