In the Imperial Capital, on the second floor of an elegant tavern.
A young man and woman sat facing each other by the window. The man wore snug black martial attire, carried a saber at his waist, and had spirited, handsome features. The woman wore a plain dress and looked gentle and lovely.
"Brother Qin, are you saying you've actually met Senior Huang Tian before?" the woman asked curiously.
Qin Hao nodded and let out an emotional sigh. "A few months ago, while traveling through Kunyun in Qin Province, I happened upon Senior Huang when he had just suppressed Kunyun's Five Great Sects. At that time, Senior Huang seemed to have entered a state of sudden enlightenment. Once he grasped it, boundless blade astral qi surged across the heavens, like a rainbow, like a dazzling bolt of white silk...
"I had plenty of nerve back then. Seeing that magnificent heavenly blade and its overwhelming might, I actually sat cross-legged on the ground, hoping to comprehend something from it..."
"And then? What happened next?" the plain-dressed woman asked hurriedly.
Qin Hao shook his head with a smile. "Then I sank into a complete daze, feeling only countless frosty-white blade lights crisscrossing my mind, as if they would sever my very soul. Fortunately, Senior Huang rode over on horseback and snapped me awake; otherwise, who knows what would have become of me."
"Then did you comprehend anything, Brother Qin?"
"Just a scratch of the surface," Qin Hao said. "Yet even so, it was of immense help to me. Relying on that wisp of blade intent, I successfully broke through to the middle three ranks! And my saber techniques are considered top-tier even among Rank Six martial artists."
The woman marveled, "In that case, Brother Qin, you could practically be considered half a disciple to Senior Huang!"
Qin Hao shook his head. "I wouldn't dare claim such a thing. What kind of figure is Senior Huang? A man who suppressed two Celestial Beings single-handedly! How could a mere Rank Six martial artist like me be worthy of being his disciple? Saying so would only make people laugh at me for putting gold on my own face..."
As they were speaking, a sudden clamor and cries of astonishment erupted from the ground-floor hall.
Qin Hao paused, cocking an ear to listen.
"The Celestial Being Ranking has changed again!"
"How did it change again? Didn't a new ranking just come out a while ago?"
"I remember that time was when Senior Huang Tian made the list at twenty-ninth. Could this change still be because of him?"
"It must be! Otherwise, how could the Celestial Being Ranking, unchanged for over a decade, be revised twice in such a short span?"
"Hey fellow, hurry up and tell us! What actually changed?!"
"..."
Hearing Huang Tian mentioned, Qin Hao could hardly sit still. He nodded to the woman, rose, walked to the second-floor railing, and looked down.
Scores of martial artists were surrounding a burly man in blue, who held a document high in his hands and hurriedly shouted, "Hey, don't rush, don't rush! Let me explain at my own pace!"
He coughed twice and called out loudly, "The Celestial Being Ranking has indeed changed because of Senior Huang! His position soared from twenty-ninth straight to fifth, pressing down Perfected Sanmiao of the State of Yu!"
At these words, everyone sucked in a collective breath of cold air, instantly warming the tavern's atmosphere.
"Hiss, this rise is just too high! The top five of the Celestial Being Ranking haven't changed in over forty years!"
"Perfected Sanmiao is tremendously powerful, having suppressed the Celestial Beings of the State of Yu so hard they couldn't lift their heads. Yet he actually fell behind Senior Huang?"
"Not surprising. If Perfected Sanmiao had to face Celestial Being Shen and Master Longding together, he might not have defeated them as effortlessly as Commander Huang did. It's only natural he ranks lower."
"They've never actually fought, so how can they rank it like that? What's the basis?"
"Idiot, don't you know who compiled this ranking? Pavilion Master Xuanji! That's the Celestial Being ranked sixth—no, seventh now! Is his discernment not better than that of a middle three ranks martial artist like you?"
"Humph, if you ask me, he's ranked too low! I won't argue about Yin Fenghai, Fu Yunjue, or Wan Shenyang; they truly deserve their spots. But can that old monk from the State of Mi rank above Senior Huang? He's sat withered in his temple for decades without making a single move. Who knows what his strength is now?"
"If you want to dispute it, go find Pavilion Master Xuanji and have him change it."
"Heh, who has the guts for that? Never mind asking for an audience with Pavilion Master Xuanji—most people can't even stand steady before a Rank Three Grandmaster!"
"..."
With no end to the laughter, banter, and shouting, the ground floor grew boisterous. Qin Hao looked no longer and returned to his seat.
The woman marveled, "I never expected Senior Huang to reach the top five of the Celestial Being Ranking!"
Qin Hao, however, was not particularly surprised. "Both Celestial Being Shen and Master Longding are top ten powerhouses on the Celestial Being Ranking. Since Senior Huang defeated the two of them joined together, it's only natural he enters the top five. Besides, this is merely a transition. Senior Huang may very well step into the realm of Celestial Being before long!"
He grew excited. "Once he enters Celestial Being, he might even suppress Yin Fenghai and scale the pinnacle of the martial Dao!"
Yin Fenghai!
That name seemed laden with magic; hearing it alone made the woman hold her breath.
"Yin Fenghai..." she murmured. "I truly look forward to the battle of the ages between Senior Huang and Yin Fenghai once Senior Huang breaks through to Celestial Being."
Qin Hao also wore a look of yearning. "The two greatest prodigies in the ten-thousand-year history of the Five Directions Realm! If I can witness them clash, I'll have lived with no regrets!"
The two marveled endlessly.
After a good while, the woman spoke again: "I heard that after Senior Huang finished sparring with Celestial Being Shen and Master Longding, he entered the State Protection Temple and perused martial techniques. Ten days later, he suddenly flew up to Yupan Peak and has sat alone atop the mountain for over a month. Brother Qin, are you going to the Yupan Mountain Range to see him later?"
Qin Hao said gravely, "Of course. I came to the Imperial Capital precisely to see Senior Huang again. Besides, I have a premonition that Senior Huang will break through again soon! A spectacle like breaking into Celestial Being might not be seen once in a lifetime—how could I not go?"
"I'll go with you, Brother Qin."
"Good!"
The two finished their meal, settled the bill, gathered their weapons, and headed toward the capital's northwest.
As they walked along, they discovered the road was packed with martial artists bearing weapons on their backs.
"So many people!" the woman exclaimed in surprise.
"They're all heading to the Yupan Mountain Range!"
A handsome young man waving a folding fan overheard her and said with a smile, "Ever since Commander Huang arrived in the Imperial Capital, at least hundreds of thousands in the city have wished to catch a glimpse of him. Now that he sits cross-legged atop the mountain, no one would miss such a chance."
"This humble one is surnamed Zhang, named Zhang Xiu." He folded his fan and cupped his hands politely.
"Qin Hao."
"Yu Xue."
Qin Hao and the woman exchanged a glance and returned the greeting.
Zhang Xiu smiled. "Since we are all heading to the Yupan Mountain Range, why not travel together?"
Qin Hao nodded, and the three proceeded together down the thoroughfare toward the Yupan Mountain Range.
The closer they got, the denser the crowd became. Alongside countless martial artists, shrewd peddlers carried shoulder poles and hawked their wares along the road amid the surging throng.
After traveling for an hour, they finally reached their destination. Qin Hao looked into the distance and saw, atop a high mountain over ten li away, a hazy figure sitting cross-legged upon the peak, his sleeves fluttering wildly in the mountain wind.
Countless martial artists dared not approach, staying back more than ten li to gaze from afar, while monks from the State Protection Temple maintained order at the base of the mountain range.
The three stood beneath a large tree and watched for a while. Zhang Xiu gently fanned himself and said slowly, "Actually, many people come here every day, but leave after taking a few looks. After all, nobody dares draw near, and from this distance, you can't see very clearly."
Qin Hao nodded in understanding.
These people were merely satisfying their curiosity, wanting to see what the legendary Huang Tian looked like and what was so remarkable about him; once they had seen him, they left.
As the three were chatting, shouts of alarm suddenly rang out.
"The sky! Look at the sky!"
"Look at what's happening in the sky!"
"So much spiritual qi—it's like an ocean! Heavens! With so much spiritual qi gathering, it feels like it could drown me!"
"..."
Hearing this, Qin Hao and the others looked up together.
A vast sea of clouds spanning dozens of li churned relentlessly as boundless spiritual qi of heaven and earth converged, transforming into a visible, majestic vortex. Letting out a roar like a churning sea, it cascaded from the ninth heaven like the Heavenly River spilling downward, pouring toward that figure atop the solitary peak.
"Th-this commotion... could he be breaking through?!!" someone cried in shock.
"Senior Huang is already Rank One! If he breaks through again, wouldn't that make him... a Celestial Being?! Heavens, I am actually fortunate enough to witness the birth of a supreme Celestial Being today!"
Yu Xue exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Qin, your prediction was right! Senior Huang truly is breaking through!"
Hearing this, Zhang Xiu glanced at Qin Hao with a touch of curiosity.
Qin Hao said excitedly, "Senior's talent is peerless, and he comprehended divine intent long ago. Bridging the gap to the realm of Celestial Being in two or three months is no surprise!"
At this, Zhang Xiu snapped his folding fan open. "Brother Qin, if you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten—it's been less than a year since Commander Huang first began practicing martial arts!"
Several nearby martial artists overheard, and an unbroken succession of gasps instantly sounded.
Stepping into the realm of Celestial Being in under a year—how terrifying was that!
Whoosh!
Inside the State Protection Temple, Master Longding and Shen Dongming flew out together, raising their heads to look up at the vast spiritual qi in the heavens. They felt both surprised and yet unsurprised.
Shen Dongming clicked his tongue in wonder. "It has been barely a hundred days since he arrived in the Imperial Capital, yet Fellow Daoist Huang has broken through two realms in succession. It's too fast! And yet, for him, it is only natural."
Master Longding chanted "Amitabha" and said leisurely, "Once he steps into Celestial Being, the wind and clouds will instantly gather. Will Yin Fenghai, Fu Yunjue, and the others still be able to sit still?"
Shen Dongming chuckled. "On the Celestial Being Ranking, which of those top six can sit still? A battle of the ages is right before our eyes—I can hardly wait!"
Master Longding also revealed a look of anticipation.
Swish—
Boundless spiritual qi surged into Huang Tian's body. Blood and qi boiled, true qi roared, and his bones were like vajra diamond, radiating brilliant luster.
Boom!
In the next instant, five vast auras surged into the heavens from his body!
One was blazing white like gold, incomparably sharp, cleaving the sky!
One was crimson as flame, violently blazing, incinerating the clouds in all directions!
One was lustrous azure-green, winding and flourishing, seemingly holding birth, death, withering, and blooming!
One was deep blue like the ocean, unfathomably profound, thousands of acres of surging waves coursing within!
The last was solid and heavy like earth, carrying all things, towering and unshakable!
Five divine intents transformed into five radiant streamers stretching across the sky, rushing and swirling through the void above his head.
"Five divine intents! Belonging to the Five Elements!" Even having braced himself mentally, Shen Dongming was still taken aback.
Master Longding's eyes filled with shock as well. "One person comprehending five divine intents of the Five Elements... th-this..."
Over the course of three hundred years, an ordinary Celestial Being comprehended only a single divine intent, and usually a rather ordinary one at that. Yet Huang Tian had fathomed five—and five supreme divine intents at that!
Stepping into Celestial Being with these five great divine intents, just how powerful would his strength be?!
Just as they marveled, inside a quiet room in the Imperial Capital, a man draped in a fiery red robe sensed the unseen cosmic aura between heaven and earth, jolted awake from his secluded cultivation.
"Someone is breaking through to Celestial Being? Who is it?"
Puzzled, he rose and walked out of the quiet room, gazing toward the northwest. Tumultuous waves instantly surged in his heart. "Five divine intents?!!"
"Just who is it?"
Suppressing his shock, he stomped his right foot forcefully against the ground, kicking up howling winds and air currents as he flew at top speed toward the Yupan Mountain Range.
Meanwhile, within the towering, undulating Yupan Mountain Range, the thousands of cloud layers in the sky were completely permeated with color, as though an immortal had taken the heavens as silk and poured out every shade of radiance. Ten thousand beams of glowing light, like a phoenix spreading its wings or a divine dragon flicking its tail, dyed the entire celestial vault magnificent and glorious.
Crash—
Drawn as though by the Five Elements divine intents, an even more majestic volume of spiritual qi surged and whistled, forming a colossal vortex spanning a hundred li with Huang Tian at its center. Spiritual qi raged and roared like an ocean, an invisible momentum diffusing outward. The myriad mountains fell silent, the forests hushed, and beasts cowered. Within a radius of a hundred li, all living beings trembled in spirit beneath this aura that felt like the wrath of heaven itself.
And Huang Tian stood at the center of this spiritual qi vortex, a profound aura circulating around him. A full quarter of an hour passed. While the spiritual qi from the sky continued pouring down, the five radiant beams congealed into a halo flowing with five-colored light, hovering quietly behind his head.
The halo slowly rotated, its colors not dazzlingly brilliant, but instead presenting a texture as warm and lustrous as jade.
Just then, the mental world formed by Huang Tian's divine intent underwent a sudden, drastic transformation.
Amidst a boundless darkness, a platinum blade light flashed, as though cleaving open a world and dividing heaven from earth—the clear rising above, the turbid sinking below.
A vast, boundless land stretched and spread out; uplifted sections became undulating mountain ranges, while sunken basins turned into fertile plains. Immediately after, the rush of water sounded as surging rivers, sparkling lakes, and a vast ocean—myriad water veins—emerged. Water vapor steamed upward, gathering high in the sky into vast clouds and mists.
At the same time, boundless life sprouted across the land. Specks of green broke through the soil, roots sinking deep into the earth, branches and leaves stretching out to their fullest. In the blink of an eye, ten thousand flowers bloomed, forests spread, ancient trees towered into the sky, and boundless vitality permeated the air.
Finally, a rising sun hung high in the sky, showering the world with immeasurable light and heat.
The power of the Five Elements cycled within this realm, and an illusory world virtually indistinguishable from a true world took shape.
Pop—
An exceedingly faint sound of breaking through a bottleneck rang out in his mind.
The realm of Celestial Being was achieved!
Huang Tian abruptly opened his eyes. An invisible surge of energy expanded outward from his body in all directions, kicking up a mighty gale.
At this moment, the vortex of spiritual qi pouring down like an overflowing river also halted. The sky gradually restored its tranquility, and the glowing radiance dissipated into glistening specks of light within the void.
Sitting alone atop the high peak, feeling the surging power within his body, a faint smile appeared on Huang Tian's face.
'I am invincible!'
Chapter 142