As the Samsara Dao Progenitor’s words fell, the distant edge of the sky, where the Great Beyond met the setting sun, suddenly revealed an immeasurably vast palace, overflowing with immortal aura. Or perhaps it had always been there, hidden within the void, only choosing this moment to manifest.

No one yet appeared from within the palace, but under the shroud of immortal mist, an overwhelming pressure seemed to awaken, one everyone could clearly feel.

“Only one of the Heavenly Court’s Thirty-Six Celestial Domains came?” the Samsara Dao Progenitor asked with some displeasure.

A voice responded from within, “Fellow Daoist Samsara, we ask for your understanding. Every move the Heavenly Court makes is watched by the Nine Heavens. If we were to fully mobilize, the Nine Heavens would plunge into chaos.”

A man then stepped out of the palace.

His long hair draped over his shoulders, his gaze shone like that of a god, and divine might radiated from him. A divine eye opened upon his forehead. Wearing an immortal robe, bathed in celestial light, he walked forward slowly. Around him flowed the Primordial Edict of Immortality.

Within the Three Thousand Daos, there existed countless Primordial Edicts, yet the world had never possessed a Primordial Edict of Immortality. This was the Heavenly Court’s terrifying strength, they had somehow compelled Heaven itself to descend a new Primordial Edict and acknowledge the existence of an Immortal Primordial Edict. With High Heaven’s recognition, even if the Primordial Edict of Immortality were filth or rotten trash, it would still hold supreme authority.

Moreover, the Primordial Edict of Immortality belonged exclusively to the Heavenly Court, only its members could comprehend it.

Many people recognized the newcomer at a glance.

He was the Lord of the Heaven-Crown Celestial Domain and an Infinite Dao cultivator, one of the Thirty-Six Celestial Domains, Heaven-Crown Celestial God. Among the Thirty-Six Celestial Domains, the Heaven-Crown Celestial Domain ranked near the top. It was clear that the Heavenly Court was taking this matter extremely seriously. They dared not send all Thirty-Six Celestial Domains, or the Nine Heavens’ cultivators would intervene, none of them wished to see the Heavenly Court dominate unchallenged. If the Heavenly Court destroyed the True Martial Sacred Ground today, tomorrow they might destroy everyone else.

Individually, no one could rival the Heavenly Court. Only by uniting could the Nine Heavens resist them, and this understanding had already been reached among the major powers.

Thus, the eight God-Clans had been left with no choice. If there had been any other way to eliminate the True Martial Sacred Ground, they would never have cooperated with the Heavenly Court. Everyone knew the consequences of bargaining with a tiger.

Heaven-Crown Celestial God walked across the sky, overlooking everyone from above. With a habitual smile, he said, “There is no need for alarm. Since the Heaven-Crown Celestial Domain dared to come alone, we naturally have the confidence to help everyone eradicate the True Martial Sacred Ground.”

Hearing this, the Radiant Progenitor and Celestial Torchbearer from the True Martial Sacred Ground both snorted heavily.

“The Heavenly Court’s tone is far too arrogant,” they said.

“Arrogant? Only because we possess the strength to back it,” Heaven-Crown Celestial God replied calmly. “Others simply lack the qualifications to speak this way.”

Radiant Progenitor answered coldly, “Then I would like to see how you plan to destroy the True Martial Sacred Ground. Unless the Heavenly Court empties its entire nest, a single Heaven-Crown Celestial Domain is hardly worthy.”

“Of course it is not just my Heaven-Crown Celestial Domain,” Heaven-Crown Celestial God smiled. “Members of the Heavensward Tower, you may come out.”

The moment those three words, Heavensward Tower, were spoken, everyone who understood their significance drew a sharp breath.

The Heavensward Tower was not part of the Heavenly Court. They were the balancers of the Absolute God Heaven, maintaining stability and restraining chaos. Unless their world fell into turmoil, they would not appear.

But now, as Heaven-Crown Celestial God finished speaking, another great tower manifested on the opposite side of the sky. Powerful waves of energy rippled outward.

This hall had an unusual appearance. It had no roof and resembled a god beast. The beast’s massive jaws opened toward the heavens in a sky-facing posture, the very origin of the hall’s name.

Inside the Heavensward Tower, several figures sat cross-legged, each in the same sky-facing posture.

Their leader was an Infinite Dao cultivator, the Supreme Ascendant. At this moment, he sat upon a lotus formed of Heavenly Dao, his gaze solemn, as though he could judge the world itself.

“True Martial Sacred Ground, do you acknowledge your crimes?” he said immediately upon appearing, without asking anything else.

The True Martial Sacred Ground’s members were instantly enraged.

“Supreme Ascendant,” World-Weary answered coldly, “thousands of years ago, you were the one who blocked our True Martial Sacred Ground. If not for your interference in that ancient battle, why would we have been forced to hide until today? And now you wish to act as an obstacle again? Tell me, is your Heavensward Tower the domain’s guardian, or the eight God-Clans’ lapdog?”

Supreme Ascendant replied evenly, “Under the rule of the eight God-Clans, the Absolute God Heaven will continue toward peace. But you will bring war. Therefore, I will not allow you to succeed.”

Saint Sovereign San Dao snorted. “Supreme Ascendant, I did not expect you to be so foolish. War and peace have always been determined by the strong. Even if we do not bring war, one day, when the Heavenly Court seeks to unify the Nine Heavens, do you think you will be able to stop them? In this world, whoever has the bigger fist decides everything.”

Supreme Ascendant answered coldly, “Then as you said, right now our fist is bigger. We are stronger. Therefore, the Absolute God Heaven is naturally ours to decide.”

World-Weary shook his head slightly. “A rotten tree cannot be carved. In that case, the Heavensward Tower no longer deserves to exist.”

“Whether it deserves to exist is not for you to decide,” Supreme Ascendant replied. “Worry about yourselves first. What I failed to kill back then, I shall bury here today in the Great Beyond.”

Tensions had clearly reached their limit. With the arrival of the Heaven-Crown Celestial Domain and Heavensward Tower, the eight God-Clans now held an undeniable advantage, especially in terms of Infinite Dao cultivators.

Yet the True Martial Sacred Ground remained calm. One after another, its members began forming seals with their hands, clearly following a long-prepared plan.

“Welcome the Progenitor.”

Even World-Weary and Radiant Progenitor, mighty patriarchs, formed seals, their expressions solemn as if summoning something.

Even Xu Zimo had not expected the True Martial Sacred Ground to play this card.

“Progenitor”, these words said everything.

The sect had only one ancestral figure, Zhen Wu, for whom the sect was named. Among all the True Martial Sacred Ground’s emperors, he was the very first to come to the Nine Heavens. He was also the first Grand Emperor in the Primordial Heartlands to bear Heaven’s Will.

Only after his arrival did others, such as San Dao, Shen Xing, and Hong Tian, begin bearing Heaven’s Will and coming into the Nine Heavens.

“True Martial isn’t dead?!” someone from the eight God-Clans exclaimed in shock.