Wang Zhan’s Path to Sainthood

Behind them, as several of the most crucial regions of Dao marks were forcibly occupied by a number of the most outstanding prodigies and Saint-level figures, the fierce scramble gradually subsided.

The cultivators whose cultivation was insufficient had no choice but to accept reality. They sought out positions in the relatively peripheral areas, sat down cross-legged one after another, and seized every moment to comprehend this invaluable Great Emperor’s Dao arts.

Before the vast stone wall, everyone sank their minds into the ancient inscriptions carved across its surface.

Prince Ji Xuanye of Great Zhou was wreathed in the dragon aura of imperial destiny. He faintly resonated with a palm print on the wall that contained the profound meaning of the realm and the world, his brows furrowed in deep thought.

Xing Lan, successor of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, held a compass in her hand as her gaze swept across the countless traces, seemingly deducing the karma and heavenly secrets concealed behind them.

The Jiang Family's Divine King Physique, the Former Holy Maiden of Yaochi, and the other young supreme prodigies were likewise immersed in their own comprehensions.

Xiao Ruobai, the War God, kept his battle-blood aura restrained as he sensed the tragic, unyielding battle intent permeating the stone wall—the will to carve out a path to survival for one’s people through bloody warfare. It shared certain similarities with his own War God Dao, which advanced fearlessly and lived for battle, yet was also distinct in its own way.

“To fight for protection, to fight for one’s people… This battle intent is even more profound. It is worth learning from.”

He silently repeated these words in his heart, absorbing the nourishment within and incorporating it into his own War God Great Dao.

Ling Xi stood quietly in one corner, her eyes as deep as the starry sky of eternity.

In the perception of this former Great Emperor who had once reached the pinnacle, the vast battle intent on the stone wall became increasingly clear.

“Emperor Qingcang fought to the very end to protect his people. He deserves respect.”

A trace of admiration that only someone of equal stature could understand flashed through her eyes.

Though this battle intent did not originate from the same source as the Devouring Great Dao she cultivated, the will and decisiveness contained within it still stirred something in her.

At that moment, Wang Zhan completely immersed his mind in the vast ocean of Dao marks upon the stone wall.

He sensed Emperor Qingcang’s tenacity—rising from weakness, enduring setback after setback without breaking. He felt the heroic tragedy of a lifetime spent shouldering the fate of his people and embracing death in pursuit of life!

The Heavenly Azure Saint Blood within him seethed, roaring like thunder!

This epic of fearlessness, indomitability, and fighting to the death for one’s convictions surged through Wang Zhan’s mind like a mighty flood.

The frustration he had felt after successive defeats at the hands of Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu suddenly seemed insignificant and negligible before this boundless will.

The crack that had once pierced his Dao heart like a thorn did not widen. Instead, it was moistened and mended by an unprecedented insight.

“I lost not because my strength was lacking, but because I did not understand my Dao.”

“My Heavenly Azure Saint Physique and my path have always followed the inheritance of my family and my Saint Physique. Though it seemed that I was advancing triumphantly, I was actually trapped in my own ways.”

“The Dao of Emperor Qingcang lies in protection and pioneering. Then where does my Dao lie?”

The tragic battle intent of cleaving open a path to life for his people resonated with the Heavenly Azure Saint Blood boiling within him on the deepest level.

It was no longer imitation, but confirmation—an awakening.

An epiphany flashed through the darkness like lightning, illuminating his soul.

“Heavenly Azure stands supreme not to tower above all things, but to embrace, to bear, and to transform!”

“Stars too experience destruction and rebirth; even the firmament undergoes the changing of eras. The true Heavenly Azure Saint Physique should contain endless transformations, embrace all things, and advance eternally through destruction and renewal!”

“My Dao must take this Heavenly Azure Saint Physique as its foundation, absorb the essence of myriad Daos, and blaze a path of constant self-transcendence and universal embrace!”

The instant this thought arose, his Dao heart became perfectly clear and harmonious!

Boom!

It was as though an invisible barrier within his body shattered in response!

This was not a collision of powers, but a leap in life brought about by the elevation of his state of mind!

The Heavenly Azure Saint Force he had painstakingly cultivated for years had originally been like a great river. Now, however, it seemed to merge with the rhythm of the sea, becoming even more vast and profound.

A Dao resonance originating from the deepest source of his life, resembling the creation of heaven and earth, suddenly erupted from within Wang Zhan!

The resonance carried an indescribable majesty. It clearly entered the souls of every person engrossed in comprehension, causing many of them to shudder and open their eyes in astonishment.

In the next moment, an even more astonishing phenomenon appeared!

Centered around Wang Zhan, the vast space before the stone wall seemed to tremble ever so slightly.

Endless spiritual energy from heaven and earth surged wildly from the void in every direction, as though it had heard the summons of a sovereign. It gathered into visible tides of spiritual energy that roared toward him!

The tidal surge was so violent that dozens of spiritual-energy vortices of varying sizes formed in the air, producing thunderous booms.

Within his body, the Heavenly Azure Saint Force he had cultivated for years had originally been like a surging river. Under the infusion of that Dao resonance and the enormous quantity of spiritual energy, it suddenly underwent a fundamental transformation!

The rivers had merged into a sea of stars!

The azure-green aura of his blood and qi was no longer confined to the surface of his body. It burst outward, transforming into an enormous, incomparably solid pillar of azure-green blood and qi that shot into the heavens!

The pillar radiated a pressure that was profound and primordial, carrying the vigorous vitality of absorbing all things and constantly evolving. It formed a wondrous resonance and response with the pure battle intent of Emperor Qingcang on the stone wall.

Crack… crack!

Clear cracking sounds rang out one after another. They came from the incomparably solid shackles of heaven and earth separating the King Realm from the Saint Realm. Under the impact of this grand, boundless, qualitatively transformed power, they melted and collapsed like snow beneath the blazing sun.

Wang Zhan’s aura began to surge wildly at a speed that left everyone dumbfounded!

The barrier to the peak of the King Realm crumbled at the slightest touch!

“Dao resonance born of itself, blood and qi piercing the heavens… Is he becoming a Saint on the spot?!”

As the pillar of azure-green light shot into the sky and boundless Saintly might swept outward, the entire area before the stone wall fell into dead silence. Then, an uncontrollable uproar erupted!

Every young prodigy who had been immersed in comprehension, regardless of how illustrious their background was, opened their eyes in astonishment. Their gazes focused in unison on the figure at the center of the pillar of light, their faces filled with utterly incredulous shock.

Even the Saint Lord-level figures who were fighting over the Imperial Scripture could not help turning their heads for a glance at Wang Zhan.

“A Saint! It’s Wang Zhan! He actually took that step first!”

Someone cried out in shock, their voice trembling from the sheer disbelief.

“How could it be so fast?! We haven’t even touched the threshold of the King Realm’s peak…”

The hearts of many others roiled with stormy waves, along with a bitterness and helplessness that were difficult to describe.

The Saint Realm!

Those three simple words formed an insurmountable chasm that had stopped countless prodigies in their tracks.

How many heaven’s favorites and heroes had spent their entire lives trapped at the peak of the King Realm?

This was a true leap in the level of life, a qualitative transformation in one’s comprehension of the Great Dao, and the true starting point on the path to becoming a powerhouse!

Only by becoming a Saint would one have the qualifications to contend for that ethereal Imperial Path in this Golden Age.

And now, Wang Zhan—the heir of the Ancient Desolate Wang Family—had actually broken through here ahead of everyone else after suffering repeated defeats. He had stirred the resonance of heaven and earth and achieved the exalted status of a Saint.