Chapter 211: Defying the Heavenly Dao

Endless dark clouds shrouded a vast expanse of ocean, above which loomed a majestic, indifferent eye, supreme and unyielding. Its gaze held only cold detachment and boundless killing intent. Relentless lightning bolts converged, forming a sea of thunder in the sky, mirroring the boundless ocean below.

Millions of sea creatures fled in panic, desperate to survive. Above, flocks of seabirds scattered in endless streams, gripped by terror. Titanic waves roared, towering dozens of meters, smashing hidden reefs to dust. The scene was apocalyptic.

Lan An gazed up at the Eye of the Heavenly Dao, his expression calmer than ever. Past his initial shock, he knew this was the moment to stay composed to survive this near-fatal ordeal.

The Immortal aura still enveloped him, inescapable to the Eye's senses. His only path was to seek life in the jaws of death.

Jin Ni's tiny figure appeared on his shoulder, her face grave as she stared skyward.

"Success or failure hinges on this moment," she murmured softly. "Will you rise as a true dragon or turn to ash? No matter what, Jin Ni stands with you."

Lan An took a deep breath, dismounting Purple Thunder Lion and stroking her snowy mane. Little Lion, Su Mai, and Ji Ya were bound to him by special ties—if he died, they would too. Thus, he didn't order Little Lion to flee. Only the women in the Spirit Realm Pearl could survive if he fell.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The killing intent intensified, the commotion growing, alarming nearly every peak powerhouse on the planet. The thunder sea blocked their divine senses, but they knew the legendary Eye of the Heavenly Dao had reappeared.

Elf Island

The peerlessly beautiful Elf Queen stood in the air, her gaze fixed on the terrifying eye. On this planet, calling it a god was no exaggeration.

"What's happening?" she whispered, her exquisite lips trembling with melancholy. "Is this fortune or calamity for the Elf Clan?"

Dwarf Clan

A dark-skinned dwarf with large, white eyes, clad in a royal robe and crown, held the Azure Thunder Battle Axe, its lightning aura cracking and mending space. Its might surpassed Spirit-grade.

The Dwarf Clan Chief muttered, "Even this axe might not withstand the Eye of the Heavenly Dao."

Pill Valley

A red-haired elder with fiery locks stood before a massive spinning cauldron, dual Anomalous Flames swirling around his arms, refining herbs with supreme precision. The cauldron's aroma could let a Peak Golden Core cultivator form a Nascent Soul with one breath. His eyes pierced space, shuddering at the merciless eye.

"Who provoked it?" he murmured, his voice tinged with awe.

Heavenly Mountain Immortal Realm

A stunning matron in white robes, exuding a thousand-year iceberg's chill, hovered atop the realm. Two Ice Lotuses spun beneath her, twisting space with each rotation, glowing with seven shifting colors red, green, purple, yellow a rare Anomalous Ice.

"Blood Slaughter Demon Monarch endured only the hundredth thunderbolt," she said, her icy lips exhaling a bewitching fragrance. "Who faces this now?"

Treasure Pavilion

In a lavish domain, spiritual energy hundreds of times denser than outside, a boundless palace shimmered with divine light, its paths paved with precious jade surpassing top-grade spirit stones. Atop the palace, in the planet's most opulent room, a woman lounged on a bed of Blood Jade Pearls, each worth ten thousand top-grade spirit stones. Her golden hair cascaded like a waterfall, her flawless skin and curves mesmerizing. Rolling on the bed, her voluptuous form teased beneath silk.

Yawning, she rubbed her dreamy eyes. "Who's getting zapped? So noisy I want to sleep!"

She was Tian Ye Yao, Treasure Pavilion's Holy Maiden.

Black Demon Mountain

Home to demonic cultivators, evil spirits, and ferocious beasts thriving on slaughter, this perilous land brimmed with illusions, mists, and toxins one of the planet's deadliest regions. At its peak, a figure emerged, shrouded in dark spiritual energy, obscuring all. His eyes pierced the void, staring at the Eye.

"My goal… has someone achieved it?" he murmured.

Others would call him mad for seeing the Eye as a goal, but none dared criticize the Golden Ranking's top figure the Demon.

Seventh-grade Cultivation Kingdom

Recent mass abductions of infants, numbering tens of thousands, plagued the kingdom. Despite the king's efforts and aid from eighth-grade powers, no clues surfaced. In a nearby gorge, a youth emerged, his eyes brimming with a sea of blood. If Lan An were here, he'd recognize his dear brother, Lan Yu, now at Late Spirit Transformation, his hair pure white.

"For some reason, it feels familiar," Lan Yu muttered, his words cryptic.

Countless infant skulls orbited him, their faces etched with terror, wails and怨气 echoing. Lan Yu cultivated an evil art.

"Lan An, when my Royal Infant Great Art is complete, your end comes," he sneered.

Yellow Sand Continent

At an ancient ruin, an elderly couple hovered. If Lan An were present, he'd recognize the water sellers from his village.

"We found more clues," the old woman said, glancing at her husband. "But we're far from uncovering that blank era of the planet's history."

"From the primordial age to the era of humanity's rise, what secrets lie in between?" the old man mused, his cloudy eyes heavy with sorrow.

Both gazed at the Eye, sighing, "It's been a long time."

Across the planet, countless eyes focused on Hai Zhou's thunder sea, too fierce to probe. None knew a twenty-year-old youth caused this upheaval.

Lan An's voice was resolute. "Summon everything."

Spotting tri-colored thunderbolts in the clouds, he took a deep breath. After his mission, he gained two summons, now to be used fully for a chance at survival.

Ding! "Congratulations, host, for summoning a Talisman."

Ding! "Congratulations, host, for summoning a Spirit Herb."

Lan An's eyes flashed with hope.

Little Lion, in her human form a wild Western beauty with purple-white hair, robust curves, and vibrant skin appeared beside him, gripping his hand fearlessly. "Master, I'm with you."

"Good," Lan An laughed, holding her slender waist. "We'll face this together!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! The Eye began its purge. Countless thunderbolts formed a sky-piercing pillar, striking Lan An.

"Wood Turtle!" he roared, summoning the shield.

Boom! It shattered like paper, the thunderbolt hitting them. Both spat blood, bodies numbed, Little Lion's beast-hide clothing torn, revealing her vibrant form. The first strike left them internally injured.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Two pillars descended. Lan An unleashed Spirit Fusion Palm at one, while Little Lion's purple thunder clashed with the other.

Boom! Boom! The palm shattered one bolt, but Little Lion's thunder failed, the bolt crushing them. Lan An hugged her tightly, Nirvana Spirit Water enveloping them.

He grunted as his Sun-Moon Long Robe tore, his back scorched, the smell of roasted flesh rising. Nirvana Spirit Water and Mysterious Water Cauldron worked frantically to heal.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Three terrifying bolts struck. Screech! Golden Crow emerged to protect him but was obliterated. As the bolts descended, Lan An roared, "Hold on!"

These were ordinary thunderbolts; the tri-colored ones loomed above, yet to strike. His Immortal aura, provoked, surged, clashing with the bolts.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Space cracked, the bolts dissipating, but Lan An knew the tribulation wouldn't stop while the Forbidden aura persisted. The system frantically resealed the Immortal Derivation Scripture.

Little Lion looked up, her bloodied back trembling. "Master, I'm happy."

Though Lan An shielded most of the thunder, the residual force wounded her heavily.

"We'll be fine," he reassured, holding her close, feeling the thunder raging in his dantian, suppressed by his four cauldrons. He knew it wasn't enough.

Heavenly Secret Island

In Ji Suan's chamber, seven elders stared gravely.

"Is it true?" the First Elder, with white hair and starry eyes, asked Ji Quan. "Ji Suan divined a mysterious figure and met this fate?"

"Absolutely," Ji Quan confirmed, pointing to Lan An's masked portrait. "I painted that myself."

The elders' faces grew heavy, recalling ancient records of a being with heaven-defying luck, favored by the Heavenly Dao—the Child of the Heavenly Dao. Born under dragon-phoenix omens, such beings stumbled upon supreme herbs, treasures, or inheritances, protected from harm.

"Could Ji Suan's target be a Child of the Heavenly Dao?" the Second Elder mused.

"His vast wealth and carefree spending match the records," the Third Elder added.

They nodded, unaware that their "Child" was the Heavenly Dao's target. If Lan An knew, he'd curse, "The Heavenly Dao's been nothing but trouble!"

A raspy voice interrupted, its gender unclear. "Want to know if he's a Child of the Heavenly Dao? Test it again."

A black-robed figure, shrouded in an invisible barrier, appeared—the Palace Master. The elders bowed.

"The Palace Master's right," the First Elder agreed. "Another test will confirm."

The Second Elder grabbed a middle-aged deacon, a Peak Refining Void cultivator, from the void.

The deacon, startled, bowed respectfully. "Divine the figure in the painting," the Palace Master ordered.

Though confused, he obeyed, using a turtle shell and coins, dripping blood onto Lan An's portrait. Clink! Boom! Before the elders' eyes, he exploded into a blood mist, without even a scream.

Silence gripped the chamber. The Palace Master vanished, leaving a sigh.

"Forbid all Heavenly Secret Palace members from divining that person," he declared. "Violators' clans will be eradicated."