The immortals all looked at the gate in the sky. This was what Michael had prophesied - the invasion of devils. The devilish aura was thick as it filled the sky. The entire plane could see it! From the north of the light empire to the world's end - all the mortals and cultivators could feel the power thrumming from the sky. The aura was so heavy that the mortals started to tremble in fear. The entire plane's different races were feeling the fear of doom.

The powerful fighters all had sombre expressions. They all had the hunch - this was going to be a difficult war filled with bloodshed. Michael was looking at the gate in the sky. He felt confused:

It changed!! The future is no longer the same! The devils in my previous life came by sneaking in. There was no grand opening like this! It is likely that their powerhouses have come - the powerhouses beyond the immortal realm! And it is more than one!

Michael was thoroughly confused by the appearance of the gate. Logically, Aterna was an isolated plane. There was no reason for the events that involved otherworldly devils to change their timing in his new life. His influence could not possibly have any effect across the law ocean! But fate was mysterious. Man proposes and heaven disposes.

Michael was thinking that he had twenty years to prepare. In that time, he would have become an internal energy cultivator. With his dao intent, he would have been able to completely destroy this army! But too bad, he was not prepared. As he cleared his mind, his anger started burning. His unyielding dao seemed to have ignited!

His dao erupted! His dao-seed that had a small sprout coming out of it seemed to take a life that started to grow!

His dao intent merged with his body and soul and started to fill the air around him. The winds changed. The entire forbidden forest seemed to be churning with his dao! His perfect persona blessing erupted and all his willpower erupted with the life and death laws! His life force went through the roof! Death energy formed a huge tornado around him carrying death force! His seclusion facility cracked and disintegrated turning into fine sand! As that happened, his dao even merged with his life and death force, the entire world seemed to change! Michael's powers were so strong that the aura covered the entire human kingdom! Also, his aura rushed to the heavens and collided with the gate!

The gate trembled and the sky distorted. This was an extremely shocking scene. The devil gate seemed to be distorted with the huge pressure that it was giving off as if the heavens wanted all life on Aterna to be extinguished!! This was an apocalyptic scene that would have caused despair even in the immortals except for there was another aura - the one coming off Michael. It was an aura that seemed to be challenging the heavens! It was an aura that contained resilience, defiance and will to never yield, even in death. It contained Michael's dao. This aura seemed to be pressing against the gate as a giant that was trying to open tear the heavens apart!

Before - the people were scared out of their wits but then, they all came out of their shock and battle intent surged in their eyes! All warriors left their houses and went to find their steeds. The mortals started evacuating to proper shelters as old and children were brought to safety. The immortal slayers acted as their aura emerged from all around and five auras seemed to be encircling Michael's aura as moons around the sun. The immortals too acted and their auras emerged. More and more immortal auras seemed to emerge from the plane and rush to the gate.

As the gate's aura weakened, the entire gate trembled and shook.

Then, the aura given off seemed to dissipate. The gate had been prevented from opening. Of course, this was temporary and the gate would open in a few days. But this would provide the required time for the army to march! The invasion force was not only going to have powerhouses - even the devils did not have an army of powerhouses. They had weaker soldiers as well - ones comparable to emperor realm, saint realm and others. They were the ones that made up the majority of the invading army. The powerhouses of Immortal-level were generals. The commander was usually one step beyond the immortal realm. One army would have four to five generals per commander. Through a gate this large perhaps three or more armies would arrive.

But this was Aterna! The plane-will though injured was not dead! This was the home of the myriad races. They naturally had an advantage here. If not, in Michael's previous life, only a single powerhouse beyond immortal level would have wiped the plane clean. The Aterniains could fight because they had the plane-will on their side. The only way for the devils to truly win would have been a surprise attack to cause a commotion. That would have reduced the organization and would have given them an advantage at the beginning of the invasion. But now, due to the aura battle, the gate was suppressed. Thus, the devils had missed the ideal opportunity to attack. The devils may not have descended yet, but the war had already begun.

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The reaction in the entire plane was as swift as lightning. The armies were marched and a huge army was gathered in just a single day. Many immortals gave out the orders - "Gather the army." All the tribes and races seemed to buzz. The armies marched at great speed all of them converging on the dark empire.

The devil slayers emerged with each soldier giving off the vibe of a powerhouse! This was an elite army that had waited more than ten years to kill! It was like a sword that was ready to strike, extremely sharp and deadly. The coordination and power-level of all soldiers were at the peak. The martial arts of all the soldiers were top notch - comparable to Dracus Ming.

As the armies gathered, the different races came together to form a unified army. This was another shocking scene that had never happened in Aterna. Around 100 immortals, 500 perfect-realm experts, 10000 saints, 1 million emperors, 2 million kings and 3 million knights stood in the army. As the different races came together, the plane-will woke up and seemed to dance with joy! It was the first time its children were standing together. As it happened, all the soldiers were buffed by the protection of the plane-will.

Michael stood on his flying steed in the air facing the gate. His expression was serious and he was shrouded by a killing intent so dense that even immortals were shuddering! The flying beast that he was riding was an immortal beast! This was a unique creature that the god-beasts had as a pet. This was another of Michael's dowry items. Michael stood in front of the army at the frontlines. He was now waiting for the curtains to rise on the war that he had waited for three decades. This was the fight that he had run away from in his last life. And this was his greatest regret. So, Michael was prepared to fight to his death this time.

He had left his parents and Maria with Jerome and Reez to guard his home and the other mortals. With the treasures and formations, it would be the last area to fall among the strongholds of the new races. But if Michael lost here, he would not be able to live much longer. He would die sooner or later with his family.

Since his rebirth, Michael had been tensed and on edge anticipating the future. He had lived in worry and anxiety. But now that the day came, he felt strangely tranquil. He had done all that he could. He warned the plane, he walked the edge of life and death to increase his power to this stage, he schemed and planned meticulously for so many years to form his legend and unify the plane. He even used himself in a political marriage. He compromised, acted adamant, did everything. He had given his all to this. Thus, he was no longer bothered by the pressure. He was not a strategy expert. He could not affect the flow of battle with his thoughts - that was a job for Kandrif - the chief strategist of the entire Aterna army.

He was just a powerful cultivator. He may be stronger than others but he could not do everything. What he could do now was simple - fight!

Thus, he left all his worries and anxiety. His mind seemed to have put down a huge burden! As it happened, Michael felt himself become free of shackles! This was the shackle of dao!!

Dao was mystifying. It came from one's nature. But one's nature and beliefs came from one's conscient. They were formed from one's experiences! Michael did not have unyielding nature in his past life but he did now. This was an example of how a dao could constantly morph. This was also the reason why the dao path was extremely rare in the 26 dominions. Michael's burden of atonement was something that had become a part of his nature. His guilt had caused him to be bound tightly always restraining his self. But now, those chains broke. Instantly, Michael's dao underwent a complete change!

If earlier Michael's dao was extremely tough and strong like unbreakable steel, it was also heavy as a mountain! It was completely still and not mobile. But now, his dao seemed to have become agile! His dao was no longer heavy. It was light as a feather. But at the same time, the strength inside had not changed. It was still unyielding and unbreakable but it was now much more easily usable. Now, he could wield his dao intent as if he was wielding his perception! He could infuse his dao into anything that he wanted!

This was a fundamental change that had increased Michael's powers by a lot but there was no change in him from outside. No one knew of it.

His dao sprout trembled and broke open and small roots emerged from it. These roots were small and buried themselves in Michael's conscient. Michael could feel that this dao sapling was his nature - his core. While it was a small sapling, the power that it contained would shock even the greatest experts of the dao path!

Michael infused his dao to his flying beast and the entire beast trembled! It was infused with his dao - it seemed to be becoming undying. The combat power of the beast seemed to have increased by leaps and bounds reaching the immortal slayer realm! But this was not the end, all around him, the entire army was being infused by his dao!

All soldiers could feel themselves becoming extremely resilient and tough. It was as if their bodies and souls had been reinforced and reforged from divine metals. But as this changed happened along with the plane-will's boost, no one thought that Michael was responsible for it! Michael too did not try clearing anyone's confusion. He then started mixing his dao intent to all his laws, body and soul. Earlier, his dao only made him extremely strong but now, it could make him even faster and fierce! It was giving him the new power of ferocity and mobility! It was giving him the power of momentum! His own combat power had jumped by a huge amount. Even without vitality burning, he could kill immortals. With all his powers, he was already at the highest stage he had seen - the highest level devil powerhouses. Michael did not manage to become internal energy cultivator but this result was also not bad. Now, he had the confidence of facing off two or three commanders with the plane-will's help.

As Michael finished analysing his new powers, the gate in the sky trembled and shook. Then a crack appeared in the middle and the gate started opening!

Without waiting for anyone to descend, Micahel and other experts with flying steeds rushed to meet the invaders in the skies! Thus, the legendary war that changed the fate of the entire plane began on this day.