"What? The stone gate that hasn't moved for tens of thousands of years is now emanating an ancient aura, and the dust cannot contain it?"
In the Void Heaven Domain, a shocking piece of news spread rapidly, attracting the attention of many. This was especially true at the Celestial Altar located on the Heavenly King Mountain, a precious holy land within the Void Heaven Domain.
Heavenly King Mountain was a treasure land veiled in mist and radiant clouds, a vast and majestic mountain range where each peak towered into the clouds, their forms imposing and grand.
Legend had it that the Void Battle Platform, which only appeared when peerless experts clashed, had descended here, and not just once. Invincible Heavenly Kings who surpassed the Saint Realm had also dueled here, shattering the heavens and earth, their blood staining this land. To this day, the mountains and earth for ten thousand miles around retained a dark red hue; the blood of those Heavenly Kings from that era had never faded but instead dyed these mountains and plains.
Hence, it was renamed Heavenly King Mountain.
Heavenly King-level experts had once paid their respects here, leaving their footprints.
The Void Battle Platform had also opened here several times. This platform, renowned throughout the Void Heaven Domain, almost always saw the fall of peerless experts whenever it opened, making this place long-famed. It also bore the Dao marks and divine traces left by those peerless experts in this part of the Void Heaven Domain, imprinted upon these mountains and plains.
Throughout the ages, countless people had come here to pay homage, though naturally, more came to contemplate those law and Dao marks, hoping to gain some insights.
And indeed, some truly had gained enlightenment into the Dao and its laws here, reaping considerable benefits and advancing their strength by leaps and bounds.
It could be said that this place had become a famous historical site within the Void Heaven Domain, especially a gathering place for the younger generation. On any given day, who knew how many young cultivators came here to contemplate the Dao and laws of their predecessors, attempting to break through realms and strengthen themselves.
Moreover, the stone gate upon the Celestial Altar had existed for who knew how many tens of thousands of years, far too ancient. It had been sealed by dust for many years; even powerful figures like Saints, such peerless characters, had been unable to damage it in the slightest, making it a landmark structure.
But at this moment, this stone gate, standing one hundred and twenty-eight zhang tall, actually showed a reaction. It emanated a mysterious, ancient aura, the dust scattering away, revealing its simple and imposing grandeur, drawing the attention of many.
"What exactly has happened? The stone gate that hasn't opened for tens of thousands of years suddenly shows a change."
Many were astonished and puzzled. From the towns established near Heavenly King Mountain, numerous figures flew out—all powerful cultivators, with the younger generation making up the majority, though quite a few older generation figures were also stirred.
Even extremely powerful auras descended. Noble carriages flew, pulled through the air by exotic beasts like Azure Flood Dragons, White Tigers, and Fire Phoenixes, displaying extreme nobility and grandeur.
Those were truly noble and great figures, each possessing transcendent and formidable cultivation, peerless characters who could look down upon the world. They were treated as honored guests and received with great respect by the various ancient, immortal Sacred Lands, imperial dynasties, and great sects across the myriad realms. Now they descended upon the Heavenly King Mountain range, positioned far from the Celestial Altar, not approaching, but they were also paying attention at this moment.
And such figures were not just one or two; several had come, inspiring awe in many.
Because the origin of the ancient stone gate was too astonishing. It was said to be a gate left behind by an invincible Great Sage who dominated the myriad realms in ancient times. Many legends circulated in the world.
Perhaps it was a Trial Gate, testing all under heaven, selecting a qualified successor to inherit his legacy.
Perhaps it was a Great Sage-level supreme treasure or divine weapon, sealed here after the Great Sage's passing, unmovable by anyone less than a Great Sage.
Perhaps it was a gate to another dimension; once opened, it could lead to other spatiotemporal realms.
...
These various legends only added to the mystique of this ancient stone gate, sealed for tens of thousands of years.
Now that this gate, rich in legend, showed a fluctuation, no one could completely ignore it. That even the noble great figures from ancient Sacred Lands had come spoke volumes.
Roar—
The void trembled. In the distant sky above, a terrifying tiger roar shook the Heavenly King Mountain range. Five fearsome White Tiger divine beasts appeared, each at least as large as a small hill, their fur pure white and gleaming with clear radiance. They were all divine tiger heavenly beasts of extraordinary bloodlines, their lineage remarkable.
But at this moment, they actually served as carriage-pulling beasts, drawing a carriage as grand and imposing as a palace through the air with a rumbling roar, its grandeur no less than those of the noble great figures.
"That's... King Hao's Five-Tiger Carriage! Even he has been stirred to come?"
Many who saw this scene couldn't help but exclaim.
Who was King Hao? He was a King-level figure among the current younger generation, a newly ascended Young King of the myriad realms, possessing transcendent and formidable strength, hailing from some ancient and powerful Sacred Land.
His kingly fame spread far and wide. When seizing his kingly title, he had swept through countless experts of his generation, slaughtering who knew how many young powerhouses, fighting his way all the way to the kingly throne.
No one had expected that this supremely powerful Young King would also come, filling many with awe, especially the younger generation, who looked upon him as if gazing at a towering mountain.
The Five-Tiger Carriage descended outside the Celestial Altar, divine radiance flowing. A young man of imposing bearing stepped out, black hair cascading over his shoulders, wearing a purple-gold radiant crown, a cinnabar dot between his brows. An aura of hazy Dao principles emanated from his entire body, as if capable of suppressing the myriad realms. His kingly majesty spread out, startling and commanding attention, causing the void itself to tremble and crack.
King Hao!
The numerous younger generation figures at the edge of the Celestial Altar all showed reverence. This was a Young King who had been famous for a long time. Not to mention the vast myriad realms, but within the Ten Great Domains he hailed from, he had undergone truly brutal and bloody battles, emerging victorious, sweeping aside all opponents, his path paved with the flesh and bones of his peers, thus earning his kingship.
A general's success is built upon ten thousand bones; a king's ascension is paved with the bones of his generation!
This was the best description. King Hao's strength was beyond description. Across the myriad realms, he was hailed as an extremely dazzling and brilliant kingly star in the Human Sovereign competition.
"Greetings to you, Seniors."
King Hao spoke, bowing from a distance to the great figures within the several noble carriages, but he did not bow deeply, indicating his noble status. Among the younger generation, only a King like him had the qualification to act thus.
"Please rise, young friend," the several noble great figures transmitted their voices, appearing very amiable, not reproaching him.
Of course, this was only relative to King Hao. As for others, they were merely stern, causing hearts to tremble with awe.
King Hao strode forward, crossing the sky in a single step to arrive before the ancient gate. He looked at the gate emanating a mysterious aura, his face expressionless yet also inscrutable. No one could discern his true expression, but it inspired considerable awe.
Without a doubt, this was a powerful King-level figure!
"What does King Hao intend to do? Does he want to try to push open the stone gate? But the gate is ancient and extraordinary. Even peak experts at the Saint Treasury Realm from ancient Sacred Lands have tried, even the masters of great sects and peerless Saint Lords have come personally, yet none succeeded in pushing it open. Though he is strong, he is not stronger than those figures."
Many felt it was strange. Since the stone gate had existed, generation after generation throughout the ages had come to try to push it open, hoping to obtain the possible secret treasures within.
Unfortunately, even top experts as strong as Saints couldn't do it. The same was true when the contemporary peerless Saint Lords of ancient great sects and immortal Sacred Lands came. There were even rumors that invincible Heavenly Kings who surpassed the Saint Realm had also tried, and reportedly couldn't budge it a fraction.
Whether a Great Sage could push it open was unknown, as no one had truly witnessed it.
However, King Hao did not do as everyone expected and try to push the gate. He simply stood quietly before the stone gate, neither attempting to push it nor speaking. Only his eyes flickered with brilliant divine radiance, as if constantly measuring the gate.
Boom—
In the sky above, a thunderclap exploded through the ninth heaven. A burly, tall figure appeared, a figure one zhang tall descending vertically upon Heavenly King Mountain like a meteor striking the earth. The entire mountain range shook, and many nearly lost their footing. But when they saw the figure on the Celestial Altar, their expressions changed.
That was an extremely burly and tall figure, standing one zhang tall, with bronze-colored skin. One of his arms was thicker than another person's two thighs combined, like a peerless demon king appearing, emanating an overwhelmingly fearsome aura.
He strode through the air, each step causing heaven and earth to tremble, dust to soar. The numerous younger generation felt their hearts pound, unable to help but tremble and submit.
"Flame Dragon King Pang Xia! Even he has come!"
Many felt their hearts racing. This was a true Young King of the demon race, rumored to be a descendant of the ancient supreme holy spirit, the Candle Dragon, who rivaled Great Sages. He possessed relatively pure Candle Dragon bloodline, incomparably terrifying and powerful. His bloodline power could be called world-shaking, a King-level figure renowned throughout the myriad realms.
No one expected that after King Hao's arrival, Flame Dragon King would also come.
The moment Flame Dragon King descended, he looked toward King Hao, and King Hao likewise met his gaze.
The gazes of the two King-level figures collided with tangible force, cracking and nearly shattering the void, truly fearsome.
The onlookers felt both awe and anticipation. Both were King-level figures famous throughout the world, possessing matchless strength, true pinnacle talents among the younger generation. Without a life-and-death battle, it was hard to say who would prevail, so many were quite looking forward to a kingly battle between them.
Because usually, Kings rarely met each other, let alone engaged in kingly battles. However, the timing wasn't right yet. It was still early after the Human Sovereign competition had begun; none had truly grown powerful enough to engage in a true life-and-death decisive battle.
The two Kings emanated oppressive kingly divine might, colliding and exploding in the void, but they did not truly fight, leaving many feeling rather regretful.
But at the moment, all this was unimportant, because what was more important was the sudden emanation of a mysterious aura from the ancient gate of the Celestial Altar, which had everyone quite concerned.
Ancient legends said this was a stone gate left behind by an ancient Great Sage, suspected to contain heaven-defying opportunities. But it had remained in the Void Heaven Domain for who knew how many years, and no one had ever truly opened it. Invincible Heavenly Kings who surpassed Saints had also come, but unfortunately, they ultimately could not succeed.
Now, its sudden emanation of a mysterious aura had many very concerned.
The Young Kings were naturally the same. There were even rumors that this was a trial left by that ancient Great Sage for the younger generation. Once passed, one could obtain the supreme legacy of that ancient Great Sage.
Furthermore, in the distant void, several illusory and mysterious figures actually appeared one after another, their forms hazy, impossible to see clearly or penetrate. But they all emanated terrifying Dao auras, kingly divine might surging forth. They were actually all King-level peerless figures appearing in succession.
Clearly, no one could be indifferent to the mysterious stone gate, as it might involve the legacy and opportunities of an ancient Great Sage.
The powerful gathered in increasing numbers. On Heavenly King Mountain, figures were densely packed, over half being the younger generation. Only the few Young Kings dared to stand at the very forefront.
The ancient gate emanated its aura but had not truly opened yet. However, no one was impatient; everyone waited patiently, awaiting the moment the stone gate would open.
"Look, the stone gate is moving! It's starting to truly open..."
Who knew who said it first, but everyone instantly focused their attention.
Indeed, the ancient gate trembled and then slowly began to open. An ancient aura flowed out from within, immortal light spreading, astonishing the world, causing everyone to watch closely.
"That is..."
In the end, everyone looked over. They saw only a void behind the ancient gate. At this moment, almost no one dared to step forward, fearing some danger might appear.
But King Hao and Flame Dragon King, confident in their high skills and bold, appeared at the massive stone gate, keeping some distance from each other.
Additionally, several other mysterious Young Kings in the distance also manifested, still shrouded in hazy auras, undetectable, impenetrable, like a dream or illusion.
They kept some distance from each other, then stood upon the threshold, looking downward. They discovered a massive bluestone heavenly staircase extending from above down below. Two hundred steps down, there was another stone gate, half the size of the one they stood upon, only sixty-four zhang tall, but still appearing quite spacious and huge.
The other young powerhouses gathered around, watching from a distance in the air, puzzled. Was this ancient Great Sage's stone gate just this? Weren't there supposed to be mountains of priceless Great Sage divine treasures?
Boom—
Suddenly, a loud noise came from the bluestone staircase. The smaller stone gate below suddenly rumbled loudly, being pushed open, attracting everyone's attention.
Could there be living beings inside the stone gate?
Everyone watched closely. Soon, the sixty-four zhang tall stone gate was pushed open, mist spreading. A hazy figure appeared within the gate.
At this moment, everyone's eyes shot forth sharp beams as they stared intently. Soon, the mist dispersed, revealing a young boy's figure. It was a quite young man, appearing spirited and heroic, handsome with sword-like brows and starry eyes. He stood beneath the stone gate, gazing up at the numerous powerhouses above.