Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 1910 Chapter 512: Emperor Dao Prototype (3)

Bang!

Shen Jueling's form shot backward through the air while the domain flickered and shattered. Though he suffered no core harm, defeat had claimed him fully.

“You.”

Glaring at the young woman with fury and astonishment, Shen Jueling met her impassive stare. A sudden shiver ran through him as he grasped that he hadn't unleashed his utmost power—and she hadn't either.

Her command over the Time Dao… it surpassed the Tenth Layer entirely, ascending to that fabled realm!

“How could this be? That stage demands the Emperor Road's unveiling, yet she hasn't unlocked it—how does she wield such proficiency? Could she be the sovereign who endured the ancient disaster from ten millennia past?”

Shock gripped Shen Jueling. Within his lineage, he had smashed every barrier and triumphed over countless geniuses, yet now helplessness and despair washed over him.

“Shen Jueling, defeated.”

With serene poise, the Star Empress declared the outcome and swiftly transported them both away from the combat platform.

Shi Miao approached the platform's edge. Once her energy fully restored to its zenith, she advanced once more to issue a challenge.

Witnesses to Shi Miao's formidable presence, the onlookers' expressions shifted subtly. Was this young woman set on sweeping through opponents relentlessly until she confronted the reborn Emperor?

Li Hao stood stunned as well. He had recognized Shi Miao's strength, yet it appeared he had undervalued her depth. Her might exceeded his expectations.

As Shi Miao issued another challenge, the remaining top ten rivals forfeited their intent to compete and decided to test themselves against her initially, gauging the rest via her encounters.

These clashes involved True King ranks and clan benefits, far from mere sentiment. Competitors employed every tactic to ascend higher.

“Such power—who is that female?”

“Word is she's a Quasi-Emperor who weathered the ancient demon catastrophe ten thousand years back!”

“I've encountered mentions of her in our records; she's the Time Saintess, the prime cherished heir of the Heavenly Calamity Immortal Emperor!”

“Heavenly Calamity Immortal Emperor? Rumors say an Immortal Emperor turned against humanity ten thousand years ago—it must be that one called Heavenly Calamity...”

Elders from minor lineages murmured softly, eyeing Shi Miao with wary puzzlement.

Conversely, numerous seniors from grand clans—many veterans of the ancient calamity ten thousand years prior—recalled that the disaster then hadn't escalated to its current scale. Countless grand families had avoided the front lines, owing to the heroic Immortal Emperors who sacrificed themselves.

On the calamity's hidden truths, the Southern Domain Venerable had concealed vast details, fooling only lesser clans and common folk. Grand clans, of course, grasped the real facts.

Watching this woman battle onward and vie for True King status left their countenances intricate.

Millennia ago, alongside her mentor, she had clashed savagely against ancient demons, teetering on oblivion and shattering the Heavenly Calamity imperial heritage. Reborn now, she returned to the fray.

This round, it stemmed from her own resolve.

“Perhaps it's due to 'fools' such as her that the rest find moments to rest and rejoice.”

A white-haired elder with a flowing beard let out a heavy sigh, then advanced gradually several paces to the precipice. Bit by bit, his hunched posture unbent, evolving from aged frailty to mature vigor, and finally to youthful prime.

“Survival pales against… battling onward.”

“One hundred twenty thousand years of cultivation, yet I lament failing to forge my personal Emperor Road… still, beyond that lies the path I tread today!”

Beyond the realm, myriad concealed elders from grand clans observed in quiet vigil. Among them, ancient ones—sealed in bronze sarcophagi or interred as Quasi-Emperors—had stirred to life.

Oblivious to such matters, Shi Miao targeted the ninth rank, embodied by the Divine Venerable himself.

“Little junior sister...”

Upon spotting Shi Miao's provocation, the Divine Venerable locked eyes with her, instantly confirming mutual recognition.

“In those days, our spirits hadn't faded, and reuniting now brings solace.”

The Divine Venerable ascended the platform, gaze locked on Shi Miao; the aura radiating from her far outstripped her prior Immortal King phase.

“This is karmic ties at work. My reborn form joined your reincarnated lineage as kin, forging an inevitable bond, yet you, senior brother…”

Shi Miao spoke with steady composure. Her visage evoked Ying Xiaoxiao from the Divine Clan, then Su Muqing of the Northern Domain Su Family, but ultimately settled as Shi Miao, her seven-hued amber eyes icy and aloof, akin to the Empress ruling over time.

“Our master perished, the Emperor Dao crumbled—revival lies beyond reach. Would you endure that hopeless plight once more?”

The Divine Venerable replied icily, “My sole aim is reclaiming our master's legacy; by what claim does that youth seize it?”

“Whatever our master bequeathed becomes that person's rightful possession. As fellow disciple, why undermine your ally further?”

A chill entered Shi Miao's eyes, for invoking Li Hao struck her deepest nerve.

“Hmph, both you and master dote on him; the lad boasts exceptional aptitude, yet what of it? Attaining the pinnacle merely crowns one Emperor! Amid this apocalypse, even Emperors tumble—can he rescue the whole True Realm? In this existence, survival is my only goal!”

The Divine Venerable balled his hands, golden holy fires erupting across his frame, while celestial star meridians and saintly law projections of myriad heavens gathered around him.

Shi Miao's stare hardened further as her domain abruptly expanded. Within the Time Dao domain, a dark maelstrom emerged, brimming with dread force—like fate's whisper and reincarnation's might!

“You!”

Detecting those veiled energies within the domain, the Divine Venerable's expression twisted at once; this transcended simple Time Dao—was it her domain's authentic essence?