The Godly Apparition in the Ninth Heaven

A colossal godly apparition had appeared out of thin air above Great River City. It towered high in the ninth heaven, wreathed in Misty Purple Qi, wearing a scholar's cap, battle robes, and boots. One hand gripped a saber while the other stroked its beard. Its eyes were neither fully open nor fully closed, its gaze lowered. Boundless divine might surged forth, as if to sweep away every stain in the world.

Yet the godly apparition, which had nearly shrouded the entire city, vanished in a flash. It had remained for only a few breaths.

But even those few breaths had sent the whole city into an uproar—or, more accurately, had set the cultivators in Great River City abuzz.

Ordinary people could not sense the apparition's presence at all. But to cultivators, its overwhelming divine might stood out like the sun in the dead of night.

Throughout the city, no matter what the High Gods had been doing moments earlier, the instant the apparition appeared, they all felt it and rushed outside, lifting their heads to gaze into the ninth heaven.

Amid the clusters of buildings in Great River City, figures darted out one after another, standing in courtyards or leaping onto rooftops. Great River Sect's elders and disciples all stared at the godly apparition in the ninth heaven, rooted to the spot.

Just as Zhang Yan rushed out of the main hall and looked up at the heavens, his disciple Han Song followed close behind. Though he had caught only a fleeting glimpse before the apparition vanished, that single glance had left an indelible impression on him. The god, towering in the ninth heaven with boundless divine might, seemed branded upon his heart.

Han Song's eyes brimmed with shock and disbelief. His voice trembling, he said, "Th-that... what was that? How could such a terrifying phenomenon appear? Even if that demon had succeeded in becoming a god, surely it wouldn't have caused an anomaly like this..."

The apparition had vanished. Zhang Yan paid no heed to Han Song, who was still reeling and babbling. It wasn't just Han Song who had lost his composure; when Zhang Yan had seen that apparition and its mighty divine presence, he too had been deeply shaken.

Several figures came sweeping over. The man at their head looked to be around forty, with scholarly features and a black robe embroidered with gold thread. It was none other than Great River Sect's Sect Leader, Yang Li.

Behind him were, naturally, several Great River Sect elders whose cultivation had reached the Second Realm. Only Yang Li, as sect leader, managed to maintain some semblance of calm. The others all wore looks of shock.

After exhaling a breath of stale air, Zhang Yan bowed to Yang Li. "Greetings, Sect Leader Senior Brother. Greetings, fellow junior brothers!"

Yang Li nodded to Zhang Yan, while the other elders bowed to him in greeting. "Greetings, Second Senior Brother!"

Glancing at Han Song, Yang Li waved a hand. "You may leave. Tell the disciples to still their thoughts and guard their hearts. They must not let outside forces disturb their minds."

Back to his senses, Han Song looked ashamed and bowed respectfully to Yang Li. "I'll obey your command, Sect Leader Uncle!"

Yang Li's expression grew grave as he looked at Zhang Yan and the others. "Let's go inside and talk."

In the main hall, everyone took their seats. Third Elder Cui Ying couldn't help looking at Zhang Yan. "Second Senior Brother, what exactly was that godly apparition we just saw? Its divine might was so overwhelming that even a God or Devil with a Heavenly God status couldn't compare, could it?"

An elder's eyes widened. His face filled with disbelief, he stammered, "Could that have been a being with the legendary Emperor status?"

Seeing everyone's reactions, Zhang Yan, the most powerful and knowledgeable cultivator in Great River Sect, let out a soft sigh. "As everyone knows, when Gods, Devils, and Malevolent Spirits are born, they each possess an innate status. From lowest to highest, they are Earthly Official, Heavenly God, and Emperor. The beings we usually encounter and worship are almost all low-grade Earthly Officials. Their status is low, they're easily born, and the Incense and Fire Prayer Power needed to make them gods isn't especially great."

Zhang Yan looked around at those present. "You could say that every God or Devil worshiped by anyone in Great River Sect belongs to the Earthly Official class, though they differ in rank. But the status of the Gods and Devils enshrined in our divine palaces and divine courts also limits how far our cultivation can advance. Breaking through from the Third Realm to the Fourth Realm is like crossing a heavenly chasm. We must have a statue of a God or Devil with Heavenly God status enter our body. Without a high-status statue to guard the divine palace in our qi sea and the divine court in our Sea of Consciousness, forcing a breakthrough will cause serious injury at best, and the collapse of the qi sea and disintegration of the Sea of Consciousness at worst."

Everyone turned to look at Zhang Yan. They knew that as Great River Sect's strongest member, he had already reached the peak of the Third Realm. If not for the lack of a statue of a God or Devil with Heavenly God status, he would likely have broken through to the Fourth Realm long ago.

Yang Li's expression turned solemn as he looked at Zhang Yan. "Rest assured, Junior Brother. Even if we have to muster the strength of the entire Great River Sect, we'll help you ascend to the Fourth Realm."

Third Elder Cui Ying said gravely, "The Three Mountains Demon Subduing Venerable God, worshiped with the Incense and Fire Prayer Power of all Great River City, will gain Heavenly God status in ten years at most. Then, Second Senior Brother, you can invite it into your body to guard your divine palace, and ascending to the Fourth Realm will be a simple matter. At that point, Great River Sect will have a place in Taian Prefecture!"

Zhang Yan smiled lightly, his eyes full of confidence. "We may not even have to wait for the Three Mountains Demon Subduing Venerable God to gain Heavenly God status. Over the years, I've slain many Gods, Devils, and Malevolent Spirits, using their Origin Status Shards to feed the Red-faced One-horned Ghost God within me. At this rate, in just a few years, the Red-faced One-horned Ghost God will break through its shackles and rise from high-grade Earthly Official status to low-grade Heavenly God status."

Everyone was delighted. They clearly hadn't expected that their usually unrestrained Second Elder had, without a word and without relying on the sect's strength, raised the status of the god within him and was on the verge of reaching the Fourth Realm.

Amid a chorus of congratulations, Yang Li, the sect leader, gave a light cough. "Everyone, Second Junior Brother's imminent rise to the Fourth Realm is certainly Great River Sect's greatest event in over a century. But for now, we should discuss what that godly apparition in the ninth heaven was."

At Yang Li's words, everyone's expressions turned grave.

Zhang Yan's expression also grew solemn as he continued, "Statuses differ in rank. Some Heavenly God statuses require the strength of an entire city and a century of Incense Offering before they can come into being. Others require offerings from an entire prefecture. But an Emperor status requires the strength of an entire nation, the approval of its people, and the backing of tens of millions of prayers offered through incense and fire before it might be born."

Cui Ying nodded slightly, mulling it over. "Once it grows to maturity, a single being with Emperor status can suppress an entire nation. Such a being is exceedingly rare. Great River City is hardly worthy of one, and there absolutely can't be a statue of a being with Emperor status here. Perhaps that phenomenon was the manifestation of a top-tier Heavenly God status."

But as soon as Cui Ying finished speaking, Yang Li and Zhang Yan shook their heads in unison. "No. That god was absolutely beyond comparison with a Heavenly God."

Drawing a deep breath, Zhang Yan's eyes gleamed. "Perhaps you didn't see the Misty Purple Qi that flashed across the ninth heaven when the apparition appeared. You should know that Misty Purple Qi is one of the symbols of Emperor status."

Expressions of solemnity, tension, and concern appeared on everyone's faces. If that was truly the case, then they could be almost certain: the godly apparition had been the manifestation of a being with Emperor status.