The Twelve Golden Men were far too unnatural, and thus bound to incur divine punishment and earthly calamities!
The Heavenly Mandate Golden Men were somewhat better off, yet still suffered from the jealousy of Heaven and Earth!
Such jealousy from Heaven and Earth signifies a decline in one’s fortune!
When fortune is strong, one is blessed by the primal forces of the world, and all desires are effortlessly fulfilled. But when fortune wanes, everything becomes twice as hard with half the result, and even brings the danger of utter ruin!
For example, just now, if given a few dozen more breaths of time, Wu Ming would have surely crushed the Primordial God’s Will in his grasp, capturing all other right-holders in one fell swoop.
But a mere tremor of the earth instantly shattered all his painstakingly crafted advantages into nothingness.
The destruction of the underground palace not only gave other reincarnators a chance to catch their breath, but also deprived Wu Ming of the opportunity to draw upon the Nine Demon Vein’s dragon energy to enhance the Golden Men’s power and abilities.
This is precisely the principle of mutual diminishment and growth.
The earthquake came swiftly and departed just as fast, lifting the entire imperial mausoleum from beneath the earth into daylight before vanishing without a trace.
At this moment, however, the sky suddenly darkened, vast stretches of scaly clouds spreading across the heavens, within which electric serpents writhed, exuding terrifying celestial might, as if the next moment they would strike down.
Bang!
A stone mountain exploded, revealing the Golden Man buried beneath it.
This enormous Golden Man stood over ten zhang tall, towering between heaven and earth, its golden glow shining brightly, having emerged unscathed from the previous earth-splitting quake.
“Heaven’s will cannot be defied? Earth’s power cannot be changed?”
Wu Ming sneered, “Too bad my Heavenly Mandate Golden Man is built upon the foundation of dragon energy, with the Xuan Niao’s heavenly mandate as its core—it follows the path of humanity! Human will triumphs over heaven!!!”
“Quickly flee!”
At this moment, a few beams of light still flickered below, hastily retreating like stray dogs in panic.
“Die for me!”
The Golden Man turned its massive head, and though it failed to locate the Primordial God’s Will, it immediately locked onto the Sky-Stepping Demon King.
“Zha!”
Even without the assistance of the Nine Demon Vein’s dragon energy, the Heavenly Mandate Golden Man was still ferocious and invincible at this moment.
With a single roar, heaven and earth fell silent.
Golden light sealed the void, rendering the Sky-Stepping Demon King like a tiny insect trapped in amber, its form frozen mid-air, exuding a sense of weakness and helplessness.
“Ha! Eternally invincible! Demon-Slaying Divine Annihilation!”
Seeing the Heavenly Mandate Golden Man’s massive hand approaching, the Sky-Stepping Demon King inwardly cursed its fate but could only fight for survival, revealing its mountain-sized demonic bull form while activating a terrifying supernatural ability!
Within the starry expanse, the Twenty-Four Lunar Mansions emerged, each transformed from an ancient demon god, all bestowing their power upon it. If fully realized, this ability could slay immortals and annihilate deities.
“Your technique is not bad, but you yourself are too weak!”
The Golden Man seized the demonic bull with both hands and tore violently!
Zhi la!
Amid a rain of blood, the Sky-Stepping Demon King’s true demonic bull form was ripped in half. The massive carcass crashed to the ground, while a demon core shot forth with incredible speed, upon which was clearly visible the Sky-Stepping Demon King’s face, filled with terror.
“Want to escape? Swallow it!”
The Heavenly Mandate Golden Man opened its enormous mouth, unleashing a mighty suction force that effortlessly pulled the demon core into its belly.
A thick mixture of golden malevolence and dragon energy immediately enveloped it, instantly eroding the Sky-Stepping Demon King’s soul, transforming the demon core into pure energy, which was completely absorbed.
“Too brutal! Too brutal!”
Jingang Tuoda and Wudu Niangzi rapidly retreated, their faces filled with shock and horror: “That was the Sky-Stepping Demon King! Yet he was torn and swallowed in an instant, not even a moment’s hesitation…”
“Zha!”
The next moment, they watched in utter horror as the golden light flashed again, and the giant unhesitatingly arrived beside them.
“Insects!”
The Heavenly Mandate Golden Man stomped its foot down with a thunderous boom!
In the ensuing minor earthquake, Jingang Tuoda and Wudu Niangzi, both Level 4 right-holders, were equally helpless, reduced to dust and ashes, as easily crushed as two ants!
[Ding! Honored Primordial God Controller, your current score is seventeen!]
“Good!”
Hearing the prompt from the Primordial God Temple, Wu Ming’s face broke into a pleased smile: “With seventeen points, as long as I don’t perish, all the rights in this bloodbath will belong solely to me. At that point, even if the Primordial God’s Will tries to interfere, I can take over the entire Primordial God Temple!”
In the struggle for rights, the total was limited. By capturing all remaining right-holders in one sweep, Wu Ming had secured an absolute advantage.
Even if some remnants remained within the Primordial God’s Will, they were no longer capable of making waves.
“If you won’t come out, I’ll force you out!”
Wu Ming sneered, then turned his gaze toward the remaining Yan Sheng and Yu Luoyan.
“No! You cannot kill me!”
Yan Sheng, his hair disheveled and eyes bloodshot, cried out: “I have a Celestial Immortal backing me! Don’t you understand what that means? He’s on his way here. If you kill me, you’ll surely die without even a grave!”
“My master has also summoned the Ancestor!”
Yu Luoyan added with a smile, though her beautiful face betrayed a hint of uncertainty.
“What about it, even if you have a Celestial Immortal?”
Wu Ming’s heart tightened, knowing that today’s matter could not end peacefully no matter what, and he would certainly not back down out of fear. With a cold laugh, his massive hand struck downward.
“Halt!”
A mighty voice came rolling in, sweeping across the heavens and earth, causing the void to tremble.
“Sure enough, a Level 6 expert!”
Wu Ming’s golden hand struck down without hesitation, smashing Yan Sheng and Yu Luoyan, who wore expressions of despair, into pulp. Gazing at the flesh beneath his palm, he couldn’t help but laugh again: “No matter how beautiful or captivating they were, once dead, they’re nothing but rotting meat!”
“You… you dare…”
A flash of four-colored light transformed into the majestic figures of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, with a figure in the center wearing an angry expression: “I just… told you to stop!”
A pure and sacred white lotus descended, revealing a woman clad in gauzy silks, her delicate brows furrowed in displeasure: “What did my descendants do to deserve such cruelty from you?”
“You needn’t make excuses anymore!”
Wu Ming laughed heartily: “I simply reforged the Twelve Golden Men. If you want them, just come and take them!”
Inwardly, he understood clearly that for such great cultivators, blood relations were but fleeting concerns—only interests were eternal.
Even if the one currently controlling the Heavenly Mandate Golden Man were a beloved child or relative, they would still seek to seize it upon encountering it.
“Just… only two of you came? It seems the journey from the sacred lands to the Shang capital does take time… As for the previous chaos in Shang, they must have learned in advance of Ji Yi’s army surrounding the capital and Shang Jie’s forging of the Twelve Golden Men, so they arrived early to lie in wait!”
“Indeed, we have cultivated our minds and spirits, understanding the principle that failing to seize a heavenly gift will bring retribution!”
The Daoist chuckled, the Four Symbols beasts poised to strike: “What’s your view, Divine Lady?”
“Of course, I have no objection either!”
The Bai Lian Divine Lady giggled, as if the entire world brightened at her laughter: “But we must finish this quickly, or else if other old ghosts hear the news and arrive, we’ll have to share the spoils…”
“Correct! What merit or virtue do you possess with your mortal body to possess such a supreme treasure?”
The Daoist made no effort to hide his greed: “I am the Four Symbols Celestial Immortal. Surrender this item to my sect willingly, and I might grant you the hope of immortality, ensuring prosperity for your descendants!”
“Haha! Fool! What are you to guarantee my future?”
One’s destiny must naturally be held firmly in one’s own hands!
Wu Ming laughed loudly as the Golden Man suddenly attacked!
Boom!
At this moment, a streak of lightning flashed across the sky, and a bolt of thunder fell, striking the Golden Man, as if cloaking it in an armor of electric light.
In a single punch, it seemed to carry the aid of thunder, combining the might of heaven and earth!
“Bad! This brat wants to divert the calamity onto us!”
The Four Symbols Celestial Immortal’s expression changed drastically as he pointed at the surrounding sacred beast illusions: “Go!”
In an instant, the Four Sacred Beasts lunged forth, manifesting as the Azure Dragon’s roar, the White Tiger’s fierce pounce, the Vermilion Bird’s sky-scorching flames, and the Black Tortoise’s earth-stabilizing might, their power increasing tenfold compared to the Four Symbols Sword Formation they could previously form together!
Indeed, with each strike from the four beasts, the heavens and earth trembled slightly, adding immense force to their assault!
The power of a Celestial Immortal lies in harnessing the primal forces of heaven and earth! Every movement exudes overwhelming might. To Wu Ming, these movements carried a purple hue.
This layer of purple light continued to spread, eventually converging upon the Four Sacred Beasts, further enhancing their might!
“Indeed… the primal force of the Zhou world is purple!”
As Wu Ming’s thoughts raced, he controlled the Heavenly Mandate Golden Man, merging with the lightning, punching the Azure Dragon, slapping the White Tiger, and even trampling the Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise beneath his feet, causing them to cry out in anguish before exploding!
The Heavenly Mandate Golden Man, combined with the might of thunder, was this terrifying!
“This fiend is formidable!”
The Four Symbols Celestial Immortal’s face twitched. With a wave of his hand, the remaining two sacred beasts transformed into streams of light, returning to his grasp as a green and white pill respectively, causing him great pain.
The Four Symbols sect’s foundation lies in gathering the essence of the four sacred beasts to cultivate guardian deities, which have infinite applications. At the Celestial Immortal stage, they could even borrow false forms to cultivate true power, manifesting and dispersing at will, rarely suffering damage.
Unfortunately, they encountered the Heavenly Mandate Golden Man, which suppressed all with sheer force. Under the dragon’s malevolence, even their greatest advantage was lost.
The destroyed Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise would take untold effort to reform.
His fury was so intense his eyes nearly bulged out: “Scoundrel! How dare you destroy my sacred artifact? I shall refine your soul into the Nine Nether Abyss, where you’ll never know reincarnation again!”
“Zha!”
His only reply was the terrifyingly mighty fist of the Heavenly Mandate Golden Man, from which malevolent energy radiated, a black dragon roaring, forming a fierce dragon’s head that bit down viciously.
“Exquisite Realm of Heavenly Blossoms!”
Amidst the melodious female voice, heavenly blossoms rained down in pieces, carrying serene and mysterious magical power, narrowly pulling the Four Symbols Celestial Immortal out of danger.
Even so, he was grazed by the lightning and dragon energy, his celestial robe torn, suffering a major humiliation.
“Too brutal! Why does this person control the Golden Man so effortlessly?”
The Four Symbols Celestial Immortal was deeply puzzled.
Even Shang Jie, when he originally controlled the Twelve Golden Men, could not achieve such seamless command, let alone channel the thunder of heavenly tribulations as an aid.
What he didn’t know was that Wu Ming had once served as the Eastern Peak Emperor, and nearly achieved the position of Heaven Emperor in a minor world, personally experiencing power beyond Level 6. Thus, his control over the Golden Men was naturally effortless, far surpassing Shang Jie.
“Perhaps… we can only rely on the Divine Lady’s wondrous techniques…”
The Four Symbols Celestial Immortal gazed solemnly at the Heavenly Mandate Golden Man rampaging through the realm: “Although the Golden Man is formidable, its cultivator has not yet reached the Celestial Immortal level—it is our only weakness!”
But the White Lotus Divine Lady’s face had turned deathly pale as she watched the Heavenly Mandate Golden Man forcefully break free, then let out a mighty roar. The enormous fist, charged with lightning, came crashing down like Mount Tai!
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