Accessing the Heaven's Mandate Continent required no special credentials. Its structure mirrored that of the Dao God Continent: vast and sprawling, it accommodated not only Dao Domain-level Overlord powers but also numerous other factions.
Unlike the Dao God Continent, which housed only the single Great Power, the Dao God Sect, the Heaven's Mandate Continent was divided between two major forces: the Fate Dao Palace and the Imperial Heaven Dao Palace. These two factions split the continent into eastern and western territories.
Upon arriving, Han Yi refrained from reckless action. Instead, he paused and approached a small faction near the Chaos border, securing a map of the continent's power territories and various intelligence reports. The strongest cultivator in this faction was only at the Dao Fruit Realm, which Han Yi promptly transformed into a Myriad Nether Incarnation, securing a foothold on the continent.
Next, he departed the faction and headed toward the True Form of the Great Abyss Divine Blade, guided by the map. He carefully avoided factions led by Heavenly Venerate-level cultivators, instead traversing the borders between such powerful territories.
This time, Han Yi refrained from displaying any power beyond the Dao Fruit Realm. He carefully controlled his speed and aura to mimic someone who had recently entered the Dao Fruit Realm. While not considered a powerhouse on the Heaven's Mandate Continent, he was far from weak. Unless he ventured near the territory of a major faction, few would dare to intercept him.
Three months later, Han Yi's expression shifted slightly as he slowed his escape technique.
"I sense the Great Abyss Blade Physique ahead."
"But..."
He stopped completely, hovering high above the land, his gaze fixed forward, his expression grave.
"But ahead lies the Imperial Heaven Dao Palace. If I force my way in, I'll be crushed."
Before him, mountain ranges coiled like writhing dragons, encircling an endless expanse of palaces and Dao Courts. This was no longer the domain of peripheral Heavenly Venerate-level factions, but the true realm of the Primordial Overlord-level Imperial Heaven Dao Palace.
He had journeyed from the eastern coast of the Fate Dao Palace, circumnavigating numerous factions to reach the western edge of the Heaven's Mandate Continent. After traveling a great distance, he had finally arrived at the outskirts of the Imperial Heaven Dao Palace.
"What a bother," Han Yi muttered, his expression filled with resentment. His eyes revealed deep contemplation, but his wisdom prevented him from advancing further. If he were to arouse suspicion, he might be captured by one of the Heavenly Venerables of the Imperial Heaven Dao Palace.
With his current strength, facing a Heavenly Venerable would make escape nearly impossible. The most likely outcome would be capture or outright annihilation.
The Great Abyss Will within the Divine Blade materialized as an elderly figure in a gray robe, gazing ahead.
"Based on the connection with the Blade Body, it's definitely within the Imperial Heaven Dao Palace," the Elder said.
"At this distance, I can sense the True Form and even attempt to summon it through the void. However, I sense a powerful pressure suppressing it, making movement difficult."
"I never imagined the Blade Body would be within an Overlord-level power in the Dao Domain."
"Such a faction is guarded by a Half-Step Transcendent, with numerous Heavenly Venerables within its ranks. Every step is fraught with danger, and it's fortified by powerful Ancient Artifacts. Penetrating its defenses would be exceedingly difficult."
Taiyuan turned to Han Yi and shook his head. "Enough. Let's return."
He didn't suggest waiting until he was stronger to retrieve the blade, because this was an Overlord-level power in the Dao Domain. Even if Han Yi ascended to the Heavenly Venerable realm, he wouldn't dare to storm in and take the blade by force.
Perhaps only when he reached the Half-Step Transcendent stage would he have a chance to seize it.
But reaching the Heavenly Venerable realm was already an arduous journey, let alone ascending to the Supreme Existence above it—the ultimate power standing atop the Dao Domain. Han Yi was merely a Dao Realm cultivator, still immeasurably distant from such greatness.
Though Han Yi's progress was rapid, Taiyuan still doubted he would ever reach the Half-Step Transcendent stage.
A flicker of light danced in Han Yi's eyes as he pondered quickly.
After a moment, he said slowly, "No, it's not too late to return now."
"Though the Imperial Heaven Dao Palace is an Overlord-level power in the Dao Domain, all is not lost."
"Regardless, we must at least try."
Taiyuan returned to the Divine Blade without further comment. He knew Han Yi would exercise restraint and avoid reckless risks. Even before Taiyuan's long slumber, he had witnessed Han Yi's cautious nature.
Just as Han Yi paused, a Phantom Shadow suddenly appeared above the Cultivation Valley belonging to a certain Heavenly Venerable within the Imperial Heaven Dao Palace. The shadow hovered in the air, gazing down.
Within the Phantom Shadow's starlit eyes, the valley below was not tranquil, but a scene of heaven-shaking, earth-shattering turmoil.
Hundreds of massive black chains, one end embedded around the valley's perimeter, the other connected to a colossal black longsword thrust into the valley's center.
This black longsword towered a hundred meters high, its blade half-buried beneath the valley floor, leaving only the upper half and hilt visible.
Mystical runes flowed along the black chains, granting them unimaginable sealing power. This power converged upon the giant blade, binding it firmly in place.
But now...
The black longsword began to tremble violently, causing the entire valley to quake. The tremors intensified, and a terrifying aura, seeping from the pitch-black blade, brewed ominously in the valley's air.
Yet, to any observer outside the valley, none of this was visible. The valley appeared perfectly ordinary, without the slightest sign of change.
Here, a Great Cultivator had used immense mana to overlap two spaces.
Above the valley, the Phantom Shadow observed the giant blade trembling violently, a puzzled expression crossing its eyes. As the blade's tremors grew increasingly violent, the shadow suppressed its doubts. Starlight flickered in its eyes as it produced a Dao Talisman and descended.
When the Dao Talisman reached a certain point, it vanished, entering the space that sealed the giant blade. It landed on one of the black chains, causing the runes on the chain to begin swirling rapidly, as if the talisman had infused them with a surge of power.
As the runes surged, the sealing power within the space intensified abruptly, gradually calming the frenzied vibrations of the giant blade.
Strange, the shadow murmured. Master said this Ancient Blade possessed a violent spirituality. But after suppressing it for a Half-Chaos Epoch, a new consciousness should have emerged within its spirituality. At that point, I could easily refine the nascent consciousness, replacing the Blade Body's awareness with my own, achieving perfect control.
And by seizing this opportunity to perfectly control the Ancient Blade, I could ascend to the final step, becoming a Heavenly Venerable.
"But why is the Ancient Blade's spirituality suddenly going berserk?"
The Phantom Shadow floated high above the valley, its gaze shifting away from the valley below. Suddenly, it paused and murmured softly:
"No, it can't be that simple."
"There must be something causing its rampage."
The Phantom Shadow rapidly solidified into the form of a young cultivator. The aura emanating from him contained a Dao Intent that had reached its pinnacle, a state of perfect fulfillment. Had Han Yi been present, he would have recognized this individual as a cultivator in the Dao Harmonization Realm—one of the most elite, on the verge of ascending to the Heavenly Venerable realm.
Such a cultivator possessed the strength to challenge even an ordinary Heavenly Venerable in battle. However, the path to becoming a Heavenly Venerable required not only sufficient combat prowess and cultivation realm, but also a critical opportunity—a catalyst.
One hundred thousand years ago, the Third Elder of the Imperial Heaven Dao Palace brought this Divine Blade from beyond the palace's borders, sealed it in this location, and entrusted its guardianship to his disciple—the young cultivator now hovering above the valley.
The elder had instructed the young cultivator that if he failed to ascend to the Heavenly Venerable realm within half a Chaos Epoch, he should refine the weak will emerging from the Blade Body, replacing the blade's will with his own Dao Heart. This forced method, the Third Elder had calculated, would significantly increase his chances of becoming a Heavenly Venerable.
The young cultivator of the Dao Harmonization Realm flashed through the air, circling the valley. Finding nothing, he expanded his search to cover the entire region entrusted to him by his Master, the Third Elder of the Imperial Heaven Dao Palace. Only after thoroughly patrolling the area without any findings did he stop.
"Strange," he murmured.
"But I can't discern it. Perhaps the change in the giant blade wasn't triggered by internal affairs within the palace, but by something external?"
"My Master once said he obtained this Ancient Blade from a peculiar location. The blade bears no one's brand, suggesting its Master likely perished."
"If he's perished, he couldn't have come personally."
"Still, perhaps it's not the Heavenly Venerable himself, but someone from his faction who's come."
"Enough. Speculating is pointless. Even if it were a Heavenly Venerable, he wouldn't dare force his way into the Dao Palace. That would be courting death."
With a subtle flicker, the young cultivator vanished from his spot.
Below, the valley lay tranquil. Within the second overlapping space, the black giant blade stood motionless in the valley. Its Spirituality, suppressed by the black chains, remained utterly dormant, as it had for a hundred thousand years.
High above the Imperial Heaven Dao Palace, Han Yi sensed no unusual fluctuations and remained unaware of the current state of the Great Abyss Divine Blade.
With a swift turn, he used the Escape Technique to head south. According to the map he carried, a large city named Imperial Water Dao City should lie in that direction.
This Dao City served as one of the Imperial Heaven Dao Palace's major nodes for external communication. To gather information about the palace, this city was an essential stop.
Moreover, even if he failed to obtain the intelligence he sought, failed to gain entry to the palace, and failed to secure the Great Abyss Ancient Blade, he could still purchase the cultivation materials he needed within the city.
It was worth noting that places like the Heaven's Mandate Continent, where a dominant Great Power maintained control while still allowing Dao Realm cultivators to freely purchase necessary resources, were rare. Among the Nine Great Dao Domains Han Yi knew of, only four such places existed, and none were within the Vast Heng Dao Domain.
After about an hour, he arrived at Imperial Water Dao City and entered.
The city was massive, its size comparable to a complete Great Luo Immortal Realm containing ninety-nine Immortal Domains. Judging by its structure, Han Yi deduced that it must have been formed by the expansion of an entire world.
Han Yi slowly flew through Dao City. After a moment, he stopped at a certain spot and gazed upward into the sky.
His eyes glowed crimson-gold, radiating divine light that reflected a faint purple aura suspended above the city.
From this faint purple aura, Han Yi sensed a faint threat.
"It's likely an extension of a Heavenly Venerable Ancient Artifact, possibly for surveillance, maintaining order, or intercepting powerful enemies. Its function isn't singular."
"This Dao City must be guarded by a Heavenly Venerable, and possibly more than one."
"As expected of a Great Power at the Dao Domain level. Even the outer gateway city is guarded by a Heavenly Venerable. Here, one must never carelessly violate the Dao Palace's laws."
Han Yi retracted his gaze, remaining unnoticed by the faint purple aura above.
He continued forward, leaving the city gates behind and ascending high above a mountainous forest. Here, he discovered that the faint purple aura had completely vanished, sparking further speculation.
"Even a Heavenly Venerable Ancient Artifact couldn't constantly cover a city the size of a Great Luo Immortal Realm. It must be selective, monitoring key areas. Remote places like this don't require supervision."
Han Yi suddenly understood. He had visited many Immortal Cities and large cities, and they were all much the same.
He continued deeper inside, and after a short while, he landed in a bustling district. His expression grew complex as he felt as if he had returned to the Jade Balance Realm and stepped into a Cultivation Market.
The only difference was that in this market, Immortals were the norm, and even among the Cultivators present, few were below the Spirit Transformation Realm.
The reasons for this weren't hard to guess. On one hand, this Earth Realm was rich in resources, making Immortal Ascension relatively easy for ordinary cultivators. On the other hand, the Dao Power within the Dao City was so strong that low-level cultivators might feel uncomfortable upon entering.
Suppressing his aura, Han Yi wandered through the prosperous district. He looked at the stalls lining both sides of the street, and even visited some Pavilions selling Dao Artifacts and Rare Treasures. But unfortunately, nothing caught his attention.
The Dao Artifacts here were mostly low-tier, with only one or two mid-tier artifacts, and none of the high-tier variety.
He wasn't disappointed, however, because this district wasn't particularly notable within the Dao City. In the core areas, there would undoubtedly be high-tier Dao Artifacts for sale. If he could afford the price, he might even be able to purchase a Heavenly Venerable Ancient Artifact.
As Han Yi considered this, a sudden thought struck him: if it was possible to purchase a Heavenly Venerable Ancient Artifact, what kind of transaction would it involve? Could it possibly include Source Crystals?
And if it did, could he use his Panel to directly absorb them across space?
Freebie?!
The thought made Han Yi's breath quicken involuntarily.
But remembering the faint purple aura high in the sky and the fact that a Heavenly Venerable must be stationed within the Dao City, he suppressed his desire for a "freebie" for the time being.
If his strength wasn't sufficient and he acted recklessly, this wouldn't be a "freebie" but a "death wish."
In this region, Han Yi didn't move at full speed, maintaining only the velocity of an ordinary Dao Realm cultivator.
After half a Chaos Epoch, he arrived at an expansive, bustling Earth Realm that stretched as far as the eye could see. Following the intelligence he'd acquired, he used an Escape Technique to reach a towering pavilion that pierced the clouds.
Three ancient characters, inscribed on the plaque above the pavilion's entrance, exuded an ancient and boundless aura.