Chapter 166: Like God, Like Demon

"Having brewed for so long, and thought of countless methods, I never expected to reach the Divine Prohibition realm at such a time and in such a state."

Above Shencheng, Zhang Xuan's entire body was glowing, sacred and brilliant.

From his hair to his toes, and even the skin exposed outside his clothes was glowing; his four hundred and eighty million pores seemed to be inhaling and exhaling Heaven and Earth Essence.

Wisps of golden radiance spread from the surface of his body, making him appear as if he had become an ancient golden God.

Endless light submerged into his body, transforming into pure Essence.

And the details within the parts of his cultivation realm, previously modified with the help of the Nine-Orifice Stone Man, were undergoing even more concrete changes at this moment.

These were all extremely minute changes, some even reaching deep into his cells and hair.

Shattered cells were being reorganized, aging cells were swallowed and expelled, and broken strands of hair were reconnected and regrown; every defect and loophole in his entire being was being mended, transforming him into a state of no flaws and no leaks.

Theoretically speaking, achieving such a state should only be possible by practicing the Zhe Secret left behind by Changsheng Tianzun, one of the ancient Nine Great Heavenly Venerables of legend.

His whole body was flawless and stainless, with no defects and no leaks.

When one's realm is sufficiently profound, one can even be reborn from a single drop of blood, possessing inconceivable great power.

Zhang Xuan had not mastered the Zhe Secret, but through the blessing of his current state, he had reached the same effect as the Zhe Secret at this moment.

Zhang Xuan even felt a flash of inspiration, and at this moment, he contemplated the Forbidden Chapter secret techniques recorded by the Ruthless Great Emperor in the Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art and the Indestructible Heavenly Art, methods specifically designed to counter the Zhe Secret of the Nine Great Heavenly Venerables of the Mythological Era.

The Ruthless Great Emperor, in terms of talent and aptitude, can truly be considered the number one talent of all time in the Zhetian World.

To deal with the nine ancient Heavenly Venerables and their nine secret techniques, she alone created nine methods capable of countering the supreme Nine Secrets—Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Zai, Qian—that move forward; for one person to stand alone against the Nine Great Heavenly Venerables is simply inconceivable, a power beyond imagination.

The more he practiced the Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art and the Indestructible Heavenly Art, the more surprised Zhang Xuan felt, and the more he admired the Ruthless Great Emperor.

He simply could not imagine how the Ruthless Great Emperor had managed to reach such a level of comprehension.

Any one of the Nine Secrets left behind by the Nine Great Heavenly Venerables is a Forbidden Chapter within an Emperor Scripture, capable of perfectly aligning with their own Dao; when they wield such methods, it can be said they achieve an invincible effect in heaven and on earth.

Throughout history, any figure advancing on the path of the Great Emperor, as long as they could create such a Forbidden Chapter secret technique, could basically step firmly into the Great Emperor realm.

Just as when Ye Fan created the Heavenly Emperor Fist on the Human Race Ancient Road, that was the Forbidden Chapter secret technique most compatible with himself; relying on the Heavenly Emperor Fist, he was invincible on the Human Race Ancient Road.

And as for secrets like the Nine Secrets and the Heavenly Emperor Fist, the Ruthless Great Emperor created nine such chapters.

No, even more than nine; how many divine arts and unique skills the Ruthless Great Emperor left behind is simply impossible to calculate.

"Truly awe-inspiring!"

Situated in the peculiar Divine Prohibition realm, Zhang Xuan did not have many emotions at this moment, but he still let out such a sigh.

The more he contemplated the Ruthless Great Emperor's techniques, the more he could feel how lofty and peerless the Ruthless Great Emperor was.

Regardless of how many prejudices or misunderstandings one had about the Ruthless Great Emperor before, after seeing the techniques she left behind and beginning to practice them, one would revere the Ruthless Great Emperor like a God.

"No wonder Hua Yunfei and Yaoguang Shengzi were unable to walk their own paths in the end; it is truly because the Ruthless Great Emperor's path is too excellent and perfect. The more one understands it, the more a sense of powerlessness arises in one's heart."

Zhang Xuan sighed earnestly, without too much emotion.

And on the surface of his body, the radiance became increasingly brilliant.

Under the blessing of this peculiar state, Zhang Xuan moved his Divine Sense, and with one step, he strode out from above Shencheng, crossing dozens of miles in a single step.

A golden streak of light spanned half a region, startling no one knows how many people.

"Heavens, who is that?"

"Is it a legendary Ancient Saint? Crossing dozens of miles in a single step?"

The old monsters in Shencheng who were specifically gathered on the outskirts of the Stone Workshop, waiting for life-extending divine objects to be cut from stones, caught a glimpse of that ray of light, and their spirits were instantly shaken.

And in that area, figures at the level of old fossils were so shocked by such a display of divine power that they were speechless.

"A figure capable of piercing the sky has emerged; in this era, how could such a formidable figure appear?"

Countless people were shocked, and even ancient figures at the level of old fossils grew curious, wanting to see what kind of formidable powerhouse had appeared in this era of the Eastern Wasteland Northern Region, directly using rare treasures to transform into rainbow light and shattering the void to depart.

"Judging from before, this person has been staying at the Heaven Grade Number One Inn in Shencheng; that seems to be a place permanently reserved by the Demon Race."

An old monster whispered.

"When did such a terrifying figure emerge from the Demon Race?"

Curiosity piqued the interest of a group of people; such an unbelievably powerful figure had suddenly come out of seclusion, and by stirring up such great Wind and Cloud, the Wind and Cloud of the world would change because of it.

"Damn, they're moving too fast, I can't keep up at all."

Some who had the intention to follow found that they couldn't keep up at all; it was truly a case of crossing dozens of miles in a single step, and they moved with such ease, without a trace of worldly smoke.

Having no other choice, some old monsters even took the initiative to bring out relevant divination arts to directly deduce the person's location, then used void-shifting treasures to shatter the void, only then managing to keep up with the pace of that figure's stride.

"What kind of terrifying figure is this? Moving so majestically and without any concealment; otherwise, it would be impossible to calculate their position."

"Surrounded by golden divine light, the whole body is glowing, even more brilliant than the Gods in the sky; their life force is as vigorous as the sea, simply like a great sun. This is not hidden potential—could it be that an ancestor was dug out from a Source Stone?"

The figures following became more and more horrified the further they followed.

They felt it was simply terrifying; that figure's life force was as vigorous as an ocean, and the energy within their body was so terrifying that it made people shrink back.

Merely the light naturally radiating from the surface of their body was something these old monsters and old fossil-level figures could not penetrate.

"Truly a figure capable of piercing the sky!"

A group of people trailed far behind, becoming more surprised and shocked the further they went.

They watched from afar as that figure moved away from Shencheng, crossing more than tens of thousands of miles.

"They've stopped, finally stopped. That figure isn't moving anymore; could it be that they find us a nuisance?"

Those with fast speed following behind, still dozens or hundreds of miles away from that figure, saw them stop and immediately dared not approach.

They lingered, trailing far behind, fearing that the figure might strike because of their actions.

"No intention to strike; why have they stopped?"

A group of people followed from afar, ready to run at the slightest sign of trouble, only to find that the figure had stopped in place and was not going any further.

"There's nothing in this area; it's very empty and an uninhabited zone. Why did they suddenly cross tens of thousands of miles to come here?"

The figures who had chased to this location whispered in confusion, some not understanding.

And some old fossil-level figures with keen Divine Sense felt a faint sense of oppression, their sharp Divine Sense warning them.

"Do you all feel that something is not quite right? It feels as if a strange, oppressive sensation is brewing."

At first, only a few old monsters with the highest cultivation realms sensed it; a moment later, those with slightly inferior strength also vaguely perceived it, their expressions changing.

"It seems there is a feeling; it feels very oppressive here!"

"Something is not right. Could this be a mysterious location?"

"Could this place be a secret ground, with some strange treasure or Source Stone hidden underground?"

Hearing such words and guesses, someone gathered the courage to use a weapon to cut into the ground, but they did not detect anything unusual.

This area was an empty, uninhabited zone, covered everywhere with crimson sand and stone, as if stained by fresh blood.

It was vast and desolate, with very little vegetation.

And a figure from the Demon Race took the initiative to step forward, wanting to strike up some relationship with them.

"Senior, we are all of the Demon Race. Senior, have you encountered any difficulties? Our Demon Race..."

Boom!

Before the words were finished, a terrifying bolt of lightning connecting heaven and earth descended from the firmament; it reached the nine heavens above and the earth below, and a mountain peak was instantly reduced to ashes under the aftershocks of this Heavenly Tribulation.

That member of the Demon Race who had leaped forward to try and build a connection was so frightened that they felt a chill from head to toe on the spot.

Their entire flight light faltered, and they crashed directly to the ground; a moment later, they turned and fled without looking back, screaming while running wildly: "Senior, we are of the same path; I am also of the Demon Race! I just wanted to help Senior; if I cannot help, then forget it. Senior, please do not strike me; I am leaving now."

Other subsequent cultivators saw this scene and also felt extremely horrified.

"Is this an Ancient Saint? Can they summon ten-thousand-foot-high Heavenly Tribulation with a casual gesture? Are they warning us?"

A group of cultivators all began to retreat, some even directly opening Domain Gates and leaving without looking back.

The scene here was simply too horrifying, and the energy and strength displayed were too terrifying.

Yet some figures remained in place, unwilling to leave.

Because they discovered that the mysterious and powerful figure had no intention of attacking directly and remained there.

And some figures at the level of old fossils vaguely felt that something was not right.

"Not right, it is becoming more and more oppressive; do you all feel it?"

Before their voice had even faded, another crimson bolt of lightning tore through the firmament, and the void seemed to be torn into fragments by that crimson lightning.

The terrifying sound of thunder suppressed all their words back into their stomachs; everything said could not be heard clearly.

"This..."

This time, the group saw more clearly: that vast and terrifying bolt of lightning was not striking toward them, but was heading straight toward that mysterious figure.

"This... what kind of monster is being born to have actually triggered a Heavenly Punishment?"

"It looks holy and brilliant; could it be some terrifying ghost dug out from underground?"

Discovering that the lightning was not striking them but that mysterious figure, many people felt settled in their hearts, and some even gathered the courage to guess while still at the location.

In Beiyu, various Source Stones can often be dug up from underground; Source Stones usually contain various treasures, including Source that allows people to break through quickly for cultivation, as well as some mysterious life-extending substances, but sometimes some strange and terrifying Bushixiang substances are also dug up.

Therefore, at this very moment, their thoughts were very open.

And some figures of the older generation had eyes flashing, yet they vaguely had some guesses; looking at the figure bathing in the lightning, their eyes shone with divine light.

Boom!

After the first two bolts of lightning, each ten thousand feet long, struck, that figure did not disappear or turn into charred remains as the onlookers had guessed; they still stood there exactly as before, causing who knows how many people to gasp in cold air.

"That lightning could strike a Great Power to death, yet this figure is completely unharmed."

"What kind of figure is this?"

"Is this really a ghost? If there were truly such a terrifying ghost, then the entire Beiyu would be uninhabitable."

"Do not panic, the lightning has not stopped, the Heavenly Punishment has not stopped; there is no ghost that can withstand this most masculine energy of the Heavenly Tribulation."

Before the words had finished, the group changed color; the originally clear sky was covered by boundless black leaden clouds, layered upon layers with no end in sight.

What made people's hearts jump and even feel horrified was that the vast lightning poured down from the firmament; it was not one bolt after another as before, but simply like the Milky Way falling from the nine heavens, crashing down with a boom and completely submerging that area.

Some old-generation figures who were slow to leave were grazed by the aftershocks of the Heavenly Tribulation and let out earth-shattering screams on the spot, their entire bodies turning into a pile of charcoal.

"Run!"

The group was horrified and retreated rapidly.

"Look, they... they are still alive! The lightning... the lightning was eaten by them!"

Amidst the frantic retreat, some old-generation figures were still watching that area and immediately felt their scalps go numb.

The group looked back and then had a feeling of chilling from head to toe.

That figure, whose whole body was glowing, remained calm and composed while bathing in billions of layers of lightning.

Even their entire body turned into a black hole, rising against the heavens and rushing into the sky-filling lightning to confront the endless lightning.

Endless light and endless darkness flickered between that heaven and earth; clearly, that figure was the most brilliant, with endless dazzling light, but when the vast and terrifying lightning fell on that area, it instantly extinguished, being swallowed and absorbed by the figure, turning into the figure's continuous Divine Power.

"Heaven! This... this is undergoing a tribulation! It is not a ghost or a monster at all; this figure is undergoing a tribulation!"

Finally, an old monster shouted loudly.

But the group could not believe it at all; just a tiny bit of the aftershocks from the Heavenly Tribulation's light was enough to strike a terrifying old monster of the Dragon Transformation Realm into charcoal, and even a figure at the Half-Step Great Power level had half their life taken away just by being grazed by that lightning.

Yet that figure stood amidst the sky-filling lightning, swallowing and breathing the endless lightning without the slightest effect; the lightning at the center, which could kill a Great Power instantly, was swallowed and absorbed by that figure.

"Is this still a human?"

(End of this chapter)