In the Fourth Epoch, the Three Great Countries—Ancient Spirit, Purcell, Warrendo... Now that Tang Yu was aware of these realms, he tried every means to understand them.
He asked Yan, and searched through the documents of the Fourth Epoch,
The Ancient Spirit Imperial Dynasty was adept at various kinds of magic, especially Elemental Magic.
The Warrendo Empire had the highest achievements in Rune Studies, possessing many rune-technology creations.
Purcell... They possessed the Innate Divine Ability known as "The Third Eye," capable of reconnaissance, attack, and even freezing space—an extremely formidable power.
Gulete was the son of Purcell Empire's founder, Purcell II... His surname was not Gu; at first, when Tang Yu heard the name, he thought Gulete was a relative of the Ancient Spirit Royal Family.
It was the Purcell Empire that under his rule grew and expanded, becoming one of the continent's Three Great Countries.
Their power was formidable.
In the limited records, Gulete was described as "whoever he glares at perishes."
However, when Gulete approached the Holy Body, forces once mired in chaos joined hands to strike, and the other two Transcendents of the Purcell Empire had no ability to stop them.
Farther away, ordinary Transcendents, who did not dare enter the fray, surged with Source Power and bombarded in unison.
Unless Gulete was willing to risk severe injury or even death, there was no chance for him to touch the Holy Body. His expression changing, he ultimately had no choice but to turn and retreat.
Countless dazzling energies struck the side of the Sky-reaching Tower, as Defense Rune patterns flickered on it.
And at a slightly higher elevation, about two to three thousand kilometers up, the thick and round Sky-reaching Tower was sliced at an angle by a terrifying force; the upper section of the Tower and the Rune Array were completely destroyed.
The surging energy storm fell, leaving countless mottled traces on the exterior walls of the high tower.
The cut surface, now devoid of walls, revealed that some of the Tower's room layouts and furnishings were directly damaged and obliterated by the energy storm.
At the base of the cut surface, there was an undamaged terrace extending outwards.
Sitting there, utterly solitary, was a figure.
Dressed in fine silk, with flowing long hair... a handsome man, his arms drooping, fingers interlocked, his head slightly raised, gazing straight into the sky.
At first glance, one might think he was one of the living, residing in the Holy City.
However, there was not the slightest hint of life on the man.
An absolute silence without fluctuations.
But not an ordinary one; it was a Holy Body, the body of a Saint!
The skin was still delicate and breakable, the hair fine and lustrous, the passage of time unable to leave a single mark upon it.
Tang Yu knew this was because the Holy Body was undying.
And similarly, at the Holy Tier, unless one perishes due to severe injuries, there was no longer a lifespan limitation; one could live as long as the heavens and earth, as glorious as the sun and the moon.
It was something to yearn for.
Tang Yu was no exception, his gaze fixed intently on the Holy Body.
Had it not been visible to his naked eye, his Perception would have sensed only void around the Holy Body, as if being devoured by a black hole.
The aftermath of the intense Transcendent battles fell, and inside the Sky-reaching Tower—without its Defense Rune Array at the rear—was in chaos, but around the Holy Body, the turbulent and disordered energies turned into docile lambs, dissipating entirely.
The entire terrace bore not the slightest scratch.
No wonder those Senior Transcendents fought without reservation.
"The ultimate end of Intent Realm is domain, the end of domain is Law, and the end of Law... is 'Tao,'" Kong's eyes were blazing, "Only by forging one's own Tao can one step into the Holy Tier, and it is said that after a Saint's demise, a part of their incomplete Tao could potentially manifest into Tao Rhythm."
To absorb that bit of Tao Rhythm was not akin to having a toe over the threshold of the Holy Tier, it also allowed one's Combat Power to soar dramatically.
Kong's mastery of a nascent domain, matched with the body of a newly risen Transcendent, already neared the Combat Power of a Senior Transcendent—this was its most compelling proof.
"However..." Kong shook his head with a tinge of regret, "Tao Rhythm is after all, someone else's Tao. How can one expect to see their own scenery by walking on another's path?"
The eagerness in Tang Yu's heart immediately cooled.
Confident in carving out his own path, as a Lord, what need was there for a bicycle!
Even if he lacked confidence in his own talent, cough... one couldn't lack confidence in their own cheats and followers.
Even if one didn't absorb the Tao Rhythm but just drew inspiration from it, it would still be very helpful for eventually forging one's own path.
Yet, as Tang Yu glanced at the epicenter of the battlefield, about a dozen Senior Transcendents, with a few dozen ordinary Transcendents farther out, many others had rushed from various places of the Holy City, like him.
Some, eyes glittering with greed, joined the battle directly... only to be blasted to pieces due to insufficient strength.
Others, restraining the impulse in their hearts, stopped several kilometers away, or even tens of kilometers away, watching intently.
Without the power to dominate the crowd, it was nearly impossible to snatch the Holy Body from the chaos of battle.
Tang Yu was thinking even more long-term... Absorbing the Tao Rhythm was not something that could be achieved in a moment; whichever party secured the Holy Body also meant provoking over ninety percent of Earth's top powers.
Those Senior Transcendents were not without affiliations; they all belonged to powerful groups with clear objectives—without the support of a major power, it was impossible to reach the pinnacle in the resource-scarce Fourth Epoch.
Even now, in a world so vast... chances and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, how could they be things that a Lone Hero could easily encounter?
Tang Yu wanted to ask, even if they obtained the Holy Body, could these Senior Transcendents really keep it?
Immediately extinguishing the thought of making a move, he looked again at the Holy Body and felt only blandness.
Those contending for the Holy Body had nearly reached twenty Transcendents, if not Senior Transcendents, then those who had experienced extraordinary encounters, with Combat Powers on par.
As time passed, more and more powerful figures rushed to the vicinity of the Sky-reaching Tower.