Chapter 1396: The Heaven's Compensation

“Who are you?!” Someone finally couldn’t hold back, shouting in inquiry. They were clearly displeased with the mysterious men and women for trying to snatch the spoils at such a critical moment, seizing others’ opportunities. The most crucial point was that despite having no previous animosity, they intended to sacrifice others alive, a truly cruel and excessive act.

The speaker was the silver-haired youth from the Xuanhuang race, who had always been cold and aloof, often leaving Chu Feng at a loss for words. Yet, at this moment, he was the first to openly show his disapproval of the five individuals.

Many other evolvers shared this sentiment, feeling indignant towards the five. Their behavior was overly domineering and ostentatious; ever since their arrival, they had acted with an air of looking down on the world and belittling other races, which was truly arrogant.

At the edge of the pit, in front of the Immemorial Immortal Stone Furnace, the five individuals halted. They had been about to enter the furnace but paused, surprised by the challenge. Turning around, they revealed a faint murderous intent.

“How dare you reprimand us? Oh, it seems you have some lineage – the Human King’s bloodline. Indeed, there’s something to that. However, we don’t care. We’ll simply eliminate you all first!”

One of the five mysterious powerhouses spoke with undeniable dominance. Upon hearing the challenge, they immediately moved to kill, intending to annihilate everyone from the Xuanhuang Human King race inside the companion furnace.

Those near the stone furnace were shaken. What was the origin of these individuals that they dared to look down on a branch of the Yang Realm Human Kings in such a manner?

However, at this moment, another of the five spoke, stopping the first one.

“Forget it. The Human King’s lineage is indeed extraordinary. If we trace their origins, some of the old powerhouses might still be alive. Let’s not create unnecessary trouble; spare their lives.”

This was significant information: could the ancient ancestors of the Human King lineage still be alive at the world’s end? This was a truly shocking secret!

The silver-haired youth from the Xuanhuang Human King race snorted, saying, “You are truly arrogant. This is a forbidden zone in the Yang Realm, not your personal backyard!”

At this moment, Sheng Yuxian from the Heavenly Immortal Island overseas also spoke softly, saying, “If you wish to forge an immortal body, by all means proceed. But why must you speak of killing others to achieve your goal? That is truly too brutal.”

Inside the Supreme Furnace, Chu Feng could not hear their conversation at all. If he had known that someone intended to target him in this manner, his blood would have already boiled with rage.

It was one thing for these five to hijack the opportunity midway, but they were also treating him as a sacrifice, intending to enter the furnace and slaughter him, using his bones to pave their path to nirvana.

“Heh heh, I know you’re curious about our origins. Very well, it won’t hurt to tell you. We are people who have walked from the end of this evolutionary path; our home is in the borderlands of the Yang Realm.”

One of the young men among the five spoke, and at that moment, they all turned around, revealing their true appearances.

Instantly, their aura surged, becoming incomparably sharp and causing the surrounding space to distort and blur. The five seemed as if they could crush the heavens and the earth.

They revealed their identities as a form of deterrence, fearing that public outrage might lead to unforeseen complications. They were now using their background as a warning.

Surrounded by the furnace flames, accompanied by mist and rising ethereal glow, the five appeared like ancient immortals or demons, stepping into forbidden ground with unparalleled might.

They were all clad in black armor, with cold, chiseled faces. Among the three men and two women, one had brilliant golden hair and a face as pale as jade, while another had silver hair draped over their shoulders, with an indifferent expression and a chilling aura.

The armor worn by these five carried an immense sense of ancientness, yet they themselves were remarkably young. This strongly suggested that the armor was inherited, a treasure bestowed by their ancestors.

“Armor forged with immortal blood?”

At this moment, even the quasi-Heavenly Venerate of the Xuanhuang Human King race was astonished, gazing at the black armor on the five individuals with a look of shock and disbelief.

He naturally knew certain legends, having lived long enough, and his own family had a prestigious background.

Legend had it that the Yang Realm might be a broken offshoot of an evolutionary path, once engaged in war with immortals. Although the Yang Realm was said to have won, it might have actually severed its own passage, thereby creating a sealed space.

Seeing these individuals now, how could one not overthink things?

Years ago, shortly after Chu Feng entered the Yang Realm, he and Old Gu from the Nine Netherworlds had entered a gray area, a trading hub for underground dark forces, where he had heard similar rumors.

However, he was currently inside the stone furnace, unaware of the events unfolding above ground.

“Great Divine Kings, all five are Great Divine Kings?!” At this moment, a Daoist sect expert, who was collecting herbs on a black immortal mountain in the Supreme Forbidden Zone, had a face full of astonishment.

“What? All Great Divine Kings? How is that possible? Even in the most glorious eras, it was difficult for a single race to produce five Great Divine Kings!”

Many were stunned, finding it utterly absurd.

“We don’t come from a single race. Our borderland region, which you will never understand, connects to the Heavens!” a silver-haired man among the five stated calmly.

“Don’t overthink it. Our ancestors merely lived at the forefront of this branch path. We are not on your side, heh!” Another of the five interjected.

“You are beings from beyond this realm. Are you perhaps the Fallen Immortal Race?” Jiang Luoshen, standing with the people from Heavenly Immortal Island overseas, gasped in surprise.

Both the Buddhist and Daoist races grew serious, approaching from afar. If this were true, the implications would be dire.

“You’re overthinking it,” one of the five explained, a rare instance of clarification, “We belong to neutral ancient aristocratic families. We don’t favor any side; we simply reside at the far end of the Yang Realm and are not responsible for guarding this evolutionary branch path.”

At that moment, one of the five stepped forward—a young woman with smooth, golden long hair, a face carved from mutton-fat jade, and deep black pupils. “Hmm, the sacrifice begins,” she said. “There’s no time to waste. It’s time to enter the Eight Trigrams Furnace, or we will miss the optimal moment.”

Silence fell over the scene. Various races contemplated many things, momentarily lost in thought and stunned. No one tried to stop them.

The five vanished instantly, seizing the opportunity to enter the furnace!

They did not want to miss the best moment to enter the furnace.

Immediately, raging flames roared like an ocean, firelight surged, and thick mist billowed. The entire stone furnace became blurred, and the five grew even more mysterious, as if treading an ancient path, stepping by step into the immortal Supreme Eight Trigrams Furnace.

Their armor was incredibly strange; it actually blocked the flames, leaving them unharmed, calm, and serene as they disappeared into the mist of the stone furnace.

Only when they were no longer visible did the five’s expressions become serious and solemn, shedding their previous domineering and forceful demeanor.

One of them said, “Our family ancestors have guarded the end of this evolutionary branch path for generations, monitoring the movements of the Fallen Immortal Race and observing anomalies in the Yang Realm. Living in such a harsh and chaotic border region, this is compensation from the Heavens for us. After enduring all this time, our contributions and hardships are immense!”

“This is what we deserve. The opportunity for five Great Divine Kings to achieve nirvana is merely a trivial gift; it’s far from enough. We hope our elders in the clan receive more, and that the ancestors of all our families achieve breakthroughs!”

This was their conversation, conducted through soul light, inaudible to outsiders. Otherwise, it would have caused celestial ripples and stirred an eighteen-hundred-and-eight-level hurricane-like storm across the Yang Realm.

Above all heavens, there is the Heavens.

Such ancient aristocratic families, residing at the end of the Yang Realm, were connected to the Heavens.

If outsiders understood this, they wouldn’t be surprised that all five were Great Divine Kings!

This involved compensation from the Heavens to their families!

Their black armor was extremely ancient, worn by their ancestors, imbued with secret blood—including immortal blood, Buddhist blood, and ancient blood of divine beasts and rare creatures, making them truly extraordinary.

Immediately, amidst the roaring flames, they resembled phoenixes undergoing nirvana, seeking eternal life. Covered by dark armor, even their faces began to show black-gold protective shields, with only their pupils visible, appearing incredibly fearsome and transcendent.

“This time, we will achieve an unparalleled transformation, forging an undying and indestructible body. Even if we one day enter the Heavens, we will have the confidence to contend with other races.”

One of them spoke, their tone unwavering.

“Indeed, we have prepared for so long, with so many years of accumulation from our clans, and the compensation from that place. This time, the sacrifice is sufficient.”

At this point, they carefully took out five special golden Qiankun bottles, each containing unimaginable sacrificial items.

As soon as the five golden Qiankun bottles were opened, an unimaginable secret power flowed forth, accompanied by surging Dao principles and the sound of scriptures.

“We are not sacrificing to heroic spirits, but truly making offerings to the furnace. The more we offer, the more we will gain. It is said that only when a Saint turns back and tempers their body into a golden form can they step onto the ultimate path. However, it’s not too late for a quasi-Heavenly Venerate to turn back. Even at our Great Divine King realm, tempering ourselves further can still lead to transcendence. First, we will temper ourselves back to the Divine Realm, even the Illumination level, and then, using all these innate treasures, return to the Great Divine King level. Who will be able to contend with us then?!”

These words were astonishing!

Generally speaking, simply undergoing nirvana here was considered a rare and great fortune.

The Six-Eared Macaque race, on the other hand, sought to temper their disciples from the Saint level to the golden body stage, achieving the legendary process of the strongest suppression and transformation, akin to refining a nine-revolution golden elixir.

Chu Feng had come here earlier for his Yang Realm body, intending to temper his Yang Realm Saint-level physique to the golden body tier. After that, he would be free to pursue boundless opportunities, directly engaging with various pollens to achieve rapid, super evolution.

Now, for someone to achieve this kind of tempering at the Great Divine King realm, it was truly shocking.

In fact, Chu Feng had always wanted to try subjecting his Netherworld body—his Great Divine King physique—to a hellish ordeal and intense tempering in this place, to see if he could succeed.

However, he had never been confident, as he had never heard of anyone attempting such a life-or-death endeavor.

For a Great Divine King to temper themselves back to the Divine Realm, or even the Illumination level, seemed utterly absurd and, theoretically, highly improbable.

Nevertheless, he believed that someone must have walked such a path. When he came here previously, he had consulted numerous ancient texts and found vague hints and cryptic records.

Although there was no direct evidence, he believed that perhaps an old acquaintance had indeed walked that path.

Heavenly Venerates might regret, but turning back offers a chance for re-sculpting!

“All these innate treasures are enough for the five of us. We will turn back and return to the Divine level, or even the Illumination level, tempering an indestructible true self here. After accumulating power, we will then revert to our original Great Divine King bodies. This will serve as our capital and foundation for entering the Heavens, allowing us to fearlessly contend with the most formidable beings there.”

The five whispered and conversed, their confidence soaring as they made preparations.

“Let’s begin. With that sacrifice, a path has been opened for us, drawing out some of the fires of life. Now is our glorious moment to seize this opportunity, transform into dragons, and ascend into the Thirty-Three Heavens!”