Arc 285The Southern Region Contest

Ye Lin gained Saintly insights from the black jade slip, then joined the Southern Region front and proposed a contest to decide how the Great Frost Imperial Dynasty’s territory would be divided. The armies of the three dynasties began competing in the vast Arena, where the Heavenward Imperial Dynasty won its opening match and the Myriad Buddha Army battled the Myriad Demon Army.

  • Ye Lin studied the black jade slip’s Saintly visions, gained his first grasp of the Dao, and agreed to serve Su Cheng in exchange for the opportunity.
  • Su Cheng appointed Ye Lin deputy commander, and Ye Lin joined Nie Zhao on the Southern Region front.
  • Ye Lin proposed that the three dynasties settle their dispute through a contest, with the losing sides withdrawing from the region.
  • Su Cheng ordered Nie Zhao to hold the contest rather than attack the Great Frost Imperial Dynasty, and the three dynasties built an enormous Arena.
  • Nie Zhao’s three million soldiers formed the Human Ancestor War Soul and defeated the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty’s Ancestral Dragon War Soul in one strike.
  • Wuchen challenged Liu Zheng to a battle between the Myriad Buddha Army and the Myriad Demon Army, and both forces assembled in the Arena.
  • The Myriad Buddha Army’s golden barrier withstood the Demon Army’s initial assault, but the combined attack of its Quasi-Saints and soldiers made the barrier falter.
  • The Buddhist Quasi-Saints broke through with a Vajra Seal, drove back the Demon Quasi-Saints, and led their forces in a charge as Buddhist light pursued and purified millions of demons.
Chapters 7120–7144 Vol. 72 Read

Ch. 7120Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 261

Su Cheng revealed that the Heavenward Imperial Dynasty’s true treasure was an ancient jade slip containing incomplete insights into attaining sainthood, and Ye Lin became interested in examining it. The chapter ended with the jade slip exposed in the center of the vault.

  • Ye Lin rejected the Heavenward Token, judging its Sixth Heaven Quasi-Saint projection too weak to be useful to him.
  • Ye Lin told Su Cheng that none of the nine openly displayed treasures truly interested him.
  • Su Cheng formed a hand seal that activated the nine treasures and raised a hidden jade platform from the center of the hall.
  • Su Cheng explained that the black jade slip contained an incomplete insight into attaining the Daluo Golden Immortal of the Origin realm, also called a Saint.
  • Ye Lin was surprised by the revelation and decided the jade slip was worth examining.

Ch. 7121Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 262

Ye Lin negotiated with Su Cheng for permission to inspect the jade slip, agreeing to help Heavenward Imperial Dynasty for ten years if its contents benefited him. When Ye Lin touched it, his consciousness was drawn into a boundless Void, where he lost all his cultivation and saw a light reveal a seated figure.

  • Ye Lin asked to examine the jade slip, and Su Cheng explained that only successive Imperial Lords had been allowed to study it.
  • Ye Lin offered to assist Su Cheng for ten years if the jade slip proved useful to him, and Su Cheng agreed.
  • Ye Lin touched the jade slip on the white jade platform and was pulled out of the treasure vault.
  • Ye Lin awoke in a boundless Void with his cultivation, sacred power, and divine sense stripped away.
  • A light filled the Void, revealing a figure seated cross-legged with its back to Ye Lin.

Ch. 7122Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 263

Ye Lin witnessed a Saint create a world with a single gesture and listened as the Saint recited profound truths about the Dao. The chapter left Ye Lin struggling to comprehend the Saint’s words and the Dao they revealed.

  • Ye Lin encountered an immeasurably powerful Saint in the Void and recognized the gulf between the Saint and even peak Quasi-Saints.
  • The Saint touched the Void with one finger, causing a world to emerge from Chaos and evolve into heaven, earth, and all things.
  • Ye Lin realized that the gesture embodied the Dao and that the world’s creation compressed countless ages of evolution into an instant.
  • The Saint recited, “The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao,” and continued with teachings about names, Heaven and Earth, and all things.
  • Ye Lin endured the impact on his Primordial Spirit and tried to memorize and comprehend the Saint’s words.

Ch. 7123Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 264

Ye Lin experienced the life and Dao insights of the ancient power whose legacy was sealed in the jade slip. After enduring the flood of visions, he received the figure’s final word: “Go.”

  • Ye Lin watched images of the Dao and creation unfold as the ancient figure fixed its gaze on him.
  • Ye Lin saw the figure comprehend the Dao, create a world, teach across myriad worlds, and eventually fall after sealing its final insight in the jade slip.
  • Ye Lin struggled to endure the figure’s memories and insights, determined not to miss the opportunity.
  • The visions faded, and the ancient figure spoke its final word to Ye Lin: “Go.”

Ch. 7124Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 265

After experiencing a Saint’s insights through the black jade slip, Ye Lin emerged with a clearer path to sainthood and thanked Su Cheng. He accepted Su Cheng’s proposal, though Su Cheng refused to directly act against the Great Frost Imperial Dynasty.

  • Ye Lin awoke before the white jade platform after experiencing three days of visions through the black jade slip.
  • Ye Lin realized the visions had given him genuine Saintly insights and a clearer direction for advancing toward sainthood.
  • Ye Lin bowed to the ancient power who had shown him the insights.
  • Su Cheng congratulated Ye Lin on his gains, and Ye Lin thanked him for making the experience possible.
  • Ye Lin agreed to Su Cheng’s earlier proposal, but Su Cheng said he would not directly move against the Great Frost Imperial Dynasty.

Ch. 7125Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 266

Ye Lin stayed in the Heavenward Imperial Dynasty after receiving an acquired supreme treasure and viewing a jade slip containing a saint’s insight. He spent three days and nights reliving the vision and grasped a glimpse of the difference between a quasi-saint and a saint, though he could not yet comprehend its full scope.

  • Su Cheng arranged a place for Ye Lin to stay and privately wondered whether his investment in Ye Lin would pay off.
  • Ye Lin settled into his residence and spent three days and nights quietly recalling the vision from the jade slip.
  • Ye Lin immersed himself in the vision of a figure opening Heaven and felt the Dao’s transformation of Chaos into heaven and earth.
  • Ye Lin heard the figure’s teachings clearly and glimpsed the fundamental difference between a quasi-saint within the Dao and a saint who had become one with it.
  • Ye Lin returned to reality and concluded that his current cultivation and understanding were still insufficient to grasp the full mysteries of a saint.

Ch. 7126Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 267

After years of meditating on the Void and the figure he had witnessed, Ye Lin broke through the barrier separating him from the Dao and gained his first understanding of it. He tested his insight with a finger that stirred the Void, then realized his growth would now accelerate.

  • Ye Lin resumed meditation and spent years absorbing the Void, the figure’s teachings, and the scenes of Heaven-Opening and Earth-Cleaving.
  • Ye Lin’s Dao heart transformed as he accepted countless possible paths instead of clinging to a single road.
  • Ye Lin realized that the figure, the Void, and every event he had witnessed were all the Dao, and the barrier between himself and the Dao shattered.
  • Ye Lin left the stone chamber and saw the Dao revealed in the mountains, clouds, and sky.
  • Ye Lin entered the Void and touched it with one finger, producing ripples and phantoms of the world.
  • Ye Lin recognized this as his first grasp of the Dao and understood that his cultivation would advance swiftly from then on.

Ch. 7127Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 268

After emerging from seclusion, Ye Lin agreed to serve Su Cheng on the Southern Region front lines for the remaining eight years of their arrangement. Su Cheng appointed him deputy commander and sent him to join Nie Zhao as the three Imperial Dynasties’ invasion continued.

  • Su Cheng congratulated Ye Lin on his progress and recalled being unable to understand the power of Ye Lin’s strike.
  • Su Cheng explained that the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty, the Tranquil Heart Imperial Dynasty, and his own Imperial Dynasty had seized four-fifths of the Southern Region, but disagreements had arisen among them.
  • Su Cheng asked Ye Lin to oversee the front lines and restrain enemy experts, and Ye Lin agreed to honor their arrangement.
  • Su Cheng gave Ye Lin his Identity Token, appointed him deputy commander, and ordered him to join Nie Zhao for the remaining eight years of service.
  • Ye Lin took the Identity Token and set off for the Southern Region front lines, intending to repay Su Cheng’s generosity.

Ch. 7128Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 269

Ye Lin traveled to the Southern Region and joined the Heavenward Imperial Dynasty's forces as deputy marshal under Nie Zhao. The three imperial dynasties had surrounded the Great Frost Imperial Dynasty but remained in a stalemate, and Ye Lin arrived as the generals studied a sand table of the region.

  • Ye Lin headed to the Southern Region using the map Su Cheng had sent him.
  • The three imperial dynasties had seized most of the Southern Region and surrounded the Great Frost Imperial Dynasty, but their armies held back because they distrusted one another.
  • Ye Lin presented Su Cheng's Identity Token to a guard and asked to see Marshal Nie Zhao.
  • Nie Zhao introduced Ye Lin as the Emperor's personally appointed deputy marshal, and the gathered generals accepted his authority.
  • Ye Lin approached the sand table, which depicted the Southern Region's mountains, rivers, cities, and factions.

Ch. 7129Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 270

Ye Lin listened as the generals debated how to defeat the Great Frost Imperial Dynasty while guarding against the other two imperial dynasties, then asked why their Emperors could not simply use their dynasties’ fortune to crush invading armies. The generals had not answered when the chapter ended.

  • Ye Lin examined a miniature world that represented the entire Southern Region and asked what the generals were discussing.
  • The generals argued over how to attack the Great Frost Imperial Dynasty while preventing the other two imperial dynasties from exploiting the conflict.
  • The generals rejected a plan to divide the Great Frost Imperial Dynasty’s territory equally because they distrusted one another and feared betrayal.
  • Ye Lin asked why an imperial dynasty’s Emperor could not use its fortune to defeat invading armies, given that Emperors could not enter another dynasty’s territory.

Ch. 7130Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 271

Ye Lin learned why the Great Frost Imperial Dynasty was weakening and why Su Tao could not attack, then offered a plan to help the Southern Region resist the other imperial dynasties. The chapter ended with Nie Zhao eagerly asking Ye Lin to explain his idea.

  • Nie Zhao explained that the Great Frost Imperial Dynasty's declining fortune weakened Su Tao, who was already struggling under pressure from the other three dynasties.
  • Nie Zhao said Su Tao's strength would likely fall to the third level of Quasi-Saint within half a year, making the dynasty easy to defeat.
  • The generals discussed their difficulty resisting the other two imperial dynasties, whose forces were equal in number and strength.
  • Ye Lin offered to share a solution, hoping to repay Su Cheng for his gifts and Saint's insights.
  • Nie Zhao asked Ye Lin to explain his idea.

Ch. 7131Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 272

Ye Lin proposed settling the three Imperial Dynasties’ struggle for the Southern Region through an Arena betting match, with each side wagering its powerhouses, battle formations, and armies. Nie Zhao accepted the idea and decided to ask the Emperor to have all three Emperors guarantee fair play.

  • Ye Lin proposed that the armies, powerhouses, and battle formations of the three Imperial Dynasties compete, with each losing side withdrawing from the Southern Region.
  • The generals debated the plan, while Nie Zhao warned that the other side might ignore the rules and attack their home base.
  • Ye Lin said the three Emperors should vouch for the match, making the rulers accountable for keeping their promises.
  • Nie Zhao approved the plan and decided to send word to the Emperor.

Ch. 7132Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 273

Wang Teng waited at Broken Soul Mountain for his duel with Su Mo, but Su Mo never appeared. Three messengers reported that Su Mo had slaughtered Wang Teng’s entire family, leaving Wang Teng demanding to know if it was true.

  • Wang Teng and Su Mo agreed to settle their feud in a duel at Broken Soul Mountain, with their Tribulation Transcendence Realm masters backing them.
  • Crowds gathered at the mountain, but Su Mo failed to arrive as the hours passed.
  • Wang Teng’s master tried to contact Su Mo after growing concerned about his absence.
  • Three messengers rushed in and told Wang Teng that Su Mo had slaughtered all 13,483 members of his family.
  • Wang Teng turned on the messengers and demanded to know whether their report was true.

Ch. 7133Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 274

Ye Lin used a story about Su Mo and his master being shamed for generations to warn that even the Emperors could suffer lasting disgrace. He believed the three great Emperors would support his proposal to avoid that fate.

  • Wang Teng's master accused Su Mo of betraying Wang Teng and slaughtering his clan, then left with Wang Teng as other cultivators looked down on Su Mo's master.
  • Su Mo returned to the sect and proudly told his master how he had tricked Wang Teng, so his master severed their bond and crippled his cultivation.
  • Su Mo's master endured years of ridicule from fellow Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, and both he and Su Mo became infamous as disgraces in history.
  • Ye Lin reasoned that the three great Emperors would back his proposal rather than risk becoming objects of eternal shame.

Ch. 7134Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 275

Nie Zhao relayed Su Cheng’s orders to hold a competition instead of attacking the Great Frost Imperial Dynasty, and the three imperial dynasties prepared an Arena outside its gates. The Great Frost experts endured the public taunts, knowing they could not safely retaliate.

  • Nie Zhao told the gathered generals that Su Cheng had ordered them not to attack the Great Frost Imperial Dynasty yet and to set up an Arena outside its gates.
  • Nie Zhao invited the marshals of the other two imperial dynasties to discuss the competition, and they finalized its date for three days later.
  • Experts transported treasures and built a massive Arena from materials that even third-level Quasi-Saints could not shake.
  • The three imperial dynasties sent cultivators to announce that the competition would decide how to divide the Great Frost Imperial Dynasty’s territory.
  • The Great Frost experts were enraged by the taunts but chose not to attack because they knew they would be overwhelmed.

Ch. 7135Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 276

Great Frost Imperial Dynasty officials demanded a counterattack after the enemy’s provocations, but Su Tao warned that acting now would destroy the dynasty and told them to trust his preparations. The officials returned to their duties and waited, leaving Su Tao’s plan unknown.

  • Great Frost Imperial Dynasty officials furiously urged Su Tao to lead them into battle against the enemy.
  • Su Tao praised their courage but said that fighting now would result in the dynasty’s destruction.
  • Su Tao told the officials to carry on with their lives, leave the response to him, and trust his preparations.
  • After Su Tao left, the officials abandoned their pleas and returned to their duties, ignoring the enemy’s provocations.

Ch. 7136Origin Continent—Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 277

Nie Zhao announced the contest rules, and the three imperial dynasties gathered to begin their struggle over the Southern Region. As the armies faced off, a colossal arena forged from stellar gold rose from a vast chasm, leaving the contest poised to begin.

  • Nie Zhao explained that the three factions would start with ten points each, and the first to lose all its points would be excluded from deciding how the Southern Region was divided.
  • After the other marshals left, Heavenward Imperial Dynasty’s officers and soldiers expressed confidence in victory, while Nie Zhao warned them not to underestimate their rivals.
  • At dawn, the three armies assembled in the Southern Region, where their marshals’ auras clashed before the contest began.
  • The earth shook and split into a vast chasm as golden mist rose from its depths.
  • A massive black arena made from stellar gold emerged from the chasm, stretching for more than ten million miles.

Ch. 7137Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 278

Ye Lin and the others arrived at the magnificent arena built by the three imperial dynasties for the contest. The chapter ended with Nie Zhao inviting the others to proceed.

  • The chapter described four towering pillars carved with the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, whose shifting eyes could overwhelm anyone who stared too long.
  • The arena’s seamless floor was covered in mysterious patterns, and a radiant energy sword marked its center as the Contest Arena.
  • Three jade viewing platforms had been furnished with lavish seats, food, and attendants for the three imperial dynasties.
  • Ye Lin admired the grand arena, which the three dynasties had built over three days.
  • Nie Zhao invited the others to proceed, and they exchanged polite replies.

Ch. 7138Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 279

Nie Zhao proposed a contest between the Heavenward Imperial Dynasty’s Human Ancestor Battle Formation and the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty’s Ancestral Dragon Battle Formation. The Ancestral Dragon War Soul appeared, and the chapter ended as the onlookers recognized it.

  • Nie Zhao asked Master Wuchen and Marshal Liu Zheng who would begin, and they urged him to open the proceedings.
  • Nie Zhao summoned three million Heavenward Imperial Dynasty soldiers to manifest the Human Ancestor War Soul.
  • Liu Zheng answered by gathering three million Demon Race experts from the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty.
  • The demons’ auras converged and formed the enormous Ancestral Dragon War Soul, whose presence made the Four Divine Beasts’ statues tremble.
  • The onlookers identified the Ancestral Dragon War Soul.

Ch. 7139Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 280

The Human Ancestor Battle Soul faced the Ancestral Dragon formed by the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty's three million Demon Race members. He stopped its crushing claw with one finger, then struck its head with a sword-like slash, leaving a crack that began to spread.

  • The three million members of the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty's Demon Race summoned the Ancestral Dragon and roared for it to kill.
  • The Ancestral Dragon brought down a claw large enough to cover a city toward the Human Ancestor Battle Soul.
  • The Human Ancestor Battle Soul stopped the dragon claw with one finger, unmoved by its force.
  • The Human Ancestor Battle Soul appeared above the Ancestral Dragon and slashed at its head with his fingers held like a sword.
  • A hairline crack appeared on the Ancestral Dragon's head and began to spread.

Ch. 7140Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 281

The Heavenward Imperial Dynasty's Human Ancestor Battle Formation destroyed the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty's Ancestral Dragon Battle Formation in a decisive victory. The Human Ancestor battle spirit vanished, leaving the Heavenward soldiers to descend from the Arena in triumph.

  • The Ancestral Dragon battle spirit shattered, and the three million Demon Race experts who formed it spat blood and nearly collapsed.
  • Marshal Liu Zheng watched in shock as the Human Ancestor battle spirit defeated the Ancestral Dragon without needing a second move.
  • The Heavenward Imperial Dynasty's soldiers cheered, while Nie Zhao calmly celebrated the victory from the viewing platform.
  • Master Wuchen recited a Buddhist invocation and watched Nie Zhao with wariness.
  • The Human Ancestor battle spirit faded into flecks of light, and the Heavenward soldiers left the Arena with their victory assured.

Ch. 7141Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 282

Nie Zhao’s Human Ancestor Battle Formation drove back the Myriad Demon Army, after which Wuchen challenged Liu Zheng to a contest between their armies. Liu Zheng accepted as the Myriad Buddha Army assembled on the Arena, leaving the two sides poised to fight.

  • Liu Zheng praised Nie Zhao’s victory but noted that the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty’s strongest formation, the God of Chaos, had not yet appeared.
  • Nie Zhao said he hoped to see the God of Chaos, and Liu Zheng kept the formation’s purpose and timing secret.
  • Wuchen challenged Liu Zheng to match the Myriad Buddha Army against the Myriad Demon Army.
  • Liu Zheng accepted and warned that the battle could cause casualties, while Wuchen said bloodshed would strengthen his soldiers.
  • More than a hundred million members of the Myriad Buddha Army stepped onto the Arena, ready to face their opponents.

Ch. 7142Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 283

The Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty and Tranquil Heart Imperial Dynasty deployed armies of over a hundred million to the Arena, where their demon aura and Buddhist light clashed. As the Myriad Demon Army unleashed a coordinated assault, the Myriad Buddha Army sat down together and began forming hand seals and chanting.

  • Liu Zheng swept out a hand, and over a hundred million soldiers from the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty flew to the Arena.
  • The Myriad Demon Army and Tranquil Heart Imperial Dynasty's Myriad Buddha Army faced off as their demon aura and Buddhist light collided.
  • The Myriad Demon Army formed a battle array led by five Quasi-Saints, with its ranks launching demon lightning, fire, and wind at the Buddhists.
  • As the attack descended, the Myriad Buddha Army sat cross-legged together, formed hand seals, and chanted true words.

Ch. 7143Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 284

The Myriad Demon Army attacked the Myriad Buddha Army’s golden barrier with five Quasi-Saints leading the assault. The barrier held for the moment, but the combined attacks were wearing it down and threatening to break through.

  • The Myriad Buddha Army raised a golden barrier that dissolved the Myriad Demon Army’s first wave of demonic lightning, fire, and wind.
  • Five Quasi-Saints—the Flood Dragon, Golden-Winged Roc, Primordial Demon Ape, Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, and Heaven-Devouring Python—attacked the barrier together.
  • The Buddhist soldiers chanted and poured their Buddhist light into the barrier, stabilizing it against the Quasi-Saints’ assault.
  • Millions of Primordial Unity Golden Immortals and tens of millions of True Immortals joined the attack, overwhelming the barrier with combined demonic powers.
  • The barrier shook as its mantras shattered and its light dimmed, prompting the Myriad Demon Army to claim it was about to break.

Ch. 7144Origin Continent - Cloud Heaven Secret Realm 285

The Buddhist quasi-Saints and their forces broke out of the barrier and unleashed a devastating counterattack on the Myriad Demon Army. The chapter ended with the five Demon Race quasi-Saints struggling to overcome the Buddhist soldiers’ seemingly inexhaustible ocean of Buddhist light.

  • The five Buddhist quasi-Saints broke through the barrier’s protection with a Vajra Seal that wounded and drove back the five Demon Race quasi-Saints.
  • The five Buddhist quasi-Saints and hundreds of thousands of Buddhist Daluo Golden Immortals charged into the Myriad Demon Army, killing large numbers of demons.
  • The Buddhist quasi-Saints shielded their forces from the Demon Army’s overwhelming barrage with a golden barrier.
  • The hundreds of millions of seated Buddhist soldiers formed an ocean of Buddhist light that pursued the demons and purified the demon qi of millions of them.
  • The five Demon Race quasi-Saints repeatedly blasted gaps in the Buddhist light, but it quickly flowed back together as their saintly power was rapidly depleted.
Arc 285 of 315