The power of the Heavenly Dao poured into the Crimson-Hell War God’s body, and his strength surged once again. The Blood God Asura, previously trapped inside the Godspeed Progenitor’s storm, suddenly extended claws dozens of meters long and tore the storm apart, stepping out into the air.

The Godspeed Progenitor hovered in the sky, his gaze fixed on the Crimson-Hell War God. The latter’s long, blood-red hair floated messily without wind. In his eyes, it was as if an entire sea of blood was reflected. Behind him, the Heavenly Dao connected straight into the heavens, as though linking the Crimson-Hell War God directly to the will of the heavens themselves. The Aryan-Swastika mark above his head shone even more brightly.

This sight made the Godspeed Progenitor frown slightly.

The Crimson-Hell War God laughed. “Godspeed Progenitor, this is heaven and earth’s acknowledgment. I am the Infinite Dao acknowledged by the world. That is why I can enjoy the power of the heavens. And you?”

The Godspeed Progenitor sneered. “Acknowledgment from heaven and earth is nothing more than your own wishful thinking. Do you not know that anyone who receives such acknowledgment can never stand against the heavens? Instead of ‘acknowledgment,’ call it what it truly is, a slave mark. A curse that can easily destroy you.”

The Crimson-Hell War God’s face tightened. Of course he knew this.

Yet he still argued, “And what of it? As long as we don’t rebel against the heavens, the heavens won’t interfere with us. We’re no different from any other Infinite Dao. In fact, we become even stronger by borrowing the Heavenly Dao’s power.”

The Godspeed Progenitor let out a mocking laugh. “You think anyone can wield this power? If you rely on it, you will never break through the twelfth meridian gate.”

The Crimson-Hell War God’s expression twisted with fury, as if Shen Xing had exposed a secret buried deep within his heart.

Indeed, this was something the Crimson-Hell War God, and many Infinite Dao cultivators, did not wish to face.

When a Sage Monarch breaks through into the Infinite Dao realm, they gain the ability to control the power of Primordial Edicts. The Heavenly Dao also governs the power of Primordial Edicts. From that moment on, Infinite Dao cultivators stand on the verge of approaching the Heavenly Dao itself.

At this critical point, two paths appear.

The first path.

The Heavenly Dao bestows a title upon you, “acknowledges” you. Your forehead is imprinted with the Heavenly Dao’s true intent. This so-called investiture is essentially enslavement, ensuring you can never open the twelfth meridian gate, never attain the power to transcend heaven and earth, and never become a true immortal and unruled by the Heavenly Dao.

This is the Heavenly Dao’s method of protecting itself.

The second path.

Refuse and rebel against High Heaven’s investiture and forge an Anti-Heaven Dao Fruit.

But then a great tribulation descends. This tribulation is terrifying and targets not only you but everyone around you. Some Infinite Dao cultivators cannot survive these trials; they and all their loved ones perish within them.

The Godspeed Progenitor was one of those who survived such a tribulation and forged his own Dao. The Crimson-Hell War God, on the other hand, submitted to the Heavenly Dao. Although he could draw upon its power to strengthen himself temporarily, his path would end here. This was the most painful fate. After striving for a lifetime and reaching the Infinite Dao realm, he was only one step away, just one step, from transcending the cycle of samsara and surpassing High Heaven.

And yet it ended.

Would anyone accept that? Imagine a competition. The most painful position is not the quarterfinals, nor the semifinals. It is the runner-up. The others still stand far from the championship, but the runner-up is only one step short.

Thus, the pursuit of Dao comes to a halt. The ones who suffer most are not the Saint Sovereigns, nor the Grand Emperors, but the Infinite Dao cultivators.

“Shut the hell up!” the Crimson-Hell War God roared. Power surged from his body as the blood sea raged and coiled around him. The waves of blood swept outward as he stepped into the air, unleashing an overwhelming aura. He struck at the Godspeed Progenitor with one massive claw. An enormous creature took shape within the blood sea, as if it possessed sentience.

The Godspeed Progenitor snorted coldly and waved his hand. The Dao of Speed swirled around his palm, and the two began their battle in the sky. Their collisions were too fast for the naked eye to follow, and within mere seconds they exchanged tens of thousands of blows. With the Heavenly Dao empowering him, the Crimson-Hell War God could temporarily fight the Godspeed Progenitor as an equal.

Meanwhile, Xu Zimo managed to escape danger for the moment. His gaze swept toward the eight God-Clans, and he immediately joined in the hunt for the Saint Sovereigns. The entire world had plunged into chaos.

The land of the Great Beyond was a dead world, an eternal sunset, an eternal wasteland. But today, blood bloomed across it. It was Saint Sovereign blood, bright and vivid, scattering through the air and splashing onto the barren ground.

One corner of the Great Beyond erupted with constant explosions in the sky. Xu Zimo slew three Saint Sovereigns in succession, destroying not only their bodies and souls but also their Life-Death Souls, which he tracked from miles away and obliterated completely.

“San Dao, fight again!” the Creation God-King roared. He had clearly suffered losses; the cuts on his robe were marks from Saint Sovereign San Dao, a recently ascended Infinite Dao cultivator. To be wounded by such a newcomer was humiliating.

“Fight then. Do you think I fear you?” Saint Sovereign San Dao snorted.

“Enough. At this rate, no result will ever come,” the Samsara Dao Progenitor said. The combatants’ strengths were too closely matched. Neither side could overwhelm the other. The eight God-Clans had held a slight advantage earlier, but the Godspeed Progenitor’s arrival had erased it.

“What do we do now?” the Mountain Titan True God asked. This stalemate was disastrous. After all, two tigers cannot share one mountain. The eight God-Clans and the True Martial Sacred Ground could never coexist or jointly rule the Absolute God Heaven. Neither side would accept it.

“No matter what happens, the ones destroyed in the end will be you eight God-Clans,” World-Weary said calmly.

“World-Weary, don’t go too far,” the Samsara Dao Progenitor replied. “Think carefully, besides us, you have another enemy.”

As his words fell, he shouted toward the sky above the Great Beyond.

“Sages of the Heavenly Court, your conditions are accepted. Join hands with us!”