Chapter 116: Divine King Second Realm: Mental Will

Luo Feng stared at the yellow feather inside the jade box, sensing its edges were razor-sharp and radiating void ripples.

Di Chuyu chuckled beside him: "This is a Golden Feather Divine Bird from the Heavenly Capital Marquis's retinue—naturally born from the Chaos Layer, initially tiny and only at the mid-Chaos Layer realm. Later, after the Heavenly Capital Marquis carefully nurtured it with rare treasures, it reached its perfect physical form, now capable of rivaling the peak of the Chaos Layer."

Luo Feng was astonished: "Nurtured to its perfect physical form?"

The Chaos Layer creatures he had captured—like the silver-light beings—were formed from either hundreds or thousands of silver-light droplets fused together. All were still very young.

According to his own transformation art, one hundred and eight trillion droplets were the absolute limit for silver-light beings to fuse.

This Golden Feather Divine Bird, though born at the Chaos Layer realm, still had room to grow.

"I traded with the Heavenly Capital Marquis's daughter, 'Lianyu City Lord,' to obtain this single feather of the Golden Feather Divine Bird," Di Chuyu said. "Since it was willingly exchanged, this feather will not spontaneously annihilate."

Luo Feng bowed gratefully: "Brother Chuyu, this is an immense help to me—thank you."

Whether cultivator, beast, or a Chaos Layer being with full consciousness—how do you study their bodily materials?

Only two methods: one, annihilate their consciousness and study their corpse; two, if they're alive, they must willingly consent. Otherwise, a single thought from them will cause their blood or feathers to self-annihilate.

The more powerful the life, the less willing it is to let other strong beings study its bodily materials.

"Hah, what need is there for such formalities between us?" Di Chuyu smiled. "My thirty-epoch protection period as a Chaos Layer cultivator is still active—we can both cultivate in peace. But once it ends, I'll need your help."

"Whatever you need, just say it," Luo Feng said.

"No need for help during the protection period—just focus on your cultivation," Di Chuyu laughed. "I have other matters—I'll take my leave."

Luo Feng immediately escorted Di Chuyu to the entrance of his cave dwelling.

After Di Chuyu departed, Luo Feng immediately re-entered seclusion.

Luo Feng truly knew nothing of the conflict between Di Chuyu and the other two First Marquises!

On one hand, since arriving in Chu Capital, Luo Feng had made few friends. The waters here ran too deep—the seven First Marquises were each other's fiercest rivals, not to mention the Emperor's direct disciples, the Divine Kings' disciples… the factions were far too complex.

During this rapid power-up phase, Luo Feng preferred seclusion. He knew clearly: when his strength reached sufficient height, even the most complex political situations would swiftly clarify.

On the other hand, the core of Di Chuyu's faction managing countless affairs was precisely these seven First Marquises. Their conflicts were so intense that no one in Chu Capital dared speak of them—even witnesses dared not whisper a word.

Because angering a First Marquis meant more than death—your entire family and faction would likely be dragged down.

Moreover, Di Chuyu himself wished to keep this secret, unwilling to let these matters disturb Luo Feng—he naturally hoped Luohe Guest would focus solely on cultivation, growing ever stronger.

"Chiji Marquis and Chuanyuan Marquis are both peak Chaos Layer! Chiji Marquis has two guests, Chuanyuan Marquis has one. Together, their faction boasts five peak Chaos Layer cultivators!" Di Chuyu knew well their strength. "Plus, there are other Chaos Layer cultivators who follow them."

Of the seven First Marquises, only these two had united, making their faction the most powerful.

"Though Brother Luohe is also peak Chaos Layer, he stands alone—opposing five of them."

"Moreover, Chuanyuan Marquis carries the bloodlines of two ancient imperial clans and is being heavily cultivated by the Ancestor—he is, among all seven First Marquises… the one most likely to transcend the Chaos Layer." Di Chuyu had to admit this.

Among the seven First Marquises, Chuanyuan Marquis was the most ferocious and unrestrained—yet also the most gifted and strongest.

At the peak Chaos Layer, without overwhelming disparity, it's nearly impossible to utterly kill an opponent—but strength still varies. Like how Luo Feng could suppress Liu Yin Marquis.

Chuanyuan Marquis had never met an equal at the peak Chaos Layer. Even the Emperor Ancestor acknowledged his talent.

"My current strength has reached the peak of Chaos Layer," Di Chuyu thought silently. "By the end of my protection period, I must advance further—even if I don't reach peak Chaos Layer, I must make Chuanyuan Marquis unable to touch me."

Di Chuyu had his own ambitions.

Since childhood, he had walked the path of the Infinite Divine Body—naturally yearning to reach the Divine King level.

"Force me to yield? Give up resources? Without resources, how do I grow stronger?" Di Chuyu's eyes turned cold and sharp.

Inside Luo Feng's cave dwelling, in the meditation chamber, within the first layer of the Star Tower.

Luo Feng refused to meddle in Chu Capital's factions, made no friends, and devoted himself entirely to cultivation.

"This feather?" Luo Feng stared at the yellow feather, gently pinching and tugging it. "Incredibly resilient, its edges like blades."

With a thought, the yellow feather floated into the air.

Luo Feng extended his hand; the tip of his finger faintly glowed with sharpness.

"Whir."

He swept his hand lightly.

He severed a tiny fluff from the feather's edge—Luo Feng even felt slight resistance.

"My close combat is far stronger than my distant attack with the Milky Way Transformation Art—yet even cutting this tiny fluff met resistance," Luo Feng mused inwardly, then seized the tiny fluff and unleashed all his power.

A terrifying force, surpassing even peak Chaos Layer physical strength, shattered the fluff into its most fundamental particles.

"What is this?"

The tiny fluff, once shattered, became ten thousand particles. "Also particles?" Luo Feng observed with slight confusion—their surfaces bore Chaos Law inscriptions. At a glance, they resembled the particles of the Milky Way Transformation Art or Black Abyss Transformation Art, "but their life essence was immensely stronger—thousands or even tens of thousands of times greater than my five transformation arts. A qualitative leap."

"Why, when all are particles, is its life essence so strong?"

"Huu."

Luo Feng waved his hand gently, slicing open one particle.

As the particle split, Luo Feng clearly saw.

The particle contained Chaos Law inscriptions, yet inside it were two fused particles.

"One larger particle enclosing two smaller ones? The two smaller ones partially fused?" Luo Feng observed, then sliced open the two smaller particles—each cracked open, revealing countless Law inscriptions, while simultaneously dissolving completely.

"Yin-Yang fusion? Three-in-One?"

In that moment, Luo Feng understood the fundamental structure of the most powerful Chaos Layer beings—and why these particles could carry such immense life essence.

"The Yin-Yang fusion form contains infinite profundity: pure Yin, pure Yang, and the fused Yin-Yang portion."

!.

"The Three-in-One form further multiplies complexity."

Luo Feng sliced open another particle for closer study.

Black and white could be Yin-Yang; life and death could be Yin-Yang; matter and energy could also be Yin-Yang.

Yin-Yang was a state.

Particles of the same origin, manifesting different states yet perfectly fused.

"Regarding Yin-Yang fusion, the first calamity of the 'Eight Calamity Life Body'—the 'Body of Life' section—records it," Luo Feng used his inheritance to comprehend.

The Primordial Origin, Yin-Yang Fusion, Three-in-One, Ten Directions World… the 'Eight Calamity Life Body' inheritance described countless forms of the 'Body of Life.'

"Three-in-One is too complex—it demands higher life essence and Body of Life standards. First, try the simpler Yin-Yang form." After comprehending the inheritance, Luo Feng began refining his transformation art.

Whir.

His divine power transformed into two droplets fused together.

But the fusion looked ugly, its life essence weak.

"Yin-Yang form means mutual complementation," Luo Feng dissolved the form and tried again.

Time passed.

He tried repeatedly, learning from each failure, studying the inheritance, and dissecting the Golden Feather Divine Bird's particles for close observation.

The Heavenly Capital Marquis's Golden Feather Divine Bird could sense its own material being cut—but since the exchange was legitimate, it could only allow it to happen, unable to actively annihilate the feather.

"Whir." After countless attempts, this time Luo Feng swept his hand—two silver-light droplets fused, radiating a beauty of life, their life essence ten times stronger.

"This is it," Luo Feng's face lit up with delight, and he immediately began shifting repeatedly.

He transformed a hundred million, ten million, hundreds of millions of droplets…

Luo Feng's soul had grown immensely strong; his mental will had strengthened further, and his transformation art now manifested faster than ever.

Soon, one hundred and eight trillion silver-light droplets formed, each pair fused together.

"Hum." A restrained silver-light river emerged—ordinary in appearance, yet Luo Feng felt his consciousness could now merge with it far more deeply, its power increased several-fold.

"After so long in Chu Capital, my transformation art has finally undergone a qualitative leap," Luo Feng smiled.

"My mental will has now reached the threshold of Divine King Second Realm—I can now wield more Milky Way Blade Light. The total power of this Blade Light should be ten times greater than when I was in Hu Yang City," Luo Feng felt deeply pleased.

Just as the Chaos Layer's "mental will" slowly increases, only when breaking through the Chaos Layer bottleneck to the Divine King level does a qualitative leap occur.

The Divine King's mental will also increases gradually—from First Realm to Third Realm—slow accumulation. This accumulation is extremely difficult; even ancient Divine Kings struggle to advance after eons.

"The key reason my mental will advanced from Divine King First Realm to the threshold of Second Realm is that my life level has transformed," Luo Feng knew this well.

When he was an Eternal True God, he already possessed Divine King-level will.

After becoming Chaos Layer and his Perfect Divine Body matured, his soul grew stronger, and his mental will naturally experienced a brief surge.

"Unless my life level ascends again to the Divine King level, which would aid my mental will—otherwise, I must rely on slow accumulation," Luo Feng knew clearly: normal accumulation was always extremely slow.

In my True God phase, I had peak Chaos Layer will. As an Eternal True God, I used my Divine Body's nurturing and the Calamity Beast Map to break through to Divine King-level will. In Chaos Layer, I advanced slowly—just enough to reach the threshold of Divine King Second Realm. Progress grows ever harder.

(End of Chapter)