Swallowing the Stars: Starting with the Battle of Geniuses

In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of years have passed.

In the battlefield of gods and demons, the prodigies with titles can check the number of remaining prodigies at any time.

As the remaining number approached ten thousand, more and more prodigies fell into anxiety.

The prodigies with the titles of honor all vaguely realized that resources are ultimately limited, and the Primordial Heavenly Path can also be regarded as a kind of cultivation resource.

If these resources were truly unlimited, there would be no need to hold the ceremony only once every Great Evolutionary Era.

The primary objective of this survival battle royale on the battlefield between gods and demons is to weed out the mediocre and leave 10,000 people to enter the second phase.

The second phase of the Hunyuan Sky Road will undoubtedly consume far more "resources" than the first phase, and this approach is the most direct way to save resources.

In other words, each time the Hunyuan Heavenly Road opens, it can only accommodate 10,000 people to enter the second stage, so naturally, the best are selected.

However, over the past tens of thousands of years, the most mediocre pseudo-prodigies have long been eliminated.

Apart from the top few to the hundredth, the remaining geniuses are actually quite evenly matched in strength. There are differences in their abilities, but no qualitative difference. They are more likely to have different strengths.

This means that each side has the potential to eliminate the other.

Naturally, as the number of ten thousand approached, they also ushered in the darkest time before dawn.

The prodigies began to stir.

The closer it gets to dawn, the less I want to be the last one to be eliminated.

Even those who initially pessimistically thought they wouldn't be among the top ten selected can't help but wonder if they have a chance of winning.

In this phase, forming groups and eliminating other lone targets naturally becomes the option that best serves the interests of all parties.

A five-person team was thus formed.

"Hey, Sky Eye, how's it going? Have you spotted any lone wolves?"

Among the five, one is skilled at concealing his own and others' auras, one is adept at guarding against unexpected events, one is skilled at control, one is skilled at attacking, and the last one, the prodigy with the title "Heavenly Eye," is the one most skilled at investigation among them.

In terms of detection capabilities alone, Tianyan believes it is among the top ten in this competition, and no one would disagree.

With the help of the Sky Eye, this well-equipped team has successfully eliminated several lone targets over the centuries.

However, when asked by his companions, Tianyan shook his head regretfully.

At this point, even the All-Seeing Eye began to struggle to detect lone individuals.

"Are we about to start facing off against other teams head-on?"

The group exchanged glances, and the same thought flashed through their minds.

They believed their squad possessed considerable strength.

Before the prodigies had reached the level of mutual distrust they do now, Tianyan began planning to form a team and assembled its members ahead of time, making them the strongest group overall in the current God-Demon Battlefield.

but……

Even if other teams are weaker than them, they are not without a fighting chance.

After all, it's a hastily assembled team. It's fine against lone targets, but if they encounter a group of opponents, without being absolutely certain of taking them down without any losses, there's no guarantee that the team members won't have other ulterior motives.

For example, if the situation turns bad, he might betray his teammates and then desert his post.

Based on Tianyan's personal observation, at least two of the four teammates possess extremely impressive escape abilities.

If they themselves are at risk of being lost, they are very likely to abandon maintaining the team, betray the Heavenly Eye who is most confident in discovering them, and then switch to the route of hiding until the second stage.

Thinking of this, Tianyan couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

"The Heavenly Eye!"

Within the group, a woman clad in tight-fitting leather armor, resembling a dark elf, suddenly exclaimed, "Has a top-tier Heroic Spirit been born in that direction?!"

Ok?

Tianyan raised an eyebrow. The other party had actually detected the anomaly before him. It seemed that the other party's detection ability was not much worse than his own.

Suppressing the urge to question, a golden single eye bloomed between the eyebrows of the Heavenly Eye, gazing in the direction the dark elf had pointed.

He immediately realized why the dark elf had made that judgment.

That incomparably majestic and vast aura was completely different from the aura of death and destruction hidden within the resurrected gods and demons.

Open and aboveboard, without any concealment, it was as if a bright sun had descended upon this desolate desert!

It truly resembles the birth of a mythical (god-level) heroic spirit!

The Heavenly Eye felt a slight stinging sensation in its single eye on its forehead. It wanted to continue exploring, but was unable to proceed due to the distance and the overwhelming aura.

He hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the crowd: "Shall we...go and take a look?"

All four had no objections and showed excited expressions.

Even if their goal is the second stage of the Heavenly Road, it doesn't mean they aren't interested in inheriting the legacy of a Mythical Heroic Spirit! For the vast majority of people, inheriting the legacy of a Mythical Heroic Spirit is no less valuable than entering the second stage of the Heavenly Road!

Thus, the team moved closer to the source of the aura.

And the Sky Eye Team is not an isolated case.

As they moved toward that aura as great as the sun, they soon discovered like-minded people.

At the same time, the other party also discovered them.

To be precise, the ones who approached and noticed the anomaly were two teams and a lone traveler!

A lone wolf!?

Both teams immediately considered eliminating the lone traveler.

But soon, after confirming the other's life force at close range, they abandoned that idea.

"This guy is... Hades!"

Tianyan looked at the bald, black-robed lone traveler with an extremely solemn expression.

The other members of the team were also shocked and felt a chill.

Hades, this guy is one of the earliest famous geniuses with the title. As a strong person who has maintained the title since the beginning of this Great Evolution Era, his strength is beyond doubt!

Initially, faced with wave after wave of challengers, Hades simply chose to defeat and repel them, but perhaps the sheer number of challenges changed his mind.

After defeating his opponent once again, Hades cruelly chose to massacre him, and then traveled to various countries, directly killing the geniuses of the surrounding countries one by one.

Thus, this guy, who originally had Buddhist intentions and was honored as "Ming Wang", naturally changed his honorific title to "Ming Wang"!

This is the fearsome reputation he has earned by repeatedly killing other top-tier talents in direct combat!

For all of them, who were Saint-level beings, memorizing the information of the 100,000 prodigies was not a difficult task.

Tianyan and the others were naturally able to recognize the famous Hades.

This guy is hailed as having the strength to be in the top ten of this competition, possessing the combat power of a Saint King, and possibly being invincible as a Saint King!

Even if the two teams join forces, they could still be defeated by Hades alone!

Both teams were already considering giving up, but... would Hades just let them leave like that?

"Is this the benefactor with the Heavenly Eye?"

Just then, Hades suddenly clasped his hands together, bowed slightly towards the Heavenly Eye, and asked, "Could you please take a look and tell me what is inside?"

Ok?

The Heavenly Eye's gaze sharpened slightly as it glanced at the source of the sun-like aura, a hint of doubt in its eyes.

Does this mean that even Hades hasn't figured out what's going on here?

Thinking of this, Tianyan's heart burned with excitement. Even a powerful figure like Hades felt a sense of dread about this being. Could the being before him be a heroic spirit that had never appeared before, even surpassing the mythical level?

"If we can be the first to obtain this inheritance, even if we miss the second stage, it will definitely be a win-win situation!"

Therefore, Tianyan nodded solemnly to Hades and replied, "I am willing to go."

This is indeed true. He has already discovered that even at such close range, the golden eyes between his brows still cannot see through the truth within the aura of the Great Sun.

Perhaps only by actively entering it can we find out.

This was exactly what he wanted, allowing him to try to pass on the tradition immediately.

With Hades' request, the others agreed to let the Heavenly Eye go and explore.

As they watched, the Heavenly Eye slowly stepped into the great sun.

"This, this is..."

The pupil of the third eye contracted.

The moment he stepped inside, he felt an immense pressure, as heavy as a mountain!

He gritted his teeth and continued to move forward, his golden eyes wide open.

With each additional step taken, the pressure increases.

After taking only a hundred steps, Tianyan was already trembling all over.

"No, no! We can't get any closer!"

His golden eyes were wide open, and his teeth began to chatter involuntarily.

Through that golden eye, he vaguely saw a figure.

suddenly--.

The latest novel is first published here!

"Um?"

The Heavenly Eye heard a soft exclamation.

It was as if a sleeping ancient god was emitting a soft nasal sound from his slumber.

From complete slumber to a moment of awakening, the oppressive force, carrying the will like the sun, instantly expanded tenfold.

Amidst the astonishment of the onlookers, some chose to retreat, while others chose to actively approach and enter the Great Sun Domain.

Then, all the beings within the range of that great sun, including the seemingly invincible King of the Underworld, vaguely saw an unparalleled and majestic being casting its gaze upon them, who were as insignificant as ants.

"You'll die!"

"Staying here any longer will definitely lead to death!!!"

Without hesitation, Hades, the strongest among them, roared and his aura surged to its limit. He turned and fled, becoming the first to break free.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

He looked back, drenched in sweat, and found that the domain had shrunk back to its original size. The others who had entered the domain on their own initiative during its expansion had also been passively removed from its range.

However, they all seemed oblivious, standing there frozen in place as if they had lost their souls.

As for the Heavenly Eye, which is closest to the core area, its aura has completely vanished...

Either they reacted and withdrew from the battlefield of gods and demons, or... they were crushed into powder by that terrifying pressure of will!

"That, that's not some transcendent heroic spirit!"

Hades' eyes widened to their limit, and fear seemed to materialize and overflow from them.

"His title! His title! I've confirmed that guy's title!"

"This guy is a peerless prodigy from our generation!!!"

"How can such a terrifying being exist in this world!?"

"Despite being a Saint-level being, it gives me a feeling that is many times more terrifying than a God-King!!!"

Hades has lost his will to fight.

They fled the spot as if escaping...

"Hmm."

"He seemed too focused; he startled the child without warning."

Hunzhen never expected that the aura he emitted during his cultivation would attract other renowned geniuses.

Originally, it was an aura he deliberately emitted to prevent the resurrected gods and demons from disturbing him, but during his cultivation, it unknowingly expanded to a level as conspicuous as the sun.

The Heavenly Eye got too close and actively spied on him while he was cultivating in seclusion, causing him to have a stress response and wake up.

The overflowing killing intent instantly killed those who were too close to Tianyan, and those who were farther away were also stunned.

Only Hades, with his considerable strength, managed to react and break free.

Hunzhen had no intention of dealing with them, since if the other geniuses died a little later, he could stay in the battlefield of gods and demons a little longer.

He entered a state of meditation again, and those people, after waking up, also chose to leave on their own.

Hunzhen benefited greatly from the battle with the Celestial Venerable of Immortality, which gave him even more ideas for his subsequent cultivation.

Upon entering the battlefield of gods and demons, he immediately took advantage of the excellent environment and immersed himself in research.

During this period of spiritual practice, he gradually came up with an idea.

"Whether it's 'damage transfer' or 'simulated human overlap,' these mainly involve the power of the horizontal axis of spacetime in the Law of Strings. However, they basically don't involve the use of the vertical axis of spacetime, the Y-axis."

"In other words, even if I completely control the power on the X-axis of spacetime, I only control half of the Law of Strings, or less than half."

"And simulation capabilities, whether it be 'future withdrawal' or 'simulation inheritance,' these most fundamental capabilities can actually be seen as the use of the spacetime vertical axis Y-axis."

"So it seems I now possess the power of both the X and Y axes..."

"No, that's not right... quite the opposite! I've already touched on the power of the X-axis, but in reality, I've hardly understood the power of the Y-axis at all."

"I can use them simply because of 'instinct,' simply because of the 'natural gifts' I have acquired from my journey here."

"I know nothing about true power..."

Hunzhen had already realized the path forward.

He had a premonition that once he truly mastered the power of the Y-axis, he would be able to construct the perfect world principle and achieve the instantaneous attainment of godhood as described by the God Lord Luohe.

However, what he needs to do now is like a human being born with the ability to run learning how to run in the most scientific and perfect way.

The former is instinct, something any normal adult human can do.

The latter, however, elevates seemingly ordinary instincts to the pinnacle of skill.

The process is like turning an ordinary high school student into Liu Xiang in a short period of time.

Even after the final selection of 10,000 people was completed in the God and Demon Battlefield, he still couldn't figure out how to achieve this.

The battle between gods and demons finally ended, and he and nearly 10,000 others arrived at a brand new scene.

They were standing on the same huge platform.

This platform feels like being in an endless, dazzling starry sky.

Looking up, there is a huge stone staircase that stretches straight to the sky, as if a giant with a size of hundreds of millions of light-years is walking on it.

Each stone step is connected to the others by air; if you calculate carefully, there are at least 100,000 steps.

At the end of the stone steps stood a magnificent bronze gate that exuded a mysterious aura.

The second stage of Hunyuan Heavenly Road: Asking the Heavenly Ladder.

At the end of that heavenly ladder lies the Hunyuan Heavenly Ranking. (End of Chapter)