Chapter 138

Qin Yu only glanced at the pitch-black ancient stele covered in law markings, and hastily withdrew his mind, not daring to look even a second longer. He knew the stele contained endless mysteries and danger, fearing that a moment's carelessness would trap him irretrievably.

Seeing this, Azure Green Wood smiled faintly and said softly, 'I am right here, cheering for the young master, waiting for him to pass the third trial.' It understood it only needed to wait, no need to enter the second trial with extremely high danger, for the fatality rate there was simply too high.

Hearing this, the Immortal Sect Leader beside him nearly ground his molars in anger. He never imagined that Azure Green Wood entering the second trial was to submit to Qin Yu! 'Holy shit! This is too absurd!' he raged inwardly, filled with disbelief.

Know that this is a sentient Dao herb capable of spawning countless earth- and heaven-rank spiritual medicines. Even he himself had never possessed such a precious thing; his own dead-silent Dao herbs numbered only two or three. At this moment, his heart was filled with envy.

'The Ancient‑Modern Stele… even if it contains a supreme expert who is invincible at the Dao level and even became a saint, among peers I may not lose.' The Immortal Sect Leader drew a deep breath, steadied his mind, and kept encouraging himself. He thought everyone was suppressed to the peak of the Spirit‑Transformation realm, able to mobilize only minor accomplishments in the Dao domain. In martial insight and combat experience, he was confident he was no worse than anyone else—after all, nearly ten thousand years had not been wasted.

'Buzz!' The Ancient‑Modern Stele, eroded by the power of time, suddenly emitted two ink‑black beams of light that precisely fell on Qin Yu and the Immortal Sect Leader, as if seeking the most suitable opponents for them.

At this moment, the primordial deity above the firmament also grew tense, full of worry, fearing the appearance of a being so powerful that none could match it.

Qin Yu's current Foundation Establishment strength could indeed sweep aside opponents in this era, but if placed in the flourishing age of early antiquity or ancient times, it would be utterly insignificant.

Recall that in the Body‑Tempering realm, a supreme expert once refined a mortal body to the extreme, reaching 108,000 catties of strength. Millennia later, after achieving great cultivation, a single punch from him could shatter mountains and rivers, extinguish sun and moon—his terror simply beyond imagination.

If Qin Yu encountered such a body cultivator, he would likely face more misfortune than fortune. Yet this is precisely the forbidden zone crafted by that expert, a unique world designed to give these primordial deities a chance at rebirth, a opportunity to return to the myriad heavens. Thinking this, the primordial deity even began to silently pray, hoping Qin Yu would have better luck and never meet an overly powerful foe.

'Boom!' At that moment, the Ancient‑Modern Stele violently trembled, and a hazy figure slowly stepped out. The figure was towering, like a giant descending upon the world. His inner spirit qi surged, and his mighty qi and blood roiled outward, his aura awe‑inspiring.

'Ancient‑Modern Stele, rank 99,982, Barbarian, Tuoba Wu, early antiquity, self‑styled Martial God, beneath a saint, virtually invincible!'

'Perception realm, Spirit‑Transformation peak, seal‑enhanced, body cultivator methods, fully restored.'

Hearing this, the Immortal Sect Leader's heart instantly relaxed. At least he was a Dao‑level cultivator; although called invincible beneath a saint, he still had a sliver of hope.

In an instant, his fighting spirit soared; he took a fierce step forward, gathering strength, ready to strike. The twin wings on his back continually recovered, countless strands of law‑energy swirling around him, elevating his essence, energy, and spirit to the peak.

He glanced at Qin Yu beside him, a faint cold smile curling his lips. In his view, no matter how strong this human mortal was, he could never reach the level of those experts in the Ancient‑Modern Stele. What mighty arts or divine abilities could a Foundation Establishment cultivator possibly learn? Facing such an ancient suppressive seal, he would only suffer defeat and resentment, with no chance of victory!

Immediately, he calmly turned his gaze to Azure Green Wood and said coldly, 'Azure Green Wood, once I get out I will personally subdue you and bind you with a servant contract. You have chosen the wrong person.' The Immortal Sect Leader seethed with dissatisfaction—his own strength was immense, yet Azure Green Wood had chosen Qin Yu, which he found hard to accept.

'Holy shit! Good thing it wasn't this mortal who ran into Tuoba Wu!' The primordial deity's heart shuddered, secretly relieved. Tuoba Wu was a body cultivator; though he hadn't reached the extreme of Body‑Tempering, he still possessed 100,000 catties of physical strength, enough to contend with young true dragons and ferocious beasts. For a low‑level cultivator, encountering such a body cultivator is the most terrifying.

In the Spirit‑Transformation realm, Tuoba Wu's bodily strength should reach 1,280,000 catties; even at Foundation Establishment he would have 300,000 catties. Of course, this was achieved only through the abundant spiritual qi of antiquity, rare resources, and mighty body‑arts, forced into cultivation. Moreover, Tuoba Wu aspired to walk the path of flesh‑to‑sainthood, a road exceedingly arduous; though he swept his peers and continually overthrew elders, earning an invincible reputation, he ultimately failed, spending his whole life unable to become a saint, unable to cross that heavenly chasm. After all, whether any so‑called invincible cultivation path can lead to sainthood is of utmost importance.

'Boom!' At that moment, the battle below had already erupted. Dao essence and qi‑blood collided violently; in an instant, the Immortal Sect Leader suffered heavy injury. Tuoba Wu's single punch shattered his wings.

The Immortal Sect Leader was shocked—could a Spirit‑Transformation cultivator truly possess such bodily strength? This was too ferocious! He inwardly cursed, but then relied on martial techniques and divine abilities, constantly maneuvering against Tuoba Wu, waiting for a chance to deliver a fatal blow. Yet at this moment he was in utter disarray, only able to be relentlessly pursued.

At that moment, the Ancient‑Modern Stele seemed to have found a suitable opponent for Qin Yu, and a more terrifying aura surged forth.

'Rumble!' Thunderous roars echoed one after another.

Within the Ancient‑Modern Stele, a sky‑covering figure flew out. Its entire body was crimson, like a blazing flame, it spread its wings and soared through the nine heavens.

Qin Yu stared intently, observing carefully, and couldn't help wondering: 'This… this seems somewhat like Little Phoenix.'

Not only Qin Yu, but Azure Green Wood and the many cultivators within felt an immense pressure, their bodies trembling involuntarily.

At that moment, brilliant golden characters slowly emerged in the void, arranged in a line.

'Ancient‑Modern Stele, rank 99, Phoenix clan second‑generation ancestor, Heavenly Phoenix Great Sage.'

Without further elaboration, just the three words 'second‑generation ancestor' were enough to shock—wasn't that equivalent to the Phoenix Ancestor's own child?

'Holy shit!' Seeing this, the primordial deity was dumbfounded, standing frozen. 'What the hell kind of bad luck is this? Could it be the Phoenix clan's imprint sensing that I'm about to attack that phoenix? Impossible! They've been dead for how many years! Even those great emperors couldn't interfere with the Ancient‑Modern Stele!' It cursed furiously, heart blazing with rage.

How can we fight? A mere bloodline pressure could render Qin Yu powerless, causing him to fall on the spot. Such a monster is unreasonably ferocious; once grown, even an ordinary primordial deity would struggle to oppose it, making it a supreme existence in heaven and earth!

At this moment, the Immortal Sect Leader locked in battle with Tuoba Wu felt a flicker of joy in his eyes: 'Indeed, my fate is not to perish!' While fighting Tuoba Wu, he kept stalling, waiting for Qin Yu to fall. In his view, once Qin Yu died, this opportunity would belong solely to him.

Azure Green Wood opened its mouth slightly, wanting to say something, but ultimately said nothing. Its eyes were filled with a gloomy hue, as if it had already foreseen the worst outcome.

The faces of the many human cultivators within turned deathly pale. They clearly saw the line of brilliant golden characters. Those ranked in the top hundred of the Ancient‑Modern Stele are each the supreme beings of all ages, existences that dominate heaven and earth, called taboo—even the heavenly way finds them hard to control, faintly bearing a sense of transcendence.

'Young master is too monstrous, provoking such an existence… we're doomed.' Many who had not yet broken their blood‑slave contracts sighed deeply, knowing in their hearts that they likely could not escape death; this situation offered no hope at all.