Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 1910 - 512: Emperor Dao Prototype (3)

Bang!

Shen Jueling's form was sent flying in reverse as the realm flickered and shattered. While he suffered no core damage, his loss was undeniable.

"You."

With fury and shock in his eyes, Shen Jueling stared at the girl, meeting her impassive stare. A sudden shiver ran through him, and he grasped that he hadn't unleashed his utmost power—nor had she.

The command over the Time Dao... it couldn't be just the Tenth Layer; it had ascended to that fabled realm!

"How could this be? That stage is only achieved after unlocking the Emperor Road, yet she hasn't done so—how does she wield it so masterfully? Could she be one of the kings who endured the ancient disaster from ten thousand years past?"

Shock gripped Shen Jueling. Within his clan, he had overcome every hurdle, besting countless geniuses, but now a wave of powerless desperation washed over him.

"Shen Jueling, defeated."

The Star Empress stated the outcome with poise and swiftly transported both combatants away from the arena.

Shi Miao arrived beyond the fighting platform. With her energy restored to its zenith, she advanced once more to issue a challenge.

Witnesses noted Shi Miao's formidable presence, and their expressions shifted subtly. Was this young woman intent on sweeping through opponents all the way to confront the reborn Emperor?

Li Hao felt stunned as well. Though aware of Shi Miao's prowess, he had apparently undervalued her. Her strength exceeded his expectations.

As Shi Miao threw down another gauntlet, the remaining top ten fighters abandoned their own ambitions, opting instead to test themselves against her first and gauge the competition via her bouts.

This clash involved stakes for True King titles and clan benefits, far from mere sentiment. Competitors would employ every tactic to rise higher.

"So formidable—who is that lady?"

"Rumors say she's a Quasi-Emperor who outlasted the ancient demon catastrophe from ten thousand years ago!"

"I recognize her; clan archives mention she's the Time Saintess, the prime disciple cherished by the Heavenly Calamity Immortal Emperor!"

"Heavenly Calamity Immortal Emperor? Word has it an Immortal Emperor turned traitor against humanity ten thousand years back, named something like Heavenly Calamity..."

Elders from minor families murmured among themselves, eyeing Shi Miao with doubt and curiosity.

Meanwhile, numerous seniors from mighty clans—many veterans of the calamity ten thousand years ago—watched on. That disaster hadn't escalated to today's scale back then. The great houses had largely stayed out of the fray, owing to the noble sacrifices of Immortal Emperors like those.

The Southern Domain Venerable had shrouded much of the catastrophe's secrets, fooling only lesser clans and the masses. Prestigious lineages, however, held the unvarnished truth.

Observing this woman battle onward and vie for True King status filled their visages with mixed emotions.

Ten thousand years prior, alongside her mentor, she had clashed savagely against the ancient demons, almost dying out and dismantling the Heavenly Calamity emperor lineage. Now, reborn, she returned to the fray.

This round, it stemmed from her own resolve.

"Perhaps it's due to 'fools' such as her that the rest of us get to draw breath and find joy."

A white-haired, bearded senior let out a sigh, then edged forward gradually to the cliff's brink. Slowly, his hunched posture unbent, shifting him from elder to a man in his prime, then to youth.

"Better to battle than merely endure survival."

"I've practiced for 120,000 years, yet sadly failed to forge my personal Emperor Road... still, there's the path I'm pursuing at present!"

Beyond the realm, various concealed elders from great clans observed in quiet vigil. Some were ancient, preserved in bronze sarcophagi or entombed as Quasi-Emperors, recently roused.

Oblivious to these developments, Shi Miao targeted the ninth rank, held by the Divine Venerable.

"Little junior sister..."

Upon spotting Shi Miao's summons, the Divine Venerable locked eyes with her, mutual recognition dawning instantly.

"Our soul essences endured unbroken from those days, and reunion brings relief now."

The Divine Venerable ascended to the platform, his gaze locked on Shi Miao, the aura she radiated far surpassing her Immortal King phase.

"It's a thread of destiny. My reborn form emerged from your reincarnated lineage, forging an inescapable tie, yet senior brother, you..."

Shi Miao spoke with steady composure. Her features first resembled Ying Xiaoxiao of the Divine Clan, then Su Muqing from the Northern Domain Su Family, but ultimately settled into Shi Miao's visage, her eyes gleaming like multicolored amber—icily aloof, akin to the Empress ruling over time.

"The master perished, the Emperor Dao crumbled beyond revival. Do you wish to plunge into such hopelessness once more?"

The Divine Venerable replied icily, "I seek only to reclaim the master's legacy—what claim does that youth have upon it?"

"The master's heirlooms go to whomever she designates. As a fellow disciple, why oppose your ally further?"

A chill entered Shi Miao's eyes; invoking Li Hao struck her deepest nerve.

"Hmph, you and the master dote on him alike. The lad boasts exceptional gifts, but what of it? Peaking out means merely ascending as Emperor! In this doom, even Emperors tumble—can he rescue the whole True Realm? In this existence, survival is my sole aim!"

The Divine Venerable balled his hands into fists, golden divine fires erupting across his frame, while celestial star meridians and saintly dharma manifestations gathered around him.

Shi Miao's stare turned icy, her domain unfurling abruptly. Within the Time Dao domain emerged a dark whirlpool, brimming with dread force—like fate's whisper and the essence of rebirth!

"You!"

Detecting the pair of veiled forces within the domain, the Divine Venerable's expression twisted in alarm—this went beyond simple Time Dao; was this her realm's authentic essence?