History records that when the Ancestor Dragon established the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty and cast the Forbidden Law Barrier, it was only after completing his conquest, gathering resources from all over the world, and with the assistance of many great sects from the Cultivation World that he succeeded.
Logically, if a new Human Emperor were to rise again, they would also need to accomplish such a grand feat.
Tao Qian was well aware that if he was prepared to go all in and drag the Spirit Treasure Sect into the fray, and then compete with other talents for a hundred years, he indeed stood a chance of succeeding.
But even if success was possible, it would consume a lengthy period of time and cost the lives of countless mortals. If the intensity of a Transcendent war were higher, an additional number, the death of ten or even billions would not be considered unusual.
This was a calamity, the great tribulation of Human Dao.
Tao Qian, who practiced the "Scripture of Salvation," was the most sensitive to the great tribulations of Human Dao. Added to that, among the present talents, he possessed the most overwhelming Human Dao fortune. Plus, the inspiration he received from the Alchemist, Yuann Mingzhen, and the Ancestor God Treasure made him inadvertently come up with a mad plan.
"With the Human Dao fortune I possess now, even if I'm just making a show of strength, it should be enough to start a wave," he thought.
"Once the momentum builds, it may sweep through the mortal world and the Cultivation World. At that time, if those dozens of old monsters from the Alchemist faction don't want to die, they'll be forced to follow, and the great task could be accomplished."
"Indeed, it is the time when Heaven and Earth join forces!"
As these thoughts surged, all seventy-two provinces were thoroughly in an uproar.
Tao Qian!
Since the Barrier had collapsed, merging the mortal world with the Cultivation World, and the world was thrown into chaos, this name had already been etched in people's hearts.
Everyone knew that whenever Tao Qian appeared, there must be an event significant enough to affect the major trends of the world.
This time was no different.
All eyes were turned towards Qiantang, waiting for something.
Those warlords and major powers had diverse thoughts, few hoping that Tao Qian could succeed.
But most mortals and a large number of cultivators and heroes were excited and expected Tao Qian to succeed in one fell swoop.
This naturally triggered an unimaginable resonance of fortune.
Only to hear a "boom" inside his head, Tao Qian saw the world before him change abruptly, his soul soaring as if he was in a vast and boundless sea of fortune.
The thoughts and wishes of billions from the seventy-two provinces, with strands of fortune converging, were vaguely sensed by Tao Qian.
Among them, numerous fragments of light flickered like stars, each connected to others, resembling a shattered Zhou Heavenly Network.
Seeing this, Tao Qian immediately understood:
"These lights, each point of light, represents an Ancestor God Treasure."
"Though scattered in all directions after the fragmentation, they still connect."
"As long as the price paid is sufficient, it is possible to reassemble the Forbidden Law Barrier."
At this thought, joy sprang up in Tao Qian's heart.
And the change that pleased him even more happened in the next moment.
Because he had continuously dissolved the calamities of Human Dao since starting in Southern Yue, and once even promoted the great deeds beneficial to the nation and people such as the "Yang Sui Uprising," now that he had made a Great Vow, he was extremely conspicuous in that sea of fortune, attracting those points of light strongly.
In that instant!
In Fengtian Province of the Northern Land, a booming bell resounded suddenly.
A divine light shot out from deep within the earth.
As it crossed the sky revealing its true form, it turned out to be a mottled, ancient bronze bell covered with divine patterns.
Upon its appearance, everyone who heard the bell's sound felt a jolt in their souls, their minds cleared, and they gained insight into their true nature.
As if it had a predestined target, the bell headed towards Qiantang without hesitation.
Any devils and demons in its path were cleansed away by the sonorous bell sound.
Fengtian, the territory of the Northern Land's talent, Zhang Jinluan, saw the ancient bell emerge and naturally tried to intercept it immediately, shouting:
"Demon Cleansing Bell!"
"Such a treasure, rumored to be crafted by an Immortal, the 'Demon Cleansing Immortal,' from materials of the Outer Realm specifically to suppress Demons, is unrestrained by any demon's power."
"I did not expect this treasure to be hidden in my Zhang's domain, it should rightfully be mine."
Before he had finished speaking, the hasty hand he stretched out to intercept the ancient bell was blasted apart at the slightest touch.
And the treasure known as the Demon Cleansing Bell wavered for a mere moment before transforming into an invisible divine light disappearing into the ski above.
As for its destination?
At this moment, at this juncture, anyone with sense could guess where the Divine Bell was headed.
Zhang Jinluan, in his own residence, beat his chest and stamped his feet, exclaiming:
"Damn it, damn it!"
"The bell is a fine treasure, yet it's as if it's blind, shunning a fine master like me, Zhang, and instead actively offering itself to that pretty boy, Tao Qian."
"It infuriates me, truly infuriates me."
...
As a hopeful for the Human Emperor, Zhang Jinluan played the role of a background character just this once, which naturally attracted even more attention.
Under the gaze of people throughout the world, just three breaths after Tao Qian made his Great Vow, the first of the Ancestor God Treasures, which was also one of the Twelve Artifacts of the Nine Provinces, the Demon Cleansing Bell, crossed mountains and seas to come over.
Through its journey across many provinces, numerous strong people attempted to intercept the treasure.
Unfortunately, an Ancestor God Treasure is completely different from common treasures; originally being fragments separated from the Heavenly Track, boosted by the fortune of Human Dao, they could totally disregard all obstacles.
In just a few breaths, space before Tao Qian split open on its own, and the Demon Cleansing Bell leaped out of it.
Quite sensibly, it first fell into Tao Qian's hand, emitting a Divine Light to recognize its master.
Then it joined the lineup, converging with the Valley God Gui, Yu Ding, and the Spring and Autumn Chariot—four treasures of the same origin among the Twelve Artifacts, now reunited and extraordinarily close.
Inside Qiantang Province, a fourth beam of Divine Light soared to the heavens immediately.
In it, Tao Qian also underwent some changes.
With his "Great Vow" as a medium, evoking the resonance of the fortune of all people, standing amongst it, he called upon the treasures to come forward.
Every time a treasure is cast, it's like a stone thrown into water, creating ripples and splashing droplets.
But these ripples and droplets, to a cultivator, especially those in a negative state, are all poisonous.
The poison of fortune!
Or, it could also be called the resentment of all people.
In small amounts, it's still bearable.
But once it becomes too much, it can be lethal.
Seeing this scene, those Ultimate Happiness Realm strong people who were coming to kill had their expressions change rapidly.
While others couldn't sense the danger, they could feel it instantly.
Even so, these strong people didn't shy away but felt an urgency, attacking even more ferociously.
As the avatar of Duobao, Qingjing Zen Master laughed out loud, initiating the confrontation and threatening,
"Fellow daoists, don't be impatient, don't be impatient, this is only the first treasure."
"The splash of karmic poison is nothing; soon there will be a second, third, fourth. Let's wait for the Nine Provinces' Twelve Treasures to be complete, then you all can taste the mature flavor of the karmic poison."
As if to prove Duobao's words.
Just as the Demon Cleansing Bell settled down, another province in the Northern Land underwent sudden change.
In Heavenly Fire Province, the sound of drums thundered.
Another Divine Light appeared in the world, and in a fleeting glimpse, everyone saw it clearly.
It was an ancient bronze drum, three persons tall, with ancient Sun Star patterns engraved upon it. Without anyone beating it, it resounded on its own.
Each drum sound sent out billions of Sun Star rays as fine as cow's hair, terrifying in power, melting mountains and boiling seas as mere trifles.
This time, there were few who dared to intercept it.
A few Great Demons that didn't believe in curses were struck by the bronze drum and immediately died, without even their soul or True Spirit remaining.
"Sun God Drum!"
"An Ancestor God Treasure, one of the Nine Provinces' Twelve Treasures."
"This item has a significant origin. It was obtained when Ancestor Dragon used a great army to capture a passing star from the outer realm with billions of Divine Ropes, extracting its stellar core, and then commissioned an ancient Qi Refiner, Red Sun Duke, taking several decades to refine this treasure."
"When this drum sounds, it's like the Sun Star descending, capable of incinerating all things."
"Among the war drums in the Ancestor Dragon Army, none is mightier than this one. As long as the drum resounds, Ancestor Dragon's warfare has never seen defeat."
Accompanied by descriptions that made others utterly envious.
The fifth Ancestor God Treasure traversed many provinces and ended up in Tao Qian's hands.
Everyone had seen the bronze drum with their own eyes, burning one Great Demon after another, as huge as mountains, along its way.
But once in Tao Qian's palm, it transformed into a tiny, exquisite drum, very well-behaved.
With the Divine Drum joining the queue, it seemed to signal something.
The next moment, still in the Northern Land, but this time several provinces experienced abnormalities.
Fengcang Province, Dingzhou Province, Hanxi Province.
All three provinces showed soaring Divine Lights, each revealing a treasure.
A pot, a banner, a ruler—judging from their styles, they were ancient objects, astounding in power, shaking heaven and earth.
This time, without any reminder, everyone looked at the Spirit Mirrors simultaneously, and sure enough, the cultivators of the Divine Ear Sect and Ting Di Sect had considerately manifested the necessary secrets.
"Demon Refining Pot, an Ancestor God Treasure, one of the Nine Provinces' Twelve Treasures."
"This item has an enormous history; there is no detailed record of its refining, but many texts state that Ancestor Dragon personally obtained this treasure from a reclusive Tribulation Immortal. At that time, the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty had just been established, and the borders were plagued by Demons, innumerable, unceasingly emerging."
"Once Ancestor Dragon acquired this treasure, he sucked all the Demons into the pot, refining them into Spiritual Liquid, sustaining countless lives."
…
"Ten Thousand Gods Banner, an Ancestor God Treasure, one of the Nine Provinces' Twelve Treasures."
"Also, at the establishment of the dynasty, divine spirits arose within the realm, good and evil tangled, acting wildly, disrupting the balance between Yin and Yang."
"To differentiate human from divine spirits, Ancestor Dragon led an assembly of Qi Refiners and his army to refine this object, consuming thousands of types of spiritual materials. Its surface is even etched with Secret Techniques of Refining God from many major sects, with an innate restraint against 'Divine Spirits.'"
"Upon the motion of this banner, all Gods must submit and obey commands."
…
"Measuring World Ruler, an Ancestor God Treasure, one of the Nine Provinces' Twelve Treasures."
"It was also at the founding of the dynasty, as practices varied from place to place within the realm, making it difficult to achieve unity, which led to chaos and frequent disasters."
"Ancestor Dragon measured all laws and rules personally, spending ten years to refine this treasure, equalizing discrepancies, with the 'Ninety-nine Returns to One.'"
"This treasure is harmless to Righteous beings and even beneficial, but if one practices Evil Techniques with a chaotic heart and soul, upon being measured by this ruler, they will instantly have to settle the price, with no chance of survival."
"Violence is just a minor function of this treasure; its greatest use is in ruling the world."
…
Following the Sun God Drum, three more treasures came flying one after another.
Spectators from Seventy-two Provinces watched with surging excitement, wishing they could stand right next to Tao Master.
But for those Ultimate Happiness Realm strong people plotting to surround and kill Tao Qian, this was seriously bad news.
Given that the splash of karmic poison was becoming increasingly intense.
Especially the eighth treasure, "Measuring World Ruler," instantly made the savage Demons stop in their tracks.
They might be from the Ultimate Happiness Realm, but not all were in good condition.
If their body and soul were measured by that ruler in Tao Qian's hand, it might indeed cost them their lives.