"Once you step onto the arena, life or death is no longer counted. The victor is king." Xiaosa Ge spoke with equal gravity.
One line after another, they laid out the rules of this Void Arena. Without a doubt, this arena had been constructed jointly by Eternal Night and Eternity—a battleground built specifically to allow the heaven's chosen of both realms to clash. Any duel that takes place on this arena would be broadcast across the entire Divine-Demon Battlefield, clearly visible to both sides.
This arena was, unquestionably, the best stage to make one's name known to the world.Those with strength could rise to fame across the lands. Those without it—at best—would die on the stage. Even surviving would already be considered a stroke of luck.
Anyone stepping onto the arena had to be mentally prepared to stake their life.Otherwise, doing so was no different from courting death.
This was a life-and-death arena.
"This arena has been set up so that the heaven's chosen of both Eternal Night and Eternity can engage in fair combat. Every time a heaven's chosen is slain, it weakens the opposing side's strength," Zhuge Liang said as he shook his feather fan. "However, since it's a matter of life and death, without sufficient incentive, no heaven's chosen would fight with everything they've got. I suspect there's more to it."
Every heaven's chosen was a rising overlord in their own right, with the potential to become a mighty powerhouse. Being cautious with one's life was only natural. Otherwise, why did the dozen heaven's chosen of Eternal Night not dare engage Yi Tianxing in true combat? It was simple: they feared death. As long as they could survive, no one wanted to die.
They were content to send their Eternal Night slave soldiers to wear down the forces of Eternity.
Endlessly. Continuously. Even exhausting a single foe counted as a victory.
Those slave soldiers were cannon fodder—disposable and easily replaced.
But when it came to a battle where death was truly on the line, every heaven's chosen had to weigh the stakes. Was it worth it? Would the benefits outweigh the risk? Despite their bravado, Eternal Night's prodigies did not actually scoff at death.
"Let's keep watching. We'll find out soon enough," Yi Tianxing nodded.
At that moment, the two egg-like entities resumed their explanation.
"As everyone can see, standing on the Void Arena is a Heavenly Ladder. And this is no ordinary ladder—it has three thousand steps, directly connected to the arena. The moment one sets foot on the arena, a wisp of their aura is taken and forms a Dharma Body on the ladder.
Everyone who enters starts at the lowest step of the Heavenly Ladder.For every victory on the arena, the Dharma Body ascends one step.However, if you are defeated and die, the Dharma Body vanishes entirely.If you lose but survive, your Dharma Body is dropped to the very bottom, regardless of how far you had previously climbed.
So—on this arena—do not lose.
If you do, all your previous efforts will be wasted."
Hei Dashuai spoke coldly.
"Do you see the altar at the very top of the Heavenly Ladder? Upon it sit two treasure chests. Inside them lie rewards offered by both Eternal Night and Eternity. Anyone who can reach the summit of the ladder will claim both treasures. To do so, one must win 3,000 consecutive battles. Now, please watch—each realm is about to deposit their reward. Let us see what supreme treasures await!"
Xiaosa Ge cried out, his face filled with excitement.
Swish! Swish!
As soon as his voice fell, two beams of light descended from the void—one emerging from the starry sky, seemingly through a star gate, and the other appearing directly from thin air.
One beam transformed into a strand of mysterious purple light, merging into the golden treasure chest.The other became a crystal-glowing seed, inside of which swirled chaotic energy, creation myths, and evolving life. It was incredibly divine and mysterious.
Hiss!
Both Hei Dashuai and Xiaosa Ge gasped sharply, stunned to the core.
"Primordial (Hongmeng) Purple Qi!"
"Perfect World Seed!"
The two egg-like beings stared in utter disbelief.
At the same time, those across the Divine-Demon Battlefield who witnessed this scene were shocked to their very cores.Their hearts pounded wildly, as if ready to burst from their chests.
"It's Primordial Purple Qi, the legendary treasure of enlightenment—the sacred relic of ascension! I can't believe it's actually here!"
"They say this can elevate one to the Hunyuan Realm, merging with the Dao's laws, grasping the very rules of existence, becoming indestructible and eternal—a true Sage!"
In the Eternity Realm, countless heaven's chosen gasped audibly. Their shock turned into boundless excitement and longing.
Primordial Purple Qi was the ultimate treasure of enlightenment, coveted by all cultivators. No one would let it slip past their fingers if they had a chance at it.Owning it meant they had a real shot at ascending to the peak of all existence—unchallenged, eternal.
"And that's the Perfect World Seed! Incredible! They say that whoever obtains it can create a world inside themselves, nurturing it from a Cave Heaven into a Small World, then a Middle World, and finally a Great Thousand World! Once it matures, the owner becomes its sovereign and receives power from the world's feedback—equal to the Hunyuan Realm, or even stronger!"
"And this one's not just any seed—it's a Perfect World Seed. It contains the potential to give birth to a Great Thousand World. Once that happens, reaching the Hunyuan Realm will be effortless."
The heaven's chosen of Eternal Night were equally ecstatic.
Cultivation paths had never been limited to just one road.In the end, they all led to the same destination.
There were Qi Cultivators and Body Cultivators.The former refined the soul and grasped laws to carve out their own Dao.The latter honed the flesh until it became indestructible—eternal like heaven and earth.
Then there were those who followed the Divine Path, mastering laws to become Gods who governed the Three Thousand Daos.
Another formidable path was the World Path: nurturing a world within oneself.This was incredibly powerful—world cultivators had an entire world as their foundation.In battle, their mana was virtually limitless, and their destructive potential immense.As sovereigns of their worlds, their attacks carried the force of entire realms.
They could even foster their own races and raise massive armies within.
The potential was virtually infinite.
But to embark on this path, one required a World Seed.
Without one, one had to painstakingly forge a Cave Heaven with other resources.That route was arduous and resource-draining.Most world cultivators were so poor that not even mice would bother rummaging through their pockets.
Yi Tianxing understood this all too well.
Even with the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda as his life-bound treasure, nurturing over 30 tower-worlds before the emergence of the Dream Butterfly World had nearly bankrupted him.No matter how many resources or treasures he poured into it, it was never enough.He had truly experienced what it meant to be a penniless cultivator.
That was why a Perfect World Seed could rival even Primordial Purple Qi in value.
For Eternal Night and Eternity to both offer such priceless treasures—it was clear how much importance they placed on this Void Arena.
It was temptation.
Naked, unfiltered temptation.
And it targeted the deepest desires in every heaven's chosen's heart.
There was no one among them who didn't want to stand at the pinnacle of the world, to be eternal, to be indestructible. But they all knew how few ever made it there—and how brutal the journey was.
Now, two visible, reachable ladders to ascension stood before them:
Primordial Purple Qi
Perfect World Seed
Faced with these hopes of eternal enlightenment, no heaven's chosen could look away.No one could walk away.
Desire had been fully awakened in every heart.
But to claim these treasures... was no easy feat.
Three thousand steps meant three thousand victories—against heaven's chosen, no less. And no one knew what trump cards the opponents might hide. A single misstep could lead to death.
It was incredibly difficult.And the closer one got to the top, the more others would try to stop them.
Gulp.
Many secretly swallowed hard.
They wanted it.
Everyone wanted it.
Even great cultivators would find it hard to resist such treasures.
Even Yi Tianxing was no exception.He already possessed a wisp of Hongmeng Purple Qi——but no one ever complained about having too many supreme treasures.
"How about it? I think it's clear to everyone now just how precious these two treasures are. The two realms are taking this seriously. Whoever reaches the peak of the ladder takes both," said Hei Dashuai.
Xiaosa Ge added loudly, "Right. The Void Arena's rules are simple. It will officially open three days from now. Once it starts, every participant will have a strand of their aura captured into the arena to enter the Heavenly Ladder. Every day, the first person to step onto the arena becomes the Arena Master. All others may challenge them. Win, and you reign. Lose, and you die."