It is said that each of the Nine Sacred Sons of the Sacred Ground is a unique, peerless prodigy, unparalleled in talent, comprehension, and destiny, each possessing a Sacred Treasure Body with holy bloodlines, each a destined calamity figure bearing the True Mandate. This means the Nine Sacred Sons of the Sacred Ground were born for this Original Sin Cataclysm, shouldering the mission of guarding the Great Dao and carrying its hopes.
The strength of the Nine Sacred Sons is beyond doubt. When Xuan Yuan Hao appeared earlier, his mere powerful Sacred Light caused numerous Original Sin Retribution Bodies to vanish into dust. Wielding the Sacred Judgment Bow and the Great Sun Judgment Arrow, a single shot obliterated one of the Green-Robed Patriarch's avatars.
Although the strength of the other Sacred Sons has not been witnessed, one can imagine with their toes that the power of each of the Sacred Ground's Nine Sacred Sons must be unimaginable, undoubtedly surpassing even destined calamity figures like Fusheng Dijun, Changfeng Great Emperor, and Peacock Great Emperor.
And indeed, this is the case.
At this very moment, the entire Li Palace was filled with the nine Forbidden Great Daos unleashed by Gu Qingfeng, along with the Avici Without Interval Evil Asura manifesting as the image of Hell, the Descent from Azure Heaven to Yellow Springs manifesting as the image of Purgatory, and the Heaven-Devouring Blood Taotie manifesting as the image of the Abyss.
The sky was filled with black smoke that dimmed the radiant light surrounding all the patriarchs, and the terrifying Original Sin Spirit contained within it shook the hearts of every patriarch.
In contrast, the Nine Sacred Sons of the Sacred Ground each stood tall and aloof, transcending the mundane and entering the sacred. Some stood with arms crossed, others with hands clasped behind their backs, their expressions serene. They showed neither shock nor panic, nor were they flustered like those patriarchs; they possessed only calmness.
They stood in the void like cranes among chickens, or like nine great suns, particularly conspicuous within the Li Palace, now shrouded by the nine Forbidden Great Daos and overrun by successive manifestations of Purgatory, Hell, and the Abyss Prison.
As is well known, the Nine Sacred Sons of the Sacred Ground are disciples of one of the two Pillars of Heaven, the Martial Sage Xuanyuan Wuji, renowned for his power to obscure the heavens with a single hand.
What is strange is that while the various elders of the Sacred Ground have already appeared, and the Nine Sacred Sons of the Sacred Ground have also emerged, looking around, Xuanyuan Wuji's figure is nowhere to be seen.
On the other side of the void,
there was another group resembling celestial visitors standing upon the clouds.
The reason they are called celestial visitors is because these people are utterly incompatible with this Li Palace space.
Looking out, these celestial visitors are almost uniformly beings of the 'Heaven' lineage—either Heavenly Immortals or Heavenly Demons, either Heavenly Fiends or Heavenly Humans.
What are Heavenly Immortals? What are Heavenly Demons?
It means they are immortals by birth, demons by birth.
It also signifies they are immortals and demons who bear the Heavenly Mandate.
Among these celestial visitors, the crowd also saw many familiar faces, including the sect masters of the Supreme Purity Sects from various major worlds, as well as various 'Heaven' lineage elders from the Supreme Purity Cave.
The Supreme Purity Sect is the number one sect of ancient and modern times, spread across the myriad realms.
The Supreme Purity Cave is the leader among the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.
Furthermore, the Supreme Purity Cave represents the highest of the Nine Heavens, the Supreme Purity Heaven, and the Supreme Purity Heaven in turn represents the leader of the Great Dao—the Heavenly Dao.
After the Primordial Era, with the Immortal Dao dominating Heaven and Earth, although the Heavenly Dao governed the origin of the world, it remained in a state of seclusion, its presence extremely low—so low that when Gu Qingfeng obliterated the Heart of the Heavenly Mandate before the masses of the myriad realms, the Heavenly Dao pretended not to see, not even daring to utter a peep, and no one from the Supreme Purity Cave stepped forward.
However,
throughout the ages, no one has ever looked down upon the Heavenly Dao because of this. Even a Great Dao as powerful as the Immortal Dao, which dominated after the Primordial Era, dared not look down upon the Heavenly Dao, much less challenge its bottom line.
Those who do not understand believe that after the end of the Primordial Era, the Heavenly Dao suffered the most severe losses, and whether its origin has recovered remains unknown. Even if it has recovered, it has likely been slumbering until now. Coupled with the Heavenly Dao being remote and unattainable—beyond the reach of not just ordinary mortals but even immortals and Buddhas—this has led to the perception that the Heavenly Dao has no people, only the name remains the name of the Heavenly Dao without its substance.
However,
those who understand know that while the Heavenly Dao may appear to have only its name left,
that is merely how it appears.
If one says the Heavenly Dao has no people, that is a grave mistake, utterly laughable.
The Heavenly Dao may seem to have no people, yet people are everywhere.
The Heavenly Dao may seem absent, yet it is present everywhere.
Are those Heavenly Immortals part of the Immortal Dao?
The answer is both yes and no.
They are of the Immortal Dao, yet do not belong to it; one could say they have one foot in the Immortal Dao and the other in the Heavenly Dao.
Some say the existence of Heavenly Immortals treads upon the Immortal Dao with their feet, yet bears the Heavenly Dao upon their heads.
This statement is not an exaggeration at all.
Because the existence of Heavenly Immortals are immortals who bear the Heavenly Mandate, not only of noble status but also possessing astonishing strength.
In the Primordial Era, a saying circulated: "Better to provoke a Mysterious Wonder Immortal than to provoke a Heaven-Born Immortal."
This phrase well illustrates how formidable the existence of Heavenly Immortals is.
The same holds true for Heavenly Demons, Heavenly Fiends, and others.
Even, strictly speaking, the Great Dao Star Lords, Great Dao Thrones, Great Dao Imperial Seals, and even Great Dao Imperial Authority present here all belong to the people of the Heavenly Dao.
Because what they bear is precisely the Great Dao Heavenly Mandate.
This is the so-called "Heavenly Dao seems to have no people, yet people are everywhere; the Heavenly Dao seems absent, yet it is present everywhere."
If Heavenly Immortals and Heavenly Demons who bear the Heavenly Mandate are the nobility within the Great Dao,
then the Great Dao Thrones that bear the Heavenly Mandate are the royal family within the Great Dao.
The Heavenly Dao never needed people, nor does it lack them.
The Heavenly Dao is remote and unattainable, lofty and beyond reach, precisely to manifest the nobility of the Heavenly Dao.
The Heavenly Dao has always been here.
Not only does it govern Heaven and Earth,
it has long since used the Heavenly Mandate to control the Three Thousand Great Daos.
This is the terror of the Heavenly Dao!
Those who understand, understand; those who do not, will never understand.
Among the crowd of 'Heaven' lineage immortals and demons, nine individuals were the most unique, the most conspicuous, the most eye-catching.
These nine, men and women, were all dressed in pristine white robes, spotless. The men were extraordinarily handsome, like gods descending to the mortal realm; the women were peerlessly beautiful, like celestial maidens descending.
The nine stood quietly upon the clouds, like nine divine statues guarding Heaven and Earth, or like emperors ruling the world, gazing down upon the void, looking down upon all living beings with pride.
Each of these nine individuals carried a powerful aura.
This aura felt both familiar and unfamiliar to the patriarchs present—it was none other than Heavenly Might.
That's right!
It was Heavenly Might, and a kind that inspired awe in people's hearts, even making them involuntarily kneel and worship.
No one recognized these nine men and women; no one had even seen them before. But all present, whether Original Sin patriarchs or Great Dao patriarchs, knew that these nine god-like individuals must be the legendary Nine Heavenly Sons.
The Sacred Ground has Nine Sacred Sons; the Heavenly Dao has Nine Heavenly Sons.
Like the Nine Sacred Sons of the Sacred Ground, the Nine Heavenly Sons of the Heavenly Dao are peerless prodigies unmatched throughout ancient and modern times.
The Nine Sacred Sons of the Sacred Ground are all destined calamity figures bearing the True Mandate; the Nine Heavenly Sons of the Heavenly Dao are the same.
The difference is:
The Nine Sacred Sons of the Sacred Ground possess Sacred Bloodlines.
While the Nine Heavenly Sons of the Heavenly Dao possess Azure Heaven Bloodlines.
If Sacred Bloodlines represent Sacred Bodies,
then Azure Heaven Bloodlines represent Heaven Bodies.
One transcends the mundane to enter the sacred, can be called Sacred Sons.
One bestowed by the Azure Heaven, can be called Heaven-Bestowed Sons.
They were all born for this Original Sin Cataclysm, all shoulder the mission of guarding the Great Dao, and all carry the hopes of the Great Dao.