Inside Tianyi's dantian, a primordial egg created from the agglomeration of his inner cosmos drifted through nothingness. A humanoid figure appeared behind the primordial egg. His features bore an extreme likeness to Tianyi with unbound hair, but sometimes he appeared as a young man in the prime of his life. At other times, he appeared to be a middle-aged man belaying supreme confidence, and a third of the time, he appeared as an elderly man during his waning years.
Tianyi's doppelganger raised its hand above its head as if to grasp something. In the next moment, a thirty-six petaled lotus throne appeared beneath it, a violet-gold jade coronet bound its hair into a topknot, and a simple but terrifying sword appeared in its hand.
The doppelganger cleaved down, and the sword phased through the primordial egg. As if that single act drained the doppelganger of all its energy, it closed its eyes. First, the lotus throne started disintegrating, and the primordial egg absorbed its pieces. Next, the coronet and sword shattered, and the primordial egg absorbed them too. Finally, Tianyi's doppelganger also turned into nutrients.
The next moment, the primordial egg split, and a universe was born.
Spacetime began to expand at an indescribable rate. Numerous planets and stars began to form and float in a seemingly directionless manner with the ever-increasing universe. At the center of this newly born universe was a golden solar star orbited by eight planets.
All eight planets orbiting the supreme star had their own characteristic, but the most beautiful one was undoubtedly the third planet. A planet filled predominately with blue seas and verdant landmasses, almost like Earth.
Tianyi didn't have time to observe these changes within his body as he opened his eyes and looked around. The space around him had been charred and burnt completely by the tribulation lightning. The extreme heat had even turned most of the environment into glass, with patches of discolored glass and even more glass sand.
He sensed numerous prying eyes peering into his newly born universe.
In the sky above the Buzhou Immortal Sect, a colossal image stretching for thousands of kilometers appeared. It was as if a spatial tear had appeared above the Buzhou Immortal Sect, if the crevice to the Vast Void was filled with countless stars. At the center of the image was a solar system consisting of one sun and eight planets.
This was Tianyi's Dao Manifestation, a spectacle that only occurred during the birth of an immortal monarch.
Normally, this would require the Daoseed to sprout a Daotree, signifying the worldly law the immortal monarch used to form their foundation and become seamless. As masters of worldly laws, they are near-impervious to external changes brought about by mortals and immortals who have not mastered a complete law.
The Dao Manifestation of each individual immortal monarch was different according to the law they used to enter the Seamless Immortal Realm.
For example, the Dao Manifestation of an immortal monarch that used the Law of Fire would have a vision of pure fire. Perhaps, it would even be a realm created of pure flames. An immortal monarch that used the Law of Space would be a vision of the Vast Void, and so on.
Of note, when Mengfei entered the Seamless Immortal Realm, her Dao Manifestation had covered the whole Heaven Continent and reflected the whole Huang Realm within. Her vision also lasted three days and three nights.
A Dao Manifestation was an acknowledgment from the Heavenly Dao of the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System, and anyone who peaked at it would be able to catch the purest form of the worldly law the immortal monarch used to enter the Seamless Immortal Realm.
But Tianyi didn't have a Daotree. He had formed his Daoseed in the Nascent Soul Realm, but it had been absorbed into the primordial egg. When the primordial egg had turned into a universe, his Daoseed had almost disappeared and merged into the universe.
In other words, Tianyi was an immortal monarch without a Daotree. Furthermore, Tianyi could sense numerous worldly laws and concepts in his Dao Manifestation. The largest was the Law of Spacetime and Law of Mass, but there were also numerous incomplete worldly laws like the five elements, yin yang, lightning, wind, heaven, earth, and man, and so much more.
It was not just an opportunity for others, but it was also an opportunity for Tianyi. He allowed himself the chance to glimpse his mother and Daoyi, who had quickly flown over, before focusing on the vision. The Dao Manifestation reflects an immortal monarch's path, so it would allow them to consolidate their foundation and see any flaws in their path.
Tianyi's comprehension of his Dao Manifestation would grant him greater control and mastery over worldly laws. However, his mind kept returning to the scene before the universe's creation, where his doppelganger split the primordial egg. But every time he did so, he felt a splitting headache originating from his soul.
It felt like his soul wasn't strong enough to recall the process, so Tianyi decided to wait until his soul was strong enough.
Even though the Dao Manifestation had just appeared, it was still expanding without end. At the end of the first day, Tianyi's vision had already covered the whole Heaven Continent, and it was still expanding!
Tianyi's Dao Manifestation lasted for nine days and nine nights and covered the whole Huang Realm. The vision even showed signs of superseding the Huang Realm's boundaries.
On the ninth night, the Dao Manifestation started to recede until it was only a single dot above the Buzhou Immortal Sect. Then, it fell and entered Tianyi's body.
Tianyi didn't observe his changes from overcoming his Immortal Ascension Heavenly Tribulation but immediately walked towards Mengfei. He reached his hand out but stopped. "You are my real mother, right?"
Mengfei paused and stared at Tianyi with confusion but quickly realized what he meant. "I am not an illusion of your Inner Devil Tribulation."
It could have easily been a lie concocted by an Inner Devil Illusion, but the frank way Mengfei spoke to him comforted Tianyi. He smiled and brought his arm around his mother. Unseen by Mengfei, a giant smile broke upon his face. The smile contained happiness yet also a sense of relief.
Mengfei stood there stunned for a moment before she reciprocated Tianyi's action. "Congratulations, Yi'er."
-line break-
The Dragon Emperor frowned as he looked up at the sky at the receding Dao Manifestation. He had already had an ominous feeling when he saw the gargantuan heavenly tribulation, but this exceeded all expectations. When he had entered the Seamless Immortal Realm, it had only covered the Heaven Continent.
"Don't you dare become distracted while fighting me!"
The Dragon Emperor dodged out of the way of his opponent's attack and retaliated with a sword slash. His sword chopped the air like a saber and revealed hints of saber intent.
His opponent spat out a mouthful of blood and died. The Dragon Emperor sneered as he observed the other battle. Currently, he and another member of the Buzhou Immortal Sect, an earth immortal, had been ambushed by ten members of the Anti-Heaven Alliance.
"Useless," The Dragon Emperor muttered when he saw the earth immortal struggling against four opponents.
The Dragon Emperor cracked his neck and joined the fray, aiding the earth immortal in exterminating the rest of the assailants in quick order. The earth immortal panted and gave a grateful gaze towards him, but the Dragon Emperor only scoffed and turned his head away.
The earth immortal's face turned purple from anger but remembering how he needed the Dragon Emperor's aid in surviving, the earth immortal could only swallow his anger. He cast another glance at who he thought was Lovespot, who was looting the Anti-Heaven Alliance members' corpses, and couldn't help but sigh.
It was hard to think that the current Lovespot was the former silk pants that only knew how to cause trouble. Before, Lovespot had the talent but relied more on the resources provided by former Justice Hall Head Elder Redseal to cultivate all the way to the Nascent Soul Realm. But now, relying on only a fraction of the same resources since Immortal Redseal was still imprisoned, Lovespot entered the Unity Realm in only a few decades. Compared to the three hundred years it took him before his cultivation had been abolished, this was practically a miracle.
Of course, if the earth immortal knew that the Lovespot in front of him was actually the Dargon Emperor, one of the Buzhou Immortal Sect's greatest enemies, his commendation would have instantly turned into fear and hate.
The Dragon Emperor ignored all this and finished looting the corpses. Once he was done, he turned to glance towards the Buzhou Immortal Sect again and wonder who had become an immortal monarch. Instantly, Tianyi's face appeared in his mind.
It was absurd to think that a saint undergoing his heavenly tribulation would leapfrog directly into the Seamless Immortal Realm. However, before the Dragon Emperor left, he still vividly remembered the continent-covering Immortal Ascension Heavenly Tribulation.
Even if a Dao Manifestation covered the whole entire continent, it still wasn't as exaggerated as a heavenly tribulation covering the whole continent. Immortals no longer had heavenly tribulation, and the Dao Manifestation was the result of a true immortal stepping into the Seamless Immortal Realm, an act that a mortal could never hope to compare.
Stranger still was the actual Dao Manifestation. He didn't cultivate the Law of Space or Time, but the Dragon Emperor could discern that the foundation of the vision was rooted in the Law of Spacetime, but the vision didn't only contain a single law but many. Such a thing had never happened before.
Of course, the Dao Manifestation was far too large for him to sense the limit, so he only concluded that it covered the entire Heaven Continent.
Recalling the perverseness of Tianyi's strength when they had fought when he still possessed Lei Jingye's body, the Dragon Emperor felt that there was a high chance that the Buzhou Immortal Sect's new immortal monarch could very well be Tianyi.
'Of course, I could be wrong,' The Dragon Emperor thought. 'It's much more likely that a true immortal that had focused solely on cultivation and retreated from the world had become an immortal monarch, but my gut instinct says it's that damn brat!'
The Dragon Emperor had initially planned on entering the Immortal Realm only after the Buzhou Immortal Sect had entered dire straights and then display his usefulness. This way, he could fleece the Buzhou Immortal Sect for more resources. He would gradually reveal more of his talent and reach the Seamless Immortal Realm in less than a hundred years after that.
With him at the Seamless Immortal Realm, the Buzhou Immortal Sect would rely on him more and more, and at a critical time, he would betray them, causing their downfall. But now, he planned on entering the Immortal Realm as soon as possible.
Even if Tianyi wasn't the new immortal monarch, the Dragon Emperor didn't believe he would fail. If Tianyi failed, how else could he personally kill him?
Still, this left a conundrum for the Dragon Emperor. His initial plan gave him much more time to cultivate to the Immortal Realm. Even if he had the talent and mastery of a worldly law, he still needed a vast amount of resources to shorten the time to reach the Transcending Mortality Realm, resources that he didn't have at the moment.
"Lovespot, look at this!"
The Dragon Emperor turned around to see the earth immortal excitedly gesturing towards a cave entrance. The cave entrance had only opened due to the earlier battle between the two forces, and the earth immortal discovered it by chance.
He walked up and observed the cave entrance, and his eyes shone with brilliance. With his experience, he could discern that this was the entrance to an immortal grotto, one likely made by a true immortal.
He and the earth immortal walked in and discovered that it was an inheritance site!
"Hahaha!" The Dragon Emperor laughed out loud. "The heavens are helping me!"
Then, he calmed down and stared at the earth immortal's back. His eyes flashed with a cold glint and impaled the earth immortal from the back. 'I need all of this. I can't let a second person know.'
The earth immortal turned his head back and stared at the Dragon Emperor with wide eyes. The Dragon Emperor twisted the sword, and qi pulsed out, destroying the earth immortal's inside.
The Dragon Emperor pulled his sword out and allowed the corpse to fall onto the ground. He stepped over the corpse and walked deeper into the immortal inheritance site.
Unknown to him, Brocade Immortal Thirty-Seven had already entered the inheritance site and was in the process of plundering as much of the resources as possible. Ever since he had followed the Dragon Emperor, Brocade Immortal Thirty-Seven had always secretly plundered as much as possible from the fortunate encounters the Dragon Emperor had.
Even someone as emotionless as him had to sigh at the vast amount of opportunities the Dragon Emperor chanced upon.
-line break-
On the Earth Continent, in the core of the Eight Pillar Sect, the sect master, Monarch Pathway, once again visited Emperor Infinity. Unlike the previous time, Emperor Soulseek was not present.
"Pathway, what is it that you need?" Emperor Infinity asked.
"Grand Elder, did you see the Dao Manifestation that covered the entire Huang Realm?"
Emperor Infinity nodded. "The disturbance was too big to ignore."
"What should we do?" Monarch Pathway asked. "The Buzhou Immortal Sect has always reigned as the top hegemonic sect since the creation of the Huang Realm. I originally thought that the rebellion from within the Heaven Continent would reset the playing field and allow us to compete evenly against them. But now, it seems that it's likely for them to have a fourth immortal emperor in the near future."
The Buzhou Immortal Sect had the ambition to unite the whole Huang Realm, but so did the Eight Pillar Sect. The only hegemonic sect that didn't seem to have this thought was the Saintly Scholar School, at least on the surface.
Emperor Infinity stayed silent for a moment. "Seek aid from the Buzhou Immortal Sect. If possible, have them dispatch the new immortal monarch, and we can arrange a chance for them and the Anti-Earth Alliance to kill each other."
"But how could the Buzhou Immortal Sect agree to our request?"
"Offer them enough treasures. We can grind away their human resources and use them to deal with the Anti-Earth Alliance. If all else fails, offer a realm artifact. I refuse to believe that they would be unmoved by a realm artifact."
"We can't give it to them. Our sect only has two. How could we offer that?" Monarch Pathway cried out.
"Realm artifacts are only external aids. What's more important is our cultivation. So what if we give them the realm artifact and enough resources to cultivate another immortal emperor? Many people have the potential to cultivate to the Extremity Immortal Realm, but how many succeeded? If it weren't for the fact that that lass became an immortal sovereign, I wouldn't have wanted to go to this step either."
Monarch Pathway sighed.
"Do not be too upset. Whatever the reason, do not offer up the Eight Pillar Realms Artifact. It is a miniature realm of which we have eternal control and is our escape route should we ever be pushed to the brink."
"Naturally, I know," Monarch Pathway said. "Please excuse me while I send word to the Buzhou Immortal Sect."