Nanhua.
Some were cutting wood, others mining. All were working hard with sweat pouring down their faces and expressions of determination. Originally, they had no connection to martial cultivation, ranking at the very bottom of the world and enduring endless oppression. Now, they finally had the opportunity to learn an unparalleled divine martial art, taught without reservation, so naturally, they were determined to grasp this chance wholeheartedly.
—Within the “Martial Lecture Halls” spread throughout Nanhua, cultivating martial techniques required no cost. Entry into the scripture pavilion to peruse other martial arts was likewise free. Only herbs and metals essential for cultivation were provided to meet the bare minimum needs. Additional resources were earned through labor like tending herb gardens or mining. As long as one worked hard, everyone had an equal opportunity.
Therefore, none of the people who dared sneak into Nanhua felt any trouble or hardship. Previously, they hadn’t even had the chance to experience such trouble and toil. Now, they worked diligently with vibrant energy, their eyes filled with the light of hope.
Axes swung downward, shovels lifted upward. From their sweat-soaked bodies rose invisible crimson lights, converging into a red current that submerged Nanhua. Heaven operates with vigor; a true gentleman ceaselessly strives for self-improvement. Those who help themselves shall be aided by heaven!
The crimson current surged, staining the heavens red as it powerfully rushed toward Qi Zhengyan, ready to clothe him in a crimson banner.
Behind Qi Zhengyan emerged a dharma manifestation—a crimson figure with a human head and dragon body, wielding six arms. It brandished instruments of slaughter and ruin, clutched blood pearls and filth, upheld icy blossoms and scarlet邪flames, while its eyes blazed with silent black fire capable of setting the plains ablaze.
Above the dharma image slowly rose a brilliant star, golden and pure, illuminating countless races and scenes equally, daring to resist even the Dao of Heaven.
“Equality!” Qi Zhengyan whispered, pointing his finger. The golden “Star of Equality” descended, landing upon his right hand, which was enveloped in a terrifying, dark, and sinister demonic claw.
In an instant, the power of the Demon Emperor’s claw weakened. Its original strength surged into Qi Zhengyan’s body, rapidly amplifying his might until both forces reached equilibrium.
This was the second great function of the “Star of Equality”—the strong would no longer be strong, the weak no longer weak; all became equal!
The Demon Emperor’s Claw was not highly awakened and temporarily lacked stimulation from the Demon Monarch. Influenced by the Golden Star of Equality, its power dropped significantly, not only suppressed by Qi Zhengyan but nearly sealed.
The demon sage watching nearby secretly marveled. Although the Demon Emperor had not directly inherited the Demon Lord’s legacy, the path he forged himself was perfectly suited to his nature, manifesting the wondrous “Star of Equality,” a rarity in the world. If he attained a dharma body, even the demon sage himself, in a battle against the Demon Emperor, would be affected by this “equality,” dragged down to the same level. Moreover, the “Star of Equality” could analyze martial arts and penetrate their very essence.
Truly terrifying!
Behind Qi Zhengyan, the crimson dharma image with a human head and dragon body suddenly stepped forward, overlapping with him. At his forehead emerged a crimson blemish resembling lotus petals or a crescent moon. The surging red current descended, swirling around him and lifting him upward.
Droplets of self-strengthening crimson light gathered, beginning to contract. As Qi Zhengyan’s dharma image fused with his physical body, a similarly golden and pure star gradually formed. It wasn’t yet stable, teetering on dispersal, yet brimming with vigorous upward momentum.
As this star solidified, dark clouds gathered high above, swirling into a vortex of utter blackness, as if signaling the end of days.
Boom!
Thunder roared first, shaking wild beasts within tens of thousands of miles to prostration. Then a five-colored immortal lightning bolt powerfully struck down.
Matter collapsed, mountains trembled, and everything around seemed on the verge of destruction.
Qi Zhengyan clenched his left hand into a fist and suddenly struck outward, his voice majestic:
“Strive ceaselessly, favored by Heaven’s Dao, all demons and monsters retreat!”
A phantom river encircled him, and the crimson current surged toward the sky with his fist, swallowing the five-colored immortal lightning.
Boom!
Heaven and earth trembled. The five-colored lightning lost its color and mystique, becoming an ordinary silvery bolt that struck Qi Zhengyan’s fist.
Zzzt! Tiny electric serpents danced wildly, tempering Qi Zhengyan’s crimson body, fully integrating his dharma image, yuan-shen, and true spirit.
Boom!
High above, the dark clouds transformed into chaos, with another bolt of lightning seemingly brewing.
At this moment, the second golden star atop Qi Zhengyan’s head fully formed, its self-strengthening will piercing the phantom river.
“He who helps himself shall be aided by heaven! All gods, Buddhas, immortals, and demons, retreat!”
Another iron fist shot out. The remaining crimson current filled the sky, dyeing the clouds and the not-yet-formed lightning bolt crimson, sweeping them away entirely.
Boom!
The heavens and the earth trembled once more. Who could tell how many slumbering great sages and mighty cultivators slightly turned their heads, as if sensing a faint tremor in their transcendent status.
Boom!
The dark clouds scattered. The heavens wept crimson rain. From the netherworld, numerous demonic cultivators sensed an inexplicable stillness, as though some mysterious force was silently fading away.
The scarlet tide receded, revealing Qi Zhengyan now manifesting his Demon Emperor Dharma Form—a human head atop a dragon’s body, with two golden stars gleaming above his crown.
The golden stars entered his body, and Qi Zhengyan reverted to his youthful form clad in a blue robe, landing atop a mountain peak.
The black-armored demon sage watched with gleaming eyes, clasping his hands in salute: “Congratulations, my Demon Lord! Rejoice, my Demon Lord! Right after your ascension, you have attained such formidable power. Moreover, you embody the essence of omnipresence in Nanhua, blessed by the Heavenly Dao, your words manifesting as divine laws—nearly exhibiting the traits of the Other Shore.”
“These are mere details. The greatest gain is being able to continue walking my own path.” Qi Zhengyan smiled faintly, his gaze shifting toward the northeast.
The Jiangdong matter should be nearing its conclusion as well?
A Chaos Pearl materialized in his hand.
With a gentle flick, the pearl, as if sentient, flew into the void, unknown to where it soared.
…
In the Fengshan Cave, Yama intercepted a massive hand suspected to belong to the Hidden Emperor. The Demon Monarch, entangled by the Heavenly Dao monster transformed from the progenitor of the Wang clan, was actually in grave danger.
After all, he didn’t dare to awaken too much, while the Heavenly Dao monster lacked any rationality—only chaos and madness, unleashing power beyond legend without hesitation. In mere moments, not only was the Demon Monarch nearly shattered in his Primordial Demon body, but even the power-restricted Yama and the suspected Hidden Emperor were suppressed by the Wang progenitor.
Chaos reigned throughout Fengshan. Soil and stones transformed into monsters. Facing attacks from three mighty cultivators, the Wang progenitor severed his own arms, which became three equally formidable monsters, instantly trapping his enemies completely.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu, unimpeded, gracefully soared upward, flying toward those strange, cold eyes.
At this moment, the massive hand—presumably belonging to the Hidden Emperor—interlaced its fingers, forming an enigmatic hand seal. The phantom River of Time manifested directly, surging toward the three Heavenly Dao monsters, the Demon Monarch, and Yama.
The River of Time washed over them. In an instant, the Heavenly Dao monsters froze, their qi rapidly diminishing.
Having existed for over two hundred thousand years, once deprived of the isolation provided by the太古 Soul-Sealing Coffin, they inevitably endured the relentless erosion of the River of Time, which weakened their power. Although this wouldn’t directly lead to their demise within a short span or force them back into slumber, at this critical moment, the Emperor utilized his divine abilities—unreservedly harnessing the power of the River of Time to scourge them without mercy. Instantly, the vulnerabilities of the Heavenly Dao monsters were laid bare!
In an instant, the heavenly monsters’ eyes lost their chaos, leaving only deathly stillness. The entire cave accelerated toward collapse. Neither Yama nor the demon monarch dared to face this strike directly, both retreating.
“Heaven’s Dao!”
The chaotic and terrifying eyes at high altitude shot out two crimson beams, clashing with the emperor’s hands as they reached once more for Luo Shu.
Boom!
The force of the impact swept across heaven and earth. The cave rapidly collapsed inward.
Boom!
The entire Dongtian completely disintegrated. Dark emptiness and true chaos swallowed this world. Yama and the Demon Monarch were isolated outside, unknown whether the suspected Hidden Emperor succeeded or whether the original master of Luo Shu prevailed—the high-altitude chaotic, cold eyes.
…
Meng Qi stepped out of the Wang clan ancestral hall, offering no reply, walking step by step outward.
Boom!
The ancestral hall behind him collapsed, beams and stones flying in all directions, the Wang clan’s history and antiquity perishing with it.
Boom!
The cave was destroyed. Meng Qi stepped out of the Wang family, returning to his Yu Xu Palace in a single stride.
Truly, twenty thousand years felt like a dream. One sees his vermilion towers rise, one sees them collapse.
Although the Jiangdong Wang Clan still retained a few remaining cave heavens, concealed bloodlines, and divine treasures to suppress these cave heavens, their foundation was nearly depleted. They had essentially withdrawn from the ranks of the true top-tier powers, much like the Su Nu Sect after the upheaval of the Demonic Buddha.
Sitting cross-legged on a cloud-like bed, Meng Qi’s thoughts were in turmoil. Suddenly, he stirred his mind, stretched out his right hand, and caught a Chaos Dark Pearl that flew toward him of its own accord.
As soon as the pearl appeared, Meng Qi sensed the strange karmic threads that had been attached to him drifting outward and merging into the pearl.
Light blazed, energy surged, and a figure reformed before Meng Qi’s eyes. Clad in white, his face sickly and delicate like a woman’s, his aura elusive to the point of seeming beyond causality itself—none other than the eldest Wang公子, Wang Siyuan!
“You’re not dead yet?” Meng Qi blurted out.
Wang Siyuan habitually coughed twice, smiling faintly: “Didn’t I tell you long ago that once the true spirit within the Fengshen Bang breaks free, it can rebuild a dharma body with help, and some methods even leave no hidden dangers.”
He did say that… So this was the true unspoken intention of the great Wang trickster… Meng Qi once again felt deceived, his lips twitching slightly.
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