Chapter 285: Ninth Heaven Summit, Completely Exterminating the Thunder King, the Human Race Ascends

In the universe.

Around Gu Jin Nian, a thunder sea evolves, turning from substance into void, then forming a black hole that ravenously devours the Thunder King's thunderous power.

Thunder King.

One of the ancient Nine Kings, born from the thunder sea, possessing immortal divine power; as long as thunder endures, he does not die.

Under these circumstances, truly exterminating the Thunder King is impossible.

But no one expected that Gu Jin Nian actually conceived this method; he possesses a mythic constitution, having once obtained thunder tribulation fluid within the Thunder Clan's divine mountain and refined it into a supreme thunder body.

Now it has evolved into a thunder domain, absorbing his thunder Dao source.

Indeed, this is a good method.

However, to kill the Thunder King by this method, the contest becomes one of offense and defense.

Gu Jin Nian is on the defensive, the Thunder King on the offensive; if Gu Jin Nian cannot withstand the Thunder King's thunder Dao source, he dies, but if he can endure, the unlucky one may be the Thunder King.

It doesn't guarantee death, but at least the terrifying source power must be depleted.

This move cannot be said to guarantee victory, yet it is indeed the best means available now.

"Do you think you can defeat me with this method?"

"Truly foolish."

The Thunder King's voice rang out; he instantly perceived Gu Jin Nian's thoughts, yet he did not panic, remaining lofty and supremely confident.

Nevertheless, as he said, the Thunder King spread his hands, more thunder tearing through the universe and descending here, clearly indicating he does not wish Gu Jin Nian to gradually eat him away.

He intends to burst Gu Jin Nian in one breath.

Boom—boom—boom.

Thunder transforms into runes, flooding the universe as if ten times fiercer than before; evidently, the Thunder King knows Gu Jin Nian's method will disadvantage him, so he strikes outright, giving Gu Jin Nian no chance, aiming to burst him in a single breath.

But, the next moment.

The Tree of All Beings swells ten thousandfold, supporting ancient stars, refining all thunder.

Now, Gu Jin Nian's greatest reliance is the Tree of All Beings; he is confident that, with its aid, he can exterminate the Thunder King.

Boom—boom—boom.

These thunders, like the Nine Heavens' galaxy pouring down, surge straight into the black hole, showing no sign of being unable to bear them.

At this moment, the Tree of All Beings becomes increasingly transparent, emitting billions of divine rays that illuminate the entire universe.

"Great World, aid me."

At this time, Gu Jin Nian's voice rang out; the Divine Continent Ancient Star instantly gathered countless streams of mysterious yellow qi, surging toward Gu Jin Nian's body.

With each addition of this mysterious yellow qi, the black holes evolved by Gu Jin Nian increase in number.

Eventually, nine great black holes appear.

The original thunder-domain black hole could already bear the Thunder King's source; now nine have evolved, and in an instant, thunder Dao runes as vast as an ocean surge wildly into Gu Jin Nian's body.

Gu Jin Nian's aura grows ever stronger.

The Tree of All Beings also becomes increasingly solid.

In an instant, the Thunder King's complexion changes; he finds it hard to stay calm as Gu Jin Nian seeks to use absorption and refinement of his own source as an offensive tactic.

But his lack of fear stems from his belief that Gu Jin Nian cannot absorb much.

After all, Gu Jin Nian only reached the Ninth Heaven by relying on some will; his true strength certainly does not possess the Ninth Heaven.

One is real, one is illusion.

Naturally, he fears not Gu Jin Nian.

What he did not anticipate is that the Tree of All Beings behind Gu Jin Nian possesses such ability, equivalent to a Ninth Heaven strongman; together, it can indeed trouble him.

But the most unexpected is that Gu Jin Nian uses the Great World's will to suppress him.

If he does not quickly devise a method, disaster is inevitable.

"All, aid me."

The Thunder King's voice rang out; he was earnest, no longer possessing any of his former composure.

At this point, a single misstep would truly turn to ash.

The Ji King, Fire King and other human‑race sovereigns dared not delay; in fact they had long been ready to act, and when the Thunder King spoke, the Ji King, Fire King, and five venerable ancient kings all struck together.

Their aura, like divine pillars, surged toward the heavens, bestowing blessings upon the Thunder King.

Empowered, the Thunder King's aura surged severalfold, causing the entire star system to tremble.

This terrifying aura, even as a single strand, its resulting sword qi could annihilate an Eastern Wilderness.

Boom.

Endless thunder tribulations materialized, slashing toward Gu Jin Nian, turning into infinite divine weapons.

Unfortunately, all were intercepted by the Tree of All Beings and fully refined.

Gu Jin Nian's aura continuously skyrockets.

People are astonished.

Within the Great World, the masses are shocked; they did not expect Gu Jin Nian to await the Thunder King here—this move truly is a killing blow.

"No wonder Jin Nian is so confident; seems I have overthought it."

Su Wenjing's voice rang out; he let out a long sigh, indeed having worried about Gu Jin Nian's misfortune, now realizing he worried too much.

"No wonder Gu Sheng has such confidence; it turns out he seeks the Great World's power."

"Undeniably, this Great World power, at critical moments, indeed offers great assistance."

Many voices rose; the masses felt awe and some excitement, for the stronger Gu Jin Nian becomes, the more protection they receive.

As for the major ancient clans, each wore a heavy expression; many chose to align with the ancient human race, hoping to gain protection in the forthcoming Great Purge.

But now it seems Gu Jin Nian is a better choice.

Although in overall strength Gu Jin Nian still cannot match the Five Clans, at least Gu Jin Nian possesses limitless possibilities.

Thinking of this, their hearts began to tremble.

Boom—boom—boom.

Beyond the starry sky.

Gu Jin Nian frantically absorbed and refined this thunder tribulation power, the primordial source of the ancient Thunder Dao, which holds extraordinary might; after devouring and refining it, Gu Jin Nian's aura rose to its utmost.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

The entire Great World boiled, and Gu Jin Nian's mortal body shone especially radiant, divine light unfurling in layers, emitting an indescribable brilliance.

Gu Jin Nian already stands at the Eighth Heaven Peak Realm, and now, after absorbing the Thunder King's source, he vaguely appears on the verge of breaking through to the Ninth Heaven.

This is terrifying.

It hasn't even been long—this time not even a day—if Gu Jin Nian truly breaks through to the Ninth Heaven Realm, he will be the fastest cultivator to ever achieve such a breakthrough in history.

"We can't keep draining like this; he has leveraged the Great World's fortune, and this tree's origin is unknown, somewhat strange, we can't continue this way."

The Thunder King's voice rang out; he sensed that if this continued, a major disaster would befall him.

"Focus your power and blast him in one breath."

The Prince King's voice sounded, his expression cold.

"Fine."

The various kings all agreed, then they fully unleashed their own powers, the Six Sovereign Kings combining their blessings, causing countless phenomena in heaven and earth to arise.

Various realms manifested, startling everything in the world; countless ancient stars trembled, some even shattered, unable to endure such aura.

With the Six Sovereign Kings' blessings, within the Thunder Realm an ancient palace materialized, vivid as if alive, and within it a figure emerged.

It resembled a Thunder God.

Wielding the thunder of heaven and earth.

The figure stood amid the starry sky, the entire star region resonated, emitting a majestic sound.

"Is it a Thunder God?"

"Has a Thunder God manifested?"

"This is unprecedented now."

"With the Six Sovereign Kings united, Gu Saint may not be able to endure."

Many voices rang out.

Within the Great World, some showed excitement, hoping the kings could suppress Gu Jin Nian, while others felt worried for Gu Jin Nian.

Regardless, the Thunder God illusion grew more solid, giving an indescribably eerie impression.

It seemed that once this Thunder God illusion solidified, it could slay everything.

"Jin Nian, fully unleash the Divine King Seal, merge the two into one, and complete the final metamorphosis."

"Absorb their sources and, in one stroke, break through to the Ninth Heaven."

At this moment, Su Huaiyu's voice sounded.

At the critical moment, he reminded Gu Jin Nian that he could fully merge the Divine King Seal.

For the Divine King Seal to fully merge, one must reach the Seventh Stage of the Seven Great Realms; Gu Jin Nian achieved this feat on Tongtian Sword Mountain, but he did not merge it immediately.

He originally planned to wait until things calmed before studying it slowly.

Now, faced with this situation, he no longer hides it.

"Fine."

Gu Jin Nian knew this was a once-in-a-millennium chance; he had intended to use the Divine King Seal to slay several kings.

He hadn't expected that this turn of events would allow him to seize the opportunity and swiftly assault the Ninth Heaven Realm.

If the assault succeeds, it will truly decide many things thereafter.

Boom.

At this moment, a seal appeared above Gu Jin Nian's head.

It was the Divine King Seal.

When the seal appeared, the Tree of All Beings surged a hundred thousandfold, wrapping the entire star region as if supporting the Great World.

Among the Divine Race.

Beams of light turned toward the Tree of All Beings; some supreme beings showed astonishment and couldn't help speaking.

"This is not..."

He tried to speak, but a stronger will cut him off.

"Silence."

When those two words sounded, the Divine Race's strong ones each fell silent; they knew what it was, but a true leader forced them to remain mute.

Thus they dared not say anything further.

And in the starry sky.

With the Divine King Seal's emergence, a torrent of Divine Arts flooded Gu Jin Nian's mind, and segment after segment of memories surfaced.

The Divine King Seal contains everything past Divine Kings have experienced; their teachings and observations can be directly inherited.

There are no side effects.

One should know that inheritance comes in two forms: Divine Art inheritance and Insight inheritance.

Divine Art inheritance is common; it simply condenses one's Divine Art into a seal, allowing the recipient to instantly comprehend its power.

But the truly extraordinary is Insight inheritance; a person's life, the most precious thing is their insight.

The insight in how one views many things is the real key.

These things surpass all divine technique inheritances.

Now, what Gu Jin Nian lacks are these insights; as a flood of insight pours into his mind, his aura indeed changes terrifyingly.

Boom—boom—boom.

The whole universe resounds with a majestic sound, countless rays of light bloom from ancient stars, bestowing upon Gu Jin Nian.

His realm shifts, and at this moment he fully steps into the Ninth Heaven.

This is inconceivable.

"Ninth Heaven?"

"Has he truly broken through to the Ninth Heaven?"

"Now that's trouble."

"By harnessing the ancient will, he already possessed the power of a minor peak of the Ninth Heaven; now his own realm has broken to the Ninth Heaven, doesn't that mean he wields the power of the great peak?"

Some ancient strongmen speak up, astonishment in their eyes; these strong ones of the ancient races were only at the Seventh or Eighth Heaven, having once fought desperately for a place to survive.

Since the seal, we thought this later generation had withered; even with Gu Jin Nian appearing, many see it merely as the Great World's fortune.

But today, they fall completely silent.

The higher the realm, the greater the authority; upon reaching the Ninth Heaven, even a single being holds absolute authority, a being revered by all ancient races.

Even if the entire Great World lacks a Seventh Realm strongman, Gu Jin Nian alone can decide many matters.

Moreover, Gu Jin Nian also possesses the Great World's fortune; in other words, unlike the East Sea Dragon King and the like, who may not act, Gu Jin Nian can act at will, for he is a child of this Great World. That is the crucial point.

"Given this situation, could he directly become a Heaven's Mandate Saint?"

Someone speaks up, unable to refrain from asking, wondering whether Gu Jin Nian will thus become a saint.

"The Heaven's Mandate Saint is still too distant, but it's a step further; originally I thought Gu Saint, though chosen by the Great World, would find it difficult to become a Heaven's Mandate Saint, yet I didn't expect that I underestimated the Great World's will—within just a few years, he reached the Ninth Heaven."

"He already has the qualification to contend; the future Heaven's Mandate is truly hard to predict."

A peerless strongman speaks, commenting on Gu Jin Nian.

"Indeed, his promotion speed is unbelievably rapid; calling it inconceivable is an understatement. Perhaps the fifth Heaven's Mandate Saint will truly appear."

Some voices arise, marveling at Gu Jin Nian's rapid ascent.

Just think about it.

Yesterday he was only at the Eighth Heaven; today he reached the Ninth Heaven.

Honestly, if he truly becomes a Heaven's Mandate Saint tomorrow, they wouldn't find it particularly strange.

And at the same time.

In the starry sky.

Ten black holes, after Gu Jin Nian's realm surged, directly evolved into one hundred and eight black holes.

Covering the heavens and earth, they immediately absorb and refine all the Thunder Dao origins.

Like a whale swallowing a dragon, it looks especially terrifying.

The Thunder King's complexion turns extremely grim; he hadn't expected Gu Jin Nian's methods to be so dreadful.

"Xuan Yuan King, save me."

The Thunder King's voice sounds; at this moment he has no pride left, urgently calling for Xuan Yuan King to intervene.

Boom.

Three incomparable beams of light surge from the human race's Divine Mountain, directly bestowing upon the Thunder King.

At this point, the ancient humans also know what to do.

Although they are reluctant to act—indeed shameful—having the Ancient Nine Kings unite against Gu Jin Nian alone is truly embarrassing.

Even if they win, it would be extremely humiliating.

But now, if they still care about face, a disaster will ensue.

Boom—boom—boom.

Endless Thunder Dao runes appear again; these three kings are terrifying—their aura surpasses that of the Thunder King. Though they appear to be Ninth Heaven strongmen, in reality the gap is considerable.

"Will the Nine Kings act together?"

Gu Jin Nian's voice sounds; he asks the other side.

Such a question informs the world, showing that his strength now makes even the Ancient Nine Kings wary, establishing an invincible resolve.

"It was the Thunder King who was careless; in a true battle, you might not win."

An ancient voice sounds from the Divine Mountain, its speaker among the human kings unknown.

At this point, they still do not acknowledge Gu Jin Nian.

"There's no such thing as carelessness; at this realm, any mistake is the greatest flaw."

"A loss is a loss."

"Today, we slay a true king to let you know that the Great World does not belong to you to command."

Gu Jin Nian replies coldly; the other side remains resentful, which is normal.

But now he leaves no room, fully merging the Divine King Seal; moreover, he integrates all his divine techniques, including all creations, into the black holes.

Boom—boom—boom.

One hundred and eight black holes nearly devour the entire Star River.

No matter how terrifying the Thunder Sea is.

All are mercilessly consumed.

Even the nine great kings acting together are useless; the one hundred and eight black holes have fully formed, and the absorbed Thunder Dao origins are all devoured and refined by Gu Jin Nian.

In other words, the more allies he has, the greater Gu Jin Nian's power increase.

The speed could be said to cover a thousand li in a single day.

"Not good. If this continues, he could very well use this chance to break through to the great summit of the Ninth Heaven."

"Now it's really troublesome."

"Thunder King, is there any way to resolve this, can we withdraw?"

The Kings' faces turned grim; they sensed the problem, knowing that if the drain continued for even a quarter‑hour, Thunder King might die here.

"We cannot withdraw; the source is already within, we can only affect him."

Thunder King's expression grew sour; he was no longer calm at all, utterly flustered.

"It's hard to affect him; his true form has merged with this seal, having no physical substance at all."

"Something big is about to happen."

The Ancient King's voice rang out; he sensed Gu Jin Nian's situation and knew he could not affect Gu Jin Nian.

It was an almost certain death trap.

"There is another way: the five‑race elites act together; Gu Jin Nian cannot withstand it."

The Wind King's voice sounded; he thought of a solution, leveraging the power of the other four races.

"Fine."

"I'll contact them at once."

When the Ancient King spoke, his words fell, and he directly used supreme divine power to communicate with the strongest of the other four races.

But soon, after a fleeting instant, the Ancient King's expression turned grim.

"They are hesitating."

That was the Ancient King's reply.

"At a time like this, still hesitating? Truly unaware of the consequences?"

"If my human race loses a sovereign, that would not be a good thing for them."

The Fire King's voice rang out; he is on very good terms with Thunder King, so naturally he worries about Thunder King's condition.

"Don't rush; we can offer a condition—how about a divine herb?"

The Swallow Heaven King's voice sounded; he slowly spoke, putting forward a condition.

"Useless."

"The condition I propose is even more precious than a divine herb; they do not wish to accept."

The Ancient King's face was very grim; after he said that, the Kings' expressions also grew rather sour.

"Ah!"

At that moment, Thunder King's roar rang out; his mortal body shattered, and rune‑laden bolts formed a thunder sea, surging toward Gu Jin Nian.

This is his true source power.

Even a little less won't do.

Moreover, a tenth was siphoned away in an instant.

"Gu Jin Nian, stop here."

"We can coexist peacefully."

At this very moment, a terrifying will sounded—it was Swallow Heaven King; he hesitated not at all and directly proposed a peace plan.

He knew Gu Jin Nian wanted peace, so he spoke up and made a definite concession.

"Since the life‑or‑death battle has already been decided, can we still afford to lose?"

"As for peace?"

"We must also thank everyone for making Gu some understand that true peace relies on absolute power, not mere words."

Gu Jin Nian spoke.

This was his response.

In the next instant, one hundred and eight black holes erupted in full turmoil.

Thunder King's entire body turned void, manifesting 108,000 thunder‑path runes, half of which were directly absorbed by Gu Jin Nian.

Clack clack clack clack clack.

Heaven and earth trembled; within the star‑river, thunder spread.

"Don't!"

Thunder King's voice rang out, a wail of despair; this time he was truly panicked—he could revive within the thunder sea, relying on these ancient runes.

Now they're gone; he will truly die.

"Too late."

Gu Jin Nian's voice sounded.

He instantly sucked all the thunder‑path runes in one breath; the Kings could only watch helplessly, unable to interfere or stop him.

"Spare Thunder King."

"I can promise you three things."

"As long as you don't disturb the human race's source, I'll make three demands."

"I can agree to all."

At this moment, Xuanyuan King's voice rang out; he could no longer sit still—Thunder King's strength among the Kings was not insignificant, and such a being dying here would be…

It would be extremely regrettable; for the ancient human race, it would be a great calamity.

Especially since the Ancient Heavenly Court is about to revive soon.

He does not want any mishap.

"Even thirty‑thousand won't help."

The ending was already destined.

Gu Jin Nian's will rang out.

A strong and powerful response.

In an instant, the 108,000 Thunder Dao runes completely vanished, a spear of thunder and lightning appeared, directly piercing the void and instantly penetrating the Thunder King's body.

Boom—

It was as if a world-shattering explosion rang out; the Thunder King's body was completely blown apart, and his primordial spirit was instantly shattered into countless fragments.

Dead to the point of being unable to die again.

This time, having lost the Thunder Dao runes, he could not be resurrected from the Thunder Sea, and there was no chance of survival left.

Even if there were a peerless divine elixir.

Even the Thunder King could not be resurrected.

Silence.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

【244】 Among the ancient stars of the Divine Continent, countless beings watched this scene; the ancient human race, known as the Human King, born from the Thunder Sea, had slain countless heavenly prodigies in ancient times.

Among the ancient stars of the Divine Land, countless beings gazed upon this scene—the ancient human race, an existence hailed as the Human King, born from the Sea of Thunder; in the primordial age, the Thunder King who had slain an untold number of heavenly prodigies.

He really died.

He truly fell.

The Four Seas Dragon Kings widened their eyes.

The divine race, from top to bottom, felt incredulous.

Countless cultivators of the ancient human race were completely dumbfounded; the existence they looked up to, which they believed to be an invincible Human King.

He actually died.

He died at the hands of a young person.

He died at the hands of an existence they had always looked down upon.

This is too unbelievable.

But the most shocking were the myriad kings.

They truly did not expect it.

The Thunder King would die at Gu Jin Nian's hands; in this great battle, they merely wanted to see what strength and trump cards Gu Jin Nian possessed.

But they never expected that this glance would result in such a huge loss.

Gu Jin Nian.

You were the one who started the war prematurely.

Human race, hear my command!

Emerge! Declare war!

(End of chapter)