The Asura Imperial City was the long-standing capital of the Asura Clan, situated in the far northern reaches of the Northern Barbarians. For ages, it had been the most vital place in the region, the gathering point for the major clans of the Barbarians whenever significant matters were to be discussed.
As the barbarian capital, the Asura Imperial City spanned a vast area, several times larger than Tianshui City. Given the barbarian penchant for grand and imposing architecture, the city was studded with towers that pierced the clouds.
All structures in the capital were built from dark-hued granite, black and grey stones; the Asura Imperial City was an entirely petrified world. Due to the harsh environment, virtually no vegetation existed here, and the rare plants that were seen often appeared grotesque and terrifying. For several continuous days, the city was shrouded in an oppressive, thick blanket of dark clouds, punctuated by ceaseless lightning and thunder. Relentless gales and downpours lashed down, sometimes dropping hailstones the size of boulders.
The barbarian inhabitants of the Imperial City, especially those with any degree of cultivation, could sense the violent fluctuations in the vital energy of heaven and earth. The once evenly distributed elemental energy surrounding the city was rapidly concentrating upward into the sky, rendering the overall field chaotic. Cultivators within the Asura Imperial City found that a full day’s practice yielded significantly less accumulated power than usual.
These changes in the Asura Imperial City did not escape the notice of many barbarians, and soon, a message filtered out from the Asura Clan: "The King is engaged in combat!"
This news flashed across the entire barbarian territory like lightning. Nearly every cultivator, whether actively training or in seclusion, instantly received word. Experts from numerous other clans began flocking from every direction, pouring into the Asura Imperial City.
Even some barbarian masters who had been in deep seclusion for years could not remain unmoved. Old figures unseen for ages began to materialize within the city limits.
To the cultivators of the Northern Barbarians, the Asura King was an invincible entity; all barbarian masters regarded him as the most powerful being in the world. The thought that someone would dare challenge him had never even occurred. Thus, when the news spread, the martial world of the Northern Barbarians erupted. Everyone who heard the report, regardless of distance, current obligations, or even ongoing battles, rushed towards the Asura Imperial City.
Many common barbarian citizens living within the capital frequently observed grim-faced master cultivators seated quietly atop terraces and high buildings, gazing up at the storm-choked sky with expressions of deep contemplation.
In an instant, the Asura Imperial City was teeming with figures, powerful auras moving through the streets. The Asura Clan’s guards were doubled, patrolling ceaselessly, fearful that these restless visitors might stir up trouble within the city.
Yet, contrary to their expectations, these assembled masters from across the Northern Barbarians caused no disorder. Each remained compliant, spending their days gazing at the heavens, silently releasing their consciousness to monitor the ebb and flow of the vital energy above the Asura Imperial City.
During this period, all Seven-Star and Eight Trigram Heavenly Masters in the Imperial City temporarily halted the practice of projecting their souls into the Endless Star Domain for cultivation. A few returning Northern Barbarian masters, unaware of the situation, whose souls accidentally strayed into a terrifying region in the sky, died shortly after returning to their physical forms.
Before their demise, these individuals strictly instructed their clans: under no circumstances should anyone enter the Endless Star Domain to cultivate until the dark clouds above have dissipated!
Ji Changkong traveled for several days, journeying north from Beian City until he finally reached the far northern reaches of the Northern Barbarians.
It was only then that he realized the sheer vastness of the Northern Barbarian territory far exceeded popular imagination. The distance from Beian City to the extreme north was exponentially greater than the distance from the Shuiyun Kingdom to the Great Chu Kingdom. The territory of the Northern Barbarians alone was larger than the combined size of the Shuiyun Kingdom, the Great Chu Kingdom, and the Tianwu Kingdom!
Of course, despite its immense size, nearly half of the Northern Barbarian territory was unsuitable for human habitation.
Even Heavenly Masters of insufficient cultivation levels would struggle to survive in some of the more hostile environments. The ordinary barbarian populace stood no chance in those perilous Northern Barbarian zones.
It was precisely this brutally harsh living environment that drove the Northern Barbarians to seek expansion, especially those clans teetering on the brink of collapse, whose entire focus turned toward invading the Central Plains.
Before him now stood colossal structures reaching into the clouds, magnificent palaces resembling ferocious beasts. Ji Changkong immediately knew he had arrived at his destination.
He had initially worried about failing to locate the site of his maternal grandfather’s battle with the Asura King, but even before setting foot on Asura Imperial City soil, he realized his concern was needless.
Hovering above the Asura Imperial City were two terrifying, world-shaking currents of energy. These two forces resembled towering mountains, demanding only that one look up at them. The destructive power emanating from them was immense, capable of annihilating creation, giving the distinct impression that mortal strength was utterly insignificant.
High above the Asura Imperial City, these two forces collided intermittently. The resulting shockwaves disturbed the natural laws, causing the perpetual tempest of dark clouds, lightning, thunder, and unending storm above the city.
Those two forces were terrifyingly immense; any cultivator who had formed a soul would instantly feel their magnitude.
Any cultivator with a formed soul could perceive, without effort, that these two powers could only be wielded by the most supreme Heavenly Masters in existence—the Nine Palaces Heavenly Masters.
Therefore, upon approaching, he instantly understood that the forces dominating the skies over the Asura Imperial City belonged to his maternal grandfather and the Asura King.
Squinting slightly, Ji Changkong concealed his aura in a corner of the Asura Imperial City and silently watched the skies above.
He focused the power of his soul into his eyes, causing a dim flash of light. His gaze could now perceive phenomena invisible to ordinary sight.
Beneath the dense, dark clouds above the city, he saw countless, twisted strands of soul threads snaking out from the Imperial City and plunging into the oppressive cloud mass. These threads writhed and shifted constantly, channeling soul power into the heavens.
A rough count revealed no fewer than a thousand such soul lines!
He knew these were the masters below, releasing their divine souls to discreetly observe the tremendous activity above. Naturally, their soul threads dared not approach the proximity of the two Nine Palaces Heavenly Masters; they kept safely hidden within the lower clouds, observing the fluctuations in the energy currents far above from a distance of a hundred li.
Only masters possessing at least Seven-Star Heavenly realm cultivation would dare extend their soul threads amidst a clash of Nine Palaces Heavenly Masters. Those whose souls had never wandered the Endless Star Domain would certainly not risk revealing themselves. Thus, from those nearly thousand threads of varying thickness, Ji Changkong could gauge the sheer number of terrifying experts currently within the Asura Imperial City.
This realization made him even more cautious about exposing his own soul aura. Utilizing the profound secrets of the Taixu Canon, he carefully concealed the scent of his spirit, terrified of alerting these Northern Barbarian powerhouses.
Consequently, he couldn't use his divine sense to search for Li Hentian. He could only remain hidden in his corner of the city, stoically watching the celestial developments, hoping to receive immediate news concerning his maternal grandfather.
He understood that this battle was beyond his capacity to intervene in.
His only recourse was to wait, to see his grandfather as soon as the fighting concluded.
The engagement between the two Nine Palaces Heavenly Masters had already dragged on for some time. Ji Changkong waited another three days after his arrival, and the aerial confrontation was still unresolved. The Asura Imperial City endured torment during these days. Just as the gales subsided, hailstones and ice shards plummeted relentlessly, followed by swirling tornadoes, then balls of celestial fire dropping from the sky, and even meteorites from beyond the heavens, one after another.
Fortunately, the Imperial City was currently filled with experts thick as a dense forest. Through their combined efforts, the terrifying assaults descending from the high heavens were neutralized by the nearly one thousand super-masters gathered from all corners of the barbarian lands.
Everyone understood that the battle raging above had reached a critical juncture.
Hidden in his corner, Ji Changkong knew, without needing to extend his soul, that his maternal grandfather was likely on the verge of defeat.
His grandfather's soul aura, which permeated the world, was slowly diminishing. The ten-fold profound chill that had enveloped the Asura Imperial City was beginning to dissipate.
Above and below, an overpowering, wild, and lawless aura pressed down upon everyone’s heart like a mountain.
This was the aura of the Asura King.
Ji Changkong's expression darkened. He felt utterly powerless at this moment. Against the world-altering power of Nine Palaces Heavenly Masters, he, an Eight Trigram Heavenly Master, clearly could not intervene. Although the World-Ending Gauntlets granted him strength, his intuition suggested the power they offered could only elevate him to the level of the Blood Emperor or Li Hentian.
Those two had only just attained the Nine Palaces Heavenly realm.
But the Asura King and his grandfather had resided within that realm for a long, long time. Their comprehension of the Nine Palaces Heavenly realm was simply incomparable to that of the Blood Emperor or Li Hentian.
This meant the power of the World-Ending Gauntlets could not truly affect Nine Palaces Heavenly Masters like the Asura King and his grandfather. He could not stop this fight!
He could only wait—wait for the battle to conclude. That was the only action available to him now.
It was sheer torment! Especially knowing his grandfather was gradually losing ground while he remained helpless, Ji Changkong had never before yearned for power so intensely—a boundless, endless strength to change this damned situation! To alter the outcome he refused to witness!
Another day passed. Ji Changkong continued to endure the agony.
Suddenly, a world-shaking crack of thunder erupted from the sky above the Asura Imperial City. Massive lightning bolts snaked through the air like wild dragons, and fierce gales swept through, tearing apart the thick clouds that had perpetually shrouded the city.
When sunlight finally reappeared over the Asura Imperial City, a series of devastating explosions roared forth, like incessant, rolling thunder. Seventy-eight massive blasts later, the sky above the city was riddled with gaping holes.
Indeed, it was scarred; the heavens now bore countless rents. Through these new openings, shooting stars streaked, bizarre, shimmering worlds were visible, and enormous stars hung suspended.
Worse yet, dozens of monstrous, bizarrely shaped creatures broke free from the confines of those tears, actually squeezing through and descending upon the Northern Barbarian lands!
All the masters of the Asura Imperial City were stunned into silence. As these beings, clearly not native to their world, tumbled through the spatial fissures, the assembled experts immediately mobilized, surging towards the terrifying creatures.
These monstrous beings were not from their world, nor from the same realm; they seemed to have fallen from several different stars. Upon landing in the Northern Barbarian territory, they instantly scattered, commencing slaughter upon any life they could perceive.
In a single moment, both citizens within and outside the Imperial City became targets for these extraterrestrial entities. Many common people were devoured by these foreign invaders.
The Heavenly Masters of the Asura Imperial City could no longer focus on the celestial confrontation. For the sake of their kin, they were forced to turn their attention to hunting down the extra-dimensional creatures pouring through the spatial rifts, engaging them across the landscape.
The mobilization of over a thousand barbarian powerhouses unleashed a scale of destruction unimaginable to the ordinary eye. The number of extraterrestrial invaders emerging from the spatial cracks was not overwhelming, nor were they uniformly invincible. Under the concerted assault of the barbarian masters, these invaders were swiftly annihilated.
Just then, the spatial fissures that had ripped open in the skies above the Asura Imperial City began to slowly mend themselves.
At the very center of the expanse of spatial tears, a majestic figure, surveying the world with absolute dominance, stood proudly between heaven and earth. With sheer willpower, this entity began to seal the ruptured space—and within moments, all the spatial fractures closed completely.
"Guya! You have lost!" the towering figure floating high in the firmament boomed, his voice rich and resonant, echoing across the land.
Another figure, noticeably leaner, slowly materialized on the horizon. He glanced at the towering figure, said nothing, and walked alone toward the south.
The mighty, mountain-like Asura King watched Guya depart, his expression grave. After a long silence, he sighed resignedly, "A genius of his generation, a pity…"
Seeing Guya depart, the multitude of Northern Barbarian Heavenly Masters began to chase after him.
"Let him go," the Asura King commanded sternly.
All the Northern Barbarian masters immediately halted, watching Guya walk away unimpeded.