Chapter 168: Divine Art!

If the newborn demons are the infants of the Yu Xingyuan Demon Clan, then the Primal Blood Demons can be considered their toddlers.

—Their size is over ten times larger; the tallest Life-affinity Primal Blood Demon stands over thirty meters high! Even as toddlers, even the weakest Primal Blood Demons, serving as the trial of the Yu Xingyuan's fifth layer, can only be passed by those primordial divine functionaries who have inscribed multiple sets of Holy Runes.

From this, one can see the immense power of these Primal Blood Demons.

At this moment, the six Primal Blood Demons of different factions simultaneously charged from all sides, accompanied by soul-shattering roars, deathly auras that eroded everything, illusory and bizarre illusion realms, and terrifying, pure power... all these terrifying means descended at once.

Yet Lin Qing seemed completely unaware.

He let the Mirror of Soul-Pain, which reflected upon his soul, manifest crack after crack, allowing pain to constantly shatter layer upon layer of illusions, and letting his life force be consumed continuously to replace the damage to his soul.

He simply closed his eyes, fully mastering the divine weapons and his domain, causing the streams of light formed by the ninety-nine divine weapons to constantly swirl and weave around his body, following strange laws and trajectories, colliding and connecting with one another.

Lin Qing glanced regretfully at the current advance status.

Even the erosion of the fifth-layer Yu Xingyuan Storm could not penetrate the defense of the Spinning Star Divine Art, but it could not withstand such a drain on mental energy.

Even for rare divine functionaries, the competition is manageable; they are simply too scarce.

Chen Guang sighed, "Cultivating for three years and passing the fifth layer of the Yu Xingyuan, and that too without having obtained a primordial divine functionary status yet, makes you a legendary, peerless genius even in a Level One civilization. If you were to undergo the primordial divine functionary trial for the Commander of Armies now, it would be as easy as turning over your hand!"

"Master, you are currently number 99, just entering the top hundred," Chen Guang said.

Not long after.

For instance, Holy Runes like 'Life Affinity' play a huge role during cultivation.

Lin Qing pondered and made a decision, "First, advance the Detection Secret Technique. After obtaining the Divine Art inheritance of the Divine Subordinate, I will go to Ruin Number Three, the 'Secret Library of the Stars'. Perhaps it will be useful?"

But Lin Qing also knew clearly in his heart that his future situation would be different.

"Whoosh!"

Those who can pass the sixth layer are the Chairmen of the Star-Scanning Council.

The light sphere of the Spinning Star Divine Art spun wildly; the energy shield layer was like a vortex appearing on a calm water surface, expanding rapidly at an astonishing speed, to the point where the entire energy shield layer became extremely unstable.

Lin Qing was still quite satisfied in his heart.

"Setting aside the duration of maintenance, the defense should be comparable to those councilors who specialize in defense..."

"The names Qi Lingxiao uses when cursing are all from the eighth layer of the Yu Xingyuan. This person is from the fifth layer; they definitely are not Qi Lingxiao."

He silently chanted to summon the Entropy Reverser panel, glanced at the available advance items, and indeed found the entry for the 'Detection Secret Technique'.

This strongest power who just passed the fifth layer of the Yu Xingyuan has a high probability of being a newly emerged primordial divine functionary, though of course, it could also be a top-tier powerhouse from a higher level in disguise.

"Success!"

"I just barely endured it," Lin Qing shook his head.

It is said that the Detection Secret Technique is related to the layer of the Yu Xingyuan trial the user has passed. The secret technique has a spirit. Since he passed the fifth layer of the Yu Xingyuan, he immediately took this opportunity to try practicing this Detection Secret Technique again.

"Master, among those who passed the third layer of the Yu Xingyuan, only some possess the Star-Transmitting Tower. But for figures at the level of the fifth layer of the Yu Xingyuan, possessing a Star-Transmitting Tower is almost certain."

Ten-plus seconds later—

"Regardless, Master, the fact that your current strength can pass the fifth layer of the Yu Xingyuan is already astonishing."

However, the mental energy consumption required to fully maintain the Spinning Star Divine Art was too great.

And for Divine Arts of the same energy level, once cultivated to perfection, they can actually increase one's power by nearly two tiers! "For me, Holy Runes related to defense have lost their meaning; the slight bonus they provide is basically negligible. Instead, Holy Runes that reduce mental energy burden are more useful..."

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"Master, the sixth layer of the Yu Xingyuan is a difficulty that only the Chairmen of the Star-Scanning Council can pass."

He didn't even need to think to know that when he participated in the Divine Son trial in the future, his competitors would inevitably be a group of Divine Subordinates who mastered Divine Arts! One can imagine how immense this competitive pressure would be.

"The gap is a bit ridiculously large..."

They almost certainly all come from at least a Level Two civilization! Now Lin Qing had confirmed—

Lin Qing pondered silently and exited the Star-Transmitting Tower.

Lin Qing didn't care at all, continuing to maintain the Spinning Star Divine Art, acting like a blender frantically churning on the energy shield layer.

He hadn't really taken the primordial divine functionary trial for the Commander of Armies to heart in the first place.

He could even vaguely sense that this towering Cosmic God seemed to possess a will.

Lin Qing's domain suddenly detected a afterimage formed by a red-armored Primal Blood Demon; that terrifying speed made his pupils shrink slightly.

"It was just good luck; I died in an instant on the sixth layer," Lin Qing shook his head.

"However... the defense of Spinning Star indeed held up."

"Number 99..."

According to normal theoretical calculations, even for the most ordinary and basic Divine Arts, the probability of a primordial creature mastering one is less than one in ten thousand!

"Let's look for the sixth layer..."

"I've entered the realm."

"Could it be because... the aura of the sixth layer of the Yu Xingyuan? Has consciousness changed?"

"If one search fails, search several more times; it will eventually be found..."

Setting aside Holy Runes and Divine Arts, the difference between him and the councilors is that the councilors possess primordial divine functionary status; he is essentially one tier short.

From the moment he awakened his authority and became a Divine Subordinate, it was destined that he could crush the geniuses of a Level One civilization.

Or rather...

Except for a very few people.

But even with such strength, the outcome on the fifth layer of the Yu Xingyuan was being instantly killed; being able to withstand a single strike was worth boasting about.

"This person suddenly appeared and even passed the fifth layer of the Yu Xingyuan?"

"Hmm... let's wait a bit. Anyway, there are still a few days until January."

For this kind of primordial divine functionary trial, as long as one possesses multiple sets of Holy Runes, the success rate is quite high, let alone mastering a powerful Divine Art.

This also explains why the higher the layer of the Yu Xingyuan, the greater the hope of entering the realm.

Moreover, while maintaining the Spinning Star Divine Art, his speed could not be too fast.

Chen Yang nodded, and with a flick of his fingertip, a black banner with golden characters materialized in midair.

As long as one advances, one can directly master it.

"The fifth layer... has the Divine Technique been mastered? Faster than expected..."

Lin Qing unfolded his domain, maintaining the movement of the Spinning Star Divine Technique while using his domain to probe the dark vortex leading to the sixth layer of the Yu Xingyuan.

"Spinning Star!"

"Hmm?"

Those two sets of Holy Words, 'Blood Edge' and 'Endless Divine Power', both boosted combat power; once he mastered attack-type Divine Techniques, he could replace them.

"Master, you passed the fifth layer?" Chen Yang looked at Lin Qing in disbelief.

"If it were Qi Lingxiao, this name would fit perfectly."

Lin Qing closed his eyes quietly.

Terrifying forces crashed down, yet whether pure destructive power, invisible erosion and seepage, or bizarre fluctuations, upon touching the wildly spinning light sphere, they were like mud sinking into the sea, having not the slightest effect.

"The consumption is truly great..."

Although the essence of the sixth-level power was complex, repaying it was not difficult; with the black flames burning wildly, each type of power essence could be repaid in about a month on average.

That is to say—if one looks across the universe's first-level civilizations, most Primal Divine Servants are only at the strength of the fourth layer of the Yu Xingyuan!

At the same time, a series of attacks from the Primal Blood Demons arrived.

Lin Qing pondered thoughtfully.

The dark and profound entrance to the Yu Xingyuan was thus exposed.

"Ninety-ninth?" Lin Qing nodded slightly. "Not as high as I thought. When I passed the third layer, I was ranked in the three hundreds; now that I've passed the fifth, I'm only in the top hundred?"

"Among Earthlings, there are only six Primal Divine Servants: the three dogs from the Three Upper Families, Ye Chen and Kevinson from the Morning Sun Martial Hall, but these two don't seem like them..."

Just the floating Yu Xingyuan energy had an erosion capability far greater than that of the fifth layer.

Lin Qing secretly assessed his current level.

On a mountain peak shrouded in mist and clouds, Lin Qing opened his eyes and helplessly rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"One look and it's clear it's not from our extraterrestrial civilization; since all sides are part of an alliance, they shouldn't have chosen such a name."

Lin Qing could only endure for that amount of time each time; the time available to search the fifth layer was limited, and if luck wasn't good enough, he wouldn't have time to locate the entrance to the sixth layer of the Yu Xingyuan.

For a high-level Primal Being, without obtaining a Primal-level Divine Service, those who could pass the fourth layer of the Yu Xingyuan were exceedingly rare; generally, one needed a rare Divine Service and multiple sets of Holy Words that boosted combat power to barely pass the fourth layer.

Therefore, almost no one thought in terms of Divine Techniques.

The second time, after searching the fifth layer for a while and enduring to the limit, he still couldn't find it.

The terrain of each Yu Xingyuan trial would change, especially the location of the entrance to the next layer's Yu Xingyuan, which would randomly appear anywhere.

Chu Hongjun, dressed in a white lab coat, stood at the edge of a silver-white platform, expressionlessly watching the elevator platform slowly rise from below, gazing at this massive and cold machine while his brain constantly calculated and ran simulations.

As for those below Primal Divine Servants? That would almost certainly require mastering a Divine Technique.

Lin Qing nodded slightly, showing no fluctuation at all.

This time, Lin Qing clearly felt a difference from the past.

If it were a normal intelligence, it would surely be shocked and shouting right then and there.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Executing this move required simultaneously controlling ninety-nine specially made divine weapons; the burden on mental energy was imaginable, and after using this move, even if he learned other Divine Techniques, he probably wouldn't be able to execute them simultaneously.

'Source Soul' and 'Mirror of Pain' were also very useful.

"There's hope of entering!"

"Hmm, that's about it; these demons have no other tricks left."

In the blink of an eye, he left the angry roars and screams of those Primal Blood Demons behind and entered the sixth layer of the Yu Xingyuan.

"In the future, after I master a set of Divine Techniques that are relatively comprehensive in combat, I can adjust all the Holy Words to be special-type ones."

Suddenly—

"What's different about me this time compared to before? Why can I enter this time?"

After all, most powerful figures from various factions would join the Star Patrol Council to gain its benefits.

Chen Yang couldn't help but say, "And Master, you don't even have a Primal-level Divine Service; normally, passing even the fourth layer is difficult, yet you passed the fifth layer? Even among Earth's Primal Divine Servants, some cannot pass the fifth layer."

With a bit more practice, a few days should be enough.

Those who can pass the fifth layer of the Yu Xingyuan are absolutely a minority among Primal Divine Servants.

As long as one is a cosmic citizen of Earth, one will almost certainly join the Star Patrol Council before receiving enough benefits; only the highest-level Earthlings like Qi Lingxiao didn't care about the Star Patrol Council.

"Then among the councilors of the Star Patrol Council, Master is also considered one of the very strong in defense," Chen Yang speculated. "Anyway, let's prepare as thoroughly as possible first."

Fortunately, his energy reserves were already enormous, and with the pseudo-divine core's energy recovery speed being thousands of times higher, maintaining it for a while was no problem.

However, for him, what limited the duration was not energy consumption, but mental exhaustion.

"Where is it?"

"I can withstand it for a while; if luck is good, I might even find the entrance to the sixth layer..."

Although the domain of the sixth level, when fully expanded, could reach a range of several hundred kilometers, the world of the fifth layer of the Yu Xingyuan was also quite vast, making a complete probe no easy task.

And comprehending and mastering the perfect Spinning Star Divine Technique was a matter of proficiency and comprehension; this was the simplest to repay.

The moment the Spinning Star Divine Technique shattered, various terrifying forces directly engulfed Lin Qing.

Those six Primal Blood Demons roared and screamed, attacking the light sphere where Lin Qing was located even more wildly.

In an instant, streaks of flying light transformed into a wildly spinning light sphere, with a radius of merely six meters, yet seeming to isolate everything.

In another twenty minutes, it would be the year 2124.

"Boom!"

Lin Qing shook his head slightly. "This strength counts as upper-tier in the Urban Circle, but compared to competing with other Walkers Beneath the Gods, it falls far short..."

As for the sixth layer, any single Primal Blood Demon among those could slaughter the councilors of the Star-Scouring Council. Their power was so terrifying it far exceeded the limits a Primal Divine Servant could endure.

No matter what attack came, the rotating sphere of light remained completely undamaged, merely trembling slightly, as unbreakable as a reef battered by crashing waves! One by one, the demons roared or shrieked, continuously unleashing new methods to frantically assault the sphere of light.

To repay the debt of condensing the Spinning Star Divine Technique, he needed to maintain the Spinning Star Divine Technique in a perfect state for over fifty-seven hours.

It was just that, while not skilled at resisting illusory mental infiltration, it remained highly effective against telekinesis.

Lin Qing suddenly understood.

Even if he merely barely passed the fourth layer of the Yu Xingyuan, his strength would still be near the upper echelons within the Urban Circle.

"The next time the Azure Sky Archipelago opens, there will be about a year left."

After his consciousness recovered, Lin Qing continued attempting the Yu Xingyuan trial.

And the final advance slot was the one he had advanced today: condensing the essences of nine powers into one, perfectly forming the Spinning Star Divine Technique.

A surge of joy rose in Lin Qing's heart. Without hesitation, he immediately controlled the Spinning Star sphere of light, flying straight into the Yu Xingyuan entrance leading to the sixth layer.

If the power of every single attack were converted into pure energy, it would be enough to shatter entire Shanfeng!

However, even a Holy Word specialized in defense could at most elevate one level.

"Within this year, if I can successfully cultivate the Divine Technique of a Walker Beneath the Gods, there is a great chance."

The Spinning Star Divine Technique could easily resist attacks from the fifth layer, but before the Primal Blood Demons of the sixth layer, it was fragile and could not withstand a single strike.

And this hidden Divine Servant title, 'Walker Beneath the Gods', did not exist in the AI's database at all. Who could have imagined... that something as difficult as comprehending the essence of power would have a Divine Servant title created specifically for comprehending essence?

"Moreover... I can also enter the No. 1 Ruin, the Vacuum Great Tomb."

The sphere of light, spinning tens of thousands of times per second, touched the invisible energy protective layer. Instantly, the originally invisible and colorless protective layer was affected, surging with ripples of energy in various colors! Although the Spinning Star Divine Technique was purely a defensive move, if it could touch an enemy, it was not without killing power.

After all, its very rotation was repelling and flinging away every attack approaching it.

Bursting through to the fifth layer in one breath, once again maintaining the near-invulnerable defense of the Spinning Star Divine Technique, he once again began searching for the entrance to the sixth layer of the Yu Xingyuan.

If he could enter the sixth layer of the Yu Xingyuan, the possibility of gaining entry would surely be greater.

This layer of powerful energy defense could no longer maintain its stability at all, and finally completely shattered.

Counting it up, the entire Urban Circle had at least thirty or forty Primal Divine Servants, belonging to the true upper echelons of the Urban Circle.

Because—

For an AI with a 'three-nothing' setting, showing such an expression already indicated the shock this caused her.

Immediately following—

The Star-Scouring Council held the most vast power, with the highest proportion of experts. More than half of all Primal Divine Servants in the Urban Circle would join the Star-Scouring Council. There were twenty-two councilors alone, and most of these twenty-two councilors could pass the fifth layer.

Inside the rapidly rotating sphere of light, Lin Qing floated at the center, feeling the energy constantly draining from his body, and could not help but feel secretly alarmed.

While Lin Qing silently cultivated to repay his debts, a considerable storm was brewing within the Urban Circle.

Instead, it was because the detection secret technique learned in the Azure Sky Archipelago had spirit; whether one could gain entry depended on the layer of the Yu Xingyuan trial he achieved.

Lin Qing controlled the sphere of light formed by the Spinning Star Divine Technique, landing directly upon this invisible protective layer.

He was not obsessed with the layer of the Yu Xingyuan or the ranking.

Of the five advance slots, the authority within them need not be mentioned; currently, he simply could not repay them.

"Boom!"

Not long after, Lin Qing also reached his limit.

"Who is this? Dug out Lei Tong's third eye?"

Before their massive forms, this sphere of light with a radius of merely six and a half meters looked more like a spinning soccer ball.

While maintaining the Spinning Star Divine Technique, Lin Qing let the Yu Xingyuan Demons attack frantically, yet still had the leisure to ponder his current situation.

If not for the ability of the Pseudo-God's Domain to judge through the influence of matter and energy itself on space, they might truly never have discovered the existence of this passage.

In the blink of an eye, it was the last night of 2123.

He had transformed into a Primal in early January 2123, so the maximum deadline was the end of January 2124.

Lin Qing could not help but feel joy, continuing to sense carefully.

The cultivation and entry into this detection secret technique was actually visualizing a majestic Cosmic God image composed of stars; as long as consciousness could approach the Cosmic God, it counted as entry.

He could only place his hope on the Divine Technique of the Walker Beneath the Gods, and he also needed to master the detection secret technique sooner.

After all, without Holy Words and Divine Techniques, his own strength was merely enough to pass the third layer of the Yu Xingyuan.

The other four advance slots included three containing the essences of three sixth-level powers, which had not yet been repaid.

It was only the terrifying defense of the Spinning Star Divine Technique that allowed him to pass the fifth layer of the Yu Xingyuan.

"Or perhaps a new Primal Divine Servant? I have a feeling this person is newly appeared."

Yet he was able to withstand the attacks of six Primal Blood Demons on the fifth layer of the Yu Xingyuan, remaining completely undamaged!

And those councilors were all Star Beings, possessing Primal Divine Servant titles; their Holy Words could accommodate nine sets, giving them far, far greater advantages than him.

The councilors of the Star-Scouring Council were all Primal Divine Servants, and they could all enter the Azure Sky Archipelago. With multiple suitable Holy Words supporting them, many could pass the fifth layer of the Yu Xingyuan.

However, this was purely a matter of experience and comprehension; even within the virtual space, one could repay debts.

"Looking at it this way, within the entire Urban Circle, there are probably only a few dozen people capable of killing me in one strike."

"Order."

His consciousness was within the Star Transmission Tower space, continuously practicing the already perfect Spinning Star Divine Technique.

But these Primal Blood Demons, working in coordination, were proficient in all aspects and even might hide the entrance to the next layer of the Yu Xingyuan.

On Earth, Primal Divine Servants could explore the Azure Sky Archipelago on the Second Universe Network; the probability of possessing high-spec Holy Words was far higher than that of a normal Level One Civilization.

This time, Lin Qing finally discovered the dark vortex leading to the next layer. However, the surface of this vortex, spanning merely dozens of meters, was already covered by a layer of invisible power, which not only acted as an obstacle but also hid the entrance to this passage.

……

The entry requirement for Ruin No. 3 is that the Primordial Transformation must not exceed 380 days.

Although it is a simulated Yu Xingyuan, the aura of the sixth layer is far more intense than the previous five, striking the mind and consciousness with greater force.

And beings like Qi Lingxiao, who have mastered high-level powerful Divine Arts, are exceedingly rare.

"Hmm? This is..."

Chen Guang said, "Moreover, the Yu Xingyuan trial evaluates based on the number of demons slain, time consumed, and vitality expended. For the same layer of the Yu Xingyuan, the rankings will naturally differ."

In his dazed state, the circulation of the Whirling Star Divine Art became slightly sluggish and revealed a few flaws.

The divine office trial for a God's Child is destined to be competed against only those who walk beneath the Gods.

Until the twenty-second search for the fifth layer of the Yu Xingyuan—

Though there was only one name, after the intelligences of all factions analyzed and calculated, they all reached a conclusion—

All sides discovered that among the top hundred rankings of the Yu Xingyuan, a new name had appeared.

After arriving in the sixth layer world of the Yu Xingyuan, Lin Qing felt gravity weaken significantly, but before he could carefully sense it, he noticed that the invisible storm formed by Yu Xingyuan energy began to penetrate wildly.

Those who walk beneath the Gods actually possess only a pseudo-god body in combat, nothing particularly outstanding; their greatest advantage is comprehending the essence of power, making it far easier for them to master Divine Arts than others.

"Pity..."

Lin Qing felt he had truly glimpsed the tip of the iceberg of the Cosmic God's Will, and only then slowly opened his eyes.

When he passed the third layer of the Yu Xingyuan, he slaughtered his way through directly; the time taken was not long, and he remained completely unharmed. At the level of the third layer, his ranking was certainly quite high.

Inside a vast laboratory of the Dawn Group.

Especially for energy-based entities, the impact is greatest.

Lin Qing smiled and said, "Let's check the Yu Xingyuan rankings."

Someone who doesn't even possess a Primordial-level divine office managed to pass the fifth layer of the Yu Xingyuan; this is absolutely enough to shock countless people!

Lin Qing gradually formed a hypothesis in his heart.

Lin Qing maintained the Whirling Star Divine Art, letting the six demons attack wildly while he searched everywhere for any possible Dark Vortex.

Lin Qing used Whirling Star to withstand the attacks of these six Primordial Blood Demons; after a while, he confirmed that the Whirling Star Divine Art excels against various types of material attacks, especially against high-kinetic-energy assaults, where it can effortlessly deflect force.

This hidden defense was probably prepared by that Order-type Primordial Blood Demon? "Break."

However, since the Celestial Archipelago appeared, many have received Divine Art inheritances, but those who actually master them are so few they can almost be ignored.

Theoretically, entering the next layer of the Yu Xingyuan does not require killing all demons in the current layer; as long as one survives and finds the entrance to the next layer, that is enough.

Lin Qing maintained Whirling Star, moving at maximum speed across the domain to search for the entrance to the next layer.

Add to that the top-tier experts of the Star Realm and some people using alternate accounts; ranking 99th is normal.

And this time, having passed the fifth layer without killing a single demon, forcing his way through directly, although unharmed and the time taken was not too long, the evaluation was certainly not high; ranking in the lower-middle tier of the fifth layer is also normal.

The third attempt still failed.

The fourth attempt...

【The 'Foundation of the Sixth-Tier Whirling Star Divine Art' has been completed.】

Lin Qing opened his eyes and wasted no time.

"Order."

"Advance payment of the 'Detection Secret Technique'!"

(End of Chapter)