This middle-aged man was named Huangfu Zhantian.
Their gazes were all fixed upon the same spot — a stone.
The stone was massive, like a small mountain.
The side facing them was flat.
The back of the stone was plastered with talisman papers, which were currently burning one after another, their flames transforming into wisps of energy that merged into the stone.
Therefore, on the side facing Huangfu Zhantian and the others, images could be seen — images of the Era of the Gods.
"This Master of the Seven Realms Mansion is no ordinary person. Not only has he triggered such a phenomenon, but despite his phenomenon being inferior to that flame-wielding junior's, he's still far ahead."
"If he truly obtains the inheritance within the Era of the Gods, that would be anything but good news for us."
An elder frowned, his eyes brimming with worry.
In truth, it wasn't just him — the other seven elders also looked uneasy upon seeing the phenomenon triggered by Jie Tianran.
"You elders are overthinking this."
"The historical records left behind by our Huangfu Heavenly Clan's ancestors clearly state that the Era of the Gods appeared multiple times during the Ancient Era."
"Generation after generation of peerless geniuses and powerhouses from the Ancient Era stepped into it, yet none were able to obtain the true inheritance within the Era of the Gods."
"True, the phenomenon that Jie Tianran triggered is somewhat impressive, but no matter how impressive he is, can he possibly compare to those figures of the ancient times?"
"If he were truly that remarkable, this vast Martial Cultivation World would have long been unified under him."
Unlike the eight elders behind him, Huangfu Zhantian was not the slightest bit worried.
"As for us, we might actually gain something."
"If the historical records left by our ancestors are truly accurate."
With that, Huangfu Zhantian produced an ancient compass.
"It's almost time."
At this, the eight elders behind him each flipped their palms and brought out eight compasses of their own.
The compasses held by the eight were identical, but they differed from the one in Huangfu Zhantian's hand.
Huangfu Zhantian formed hand seals, channeling his power into the compass.
Once the compass blazed with brilliant light, he tossed it high into the void.
Above, the dazzling radiance emanating from the compass rapidly dimmed, and simultaneously the compass expanded from its original three feet to a colossal object spanning one hundred thousand meters.
The image reflected within the compass was none other than the nine Heavenly Rivers of the entire vast Martial Cultivation World.
Even the phantom of the Era of the Gods hovering over the Seven Realms Heavenly River was clearly visible.
The scene reflected within the compass perfectly matched reality.
But then Huangfu Zhantian produced a talisman paper — one that was quite special.
Though it was a product of the Ancient Era, it emanated an even more ancient aura.
Upon closer examination, it bore a striking resemblance to the Era of the Gods itself, carrying an equally formidable oppressive force.
He tossed the talisman paper into the compass, and immediately a layer of light enveloped the entire compass. Then the phantom of the Era of the Gods began to change.
However, this change was visible only within the compass — it could not be perceived in reality.
Within the compass, vein-like lines rapidly appeared across the enormous phantom of the Era of the Gods.
These lines were not extending outward in this moment — they had existed all along, but before the talisman paper's power merged with the compass, they had been invisible.
The veins were not only numerous but also covered an astonishingly vast area, spanning across all nine Heavenly Rivers of the Martial Cultivation World.
The majority of the veins extended toward the ninth Heavenly River.
The remaining eight Heavenly Rivers were all connected to some degree as well.
In total, the veins connected to the other eight Heavenly Rivers combined were still far fewer than those reaching the ninth Heavenly River.
However, regardless of which Heavenly River a vein connected to, the endpoints of all these veins were hazy and indeterminate, making it impossible to discern their final destinations.