The Grand Thousand World. Of all the worlds in the Three Realms, it was the richest in Elemental Qi and the one most yearned for by Immortals.
Here, the strongest from every plane gathered, seeking the apex of their ambitions!
Here, one was but a single step from achieving godhood, from completing that long-dreamed-of metamorphosis!
This was the final stop for Immortals on their Path of Divinity!
Broken Heaven Edge was a landmark of the Grand Thousand World. It floated Wanli high in the sky, an abrupt, kilometer-wide fault line in the heavens. The entire vicinity was saturated with a tyrannical and aggressive, high-density Elemental Qi Field, repelling any creature that drew near. Many Divine Cultivators, driven by their desires, had been reduced to dust and become part of Broken Heaven Edge itself. It was one of the five great Forbidden Lands of the Grand Thousand World and was typically deserted. Now, however, hundreds of figures floated in the distance. Their expressions were varied, but all eyes were fixed on Broken Heaven Edge, shrouded as it was in a mist of pure Elemental Qi.
Even in the Grand Thousand World, a realm teeming with experts, these individuals were all famous in their own right. They were Divine Cultivators at or above the Fifty Layers of the Fate Grid Realm, paragons among Immortals. Each one controlled multiple planes of Cultivation—masters whose slightest whim could shake the heavens and tremble the earth. At this moment, every one of them held their breath, gazing intently at Broken Heaven Edge, as if it held the very secrets to the Path of Divinity.
The Grand Thousand World was the Immortal Realm yearned for by countless mortals. It possessed the most abundant Elemental Qi of all planes of existence. Regardless of their home world, civilization, or cultivation method, any Cultivator who passed the myriad trials ultimately sought to enter the Grand Thousand World. Only here was it possible to shed one's mortal coil and achieve true longevity. Here, one pursued... Divine Cultivation!
No matter the level one reached, there were always the strong and the weak.
What is the Celestial Dao?
Man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows nature.
What is nature?
Survival of the fittest. Only the strong survive!
In any plane of existence, cultivation resources are finite. In the Grand Thousand World, this final stop on the journey to godhood, the competition had reached a fever pitch. The strongest, without a doubt, were the five great Demigods. The title of Demigod was an honorific for the most powerful Immortals—those who had grasped a sliver of the mystic Celestial Dao and were just one final step away from their breakthrough.
Without a doubt, they occupied the lands in the Grand Thousand World richest in Elemental Qi. They coveted the moment of their ascension, just as they themselves were coveted by others. Cycles of Reincarnation came and went. For a thousand years, Demigods had come and gone, but not one had ever managed to take that final step.
This lasted until the Demon God Wangtian emerged from a century of seclusion, having achieved Great Success with his Seven Veins Reincarnation Technique. Only then did the balance of power in the Grand Thousand World finally shift.
In the span of three years, Wangtian challenged three Demigods in succession. Of the two Saint Cultivator Demigods, one was killed and the other was gravely wounded. The lone Demon Cultivator Demigod had his Life Soul devoured and was utterly annihilated. The number of top masters from various sects who fell to him was countless. In a flash, the invincible might of the Demon God Wangtian cast a shadow over the entire Grand Thousand World.
And now, Wangtian was facing the last and most peculiar Demigod of the Grand Thousand World—the Heaven-defying Evil God, Moo Shan, an anomaly from a Small Thousand World.
Only Broken Heaven Edge was a worthy battlefield for them. And only a Demigod could enter it.
If Moo Shan fell, no one in the Grand Thousand World could stand against Wangtian. He would become the first person in a millennium to come this close to becoming a God.
There are many ways to pursue the pinnacle of power, but they all ultimately converge on the same essence: the possession and use of Elemental Qi. Saint Cultivators, for instance, advocate for exploration and learning. They believe a Path of Divinity must exist within the natural world, merely waiting for a Cultivator to discover it.
Demon Cultivators are essentially the same, but what sets them apart from Saint Cultivators is their willingness to use any means necessary for advancement. Devouring the Elemental Power of others, for example, is a common shortcut.
The third and rarest type is the Evil Cultivator—you might call them the lunatics of the cultivation world. This is because they practice a heaven-defying cultivation, advancing through 'self-destructive' methods that oppose the Celestial Dao. As a result, most Evil Cultivators are solitary and reclusive, making them outcasts in a world dominated by factions. This brutal competition left the lineage of Evil Cultivators exceptionally fragile—at least, until the Heaven-defying Evil God Moo Shan reached the Demigod Realm.
The exterior of Broken Heaven Edge was rife with vortexes of Elemental Power capable of shredding Immortals. Inside, however, lay the purest form of Elemental Qi. But to the two Demigods, such Qi was of little meaning.
Wangtian stood with his hands clasped behind him, his presence seamlessly merged with the environment. His every gesture was a testament to the Celestial Dao.
The Great Dao is singular. Whether one follows the path of a Saint Cultivator or a Demon Cultivator, the destination is the same: to comprehend the Celestial Dao and ultimately achieve godhood. Both factions had proven this truth, providing invaluable experience for their successors. However, the most accomplished Evil Cultivator in history was the man standing before him now, the Heaven-defying Evil God Moo Shan. For his path, the Demigod realm was the absolute peak.
Moo Shan's mane of red hair was disheveled. Three days had passed, yet his expression remained serene.
Wangtian gazed up at the firmament, as if he were not facing the final obstacle on his path to godhood, but an old friend.
At his level, power and beautiful women were as fleeting as clouds. All that was left was an ever-growing obsession with the Celestial Dao and a boundless, crushing loneliness.
'I left Moo Shan for last, not because he was the strongest, but because I thought he was the weakest. Even I never expected he would turn out to be the strongest of the other four Demigods. He's even a little stronger than I was before my seclusion.'
'A shame. Today, my loneliness will only deepen. After this, I'll have no rivals left. My mind will be focused solely on the Celestial Dao, waiting for the moment of my ascension.'
"Moo Shan, surrender your Fate Grid. I will allow you to start anew in the Grand Thousand World and will guarantee your safety for five hundred years," Wangtian said coolly, his voice already imbued with a majesty akin to that of a True God.
In the Grand Thousand World, only Wangtian had the right to make such a claim.