Above the Ethereal Sacred Domain, the stars trembled as one ancient warship after another rumbled past, speeding toward the central region.
An ancient banner of the "Heaven-Slaying Alliance" fluttered against the void, carrying a vast and boundless surging aura that spread across every cosmic star domain.
"The people from the Heaven-Slaying Alliance have arrived..."
Many cultivators and beings noticed this scene and were all shocked and exclaimed.
"It's just unclear who the Heaven-Slaying Alliance will send this time..."
"Still, the fact that the Heaven-Slaying Alliance has come finally puts people's minds at ease."
Many ancient figures also rose from various pavilions and halls, looking over, and amidst their shock, began to speculate.
In various places on Ethereal Peak, there were also ancient beings who received the transmission, their eyes showing shock.
"They actually came."
The senior members of the Alliance of Righteous Unity were all surprised, but many also had strange looks, wanting to know if the Heaven-Slaying Alliance's sudden arrival on the very day the Immortal Dao Alliance was about to be established had some ulterior motive.
Was it a show of force? Or did they simply not care?
The great families of the Ethereal Sacred Domain also received the news one after another; while shocked, they were also overjoyed and breathed a long sigh of relief. As long as the Heaven-Slaying Alliance did not intervene to stop the establishment of the Immortal Dao Alliance, it was the best news for them.
Not to mention that the Heaven-Slaying Alliance had actually sent people; in a sense, this was tantamount to recognizing the establishment of the Immortal Dao Alliance.
"Quickly, follow us to welcome the honored guests of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance..."
The elder-level figures of the great families did not think that the Heaven-Slaying Alliance's hurried arrival was discourteous; overjoyed, they quickly rose and summoned many clan members to go to Ethereal Sacred City to welcome them.
"Miss Luo, long time no see..."
At the same time, on one of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance's ancient warships, Gu Changge looked at the coffin that lay before him, already shattered and broken, then retracted his gaze and spoke unhurriedly.
Before him, the three—Luo Xiangjun, Luo Zhu, and the Eternal Primordial God—stood there stiffly.
The latter two especially couldn't move at all, as if restrained on the spot, unable to even communicate telepathically, only shock and trembling remaining on their faces.
Luo Xiangjun was still somewhat dazed, unable to recover from the previous shocking scene.
After a long while, upon hearing Gu Changge's words, her eyes showed complexity as she said, "Luo Xiangjun greets the Alliance Leader."
She hadn't expected that back then, Gu Changge had left a so-called karmic coordinate on her; was it to confirm that she would be involved with certain existences?
How could she have imagined today's scene back then? To her, it was still like a myth, unbelievable.
Gu Changge nodded, paid her no more attention, and looked at Luo Zhu and the Eternal Primordial God.
From the first time he met Luo Xiangjun, he had actually sensed the bloodline aura within her; if even the Eternal Primordial God could notice it, how could he not?
It was precisely for this reason that he planned to use Luo Xiangjun as bait, to see if he could fish out the Luo Zhu behind her.
Of the former Eight Tribes of Heaven's Proxy, aside from those that had already betrayed him—the Heavenly Decline Faction, the Lesser Yin Faction, and the Lesser Yang Faction—the Sword Clan, Darkflame Clan, Nether Soul Clan, Formless Clan, and the Luo Clan had not yet appeared.
"Luo, are you planning to betray me?"
He paid no mind to the Eternal Primordial God's somewhat pale and incredulous expression, and looked at Luo Zhu with a casual tone.
From the homeland of the Luo Clan to the current Ethereal Sacred Domain, the distance in space and time was unknown, yet in the blink of an eye, the two were captured and brought here.
This method left the Eternal Primordial God both trembling and terrified.
Just how powerful was he, and acting so without restraint—was he truly not worried about being detected?
Until this moment, meeting Gu Changge in person, he was finally certain of his previous speculation.
The Lord of Heaven's Proxy and the Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance were the same person.
"N-No, I wouldn't dare."
Luo Zhu was even more unsettled than the Eternal Primordial God; he had never imagined that after so many years, he would "reunite" with Gu Changge in this manner.
If the Eternal Primordial God hadn't brought Luo Xiangjun to the Luo Clan's territory, he might have been able to continue hiding.
But who could have imagined that Gu Changge had long since cast bait through this, just waiting for him to take the hook.
Luo Zhu, cautious all his life, never thought he would see such a day.
But facing Gu Changge, his agitated and trembling heart gradually calmed.
"Since you wouldn't dare, why didn't you come to see me?" Gu Changge said indifferently.
Luo Zhu's heart trembled slightly; bracing himself with a numb scalp, he replied, "I was unaware that the Master had revived."
Gu Changge smiled faintly and said, "Then you should know today."
In this time of needing manpower, he naturally wouldn't actually strike against Luo Zhu; he also wasn't afraid of betrayal, nor did he care about the petty schemes of Luo Zhu and the like.
Luo Zhu trembled even more inwardly; powerful as he was, he dared not meet Gu Changge's gaze directly.
Meanwhile, the Eternal Primordial God, who had not yet recovered to his full peak, was far weaker than Luo Zhu.
What filled his heart with humiliation, unwillingness, and helplessness was that, as a fellow being of the Innate Era, Gu Changge didn't put him in his eyes at all, even having no intention of speaking to him, simply ignoring him.
But the Eternal Primordial God also had to accept this: Gu Changge was indeed far, far stronger than him.
At least from the current situation, he should be the sole existence at the End of the Path in the present world.
As for whether he had taken a step beyond the End of the Path, advancing to Supreme Shattering, that was unknown.
The only thing the Eternal Primordial God could be certain of was that, unless other existences at the End of the Path emerged, in the current Vast Expanse, there was simply no one who could match Gu Changge.
Gu Changge's strength was even such that he directly disregarded the existence of the Land of Truth, with no scruples whatsoever.
The arrival of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance caused immense waves in the Ethereal Sacred Domain; outside Ethereal Sacred City, the four great families who received the news sent people to await here.
However, the ancient warships directly descended, not choosing to land in the city but heading straight for the area of Ethereal Peak, with an immensely grand display.
The accompanying senior members of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance were all waiting outside the courtyard where Gu Changge was, including White Bone Ancestor King, Yao Yao, Jiang Weiyang, and the others.
A moment later, Gu Changge emerged, but behind him were three additional figures.
"Alliance Leader..."
The senior members of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance were all stunned, looking at these three in confusion.
Aside from Luo Xiangjun, they couldn't see through the cultivations of the other two; especially the man in a silver robe, who gave off a feeling of being severed from time and space, as if he didn't exist in this dimension.
"Let's go."
Gu Changge said, without explaining the origins of Luo Zhu, the Eternal Primordial God, and the others.
The senior members of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance tactfully didn't ask further.
On the broad plaza of Ethereal Peak, ancient warships came through the air, the void trembling, their majestic aura spreading, making all surrounding beings and cultivators look shocked.
Though they had long known of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance's domineering nature, they hadn't expected that they would disregard the rules of the Ethereal Sacred Domain so blatantly and land directly here.
Among the various mountain tops and divine islands, the guests and honored visitors who had already arrived also trembled inwardly, but at this moment, they remained silent, the previous lively atmosphere gone.
"The Heaven-Slaying Alliance has come; by all rights and reason, we should still go meet them."
"Lest outsiders say our Alliance of Righteous Unity doesn't understand etiquette, humph."
On the other side, the senior members of the Alliance of Righteous Unity, led by Deputy Alliance Leader Zhao Tianqi, also headed toward the landing site of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance's ancient warships.
Many people still held hostility and dissatisfaction toward the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.
This could be considered the first gathering and meeting of high-level figures from both sides since the ceasefire.
Representative figures from many orthodoxies and true worlds had mixed feelings, watching this scene with strange expressions.
For a time, the crowd surged; on mountain peaks and divine islands everywhere, streaks of divine light and rainbows flashed by, as figures rushed toward the direction where the Heaven-Slaying Alliance's ancient warships had stopped.
Meanwhile, atop Ethereal Peak, in a simple thatched hut, the Sacred Ancestor of the Ethereal Sacred Domain, who was seated cross-legged, seemed to sense something; his eyes showed surprise as he cast his gaze over, looking at the senior members of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.
"How could this be..."
In the next moment, his heart shaken, without much hesitation, his figure flickered and vanished from the spot.
"Greetings, Sacred Ancestor..."
In the guest hall prepared for the establishment of the Immortal Dao Alliance, the many elders of the Ethereal Sacred Sect in charge of receiving guests were startled to see the refined middle-aged man who suddenly appeared, then all respectfully saluted.
The guests here were somewhat puzzled, but soon some realized and looked at the middle-aged man in shock.
The Sacred Ancestor of the Ethereal Sacred Domain had personally appeared?
The guest hall immediately stirred with no small commotion.
The old woman leaning on a cane was also in the hall, and she too looked at the Sacred Ancestor of the Ethereal Sacred Domain with shock and confusion.
"Sacred Ancestor, why have you personally appeared as well?"
"This is truly unexpected."
"I originally thought the Heaven-Slaying Alliance wouldn't take this matter too seriously, and not obstructing it would already be a tremendous blessing..."
The Sacred Ancestor of the Ethereal Sacred Domain stood there, his handsome face adorned with white whiskers at his temples, his eyes deep, clad in a cloud-patterned robe, a piece of red jade hanging at his waist, his aura ethereal.
But now his expression was very grave, even hesitant.
"Has the Heaven-Slaying Alliance brought some extraordinary figure that requires the Sacred Ancestor to personally receive them?" the old woman asked, shaken.
"I fear something major will happen today..."
The Sacred Ancestor of the Ethereal Sacred Domain frowned, and after not much hesitation, directly strode out of the hall toward the plaza outside.
Deep down, he had an unsettling feeling; for an existence like him, his perception was almost never wrong.
Why hadn't he sensed it before? Why did he only sense it when the Heaven-Slaying Alliance's people arrived? Could some existence have obscured his perception?
And those auras just now—if he wasn't mistaken, one of them should be the Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.
When did he leave the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and actually appear here in person?
This news was truly shocking.
Immortal mist ethereal and hazy, an aura of eternal vicissitude pervaded the summit of Ethereal Peak.
In the void of the firmament, occasional rifts in spacetime could be seen, streaking light falling from within them.
The Sacred Ancestor of the Ethereal Sacred Domain set off personally, accompanied by many elders of the Ethereal Sacred Sect, and headed straight for the landing site of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance's people.
"Fellow Dao brothers of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, you have come from afar; we apologize for not welcoming you properly..."
The members of the four great families of the Ethereal Sacred Domain went forward to greet them, their faces full of smiles.
Many leader-level figures from various true world civilizations also stepped forward, unwilling to make an enemy of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, especially at this juncture.
But at this moment, the appearance of the Sacred Ancestor of the Ethereal Sacred Domain stunned everyone, then left them somewhat incredulous—this was, of course, news they had learned from the guest hall.
This was a legendary figure; it was said that the Ethereal Sacred Domain was personally founded by him, his origins incredibly ancient; no one knew exactly which era he was from.
Even the many elders and disciples of the Ethereal Sacred Sect had only learned recently that the Sacred Ancestor of the Ethereal Sacred Domain had reappeared in the world.
"The Sacred Ancestor of the Ethereal Sacred Domain actually appeared?"
The smiles on the faces of the senior members of the Alliance of Righteous Unity could no longer hold; when they had arrived earlier, they had only been received by a few elders of the Ethereal Sacred Sect.
Even Li Hanying, who was hailed as the number one prodigy of Ethereal Sacred City throughout countless ages and had now become the Sect Master of the Ethereal Sacred Sect, had not come to greet them.
As Deputy Alliance Leader, Zhao Tianqi might have felt embarrassed, but he still maintained a calm demeanor, as if he didn't care much.
"It seems the Ethereal Sacred Domain places great importance on the Heaven-Slaying Alliance; even though it's almost the day of the Immortal Dao Alliance's establishment and the Heaven-Slaying Alliance arrived so hastily, the Sacred Ancestor of the Ethereal Sacred Domain personally came out to greet them..."
Everyone was astonished, then their emotions surged, deeply shaken.
Many guests and honored visitors were also very curious; many looked in the direction where the elders of the Ethereal Sacred Sect were coming from. For such an ancient figure as the Sacred Ancestor of the Ethereal Sacred Domain, his strength must be unfathomably profound.
The founding of the Immortal Dao Alliance this time had his backing behind it.
Soon, the faces of the people here showed even more shock and incredulity, some even unable to believe their ears.
"The Alliance Leader's personal arrival truly makes the Ethereal Sacred Domain shine with brilliance."
"The Ethereal Sacred Sect was remiss in welcoming you from afar; for any discourtesy, we hope the Alliance Leader will forgive us."
A refined and hearty voice sounded as the Sacred Ancestor of the Ethereal Sacred Domain walked over, surrounded by a crowd of Ethereal Sacred Sect elders.
His words were like a thunderclap, instantly plunging the entire vast plaza into dead silence.
The cultivators and beings on the surrounding mountain peaks and divine islands were even more dumbfounded, unable to believe it.
The leaders of all civilizations and orthodox forces stared over intently, their breaths seeming to stop.
The Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance? Personally arrived?
The senior members of the Alliance of Righteous Unity, including Deputy Alliance Leader Zhao Tianqi, were all stunned, frozen on the spot.
Then many trembled in fear, their entire bodies quivering slightly; terror surfaced on their faces, their complexions paled, and cold sweat dripped from their foreheads.
How was this possible? Wasn't the Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance always guarding the alliance headquarters? How could he appear here?
After he left, wasn't he afraid the Dark Clans would seize the opportunity to invade?
However, these were the words spoken by the Sacred Ancestor of the Ethereal Sacred Sect himself; how could they be false? For a moment, the place grew even quieter, the originally crowded divine mountains and islands falling into a deathly hush.
In the current Vast Expanse, those who had seen the true face of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance's Alliance Leader could be counted on one hand; even the senior members of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance rarely had the chance to meet him personally.
But today, it seemed everyone would have the chance to personally witness the true face of that mysterious Alliance Leader?
"Everyone was speculating earlier about which experts the Heaven-Slaying Alliance would send, but who could have imagined that the Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance would come in person."
"This news is truly too shocking; if it spreads back to the Alliance of Righteous Unity, who knows what earth-shattering waves it will cause."
"The Alliance of Righteous Unity probably never imagined that the Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance would personally come; this gives the Immortal Dao Alliance plenty of face."
Countless cultivators and beings were thrown into turmoil, unable to calm down for a long time.
Gaze after gaze converged from all directions, all looking toward the figures shrouded in rosy mist and divine light over by the Heaven-Slaying Alliance's ancient warships.
The leading figure looked very young and tall, his white clothes like snow, transcendent and otherworldly; it was a pity that many couldn't make out his face, only seeing a pair of eyes that seemed mild yet were immeasurably profound, as if encompassing all worlds and boundless space-time.
By his side, the power of karma, the power of time, the power of reincarnation, the power of all laws... every instant seemed to have countless laws surging and fading, like a layer of chaotic mist enveloping him; with each step, he seemed to walk in another dimension of spacetime.
"For such a grand event as the establishment of the Immortal Dao Alliance, how could I not come to offer congratulations?"
Gu Changge's voice was very calm, as if responding with a smile, but everyone present felt an immense and terrifying pressure assaulting their souls.
Even this voice seemed impossible to remember, as if it would vanish from their minds the next moment.