As he passed through the firmant of Le ng Star, Qin Wudao felt the world spin dizzily, as if ti itself were rewinding. Even with his cultivation in the Taiyi Earth Immortal Realm, he was disoriented and his vision blurred.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in an unfamiliar palace. It was resplendent with golden light, and an overwhelming imperial majesty emanated from it, reigning supre over the Ninefold Heavens.
What puzzled him most were the hundreds of strange 'people' standing before him, displaying utmost deference, like courtiers paying homage to their sovereign.
The aura emanating from these figures was terrifying. It felt as if any single one of them could suppress Heaven and Earth, obliterate existence, and shatter all the heavens.
Who are they?
And where am I?
"Your Majesty, the Human Race has suffered a great defeat! From this day forward, the Ninefold Heavens belong to us, the All Clans!" One of those standing below stepped forward, his face flushed with fanatical excitent as he reported.
Qin Wudao was even more bewildered. But before he could speak, another 'person' stepped out. Clad in armor, this figure exuded an endless, murderous intent that threatened to destroy all living beings.
"Your Majesty, how should we deal with the Human Race prisoners?" the general asked in a loud voice, kneeling on one knee.
Angry curses drifted in from outside the palace. "Qin Wudao, I curse you to die! The All Clans will be exterminated!"
"The heavens are unjust!"
"Why grant the All Clans such peerless prodigies? Does Heaven intend to annihilate our Human Race?"
Qin Wudao looked up. Countless stone pillars hovered in the sky, stretching to the horizon. Bound to each pillar was a grievously injured Human Race expert, drenched in fresh blood.
A chorus of voices seed to chant, "KILL! KILL! KILL!"
Then, a tempting voice sounded in Qin Wudao's ear, "Kill them, and you will beco the supre sovereign of the All Clans, the dictator of the Ninefold Heavens!"
Simultaneously, an unfamiliar mory flooded his mind.
It turned out that he was the sovereign of the All Clans. After an epoch of fierce battles, he had led his people to trample the ancestral land of the Human Race, spreading the glory of the All Clans throughout the Ninefold Heavens.
Now, only the final step remained: to execute the Human Race captives.
"Your Majesty, please give the order! Execute the Human Race captives!"
"Your Majesty, please give the order! Execute the Human Race captives!"
"Your Majesty, please give the order! Execute the Human Race captives..."
The ministers in the hall all fell to their knees simultaneously, roaring with murderous intent.
It was as if myriad enchanting voices echoed in Qin Wudao's ears, eroding his mind and convincing him that he was indeed the monarch of the All Clans, wielding supre power and reigning over the Ninefold Heavens.
Elsewhere, after the prodigies' examination had begun, within a palace complex on Le ng Star, three Tutors from the Torch Academy gazed with solemn expressions at a profound mirror before them.
The mirror displayed scenes from the prodigies' trials.
So had beco monarchs of the All Clans, others generals, and still others prodigious talents of the All Clans. In short, each had assud an identity fitting for a mber of the All Clans.
"I wonder how many can pass the 'Three Thousand Dreams' examination!" said an old man with grizzled hair from his seat on the left. He leaned on a cane and wore a gray robe.
The Three Thousand Dreams, a divine artifact of the Human Race, was incredibly potent, capable of creating illusions and simulating experts.
"In recent years, due to the oppression from the All Clans, more and more Human Race prodigies have developed a fear of them. Once the examination begins, they find it impossible to resist the All Clans' temptations!" Sitting to the right was a middle-aged man, also in a gray robe. His fists were clenched as he spoke angrily.
"Our younger prodigies lack ethnic confidence and cannot withstand temptation; this is the main reason our disciple recruitnt is dwindling!" the old man stated, hitting the nail on the head.
Self-confidence is crucial for any race.
How many races have been passed down from ancient tis to this day? Very few! The most famous among them are the Dragon Clan, the Phoenix Clan, and the Qilin Clan.
The primary reason their lineages have endured for so long is their inherent nobility, and a sense of racial pride and identity ingrained to their very bones. Thus, through vast aeons and shifting stars, they have always stood at the pinnacle of the world.
In comparison, the Human Race is considerably weaker. Many cannot bear the oppression and surrender to the All Clans. A significant portion, seduced by the All Clans, even beco spies.
"I hope this recruitnt brings so surprises," said the middle-aged Martial Artist. He glanced at the blue-robed woman in the center and followed her gaze to the profound mirror, where Qin Wudao was currently receiving the obeisance of his court.
A peculiar glint appeared in his eyes as he looked at Qin Wudao.
In the Torch Academy, Tutors are divided into five ranks, from lowest to highest: Gray Robe, White Robe, Red Robe, Blue Robe, and Purple Robe. Typically, for recruitnt in a Minor Thousand World, the academy would dispatch one White Robe Tutor accompanied by two Gray Robe Tutors to oversee the prodigies' examination. This had been the practice for several eons. This ti, however, was different with the arrival of a Blue Robe Tutor.
The middle-aged Martial Artist also knew that this woman in the blue robe held a significant status.
The blue-robed woman said nothing. She sat quietly on her chair, her figure tall and well-proportioned. A mysterious power veiled her face, obscuring her features, revealing only a pair of beautiful eyes as bright as stars, which were fixed on Qin Wudao.
Could he be the Human Race's destined Emperor Star? the blue-robed woman wondered, a flicker of anticipation in her heart.
Back in the Sky-Breaking Era, an ancestor of the Human Race, skilled in divination, made a prophecy. Using the vast expanse of stars as her guide and the three thousand cosmogonic fundantals as her reference, her divination revealed a critical truth. Only the one known as the Emperor Star could lead the Human Race out of peril and into an era of true prosperity.
Not long ago, the Emperor Star erged. The Human Race vetted all its prodigies and found the Qin Dynasty to be the most probable candidate.
Ziwei is the star of emperors, representing the Imperial Path!
If the Emperor Star were to erge from the Qin Dynasty, then it must be Qin Wudao.
That was why she had condescended to co to this Second Layer of Heaven.
「anwhile, within the illusion」
In the palace, Qin Wudao sat high on the imperial throne, looking down at the kneeling court officials who were offering their counsel. His eyes were clear.
The Torch Academy's examination thods are truly ingenious!
For a mont, he had nearly been deceived and lost his senses. However, he quickly recovered, saw through the charade, and understood he was in an illusory realm.
"The ancients said, 'If the monarch wills a subject to die, the subject must not live.' I now command you all to end your own lives!" Qin Wudao said coldly.
At his words, the counseling ministers froze. They all looked up, the reverence on their faces vanishing, replaced by a bone-chilling murderous intent.
"Your Majesty is addled! Allow this servant to awaken you!" a martial general snarled, transforming into a colossal Peng. Its wings unfurled, spanning ten thousand li, shattering the imperial palace, eclipsing the sky, and tearing everything asunder.
"Die!" the other ministers bellowed, each reverting to their true forms. Evil Qi boiled around them as they shattered the Void.
The combined aura of several hundred Taiyi Earth Immortals billowed out from the fractured Void, crushing down on Qin Wudao.
Within Le ng Star, the three Tutors instinctively sat bolt upright, their eyes fixed on Qin Wudao in the profound mirror.
"Such speed!" one murmured, his gaze intense.
"The final trial is starting!" another added, leaning forward.
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