At the center of the ancestral city, the celestial imperial palace!
Early in the morning, when the first ray of sunlight spread out from the horizon and pushed away the darkness, the palace became brighter at a rate visible to the naked eye. The famous celestial cultivators from the ancestral city and the important officials of the imperial city all arrived before the palace.
The title of White-Haired Ascendant Empyrean had set off a storm in the ancestral city during these past seven days!
Almost everyone in the ancestral city who was qualified to know the title White-Haired Ascendant Empyrean knew about it. Due to the various rumors, this title had become famous.
Today was the day of the title ceremony. After obtaining the permission of the Celestial Emperor, all the cultivators of the ancestral city arrived at the extremely large square before the Celestial Dao Temple.
At this moment, the sun shined down on the square, revealing a large amount of cultivators. At a glance, there were no less than tens of thousands of people. Most of them had extraordinary cultivation levels, and there were even Empyrean Exalts among them.
There were even a few Ascendant Empyreans.
However, this kind of cultivator, even in the imperial palace, was still respected by the people around him.
On this morning, the teleportation formation leading from the ancestral city to the imperial palace was the most frequently used one day. The light from the teleportation formation didn't seem to stop as more and more cultivators came out to watch the ceremony.
These cultivators bypassed the nine gates and quickly headed toward the square before the Celestial Dao Temple.
More and more cultivators gathered on the square before the Celestial Dao Temple, but they weren't scattered. They stood in a certain order.
There were three spots where no one stepped within a thousand feet of them.
The cultivators in these three spots were three of the four kings of the ancestral city!
In the square in front of the Immortal Dao Palace, apart from the tens of thousands of cultivators and the people who were arriving one after another, there were also two groups of black-armored Forbidden Soldiers!
These Black-Armored Imperial Soldiers belonged to the Imperial Clan and were only loyal to the Immortal Emperor. Every Black-Armored Imperial Soldier possessed a certain level of cultivation. There were only a hundred thousand of them, but they had mastered a terrifying killing power that was created by sacrificing their lives.
Very few people knew the specifics. However, at the center of the square, there were two straight rows of black-armored soldiers that looked like black dragons. They emitted a monstrous baleful aura and coldness.
These two long lines seemed to have cut open the plaza, directly extending beyond the nine gates!
Outside the square in front of the Immortal Dao Temple were nine doors, each separated by thirty thousand meters. Although they were called doors, they were actually nine enormous gate-shaped structures. They were pitch black, and emanated an air of majesty and desolation. At the very end of the nine doors was a flickering teleportation light, and the members of the Li Clan appeared. They walked around the nine doors and headed toward the square, expressions of respect on their faces.
"The time has come, seal the Nine Gates!"
Not long after, an azure-robed figure walked out from the Celestial Dao Palace. It was an old man with an ordinary appearance, but there was a flash of light in his eyes. He slowly walked out of the palace, looked around, and slowly spoke.
As his words echoed, the tens of thousands of cultivators from the ancestral city all calmed down and looked at the nine gates!
A shocking roar came from the one hundred thousand black-armored Forbidden Soldiers. When their roars connected together, it was like the roar of the earth, causing the weather to change. The wind and moon in the morning tumbled backwards, and the nine gates immediately gave off a strange black light. When the black light reached a certain density, it spread out, causing the light from the nine gates to connect. In the square before the Celestial Dao Temple, the black light from the nine gates formed a straight path!
This passage was formed by the black light and the bodies of 100,000 black-armored soldiers. It was shocking!
At this moment, the tens of thousands of cultivators on both sides of the square seemed to have stopped breathing. While they looked at the nine black doors, they also looked at the transfer light that appeared outside the first gate.
As the transfer light flashed, a white-robed young man with a head of white hair calmly walked out.
As he stood there, Wang Lin had his hands behind his back. There was wind here, and the early morning wind caused his robe and white hair to flutter. He gave off an elegant feeling as if he was being blown away by the wind.
Wang Lin looked very young in the wind, but the passage of time had turned into a fishtail. Even though his face remained that of a young man, the fishtail slowly appeared due to the fatigue in his heart and the lack of regret in his footsteps.
His gaze passed through the black passage formed by the nine gates and saw the tens of thousands of people in the distance. Behind them was a majestic palace that seemed to descend from the heavens!
Behind the palace, Wang Lin could vaguely see countless palaces like this. They formed the imperial palace of the Celestial Emperor on the celestial clan!
This imperial palace was too big, and Wang Lin couldn't see the end of it. However, he could see that there was an unimaginable restriction here. This restriction hadn't been activated yet, but once it was activated, its power would be heaven-shaking!
"Is this the celestial clan's imperial palace …" Wang Lin's gaze focused on the palace in the distance. There was a stone statue that was a bit blurry because it was too far away. This stone statue stood far away and seemed to be eternally looking at the sky.
"White-Haired Ascendant Empyrean Wang Lin!"
A cold voice filled with majesty echoed like thunder from the Celestial Dao Temple. It interrupted Wang Lin's thoughts and caused Wang Lin to frown.
The person who spoke was the green-robed old man who had walked out of the Celestial Dao Temple. His gaze passed through the nine gates and looked at Wang Lin in the distance.
"Wang Lin, every Ascendant Empyrean must receive a title from the Celestial Emperor. However, before the title is conferred, you must pass a test. This test is the nine gates. Once you pass through the nine gates and stand before me, the title ceremony will officially begin!
"At that time, the Celestial Emperor will personally confer the title upon you, and the Imperial Teacher can help you divinate the future!
"Everything you do before the Celestial Dao Temple will be reflected by the formation in the palace. It will appear in all the sects in the 72 continents at the same time!" The green-robed old man's words were calm. Once he finished speaking, he closed his eyes and no longer looked.
However, everyone in the square, including the four kings, looked at Wang Lin at the same time.
Wang Lin stood there. Before he came here, the Li family's Ascendant Empyrean had told him about the title ceremony. Every Ascendant Empyrean would indeed go through the nine gates before being conferred a title.
However, this was only a symbol. After all, Ascendant Empyreans were tested by the Celestial Ancestor's shadow and had to pass through all 10 palaces. The nine gates were just a way to show the imperial power. In truth, there were no obstacles inside, and one only needed to walk through.
Wang Lin's gaze swept past the nine gates and saw the two rows of black-armored cultivators. Their faces were hidden behind their black armor, and only their indifferent eyes were staring at Wang Lin.
Wang Lin's expression didn't change at all when the 100,000 black-armored cultivators stared at him. He had his own principles. If the nine gates were normal, it wouldn't matter, but if there were other dangers inside, then Wang Lin wouldn't be polite.
Wang Lin calmly walked toward the first gate. His steps weren't fast, and he gradually closed in on the gate. The moment he stepped through the first gate and into the black passage, the 100,000 black-armored cultivators let out roars once more.
As these roars echoed, a monstrous killing intent spread out from the 100,000 cultivators. It condensed into an indescribable pressure that landed on Wang Lin's body.
This killing intent was formed by the 100,000 cultivators' killing intent and was greatly related to their armor. At this moment, it was as if what stood before Wang Lin wasn't the nine gates, but a heavenly killing celestial!
Wang Lin frowned!
"The nine gates aren't testing cultivation, but killing intent … Since that's the case, there's no need for me to be polite."
Wang Lin's eyes lit up and he slowly closed them. However, when he reopened them, his Thunder Essence True Body gave off the power of slaughter Thunder!
This force only existed within 100 feet of Wang Lin, but when it spread out, a thunderous rumble came from the nine doors.
The black passage around Wang Lin was pushed back 100 feet by the killing intent from Wang Lin.
Wang Lin didn't stop and continued forward. However, with every step he took, the killing intent that covered 100 feet moved forward. The black light from the nine gates continued to be pushed back. Even the black-armored soldiers were filled with shock and involuntarily retreated. It was as if there was a shocking aura coming from Wang Lin. This aura contained a killing intent that could subdue people without even fighting!
1,000 feet, 10,000 feet, 100,000 feet!
As Wang Lin moved forward, he moved 100,000 feet. There was no longer the black light behind him, only the calm stone door!
Before him, the black passage formed by the remaining eight gates was becoming murky as it was being pushed back by Wang Lin.
Roar!!
The black-armored soldiers that had been pushed back 100,000 feet let out a third roar. As they roared, the black light that formed the eight gates spread out and turned into a black tiger. It appeared in front of Wang Lin and pounced at Wang Lin.
"All of you, stand down!"
Wang Lin's eyes lit up and the totem of the Heavenly Bull on his face spread across his entire body. He raised his right hand and threw a punch. The soul armor disappeared from his body.
As the fist descended, rumbling filled heaven and earth. The illusory tiger collapsed, and the black passageway formed by the eight gates shattered into pieces. The black light was destroyed, and the 100,000 black-armored cultivators coughed up mouthfuls of blood. They were sent tumbling backward, but none of them were killed.
Wang Lin's pupils shrank imperceptibly. After looking at their armor, he stepped forward, passing through the 100,000 cultivators and the remaining eight gates. When his foot landed, he was standing in front of the Celestial Dao Temple. His eyes widened, and the green-robed old man retreated in terror!
"You, stand down, Wang!" Wang Lin looked coldly at the green-robed old man.
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