"What are his abilities?" Forgotten Ruins God asked, intrigued by The Abandoned. Anyone qualified to be accepted into the Heavens Sect on a cloud bridge was powerful enough to serve as a true deterrent against Aeternus, and they would all become key targets for the Aeternals to eliminate.
Arrow God’s eyes narrowed. "He’s always one step ahead."
Everyone was puzzled by her answer.
Arrow God continued, "The Abandoned's sequence particles ensure that he always remains one step ahead of his opponent, no matter if it’s in regards to time, speed, or space. It makes it impossible to outmaneuver him, which is precisely why I’ve struggled so much to eliminate him."
Blackless God asked, "Not even time can get ahead of him?"
Arrow God said nothing, remaining as cold and indifferent as ever.
"A truly troublesome opponent," Forgotten Ruins God remarked with a smile.
Di Qiong mused, "I remember now. When we attacked the Heavens Sect, he’s the one who faced off against Ji Luo."
Progenitor Xi indifferently commented, "There are many formidable outsider powerhouses. The current Divine Commandment was issued too late."
The Abandoned had arrived in the Heavens Sect. "The Abandoned is here."
Lu Yin stated, "I know that your civilization was destroyed by Aeternus. Today, as Dao Monarch of Heavens Sect, I appoint you as one of the Outer Eight Paths. Join us in fighting against our common enemy to prevent such tragedies recurring."
The Abandoned’s expression grew complicated. Prevent it from recurring? His own tragedy had already passed.
"I will do everything to eradicate Aeternus," he vowed with steely resolve.
He then ascended the Stairway to Heaven.
E' Ji observed The Abandoned, noting the deep hatred he carried in his eyes.
Lu Yin looked out into space. "Ye Wu."
The crowd observing the Heavens Sect exchanged glances again. Could another powerhouse be hidden among them?
A cloud descended and formed a bridge that connected the Heavens Sect to the crowd. The people were left speechless. Had such formidable individuals been hidden among them all along?
Ye Wu stepped out from the crowd. His face was as pale as a ghost’s, and it created an unsettling contrast, even with the gentle glow of the cloud bridge.
He took a moment to gaze at the Heavens Sect before taking a step forward and entering it.
He was being forced to join Heavens Sect. While someone like The Abandoned might reluctantly change their position because of the sect's impressive power, Ye Wu would not. He was a drifter without any ties, and his only desire was to live a peaceful life with Ye Sheng and Ye Xiaoxiao, free from the agony of war.
For the moment, his wish would remain fulfilled.
On the other hand, Ye Sheng’s thoughts had completely transformed. He was young and ambitious, and he yearned to explore and reach broader horizons than a life spent in the shadows of corpses beside Ye Wu.
If Ye Sheng had once felt hatred and resentment for Lu Yin, then he currently felt only awe and admiration. At this moment, Lu Yin's image had been etched deep into the young man’s heart.
Even if Ye Wu could break free from the Heavens Sect, Ye Sheng would not want to leave. He wanted to stay and see the vastness of the megaverse.
"Ye Wu is here," the man announced as he stepped into the Heavens Sect. He was unaccustomed to receiving so much attention, and he had always been more comfortable interacting with corpses than with living people.
The current situation made Ye Wu feel even more uncomfortable than The Abandoned.
Lu Yin spoke to the man, "I know that you feel homeless and that you aimlessly wander about, but humanity is a single entity. Should the day come when there are no humans left alive in this megaverse, you will no longer enjoy solitude, but rather the silence of the dead."
Ye Wu's gaze quivered, but he did not respond.
"Today, as Dao Monarch of the Heavens Sect, I appoint you as one of the Outer Eight Paths. I hope that you will stand together with the rest of humanity to face our enemies as one."
Ye Wu took a deep breath. "I understand."
With that, he started climbing the Stairway to Heaven.
Once Ye Wu had taken his place, Lu Yin looked into outer space. "Shang Huang."
On one of the clouds stood a number of massive mechas from the Infinity Empire.
Just due to their size, the mechas were intimidating to see, and Supreme was the largest and scariest of them all, and it stepped forward.
When Lu Yin called out for Shang Huang, Supreme stepped forward to enter the Heavens Sect.
The people of the Infinity Empire who had been left behind by their emperor stared in awe. Only at this moment did they finally comprehend the overwhelming power of the Fifth Mainland that they had once sought to conquer. Finally, they understood the insignificance of their own empire. At this moment, they felt relieved that they had never launched an all-out invasion to conquer the Heavens Sect’s universe. If they had done so, the Infinity Empire would have been doomed.
All the powerhouses who had accompanied Lu Yin to the Infinity Empire in the past had been appointed as part of the Inner Eight Paths. Above them stood the Three Suns and Six Rulers, as well as the Three Realms and Six Daos. Any of those experts on their own could completely crush the entire Infinity Empire.
Shang Huang also felt that his people had been quite lucky, but he could not help but let out a sigh upon realizing how far he had strayed down the path of being nothing more than a subordinate.
Shang Tianzong and Shang Cheng exchanged glances, and they could each see the bitterness in the other's eyes.
When they compared their Infinity Empire to the Heavens Sect, how was there any competition? The Infinity Empire had endured solely at the mercy of others.
Compared to Lu Yin, they were nothing.
"Shang Huang is here."
Lu Yin stared at the towering figure of Supreme, and a smile touched his lips. "Today, as Dao Monarch of Heavens Sect, I appoint you as one of the Outer Eight Paths. May you wield your sword to slay our enemies and use your impressive size to protect our people."
Supreme gave a respectful bow. "As the Dao Monarch commands."
Theoretically, the Outer Eight Paths were only allied with the Heavens Sect and were not officially within the hierarchy. However, Shang Huang demonstrated a clear sense of servility, which suggested that the Infinity Empire was far from Lu Yin’s equal.
Due to the mecha's immense size, Shang Huang had to step out of the mecha to ascend the Stairway to Heaven.
Lu Yin had already anticipated this, and he had made arrangements in advance. Without that, Shang Huang would have never been able to climb the stairs.
With Shang Huang in place, the Outer Eight Paths were finished for the time being.
"From this day forth, more outsider powerhouses will be invited to join the Outer Eight Paths, until all positions have been filled."