Chapter 98: Integrating Innate Divine Powers and Strength Improvement

"I have met Mr. Shawn," Dan Ning Dun also quickly bowed;

He also knows how prestigious the Great Perfection's status is on the divine plane; even the peak Asuras find it very hard to see even a single face;

Even for many major forces, the Great Perfection is a more terrifying existence than the Lord God; after all, as long as you don't directly offend the Lord God you generally won't be punished, but the Great Perfection is another matter—often killing a person casually could bring a clan‑annihilating disaster if that person knows the Great Perfection;

Under the Lord God, many factions can kill at will without fearing the Lord God's backing, but few forces dare to act recklessly against the Great Perfection's subordinates or friends.

Shawn asked, "Your Death Rule should be close to the Asura level, right?"

Dan Ning Dun replied, "I can't guarantee it's at Asura level, but it's definitely stronger than an ordinary Seven‑Star Demon. However, in a place like the Sea of Chaos, I don't dare to challenge the Prefect lightly; the Prefects here are even City Lords, each with their own signature move, making them hard to handle."

The Sea of Chaos can be described as a gathering place for Hell's elites; the City Lords here likely have an average strength far surpassing those of other continents.

Only where the strong are as numerous as clouds can more strong ones be born.

"That's true; the Sea of Chaos does have many experts," Shawn smiled and asked, "What about your Destruction Rule? What level is it?"

Dan Ning Dun answered awkwardly, "Mr. Shawn, my Destruction Rule talent is poor, only at a typical Upper‑God level; even in the Sea of Chaos, where destruction experts are abundant, I have only just barely achieved independent godhood."

"The second divine avatar managing to become an independent Upper‑God is already decent, but it still falls far short of your Death Rule talent," Shawn nodded. "Actually, you should venture into the Netherworld; there are more Death Rule masters there, and it's more suitable for cultivating the Death Rule."

All four Supreme Planes are suitable for cultivating the Seven Great Laws, but regarding rules, the corresponding plane naturally yields stronger mastery of its own rule; Hell is better for the Destruction Rule, while the Netherworld is better for the Death Rule.

Dan Ning Dun said, "I am in Hell, and my Death Rule cultivation progresses quickly. Since I was born in the Sea of Chaos, I never considered going to the Netherworld; perhaps one day, if I hit a bottleneck, I might make a trip there."

"So, how old are you this year?" Shawn asked again.

Dan Ning Dun replied, "I'm about twenty thousand years old this year."

"Haha, your talent is truly impressive, not far behind mine," Shawn praised.

Dan Ning Dun was overjoyed and laughed, "Mr. Shawn, you overpraise me."

Being praised by a Death Great Perfection of the same lineage, and used as a comparison, is naturally an honor.

Shawn added, "Your soul has now mutated, making your soul power ten times stronger. However, your Destruction Rule talent is average, so you should mainly cultivate the Death Rule and continue training; perhaps your future achievements will be greater."

The hallmark of soul mutation is that soul power is amplified manyfold, and cultivating any rule that draws from exotic fusion mysteries becomes far more efficient.

Of course, it only speeds up cultivation; bottlenecks may still arise.

"I think the same," Dan Ning Dun nodded, then tentatively asked, "Mr. Shawn, may I ask why you sought me? Do you know A Lie Fu?"

Shawn had come to find him directly, yet he intervened to save A Lie Fu; otherwise Shawn would have been wounded and A Lie Fu killed, but Shawn rescued him.

"I saved A Lie Fu on the spot; he's a divine beast and somewhat useful to me," Shawn said without much explanation. "As for seeking you, I happened to learn your information and thought your talent was impressive, so I came to see you;"

"I didn't expect your soul mutation to occur by chance—that's a tremendous opportunity."

Dan Ning Dun laughed, "That indeed was an unexpected joy; in that case, I owe A Lie Fu thanks."

Shawn thought and said, "You needn't worry about him; I've already sent him elsewhere. Though he won't die, the former A Lie Fu is effectively gone."

"Mr. Shawn, rest assured, as long as he doesn't appear before me, I won't seek him," Dan Ning Dun shook his head. "Actually it was a life‑and‑death challenge between me and a friend of his; our strengths were similar, and I accidentally killed the opponent;"

"Later, his death caused his family to be wiped out by their enemies, and A Lie Fu blamed me for the hatred; I was quite innocent."

The life‑and‑death arising from challenges on the divine plane generally isn't considered hatred; it's part of the challenge itself, though some people just can't understand.

"Hmm, that's good," Shawn nodded, adding, "Your Death Rule hasn't reached Asura level yet, but I noticed something unique in your techniques. Let's spar; it might benefit both of us."

Seeking Dan Ning Dun, he actually hoped to see if, through a future Great Perfection of Dan Ning Dun, he could break through his own Death Rule Great Perfection;

However, Dan Ning Dun's current strength is insufficient; yet such a uniquely gifted being may have a distinct understanding of the rules, so trying a duel might be beneficial— even if he's a bit weaker, there's no downside.

Dan Ning Dun, flattered and startled, asked, "Mr. Shawn, you are a Great Perfection—what about me?"

"Hahaha, Great Perfection is merely mysterious; even in techniques, there is still room for improvement," Shawn laughed heartily.

Not to mention he's not a Death Rule Great Perfection; even if he were, the post‑Great Perfection ultimate moves differ and still have ample room for advancement, such as Bai'e's Binding Ultimate Technique, which Lord God's Wu Tereid and Ao Fu have been studying to boost their combat power.

However, such improvements are fraught with countless difficulties; it may take billions of years to succeed. Any attempt has a probability of one in hundreds of millions, yet each must be tried, otherwise success is impossible.

"Very well, I look forward to your guidance, Mr. Shawn," Dan Ning Dun said, full of fighting spirit; being esteemed by a Death Rule Great Perfection for a duel truly honored him.

Of course, in this duel the Great Perfection will certainly suppress his power; otherwise, the shadows that spread from the divine plane show that a Great Perfection can slay an Asura as easily as cutting a melon, and this peak Seven‑Star Demon would likely not even withstand a fingertip's press.

The two quickly surged out from underground, towering above the clouds, both radiating death divine power, and then charged at each other.

A thousand years later, over Lie Yan Island.

"Boom~~" A massive spatial rift, visible hundreds of miles away, emitted powerful energy fluctuations that kept countless surrounding experts from approaching.

A bright voice rang out, "Haha, Dan Ning Dun, congratulations, you've made another breakthrough."

After the two figures crossed paths, they returned to an elegant pavilion.

Shawn waved his hand casually, and dishes of delicacy appeared on the table before them; Dan Ning Dun also sat down, laughing, "I still must thank Mr. Shawn for his guidance over these thousand years."

"That's also your talent, and through our discussions I have also gained something," Shawn said.

Although his Death Rule is not a "Great Perfection," it has reached the final step, and guiding a peak Seven‑Star Demon like Dan Ning Dun is still no problem;

A thousand years plus Dan Ning Dun's talent have also propelled him further.

As for himself, although he hasn't broken through to Great Perfection, he has grasped some ultimate technique applications; the boost to his strength is modest, but at this level every small step is like that—whether breaking the next bottleneck or mastering a powerful ultimate move, it requires long‑term accumulation.

Dan Ning Dun quickly bowed, "Regardless, my breakthrough is thanks to you, Mr. Shawn; from now on, whenever you have any request, I will give my all."

Though he doesn't think a Great Perfection would ever need his intervention, that's all he can offer; otherwise, what else could he give? The few drops of Lord God's power he possesses are of utmost value to him, yet to a Great Perfection they amount to nothing.

However, being soul‑mutated, it might prove useful at times.

"Alright, I'll come to you if anything arises," Shawn smiled, "but you still need to raise your strength a bit; if you get within one step of the Death Rule Great Perfection—or achieve Great Perfection—that would greatly aid me."

Dan Ning Dun wondered whether he could still achieve Great Perfection; it's much like Pa Er Haosu—he can only gamble now. At worst he wastes a bit more time; failure costs little, but a single success would be huge, granting him a Great Perfection Lord God envoy.

Dan Ning Dun laughed and shook his head, "Great Perfection? That's far beyond me."

"You must have confidence; without confidence in becoming stronger you cannot become stronger, and without determination for Great Perfection it's even less likely to achieve it," Shawn instructed. "Anything requires the right attitude first, then diligent effort, before success becomes possible."

Dan Ning Dun, taking the lesson, said, "Yes, Mr. Shawn, I have been lacking confidence."

Shawn smiled, "That's not your fault; after all, you're still far from Great Perfection. You've reached Asura level now and are already a master; when you later reach the peak level, we can reconsider."

"Alright, I'm ready to set out on an adventure," Dan Ning Dun added, "Mr. Shawn, how about we go together? I can take you to travel the Sea of Chaos as well."

"Fine." Shawn nodded in agreement.

Nowadays, apart from searching for the Supreme God's token and the Supreme God's Mirror, he really has nothing else to do, but this matter gives him no clue, so he can only rely on his own opportunity.

Since there's no direction anyway, wandering the Sea of Chaos is fine; perhaps he'll find news of the Supreme God's token, or maybe venture together with Dan Ning Dun, and perhaps have a chance to take the final step to break through the Great Perfection.

Whichever it is, it depends on chance, and also on going with the flow.

Dan Ning Dun cheerfully said, "Then I'll make some preparations right away; let's head first to the nearby Wu Kun City, which is the largest city of Hell."

"Alright." Shawn didn't mind.

What puzzled him, however, was that after spending a thousand years in the Sea of Chaos, the Destruction Overlord Wu Te Lei De never appeared;

Either this Destruction Great Perfection Overlord doesn't regard his own Great Perfection, or, as described in the original work, Wu Te Lei De spends every day in his own domain conducting research and basically never comes out.

Or perhaps he's observing him, which is Shawn's biggest worry: if he discovers the Supreme God's token, that's fine, the Destruction Overlord might not recognize it, but if he discovers the Supreme God's Mirror and is discovered by him, that would be trouble.

Fortunately, in the Four Beast Clan, everyone who knew about the mysterious short gun has been silenced, so even if the Supreme God's Mirror is exposed, he doesn't need to worry; the worst‑case scenario is that he fails to complete the mission, in which case he could hand over the token to a Rule Overlord in exchange for a favor.

After resting a few days on Lie Yan Island, Shawn, Dan Ning Dun, and Lei Si Bu together boarded a metallic lifeform and headed for the nearby Wu Kun City, beginning their journey through Hell.

Qingyuan Material Plane:

Shawn's primary deity avatar sat amid a stretch of yellow sand; this is the largest desert on the Qingyuan Continent Plane, deliberately created by Shawn, spanning several million li, scorching hot, and filled with bizarre soul‑poisonous gas, where no creature can survive.

Suddenly, the space in front of Shawn tore open, forming a hole several meters wide that revealed turbulent spatial currents inside.

Shawn's eyes snapped open, and a massive scorpion illusion appeared behind him, exuding a terrifying aura; finally, a soul attack bearing an innate divine skill shot straight at the spatial fissure, entering the spatial turbulence;

"The innate divine skill of this Nether Scorpion is indeed formidable."

Shawn marveled at the power of his own innate divine skill, feeling great joy.

After acquiring the research method of A Lie Fu that spans billions of years, Shawn once again refined his study; ultimately, using the massive Nether Scorpion essence blood left by the deity Fei Si Te, he infused it into his body, employed a special technique, and successfully manifested the Nether Scorpion's innate divine skill;

This innate divine skill not only amplified the power of his soul attack dramatically, but also carried the soul‑poison of the soul bead.

"I reckon that an ordinary Overlord hit by this move wouldn't die, but would still endure a great torment."

Shawn assessed his own innate divine skill; however, against Ao Gu Si Ta it would still be meaningless;

It's unclear what Ao Fu is up to; as the Great Perfection Overlord of the Fate Rules, he also has a primary deity avatar, and surprisingly chose the Supreme God's soul‑defense artifact as his first Supreme God mission, which now completely counters Shawn.

He still has to rely on breaking through the Death Rules Great Perfection and completing the Supreme God mission; then he won't fear Augusta, and even if he kills another life or a Light deity, Ao Fu could at most claim to have defeated him, but killing him would be difficult.

Ten thousand years later, while in seclusion, Shawn suddenly sensed an anomaly deep within his soul.

"Is that the soul bead? Has it stopped absorbing the deity's might?"

When he became a deity, the soul bead began absorbing the deity's power, but now it has abruptly ceased.

Just as Shawn was about to resume his research, a wave of a "memory image" similar to before flashed in his mind.

PS: Please give monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)