Chapter 1535: Heart of Darkness! Key of Heaven!

Chapter 1535: The Heart of Darkness! The Key of Heaven!

At the same time.

The Land of Dusk.

The Precursor of Heavenly Will, Tian-Blade, was engaged in battle within a deep canyon, clashing with over a dozen beings from the Realm of Illusion.

These beings of illusion were cunning, adept at manipulating minds, and possessed an exceptional mastery in psychological warfare.

Yet, as a master of the Way of the Blade, Tian-Blade’s Will was as sharp as a blade—unyielding, unbreakable, capable of cutting through all things. He stood utterly unshaken against the deceptive and insidious tactics of these illusionists.

Though numerically superior, these illusionists found themselves powerless against the Precursor of Heavenly Will.

After a moment passed.

Tian-Blade, with a single stroke, severed through the dozen illusionists of equal Precursor Will, and turned to them with a calm, detached tone:

"Is that all you have?"

"If you wish to kill me, this level of power is utterly insufficient."

Upon hearing this, the near-omnipotent warriors of the Delusional Clan erupted into fury and began cursing wildly.

Yet their curses were utterly powerless, for they truly had no means against the Heavenly Blade's near-omnipotent state.

The Heavenly Blade, observing their shattered defenses, merely shook his head expressionlessly.

"Apparently, you are not suited to be my tools of refinement."

"Then I shall escort you on a journey."

With that,

He lifted his divine sword, shielding half his face, leaving only a half-cold, merciless visage exposed.

In the next instant,

A vast tide of swordlight erupted from his blade.

"A technique of supreme will—the blade that cleaves destiny!"

With a resonant flash, it was done.

As the blinding radiance dissolved into the air, the dozen-odd phantom entities of the quasi-paramount will realm lay strewn upon the earth, all breath gone from them.

A single strike of the blade had felled more than ten masters of the quasi-paramount will.

Witnessing this, Heavenly Blade nodded in quiet approval.

His prowess had indeed transcended far beyond what it had been before his arrival in the Twilight Lands.

This desolate realm was dense with formidable entities, where those of the quasi-paramount will frequently walked; the Lord of Supreme Will had spoken truly when he declared this to be the ultimate proving ground for his blade.

Should he continue to hone his craft here for just a while longer, he felt an immense certainty that he could ascend to the ranks of the quasi-paramount will.

With that thought, his mind inevitably drifted back to Zhou Zhou.

I didn't know how things were with the Emperor's Sovereign.

He silently thought within himself.

Recalling the full force he had once bestowed upon the Emperor's Sovereign, which had been consumed so swiftly,

a deeper sense of urgency surged within his heart, and his grip on the blade tightened.

No!

He had to find a stronger opponent to face in a life-or-death trial—only then could he swiftly ascend to the true realm of Supreme Will!

Then,

within the myriad realms and beyond, even into the ultimate void beyond all realms, he would have the right and capability to protect Zhou Zhou.

Just as he was about to leave—

a being radiating boundless pure white light appeared before him.

His face was as pure as jade, his expression gentle, radiating a great maternal light.

It is the Supreme Will!

"Greetings, Supreme Will!"

Tianling froze, then bowed respectfully.

The Supreme Will nodded, then smiled:

"I have just witnessed it."

"Your progress has been remarkable."

"Thank you, Supreme Will, for your guidance. Without your nurturing, I could never have made such strides."

Tianling spoke with sincerity.

During the time he has been training here, the Supreme Will not only instructed Tiancheng God King to keep a close watch on him, to rescue him whenever danger arose, but even occasionally descended personally to guide his path.

The magnitude of His progress in this period stems not only from His innate brilliance but also from the significant guidance of the Supreme Will.

"You've advanced so greatly—your progress isn't solely due to me. I've observed the elixirs bestowed upon you by the Imperial Sovereign of the Common People; they've saved you on numerous occasions."

The Supreme Will smiled faintly.

"Yes, Your Majesty's elixirs have saved me many times."

"Without Your Majesty's elixirs, I might have perished long ago in some corner of the Dusk Lands."

Tianling spoke earnestly.

To pursue mastery in the art of the blade, He would often summon several, dozens, or even hundreds of Supreme Divine-tier beings, or even near-omnipotent wills, to surround and attack Him.

Such relentless assaults undoubtedly intensified His pressure, forcing Him into life-or-death crises where, in the crucible of survival, He could find the spark of breakthrough and thus advance.

Yet, as one walks along the riverbank, one cannot help but get wet.

Tianling, at times, would misjudge the strength of his adversaries, encountering foes beyond his reach, and find himself cornered, pushed to the brink, and even sustaining grievous injuries—nearly dying in the process.

Had it not been for the supreme divinely-tiered elixirs bestowed upon Him by the Sovereign of the People's Realm, enabling Him to recover time and again, to escape death and survive, would He have had the courage to engage in one battle after another, risking life and limb to ascend?

Upon hearing this, the Supreme Will smiled faintly, then said:

"Today, I have come to share with you certain truths."

Tian-Long was taken aback.

What could be so significant as to warrant the Supreme Will—such a transcendent presence—personally coming to remind him?

"Look, and you will understand."

The Supreme Will chuckled softly, then gently waved his right hand. Instantly, a shimmering projection materialized before Tian-Long's eyes.

With a surge of curiosity, Tian-Long gazed upon it—and there, before him, unfolded a scene: Zhou Zhan alone facing off against two formidable beings of nearly Unconquerable Will, one of whom was a master of the highest tier, whose strength stood on par with his own.

The moment Tian-Long saw it, he was struck dumb.

Had it only been so brief? Had the Emperor's power already advanced to such a level?

Then, when He saw Mengnan produce the Book of Formlessness and summon the true blood avatar of the Supreme Will, He began to worry once again about Zhou Zhan's safety.

And when He saw Zhou Zhan withstand the full force of the attack with no injury to himself, He fell silent instantly.

At that moment, He realized.

His sovereign's strength had actually surpassed his own.

Was such effort still meaningful?

No more waiting—He hadn't yet ascended to the rank of Supreme Will, while His sovereign had already achieved it.

"Sky Blade, do you feel you might not keep up with the pace of Cangsheng Emperor's growth?"

The Supreme Will, gazing at the confused and uncertain expression on the other's face, asked with a smile.

Sky Blade paused, then nodded slowly.

"You have no need to worry about that at all."

The Supreme Will spoke: "Though the Sovereign of the People's Realm now stands as a being of the highest tier of near-omnipotent will, beneath the realm of Omnipotent Will, few exist who could surpass Him."

"But His true power remains merely that of a First-Class Supreme God."

"The distance between Him and the realm of Omnipotent Will is still vast and unfathomable."

"And you, I am certain, will reach the realm of Omnipotent Will faster than the Sovereign of the People's Realm—and thus, will be able to protect Him."

"Do not think that His current strength surpasses yours; that would make your own efforts meaningless."

"He merely lacks enemies at the level of near-omnipotent will. Yet, within the realm of Omnipotent Will—even beyond the realm of Will Transcendence—there are beings who wish for His death."

"Against such forces, even the Sovereign of the People's Realm, with all his strategies, cannot escape certain death."

"And His very survival hinges upon you."

Upon hearing this, Tian-Blade's divine form trembled violently, light flaring in his eyes, and a renewed sense of urgency stirred within his heart.

Yes.

From the illusionary projection, it was clear that the sovereign himself indeed stood unchallenged within the realm of Supreme Will.

Yet precisely because of that, enemies of the Supreme Will tier began to turn their gaze toward the sovereign.

And should the sovereign, in the moment of crisis, lack any means of defense—then true peril would ensue.

Only by ascending to the rank of Supreme Will could one hope to protect the sovereign in such a moment.

"Lord, I understand."

The Supreme Will nodded, saying:

"I shared this with you because you've pushed yourself too hard—ascending to the Supreme Will state is not something that can be rushed. It cannot be achieved by mere desire for speed."

"Slow down. Listen to your blade. Reflect upon your path. Sometimes, the path that appears slowest may, in truth, be the swiftest."

"Thank you, Lord, for your guidance. I now understand."

Tianling pondered, then spoke with respectful humility.

The Supreme Will nodded slightly, then vanished before the edge of the blade.

"Feel my blade. Reflect upon my path..."

After the Supreme Will had departed, the Edge of Heaven turned its gaze back to the blade in its hands, pondering the words spoken.

For a long time.

Suddenly, it sheathed the blade upon its back and began walking step by step toward the peak of a distant mountain.

It needed solitude—quiet contemplation of its own way.

...

Nightfall.

Zhou Zhan and Wan Xie Magistrate led their armies back.

After a day of relentless struggle, they finally breached all seven other Void Sanctuaries.

Thus.

The territories of the Lotus Flame War and the Fire Toxin War had now been fully subsumed under Zhou Zhan’s command, with no further threats remaining.

After returning to the base planet of the Ten Thousand Evil Demigods, Zhou Zhan and the Supreme Evil Demigod held a grand victory celebration, summoning all deities and armies from across the entire base planet to attend.

The ceremony unfolded smoothly, and all the deities enjoyed themselves immensely, feasting and drinking with great delight.

Meanwhile, while chatting and sipping wine with the Supreme Evil Demigod, Zhou Zhan subtly summoned his information panel.

He glanced at it.

User: Master of the Proud Sun (Fourth Reserve of the Supreme Lordship, Second Leader of the Supreme Will Faction in the Ultimate Void Battlefield)

Military Merit: 22 million points

Mission Medals: 20.5 Supreme Deity-Level Mission Medals

Other Rewards: 2 Universal Race Sacred Artifacts

Zhou Zhan nodded in satisfaction after reading it through.

The rewards from the Void Realm of Eight Initial had arrived, and once again he could head to the Supreme God Stele to exchange for another batch of race-specific artifacts.

But he didn’t need to rush—first, he could take a closer look at the two race artifacts granted by the quest.

The first race artifact resembled a heart.

It pulsed gently, beating with a steady rhythm. As one drew closer, the sound of a strong, clear heartbeat could be distinctly heard.

The second race artifact was a golden key.

He studied it.

[Race Artifact – Dark Heart (Top-tier Race Artifact): A universal race artifact. Once claimed by a Lord, it grants his subjects a certain amount of Dark Law affinity. When new subjects are born, there is a 20% chance they will awaken a Dark-based talent, enhancing the subjects’ immunity to Dark-type damage and reducing their absorption of 20% Dark-type damage.]

...

[Race Artifact – Key of Heaven (Basic Race Artifact): A universal race artifact with the ability to unlock any object possessing a "lock" trait. Once claimed by a Lord, his subjects gain a 1% increased chance to master lock-picking when facing unowned objects, gain enhanced Shadow Law affinity, and when new subjects are born, there is a 10% chance they will awaken the talent "Skillful Hands" or "Shadow Concealment."]

Zhou Zhan stared at these two universal race relics, his mind suddenly stirring with deep contemplation.

The Heart of Darkness was fine—

exactly what he needed, a race relic enhancing his people's immunity to attribute-based afflictions.

But the other universal race relic—the Key of Heaven—felt strangely off.

Unlocking any ability involving "locks" would undoubtedly be immensely useful.

Yet the subsequent effects seemed dangerously prone to misinterpretation.

Skillful hands + shadow concealment…

Damn!

Thieves would be ecstatic!

Zhou Zhan instinctively refused to claim it.

To be armed with a deadly tool is to awaken a murderous intent.

Some things, when absent, one can simply ignore; but once they are present, thoughts begin to multiply.

He did not wish for any of his vassals or common folk to become outcasts, despised by men and feared by spirits.

With so many race-specific divine artifacts enshrined within the Altar of the Supreme Deity, he would not feel regret for missing one such basic artifact.

Yet he soon recalled a single thought that made him decide—yes, he would take ownership of this race artifact.

He remembered his own racial gift: the Prosperity of Peace.

Though merely a transcendental-level lord's talent, it had brought the Sun-Royal Dominion under Zhou Zhou's rule into a state of flourishing stability, clear governance, and contented people—simple, kind, and hardworking.

Combined with the effects of other lordly talents, titles, and race-specific artifacts, the people of the Sun-Royal Dominion might not all become sages, but at their core, they were all good-hearted souls.

This was utterly unimaginable to the common folk of other territories.

Yet, under the combined influence of countless lordly talents, race artifacts, and titles, the Sun-Royal Dominion had truly achieved it.

Compared to the wars and chaos beyond its borders, the Jiaoyang Divine Realm truly earns its reputation as a time of peace and prosperity!

Its fame has spread far and wide—not only among the people of other regions on the Supreme Continent, who are migrating to become citizens of the Jiaoyang Divine Realm and enjoying its abundant benefits and enduring peace—but even across the myriad realms of the cosmos. Some extraordinary beings capable of interdimensional travel have eagerly journeyed from other realms to settle in the Jiaoyang Divine Realm, seeking citizenship and the blessings of its tranquil society.

Due to the overwhelming number of beings wishing to immigrate, the immigration and nationality bureaus of the Jiaoyang Divine Realm have implemented strict policies—prohibiting those with serious criminal records from immigrating—just enough to ease the mounting pressure.

Nevertheless, fortunately, the territories of the Jiaoyang Divine Realm continue to expand daily, ensuring that these new arrivals still have places to reside, live, and work.

To be honest,

Because Zhou Zhan believed in the inherent goodness of the Jiaoyang Divine Realm’s people, he decided to take ownership of this race-specific artifact.

And as he grows stronger in the future, acquiring more treasures, he is certain that the Heavenly Key will become a race-specific artifact that brings only good and never harm.

After that, Zhou Zhan conversed briefly with the Wàn Xié Magistrate, then excused himself, saying he had urgent matters, and departed alone to arrive at the Supreme Divine Stele.

He opened the Supreme Divine Stele and began to examine which race-specific artifacts were suitable for him to exchange.