North Sea

The Heavenly Venerable attained the Dao, and Wuliang's name spread throughout heaven and earth. Countless Life Source Lands were shaken to their foundations. Without question, a supreme being invincible throughout the universe had emerged, one who would rule all creation for twenty thousand years.

This was more than enough to send tremors through the universe's sea of stars. The balance among the myriad races could well shift because of it. From enduring sacred lands to Heavenly Venerable lineages, all had to give it their utmost attention.

The supreme races that dominated the sea of stars and the immortal lineages of the universe's ancient star domains were all profoundly shaken. A Heavenly Venerable attaining the Dao was unquestionably a momentous event that would affect the balance across the heavens. Many ancient sects and Great Sects were well informed and knew that this generation's Heavenly Venerable hailed from Ziwei. Now that he had successfully weathered his tribulation, his supreme divine might subdued the nine heavens and awed the boundless realms.

The patriarchs of the myriad races, the leaders of ancient sects, and the giants of the sea of stars were all making hurried preparations.

Without question, now that a Heavenly Venerable had attained the Dao in this age, they all had to journey to Ziwei to pay homage and bow before the Current Heavenly Venerable.

At the Cosmic Frontier, He Mu stirred his divine sense. His supreme majesty bore down upon the nine heavens, and an endless Golden Light Avenue unfurled beneath his feet, stretching without limit. The Four Spirits circled him, and celestial blossoms fell in waves, as though an unsurpassed Celestial Emperor had set out on an imperial procession.

With each step he took, vast seas of stars swept rapidly backward. He Mu did not deliberately quicken his pace, yet amid this procession of a supreme being, the scenery between heaven and earth had already blurred into wavering streams of light.

The Golden Light Avenue reached straight to Ziwei. Viewed from beyond its domain, Ziwei's principal star enjoyed the favor of the Great Dao and displayed myriad magnificent splendors. Its majesty as the lord of all stars, the central imperial star, was even greater than before.

This was precisely the result of the new Heavenly Venerable's attainment. The Heavenly Venerable's Great Dao manifested here, bestowing its blessings upon the entire star. The myriad Daos naturally followed, proclaiming his unsurpassed majesty.

The imperial star Ziwei was He Mu's homeland in this life. He Mu had not originally belonged to this world; he had transmigrated here. This world was the setting of a renowned novel he had read in his previous life, called "Shrouding the Heavens."

In this life, He Mu had been born into an impoverished family on Ziwei. Fortunately, many opportunities had come his way. But having been born in the Mythological Era, he had found his memories of his previous life of very little help. Along his journey, he had escaped death by a hair's breadth several times. Now, after seven hundred years of arduous cultivation, he had finally attained the Dao. The hardships and obstacles along the way were naturally unknown to outsiders.

In Ziwei's Northern Sea, black waves churned, and furious billows roared.

Endless power of Guixu surged above the Northern Sea, as though it would tear the firmament apart. As the waves crashed, the Great Dao of yin and yang seemed to tremble, unfolding new life from endless destruction.

This was Ziwei's northernmost region, the location of the North Sea Eye. It was also what Ziwei's myriad religious orders called the negative pole of heaven and earth: Xuanming Return to the Ruins.

Legend held that, in ancient times, a supreme being had slain evil demons here. Other rumors claimed that an immortal had fallen here, while still others called this place a prison of the gods, a sea of exile.

Whatever the legends said, this ink-black ocean was Ziwei's most terrifying Life Forbidden Zone. Over tens of thousands of years, one bloodstained tale after another had forged the Northern Sea Forbidden Zone's unrivaled reputation.

Yet at this moment, a Golden Light Avenue descended from beyond the domain, reaching straight into the Northern Sea Forbidden Zone.

Almost simultaneously, a ray of immortal light blossomed from the North Sea Eye, extending toward that golden celestial road. A vast divine sense emanated from it, carrying a somewhat aged voice.

"Fellow Daoist, please come inside for a talk."

The divine avenue faded, and He Mu descended from it. In an instant, the sounds of the Dao filled the sky, immortal light shimmered in waves, and golden springs welled from the earth. Before him, the divine sense had taken the form of an elderly Daoist. At first glance, he seemed entirely unremarkable, his attire scarcely different from that of an ordinary Daoist in a mountain temple. Yet the emperor qi surging around him left no doubt that this elder was likely another unsurpassed powerhouse.

"This old man is Longevity. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Wuliang Dao."

Longevity Heavenly Venerable! It was actually him!

In He Mu's memories of his previous life, Longevity Heavenly Venerable was one of the Nine Heavenly Venerables of the Mythological Era. His studies of longevity and the Great Dao of life and death ran extraordinarily deep. Across the millions of years encompassed by Shrouding the Heavens, there was likely no one who could surpass him. The Nine Secrets: Zhe he had created was also counted among the Nine Secrets, an unsurpassed sacred art for healing.

In the original novel, Longevity Heavenly Venerable had lived for millions of years, from the Mythological Era until the opening of the Road to Immortality after Desolate Antiquity. His presence spanned more than half the history of Shrouding the Heavens. He had even once taken control of the Underworld to study the Netherworld Emperor's Dao. Even among the emperors of all ages, he was unquestionably a formidable figure.

However, Longevity Heavenly Venerable had attained the Dao extremely early, hundreds of thousands of years before the present. His continued existence was the result of having severed himself with a single stroke. In the original course of history, he had later accepted Emperor Venerable's invitation to establish the Heavenly Court together. After the Heavenly Court collapsed, he had instigated the dark turmoil many times, and his eventual death was directly tied to this.

He Mu did not believe he had ever had any dealings with this ancient Heavenly Venerable. Yet, observing the manifestations surrounding Longevity Heavenly Venerable, he knew that the elder had not yet brought calamity upon the living. He therefore stepped forward to exchange greetings.

"So it is Fellow Daoist Longevity. I am Wuliang, and I offer you my greetings. May I ask what business you have with me?"