The Nine Palaces Heaven realm! Experts like Cao Xuanqi and Asura King, who have been immersed in this realm for many years, can control the power within their bodies with the utmost finesse, preventing their might from inflicting devastating blows upon the world.
Asura King and Gu Ya battled atop the Asura Imperial Palace. The fight lasted nearly ten days, and though it drastically altered the climate of the Northern Barbarian Lands, it failed to bring about greater natural disasters or calamities upon the region.
The sole reason for this restraint lay in the fact that both combatants were at the peak of the Nine Palaces Heaven realm. They possessed the ability to truly command and constrain their power, ensuring it would not alter the natural laws of the world. This very capability was why they were revered as the apex experts of the Nine Palaces Heaven peak.
However, Ji Changkong and Yao Kui were both relative newcomers to the Nine Palaces Heaven realm, having only recently broken through. They had gained access to the colossal power wielded by a Nine Palaces Heaven master, yet their control over this immense force remained severely lacking.
These two men now housed the very power capable of destroying heaven and earth within their bodies, power they could not truly master. With every clash, this energy erupted into the cosmos, threatening to rewrite the fundamental laws governing the Five Elements Continent, causing the entire land to suffer the repercussions of their unrestrained might.
Their head-on confrontation tore open the very fabric of space in the Western Regions, creating fissures visible to the naked eye. Countless figures, trees, and spirit beasts native to the Western Regions were swallowed by these rupturing spatial rifts. The earth began to tremble violently, accompanied by continuous, localized earthquakes. Giant bolts of lightning descended from the heavens, causing explosions to erupt incessantly within a thousand-mile radius surrounding the two warriors.
Unable to truly grasp this power, they continued to fight with fatal intent, bringing immense catastrophe down upon the Western Regions.
Along her journey, Youlan was forced to intervene, suppressing the destruction wrought by their battle. Youlan unfurled the Celestial Canopy of Light, enveloping the sky directly above them. Under the influence of her power, the shredded spatial seams began to stitch themselves closed, and the earth was soothed by a stabilizing force, ceasing its violent tremors.
Youlan cursed internally but had no choice but to clean up the mess these two created. If she hadn't, her own base, the Sacred Mountain of Primordial Light where the Manichaeism resided, would have been the first target, highly likely to be obliterated by the backlash of their power.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth-shattering roar of explosions continued unabated. Ji Changkong, wielding the Dragon Glory Saber in one hand and the World-Ending Gauntlet on the other, clashed against Yao Kui, who gripped his scythe. These two young titans unleashed the might of their Nine Palaces Heaven realm, causing the very heavens and earth to change color. The shockwaves generated by their engagement warped the sky and ground alike within a ten-mile radius, as savage power ravaged everything, striking fear into all who witnessed it.
Yao Kui was truly an expert of the highest caliber. Though he had only recently ascended to the Nine Palaces Heaven realm, he proved more terrifying than even the Yaksha King!
Yao Kui's scythe seemed to have absorbed the negative energies of countless living beings. Infinite tides of hatred surged forth from the weapon, accompanied by ceaseless sounds of wailing and ghostly cries, as if attempting to drag onlookers into a boundless sea of hellish spirits.
This was a vicious instrument of ruin, forged through widespread slaughter, brimming with power both immense and utterly wicked! It gave Ji Changkong a profound headache. Yao Kui himself was undoubtedly a cruel, bloodthirsty individual. Furthermore, his savage nature seemed perfectly synchronized with a unique cultivation technique he practiced. His ruthless disposition and methods of operation did not hinder his cultivation or his state of mind; rather, they appeared to dramatically enhance his power!
It was precisely because of this alignment that Yao Kui could maximize the potential of his scythe. The pure aura of slaughter contained within the weapon merged miraculously with the primordial energy within his body, causing his strength to escalate continuously.
This was an individual of truly terrifying proportions!
He was cold, devoid of emotion, possessed of an unshakeable will, sufficient strength, and high intelligence—a perfect warrior seemingly born for conflict.
Even wielding the two divine artifacts, the World-Ending Gauntlet and the Dragon Glory Saber, Ji Changkong could only manage to fight Yao Kui to a stalemate. In this instant, he finally realized that on this continent, he was not the sole genius! He was not the only one blessed with extraordinary fortune!
Yao Kui, who had cultivated for far longer and singularly focused on becoming the strongest, enjoyed a favorable birth, possessing a father who stood at the peak of the Nine Palaces Heaven realm. He too had experienced rare fortuitous encounters. While he lacked the Xuanyuan bloodline, his physical body was equally monstrously powerful.
The Asura Imperial Clan of the Northern Barbarian Lands was rumored to possess the lineage of Asura demon monsters—creatures typically defined by overwhelming physical strength. The Asura race had long been celebrated as the most formidable warrior species, blessed with resilient, robust bodies combined with human intellect.
Yao Kui, representing the most potent generation of this mightiest race on the Five Elements Continent, wielding the power of the Nine Palaces Heaven realm, though not a Xuanyuan, was not far behind in terms of raw physical fortitude. In this true battle of steel against steel, Yao Kui held his own remarkably well in direct confrontation.
They were evenly matched!
Ji Changkong took a deep breath, feeling a dull ache in his left arm. With a thought, he prepared to unleash the Three Heavenly Absolutes Fire, the Seven-Colored Dragon Ring, and the Great Void Illusionary Realm.
He still held back three more potent secret techniques. Initially, he hadn't believed Yao Kui would warrant the deployment of his full strength. But after the exchange, upon discovering that even the power of the World-Ending Gauntlet could only send Yao Kui flying backward without truly slaying him, Ji Changkong finally comprehended Yao Kui's sheer power.
For this reason, he began preparing to unleash all his trump cards, even readying the activation of the bloodline powers of the Four Sacred Beasts within him. He felt confident! He believed that once he exerted his complete strength, he would certainly inflict a grievous wound upon Yao Kui!
However, just as he prepared to strike, his spirit soul, operating within the Realm of Self, acutely perceived a strange disturbance in the heavens and earth.
"Sect Master, stop! If this continues, the Western Regions will be utterly annihilated!" At that precise moment, he heard a telepathic call from Ayiguli. Ayiguli sounded profoundly anxious. Her own strength was insufficient to approach the battle zone, and amidst the thunderous explosions, she knew sound transmission to Ji Changkong would be impossible. Thus, she resorted to the soul secret arts of the Aoro Divine Cult, sending her urgent thoughts through their shared psychic link.
Ayiguli, standing outside, had already witnessed the terrifying transformation engulfing the entire Western Regions due to their battle. She saw the land suffering widespread devastation under their might, watched countless citizens of the Western Regions perish in the conflict, and foresaw the beautiful land becoming a scarred wasteland, an absolute dead zone.
None of this was what Ayiguli desired. Though she wished for the demise of Manichaeism, she did not wish for the Western Regions to be buried alongside it.
This, after all, was her homeland!
"Stop, please stop," Ayiguli’s mental plea resonated deep within him. Ji Changkong was jolted from the intensity of the fight. He released his divine soul, which expanded like a boundless disc over the Western Regions, instantly absorbing every detail of the landscape into his awareness.
The earth was tearing apart, massive lightning bolts snaked like divine dragons, and the spatial fissures exerted an almost irresistible suction force. This entire world was on the verge of experiencing the most tragic event imaginable.
The trump cards he was preparing against Yao Kui were immediately withdrawn. He understood that if he truly unleashed his full power, he might indeed severely injure or even kill Yao Kui, but the vast expanse of the Western Regions would likely be rendered an absolute dead zone! Countless living beings would perish amidst the resulting calamity!
He would bear the ignominy of this catastrophe for his entire life!
"Come on! Haha, I know you have more power in reserve. Don't stop this battle between us!" Yao Kui roared coldly. He genuinely cared nothing for the lives of the common people in the Western Regions; it seemed as if the entire area vanishing from existence held no significance for him. As long as he could kill Ji Changkong, he didn't care if the entire world perished.
This was absolute, chilling ruthlessness!
This coldness and detachment were perfectly in sync with the cultivation method he followed. When dealing with enemies, Yao Kui acted like a killing machine, devoid of emotion, guided only by the purest logic.
He could disregard all consequences, all lives. But Ji Changkong could not.
The Great Void Secret Record that Ji Changkong cultivated emphasized not destruction, but unity with heaven and earth, subtly aligning with the laws of nature, absorbing all power between the sky and the ground to achieve the ultimate expression of the Great Void Secret Record’s might. This was the true path for him, one that did not betray his core beliefs.
A series of thoughts flashed through his mind, and Ji Changkong halted his impending offensive. He deliberately created distance between himself and Yao Kui, closed his eyes, and immersed himself within the fabric of the world, seeking to perceive the ongoing changes across the Western Regions, attempting to use his own power to restore order to the chaos.
As his heart filled with concern for the people of the Western Regions, as he focused on restoring the natural laws of this portion of the world, he suddenly felt as if he had advanced another step beyond his current realm. Vaguely, he sensed a fundamental shift occurring within the divine soul aspect of his hidden Great Void Secret Record. His soul seemed to forge a mysterious, subtle accord with the very sky and earth of the Western Regions.
The rents in space began to slowly close, the earth ceased its trembling, and even the lightning bolts twisting across the landscape started to retreat, one by one, back into the heavens.
At this moment, the entire Western Regions merged with his divine soul. His soul could perceive the emotional currents of this land, sensing the myths passed down over millennia, feeling the vicissitudes of wind and rain endured for countless ages.
"Heaven and Earth are within me! I exist within Heaven and Earth; I am a part of Heaven and Earth. My heart is Heaven, and Heaven is me; I am Heaven!"
Ji Changkong abruptly opened his eyes. His gaze was filled with peace and natural serenity, utterly devoid of any aggressive murderous intent, as if he were a savior treating all things and every living creature with benevolence and compassion.
Suddenly, the spiritual energy throughout the entire Western Regions began to change. The latent energy accumulated in the sky and the earth over countless years, influenced by some unseen force, converged at a rate visible to the eye. This surge of power instantly rectified every deviation from the natural order within the Western Regions. Then, this energy continued to condense, forming an overwhelming force that pressed directly down upon Yao Kui.
Yao Kui, who had been incessantly demanding that Ji Changkong reveal his full power, suddenly realized he had become the enemy of the entire Five Elements Continent. The elemental power stored in the skies and the earth of the continent suddenly erupted, converging into a single torrent aimed solely at him.
This was the Majesty of Heaven!
Human effort could not contend with it!
Yao Kui suddenly grasped this reality. He looked around at the bizarre transformation of the world in confusion, feeling the surging power of the Western Regions closing in. For the first time, a sense of panic gripped Yao Kui. Within this terrestrial power, he sensed the most ancient aura, an energy that sent chills down the spine even of a Nine Palaces Heaven master like himself.
"Get out!"
Within the surging power of the world, a singular intention seemed embedded: an imperative for him to immediately vacate the land of the Western Regions!
Yao Kui hesitated for only a few seconds, but sensing that his current strength was wholly insufficient to resist this wave of Heaven's might, he finally made the reluctant decision to depart. Muttering a few confused words under his breath, Yao Kui fled eastward at maximum speed, his face etched with bewilderment.
The world's energy followed closely behind, pursuing Yao Kui, determined to expel him from the territory.
Ji Changkong, whose divine soul was merged with the heaven and earth of the Western Regions, could perceive the unique power of this realm. His soul felt the inherent will of this land, and he conveyed this will through his own spirit, releasing it as a distinctly human resonance.
He was merely the conduit for this territory. When merged with the world in his soul, he acted in accordance with the intentions he perceived, his power of unification serving only to help this piece of creation realize its own will.
And so, Yao Kui was forced to retreat in a humiliating fashion. Even at the Nine Palaces Heaven realm, his departure was clumsy and pathetic; he left before even understanding precisely what had transpired.
Soon after, Ji Changkong slowly returned to full awareness. A wave of disappointment washed over him. The power of the world, he realized, was perhaps too gentle. If the heavens had intended for Yao Kui to die, his unity with that power would certainly have provided an opportunity to slay him then and there.
The peculiar force of the world had chosen not to. If he had tried to force that outcome, his divine soul would have been severed from its celestial harmony, causing him to snap out of that miraculous state, still leaving him incapable of killing Yao Kui.
As this regretful thought surfaced, Ji Changkong felt his divine soul sharply convulse, abruptly pulling him out of that wondrous state. Suddenly, his soul could no longer perceive the world-force of the Western Regions; he could no longer feel the joys or sorrows of this land.
And at that very instant, he sensed another aura—an aura far more potent than Yao Kui’s!—rapidly approaching from the distance.
Holy Mother Youlan!
The thought had barely formed when the Matriarch of Manichaeism, Holy Mother Youlan, slowly materialized amidst the swirling dust and debris.
"Ji Changkong, you damnable junior! You nearly destroyed the entire Western Regions, nearly ruined thousands of years of Manichaeism's lineage!" Youlan hissed, murderous intent radiating from her form, even as a charming smile played across her lips.
Three chapters in ten thousand words! My head is spinning, asking for monthly passes! During this double period, I don't want to be left behind, please support me!