I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

"Because it hasn't fully awakened yet." Yan Yue tapped the ground with her wooden staff. "Those altars—those seventeen altars—are not meant to pollute the world, but to provide it with power. Every time it drains the life force of a world, it awakens a little more. Once all seventeen altars are operational, it will recover seventy percent of its peak power. At that time, it will emerge on its own."

"Seventeen altars," Qin Yuan repeated the number.

"We've already destroyed one." Yan Lingji walked over, flames flickering in her hands. "Sixteen remain."

"No, there are still fifteen left." A voice came from afar.

Everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound. A streak of sword light flashed from the horizon, landing in the center of the camp. As the light dissipated, the figure of the Sword Maniac was revealed. His sword robe was stained with blood and dust, clearly indicating that he had been through a fierce battle.

"The Heavenly Sword Holy Land, in conjunction with the elite forces of the Great Yan Dynasty and the Great Shang Dynasty, breached three altars in the Xuanhuang Great World and two other worlds last night." Sword Maniac gasped for breath, "but the losses were heavy. General Han Wu of the Zhenbei Army was killed in battle, and only one of the three Creation Realm experts sent by the Great Shang Dynasty survived."

Han Wu.

Qin Yuan's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the bone blade. The rough, burly man who had drunk strong liquor with him at Chiyan Pass, the bald general who always charged ahead on the battlefield, had died before the altar.

"Who else?" Qin Yuan asked.

"Many." Sword Maniac took out a jade slip from his robes and handed it to Qin Yuan. "This is a summary of battle reports from various forces. So far, the combined forces have destroyed five altars, but the aura of the Demon God has not weakened; on the contrary, it is getting stronger."

Qin Yuan took the jade slip, probed it with his divine sense, and looked up after a moment.

"Because destroying the altar will only hasten its awakening," he said. "The altar is a conduit for power. If the conduit is destroyed, the remaining power will flow directly into the sealed palace. It's better to let it disperse among the various worlds."

"So you mean to just let it go?" Sword Maniac frowned.

"What I mean is, the outer altar is yours." Qin Yuan returned the jade slip to Jian Chi, then turned to look at the sealed palace. "The inner one is mine."

He strode toward the sealed palace.

The seven women followed at the same time. Yan Yue, leaning on her wooden cane, also wanted to follow, but Su Yao pressed her shoulder down.

"In your current state, going in would only be a burden."

Yan Yue opened her mouth to refute, but seeing Su Yao's serious gaze, she swallowed her words. She knew Su Yao was right; in her current state, she couldn't even keep up with Qin Yuan's pace, let alone fight.

"I'll wait outside." Yan Yue gritted her teeth. "Three days. If you don't come out after three days, I'll go in."

Su Yao nodded and turned to follow Qin Yuan's group.

Sword Maniac stood in the camp, watching Qin Yuan and his group walk towards the sealed palace, and couldn't help but tighten his grip on his longsword. He had lived for a thousand years, witnessed countless geniuses rise and countless powerful figures fall, but he had only ever seen one person like Qin Yuan, who repeatedly walked towards the abyss.

"Heavenly Sword Holy Land, heed my command!" Sword Maniac turned and addressed the sword cultivator disciples behind him in a loud voice, "Seal off the area within three thousand miles of the Mist Sea. No one is permitted to approach. Unauthorized trespassers—"

He paused, and a cold glint flashed on the blade of his sword.

"Kill without mercy."

The massive gate, thousands of feet tall, remained tightly shut on the front of the sealed palace.

Qin Yuan stood before the door, looking up at the seven enormous holy body marks on it. Each mark was as large as a room, with seven different colored lights flowing within the engravings. Even after countless millennia, these marks still radiated a terrifying sealing power.

"Last time we got close, the suction on the door almost sucked Hongyue in," Su Yao reminded Qin Yuan, standing behind him.

"Last time we forced our way in head-on." Qin Yuan placed his hand on the door, feeling the flow of sealing power. "This time is different."

He closed his eyes and slowly channeled the chaotic power within his body into the door. The moment the chaotic power came into contact with the sealing power, the entire giant door emitted a deep rumble, and the seven marks on the door lit up simultaneously, the seven rays of light intertwining to form a complete pattern.

It was a woman's profile.

The face was indistinct, only the outline was visible. But that outline was exactly the same as the enormous phantom that had appeared in the foggy sea earlier.

"The possessor of the first generation of Chaos Saint Body..." Su Yao murmured, "the eldest of the Seven Goddesses."

The pattern flickered, and an ancient and gentle thought emanated from the door, penetrating everyone's consciousness.

—Those who hold my seal may enter this gate.

—Anyone who enters without the seal of authority shall be put to death.

Qin Yuan opened his eyes and turned to look at the seven women.

"It is calling you."

Without hesitation, the seven women stepped forward simultaneously, placing their palms on their respective sacred body marks. Chaos, Heavenly Fire, Limitless, Profound Ice, Purple Thunder, Azure Wood, and Taiyin—the seven sacred body origins resonated strongly with the marks on the gate, causing the entire giant gate to tremble violently.

But it doesn't open. It melts.

The colossal gate, thousands of feet tall, melted away like wax, and the seven marks transformed into seven pillars of light, enveloping the seven women. Within the pillars of light, the seven women simultaneously closed their eyes, their consciousness being pulled by an ancient force into a deeper dimension.

Qin Yuan stood outside the door, motionless. He knew this wasn't an attack, but rather the will of the seal itself conducting a selection process. Those who could enter the sealed palace had to be approved by the first seven goddesses. The seven goddesses were the inheritors of the sacred body, and they were qualified to undergo the selection. He, however, was not qualified.

So he has to wait.

The seven women stood in the pillar of light for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Su Yao was the first to open her eyes. The light emanating from her Chaotic Sacred Body was purer than before, like a piece of jade that had been re-polished. Next was Yan Lingji; her flames had changed from red to pale gold, and the temperature was more than twice as high as before. Then came Mu Hongyi, Jian Wushuang, Bingji, Hongyue, and Yueyao; each of them had undergone some changes.

Their cultivation levels hadn't improved significantly, but their essence had become more refined. If their previous sacred body essence was a rushing river, then it was now a sword that had been tempered in fire.

"The legacy left by the first goddess." Su Yao looked down at her palm, where a faint rune appeared. "It's not a cultivation technique, not a secret art, but a method for refining one's essence. It can help our sacred bodies advance further."

"What else did you see?" Qin Yuan asked.

"I saw that battle from back then." Su Yao's voice lowered slightly. "The entire process of the Seven Goddesses sealing the Demon God. And... the price of the seal."

"What price?"

"The seal is not permanent," Mu Hongyi continued, her voice still cold, but her grip on the sword tightened slightly. "Every 100,000 years, the seal weakens. During this weakening period, the new Seven Sacred Bodies must reinforce the seal, otherwise the Demon God will break free. The process of reinforcing the seal requires the seven Sacred Bodies to inject their essence into it; the greater the amount injected, the longer the seal lasts. If we want it to remain sealed for another 100,000 years, we need to inject all of our essence."