Just as that elder had said, he was nothing but a savage scavenging the remains of beasts in a sewer to strengthen himself.
This overwhelming blow once again trampled Tang San's proud Dao Heart, only just rebuilt because of Ah Yin, into a pulp.
Beside him, Yu Xiaogang spat out a mouthful of blood.
The "Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul" he took such pride in were absolutely nothing before the true laws of "creation."
And they were not the only ones.
Elsewhere, deep within the Star Dou Great Forest.
Di Tian stared at the hundred-thousand-year Huo Yun Lion created out of thin air in the Sky Screen, sinking into a prolonged stupor.
Their Soul Beast Clan had to cultivate painstakingly for a hundred thousand years and undergo the baptism of Tribulation Lightning.
Yet in the Great Thousand World, an Earthly Sovereign elder could casually breathe out and create such a Ferocious Beast?
Did this world have any reason left in it?
Within the Sky Screen.
On Dao-Seeking Cliff.
Looking at the Outer Sect disciples below, their faces filled with fervor and reverence.
The gray-robed elder casually waved his hand, and the Huo Yun Lion dissolved into specks of spiritual light, dispersing between heaven and earth again as though it had never appeared.
He clapped his hands, but his face, like withered tree bark, held no self-satisfaction. Instead, a deep sigh escaped him.
"Bringing spring to dead wood, awakening lifeless things."
"To the ants of a Lower Plane, such methods might already seem like divine acts that remake heaven and earth."
"But in my eyes, before the laws of this vast Great Thousand World, they are merely insignificant, crude tricks."
With that, the elder slowly rose, his gaze passing over tens of thousands of disciples and the Outer Hall's endless mountain ranges.
Finally, this mighty Great Perfection Earthly Sovereign, a being only one step away from Heavenly Sovereign, spoke with a face full of awe:
"As for the true Great Dao of heaven and earth, even after a thousand years of painstaking cultivation, I have barely touched the edge of its threshold."
"The greatest fortune of my life was not reaching Great Perfection Earthly Sovereign."
"It was ten years ago, when I had the good fortune to report to the Inner Hall."
"And saw, from far away, the Divine Lord's back as he practiced his sword atop the mountain..."
Hearing the gray-robed elder's words, filled with fervor and awe.
Not only the tens of thousands of Outer Sect disciples below Dao-Seeking Cliff, but even Qian Renxue, far away at the edge of the White Jade Steps, unconsciously stopped what she was doing.
Outside the Sky Screen, the Douluo Continent fell silent in an instant.
Everyone strained their ears, not daring even to breathe loudly.
A Great Perfection Earthly Sovereign who could casually create a hundred-thousand-year Ferocious Beast, a being akin to a creator.
What kind of sight could the Divine Lord's back as he practiced his sword have been, for him to speak of it so?
Within the gray-robed elder's clouded eyes, that soul-shaking scene from ten years ago seemed to be reflected, and his voice could not help trembling slightly.
"That night, I had gone to the Inner Hall to submit documents."
"Across a sea of clouds hundreds of thousands of miles wide, I saw the Divine Lord from afar, dressed in white, standing alone atop Dao-Seeking Main Peak."
"He did not even draw his sword."
The elder swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.
"He merely pressed his index and middle fingers together, using his fingers as a sword, and lightly traced a stroke toward that long-dried Ancient Star River high above the heavens, which stretched across untold billions of miles."
"Just one stroke, but after his finger fell..."
The elder drew a deep breath, seemingly still unable to calm the waves in his heart even now.
"That Ancient Star River spanning the starry sky, together with that vast expanse of space, was forcibly cleaved down the middle, split in two!"
"The severed edges were smooth as mirrors. Even the stars and meteorites were cut perfectly clean."
"To this day, that severed star river has never healed, because within the rift remains his supreme true essence of the Sword Dao, imperishable through the ages!"
As the elder finished describing it.
On the Douluo Continent, within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong, who had still been excited over the Sword Domain, now stiffened all over as though someone had poured a basin of ice water over their heads.
"Using fingers as a sword to cleave a star river billions of miles long..."
Ning Fengzhi opened his mouth, only to discover that he could not even form a complete sentence.
The Sword Douluo Chen Xin they took such pride in could, with his strongest ninth Soul Skill, God-Demon Dual Slash, merely split a mountaintop a few dozen meters across.
Yet what that Divine Lord cut apart with a casual stroke was the cosmic starry sky!
Was this still fucking swordsmanship?
Meanwhile, within the Sky Screen.
After hearing this story, the tens of thousands of disciples on Dao-Seeking Cliff all wore fervent expressions, their eyes filled with longing for the supreme Great Dao.
Just then, an Outer Sect disciple seated in the front row gathered his courage, stood, and bowed respectfully.
"Honored Elder."
His eyes shining, the disciple could not help asking.
"The Divine Lord's mastery rivals creation, and his power reaches through heaven and earth."
"May this disciple dare ask how many years the Divine Lord has spent cultivating up to this day?"
"Could he... have already cultivated for a million years, sharing the lifespan of this heaven and earth?"
This disciple's question was precisely what Qian Renxue and everyone on the Douluo Continent were most curious about.
In their eyes, someone who had reached the level of severing a star river with one finger had to be an old monster who had lived through countless eras.
Yet upon hearing this, the gray-robed elder could not help bursting into laughter.
"Hahaha, a million years?"
The elder shook his head, and only after a while did he speak with a face full of emotion:
"You underestimate the Divine Lord's heaven-bestowed talent far too much."
"I have lived for over a thousand years, and only now touched the realm of Great Perfection Earthly Sovereign."
"But the Divine Lord rose from humble beginnings in a Lower Plane, broke his plane's shackles to ascend to the Great Thousand World, then swept aside everything in his path and established this Great Desolation Divine Realm..."
At this point, the elder extended four withered fingers, his voice, wrapped in Spiritual Energy, resounding like a great bell:
"All told, it took only a few short decades!"
Boom!
Decades!
Everyone who heard that age froze on the spot.
Below the platform, Qian Renxue felt her legs weaken and nearly collapsed to the ground again.
Decades???
On the Douluo Continent, an ordinary Soul Beast needed a full hundred thousand years of grueling endurance to reach the hundred-thousand-year level.
Yet that Divine Lord had taken mere decades to leap from a mortal of a Lower Plane into the Great Thousand World, and establish a tradition like the Great Desolation Divine Realm?
Within Shrek Academy.
Tang San's pupils contracted violently, the expression on his face becoming spectacularly varied.
Earlier, he had comforted himself that those Heavenly Sovereigns were old monsters who had lived for countless years, and that he had merely lost to time.
But now, reality had slapped him hard across the face.
Decades!
For cultivators who routinely spent thousands of years in seclusion, that was no more than the time it took to doze off.
Could someone reach such a realm in just decades...?
Since he could do it in decades, then I, Tang San, with the Tang Sect Secret Arts and memories of two lives, could definitely do it too if I could go to that world and had a few decades!
Yet just as Tang San was silently steeling himself, within the Sky Screen.
On Dao-Seeking Cliff's cultivation grounds, another youth, dressed in close-fitting ice-blue clothes, stood up.
The youth had swordlike brows and star-bright eyes, with undisguised pride and ambition between his brows.
"Elder!"
The youth cupped his hands toward the gray-robed elder and spoke in a ringing voice.
"This disciple comes from the Extreme Cold Icefield, and what awakened within me was the Nine Nether Ice Python Fate!"
"I have heard that when the Divine Lord was in a Lower Plane, he too began with a fate of the python or flood-dragon kind."
At this point, the youth raised his head, his eyes filled with fervent ambition.
"Since the Divine Lord could begin as an ordinary python and ultimately become a dragon soaring through the heavens, transforming into a supreme Saint Dragon!"
"This disciple believes that my Nine Nether Ice Python Fate will surely one day let me follow the Divine Lord's example, devouring all things, defying heaven to change my fate, and becoming a hegemon of this Great Thousand World!"
Hearing the youth's boldly impassioned declaration, quite a few Outer Sect disciples around him looked over and nodded to themselves.
To dare compare himself with the Divine Lord-his disposition was rather good.
Yet after hearing this, the gray-robed elder seated on the Azure Lotus gave the youth a peculiar look.
Then the old man smiled and shook his head:
"You little fellow certainly have lofty ambitions."
"But do you truly think the transformation of the Divine Lord's fate was as simple as you imagine?"
With that, the gray-robed elder waved his sleeve, his gaze sweeping over the curious eyes below.
"The Divine Lord's past was far more domineering than you imagine!"
"Back in the Lower Plane, he did indeed possess an ordinary Profound Python Fate."
"But he did not seek out Dragon Transformation Grass like ordinary people, nor did he cultivate step by step."
"I imagine you have also heard about the Divine Lord's Profound Python Swallowing Phoenix."
"After he ascended to the Great Thousand World, he became even more unrestrained."
"Ancient Heavenly Phoenix, Nine Nether Sparrow-it made no difference."
"Whatever super Divine Beast bloodline caught his eye, he spared none, directly stripping away its origin fate by force and merging it into himself!"
"The Divine Lord walks an invincible path of devouring heaven and earth, suppressing all the ages!"
"As for you, youngster, a steadfast heart seeking the Dao is good, but your road is still long."
"Wait until the moment you transform into a dragon before comparing yourself with the Divine Lord."
"After all, in my eyes, though your starting points are similar, the Divine Lord's path cannot be replicated..."
Hearing the elder's assessment, the tens of thousands of disciples on the cultivation grounds nodded, their eyes filled with awe and emotion.
Just then, another disciple, carrying a longsword on his back, stood up.
"Elder."
"This disciple has heard that in the Great Thousand World, besides our Divine Lord, there are also the Flame Emperor of the Endless Fire Domain and the Martial Ancestor of the Martial Realm."
"Those two lords likewise ascended from Lower Planes, their might shaking the Great Thousand World."
"Might I ask how many years those two supreme mighty figures took to ascend from humble beginnings to the higher world?"
Hearing this, the gray-robed elder gently stroked his long beard, a trace of reverence flashing through his eyes.
"The Flame Emperor, the Martial Ancestor..."
"Those two lords are likewise peerless prodigies rarely found in this vast universe."
"As far as I know, from entering the Great Thousand World from their Lower Planes to attaining the Heavenly Sovereign realm..."
"They likewise took only decades."
Boom!
At these words, everyone present and everyone on the Douluo Continent erupted into an uproar.
If the Divine Lord alone had taken mere decades, they could still barely comfort themselves that he was an exception unmatched throughout the ages.
But now?
The Flame Emperor and the Martial Ancestor had both taken decades!
What kind of breeding grounds for monsters were the Lower Planes of this Great Thousand World?
Within Shrek Academy.
Tang San had still been thinking of using a few decades to catch up.
But when he heard that the Flame Emperor and the Martial Ancestor had done the same, the two lifetimes he took such pride in instantly became somewhat laughable.
He was in his teens this year, and had not even managed to become a Soul Ancestor on the Douluo Continent.
In a few decades, they had already founded their own sects and become the supreme rulers of a region of the universe.
How could he compare? What could he compare with?
The foundations and experiences they had accumulated in decades were probably richer and more substantial than anything he could gain even if he lived ten thousand years.
Meanwhile, within the Sky Screen, at the edge of Dao-Seeking Cliff.
Hearing this, Qian Renxue clenched her fists. She, too, was especially curious about one thing.
All were supreme titans who had become Heavenly Sovereigns within decades.
All were heaven-defying sons who had ascended from Lower Planes.
Of these three, who was stronger?
Once that thought arose, it spread wildly through Qian Renxue's heart like weeds, impossible to suppress.
She bit her red lip and, as though compelled by some unseen force, actually took a small step forward.
"Honored Elder..."
Qian Renxue's voice was not loud, but at the quiet edge of the cultivation grounds, it sounded particularly clear.
Beside her, Yun Gugu's expression changed instantly at the sight. She hurriedly reached out to pull her back, but it was already too late.
Under the stunned gazes of tens of thousands of Outer Sect disciples, Qian Renxue braced herself and cupped her hands.
"This maid begs your pardon for daring to ask, Elder."
"His Lordship the Divine Lord, Lord Flame Emperor, and Lord Martial Ancestor."
"All three are peerless mighty figures who became Heavenly Sovereigns within mere decades. If they truly had to be ranked..."
"Which of the three is strongest, and which is weakest?"
The moment those words left her mouth, the entire Dao-Seeking Cliff fell so silent that even a needle dropping to the ground could have been heard.
Tens of thousands of Outer Sect disciples stared at Qian Renxue as though she were mad.
A maid who swept floors in the Outer Hall actually dared to pass judgment on the Great Thousand World's three foremost Rulers?
Her audacity could practically wrap around the heavens!
Even the people from Douluo outside the Sky Screen broke into a cold sweat for Qian Renxue.
Bibi Dong instinctively tightened her grip on her scepter, afraid that the Earthly Sovereign elder would slap her daughter into a pulp.
Yet the gray-robed elder seated upon the Azure Lotus did not grow angry.
He lowered his head and glanced at Qian Renxue, his gaze lingering briefly on the faint traces of her Light Spiritual Root. Then, rather than punish her, he gave a gentle smile.
"You little girl certainly have some nerve."
"But that question is hardly an unspeakable taboo."
Hearing that the elder did not blame her, Qian Renxue let out a long sigh of relief, while everyone on the Douluo Continent held their breath, waiting for this earth-shattering scoop.
The gray-robed elder's smile faded. He gazed into the endless void in the distance, longing showing in his eyes.
"The Flame Emperor, the Martial Ancestor, and the Divine Lord."
"These three lords each walk a different path."
"Lord Flame Emperor commands all the flames beneath heaven. With his Radiant Flame Lotus, he burns the heavens and boils the seas. When the fiends of this Great Thousand World encounter him, even their souls are burned into nothingness."
"Lord Martial Ancestor gathers the Eight Ancestral Symbols within his body, and his martial arts reach the divine. His flesh is so formidable that even those supreme Divine Beasts whose physical bodies reign unchallenged dare not brave his edge."
"As for our Divine Lord..."
"One sword shatters ten thousand arts; one sword cleaves the river of stars."
"When it comes to the killing power of the Sword Dao alone, no one in the Great Thousand World, not even the Azure-Robed Sword Saint, can surpass him."
At this point, the gray-robed elder paused, seemingly recalling something.
"If you truly ask which of those three is strongest or weakest, someone at this old man's level is naturally unqualified to judge."
"After all, if beings such as these truly came to blows, several planes of this Great Thousand World would be shattered."
"However..."
The elder shifted his words, his tone growing somewhat mysterious.
"This old man once heard a Heavenly Sovereign grand elder of the Inner Hall mention an event from the past."
"Back when our Divine Realm was first established, Lord Flame Emperor and Lord Martial Ancestor once came together to pay a visit."
Before you continue