The overwhelming soul pressure surging towards Gu Xichen had absolutely no effect on him. The tempestuous, surging soul pressure was nullified into nothingness by an invisible, colorless wave before it could even draw near his body. Gu Xichen remained entirely focused on sensing the changes occurring within Emperor Shi. Such an opportunity for observation was exceedingly rare.

The transformation inside and outside Emperor Shi’s body lasted for about an hour, finally concluding when a faint golden light emanated from his surface. As everyone knew, the true essence and magic power cultivated by the Corpse God lineage of the Nine Nethers Path were either black or cyan evil energies and corpse miasma. However, upon reaching the stage of Spirit Refinement and Return to Void, Emperor Shi’s true essence inexplicably converted to gold, devoid of any evil aura, instead carrying a hint of immortal-like radiance!

Emperor Shi’s skin, which had previously been deathly pale without a trace of blood, now possessed a supple and elastic texture across his limbs, with faint traces of rosy color showing beneath the surface. One could even faintly discern the sound of his heart beating. If not for the continued absence of circulating blood within him, Emperor Shi would have appeared almost indistinguishable from a normal person.

Legend held that once one ascended to become an immortal, their physical body would undergo a complete metamorphosis. This intermediate stage, commonly referred to as the Quasi-Immortal Void Realm, indeed brought tremendous benefits to Emperor Shi!

Kan Hua, writhing in pain inflicted by Han Ba, opened his mouth tremulously and mumbled, “Heh heh, Master looks quite handsome like this; he seems to have rejuvenated by thirty years! Alas, in the future, I must absolutely avoid walking on the streets with Master. Otherwise, how could those young maidens possibly notice me?”

With a soft sigh, Kan Hua muttered under his breath, “Look at that skin, so fair and ruddy, you could squeeze water out of it… An old lecher, indecent even in old age!”

Bang! The Bone King, standing behind Daoist Baishui, delivered a kick to Kan Hua’s abdomen, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

Gu Xichen chuckled dryly a few times, then hastily stepped a few paces aside, completely separating himself from Kan Hua.

Suddenly, a thick column of white vapor shot up from above Emperor Shi's head, roaring like a hurricane. Within the hazy white vapor, a fist-sized White Bone Sarira could be vaguely seen, bobbing and rotating ceaselessly, faintly emitting billions of wisps of chilling qi.

Daoist Han He gasped in alarm, “Heavens! Fellow Daoist Emperor Shi actually cultivates Buddhist techniques! This White Bone Sarira’s attainment level is at least over a thousand years! The foremost Grandmaster of the Evil Path within the Dao Alliance must undoubtedly be Fellow Daoist Emperor Shi!”

Bone King chortled triumphantly, letting out a few strange laughs. He declared loftily, “My senior brother is a heaven-sent prodigy; what does cultivating a Buddhist technique matter?”

Daoist Baishui could only draw sharp breaths, filled with immense admiration for Emperor Shi’s perseverance and willpower. To cultivate Buddhist techniques with the body of a demonized zombie was tantamount to an ordinary person deliberately branding their own flesh with a red-hot iron rod for recreation every day. Daoist Baishui could not fathom how Emperor Shi endured that ordeal. All Buddhist techniques were the natural nemesis of a zombie body. How did Emperor Shi allow his body to accommodate Buddhist meditative energy?

Whoosh! With a massive sound, another stream of white vapor erupted from above Emperor Shi’s head. Within this stream, one could see a three-foot-tall miniature figure, identical to Emperor Shi in appearance, sitting cross-legged while holding a great seal shimmering with white light. This was Emperor Shi’s natal primordial spirit. A natal primordial spirit standing three feet tall—such might astonished the cultivators of the Soul Transformation stage present once more.

Before the gasps of wonder could subside, a third stream of white vapor burst forth from above Emperor Shi’s head. Within this stream of vapor, a white lotus radiating chilling light was seen dancing in the air.

Daoist Baishui and Daoist Han He exchanged glances, struck dumb! A white lotus? This Emperor Shi, this ancient monster, had even cultivated orthodox Daoist techniques! Moreover, judging by the color and aura of that white lotus, even if beaten to death, Daoist Baishui would never believe his Daoist cultivation had no connection to Kunlun Mountain.

“A monster!” Daoist Baishui, Daoist Han He, and the other masters of the Soul Transformation stage shook their heads. Regarding such a freak as Emperor Shi, they were utterly speechless.

Bone King and the other eight Dao Lords of the Nine Nethers Path also stood frozen in place. They knew Emperor Shi cultivated the Buddhist Sarira; this was a core secret of the Nine Nethers Path. But the fact that Emperor Shi had also cultivated orthodox Daoist divine abilities, and judging by the profound attainment, this… this was something even they were unaware of. This was clearly a life-saving trump card held back by Emperor Shi!

The foremost Grandmaster of the Evil Path was, after all, the foremost Grandmaster of the Evil Path!

If Emperor Shi had not lost control of his cultivation upon entering the Void Realm, perhaps this secret would never have been revealed.

Kan Hua stared yearningly at Emperor Shi, who had simultaneously revealed three profound divine abilities, almost shedding tears. “Alas, why is Master so stingy? Three supreme divine arts, yet he only taught me one?”

Gu Xichen mockingly retorted without hesitation, “Even if he taught you all three divine abilities, could you learn them? Buddhist divine arts emphasize the cultivation of the Virginity Art!”

Kan Hua froze, vigorously grabbed at his lower body, and then shook his head resolutely, “Divine arts are good, but beautiful women are better! The Virginity Art? No wonder Master has always looked perpetually unsatisfied over the years, and his skill with throwing bricks behind his back has become increasingly proficient? He must have been repressed to the point of perversion!”

Gu Xichen shuddered violently and quickly moved several steps further away from Kan Hua.

Gradually, Emperor Shi’s figure became shrouded in dense Heaven and Earth spiritual energy. A massive, terrifying aura was brewing within the thick energy. Emperor Shi had reached the final threshold; he was truly stepping into the Void Operation Realm. His primordial spirit meandered across Heaven and Earth, his entire consciousness immersed in comprehending the mysteries of the universe. In that moment, he truly felt like a fish swimming freely in the water.

He looked towards the distant stars and instantly understood their trajectories.

He looked towards the nearby objects. He looked at the several Dao Alliance disciples present, and he seemed to witness firsthand their arduous journey from ordinary mortals to their current cultivation levels.

Finally, his gaze settled upon his two most cherished disciples, and thus, he overheard Kan Hua’s derogatory assessment of his master.

A surge of Nether Fire erupted from his heart. Emperor Shi nearly spat blood from all seven orifices in rage—though, being a zombie, he didn’t have much blood to spare, or he certainly would have sprayed it everywhere!

Just as he was about to rush over and teach Kan Hua a severe lesson, an unsettling palpitation arose from above his head. A small canopy of cyan clouds condensed within the dense spiritual energy. The minor heavenly tribulation accompanying Emperor Shi’s entry into the Void Realm had finally arrived. Red flames tumbled within the cyan canopy, blue lightning serpents flickered, and the muffled sound of thunder constantly resonated.

Beneath his feet, a cold yin wind began to rise gently, slowly surging into his body through the Yongquan acupoint, gradually eroding his physical form.

Meanwhile, a burst of yin fire suddenly erupted from his Dantian, beginning to fiercely burn Emperor Shi’s true essence and blood. Furthermore, countless graceful, seductive maidens seemed to materialize in the surrounding void, teasing Emperor Shi with various alluring postures.

The Thunder Tribulation, Wind Tribulation, Fire Tribulation, and Heavenly Demon Tribulation arrived simultaneously, causing the expressions of onlookers like Daoist Baishui to shift drastically pale. Daoist Han He exclaimed in shock, “This is too difficult, isn’t it?”

Before the words had fully faded, six bolts of cyan lightning dove down upon Emperor Shi, only to be forcefully neutralized by the Eighteen Corpse Servant Grand Array he had pre-arranged. The six lightning bolts vanished without a trace, while nine of the eighteen corpse servants were struck until their bodies were ripped and charred, lying twitching on the ground.

The yin wind and yin fire were swept away by nine Human Skin Banners, becoming nourishment absorbed by the banners themselves.

Just as Emperor Shi was steeling himself to use the Demonic Seizing Divine Ability of the Nine Nethers Path against the attacking Heavenly Demons, a long roar echoed. Gu Xichen, beaming with elation, rushed forward, wielding the Qilin Seal, smashing those Heavenly Demons into dust, all of which were absorbed into his soul origin as nourishment. Gu Xichen’s soul origin expanded by another thirty percent, and Emperor Shi successfully stepped into the Void Realm.

Subsequently, under the protection of Emperor Shi, Bone King, having absorbed most of the Golden Body of the Bodhisattva, successfully stepped into the Void Realm.

Because Gu Xichen made an immense contribution to the refinement of the Void Breaking Pills, the Nine Nethers Path, as Gu Xichen’s sect, was allocated three of the thirty-six Void Breaking Pills!

Lion Venerable, Eagle Saint, and Tiger Gu Fan all successfully leveraged the power of the pills to enter the Void Realm.

Afterward, Daoist Baishui, Daoist Han He, and other high-level experts from both the righteous and evil paths also consumed the Void Breaking Pills one after another, entering the Void Realm.

Strangely, while the tribulation Emperor Shi faced during his breakthrough into the Void Realm was exceptionally harsh, others entering the Void Realm only faced a mere three bolts of lightning. Grandmasters who managed to cultivate to the Soul Transformation stage were no pushovers; they each possessed at least seven or eight protective artifacts left by their ancestors. Coupled with the highest-quality spiritual artifacts Gu Xichen had acquired on Heaven Star, facing the three lightning tribulations and officially ascending to become Grandmasters of the Void Breaking stage was exceedingly easy and pleasant.

Including Emperor Shi and Bone King, the Asian Dao Alliance produced thirty-eight Grandmasters of the Void Breaking stage in this single session.

After remaining hidden for several thousand years, the Asian Dao Alliance finally once again possessed cultivators in the Void Breaking stage! The path to immortality, which had seemed remote and slim, had taken a huge leap forward. It was believed that with the insights gained by these Void Breaking Grandmasters during their breakthroughs, the overall strength of the entire Asian Dao Alliance would swiftly rise by a significant margin.

All of this was owed to Gu Xichen’s merit; he was the greatest contributor among them.

Consequently, Gu Xichen earned the friendship of almost everyone in the entire Asian Dao Alliance—save for the Three Sorcery Sect, whose whereabouts were unknown. He indeed gained the camaraderie of all the experts, including the Dry Bone Divine Monarch. The Dry Bone Divine Monarch also successfully broke through to the Void Breaking stage by relying on a Void Breaking Pill.

If the Dry Bone Divine Monarch hadn't been too proud to accept, he would have nearly expelled Gu Xichen on the spot and urged him to deal with Gu Juechen to his heart’s content!

On the Moon, Gu Xichen and the others ceaselessly congratulated these Grandmasters on their major breakthroughs. Wolf Poison even hosted a grand banquet in the base of the Special Administrative Region on the Moon to entertain the distinguished guests. While they celebrated there, Earth and Mars had already descended into utter chaos!

The commotion caused by the breakthrough of the boundary-pushing experts was hundreds of times greater than Emperor Shi and the others had anticipated. They had no idea how magnificent the scene of breaking through to the Void Realm truly was.

Not only the cultivators on the Moon, but every being in the entire Solar System whose power exceeded that of a Jupiter-level warrior sensed thirty-eight immensely powerful waves of soul pressure. This was pressure on the soul plane; any creature with sufficient power, a soul, and who was located within the Solar System could perceive this pressure.

Cister of the Holy See was the first to issue an order, commanding the cancellation of several plans previously set against the Dao Alliance.

The dark creatures of the Pantheon of Gods immediately excavated new hideouts, burrowing themselves securely. Meanwhile, exclamations erupted simultaneously from the Pantheon of Rome and the Royal Palace. The High Priest of the Pantheon led a large contingent of priests to kneel before their divine statues and pray.

And the Roman King immediately issued a decree, demanding the immediate activation of a certain crucial plan.