Chapter 1160 An Omen of Great Calamity

It was rare to the extreme indeed!

During the tests of the previous years, it was already a blessing if the Praise of the Gods could appear three times, yet now, the tests hadn’t even ended but it had appeared an entire four times already.

All the people seated here were great figures within Dao Emperor Academy, so how could they not be aware of all this? Thus, when they saw that the Praise of the Gods had appeared on Zuoqiu Yin, Mu Yuchong, and Moqi Yan after Mu Xiaoliu had obtained it, their hearts were rather agitated.

“The world is really changing…” Wang Daolu raised his head up towards the sky and spoke a weird emotional sigh.

The eyes of the others couldn’t help but narrow slightly when they heard this. They were clearly aware that Wang Daolu was speaking of the great calamity that was about to affect the three dimensions.

As it was said, heroes emerge in troubled times. So many extraordinary figures had actually emerged during the test this year, and it was unusual indeed.

“The circulation of the Heaven Dao is in this way.” Zhou Zhili spoke abruptly. “Aren’t the times when outstanding geniuses emerge also the time when the structure of the three dimensions is renewed?”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell once more into silence.

A renewed structure? That’s something that needs to be paved by the blood and bones of countless people!

Can anyone survive beneath the great calamity?

Zhou Zhili swept the others with his gaze before he spoke a few words lightly. “If the sky collapses, then there’ll naturally be someone to hold it back up.”

As soon as he finished speaking, phenomenon emerged once more in the sky, and it wasn’t a single phenomenon, but three that overlapped together!

The first layer was graceful golden light that transformed into bolts of lightning that covered the sky as it enveloped Ao Wuming.

The second layer was snow drifting through the nine heavens, and they revealed the shape of icy flowers as they descended onto Jiang Canghai.

The third layer was surging flames that made it seem like a volcano was flipped upside-down in the sky, and it covered Zhongli Xun.

At this moment, golden lightning danced in the sky, snow fluttered, and violent flames surged, and it dyed the entire heavens and the earth in layer upon layer of gorgeous color.

After that, numerous sounds of the Praise of the Gods resounded in the nine heavens and through the heavens and the earth. It sounded like the ring of the morning bell, and it struck in the depths of every single person’s heart and enlightened them.

The hearts of all the great figures here shook when they saw this. Three phenomena at once! Throughout the ancient times until now, such a scene is unprecedented!

“The…the favor of the Heaven Dao is so… Could it be…” Someone frowned. There was no excitement in his voice, and it was slightly filled with worry instead.

“Don’t mention this matter today!” Zhou Zhili suddenly frowned while his stern and firm expression was covered in coldness. Moreover, his voice even revealed a dignified tone that allowed no disobedience. Similarly, this was the first time that he’d so vividly displayed his resolute attitude since the test began.

The others puckered their lips and didn’t dare speak about this topic any longer when they saw this.

The atmosphere was slightly oppressive, so Wang Daolu couldn’t help but laugh lightly. “The Praise of the Gods drawn down by these three disciples are all slightly lacking to attain the first grade. They really are not bad.”He paused for a moment, and then he looked at Chen Xi, Zhen Lu, Zhao Mengli, and Ji Xuanbing who still sat on the Dao Sharpening Stones without any signs of movement and said, “Amongst the four of them, how many of them do all of you think will be able to obtain a Praise of the Gods at the first grade, Resonance of the Heavens and the Earth?”

He didn’t ask if Chen Xi and the others would be able to receive the Praise of the Gods, and he directly asked if they would obtain the Resonance of the Heavens and the Earth instead. This obviously showed that he was certain that Chen Xi and the other three would definitely be able to cause the phenomenon of the heavens and the earth to descend. The key was the grade of the Praise of the Gods that they received.

No one questioned this because it was clear for all to see. No matter if it was Zhen Lu, Zhao Mengli, Ji Xuanbing, or Chen Xi, all of them were much more outstanding than the other disciples.

It would be a joke if such figures weren’t capable of causing the phenomenon of the heavens and the earth to descend!

“All of them will probably be able to. However, it’ll be slightly difficulty to distinguish an apparent winner amongst them.” Instructor Ji Wen pondered deeply and said, “The Dao Sharpening Stone tempers the Martial Dao Will. Sitting cross-legged atop it is like residing in a battlefield. The stronger one’s Martial Dao Will is, the longer one can persist. If you infer carefully, then Chen Xi’s who’s at the initial-stage of the Mysterious Immortal Realm is slightly inferior to the others in the end. After all, the other three are at the advanced-stage of the Mysterious Immortal Realm.”

Someone else disapproved, and it was an instructor from the Mu Clan who said, “Even though Martial Dao Will is to one’s cultivation to a certain extent, don’t forget that Martial Dao Will can’t do without potential and the Dao Heart. Chen Xi possesses a cultivation in the Dao Heart at the Heart Soul Realm, so how can the others compare to him?”

“These words are too one-sided. Chen Xi is extraordinary indeed, yet he’s inferior to the others in terms of actual combat.” The beautiful woman from the Phoenix Clan, Zhao Qingping spoke slowly.

“What a joke! Chen Xi was the first during the test of actual combat in the second round!” An instructor from the Xuanyuan Clan laughed coldly.

“Xuanyuan Meng, don’t forget that those Starpoints he possessed were mostly obtained through trickery. He’s probably not a match for the other three in a head-on collision.” An instructor from the Jiang Clan grunted coldly.

When he spoke up to here, the face of Zuoqiu Hong who’d kept quiet all along stiffened slightly. Trickery? Chen Xi hunted and killed the disciples of my Zuoqiu Clan, yet it’s only considered trickery? Aren’t you looking down on the disciples of my Zuoqiu Clan?

You make it seem like the disciples of my clan are ‘ripe persimmons’ that can be squashed easily by Chen Xi…

Even if Zuoqiu Hong hated Chen Xi to the extreme, he felt slightly uncomfortable in his heart when he heard such words. So he immediately said with an emotionless expression. “Luck isn’t a factor in the second round of the test!”

The instructor from the Jiang Clan knew he’d spoken wrongly, and he instantly kept quiet.

Then others shook their heads without end when they saw this.

Indeed, no matter how they argued, it really was difficult to determine an apparent winner based on the current circumstances because Chen Xi and the other three were all too dazzling. So the winner could only be determined from the final outcome of the test.

OM~

Right at this moment, a mysterious and brilliant aura suddenly surged out from Zhao Mengli and shot into the sky. After that, the image of a True Phoenix that was 30k long, had wings that hung down from the sky, and was completely gorgeous to the point it was dream-like had appeared in the sky, and it fluttered in the sky while emanating a myriad of rays of divine brilliance!

The phenomenon — Phoenix dancing in the nine heavens! 

At that instant, a wave of grand chanting suddenly surged through the heavens and the earth, and it faintly carried numerous clear and cold cries of a phoenix within it. The plants and flowers swayed while the rocks shook, and circle after circle of ripples arose in space. It caused everything in the heavens and the earth to resonate.

A first grade Praise of the Gods, Resonance of the Heavens and the Earth!

In other words, when Zhao Mengli advanced into the Golden Immortal Realm, it was very likely that she would obtain an Allheaven Divine Crest that contained four Grand Dao Laws, and it would be on par with the Iron Abyss, Ye Tang! 

All the great figures present here couldn’t help but reveal a wisp of shock when they saw this.

“Mengli isn’t bad. She deserves to possess the bloodline of the True Phoenix flowing within her.” The beautiful woman, Zhao Qingping, raised her chin and spoke indifferently while the space between her brows was filled with pride.

Not long after Zhao Mengli caused the phenomenon of the heavens and the earth to descend, Ji Xuanbing had as well. A myriad of bells rung in the sky while the scene of a great cauldron suppressing the world appeared, and it was grand, imposing, and revealed the aura of an emperor.

This scene caused the great figures to exclaim once more in admiration.

It was common knowledge that the Ji Clan was an imperial clan from the primeval times, and it was a true influential clan of the Immortal Dimension. Thus, being able to cause such a phenomenon was the greatest acknowledgement towards Ji Xuanbing’s identity.

“Haha! The aura of a primeval emperor that descended into the world. He’s bound to lead the times!” Instructor Ji Wen roared with laughter and felt pride from Ji Xuanbing’s achievement.

Everyone agreed about Ji Xuanbing’s accomplishment, yet they didn’t agree with Ji Xuanbing being the one bound to lead the times. However, they didn’t voice it out. After all, Ji Xuanbing’s display was too dazzling indeed. It would sound sour if they refuted it at this moment.

Practically right after the phenomenon Ji Xuanbing caused vanished, Zhen Lu suddenly erupted with boundless golden light, and it seemed like a scorching sun had suddenly leaped into the clear sky to illuminate the world with grand brilliance.

Within the dazzling golden light was the scene of Dracophants jumping about, celestial maidens dancing, golden lotuses blooming, the light of the Buddha illuminating the world… It seemed to be very powerful and boundless.

The eyes of everyone focused when they saw this, and their faces froze slightly.

The was no instructor from the Buddha Dimension present here, thus no one praised or judged it. But it was obvious from their reaction that the phenomenon of the heavens and the earth that descended for Zhen Lu was the most brilliant in the entire test!

After a short while later, someone said, “This kid can compare with Ling Qingwu from all those years ago.”

Everyone was silent because the person that said this was Zhou Zhili, Dao Emperor Academy’s outer court’s Dean, so they were unable to refute it.

“So in this way, the Praise of the Gods obtained by this kid is at the top of the first grade?” Wang Daolu muttered.

The other instructors had slightly complicated feelings in their hearts when they heard this. They could acknowledge and tolerate someone from the Buddha Dimension, yet they couldn’t help but feel slightly bitter when they saw the disciples of their Immortal Dimension had been outdone by someone from the Buddha Dimension.

“What about Chen Xi? Why has there been no movement from him up until now?” Instructor Jiang asked abruptly.

The others raised their eyes to look over. Sure enough, they noticed that Chen Xi was still sitting silently on the Dao Sharpening Stone without moving at all, let alone showing any signs of causing the phenomenon of the heavens and the earth to appear. So, they couldn’t help but be extremely surprised.

“This little fellow wouldn’t be unable to draw down the phenomenon of the heavens and the earth, right?” An instructor from the Zhongli Clan teased slightly.

“Of course not. Actually, his ability to persist until now on the Dao Sharpening Stone has already proved how formidable his Martial Dao Will is. However, it’s a bit difficult for him to surpass Zhen Lu.” That instructor from the Mu Clan sighed.

The others mostly disapproved when they heard this. At the bottom of it all, many of them had conflicting and complicated perceptions of Chen Xi.

They hoped that he would be able to surpass Zhen Lu to bring glory to the Immortal Dimension, yet they were also unwilling to see that scene happen.

After all, everything up until now proved that the disciples from their clans were slightly inferior to Zhen Lu. If Chen Xi surpassed Zhen Lu, then wouldn’t it mean that the disciples from all their top powers were slightly useless?

“It’s impossible. The might of the Praise of the Gods that Zhen Lu obtained is already at the top of the first grade. Chen Xi will at most be able to compare to him.” Zuoqiu Hong spoke calmly and didn’t add any emphasis to defame Chen Xi because he was speaking the truth, and there was utterly no need to waste any thought on vaguely displaying his disdain towards Chen Xi.

The others deeply agreed when they heard this.

Right, Chen Xi will either be unable to compare with Zhen Lu or be on par with Zhen Lu, because this is the reality of the situation.

Right at this moment, Wang Daolu seemed to be lost in thought as he said, “Do all of you still remember the Praise of the Gods obtained by a student called Yun Fusheng during the third round of the test from 19,000 years ago?”

Yun Fusheng?

Everyone was slightly stunned before their eyelids twitched, and then a peerlessly extraordinary and handsome figure that was proud and aloof like a hawk and tranquil like a lotus floated into appearance within their minds.