The Third Heaven had been in an odd state for the past several years. As the opening of Heaven's Path approached, the tension only seemed to slowly grow and the era of peace that had come before it was slowly being chipped away at, piece by piece.
Among these groups, the usual suspects were at loggerheads.
The Sentient Sword Sect and the Demonic Flame Sect were first two. Both were True Three Star Sect behemoths were dozens of Fragmented Sky Gods, over ten False Sky Gods, a mighty True Sky God overseeing their territories.
For as long as the people of the Third Heaven could remember, these two behemoths had been practically mortal enemies, one claiming to be righteous and the other claiming them to be hypocrites. This was a war seemingly without end precisely because of the strength of both parties, but in recent years, it had been fairly quiet.
There had been no clashes, no deaths, no sudden powder kegs of conflict to erupt… But that had only resulted in the stifling pressure that was here today.
The two Sects stood hundreds of kilometers apart, waiting silently in the skies for the Heavenly Path to open. But even across such a distance, they might as well have been noses to nose, their eyes glaring into once another with murderous intentions.
At first glance, it was difficult to tell which was the sword Sect and which was the demon Sect. Whether it was the former or the latter, both looked like exceptionally refined gentleman and elegant women. On both sides, there were men of dashing appearances and women capable of making cities fall and the skies shine.
Their clothing were both well kempt and their grooming was particularly perfect. It almost felt like the two Sects were looking toward mirror images of one another, and the ignorant, especially those that had just come up from the Second Heaven, had no way of telling just what was going on here exactly or picking out a "villain".
It wasn't until one started paying attention to the finer details and saw that one side only had one weapon of choice that it became clear which side held the Sentient Sword Sect. But even so, if one blinked once and lost focus, it was too easy to become confused once more.
At the helm of the Sentient Sword Faction, there were three disciples, all of whom exuded an aura of magnificence. Even so, among them one stood out by far the furthest.
Enren.
This young man was the only disciple the True Sky God of the Sentient Sword Sect had taken in his life and he had taken on the Sword-Name Eternal Sword.
One's so-called Sword-Name was akin to a Dao Title among the people of the Sentient Sword Faction. Due to their unique methods of cultivation, they liked to name their swords and create their own unique sword path using the Sentient Sword Sutra.
Still, if Ryu had been there, he might have thought this Enren to be amusing. It was certain that Enren didn't dare to take the Dao Title Eternal Sword because he simply wasn't worthy of such a title. If he tried to, he would probably be struck down by the heavens for even having such a thought. So instead, he had actually used a roundabout method of patting himself on the back, using his cultivation technique as a cover. In reality, it was no different from slapping makeup on a pig.
Of course, this was something his counterpart ruthlessly mocked him for constantly, and maybe the only member of the younger generation who dared to do this…
Theris.
On the side of the Demonic Flame Sect, there were likewise three youths who stood at the forefront with one of them standing out even among them. He had a calm and handsome appeared, only made all the more enigmatic by the dancing glass-like flames in his eyes.
While he didn't ruthlessly mock Enren, that didn't stop Theris himself from taking on the title of Undeniable Flame. Of course, likewise, he didn't dare to take on such a Dao Title and could only use this name by proxy of his Demonic Flame technique as well. There was no doubt that Enren likewise despised Theris for thinking too much of himself.
Despite the hypocrisy of both parties, there were none that dared to call them out on it. Getting in the middle of these two swinging behemoths was nothing short of asking for death. If even the other Three Star Sects of the Third Heaven didn't dare say anything, then those of the Second Heaven most definitely didn't dare.
On the ground, the people of the Second Heaven waited in silence, not wanting to disturb too much. The people of the Third Heaven were already uncaring enough to allow them to come, if they stirred up too much trouble, they would be just one word away from being kicked out.
Among this crowd, the people of the Bewitching Charm Sect, Wallowing Wisp Sect and Dew Drop Sect could be found. But more interestingly there were the members of the Carving Ice Sect, the Lurking Vine Sect and the Thunder Blaze Sect.
Within the group of the Carving Ice Sect, Jenneless seemed to have regained her usual demeanor. The injuries to her soul had long since been healed and her skin shimmered with a resplendent sort of light as though she was truly carved of ice.
She looked untouched by mortality and completely transcendent, but very few had noticed as the Carving Ice Sect was still keeping a very low profile. Even Jenneless wore a veil. It wasn't quite time just yet. Once she entered the Heavenly Path, nothing else would matter. But for now, she had to rein in her arrogance.
At the same time, on the side of the Lurking Vine Sect, a smiling young man with skin as dark as night and eyes as bright as stars stood with a smiling expression. But as per usual, no one seemed to notice his presence at all.
At that moment, the ground began to rumble and the skies changed. Everyone believed that the opening had come, but what actually happened instead left them all stunned.
