A vast, ancient torrent of Dao Resonance surged from the hall and spread in every direction, filling the All Saints with solemn awe.
The nine saints of the age stepped forward together, crossed the thousand-year immortal stairway, and entered the supreme Holy Temple where the calamities of the Prehistoric Era were judged and the Heavenly Dao Rules decided.
Zixiao Palace was silent. Clear Qi drifted through the air, Dao Patterns descended, and the Myriad Laws fell still.
Once the saints had taken their seats, the lines within the hall were set. An oppressive undercurrent instantly filled the Great Hall.
Laozi, Yuanshi, Zhunti, and Jieyin fixed cold, grave gazes on Tongtian and the Three Ancestors. Their four stares were like blades, locking onto those seated across the hall.
Grudges built over countless calamities—schemes, losses, damage to their sects, and the draining of Auspicious Qi—gathered in their eyes and bore down on the others.
On the other side, a faint blood-red glint appeared in the eyes of the three ancient saintly ancestors: Zu Long, Ancestor Phoenix, and Ancestor Kirin.
The struggles of the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, the losses their tribes had suffered, the tug-of-war over Dao Fortune, and the hidden schemes were still fresh in their minds. But as victors, they had no reason to mind the other saints' hatred.
Zixiao Palace seemed quiet and solemn, but a storm was brewing beneath the surface.
Standing beside Dao Ancestor Hongjun, Haotian and Yaochi took in the confrontation unfolding in the hall.
Their gazes remained calm. They saw every undercurrent, every saint's state of mind, and every murderous intent, yet neither showed the slightest reaction.
They offered no words of mediation, betrayed no change in expression, and favored neither side.
They merely stood quietly beside the Dao Ancestor, eyes lowered, watching with