In the Third Domain, countless forces gazed toward that direction—local beings of the Heavenly Emperor Realm, as well as the Imperial Clans, Immortal Clans, and Mythical Emperor Domains within the Third Domain—all looked into the distance.
Sensing the terrifying fluctuations contained within that massive tremor, fluctuations absolutely capable of destroying the heavens and earth of a great world, everyone knew it was the self-detonation of a supreme Divine King. It made countless people tremble with fear.
Under such destruction, even a Fourth Tribulation Divine King, if caught at close range, would be left crippled if not dead.
The self-detonation of a peak Third Tribulation Divine King burned both form and spirit to an extreme level in an instant. Its power was unimaginably terrifying, absolutely reaching a level that could threaten a Fifth Tribulation Divine King.
The central point where the Eight Desolates Mountain Range originally stood, spanning millions of li in radius, was engulfed in the most dreadful flames of destruction. The void was as fragile as paper, completely incinerated.
Even Huayang City, a hundred thousand li away, was affected. The entire massive city shook violently under the destructive fluctuations, nearly plummeting from the sky. Many of the formation patterns arranged upon it were erased, and numerous cracks appeared on the immortal city walls.
After an unknown length of time, all destructive power finally dissipated into the void, leaving behind a scene of utter devastation.
Countless living beings were caught in this self-detonation, their forms and spirits utterly annihilated, including many powerful experts.
The two Divine Kings of the Heavenly Emperor Hall, not being at the epicenter and being sufficiently powerful, survived. However, they were also affected, appearing quite disheveled, covered in blood, their auras extremely weak and feeble.
But the Divine Punishment Army, positioned at the true center, suffered the greatest impact. Although their battle formation was formidable enough to make them act as one, with powerful defenses, under such a terrifying Divine King's self-detonation, their defenses were completely shattered. Instantly, over one-third of their forces were reduced to ashes in this battle.
The most fearsome Divine Punishment Army of the Heavenly Emperor Hall suffered the most severe wounds under the self-sacrificing detonation of the Xiao Clan's old Divine King.
One must know, this was the most terrifying legion of the Heavenly Emperor Hall. When eight hundred united, they could even rival a Fifth Tribulation Divine King, reaching a level so powerful it struck fear into hearts. Under normal circumstances, even a Fifth Tribulation Divine King would find it difficult to inflict such dreadful damage upon them.
But they had been too careless, and the Xiao Clan's old Divine King detonated too quickly. The Divine Punishment Army had no time to defend before being caught in the blast. Thus, caught off guard, they suffered immense losses.
Looking at the Divine Punishment Army, now reduced to less than two-thirds of its original strength, the two Heavenly Emperor Hall Divine Kings wore extremely grim expressions.
They had come with overwhelming momentum, yet ended up in such a sorry state. Although they had caused the fall of the most fearsome Divine King, they had paid an extremely heavy price for it. Upon returning, they would undoubtedly face severe punishment from the Region Lord.
Moreover, the remaining human genius sinners had seized the opportunity to escape.
"Ah—" The two Divine Kings roared in fury. Such a cost was undeniably enormous; it would be difficult to account for upon their return.
On this day, the entire Heavenly Emperor Realm was shaken!
The Divine Punishment Army of the Third Domain had emerged, campaigning against the human sinners, besieging the Imperial Xiao Clan. They had inflicted heavy losses, reducing the human Imperial Clan's strength by more than half, and its most powerful Imperial Clan Divine King had perished. This could be considered a glorious achievement. Yet, behind this glory, they had also paid a bloody price—one-third of the Divine Punishment Army's experts had fallen, and the rest were severely wounded. It was tantamount to a disgrace.
One must remember, this was only one of the human Imperial Clans. According to known intelligence, the human race possessed ten great Imperial Clans, plus the Bright Emperor Domain—eleven Imperial Clan-level forces in total.
Now, merely campaigning against one of these Imperial Clan forces had incurred such heavy losses, and they had failed to completely eliminate the remaining remnants. If they sought to subjugate the entire human race, wouldn't that mean the Heavenly Emperor Hall itself would be largely sacrificed?
Within the great domains of the Heavenly Emperor Realm, countless forces and countless subjects began to waver increasingly in their faith toward the Heavenly Emperor Hall.
If dealing with a single human Imperial Clan cost so dearly, could the Heavenly Emperor Hall withstand the human sinners if they acted as a whole?
Moreover, the Heavenly Emperor was supreme and peerless. Yet, in the face of repeated provocations from the humans, he had never appeared. Was he secluded in seclusion, or was he powerless and thus turning a blind eye?
This caused many subjects of the Heavenly Emperor Realm to harbor doubts about the Heavenly Emperor. And once such doubts arose, their faith in the Heavenly Emperor also began to waver.
The Region Lords of the Ten Great Domains sensed this. As masters of the Heavenly Emperor Hall, they could also wield a portion of the power of faith, and thus they felt it. Their expressions changed one after another.
Unstable faith in the Heavenly Emperor could very well lead the world to desire to overthrow the Heavenly Emperor's position.
This was a sign of turbulent times approaching!
"Human sinners, you dare resist the pursuit of our Heavenly Emperor Hall, and even resort to Divine King self-detonation to harm our Divine Punishment Army! From this day forth, the human race shall be eradicated!"
In the Third Domain, that domain's supreme Region Lord stood atop the highest point of the heavens. His Sovereign's Dharma Idol towered within the ninth heaven, merging into the starry river. A single roar shook the entire Heavenly Emperor Realm; the myriad stars trembled as if about to shatter.
The Ten Great Region Lords were truly enraged. In the past, even when they acted, it was only slightly, often merely projections. They never imagined the situation would become so severe, endangering the world's faith in the Heavenly Emperor.
For countless years, within the Heavenly Emperor Realm, the world's faith in the Heavenly Emperor had been unshakable. But ever since the humans descended, they had repeatedly threatened the Heavenly Emperor Hall, slain many experts, caused the fall of numerous Divine Kings, and consistently yielded few glorious achievements.
The Divine Punishment Army's campaigns had always been invincible, yet they suffered a major setback before the mere Imperial Xiao Clan. While victorious, they paid a bloody price—an intolerable disgrace for the Heavenly Emperor Hall.
"Human sinners, though the Heavenly Emperor Realm is vast and magnificent, from this day forth, there will not be the slightest place for you to hide!"
The Sovereign's roar shook the Ten Great Domains.
On this day, from the Heavenly Emperor Halls in each of the Ten Great Domains, a divine light pillar shot into the sky. Majestic heavenly might permeated the heavens. The Ten Great Region Lords awakened from their deepest seclusion, intending to personally seek out all traces related to the human sinners and deliver the most fearsome pursuit.
Sensing the Heavenly Emperor Hall's dominance and, moreover, feeling its might—the Ten Great Region Lords, each one a Primordial Sovereign, all peerless experts who once followed the peerless Heavenly Emperor in conquest—now awakened. Their heavenly might was boundless, making even Divine Kings feel their own insignificance.
Indeed, the Heavenly Emperor Hall remained an unshakable, invincible force.
The Heavenly Emperor remained peerless and matchless, the sole faith of the world.
Soon, the world's wavering faith in the Heavenly Emperor grew firm once more.