Awe Across the Heavens, the Investiture Altar Rises Beneath the Stars

The cold, hard fact that Tianluo Ancestor's true spirit had entered the list and he had been appointed a "Mountain-Patrolling Little God" of the lower eight departments swept through the Three Great Star Domains and Thirty-Seven Great Thousand Worlds like a world-ending storm.

Overnight, the opportunistic cultivators across the myriad worlds who had tried to deceive the Heavenly Dao with false virtue and counterfeit merit fell silent as frightened cicadas.

The Heavenly Dao could not be deceived. The Heavenly Eye could not be fooled!

The Investiture of the Gods Heavenly Ranking and the God-Striking Whip hanging beside the Physical Southern Heavenly Gate had, in a cruel and unmistakable fashion, locked every cultivator's fate in place.

Those who died burdened by sin would become ashes of the calamity, never to rise again;

those who forged merit would have their true spirits entered on the list, be demoted to lowly minor gods, and remain forever subject to the God-Striking Whip;

only those who truly followed heaven's will and answered the people's needs, passing through the calamity with honor, could complete their Immortal Dao or ascend to a position among the Heavenly Court's Eight Great Departments of Orthodox Gods!

Ziwei Star Domain, the main hall of Supreme Mystery Xuanmen.

Sect Leader Supreme Mystery True Lord sat at the head of the hall, his expression grave. Below him, hundreds of elders and peak masters at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage and Mahayana Stage filled the hall. The atmosphere was so heavy it seemed to congeal.

"You all saw what happened."

Supreme Mystery True Lord spoke slowly, his hoarse voice carrying a wariness none had heard from him before:

"Tianluo Ancestor thought he had outwitted the Heavenly Dao. Instead, his true spirit was imprisoned, and he became a Mountain-Patrolling Little God. That tells us there is a supreme eye deep within the Heavenly Dao, watching our every word and deed."

"Seeking clever shortcuts is a path to death!"

The elders below nodded repeatedly, their eyes filled with reverence and fear.

A white-haired Grand Elder rose and bowed. "Sect Leader, now that the Investiture of the Gods Calamity has descended, we have publicized good deeds and followed Xuanmen's teachings. But our sect is vast, with thousands upon thousands of disciples, and the karmic ties of the past are tangled beyond measure. If the calamity erupts in full, I fear we cannot come through unscathed on our own."

"Exactly, Sect Leader!" another elder agreed. "The Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Orthodox God Positions on the Investiture of the Gods Heavenly Ranking may look like a prison. But if one could join the upper eight departments, such as the Thunder Department, Fire Department, or Dipper Department, wield the Heavenly Dao's power over thunder and the stars, and enjoy the worship of the myriad worlds and a god's lifespan... For fellow disciples whose immortal paths are closed and whose lives are nearing their end, that would be a way out!"

At those words, a complicated glimmer passed through the eyes of more than a few old monsters in the hall whose time was running out.

If driven to the end of the road, and unable to become free and unfettered Heavenly Immortals, would becoming Heavenly Court Orthodox Deities of the upper eight departments—holders of the Heavenly Dao's authority with enduring divine lifespans—not be a thousand times better than dying outright and turning to ash?

"But the Investiture of the Gods List hangs high above the Southern Heavenly Gate. Even if someone falls in battle, how is their true spirit to be received? And who will preside over the investiture during this calamity?" Supreme Mystery True Lord frowned as he raised the crucial question.

Supreme Mystery Xuanmen was not alone.

Within the Asura Teaching of the Heavenly Demon Great Realm, the Demon Teaching of the Primordial Demon Realm, and the Primordial Xuanmen of the Canglan Realm, countless mighty beings pondered the same question—

The calamity had begun, and conflict was coming. But where, exactly, would the "battlefield of investiture" for the heavens be?

Canglan Realm, behind Primordial Xuanmen, in the Library Pavilion.

The scent of tea filled the air, and sunlight fell in mottled patches.

Su Chen sat behind a wooden desk, his slender fingers brushing his teacup. In the depths of his eyes were reflected the doubts and longings of the mighty beings across the heavens.

"Everyone's realized that the Investiture of the Gods List isn't just a punishment. It's also a redistribution of the Heavenly Dao's authority."

A warm, enigmatic smile touched Su Chen's lips as he murmured:

"The Investiture of the Gods Heavenly Ranking hanging high above the Southern Heavenly Gate isn't enough."

"For this calamity to unfold with solemnity, grandeur, and order, there must be a real place among the stars to receive the true spirits of the dead and gather the Heavenly Dao's order—the Investiture Altar!"

In the true myths of the Primordial World, the Investiture Altar was where true spirits gathered and offerings were made to the Heavenly Dao during the calamity.

The spirits of cultivators who fell in the calamity and qualified for the list would be received at the Investiture Altar, then granted divine positions by the Heavenly Dao!

"With the Investiture Altar, this calamity won't be a meaningless, savage slaughter. It'll be a grand selection trial for Heavenly Court Orthodox Deities, presided over by the Heavenly Dao!"

Su Chen's gaze sharpened. Without hesitation, he opened the system's sixth-tier exchange interface:

[Physical Manifestation: Ancient Era Supreme Treasure · Investiture Altar and Blessed Prosperity God (Heavenly Dao architectural grade)] [Description]: Manifest a ten-thousand-zhang Investiture Altar, built entirely of Creation Divine Stone, at the center of the void where the star domains of the heavens meet. Hang Hundred-School Colorful Banners and install a Soul-Guiding Lamp. Condense the true-spirit manifestation of the ancient deity Blessed Prosperity Orthodox God Bai Jian from the Heavenly Dao's karma. He will wield the Hundred-School Colorful Banners and receive the true spirits of cultivators who fall during the calamity! [Karma Points Cost]: 10,000,000.

Ten million Karma Points!

For Su Chen, who now had a fortune of over thirty million, the expense was well within his means.

"Deduct ten million Karma Points!"

"Confirm manifestation site—the meeting point of the Three Great Star Domains, the stellar hub: Tianshu Star Domain!"

"Raise the Investiture Altar!"

Boom!!

The instant the command was issued, billions of rays of Creation Immortal Light erupted from the once-tranquil, vast void at the heart of Tianshu Star Domain, where the Canglan Realm, Ziwei Star Domain, and Heavenly Demon Great Realm met. They illuminated the heavens!

Hum!

Hundreds of millions of cultivators throughout the universe watched with divine senses frozen in shock.

In the void of Tianshu Star Domain, a towering stone altar ten thousand zhang high, divided into three tiers and built according to the principles of the Three Powers and Eight Trigrams, slowly emerged from nothingness and stood at the center of the stars!

Dense ranks of Hundred-School Colorful Banners hung on all four sides of the altar. Each banner shimmered with the supreme radiance of the Heavenly Dao, cleansing souls and keeping true spirits from losing themselves.

At the center of the altar, an Ever-Burning Soul-Guiding Lamp burned quietly with a faint nether flame, lighting the way home for the dead of the myriad worlds.

And at the very front of the Investiture Altar, a ten-thousand-zhang divine manifestation slowly took shape from the void. Clad in dark golden armor and holding a Hundred-School Colorful Banner, he had a stern, resolute face!

It was Blessed Prosperity Orthodox God Bai Jian, appointed by the Heavenly Dao to guard the Investiture Altar!

Bai Jian hovered before the ten-thousand-zhang Investiture Altar, a Hundred-School Colorful Banner in hand. His divine eyes flashed like lightning, and his voice rang across the myriad worlds like the Heavenly Dao's great bell:

"The calamity of heaven and earth has begun! By decree of the Heavenly Dao, the Investiture Altar is established in Tianshu Star Region!"

"I am True God of Clear Blessings Bai Jian! Any cultivator who falls in this calamity with a righteous cause in their heart and their soul intact shall be brought here by my Hundred-School Colorful Banner. They shall rest within the Soul-Guiding Lamp until the calamity is complete, then ascend the altar, receive investiture, and take up their heavenly duties!"

The Blessed Prosperity God had appeared! The Investiture Altar had risen!

His voice shook the stars and swept across the heavens!

At that moment, Supreme Mystery True Lord, Netherworld Blood Emperor, Tu Shanye, and the other mighty beings of the heavens gazed at the ten-thousand-zhang Investiture Altar that had appeared from nowhere at the center of the universe, and at Blessed Prosperity Orthodox God Bai Jian standing guard before it...

Every one of them dropped to their knees, moved from the depths of their souls. Unprecedented fervor and reverence blazed in their eyes!

The final piece was in place!

The Investiture of the Gods Heavenly Ranking hung above the Southern Heavenly Gate, and the Investiture Altar stood in Tianshu Star Domain!

An epic calamity now lay before the entire universe, its rules set by the Heavenly Dao itself, its fallen spirits received by the Blessed Prosperity Orthodox God, and its ranks to be contested by the mighty beings of the heavens according to their own abilities!