After the man’s quiet sigh, someone beside him spoke up as well. “I’d honestly prefer if we never had reason to gather here again.” His tone carried regret and helplessness.

Indeed, unless a true threat to stability appeared, the Ten God-Clans and the Heavensward Tower would never convene together. “What’s the issue this time?” someone asked.

“Have none of you heard the rumors?” Supreme Ascendant asked. His golden mask flickered faintly with surging spirit energy. The mask was impossibly deep, impossible to see through.

“What rumors?” someone asked in confusion.

“Is the Heavenly Court plotting again? We shouldn’t have any conflict with them,” another person said. None of them wished to become enemies with the Heavenly Court. Back then, during that incident, they had even given the Heavenly Court quite a few benefits.

At this point, there were very few things that could make the Ten God-Clans and the Heavensward Tower tense. Combined, their strength ranked near the top of the entire Nine Heavens.

“It’s not the Heavenly Court,” Supreme Ascendant said. “Think back to the last time we gathered.”

“The True Martial Sacred Ground?” someone immediately recalled.

Last time, they had gathered to destroy the True Martial Sacred Ground. “Don’t tell me they’ve risen from the ashes? That shouldn’t be possible. We personally killed those people. There shouldn’t be any loose ends.”

“We haven’t gathered much information yet,” Supreme Ascendant said. “But there’s no doubt about one thing. The True Martial Sacred Ground has started to move. I discovered a few traces, but someone hid themselves extremely well. In the end, I found nothing.”

“The Ancient Dragon God-Empire was annihilated,” someone added.

“Whether it was an accident or the True Martial Sacred Ground returning, we should destroy them before they grow,” someone said coldly. He clearly hated the sect deeply.

“Daoist Gongshu, do you have any suggestions?” someone asked.

“What suggestions do we need? If we unite, even the True Martial Sacred Ground at its peak couldn’t stand against us, let alone whatever weak remnant exists now,” Gongshu replied.

“Things aren’t clear yet. Going to war blindly isn’t wise,” someone else objected. “Our intelligence network spans the entire Absolute God Heaven. I think we should gather information first. No matter how cunning the fox, it shows its tail eventually.”

Many nodded. Once the situation became clear, they could make any decision confidently.

In the end, Supreme Ascendant made the final call. “Seven days. I want all information regarding the True Martial Sacred Ground within seven days. After that, we’ll discuss our plan.”

His decision was final. Everyone trusted the Heavensward Tower. After all, the last time the True Martial Sacred Ground was destroyed, it was the Heavensward Tower that led the charge.

One by one, they left the tower. Across the entire Absolute God Heaven, countless spies began searching for information. The atmosphere grew tense everywhere.

…

Inside the Ancient Dragon God-Empire, Xu Zimo had entered a strange state. Eyes closed, he was completely wrapped in a thick cocoon of gray mist. Within this cocoon, it was as if he were undergoing rebirth, shedding the old and forging the new.

The Sage Monarch stage was the final stage of the Saint Sovereign realm, and after that came the challenge of opening the eleventh meridian gate and stepping into the Infinite Dao realm.

Spirit energy flooded wildly around him, filling the entire void. Inside his body, just before the eleventh meridian gate, spirit energy gathered into a vast ocean. He wasn’t impacting the meridian gate yet, but the sheer quantity of energy continued to expand endlessly.

Within that ocean, Primal Daos surged like a sea. Xu Zimo possessed countless Primal Daos, an endless variety. Thus, his Primal Dao Ocean glowed with many colors, unlike those with only a single Primal Dao whose sea appeared in one shade.

The Primal Dao Ocean was the defining mark of a Sage Monarch. It surged and transformed into streams of energy that drifted toward Xu Zimo’s body.

Inside the room where he was in seclusion, spirit energy could no longer be contained. It burst upward, streaming toward the sky. Before long, it formed a roaring river of light, hanging upside down across tens of billions of miles, blanketing the heavens.

A towering pillar of spirit energy connected Xu Zimo to the sky.

Outside the room, Willow Ancestor watched in awe. Only worship and reverence remained in his eyes.

“So this is the old ancestor’s strength,” he murmured. “This is far beyond an ordinary Saint Sovereign… this is already the peak of Sage Monarch.”

“Master,” Wang Hengzhi arrived as well, his voice filled with excitement. “With the ancestor this powerful, it’s a blessing for our True Martial Sacred Ground.”

“That’s true,” Willow said with a laugh. “But our old ancestor… he’s never been someone who sits quietly. But that’s fine. Better to charge forward with him than stay cowering in the sect and let others walk all over us. Even if we die, it would be worth it.”

“A man should wield his blade and take back the land,” Wang Hengzhi said with a grin. “If we die, so be it. It’s the younger generation we’d feel sorry for.”

“They won’t be fighting. Let them at least see the world,” Willow replied.

As the two chatted, the celestial river in the sky began to transform. A boundless pressure descended, and everyone in the Ancient Dragon God-Empire felt weighed down. The river was massive, oceanic, endless, vast, and unfathomable.

Outside the palace, Zhao Zhoutian and the others were still debating matters when they saw the sight overhead.

Zhao Zhoutian finally spoke. “It seems I should pay a visit to this True Martial Sacred Ground.”

“Second Grandfather, why should someone from the Ten God-Clans visit them? Yes, they destroyed the Ancient Dragon God-Empire, but that place was nothing but ants. Even if they’ve grown stronger, are they stronger than us?” Zhao Danyang asked, displeased.

“You’re still young. You don’t understand yet. My visit is also a test,” Zhao Zhoutian said.

“A test?” Danyang was confused. “But Second Grandfather, didn’t you say the True Martial Sacred Ground had a grudge with us?”

“Not just with us, the entire Ten God-Clans,” Zhao Zhoutian said. “But this time we’re going as individuals, not representing the families. It shouldn’t cause problems.”

“Alright…” Zhao Danyang nodded reluctantly.

He followed behind Zhao Zhoutian as they headed toward the Ancient Dragon God-Empire’s palace. To them, the palace looked plain and unimpressive, nothing compared to the Zhao God-Clan’s own estate.