"Sacrificial Altar!"
At a thought, Yi Tianxing calmly issued a sharp command, his words carrying solemnity. At once, all the citizens within Great Yi instinctively felt a surge of reverence, an automatic sense of awe.
Whoosh!
The moment the words fell, the Sacrificial Altar emerged, bathed in endless divine light, rising from the Sea of Merit Clouds. In the very next instant, it descended from the heavens, landing directly in Xuanhuang City, settling on the central plaza.
Upon touching the ground, it seemed to root itself, linking the altar to the earth below and the heavens above. An invisible will gathered from the entire cosmos.
Atop the altar stood a large bronze cauldron—the National-Sealing Sacred Vessel, the Sacrificial Cauldron, a treasure of the state.
"Please, Your Immortal Majesty, ascend the Sacrificial Altar."
Cai Yong appeared beside the altar, clad in ceremonial robes, exuding solemnity. His body trembled—an excitement born of honor. To officiate such a ceremony, even if death followed, he would accept it gladly.
The Heavenly Court—the focal point of a ruling dynasty.
Yi Tianxing nodded and descended from the skies, stepping before the altar. Straightening his robes, he began to ascend the altar's steps.
Clack!
The crisp sound of his footfall echoed as he stepped onto the celestial ladder. Immediately, Yi Tianxing felt an invisible pressure pressing down on him, as if moving through water, encountering resistance.
The Sacrificial Altar connected with the will of heaven and earth, carrying the will of all beings. Only the ruler of the dynasty had the right to ascend. Reaching the summit was itself a test—a trial of strength, cultivation, and willpower. Yet for Yi Tianxing, the resistance posed no obstacle.
Step by step, he ascended.
At this moment, countless eyes from Eternal Night and Eternal watched him.
"The Dao above, heaven and earth below. I, Yi Tianxing, ruler of the Great Yi Immortal Court, today offer tribute to the Dao. I shepherd my people, protect the myriad races, guard countless lives, and ensure that my domain thrives in prosperity and peace. The accumulated merit, the dragon of fortune, has reached the Immortal Court's limit. May the Dao show mercy and open the Celestial Gate, allowing Great Yi to ascend the Heavenly Court."
Yi Tianxing bowed toward the void, reciting the sacrificial text.
Great Yi had already gathered the will of the Dao. Within the Immortal Court, even the Celestial Way could no longer interfere. Now, as it ascends to the Heavenly Court, only the Dao itself held the authority to judge.
The Heavenly Court, once achieved, would represent complete transcendence.The Daoic Heavenly Court would be a true Eternal Kingdom.
"Approved!"
An invisible voice of the Dao resonated through the void.
Immediately, a colossal Celestial Gate appeared above Great Yi.
The gate radiated the myriad laws of heaven and earth. Infinite Daoic energy pulsed outward. Even a mere wisp of this energy could seemingly crush the strongest cultivators. One glance and it felt as if the Dao itself had manifested—magnificent, supreme, unrivaled.
Countless powerful beings were struck silent, yearning to rush into the gate—but none dared. This Daoic Celestial Gate was meant for Great Yi alone. Success would grant ascent; failure would cast it back to dust.
At this moment, the gate remained tightly closed. No one could enter until it opened.
Roar!
As the Celestial Gate manifested, above Great Yi floated limitless clouds of merit, within which a colossal Eight-Clawed Purple Dragon became faintly visible. Its body stretched sixty million zhang, radiating pressure so immense that even breathing heavily felt audacious.
"Sixty million zhang… the Immortal Court's limit should be ninety million. It hasn't reached the limit—how does Great Yi dare to ascend? How could the Immortal Emperor claim that the dragon of fortune has reached the Immortal Court's peak? Something's wrong."
"It's short by thirty million zhang. But how did Great Yi amass such fortune in such a short time? The dragon of fortune could never grow this enormous naturally… there must be a trick."
Countless powerful beings gasped, witnessing Great Yi's dragon of fortune. In just a few decades, for Great Yi's scale, it should have been impossible to accumulate such colossal fortune and merit—but it had. Clearly, this was no illusion.
Yi Tianxing calmly declared atop the altar:
"Ten Thousand Dragons Salute Heaven!"
Roar! Roar! Roar!
At once, without warning, a chorus of dragon roars echoed through the void. Small Eight-Clawed Purple Dragons emerged from the Xuanhuang Immortal City as if previously hidden, now appearing in the open.
One.
Two.
Three…
In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions of dragons emerged. Each dragon measured at least ten thousand zhang.
The dragons immediately roared with excitement, surging toward the dragon of fortune within the cloud of merit. They merged seamlessly as if reclaiming a part of themselves.
The process was awe-inspiring.
Ten thousand dragons ascended to the heavens, dominating the sky.
Countless beings were dumbfounded.
"Where did this fortune come from?"
"How is this possible? When did Great Yi hide such enormous fortune?"
The dragons, clearly emanating from Great Yi itself, merged perfectly with the dragon of fortune. In moments, its size exploded:
Seventy million zhang!
Eighty million zhang!
One hundred million zhang!
One hundred and twenty million zhang!
In just a few breaths, the dragon of fortune surpassed the Immortal Court's ascension threshold. It had more than enough power.
"Citizens of Great Yi, hear my command: Today, Great Yi ascends to the Heavenly Court. Great Yi shall transcend, and all beings shall transcend. Our Cloud Realm shall gain a fiftieth layer—Great Yi Heaven!"
Yi Tianxing's gaze swept across Great Yi's territories.
At once, the Iron-Blood Great Wall enveloped all regions, merging dozens of realms into one. This Wall became the world barrier of Great Yi's domain, the ultimate defense.
Rumble!
The Wall radiated incomprehensible force, lifting all territories toward the Xuanhuang Immortal City. As they neared, they compressed until, finally, Great Yi's entire domain vanished from the Eternal World, forcibly severed and incorporated.
Inside the Xuanhuang Immortal City, at the base of the Chaos World Tree, a massive Cloud Realm emerged. Its edges shimmered with blood-colored light. The original location of Great Yi's territory became a void—completely nonexistent.
Hiss!
Those observing shivered. Great Yi's ambition was ruthless—not only ascending the Heavenly Court but merging its entire domain and billions of citizens into the Xuanhuang Immortal City. All would transcend together… or perish together.
"Smash open the Celestial Gate!"
Yi Tianxing stared at the Daoic Celestial Gate, shouting with authority.
Roar!
The dragon of fortune, now over a hundred million zhang, lunged toward the Celestial Gate, colliding with it.
Bang!
The gate, radiating boundless Daoic light, was struck repeatedly. Each strike revealed cracks, blasting beams of divine light across the dragon's body. Yet it remained undaunted.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
With each collision, the cracks widened, divine light intensified, and finally, the gate shattered completely.
From the breach, a heavenly light fell, enveloping the entire Xuanhuang Immortal City. The city, previously floating in the void, plummeted under the pressure of endless Daoic laws. The dragon of fortune roared, seemingly dissolving, while the merit clouds also gradually vanished.
"Now it's clear. To ascend the Heavenly Court, the dynasty must enter the Celestial Gate, mastering infinite Daoic laws and the primordial energy of Hongmeng. Only by raising the Immortal City to the gate can one validate the heart against the Dao. Ascension requires the ancestral lineage to lift the city… to enter the Celestial Gate."
Yi Tianxing sensed this truth. He understood the path to ascending the Heavenly Court.The Heavenly Court was not just a realm—it was ultimate authority.