The Vast Heavens Venerable One, a supreme powerhouse among the human race and one of the mightiest existences in the current era. With Heavenly King-level Divine Spirits not descending, who could contend with him?
His arrival naturally drew the gaze of everyone within the city.
He faced the Central Heavenly Palace, cupping his fists from afar towards the three great beauties, the Goddesses. Without the haughty air typical of a supreme powerhouse, he appeared humble and courteous instead, saying, "Vast Heavens pays his respects to the three fairies. Truly, meeting you surpasses your reputation. Your beauty could topple kingdoms, cities, and captivate the mortal world, leaving even Vast Heavens momentarily entranced."
It must be said, he was a charming and handsome man, polite, and moreover a supreme powerhouse of his generation, one of the strongest among the human race, standing above tens of thousands.
Praise from someone of such status was countless times more effective than the flattery of sycophants. Coupled with his demeanor, it stirred the hearts of many young maidens and married women who had come to watch the spectacle, making them wish to offer themselves to him.
It could be seen that a fiery light also flickered in the Vast Heavens Venerable One's eyes as he gazed upon the three great beauties. Even a supreme powerhouse like him could not completely ignore them, even feeling a stirring in his heart.
This was because the Goddess, Yi Wu, and Chen'er were not only counted among the most stunning women throughout the ages in terms of appearance, but their cultivation was also extraordinary. It was rumored each was at least at the Saint Lord-level, peerless in the world.
Such women, possessing both talent and beauty, were also the ideal Dao companions in the hearts of supreme powerhouses like him.
Now, with a supreme powerhouse like him participating, he held the greatest hope of becoming the final victor of the martial competition for marriage. Precisely because of this, a trace of smugness and pride appeared at the corner of his mouth.
The Goddess, however, merely gave a slight nod, neither humble nor arrogant: "We greet the Vast Heavens Venerable One."
"We greet the Vast Heavens Venerable One," Yi Wu and Chen'er also spoke, their attitudes not as enthusiastic as one might imagine.
Although the expressions of the three fairies were quite calm, causing some disappointment in the Vast Heavens Venerable One's heart, he did not mind. Nodding with a smile, he said, "Three fairies, I hope to have the chance to walk the path of life together with you."
These words had already clearly expressed his thoughts, causing an uproar throughout the Imperial City and making the hearts of many major forces sink.
The addition of such a supreme powerhouse would undoubtedly be crushing like rotten wood. Even the strongest among the Saints would find it difficult to contend, unless they joined forces, offering only a sliver of hope.
The Goddess gave a faint smile: "If the Vast Heavens Venerable One wishes, please first challenge the eighty-one trials of the starry sky."
"That is only proper," the Vast Heavens Venerable One said with graceful bearing, cupping his fists towards the three beauties. He turned, about to enter the starry sky, but at that moment, he suddenly looked towards the city gates, his expression slightly changing.
For in the next moment, several vast and boundless auras of divine might from the Samsara-level supreme powerhouses arrived, not just one, coming from various directions to descend upon the Imperial City.
There were those from the demon race and the beast race, all true supreme powerhouses, their auras reaching the heavens, their might suppressing the ten directions.
Many within the city were shocked beyond measure. This martial competition for marriage was truly too sensational, actually attracting so many supreme powerhouses. Supreme powerhouses from all three major races had appeared, totaling five.
Aside from only one supreme powerhouse arriving from the demon race, the human and beast races each had two.
This number represented nearly half of the supreme powerhouses from each of the three races.
A single martial competition for marriage had actually drawn five Samsara supreme powerhouses, an event that could shake the ages.
"Vast Heavens Venerable One, do you think you can simply walk the path of life together with the three fairies just because you wish to?" one supreme powerhouse spoke, a beast race supreme powerhouse who had taken human form, appearing tall and mighty, rough and domineering.
"Indeed, the three fairies' beauty is unparalleled throughout the ages. They are not for a mere Vast Heavens to possess. You should leave this place."
Even a fellow human supreme powerhouse spoke without much courtesy at this moment, for he also had his sights set on the three fairies and would not allow others to obtain them.
"Hmph, let this seat see what methods you have," the Vast Heavens Venerable One snorted coldly, killing intent spreading.
Although the five Samsara supreme powerhouses could be divided into three racial camps, at this moment they had all come to vie for the favor of the three beauties, aiming for the final victory. Thus, they were each other's enemies, each operating independently, with no so-called alliance relationships.
"Hmph, no need for idle talk. Enter the starry sky and challenge the eighty-one trials. We'll each rely on our own methods to compete for victory."
"Let's go!"
The five supreme powerhouses rushed into the spatial gate one after another, vanishing in an instant. Finally, the Imperial City settled down.
But as the Imperial City calmed, another side grew intense—the Starry Land. At this very moment, all the Saints officially began challenging the eighty-one perilous trials.
Boom—
Even separated by infinite distance, one could sense the most terrifying dao fluctuations erupting in the starry sky beyond the domain.
They swept across the heavens, pouring into the vast firmament, sweeping through layer upon layer of the starry sky.
That was the myriad Saints of the world challenging the eighty-one trials set by the three beauties.
The Heaven-Piercing Divine Eye projected all the battles occurring beyond the domain. Through the projection, it could be seen that the eighty-one trials set by the three beauties grew increasingly difficult with each level.
Among them were terrifying arrays, remnant spirits of supreme powerhouse-level, even remnants of Heavenly King-level formations. Boundless destructive divine energy surged within. Ordinary Ancient Saints who entered would only meet a fate of turning to dust.
Powerful starry sky ferocious beasts roamed the skies, suspected descendants left from the era of the Gods, also extremely powerful, guarding perilous trials.
There were dangerous meteor belts, with dazzling meteor showers constantly streaking across in vast swathes, carrying lethal destructive divine energy and fragments of forbidden weapons left from the battles of the Gods' era. Even Saint Lords would face life-threatening danger if they lingered too long.
It even included several extremely perilous secret realms—some naturally formed within the Ancient Emperor Continent, some opened by the Gods of old, even places where Heavenly Kings had fallen, no less dangerous than the Hundred Battles Mountain Range, filled with sinister strangeness.
No one knew how the three beauties had arranged these eighty-one trials. Each trial was harder than the last, encompassing myriad dangers, filled with lethal crises.
Having challenged only about twenty trials so far, nearly ten Saints had already fallen, two of them Ancient Saints, their blood staining the starry sky.
But this was only the beginning. Later, the number of Saints dying rose sharply.
Because the martial competition for marriage also had a special rule: there was only one true victor. Whoever rushed out first would most likely be the final victor.
Precisely because of this, the already difficult eighty-one trials became countless times harder.
To seize the final victory, while braving dangers during the trials, the Saints also fiercely attacked each other, unleashing divine abilities and spells that shook heaven and earth, sweeping across the starry sky.
No one was willing to let others take the lead and claim the final prize.
Especially those who charged to the forefront—without exception, each suffered the most terrifying attacks.
Even those who merely advanced slightly ahead would face a barrage of countless attacks from behind, directly causing numerous meteors to explode across patches of the starry sky. Even massive stars, unable to withstand the vast divine might of the Saints' fierce battles, shattered, causing entire starfields to dim.
It could be said that this special rule made the trial battles unprecedentedly intense, inevitably resulting in heavy casualties.
By the time they reached the fiftieth trial, at least sixty Saints had fallen, including existences of the Ancient Saint, overlord, and Saint Lord-level. Blood dyed swathes of the starry sky, and almost all participants were injured.
Such a result shocked everyone, sending chills down their spines. Never had they imagined a marriage competition could result in such heavy casualties.
Throughout the ages, except perhaps during the Primordial Chaos War and the battles for supremacy among the Gods, there had never been so many Saints falling, not even in the Hundred Battles Mountain Range.
These were Saints! Figures who could dominate a region when viewed across the Ancient Emperor Continent. Their total number across the vast Ancient Emperor Continent barely reached a thousand. Now, so many had fallen at once—an absolutely earth-shattering event.
Moreover, overlords and even Saint Lord-level figures—those lofty beings who dictated the rise and fall of others—had also fallen. This was destined to leave another heavy, bloody mark in the history of the Ancient Emperor Continent.
But none of this mattered to the Saints within the starry sky's eighty-one trials. They all fought with utter disregard for life, battling for the beauties.
The phrase "beauty brings calamity" could be said to have fallen squarely upon Zhao Jingruo and the others.
Boom—
Blood light erupted into the heavens as suddenly, over ten Saint Realm powerhouses were blasted apart, their blood spreading far and wide, dyeing the starry sky red.
What had happened to cause so many Saints to fall at once?
Boom—
The vast starry sky exploded as five astonishing dao auras bloomed—the five Samsara-level supreme powerhouses had finally appeared and begun their confrontation.
They had caught up from behind, and upon appearing, immediately displayed peak combat power that overshadowed the ages, operating the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth to crush forward. The terrifying dao fluctuations had already begun to descend from beyond the domain in a mighty torrent.
Boundless divine light shone brilliantly, illuminating the entire dark starry sky.
The sudden emergence of the five supreme powerhouses undoubtedly plunged many super-powerful Saint Realm experts into despair, even Saint Lord-level figures were far inferior.
With a forceful and domineering attitude, they charged straight ahead, barging into the eighty-one trials. Many Saints were directly sent flying, and over a dozen were even blasted apart alive.
This was due to the vast fluctuations from the confrontation of the five Samsara supreme powerhouses. The divine might of such existences surpassed imagination, far beyond what ordinary Saints could withstand.
Even Saint Lords, if struck by the shockwaves, would cough up great mouthfuls of blood, suffering heavy injuries.
The five supreme powerhouses were like five heavenly suns, blazing with billions of zhang of radiance, confronting each other in the starry sky. Their divine might was boundless, illuminating past and present as they engaged in the ultimate contest.
"Kill!"
A great shout descended from beyond the domain. The five supreme powerforces clashed forcefully with each other, each radiating boundless divine might, operating the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth they commanded to strike out, shattering all obstacles. Stars that encountered these attacks would explode.
They fought with utter disregard for life, entering a white-hot stage. Other Saints could not get close. Several unlucky Saints were even caught in the aftermath of the five supreme powerhouses' battle, reduced to dust.
Within the Imperial City, countless people watched, also in astonishment. This was the most intense battle of the martial competition for marriage—a clash at the supreme powerhouse level, capturing the attention of countless eyes fixed intently upon it.
Even Zhao Jingruo, Yi Wu, and Chen'er turned their focus there.
The five supreme powerhouses each displayed their divine abilities, all bombarding the starry sky beyond the domain, fighting their way deep into the heart of the Starry Land. The battle was incredibly fierce, with endless divine radiance pouring out, flooding the vast starry firmament.
They fought from the first trial all the way to the seventy-second, shattering numerous perilous trials and blocking all later-arriving Saints. No one could pass.
The seventy-second trial was a ruined ancient city, traceable to the era of the Gods. It was an ancient city where the Gods of old had once battled, where Divine Spirits had shed blood, breaking the city and causing a mutation, giving rise to a ruined secret realm inhabited by a world-destroying evil spirit.
Usually dormant here, it would emerge once disturbed.
The five supreme powerhouses were blocked here. That world-destroying evil spirit appeared, not inferior to a supreme powerhouse. Moreover, the ancient city was stained with Divine Spirit blood and could not be broken through immediately.
While battling the world-destroying evil spirit to pass the trial, the five supreme powerhouses also attacked each other.
At this stage, none of the supreme powerhouses could give up. Each displayed their strongest divine abilities, causing blood to spray from each other's wounds. All sustained injuries; none remained completely unscathed.
Even the demon race and beast race supreme powerhouses transformed, revealing their true forms. Accompanied by supreme powerhouse divine might, they struck across the sky, causing great sprays of blood to erupt.
The ruined ancient city of the seventy-second trial showed signs of collapse.
It was believed that before long, the seventy-second trial would also be breached.
Boom—
Suddenly, among the many Saints charging from behind, one figure abruptly accelerated by a large margin, condensing into a stream of light that shot forward like lightning. It erupted with an overwhelmingly powerful dao aura, charging straight into the seventy-second trial.
Upon the Central Heavenly Palace, Yi Wu, Chen'er, and Zhao Jingruo instantly changed color.
"Who is it!?"
Within the ruined ancient city of the seventy-second trial, the five supreme powerhouses naturally sensed this overwhelmingly powerful dao aura. Killing intent abruptly arose, and each unleashed a stream of light to strike at it—certain death for anyone below the supreme powerhouse level.
But the next moment, an even more terrifying fluctuation exploded. All attacks from the five supreme powerhouses were blocked, and only a cold voice rang out: "You think you can kill me, mere so-called supreme powerhouses?"
As the words fell, a heroic young figure strode forth.
"Who are you?" the five supreme powerhouses simultaneously changed color.
The young man curled his lips into a cold smile: "Shen Rong!"
...
In another layer of space, the dimensional void, a seven-colored, dazzling spatial channel spanned hundreds of millions of li.
Within it were three people and one ox—precisely Ye Chen, the Peacock King, Xia Miao'er, and the Heaven-Supporting Azure Ox. At this moment, they were speeding towards the Central Imperial City at an astonishing pace.
Ye Chen gazed into the channel, asking, "How much further?"
The Peacock King replied, "Not far. We'll arrive in another half an hour. Just wait a bit longer."
"Half an hour, is it?"
Ye Chen's eyes grew profound, his fists quietly tightening.