Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 953: Human Heavenly Daos Awaken

That night’s catastrophe brought havoc to all living beings in the Heaveneater Region. Meanwhile, the light of dawn shone in the sky over the humans’ imperial capital. As of this moment, the contrast between light and dark was very prominent in Revered Ancient.

However, while there was struggle in that dark night, there were also obstacles to overcome within the dawn light.

In the human imperial capital, on Planet Ancient Emperor, the destiny aura was rejecting the holy lands. It created a new imperial robe and crown for the empress, all while scintillating godfire burned on the planet below. The fire was becoming increasingly golden.

The five vortexes with the corpses of the past emperors were the same. The golden fire within them made the emperors seem increasingly full of life. Even the blood within their withered bodies was showing signs of awakening. A godly aura was increasingly prominent.

Most shocking of all was the empress herself. Her aura was startlingly outstanding, making her seem like the lord of all heaven and earth. She seemed like an actual god of this world, possessing omniscience, and boundlessly majestic. What was more, she shimmered with more and more golden light. Even from a distance, she seemed like a bright sun in the sky!

As she powered up, it affected the destiny aura. The destiny aura was in motion, rising, causing the boundless clouds to form infinite auspicious shapes.

As of this moment... there was no one among humankind who wanted to speak out against godly ascension.

As the godly might of the past emperors erupted, it shook the cosmos, fusing with the majesty of the empress to create something like a dazzling god lantern that cast light all throughout Revered Ancient. Countless species could sense it. Innumerable gods felt it. Many streams of divine will came from all directions to converge on the imperial capital.

There was no denying that the empress’ aura was astounding to the point of being stupefying. Her actions were profoundly domineering. Her heart could strike fear into the hearts of all.

Peak Imperial Sovereign was a terrifying level that was analogous to a tribulation fire High God. Although it wasn’t quite on the level of a Flawless God, it was extremely close. What was more, for someone like that to shift their dao to that of the gods was something that was extremely rare from ancient times until now.

If it worked... then after igniting godfire, that power would be incomparably close to Flawless!

There was even the possibility that, like Li Zihua, Flawless God could be skipped, allowing the empress... to step right into Altar God! That was comparable to the Quasi-Immortal level in the Summer Immortal cultivation system!

It was hard to say for sure. But one thing was certain: although this was an extremely rare destined opportunity, there was definitely a chance for success!

Li Zihua proved that!

How could the inhabitants of Revered Ancient not be astonished? Granted, there was only a small chance at success. But the gods of Revered Ancient had long since prohibited the existence of any god like that. And considering what happened recently with the Firemoons, the other top species in Revered Ancient obviously didn’t want another powerful species rising up. Therefore, the empress’ attempt at godly ascension was going to get a lot more resistance than the actions of the three Firemoon gods.

There were many aspects of karma at play. What was more, because the Firemoons had already been one of the top species, and their gods all High Gods, to a certain extent, they had already qualified to have Flawless Gods. But humankind did not have any such qualifications. What was more, during that event, it was only the Firemoons’ grand steward who was attempting godly ascension. But with humankind... if you counted the empress, there were six attempts at godly ascension going on!

Most importantly of all, the Firemoons were not subservient to any holy land. With humans, it was entirely different.

Put precisely, the holy lands had always lorded it over humankind, and had controlled them from afar. Whether it was Eastglory or Sageheaven, all had bent the knee to the holy lands. Dao Life had contemplated breaking ties. But he had been mysteriously killed, and the case had never been solved. That made it abundantly clear how much control the holy lands had over Revered Ancient.

The empress’ choice to attempt godly ascension indicated that humans on Revered Ancient wanted to be independent. They refused to be controlled. But even the fact that forty-nine Dawning Suns had been unleashed didn’t change things for the Dark Serenity holy land!

After all, they had made a promise to the Heaveneaters, resulting in their emperor being used like a blade to see how strong the human emperor was. When all was said and done, the opposition to humankind came from the gods, the top species, and the holy lands! It was no exaggeration to say that no one would ever allow humans to do this!

That was the reason for the imperial edict from the holy lands, which had stirred the destiny aura against the empress.

However, that was only the first counterattack. The holy lands’ second counterattack was already on the way.

The holy lands existed beyond the dome of heaven, making it difficult for them to interfere directly. Their options were limited. However, they did have forces in place that were astonishingly powerful.

Suddenly, intense ripples flowed out across the sky above the imperial capital, accompanied by thunderous booms. An astonishing figure appeared, piercing through the air to fill the sky. It was an enormous beast with the body of a dragon and the face of a human. It was so huge it blotted out the sky, and caused all cultivators’ hearts to pound. A worshipful sensation filled their souls and spread out, causing their expressions to flicker.

This terrifying entity turned to face the empress, eyes cold and bereft of even a scrap of compassion. It was impossible to tell the gender of the face, but it exuded heavenly might. Every scale pulsed with magical laws that shook the very cultivation foundations of all the cultivators present.

It was a heavenly dao. In fact, it was one of the original ninety-nine ancient heavenly daos of Revered Ancient! And it wasn’t alone! An instant later, a second heavenly dao manifested in the dome of heaven.

This second heavenly dao was a nine-headed lion that approached from afar, kicking up wind, rain, thunder, and lightning into a massive tempest.

Things weren’t over yet. An instant later, an enormous pitch-black statue appeared out of nowhere, pulsing with the power of sealing. After that was a snow-white crane that let loose a crisp, clear cry as it soared from over the horizon to circle above human lands. All were heavenly daos.

The final heavenly dao to appear didn’t look like a living thing. Instead, it was an enormous sealing stamp that pulsed with a sensation of ancient time. It was carved with a landscape representing Revered Ancient, along with countless humans. In fact, the final image depicted humankind waging war with the gods.

This was... the Seal of Humanity!

It was the sealing stamp of the very first Ancient Emperor to exist in the Revered Ancient mainland, which was later sent into the dome of heaven to become one of the heavenly daos.

Including the sealing stamp, there were now five of the ancient heavenly daos arrayed in the sky above humankind. These were the reserve powers left in place in Revered Ancient by the Dark Serenity holy land, and they were being called on to stop the empress.

Wild colors flashed in heaven and earth as the mightiness of the heavenly daos created a pressure of law that weighed down everywhere. The ground shook so hard that cracks opened up, all while countless sealing marks surrounded the empress.

In the imperial capital, mortals and cultivators alike, including the aristocracy and government officials, were all visibly stunned. There were only a handful of people whose facial expressions remained the same as before.

One of them was the empress. She hovered in midair, pulsing with might as she resisted the suppression of the heavenly daos. It seemed as if no obstacle could do anything to her unswerving determination. No amount of force could bend her spine. No person in existence could make her bow her head.

As her phoenix-like eyes took in the five ancient heavenly daos, she lifted her right hand and waved it in front of her. Instantly, a gigantic war drum rumbled into existence atop Planet Ancient Emperor.

The drum was made from the very lands of humankind, and contained a peak level of human will. Its power came from the bloodline of humanity, and the moment it appeared, it pulsed with a majestic energy that embodied the idiom: human wisdom can prevail over heaven.

This was none other than the War Drum of Humankind!

“King Skycrusher,” the empress said coolly. “Given your status, you are most suited to stand in for me. Strike the drum and crush the heavenly daos!”

Her voice swept across Planet Ancient Emperor and reached Xu Qing.

After making a move earlier, Xu Qing had held back and simply watched the spectacle of the godly ascension ceremony. He had heard everything the empress said, and was well aware that there was significance to her calling him out just now. Presumably she knew about him having a heavenly dao as a son, and thus had a deep karmic connection to the ancient heavenly daos.

Xu Qing silently took in the empress’ boundless power and knew he couldn’t refuse her. He burst into motion, heading toward the dome of heaven. As everyone looked on, he came to stand atop the enormous War Drum of Humankind. He tapped into his cultivation base, and 40,000,000 soul threads shot out to form his major world. Next came the Grand Darkheaven Armor and the Ninedawns skulls, pushing his aura to the absolute peak.

Eyes glittering brightly, he lifted his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and struck down onto the drum.

BOOM!

The fist contained world-shaking might that resulted in a deafening boom when it hit the drum! The sound shook the air and caused the land to quake. All buildings in the imperial capital shook back and forth, and the lands beyond the capital trembled. Rivers seethed and roared, joining with the sound of the drum to create a unified resonance. It was the ultimate sound that ripped through the canopy of heaven toward the five ancient heavenly daos. Especially relevant was that the sound of the drum contained some of the karma between Xu Qing and the ancient heavenly daos. In fact, it was just barely possible to hear the squeal of a child within it.

The five ancient heavenly daos were all shaken.

The backlash from striking the drum swept through Xu Qing’s fist and into his body. Cracking sounds rang out as terrifying force surged through his flesh, meridians, bones, and even his soul. Black blood sprayed out of his mouth. It was extremely noxious, as if it were poisoned and full of infinite filth.

After coughing up the blood, Xu Qing had a sudden sense of clarity and lightness filling him, something very comfortable. It caused his heart to leap and his eyes to shine. All of his years of deadly battles had left him with many hidden injuries. But the backlash from the War Drum of Humankind was like a baptism that left him almost completely cleansed.

Without any hesitation, Xu Qing again lifted his hand, called on his cultivation base, and struck the War Drum of Humankind.

BOOM!

The sound of the drum swept through the canopy of heaven, shaking the hearts of the humans. Streams of destiny floated out of all humans, which then joined the dragon of destiny aura above.

As the dragon grew larger and stronger, it threw its head back and roared at the heavenly daos. Also within that roar were the heroes and sages that had acknowledged allegiance to the empress. Flickering light glittered off of them, along with a boundless sense of slaughter. A magnificent army was attacking the heavenly daos! In life, they had fought for humankind. In death, they were dao protectors to the empress!

“DIE!!”

Heaven and earth went dim. The five heavenly daos shivered in unison, and their power of sealing began to show signs of imminent collapse.

Xu Qing felt hidden injuries disappearing thanks to the backlash baptism. In fact, his fleshly body power seemed to be on the verge of rising to a higher level. And the sense of fusion between his body and soul imparted a sense of profound completeness to him.

It was a sudden feeling, and now was not the time to ponder the situation. Therefore, eyes glittering, he struck the drum a third time.

BOOM!

The sound of the drum shattered heaven and earth, reaching the hearts of humans in the Imperial Region, the seven counties, the Holytide Region, the Nightspirit Region... and humans stranded and wandering everywhere in Revered Ancient. It didn’t matter what they were doing at that moment. They all felt their blood stirring and their wills rising.

As the saying goes, a single spark can start a prairie fire.

The wills of humans throughout the Revered Ancient mainland responded to the sound of the drum. Together, they combined, resulting in the will of humankind releasing a powerful shout.

“Jian!” [1]

It was a very extraordinary word. In ancient times, it was the name of the underworld. Later, after the heavenly daos were established, and with the exception of a few that were made from inanimate objects, they were all created from heroic spirits who had died in battle. Therefore, the Summer Immortals took to using “Jian” as the official name that collectively described the heavenly daos. Supposedly, when a person died, they became a ghost. When a person saw a ghost, they feared. When a ghost died, it became a jian. When a ghost saw a jian, it retreated. That was what the heavenly daos were.

As of this moment, the wills of all humans shouted that word, from earth to heaven, from human to dao. It was an attack on the heavenly daos!

The heavenly daos of Revered Ancient existed because of the wills of countless species. They protected the living things in the world. And now... humankind, which had once been the most powerful species, and which had conquered Revered Ancient multiple times, shouted that true name as an attack. And the essence of the heavenly daos trembled.

The five heavenly daos under the control of the holy lands needed to obey the demands of their essence, and thus, they shivered and fell back!

The empress’ eyes began to shine brightly.

Back when the three gods achieved their breakthrough, they had a host of domain treasures collected by the Firemoon Darkheavens, as well as the Everlasting Dagger-Axe. Those were their reserve powers.[2]

As for humankind... they originally had a lot of reserve powers. Unfortunately, their years of decline resulted in having few of them left over. However... the will of humankind still existed in the brutal Revered Ancient.

The war drum aroused that will. The sound echoed out to shake the cosmos.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing’s energy was building up, and he felt more complete than ever as he launched a fourth blow.

BOOM!

The sound of the drum resonated with the shout of humankind’s will, the destiny aura, all the lands, and the blood of the people. And... it connected to the ancient past and ancient glory, as something appeared.

It was a territorial map! It had been drawn out of time itself by the sound of the drum.

The regions of Revered Ancient all housed many species. The species of Revered Ancient all had to bow in worship.

The empress extended her hand to take the ancient territorial map.

“Years ago, we humans took the lead in forming the heavenly daos. Other species provided assistance in the creation process. For you heavenly daos to come here today... is a show of disrespect to your superiors!

“Never forget that we humans have a heavenly dao of our own. Other than the heavenly daos formed from the Summer Immortal ancestors, ours ranks first! When the broken face came and Dark Serenity left, that heavenly dao went to sleep, and has remained asleep until now. Today, the time has come to awaken it!

“Xu Qing. Strike the drum!”

As the empress’ words boomed like thunder, she waved her hand, sending the territorial map flying toward Xu Qing. Along the way, it transformed into a huge mallet.

Xu Qing took a deep breath. As his cultivation base filled his body with power, his energy and blood surged, and he reached out to grab the mallet formed from the most glorious territorial map of human history. Then he struck the War Drum of Humankind!

BOOM!

It was the fifth beating of the drum! The sound echoed throughout Revered Ancient, like a roar from ancient times.

Everything turned gold. And then, a seven-clawed golden dragon appeared within the clouds.

1. The Chinese character used here is unusual and rare. It’s dictionary definitions include: a spirit dying a second time, the ghost of a ghost. Because of how it's defined in the narrative itself, I’m leaving it transliterated. ☜

2. The Everlasting Dagger-Axe was mentioned previously in chapter 902. ☜