The Heaven-Sacrificing Altar was the nation's suppressing treasure, a supreme artifact of destiny. Normally, it resided amidst the clouds of merit, continuously tempered by the True Dragon of Fate. The longer it was refined, the stronger it became. Now, compared to the past, the altar appeared even more mysterious. The sacrificial inscriptions engraved upon it had multiplied, exuding an even heavier aura filled with unimaginable power. Just looking at it made one instinctively feel reverence, as though facing the invisible will of heaven and earth itself.
The Heaven-Sacrificing Altar had two levels. When it descended, it measured eighty-one zhang in height.The first level was square, the second level round. A heavenly stair connected them, consisting of precisely three thousand six hundred steps.One round, one square — representing the round heavens and the square earth.
When it appeared, rooted within the city, the Earth Altar connected with the will of the land, while the Heaven Altar connected with the heavens. An invisible will gathered between heaven and earth.
Atop the altar stood a great bronze cauldron — the Heaven-Sacrificing Cauldron, another suppressing artifact of the realm.
"Please, Sacred King, ascend the Heaven-Sacrificing Altar."
Cai Yong appeared beside the altar, dressed in ceremonial robes, dignified and solemn.
Yi Tianxing nodded, descended from the skies, straightened his robes, and stepped forward toward the altar.
Clack!
With a crisp sound, his foot landed upon the heavenly stair. Immediately, he felt a formless pressure descend upon him, as though he had entered water, his movements hindered by resistance.
The Heaven-Sacrificing Altar connected with the will of heaven and earth, carrying the collective will of all living beings. Only the ruler of a dynasty had the qualification to ascend it. Yet to reach the summit was itself a test — a trial of strength, cultivation, and willpower.
Each step forward meant bearing the weight of the mountains and rivers of the nation.Each step increased the pressure of the destiny of the realm upon him.
In his vision, a magnificent landscape unfolded above his head, pressing down upon his body. The cries of countless people resounded in his ears, battering his soul. If one's body was not strong enough, if one's cultivation was insufficient, one would be unable to bear it and be thrown down the altar. If one's soul was not steadfast, if one harbored guilt toward the common people, then this boundless will of the people would become an unstoppable torrent, overturning the one who ascended and casting him down.
Such was the Heaven-Sacrificing Altar, witnessed by the entire dynasty. If one were truly cast down, one's prestige would be utterly lost. The dynasty's fate would be sealed, with no hope of ever advancing further.
At this moment, the pressure surged continuously.
"Mountains and rivers of the realm, I shall bear them."
"The common people, I shall protect them."
"To Great Yi, I am without shame; to heaven and earth, I owe no debt."
Yi Tianxing spoke each word with resolute clarity.
Step by step, he ascended, steady and unshakable, brimming with unstoppable momentum. No matter how great the pressure became, to him it was but a minor burden. Without pause, time passed, and before long he stood at the summit of the altar.
There stood the Heaven-Sacrificing Cauldron, ancient and heavy, its bronze body engraved with the vast mountains and rivers of Great Yi. Inside it was five-colored soil — the Earth of the Realm.
"Bow! First bow, to all living beings, for the people are as water that carries the boat!"
Cai Yong solemnly proclaimed.
Without hesitation, Yi Tianxing bowed deeply toward the cauldron.
"Sacred King!!"
Across the entire territory of Great Yi, countless citizens witnessed this and, as one, bowed in return. This bow was their answer — their acknowledgment of Yi Tianxing's governance through the years. Even the many sect cultivators within Great Yi could not help but follow suit. Only by living in Great Yi could one truly feel how blessed its people were.
Before such a Sacred King, who would not willingly bow in gratitude?
Shua shua shua!!
As all returned the salute, invisible threads of energy rose from the people, converging toward the altar. In an instant, a vortex appeared in the sky above, and within it, a stick of incense emerged.
It was nine zhang nine in length, upon its surface manifesting the scenes of countless living beings — the image of a flourishing age.
This was the Human Incense, required for the Holy Court to ascend to an Immortal Court.
Only when the people sincerely acknowledged their ruler could such incense form. If the ruler's governance was poor, if the people harbored resentment, this incense could never condense. In that case, the sacrifice would fail.
But within Great Yi, failure was impossible.
"Second bow, to the great earth, for the earth nurtures all living beings as a mother!"
Cai Yong's voice rang out.
Yi Tianxing bowed once more. The earth was the mother of all beings, nurturing life. Without the land, Great Yi could not exist. This bow too was wholehearted.
Rumble!!
At that bow, the earth roared. From within the thirty-three realms of Great Yi, endless earth destiny surged upward, gathering into a vortex above the altar. From it emerged another incense stick, also nine zhang nine long, colored in deep yellow, engraved with mountains, rivers, seas, and lands.
This was the Earth Incense.
The vast territory of Great Yi was enshrouded by the Mountain and River Destiny Formation, constantly refining and nurturing the land, turning barren wastelands into fertile soil, lifeless regions into verdant lands. The earth itself offered its acknowledgment and gratitude.
"Third bow, to the heavens, for the heavens treat all equally as a father!"
Yi Tianxing bowed toward the skies. Heaven, impartial and merciful, nurtured all beings without bias. To know gratitude and reverence was the way of men.
At once, golden light converged into a vortex, from which emerged a third incense stick, nine zhang nine in length, its surface displaying the changes of heaven — the alternation of sun and moon, the cycles of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, the orbit of stars.
This was the Heaven Incense.
The three incense sticks stood before him.
"Offer the incense!!" Cai Yong declared.
Yi Tianxing grasped the three Heavenly Incenses and placed them into the cauldron. Instantly, they ignited without fire, transforming into smoke that drifted upward into the heavens.
"Offer… the sacrifices!!"
At Cai Yong's call, attendants swiftly brought forth the offerings prepared long in advance. This time, they were not treasures of heaven and earth but corpses — the remains of Eternal Night fiends. From ordinary soldiers to terrifying Dao Platform-level demons, their bodies and fragments had all been preserved.
For years, the Demon Abyss had been plagued with endless demonic invasions. The Great Yi armies fought continuously, dispatching eight legions — over a billion soldiers — to hold the abyss. Countless battles had been fought, oceans of blood spilled. The corpses of countless demons were gathered, many preserved for this day.
Now, they were the offerings.
Nothing pleased heaven and earth more than the corpses of Eternal Night fiends — more precious even than the rarest of treasures.
As the remains were placed into the altar, they dissolved into streams of light, absorbed by a mysterious will. The will gathered above grew denser, stronger, filled with an unmistakable joy.
Shua!!
Above the altar, a golden eye appeared silently in the sky. Its gaze emanated inescapable majesty — the Eye of Heaven. Across Great Yi, countless citizens and cultivators bowed instinctively in respect.
"The Eye of Heaven," someone whispered.
This was Heaven's Dao.
"Present the sacrificial text!!" Cai Yong called.
Yi Tianxing stepped forward, his voice resonating:
"I, Yi Tianxing, ruler of the Sacred Court of Great Yi, hereby offer sacrifice to Heaven and to the Dao. Since the founding of the Sacred Court, we have brought peace within, repelled beasts and enemies without, and expanded our borders. Now we govern thirty-three realms, each prosperous and at peace. The aged are cared for, the young are nurtured. My people are as dragons — proud, self-reliant, unyielding to oppression or calamity. We have tamed the land and triumphed over heaven's trials. Our might is known across the seas, and our subjects number in the hundreds of trillions. We possess the supreme ancestral veins."
"Now, the fate and position of a Sacred Court can no longer contain Great Yi's destiny. I beseech the Dao for mercy, Heaven for favor. Grant permission for Great Yi to ascend in rank — to become an Immortal Court!"
Each word he spoke turned into golden script, merging with the incense smoke, forming a complete sacrificial text that drifted toward the Eye of Heaven.
The Eye absorbed the text, its golden gaze falling upon Yi Tianxing, unreadable and vast.