The banquet in the Heavenly Palace's great hall was drawing to a close.
The fragrance of wine lingered. The Saint Kings in the hall let their smiles fade, and the mood suddenly turned grave.
He Tiangang gently set down his wine cup, his expression solemn.
"Demon-Suppressing Envoy, you're right. Neither of these sinister factions has a simple background."
"The Blood God Cult traces its origins to the Blood Ancestor. According to rumor, the Blood Ancestor is a supreme being born in Beyond Heaven. That being's will crossed the far shore and seeped into the Hengwu Domain, effortlessly creating countless fanatics willing to run errands and die in its service."
"The Black Heaven Bandit Group might seem insignificant beside the Blood God Cult, but that would be a grave mistake."
"Not long ago, the Imperial Dynasty's upper ranks received confirmed intelligence."
"Behind the Black Heaven Bandit Group stands a terrifying force spanning the entire Hengwu Domain—the Great Black Heaven. Its source is the Dark Heavenly Lord, another supreme being from Beyond Heaven, in no way inferior to the Blood Ancestor."
Li Yun's expression changed at once.
"Other Shore Heaven?"
"What kind of place is that? Some mysterious world higher than the Hengwu Domain?"
He Tiangang nodded.
"You could say that..."
"In the Hengwu Domain, those who reach the Great Sage Realm become qualified to climb the Martial Dao Ladder. After that come Heavenly Sage, Lord Sage, Saint King, Saint Emperor, Saint Sect, Saint Venerable, Saint Emperor, Dao Sage, and Supreme Sage."
"Reaching the Supreme Sage realm means reaching the pinnacle of Martial Dao in the Hengwu Domain—and the highest point of the Martial Dao Ladder, its thousandth step!"
"But unlike the Martial Dao Ladder in a Low Plane World, where a Heavenly Gate awaits beyond the hundredth step, there is no