There were simply too many unknowns. Who knew what kind of demons and monsters would emerge? If that were to happen, it would be a disaster for everyone. The fragile foundation that had just begun to solidify might be destroyed in an instant, reduced to nothing. All possibilities existed—and those very uncertainties were Yi Tianxing's greatest concern. If he were alone, it wouldn't matter as much.
But he wasn't alone.
The entire Great Yi Dynasty was at his side. This decision could determine the life or death of billions of people.
"Still, this is already inevitable. Even if I don't break through, the prodigies of other races will seize the fortune to advance. If I stay stagnant while they progress, the result will be the same. There's no difference. Forget it—soldiers will block enemies, water will cover floods. And perhaps all these worries are just my own speculations. They may never even come true."
With that, Yi Tianxing brushed all his doubts aside.
No matter how much he worried, it wouldn't change reality. No one could stop other cultivators from breaking through. There were no rules or laws in heaven and earth that prohibited such things.
"In that case… then I shall break through!"
With his resolve firm, Yi Tianxing stopped suppressing his cultivation. He focused his mind and allowed his divine will to merge into the Heavenly Emperor Dragon-Taming Diagram.
This time, the fusion was different from before. It was a complete integration—an evolution where his will would manifest into reality. A true transformation.
Most cultivators had various phenomena condensed in their life diagrams. But when forming a Dharma Phase, they had to make a critical decision: which manifestation would become their fundamental Dharma Phase? This choice would shape their path going forward.
Yi Tianxing's Heavenly Emperor Dragon-Taming Diagram contained far more than just true dragons. It held dragon nests, and the figure of a Heavenly Emperor suppressing all under heaven. If he chose a dragon, which one would it be? Wind, lightning, ice, water? A Dharma Phase could only be one—it could not be many. And this choice was irreversible. There was no going back—unless one shattered their Dao foundation and began anew. But the consequences of that were dire.
"I have fused the Observing Mantra Sutra with the Dragon-Taming Sutra. At its core, this path is about using myself as the foundation. Dragons may be powerful, but I command them. I am the sovereign. My Dharma Phase should naturally be based on the Heavenly Emperor's True Body. If one day I reach the pinnacle, I shall be the Heavenly Emperor!"
In that instant, Yi Tianxing made his decision without hesitation.
Though the true dragons were formidable, they could not shake the unyielding belief in his own strength.
"I choose the Heavenly Emperor's True Body. I shall be the Heavenly Emperor."
He took a deep breath, and his divine will naturally merged with the Heavenly Emperor's form.
This process was smooth and instinctual.
The moment his divine will merged, he felt an immediate shift in the world around him. The laws of heaven and earth became clearer, and it felt like he could command endless power with every movement. He felt like a sovereign ruling all beneath heaven—his authority was supreme and unmatched.
"Heaven and earth—none above me!!"
At that moment, behind Yi Tianxing appeared a towering figure clad in a chaotic dragon battle robe, wearing an emperor's crown. His face was veiled in a thin mist, yet his presence exuded a majestic awe that could not be denied. All who looked upon him felt instinctively humbled, their souls suppressed by the immense pressure.
As soon as the Dharma Phase appeared, this overwhelming pressure spread across the entire Sunset City.
Every soldier instinctively knelt in reverence, their eyes filled with fervent worship.
This Heavenly Emperor Dharma Phase was truly colossal—looming in the void like a god of legend. It struck awe into all who witnessed it. People couldn't help but want to bow down. The pressure it exerted felt like the entire heavens weighing down upon them—utterly inescapable.
And then he spoke the six words—Heaven and earth, none above me—like a divine decree. A statement of belief. A declaration. Unbreakable.
From the void, countless bolts of lightning seemed to converge, but then quickly vanished. In their place, a beam of divine light descended from the heavens, engulfing the Dharma Phase completely.
This magnificent divine light shimmered with ever-shifting colors. Within it, radiant flowers bloomed and drifted through the air. Celestial maidens danced gracefully, divine music rang out—horns, flutes, bells—all harmonizing and echoing across thousands of miles. Even heaven and earth trembled in response.
Purple qi surged from the east. Divine and demonic figures appeared as if watching the emergence of the Heavenly Emperor.
"Flower petals rain from the skies, celestial music resounds, purple qi flows in… So many omens! This is no ordinary Dharma Phase. But… isn't the emergence of a Dharma Phase supposed to trigger a heavenly tribulation? Has heaven's blessing prevented the tribulation?"
"The king—His Majesty has broken through to the Dharma Phase Realm! Our Great Yi now has a Dharma Phase powerhouse! Let's see which foreign race dares to provoke the human race now!"
"Wonderful! This is a great event—an incredible blessing!"
On the city walls, soldiers were ecstatic. They knew full well the weight a Dharma Phase Realm cultivator brought to the human race. This was the very foundation of their strength against the other races. And more importantly, the one who broke through was the ruler of the Great Yi—this alone would make other races think twice.
"The human race has produced a Dharma Phase cultivator…"
"No, this fortune is too great. Even the Dharma Phase has emerged for them. But we can't fall behind. The Dharma Phase Realm is not the end—it's only the beginning."
This scene wasn't limited to Sunset City. Other nearby regions and races witnessed it too. Their expressions grew somber. The emergence of a Dharma Phase-level human sent ripples through the balance of power.
Petals rained from heaven, golden lotuses emerged from the earth, purple qi surged from the east—this wave of phenomena swept across thirty thousand miles of the realm.
"Is breaking through now really safe?"
Jia Xu and Zhuge Liang exchanged glances. Though they were happy, a hint of concern flickered in their eyes.
Others only saw the benefits. But they were considering deeper consequences—possible long-term changes that might be triggered. Could the appearance of a Dharma Phase cultivator interfere with the restrictions of the Heavenly Dao? Would it shift the grand balance of the world?
BOOM!!
Just after Yi Tianxing's breakthrough, another divine light pierced the heavens from the former location of Spirit Mountain on the Divine-Demon Battlefield. A tidal wave of pressure swept through the land.
"I am the Holy Spirit, Sovereign of Heaven and Earth!!"
It was the voice of the Stone Emperor.
His aura was no less overwhelming than Yi Tianxing's.
Various phenomena erupted again, constantly shifting in the air.
"He broke through too! The Stone Emperor has also reached the Dharma Phase Realm. So strong… No wonder he is of the Holy Spirit Race."
"Hmph, our races won't be outdone by the humans!"
Many foreign cultivators smiled. Even if their own race hadn't advanced, as long as the humans weren't the only ones to gain, they could rest a little easier. If humans advanced alone, other races might find themselves crushed underfoot in the future.
This breakthrough was like a signal.
All across the Divine-Demon Battlefield, beams of divine light pierced the sky. Phenomena followed one after another. A wave of divine pressure rolled through the world—it was as if a marketplace had opened for breakthroughs.
Many prodigies didn't hesitate. The opportunity was too rare. Especially after seeing Yi Tianxing break through without a heavenly tribulation, they realized something: during this period of fortune, they might be able to bypass the tribulation entirely. It was like the gate to the Dharma Phase Realm had been thrown wide open—barriers removed.
Anyone who didn't seize this chance would regret it for the rest of their life.
One by one, cultivators began breaking through like a tidal wave.
It was a spectacular, earth-shaking sight.
Yi Tianxing, however, remained composed. With a thought, the Heavenly Emperor Dharma Phase receded and fused back into his life diagram.
At that moment, he could clearly sense how intimately linked his life diagram had become with his very being.
His control over the life diagram had reached perfection. Every true dragon within felt like his own limb. The power he could unleash had grown vastly. Heaven and earth's ambient energy constantly flowed into the diagram.
It was… completely different.
The gap between the Life Diagram Realm and the Dharma Phase Realm was as vast as heaven and earth. This was the power to control the world. He could now manifest his life diagram to its fullest potential, even generate his own domain at will.
"So this is the Dharma Phase Realm. My current self could crush ten of my previous selves. And this is just the first sub-stage of the Dharma Phase Realm—Dharma Spirit, or the first stage of the Dharma Body. If I go further, the power gap will only grow."
Yi Tianxing silently pondered.
The power intoxicated the soul. It was something that would make any cultivator willing to sacrifice everything.
SHUA!!
Just then, a divine light descended from the heavens—it seemed to shoot out directly from the Primordial Myriad Beings Ranking…