š Chapter 958 - Disqualified?
āInterestingā¦ā The red-lined paper human cutout narrowed its eyes as it stared at Wang Baoleās residential hall. Even someone of its level of cultivation couldnāt completely understand the current situation, but one thing it did know was thatā¦ it was really looking forward to the Planet-Guiding Ceremony in a few days!
It wanted to know just who would be able to win the favor of the arrogant Dao Planet on the day of the ceremony. Even more than that, it wanted to know what kind of opportunity Wang Baole would obtain once the Dao Planet decided on a master.
With such thoughts in its head, the red-lined paper human cutout retracted its gaze, and its figure slowly faded into nothingness. Day after day passed, with the entire Starfall Empire wrapped up in preparation for the ceremonial sacrifice to the heavens. At the same time, more and more paper human cutouts became aware of the change in the world.
In the past, there had always been an eerie and cold aura filling the Starfall Realm that seeped into every paper human cutoutās body. Few of them could remember when this started; for the vast majority of paper human cutouts, it had been this way ever since they had become aware of their surroundings.
There were only a few ancient Almighties who would occasionally see the state of the Starfall Empire and remember the day that this eerie and cold feeling silently appeared in the realm.
It was all because of the black paper sea!
But recentlyā¦ disregarding those Almighties, even the ordinary paper human cutouts had noticed the difference. The gloom and cold had disappeared and been replaced by the warmth of spring, and the paper human cutouts could vaguely feel an indescribable difference in heaven and earth.
The biggest change was the transformation of the birds flying over the black paper sea. Although the sea had turned slightly gray, it was so vast and deep that the difference in color wasnāt obvious. However, now that the corrosion of the resentful qi was gone, the black color of the seabirds quickly faded. Five days later, they were completely white again.
When the paper human cutouts saw the brilliant white birds flying over the sea, they couldnāt help but stare in shock.
Thus, as they prepared for the ceremonial sacrifice to the heavens, almost every single paper human cutout worked tirelessly, full of excitement. At the same time, the Chosen from the Outer Domain were also busy with preparation.
It would have been one thing if the Dao Planet didnāt appear, or if they didnāt have a fated relationship with it. But now, everyone was really going all out. They gave it their all to prepare for the upcoming event!
For them, this matter was related to the rest of their lives. Thus, even the scholarly cultivator who was from the strongest sect of the Left Dao Holy Region was fully focused, maintaining his peak condition and even trying to go a step further.
After allā¦ For someone who broke through to the Planet Realm using a Dao Planet, as long as they didnāt die, they were pretty much guaranteed to reach the Star Domain Realm. And although some people might worry about dying prematurely, the Chosen here were all from powerful backgrounds. Their respective sects would definitely do their best to prevent such a thing from happening.
It could be said that, once they obtained a Dao Planetā¦ no matter whether it was resources, status, future prospects, or anything else, everything would be completely different from what they had now. These Chosen already surpassed countless others, but if they obtained a Dao Planet, they would truly reach a pinnacle.
That was becauseā¦ throughout the ages, Dao Planets were nothing but legends. There was only one person who was publicly recognized to have obtained a Dao Planet. That person wasā¦ the number one Divine Emperor of the Never-Ending Clan, and also the strongest person in the entire Never-Ending Dao Domain. He was the ancestor of the Never-Ending Clan and thus bore the nameā¦ Master Never-Ending!!
According to rumors, in the previous epoch, he alone slaughtered three of the nine great elders of the Underworld Sect. He was the one who plotted the betrayal of Chen Qingzi, and he had personally ripped apart the Underworld Sectās Heavenly Dao. Using the blood of the Heavenly Dao, he laid a curse and sealed the Underworld Sect, breaking the cycle of reincarnation. From then on, when a cultivator above the Planet Realm died, their soul wouldnāt pass on and instead continue existing eternally. With his own two hands, Master Never-Ending opened the doors to a brand new epoch!
With such a person as an example, the Dao Planet held an unparalleled temptation to all the Chosen. Although Wang Baole didnāt know about all this, he had his own ambitions. He, too, maintained his peak condition as he waited for the day to arrive.
Just like that, another two days passed. Finally, the day of the ceremonial sacrifice to the heavens had arrived!
When dawn rose on that day, the ringing of a bell could be heard from the palace. Every time an incense stickās worth of time passed, the bell would ring. Each time, the sound reverberated throughout the whole Starfall Empire, leaving no one unable to hear it.
When the bell rang the first time, all the paper human cutouts in the entire Starfall Empire halted their activities and gathered in front of the Starfall Sovereign Palace. However, due to the lack of space, the ones who could gather in front of the palace were really only those paper human cutouts with high statuses and profound cultivation bases. The common citizens of the Starfall Empire waited at fixed remote viewing locations and watched the ceremony through a certain divine ability of the Starfall Empireās experts.
Soon, the second ring of the bell reverberated in all directions. Outside the inn where the Chosen were, there was already a paper human cutout waiting for them. It didnāt take long. The masked woman, the scholarly cultivator, the bell girl, the little girl, Gao Qu, the little fatty, and the rest of the nine Chosen all walked out of the inn one after another. After they cupped their fists at the paper human cutout, it led them toward the palace.
It seemed to take a long time, but in reality, by the time the bell rang a third time, the nine Chosen had already arrived outside the palace and were waiting in a certain area. As for the paper human cutout who escorted them there, it motionlessly stood at the side with an indifferent expression.
According to the rules, they would enter the palace once the bell rang a fourth time.
As they waited, the nine Chosen seemed to be calm, but countless thoughts were running through their minds. On the one hand, they were looking forward to the great opportunity that was finally in sight. On the other, they were ready to compete with each other in secret. And there was also a minor question, that beingā¦ where was Wang Baole?
They had been wondering this since they first stepped out of the inn earlier. The whole way here, they hadnāt seen hide nor hair of Wang Baole, so they couldnāt help but make some guesses. However, with the exception of a few people, the rest didnāt really care.
Among those few were the bell girl, the masked woman, and the little girl who had come looking for her uncle. However, compared to the formerās cold sneer, the latter two just seemed a little surprised.
Besides them, there was also another person who had a gloating expression on his face. This person was the little fatty who had been ripped off by Wang Baole previously. It had to be said the cultivation base notwithstanding, his luck was pretty good.
As the little fatty looked around, he couldnāt help but laugh.
āSo, Xie Daluās missing. Ah, what a pity. The Starfall Empire has always paid attention to the natural laws, so if he doesnāt show up by the time the fourth ring of the bell sounds out, heāll be disqualified.ā
āThe fourth ring?ā The little girl looked at the fatty curiously. With a sweet smile on her face, she blinked cutely and asked a question.
āBig bro, is there a meaning to the ringing of the bell?ā
When the little girlās silky voice was added to her cute appearance, the little fatty couldnāt help but forget the fact that she was one of the most dangerous monsters among the Chosen. Feeling his heart swell, he quickly explained.
āThe Starfall Empire is very particular about a personās status. When the bell rings the first time, it informs the world that the day of the ceremonial sacrifice to the heavens has arrived. The second ring allows the common people to approach the palace and watch the ceremony. The third ring is to announce that the preparations for the ceremony have been completed. After that, those who are qualified to go inside the palace will enter it according to their status. The higher their status is, the later they will enter.
āFor example, the Starfall Emperor will arrive at the ninth ring of the bell. The kings who are below the emperor will arrive at the tight, and the Almighties will arrive at either the seventh or the sixth according to their cultivation bases. Those who enter at the fifth ring are the Starfall Empireās younger generation Chosen.
āAlthough we Outer Domain cultivators have high status, on the day of the Starfall Empireās ceremonial sacrifice to the heavens, this status isnāt valued very much. Thus, we are only allowed to enter at the fourth ring. If Xie Dalu doesnāt enter with us at the fourth ring of the bell, he will be disqualified since he wonāt have the status to enter the palace afterward.ā
As the little fatty finished speaking, the fourth ring of the bell reverberated through the world, causing the vault of heaven to flicker and the earth to vibrate. In front of the Chosen, a huge gate of light suddenly appeared.
At that moment, the paper human cutout who had escorted them there suddenly spoke up.
āFellow Daoists from the Outer Domain, please enter the palace to watch the ceremony!ā
With those words, the expressions of all nine Chosen turned solemn. The little fattyās expression was serious, but in his heart, he was rejoicing.
āXie Dalu, Xie Dalu, I donāt know why youāre late, but youāre losing out big this time!ā
When his thoughts arrived at this point, the little fatty felt extremely smug. One after another, the nine Chosen all stepped into the gate of light. The gate shone brilliantly, and their figures instantly disappeared!