Chapter 0721 - Ascending the Heaven-Sacrificing Altar

"What exactly is this meteorite? And what kind of world lies behind that black vortex? Not only could it give birth to such an astonishing meteorite, but its energy—once refined and absorbed—is so vast and unfathomable that it's no less than any divine material or celestial treasure. The benefits it brings to the internal space of the tower are incalculable. These meteorite fragments are enough to rival any top-tier treasure."

Yi Tianxing pondered deeply. Before refining it, even he hadn't expected the pitch-black meteorite shard to contain such tremendous energy—far surpassing the corpse he once fished out from the Yellow Springs River, and with even richer power. The resulting primordial source energy was also far greater.

It had enabled the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower to expand at an astonishing pace.

Clearly, these meteorite shards were treasures.

"No matter how precious, it's still less important than enhancing the tower. It came unexpectedly anyway, so no need to feel pain over it. Swallow it—swallow as much as you can."

Although Yi Tianxing instinctively wanted to preserve the fragments after realizing their value, he dismissed the thought immediately. Compared to other treasures, the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower, as his lifebound treasure, was his foundation—an extension of his physical being, and integral to his strength and life.

What are treasures compared to that? They were insignificant next to the tower.

If he hadn't nourished the tower without restraint all these years, how could it possibly possess such power today?

Everything else was external. Only the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower was essential.

Even though it pained him, he didn't hesitate.

He allowed the tower to voraciously devour the meteorite's power, leaving behind only a few fragments for preservation—unrefined—and consuming all the rest. As the tower absorbed the energy, the internal space expanded again.

In just a few breaths, the space visibly grew broader. The barriers of heaven and earth became tougher and stronger—far harder to destroy by external forces.

Six thousand li!

Seven thousand li!

Eight thousand li!…

When the meteorite fragments were completely absorbed, the internal space of the tower had expanded to a shocking nine thousand li in radius. For the internal world, this was equivalent to reshaping heaven and earth.

A godsend of opportunity.

"If only there were more of these meteorites, the tower's inner world could gain incredible accumulation and depth in the shortest time."

With a hint of longing, Yi Tianxing looked toward the void.

But alas, the black vortex in the sky had vanished without a trace. It was impossible to hope for another meteorite to fall again.

"In legends, each star is an independent world. A falling star is a fragment of a world. Could it be that these contain the power of a world, or the origin energy of heaven and earth? That would explain the explosive growth of the tower's inner realm."

The thought flashed through his mind.

But it was impossible to verify now.

All of this had happened in the blink of an eye.

To outsiders, all they saw was the tower smashing the meteorite, devouring the fragments. They knew nothing more.

"There's something there! Look, there's something in the meteorite!"

"A black bead—it's a bead! Could it be a treasure hidden inside the meteorite?"

"It really is a bead! Why would a bead be sealed inside a falling star? What in the world is it?"

Suddenly, many spectators revealed stunned, amazed expressions—as if they had just witnessed something extraordinary.

Yi Tianxing noticed it too.

As the meteorite shattered, a pitch-black bead emerged from its core. The moment it appeared, it radiated black light and instinctively tried to escape into the sky.

Its reaction was fast—but Yi Tianxing was faster.

With a single thought, the bead was instantly suppressed beneath the tower and swallowed without hesitation.

There was no time to inspect or analyze it now.

[New Item: Black Bead from the Meteorite – Origin and purpose unknown. Suppressed and absorbed by the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower.]

"He actually succeeded in overcoming it. Xuanhuang City... has become a Royal City."

King Behemoth, watching from afar, saw the yellow cloud sea converging above Xuanhuang City.

Without further delay, he waved his hand, signaling the retreat of the beastman army.

Had the meteorite caused serious damage, he wouldn't have hesitated to turn around and attack again. But since it hadn't, he had no interest in a mutually destructive battle.

"Royal City!!"

"We're a Royal City now! Xuanhuang City has truly become a Royal City!"

"This is amazing! Just as we believed—so long as the City Lord is here, no disaster can destroy us. This is the land of the human race, a true sacred place! Founding a nation—this is the moment to establish our kingdom!"

"That's right! We must establish a nation!"

A wave of jubilation swept through the people—survivors of a calamity, now united in joy. Cries for nation-building echoed throughout the city, growing louder and spreading like wildfire.

The will to found a nation was now unstoppable.

The hearts of the people, and the morale of the army, had aligned.

Even those recently joined from the Golden Sand Desert were swept up in it. They hadn't expected to witness such a historic event—the founding of a nation—something most never saw in their lifetimes.

Their hearts burned with passion.

They longed for a home, for the rebirth of human civilization. Their emotional connection to Xuanhuang City deepened, a strong sense of belonging taking root.

As people's hearts gathered, the Lake of Destiny began to expand again. Once sparse after converting fate energy, it now surged at more than twice the previous speed.

Everyone hoped for a homeland. It made them feel whole as a race.

"Good. Today—we found a nation!!"

Yi Tianxing took a deep breath and retracted the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower. With a thought, a massive altar appeared in the city center—at the heart of the plaza.

This altar had changed from before.

It stood nine zhang tall and had two tiers.

The first tier was square, the second tier circular. A staircase of 81 steps led upward, symbolizing the truth of nine nines returning to one.

This was no ordinary altar.

It was the Heaven-Sacrificing Altar (祭天台).

To offer sacrifice to heaven is no small matter.

What is heaven and earth? Heaven is round, the earth is square. The first level stood rooted to the earth—this was the Earth Altar. The second tier was circular, symbolizing Heaven, thus forming the Heaven Altar. Together, they made the Heaven-Sacrificing Altar—a sacred site for declaring a kingdom to the will of Heaven and Earth.

[New Sacred Site: Heaven-Sacrificing Altar – A dual-tier altar formed by reforging a prior relic. Only those with kingly fate and destiny may ascend.]

As soon as it appeared, it seemed to take root in the city. The Earth Altar connected to the will of the land; the Heaven Altar, to the heavens. An invisible majesty emanated from it—a manifestation of Heaven's Will.

Now, no one could approach it lightly.

Without the right fate star (命格), even getting close could mean injury or death.

Only true kings, those with fate and destiny, could ascend.

"This guy named Yi is really founding a kingdom? A ceremony to honor Heaven? Why haven't I heard of this before?"

King Behemoth had just turned to leave, but this sudden change made him look back.

His understanding of founding a dynasty was vague. In the beastman race, such rituals didn't exist—strength was everything. The strong ruled, the weak were prey. That was their law.

But this... stirred his curiosity.

He sensed instinctively—this act of sacrificing to Heaven was anything but ordinary. It wasn't just establishing a regime—it carried weight beyond the mortal realm.

A trace of solemnity crept into his heart.

"Today, I shall found a nation—and ascend to sacrifice to Heaven!"

Yi Tianxing stood at the base of the altar. Behind him, Huang Chengyan and others looked on with reverence and anticipation. Their hearts pounded, blood surged—faces flush with excitement.

The moment had finally arrived.

The nation would be founded—right here, right now.

"We respectfully invite the Lord to ascend the altar and sacrifice to Heaven!"

Without hesitation, everyone dropped to one knee and spoke in unison.

"Please ascend, City Lord, and sacrifice to Heaven!"

Countless citizens roared with fervor.

A flash of light enveloped Yi Tianxing. The Chaotic Battle Dragon Robe appeared on his body. Dragon-serpents writhed across it, breathing mysterious energies. Their forms grew more defined, beginning to evolve into flood dragons.

This was a life aperture divine ability connected to his fate star.

As his fate evolved, so too did the battle robe.

Wearing the robe, his aura changed entirely.

Now, he was truly a king—one who could suppress the world.

Boom!!

With one step, Yi Tianxing ascended the first stair of the Heaven-Sacrificing Altar.

The altar immediately burst forth with divine light—seven-colored radiance shining in all directions. A deafening crack sounded in the sky like thunder on a clear day. The altar trembled.

A vast will enveloped the entire altar.

It seemed to cut it off entirely from the outside world.

The pressure surged outward.

Huang Chengyan and the others suddenly felt an overwhelming force—like mountains pressing on their backs. They dropped to their knees uncontrollably.