Opening the Mountain Gate

Night fell, but Tianyan City was even more raucous than day. Thousands of lamps illuminated the entire city as if it were noon, and the streets teemed with people, surging like a tide toward the city gates.

Red lanterns hung under the eaves of taverns and tea houses, swaying gently in the night breeze, casting dappled shadows.

"Hurry up! If we're late, we won't get a good spot!"

"I heard the Yantian Sect Master's 'Blazing Heaven Art' has reached Great Accomplishment. Today, we'll finally see it in person!"

In the alleys, cultivators walked in pairs and groups, their excited chatter rising and falling.

Vendors seized the chance to set up stalls by the roadside, hawking telescopes for watching the battle, jade slips for recording, and even homemade protective talismans.

The city walls were already packed with spectators. White-haired old men leaned on canes, their cloudy eyes gleaming with anticipation; young cultivators hugged their swords, staring intently into the distance; wealthy merchants brought their families, occupying the best viewing spots under the escort of servants.

Even reclusive experts, rarely seen on ordinary days, had quietly appeared, hidden among the crowd.

Suddenly, a clear, resonant bell tolled from the clouds.

Everyone looked up. Under the bright moonlight, a fiery red streak tore through the night sky.

The Yantian Sect Master strode through the air, each step blooming with fiery lotuses beneath his feet, painting half the sky crimson.

He wore a blazing war robe, his hair and beard bristling, nine dragon phantoms swirling around him. The terrifying pressure made the spectators on the wall involuntarily step back half a pace.

At almost the same moment, azure light blazed from the other side of the sky.

The Ming He Sect Master arrived on a river of stars, leaving a trail of starlight in his wake.

He held a jade ruler, his robes fluttering, a vast star river phantom manifesting behind him, matching the Yantian Sect Master's blazing fire in equal measure.

In the shadows atop the highest tower of the city wall, Ling Cangqiong stood with his hands behind his back. This Imperial Lord of the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty wore a black dragon robe, his face hidden beneath a hood, only a pair of abyss-deep eyes watching the scene below.

Behind him, Shadow One knelt on one knee, speaking in a low voice: "His Majesty, we've confirmed seventeen forces' spies mixed in the crowd. Shall your subordinates..."

Ling Cangqiong raised a hand lightly to cut him off. "Let them watch." His voice was terrifyingly calm.

"Once these two leave Tianyan City, someone will ambush them!"

Before the words faded, a deafening boom erupted outside the city.

The two Sect Masters had already clashed. The shockwave from the collision of fire dragons and star river swept across the wilderness, shaking the city walls until they trembled.

A cry of alarm rose from the watching crowd. Some weaker cultivators were even knocked to the ground by the aftershock.

The Yantian Sect Master and the Ming He Sect Master stopped testing each other. Two world-shattering forces collided head-on!

"Roar—" Nine fire dragons howled and writhed, their blazing dragon breath scorching the void. Wherever they passed, the air twisted and the earth cracked!

But the star river power swirling around the Ming He Sect Master was no less formidable. Countless stars converged into a radiant river, crashing fiercely into the fire dragons!

"Fall back! Farther back!" someone shouted in panic. The crowd scrambled backward, desperate to avoid being caught in the blast.

Yet the true horror had only just begun.

"Dharma Aspect—Manifest!" The Yantian Sect Master bellowed. The void behind him twisted violently, and a ten-zhang-tall flame giant rose from the ground!

The giant blazed with golden flames, its eyes like twin suns. With every move, waves of heat burned the heavens, warping even space itself!

"Heavens! That's the Yantian Sect Master's Natal Dharma Aspect—the 'Blazing Heaven Dharma Idol'!" someone cried out in shock.

At nearly the same moment, the Ming He Sect Master let out a cold shout: "Dharma Aspect, open!"

"Swoosh—" Starlight gathered across the sky. A blue giant, draped in a star river, stood proudly as its Dharma Aspect!

The ten-zhang-tall giant was surrounded by radiant star rings. Every step it took left a vast star chart on the ground, as if treading on the Milky Way!

"If you like this book, to avoid losing it next time, remember to bookmark it."

"It's the Ming He Sect Master's 'Star River Dharma Idol'!" Among the spectators, someone's voice trembled with excitement. "Two peak Dharma Aspect Realm Ninth Layer experts, both unleashing their Natal Dharma Aspects at once! This battle will go down in history!"

The two Dharma Aspects faced off, their pressure like an abyss or a sea. Every cultivator within a thousand zhang felt their spirit quake. Those of lower cultivation even fell to their knees, unable to lift their heads!

"Fight!"

The Yantian Sect Master roared. The Blazing Heaven Dharma Idol threw a punch, its blazing fist wind turning into a sea of fire that surged toward the Star River Dharma Idol!

The Ming He Sect Master was not to be outdone. The Star River Dharma Idol raised a hand, drawing countless stars into a hundred-zhang giant sword of starlight, which slashed down fiercely!

Fist met sword. Heaven and earth lost their color!

Blinding light illuminated the night sky. The terrifying explosion swept across the land, shaving several zhang off the ground!

The spectators fled madly, but even so, many were sent flying backward, coughing blood from the shockwave!

"How terrifying... Is this the power of the peak Dharma Aspect Realm?" someone muttered, trembling.

Far away in the Scripture Repository, Chen Lin's gaze pierced through layers of space, as if he were witnessing the battle outside the city firsthand.

A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes, and ripples stirred involuntarily in his heart.

"So this is the true Dharma Aspect Realm..." Chen Lin murmured to himself.

Once one stepped into this realm and awakened their Natal Dharma Aspect, they could draw on the power of heaven and earth, forming a small domain. Its might was indeed not to be underestimated.

He pondered silently: And the Natal Dharma Aspect is mostly rooted in the cultivator's foundational technique—a union of Dao and self.

Chen Lin subconsciously sensed his own strength, a bitter smile rising in his heart. With my current cultivation, I probably can't even contend with a cultivator who has just stepped into the first layer of the Dharma Aspect Realm.

The gap between these realms was truly like a heavenly chasm.

But he was only at Divine Vault, so that was normal.

And reaching Dharma Aspect was merely a matter of time.

If he cultivated a King-tier technique, would that gap shrink?

Just as these thoughts turned in Chen Lin's mind, outside the city, the Sect Master battle that had lasted half an hour finally came to an end.

The lingering aftershocks of the fierce clash had yet to fully dissipate, but the final outcome was already clear—the Sect Master of the Yantian Sect had proven superior, overcoming the Sect Master of the Ming He Sect.

As the battle settled, the Yantian Sect Master suddenly stood in midair, his voice like a great bell, ringing throughout Tianyan City—

"From this day forth, my Yantian Sect opens its mountain gates wide!"

His words, carrying the pressure of the Dharma Aspect Realm, churned the clouds:

"All who enter my sect may comprehend the first six layers of the Blazing Heaven Art! Cultivators above Qi Condensation may join the outer sect!"

—Boom!

The entire city erupted instantly!

The Blazing Heaven Art!

That was a true Heaven-tier cultivation technique!

In the past, only Core Disciples were qualified to access the first six layers, and now it was open to all six layers?

Even more shocking, the entry threshold had been lowered directly from Foundation Establishment to Qi Condensation!

"Heavens! Did I hear that right?" a rogue cultivator at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation trembled with excitement.