Chapter 288: Great Leap in Strength

Zushen Sect, Purple Thorn Island.

A purple-gold stream of light flashed across the half-sky of Purple Thorn Island, quickly landing on the plaza before the island lord's palace, then revealing a figure clad in purple-gold battle armor—none other than Lu Qingshan, who had already cultivated on Purple Thorn Island for countless ages.

At this moment, many other inheritors were also on the plaza; some had just returned from the Secret Realm, while others intended to head to the Treasure Vault to try their luck...

Among them was a member of the Hong Alliance living on Purple Thorn Island, a Fourth-Layer inheritor and also a Cosmic Venerable.

It must be known that among the many Fourth-Layer inheritors on Purple Thorn Island, many had not yet broken through to the Cosmic Venerable realm.

Just like Zhen Yan Wang in the original work: when he first arrived at the Zushen Sect, he was already a Fourth-Layer inheritor; only later, by seizing the opportunity to receive the Fourth-Layer inheritance, did he fully comprehend the complete Space Origin Law and successfully step into the Cosmic Venerable realm.

At that time, Zhen Yan Wang had also said that if he could not break through within a short period, he would likely be unable to break through for a very long time.

As a Cosmic Venerable, this Hong Alliance member held some status on Purple Thorn Island.

Yet upon seeing Lu Qingshan appear, he displayed extreme enthusiasm.

Facing this situation, Lu Qingshan naturally could not ignore it, so he likewise greeted the other party.

However, Lu Qingshan had no friendship with the other party, so after exchanging a few brief words, Lu Qingshan quickly stepped into the water curtain on the far left.

The water curtain on the far left led precisely to the Inheritance Place, one of the Zushen Sect's three treasure grounds.

Seeing Lu Qingshan step into the Inheritance Place, this Hong Alliance Cosmic Venerable could not help but show a trace of envy on his face.

"I came to this Zushen Sect much earlier than Wan Jie Zunzhe!"

This Cosmic Venerable could not help but sigh inwardly: "Yet until now, I have only accumulated a little over a hundred Glory Points, barely managing to receive one Fourth-Layer Beast God Inheritance, which raised my comprehension of the Beast God Dao by a small margin!"

"If I could obtain as many Glory Points as Wan Jie Zunzhe, I fear I could have stepped into the Fifth Layer of the Beast God Dao, or even the Sixth Layer of the Beast God Dao!"

On the other side.

Lu Qingshan, having stepped into the water curtain, naturally did not know the thoughts of that Hong Alliance Cosmic Venerable; even if he had known, he would not have cared too much.

At this moment, Lu Qingshan only felt the surrounding space-time shifting, and then his entire being was enveloped by a terrifying pressure.

"I have already come to this Inheritance Place ten times, yet this oppressive aura remains so intense!"

Having withstood the oppressive aura, Lu Qingshan glanced around, then could not help but sigh: "The Zushen Sect's Inheritance Place is truly mysterious and unfathomable; even now, when I receive the inheritance, I am still not in control of myself!"

For every Beast God inheritor receiving the inheritance, the Inheritance Place first tests the inheritor's progress in comprehending the Fusion Law, then, according to the inheritor's needs, allows them to receive the most suitable Layer of inheritance.

Of course, if this is not the Beast God inheritor's first time receiving that Layer of inheritance, the inheritor must also possess enough Glory Points to open the inheritance!

"Time to receive the inheritance again!"

Gazing at the endless black mist surrounding him, Lu Qingshan thought silently: "I hope that after receiving this inheritance, I will fully comprehend the Fifth Layer of the Beast God Dao in one go!"

Since arriving at this Zushen Sect, this was already the eleventh time Lu Qingshan had come to this Inheritance Place.

The first two times need no elaboration; simply by using the free inheritance opportunities given by the Zushen Sect, Lu Qingshan had already fully comprehended the first two Layers of the Beast God Dao.

The Third Layer was relatively simple as well, but at that time, to plan for Glory Points, Lu Qingshan directly activated the Dao-Elder Gan Wu Boost function within the Chat Group, and ultimately successfully comprehended it.

As for the Fourth Layer of the Beast God Dao, comprehending it was considerably more difficult.

Even with the help of the Dao-Elder Gan Wu Boost function, Lu Qingshan had to receive the inheritance twice consecutively before fully comprehending the Fourth Layer of the Beast God Dao!

After fully comprehending the Fourth Layer of the Beast God Dao, Lu Qingshan naturally began to comprehend the Fifth Layer of the Beast God Dao.

But comprehending the Fifth Layer was even harder.

With the help of the Dao-Elder Gan Wu Boost function within the Chat Group, Lu Qingshan comprehended the inheritance five consecutive times yet still failed to fully comprehend it.

Fortunately, after five rounds of comprehension, he was getting closer and closer to fully comprehending the Fifth Layer of the inheritance.

Thinking of this, Lu Qingshan quickly looked at the points within the Chat Group.

The current Lu Qingshan did not lack the Glory Points needed to receive the inheritance, so for him, what limited his rapid comprehension of the Beast God Dao was the points within the Chat Group.

It had already been eighty million eras since he arrived at the Zushen Sect, yet until now he had only accumulated enough points to receive the inheritance for the eleventh time.

"Forget it!"

Lu Qingshan shook his head, dispelling the thoughts in his heart, then sighed: "After all, the passage of time is utterly insignificant to the strong within the Devouring Starry Sky World!"

"Although my cultivation speed is countless times slower than Luo Feng's in the original work, compared to other Cosmic Venerables of my Human Race, it is already very fast!"

Thinking of this, Lu Qingshan quickly spent the two hundred and forty thousand points he had just accumulated and activated the Dao-Elder Gan Wu Boost function within the Chat Group!

This time, Lu Qingshan once again set the duration of the Dao-Elder Gan Wu Boost function to be extremely short, just as he had done when receiving the inheritance before.

After all, the shorter the duration of the Dao-Elder Gan Wu Boost function, the more astonishing its effect.

Just like when he received the Beast God Inheritance, his comprehension was estimated to far exceed that of Luo Feng in the original work.

If not for the extremely short duration, plus the need for a period of accumulation each time he received the inheritance, he would have long since fully comprehended the Beast God Dao.

And after activating the Dao-Elder Gan Wu Boost function, Lu Qingshan dared not delay even an instant, quickly flying into the surrounding black mist.

The moment Lu Qingshan flew into the black mist...

Boom!

An unimaginable, strange power instantly descended upon Lu Qingshan; even though Lu Qingshan's willpower had now reached the limit of a Cosmic Venerable, he still could not resist this strange power.

At this moment, his entire being seemed to have completely lost control of himself, standing foolishly in the void, and his right-hand fingers quickly extended slightly.

"Voom!!"

Waves of Venerable Divine Power rapidly dissipated from Lu Qingshan's hand, then quickly condensed into extremely complex Law Secret Patterns.

One after another, Law Secret Patterns surged into the surrounding void; the entire 'Lightning-Time' Fusion Law, starting from the most basic level, began to demonstrate itself uncontrollably in Lu Qingshan's hand, interpreting from the foundational to the profound.

As time continued to pass, increasingly complex Law Secret Patterns began to constantly appear in Lu Qingshan's hand, intertwining with one another, quickly forming a world composed entirely of Law Secret Patterns.

After a short while, Lu Qingshan finally stopped.

At the same time, that mysterious power detached from Lu Qingshan's body, yet Lu Qingshan could clearly recall the scene where he had just been controlled by that mysterious power to interpret the Beast God Dao.

"Is this the power of the Primal Universe Origin Will? It is quite similar to the scene when I was first bestowed the Talent Secret Technique; truly too miraculous!" Lu Qingshan could not help but sigh silently in his heart.

And while Lu Qingshan was sighing in his heart, that mysterious power descended once again.

"Fifth Layer!"

A mighty, surging voice instantly rang within Lu Qingshan's mind; although Lu Qingshan did not know this language at all, he could still understand its meaning.

This majestic voice echoed repeatedly in Lu Qingshan's mind, soon plunging him into an odd Illusion Realm.

Within this Illusion Realm, the mysteries of the Thunder-Time Fusion Law were continuously revealed before Lu Qingshan, as if an ultimate powerhouse had directly infused his mind with the insights of the Thunder-Time Fusion Law.

At the same time…

In Lu Qingshan's divine domain, within the battlefield base on the Infinite Divine Sea, Lu Qingshan's true body and his Infinite Divine Sea avatar were also continuously cultivating!

With the aid of this Zushen Sect inheritance site, countless mysteries of the Thunder-Time Fusion Law surged forth in Lu Qingshan's mind.

Again, after an unknown length of time…

That mysterious force dissipated once more, and the surrounding vast black mist seemed to repel him, directly ejecting Lu Qingshan entirely.

"Hahaha!"

As he was ejected, Lu Qingshan felt his fifth layer of Beast God Dao had reached perfection, and a faint smile appeared on his face: "Finally, I've perfected the fifth layer of Beast God Dao!"

"Though this pace is slower than my original plan, compared to other Cosmic Zunzhe, it's already quite impressive!"

"Moreover, now that the fifth layer of Beast God Dao is perfected, my self-created fifth combat secret art can be further refined, and I suspect I can now activate the third form of the Nine Dragon Supreme Armor—by then, few among the Cosmic Zunzhe will be able to challenge me!"

At this moment, Lu Qingshan did not feel his power was strong; he believed that activating the third-tier high-grade divine armor, combined with the divine body split from his Infinite Divine Sea avatar, would grant him defense comparable to Luo Feng's in the original story.

As various thoughts flashed through his mind, Lu Qingshan quickly returned to his mansion on Zi Jing Island and began quiet cultivation.

Though he had now fully comprehended the fifth layer of Beast God Dao, if he struck while the iron was hot, he could still gain some gains in a short time.

…In the core of the Zushen Sect, within a Beast God Temple towering over a hundred million kilometers high.

Inside this Beast God Temple, an entire spacetime was fully contained, featuring rivers and lakes, mountains, ice and snow, deserts… all manner of scenery imaginable.

At the heart of this spacetime lay a colossal, slumbering figure.

"Huuuh…" "Ssshh…"

This colossal figure's mere natural breath shook this entire realm, stirring the spacetime itself.

Between its breaths, mountains shattered, seas reversed, and a doomsday scene unfolded!

Yet the next instant, the spacetime returned completely to normal, as if nothing had happened.

Just as Lu Qingshan began his deep cultivation, suddenly a two-headed figure appeared outside this divine temple.

"Jing Xin, I seek the Fire Beast God!" came a voice from the two-headed figure.

Instantly, the breathing within this spacetime ceased, and the slumbering Fire Beast God opened its eyes.

"Hmm?" The Fire Beast God waved a hand, and Jing Xin, the Divine General, immediately appeared before him.

This hundred-million-year cycle was under the Fire Beast God's responsibility for Zushen Sect affairs, so even though he disliked being disturbed, he felt no great annoyance.

"Jing Xin, pays homage to the Fire Beast God!" Jing Xin, the Divine General, quickly looked up at the towering figure before him and bowed respectfully.

"Jing Xin, Divine General!"

The Fire Beast God promptly asked: "What brings you here?"

"Beast God!"

Jing Xin, the Divine General, quickly said respectfully: "Just now, the inheritance site sent word—another Beast God inheritance holder has fully comprehended the fifth layer of Beast God Dao!"

"According to Zushen Sect rules, once a Beast God inheritance holder fully comprehends the fifth layer of Beast God Dao, our sect shall absorb them as an outer member!"

"Oh?"

Hearing this, the Fire Beast God felt considerable surprise.

"Interesting!"

The Fire Beast God chuckled: "The last time I encountered an outer member who comprehended Beast God Dao was over a billion years ago!"

You should know that among the eight Beast Gods of the Zushen Sect, every hundred million epochs, one of them takes turns handling the daily trivial matters of the Zushen Sect.

Yet even over such long spans, a Zushen Sect outer member who cultivates Beast God Dao may not appear at all.

After all, fully comprehending the fifth layer of Beast God Dao is already quite difficult—even for a Cosmic Zunzhe.

Thinking of this, the Fire Beast God grew curious and directly looked down at Jing Xin, the Divine General, asking: "Do you have specific details about this inheritance holder?"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing the Fire Beast God's words, Jing Xin, the Divine General, immediately waved his hand, summoning a phantom screen in midair, then continued: "Report, Beast God—this individual is Wan Jie Zunzhe of the Human Race!"

"Eighty million years ago, shortly after arriving at our Zushen Sect, he unlocked the twenty-first-ranked treasure vault, then cleverly devised a plan to acquire nearly ten thousand Honor Points from numerous third-layer inheritance holders!"

"Now, after eighty million years, he has finally fully comprehended the fifth layer of Beast God Dao!"

"Nearly ten thousand Honor Points?"

Hearing Jing Xin's report, the Fire Beast God shook his head: "It seems Wan Jie Zunzhe isn't particularly gifted in Beast God Dao—ten thousand Honor Points could have granted him nearly a hundred inheritance sessions; that he fully comprehended the fifth layer isn't surprising."

"Respectfully, Beast God!"

Jing Xin, the Divine General, quickly added: "In the past eighty million years, Wan Jie Zunzhe has visited the inheritance site only a dozen times."

"According to the inheritance site's records, he fully comprehended the fifth layer of Beast God Dao after only six inheritance sessions."

"Only six inheritance sessions?"

The Fire Beast God nodded slightly: "Then his talent in Beast God Dao is quite impressive."

"Moreover, despite possessing so many Honor Points, he restrained himself, waiting until he had sufficient insights before accepting each inheritance—I have high hopes for him."

But the Fire Beast God did not know that Lu Qingshan had accepted only a few inheritance sessions over eighty million years primarily because he was waiting to accumulate enough points to activate the enlightenment boost function.

Thinking of this, the Fire Beast God quickly looked toward Jing Xin, the Divine General, and ordered: "Enough. I'll handle this matter. You may withdraw."

"Yes!" Jing Xin, the Divine General, promptly replied respectfully.

…

On the third day after Lu Qingshan emerged from the inheritance site.

Above Zi Jing Island, an invisible pressure, causing all inheritance holders to tremble, suddenly descended—this pressure was far more tyrannical than that of an ordinary Cosmic Lord.

Sensing this terrifying pressure, each Beast God inheritance holder on Zi Jing Island flew out of their palaces.

"Is it the Fire Beast God?"

"Why has the Beast God of Fire suddenly appeared?"

"Could it be that someone has again comprehended the Fifth Layer of the Beast God Dao?"

Many inheritors on the Violet Thorn Island had already stayed here for endless eons and had naturally witnessed the scene of a Beast God descending.

Meanwhile, in Lu Qingshan's residence, Lu Qingshan, who had felt the pressure, quickly opened his eyes.

"The Beast God of Fire has descended!"

Lu Qingshan thought silently in his heart: "Could it be because I have comprehended the Fifth Layer of the Beast God Dao?"

Thinking of this, Lu Qingshan immediately stepped across the threshold and then flew directly into the half-air.

At the same time, the half-air of the Violet Thorn Island was filled with dense figures of inheritors; every single one of them looked up at the Beast God of Fire in the high sky.

Boom!!

Only endless flames instantly filled the high sky, and even the colorful auroras covering the Violet Thorn Island temporarily retreated.

Within the endless flames, a towering figure was vaguely visible; the pressure was emanating from this towering figure, which was indeed the Beast God of Fire among the Eight Directions Beast Gods of the Zushen Sect.

Whoosh!

The Beast God of Fire merely exhaled a breath, and the inheritors who had been staying in the half-air all fell to the ground; even the Universe Zifeng Zunzhe were no exception.

For a moment, only the Beast God of Fire and Lu Qingshan remained as two figures in the half-air.

"It is the Wan Jie Zunzhe of the Human Race!"

"It is that cunning Wan Jie Zunzhe!"

"Could it be that he has already fully comprehended the Fifth Layer of the Beast God Dao?"

"It should be so! Otherwise, the Beast God of Fire would definitely not have appeared so easily!"

"That Wan Jie Zunzhe has only been on the Violet Thorn Island for over eighty million epochs; who would have thought he would fully comprehend the Fifth Layer of the Beast God Dao so quickly!"

"What's so fast? If I had obtained nearly ten thousand Glory Points like him, perhaps I would have already fully comprehended even the Sixth Layer by now!"

For a moment, amidst the voices of many Beast God inheritors around, whether envious or jealous... all began to discuss it one after another.

(End of this chapter)