Chapter 570: The First Step, The Second Step (4K)

Just as Wu Chun Xianjun's expression changed in an instant, a vast force surged forth, drawing upon his past, present, and future spacetime destiny, as three-colored divine light descended to envelop him, seeking to absorb his past, present, and future forms and reduce them to dust.

Zhang Jian likewise harbored murderous intent toward him.

At this moment, he was killing a chicken to scare the monkeys—anyone who dared to step forward would be revealing dissatisfaction with him, and eliminating them would be entirely justified.

Wu Chun Xianjun silently thought it was bad, but fortunately he had already passed the fourth step of Taiyi Perfection, severed his fate, and no longer feared such terrifying spacetime-reversal immortal arts; the countless lights and shadows descending upon him caused his head to bear the Dao fruit auspicious clouds, which condensed into numerous profound ice canopies protecting his body.

The three-colored divine light descended in an instant.

Boom!

In that instant, the floor tiles beneath his feet, formed of eternal ice crystals, shattered; the chair behind him, even the canopy above his head, and the profound ice-colored armor surrounding his body all collapsed layer by layer into dust.

His face flushed crimson as he stared in utter shock at Zhang Jian.

At this moment, his qi and blood surged violently, feeling most of his bodily orifices rupture; he could only forcibly suppress this terrifying recoil force to avoid disgracing himself on the spot.

Zhang Jian glanced at him, a hint of strange color flashing in his eyes.

Seeing Wu Chun Xianjun cease his attack, Zhang Jian also refrained from continuing.

This time was a warning.

If he dared to be dishonest again, Zhang Jian would have his own means.

Meanwhile, the three-colored divine light enveloped the Ice Plains Divine Lord.

The Ice Plains Divine Lord had no power to resist; his form was shrouded by the three-colored divine light, and vast illusions of his past spacetime emerged.

Including how the Ice Plains Divine Lord made deals with other heavenly powerhouses, cared for prisoners in the Eternal Ice Prison, and also led various groups into the Eternal Ice Prison—whether to cultivate or simply to torment certain immortals and gods.

The sight of these scenes caused other immortals and gods to wear unnatural expressions.

Many of them had played unsavory roles in these visions.

But the most damning vision to emerge showed the Ice Plains Divine Lord holding a divine banner, yet secretly using its power to torment and drain the vital essence of some immortals and gods, or employing ice fortress restrictions to squeeze their worth.

That divine banner was clearly a fifth-rank demonic path immortal treasure.

Blood Infant Divine Banner!

This is an extremely vicious demonic path immortal treasure that absorbs the essence and blood of myriad immortals, enabling the cultivation of an unfathomably mysterious Blood Infant Demon God incarnation.

The nine Blood Infant Demon God incarnations come and go without trace, not only elusive in form but also yin, poisonous, and mysterious, and capable of nourishing one's cultivation.

Yet such demonic path immortal treasures are explicitly forbidden by heavenly decree.

At this moment, as the three-colored divine light locked on, Zhang Jian casually reached out and plucked a strand of blood-colored mist from the depths of the void, which fell before the assembled immortals.

"Ice Plains Divine Lord, do you still have anything to say now?"

Zhang Jian casually seized the Blood Infant Divine Banner and tucked it away beneath his eyes.

In his pupils, the Blood Infant Divine Banner circulated with a unique thread of Blood Sea Ancestral Qi, wondrous and profound.

This demonic treasure, like the Asura Divine Banner, Blood Sea Divine Banner, and Blood Ghost Divine Banner, belongs to a series originating from the myriad demon kings of the Blood Sea Demon Realm.

At this moment, the Ice Plains Divine Lord's eyes flickered with a trace of crimson, yet he still clung to his defiance.

"This is slander!"

Seeing this, Zhang Jian merely turned his gaze toward the startled immortals nearby and asked.

"Lingwu Immortal Official, what punishment do you deem fitting for an immortal who abuses his celestial office to harm heavenly immortals and gods, secretly cultivating forbidden arts?"

Lingwu Immortal Official Yuan Jiang glanced at the nearby Wu Chun, who had silently changed seats, his eye twitching slightly, yet he spoke.

"Secretly cultivating forbidden arts, abusing power for private gain, plotting harm against immortals and gods—this already violates heavenly law; he should be dragged to the Immortal-Slaying Platform, have his immortal bones extracted, and suffer the ultimate punishment!"

"Excellent!"

Zhang Jian gave a slight nod, not even glancing at Wu Chun, who sat down with a face alternating between green and white, while secretly releasing his suppression of the Ice Plains Divine Lord.

Feeling this shift, the Ice Plains Divine Lord's eyes flashed with countless thoughts in an instant.

He knew he was in grave danger at this moment.

The other party might be fishing, waiting for him to make a move.

Yet he knew that even if he stayed, he was nearly as good as dead.

Cultivating magic by harvesting the essence and blood of heavenly immortals and gods—once exposed, his death would be certain.

As he focused, a jet-black divine sigil condensed at the center of his brow and suddenly slashed toward Zhang Jian.

It was the Supreme King Dao Talisman he held.

The divine talisman of the Heavenly Supreme King Dao Lord, containing within it the power of eternal-level immortal arts.

The jet-black divine light seemed to sever all things, cutting through immortal and demonic Dao fruits, destroying myriad laws.

Meanwhile, a World King Divine Sigil appeared around him, its golden hue tearing through spacetime—his form was about to shift into it.

The Ice Plains Divine Lord knew that, given his cultivation, fleeing anywhere would likely still leave him vulnerable to heavenly pursuit; his only hope lay in entering the Supreme King Dao Lord's divine domain, seeking the protection of this ancestral master, which might offer a sliver of survival.

On the main seat, Zhang Jian watched the formless divine sword formed by the black Dao talisman, having long prepared.

Above his head, the three-colored divine light flowed, transforming into a great vortex that swallowed it.

With the power of the Three Lives Stone, suppressing an eternal-level immortal art was effortless.

To what extent an eternal-level immortal art can be unleashed ultimately depends on the user, not the art itself.

At this moment, Zhang Jian slowly raised one hand.

"Unauthorized flight, assault upon a superior immortal—crime increased by one degree; today, this god shall seize you and execute you openly and lawfully!"

A cold smile flickered in Zhang Jian's eyes.

Since he became the Heavenly Lord of the Eternal Ice Fortress, he would not tolerate divided loyalties, nor allow hidden dangers to persist, lest he end up as the scapegoat.

But since he must capture the opponent, he naturally wants others to have nothing to say.

To catch a thief, one must catch him with the stolen goods.

Of course, if there is no solid evidence, he can also manufacture it.

He is no upright gentleman.

Having once been an emperor, he leans even more toward the idea of supreme self-importance.

Those who follow me prosper; those who oppose me perish.

With a wave of Zhang Jian's hand, an invisible force, as if passing through endless time and space, directly reached the depths of the Ice Plains Divine Lord's brow.

The Ice Plains Divine Lord's figure, as he stepped into the spacetime passage, suddenly froze; his entire form was instantly gripped by a tremendous force and held suspended in midair, his face flushed, his pupils constricted, yet suppressed by this force, he was directly slammed onto the ground, kneeling upon it.

Under this tremendous force, all of his ice-blue armor shattered completely.

His form sank even deeper into the floor, leaving only his skull floating above the surface.

He lifted his head, just in time to see Wu Chun in the distance, letting out a mournful cry from his mouth.

"General Wu Chun, Deputy Commander Yuan, save me—this deity is clearly using excuses to eliminate dissenters. Don't the two of you worry about becoming the next targets?"

Upon the Heavenly Lord's throne, Zhang Jian witnessed this scene but did not immediately deal with him; instead, he let his gaze fall upon Wu Chun.

"General Wu, do you find his words reasonable?"

A faint hue of inquiry lingered in his eyes.

Wu Chun, the Immortal Lord, twitched the muscles of his face slightly.

He clenched his steel teeth and spoke in a deep voice.

"This scoundrel harbors malicious intent; even now he seeks to drag others down with him. I implore the Heavenly Lord to execute him openly and according to law!"

Seeing Wu Chun yield, Zhang Jian's lips curled into a faint, indifferent smile. With a wave of his hand, he seized the true form of the Ice Plains Divine Lord deep within his palm, then casually opened a passage to the Eternal Ice Prison and cast him into its seventh layer.

"Very well—both human and material evidence are present. Today, I shall strip this deity of his divine office, cast him into the Eternal Ice Prison, and appoint a day for his execution by extreme punishment."

Zhang Jian did not immediately slay this Ice Plains Divine Lord.

The Ice Plains Divine Lord no longer had any chance to resist, yet he still possessed much value—such as his bribery affairs—and he seemed to hold leverage over many immortals and deities within the Eternal Ice Fortress. Once extracted, this could allow him to fully control all immortals within the fortress.

This would save him considerable time.

After dealing with Zhang Jian, the subsequent proceedings went much more smoothly; many adjustments to the Eternal Ice Fortress's rules proceeded without hindrance.

Regarding the flaws of the Eternal Ice Fortress, Zhang Jian's reforms proceeded smoothly.

However, Zhang Jian did not wish to completely cut off the financial channels of the Eternal Ice Fortress from top to bottom.

Henceforth, the Eternal Ice Fortress must not allow violations that permit other immortals and deities to enter privately, but it may still permit prison guards to grant certain immortals special care—provided such care does not defy the Heavenly Court, is not secretly enacted as punishment, and merely consists of certain attentions that need not incur such extreme penalties.

Furthermore, entering the Eternal Ice Fortress for cultivation requires passing his personal review to verify the origins and backgrounds of those immortals and deities.

Although Zhang Jian's demands were stricter, upon hearing them, many immortals and deities felt greatly pleased.

It appears this new Heavenly Lord of the Eternal Ice Fortress is not so unapproachable.

He simply dislikes anyone singing opposing tunes against him.

This is quite normal—many in high positions do not favor such subordinates.

……

After the meeting concluded, the numerous ice fortress officials departed with complex emotions, needing to properly adjust their mindsets.

Without doubt, from now on, the many immortals and deities of the Eternal Ice Fortress must readjust their attitudes.

As for those unwilling, the fate of the Ice Plains Divine Lord already lies before them as an example.

In the Eternal Great Hall

Zhang Jian slowly descended from his throne, his eyes rippling with subtle waves.

Without doubt, he has today offended another Heavenly Court Dao Lord.

The Prison King Dao Lord.

The Prison King Dao Lord is, within the Heavenly Court's divine Dao, a rather renowned Dao Lord.

Many prison deities largely revere him as their ancestral master; his influence is not insignificant.

Otherwise, Zhang Jian would not care about these matters.

Still, that same saying holds.

Only mediocre deities avoid offending others.

Yet he still needs to accelerate his cultivation pace.

Zhang Jian has not forgotten his original goal upon entering the Eternal Ice Fortress: to harness its eternal icy power to temper his Dao heart and swiftly gain the capital needed to challenge the Dao Lord realm.

Now that trivial matters are settled, he ought to calm himself and cultivate properly.

Currently, the Earth Emperor's primordial qi has already been widely disseminated throughout the myriad heavenly dimensions governed by the Heavenly Court, as well as deep within the great realms; he intends to use this to properly transform his primordial qi Dao fruit and evolve his primordial qi foundation.

To reach the Dao Lord realm from the Taiyi Great Perfection, there are seven steps.

The first step is transforming the primordial qi Dao fruit; the second, evolving the primordial qi foundation—he can complete both in an extremely short time. As for the third step, perfecting the Dao heart, he can also pass through it with the aid of the Eternal Ice Fortress Heavenly Lord's divine authority.

……

Eternal Ice Crystal Divine Palace.

This palace is the ice fortress's core secret zone; the vast hall is constructed from eternal ice crystal divine marrow, its entire structure dominated by a strange blue hue, with walls of translucent crystal silver.

At this moment, it is filled with countless icy forces—bone-chilling cold.

Not only is it guarded by prohibitions, but also sealed by supreme treasures.

Within it are preserved three supreme treasures: the All-Heavens Profound Darkness Divine Banner, the Eternal Divine Seal, and the Profound Darkness Divine Staff.

These three immortal treasures are each fourth-rank eternal immortal treasures, respectively suppressing the Eternal Divine Realm, the Eternal Ice Fortress, and the Eternal Ice Prison.

The power of these three eternal immortal treasures is extraordinarily great.

In fact, there is a fourth supreme treasure: the Nine Heavens Divine Stele.

It is a world-suppressing supreme treasure born from the central heavenly realms, buried within the Eternal Ice Fortress. This object, Zhang Jian—the Heavenly Lord of the Eternal Ice Fortress—has no right to use; he may only guard it.

As for the other three eternal immortal treasures, they are divine Dao supreme treasures. Utilizing the heavenly mandates bestowed by the Heavenly Court and the seal of the Ice Fortress Heavenly Lord allows for initial refinement, but deep refinement remains unattainable.

They truly belong to the Heavenly Court, not to the Heavenly Lord of the Eternal Ice Fortress.

Yet by relying on these three divine Dao supreme treasures, Zhang Jian can master a brand-new divine office.

This is a divine office of ice and snow origin, exceptionally formidable.

At this time, to the god's right, Zhang Jian slowly stepped into the depths of the Eternal Ice Crystal Divine Hall, arriving at the lofty Xuantian Divine Throne.

Around the divine throne, three divine artifacts were each placed in ice-crystal-colored treasure boxes, their surfaces entwined with intense Xuantian divine power—a terrifying divine power that freezes spacetime.

Still lingering with the aura of the ancient primordial divine path.

Zhang Jian's entire being resonated with their aura.

Three streams of divine power descended upon his surroundings, and in his mind he seemed to merge with this eternal ice and snow-covered pure white land; countless powers of eternal ice and snow came under his control, and with a thought he could cover the Nine Heavens of the lower realm.

This is a terrifying power.

But even holding the three divine path supreme treasures, Zhang Jian felt that within the Eternal Forbidden Zone, there remained areas he could not reach, nor even approach.

Zhang Jian sensed a little of it, then paid it no mind.

He no longer had such intense curiosity; now he only wished to wholeheartedly cultivate his Dao, to gain greater authority.

Zhang Jian calmed his mind; at this moment his attention was entirely focused on the Life Palace at his brow.

Deep within the Life Palace, a purple-yellow Dao fruit auspicious cloud gradually emerged from his surroundings, and the vast Imperial Treasure Wheel appeared.

The magnificent Imperial Treasure Wheel slowly turned, faintly with three thousand great Dao runes circulating around it, manifesting as a purple-yellow dragon-shaped form, which gradually solidified from illusion.

With the Earth Emperor's primordial qi spreading throughout the heavenly court and all realms, his cultivation advanced a thousand miles a day.

At this time it was nearing completion; once complete, he could directly cross the first step of transforming primordial qi Dao fruit, and the second step of evolving primordial qi foundation.

Because of these two steps, the first step—having transformed into a divine body, his Taiyi Dao fruit had already become primordial qi Dao fruit, so he did not need to re-evolve like other Taiyi Great Perfection immortals.

And the second step, during his Earth Emperor primordial qi broadcast to the ten directions of heavens, had already evolved the three thousand innate and acquired Dao qi, and was nearing completion.

Therefore, once the Dao fruit auspicious cloud's Dao fruit immortal light at its depths became complete, he could directly skip the first two steps and enter the third step.

Within the Eternal Ice Crystal Divine Hall, Zhang Jian spent most of his time inside the hall rapidly perfecting the Dao fruit immortal light, while also aided by the Eternal Ice Fortress Heavenly Lord divine office's eternal ice power, perfecting his Dao heart.

Time passed swiftly.

Thirty years later, within the Eternal Ice Crystal Divine Hall, a purple-yellow dragon-shaped form suddenly soared into the air, instantly merging into Zhang Jian's sacred Dao body, which then manifested directly in the great hall.

Human body with dragon tail, dragon horns towering, the majestic dragon tail stood upon the earth, as if merging with the entire land; a majestic divine path pressure flowed from his surroundings, like the supreme god-emperor ruling the earth, as he gradually submitted to the heavenly and earthly Dao laws.

An aura of commanding the boundless Dao emanated from his sacred true form.

Shortly after, purple-yellow light flowed around his body, instantly manifesting as a human form.

His human form was nearly constructed from the Earth Emperor Dao, possessing unmatched strength.

Zhang Jian now felt he could finally smoothly control the primordial qi Dao fruit, and even the myriad Dao qi marvels evolved from the Earth Emperor primordial qi, effortlessly.

And he could fully use the Earth Emperor primordial qi to suppress the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram, displaying various great power primordial qi immortal arts.

Such strength was nearly explosive.

With multiple eternal immortal treasures on his person, their use became even easier.

He knew he had now directly passed the first and second steps.

Possessing the foundation to attempt the third step of Taiyi Perfection.