Chapter 596: The Birth of a Refining Void Expert

Murong Hongxiu walked out of a room, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, and she likewise raised her head to glance at the sky; her heart was instantly startled! In the years that Zhang Nuo had been in seclusion, the young woman had never left the Zhai, yet nearly two hundred years had passed, and her cultivation had not made even the slightest progress!

One reason was that the Spiritual Qi of the Demon Realm was too thin, simply insufficient to allow her to advance; the second reason was the internal injuries she had previously sustained from the Heavenly Tribulation, which had only recovered in the last hundred years or so. By this reckoning, Murong Hongxiu had spent almost all her time recuperating!

The celestial phenomenon in the sky at this moment indicated that someone was about to advance to the Refining Void Stage. Within the vast Prophet Hall, aside from the Great Prophet who was an Integration Late Stage cultivator, it was simply impossible for anyone else to advance!

"Could it be him? How is this possible?"

Murong Hongxiu's thoughts raced, and she suddenly thought of Zhang Nuo, but she quickly dismissed the notion. Because when he had just arrived at the Prophet Hall, Zhang Nuo was merely an Integration Early Stage fellow; could two hundred years of time really have allowed him to grow to such a terrifying degree?

Even with the young woman's meticulous mind, she absolutely could not fathom this matter. Murong Hongxiu stepped toward the building where the Prophet resided. Just as she reached the entrance, she saw the Prophet also looking up at the celestial phenomenon, yet his eyes were unusually calm!

"Prophet, whose celestial phenomenon is this? Is it the Great Prophet's?"

Gently shaking his head, the Prophet gave a bitter smile and said:

"It cannot be the Great Prophet's, because he will never advance again!"

Hearing this, the young woman was slightly startled, and with a very unsightly expression, she asked:

"How is this possible? The Great Prophet has already been in the Integration Late Stage for many years; logically speaking, he should have advanced long ago!"

"Girl, you know the first part but not the second. Do you know why the Great Prophet has been hiding in the Underground Palace and dares not come out?"

Murong Hongxiu pondered for a moment, then looked at the Prophet in a daze. Just as the Prophet said, ever since the day the young woman met the Great Prophet, he had always been in the Underground Palace; no matter what happened, she had never once seen him come out!

"It is no harm to tell you! In order to avoid the Heavenly Tribulation, the Great Prophet can only live in the Underground Palace for his entire life. Do not underestimate that Underground Palace; it is the essence condensed by the successive prophets of the Prophet Hall and can isolate the perception of the laws of Heaven and Earth from cultivators. However, everything has its pros and cons; although one can avoid the Heavenly Tribulation, without the baptism of the Heavenly Tribulation, a cultivator's cultivation is impossible to improve!"

Blinking her eyes, the young woman glanced toward the black stone tower with a face full of astonishment! No wonder the Great Prophet could live for a million years; it turned out to be because he had avoided the Heavenly Tribulation. But thinking back, what did it matter if one lived a long life? Never daring to step even half a step out of the Underground Palace for this entire life was equivalent to sentencing oneself to permanent solitary confinement, and that Underground Palace was the prison!

"Since that is the case, then who is the cultivator advancing?"

Suddenly thinking of this point, Murong Hongxiu asked with a solemn expression.

"Hehe! In this Prophet Hall, I am afraid there is no one else who could advance to the Refining Void Stage besides him!"

The Prophet smiled faintly, a look of determination appearing in his eyes!

"You mean Zhang Nuo!"

The young woman was completely stunned! She could not believe it, and dared not believe it. A human cultivator, in a mere two hundred years or so, had advanced to the Refining Void Stage; this was simply something that had never happened across several realms!

At this moment, the anomaly in the sky suddenly underwent some changes. Four faint phantoms of holy beasts suddenly appeared in the four directions of southeast, northwest! They were the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise respectively!

"This... how is this possible! How could his advancement as a mere human cultivator summon the phantom images of the four great True Spirit divine beasts!"

The Prophet's calm face suddenly revealed a look of shock. To the Demon Realm, the four great True Spirit divine beasts were like True Immortal-level existences. However, these kinds of divine beasts had already been extinct for who knows how many years, and no matter which great power had advanced, they had never manifested before!

Throughout the entire Zhai, a sound of prayer erupted, and countless Minotaurs bowed toward the sky!

"Was this also triggered by Zhang Nuo?"

The young woman looked at the Prophet in disbelief. At this time, the Prophet was already unable to speak, and a feeling of worship for the four great True Spirit divine beasts welled up in his heart!

Because Murong Hongxiu had lived in the Immortal Domain for too long, and the techniques she practiced were mostly human techniques, her demon beast nature had regressed somewhat! She did not worship the divine beast phantoms in the sky like the demon cultivators of the Prophet Hall!

The four great True Spirit phantoms danced incessantly in mid-air, causing the surrounding Heaven and Earth Origin Qi to fluctuate as well. Bursts of thunderous explosions rang out, making the already collapsing sky even more unstable!

At this time, the Great Prophet inside the Underground Palace also revealed a look of shock. He pinched his fingers, which had not yet fully formed, and after a moment, his expression changed again as he looked suspiciously toward Zhang Nuo's location!

The area around that room was shrouded in clusters of Spiritual Qi, and the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi seeping down from the surface had also turned into substance, gathering toward Zhang Nuo's body!

"To actually possess the bloodlines of the four great True Spirits simultaneously in one's body, kid, what kind of fortuitous encounter have you had?"

The Great Prophet exclaimed!

At this moment, Zhang Nuo was sitting cross-legged in the room, his hands forming seals and his expression unsightly, looking as if he were facing a formidable enemy! He seemed unaware of everything outside!

In his Divine Sea, within an area shrouded by Demonic Qi, Zhang Nuo stood upright, while a hundred feet away from him was an Outer-Realm Heavenly Demon radiating Demonic Qi, staring at him coldly!

This Heavenly Demon's eyes flickered with cold light, and its four limbs were unusually long, occupying almost two-thirds of its body; its hands hung straight down, reaching past its knees!

"Hehe! Kid, I really didn't expect that not long after advancing to the Integration Stage, you would charge into the Refining Void Stage! You are a genius!"

The Outer-Realm Heavenly Demon said coldly, a ferocious smile on its face. A terrifying aura made Zhang Nuo's entire body tremble! It was clear that this Outer-Realm Heavenly Demon before him was no longer the one he had let go in the Human Realm! Today, a battle with the Heavenly Demon in the Divine Sea was unavoidable!

Fortunately, he had made preparations for this long ago. Zhang Nuo gave a cold smile and said:

"Lord Heavenly Demon! Although I have advanced quickly, it was not easy. Why not let me off this once?"

"Let you off? What a joke! A talent like you, once you turn into a demon, will certainly strengthen the power of our Outer-Realm Heavenly Demons! I think you had better just submit obediently!"

The Outer-Realm Heavenly Demon let out a cold snort, then spread its hands apart, and the surrounding Demonic Qi grew several times denser!

"For me to submit is absolutely impossible! Since that is the case, please make your move, Lord Heavenly Demon!"

Zhang Nuo retreated, and at the same time, his Divine Sense stirred. Eighty-one Flying Swords were unleashed simultaneously. These Flying Swords, which he had already refined into his life-bound Magic Treasure, each had clear blades, as if made of water!

"You... how can you use a Magic Treasure? This is the Divine Sea; only your mental will can enter here. Could this be a life-bound Magic Treasure?"

The Outer-Realm Heavenly Demon's expression changed in shock, but it seemed to realize something immediately!

"Correct! This is my life-bound Magic Treasure!"

Zhang Nuo said noncommittally.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! How could you have fused the Nine Divine Seas in a mere two hundred years? Even the most genius cultivator could not achieve this!"

Zhang Nuo ignored the hysterical, screaming Outer-Realm Heavenly Demon and pointed a finger at it. Immediately, dozens of Flying Swords launched in unison. The sound of sword humming resonated throughout the entire Divine Sea, like the shrill roars of beasts, making the sky tremble! The next moment, sword Qi surged, slashing toward the Outer-Realm Heavenly Demon from different directions!

The Heavenly Demon moved and dodged into the distance. Although it had discovered that Zhang Nuo was a Five-Colored Divine Sea cultivator, it still held a glimmer of luck in its heart!

The demon raised one hand slightly, and a streak of Demonic Qi shot out. This Demonic Qi was very faint, appearing as if it existed yet did not, and it transformed into an invisible long sword in mid-air, slashing down!

Where the invisible demonic sword passed, a series of air-bursting sounds rang out. Zhang Nuo merely glanced at it, then his Divine Sense stirred. The dozens of Flying Swords he had previously unleashed let out a long cry in unison, instantly splitting into countless sword shadows!

The Ten Thousand Swords Flow Array formed in almost an instant, and a torrent rushed up to meet the descending demonic sword!

Boom!

Amidst the loud noise, the ethereal demonic sword was dispersed by the torrent condensed by the Ten Thousand Swords Flow Array! After being refined into a life-bound Magic Treasure, the power of the Nine Dragon Sword Case had also increased crazily! As for this Ten Thousand Swords Flow Array, its power had increased by more than several times!

Facing the attack of this Outer-Realm Heavenly Demon, which was at almost the same realm, a single torrent easily neutralized it!

"You..."

Feeling his heart jump wildly, the Outer-Realm Heavenly Demon was so shocked it could only utter the word "you," while Zhang Nuo had already taken further action!

"Hmph! I let you leave before, but you refused, so don't blame me for being ruthless!"

After a snort, Zhang Nuo suddenly flicked his hand toward the void in front of him, and instantly, ten thousand streaks of dark red flame appeared out of thin air, flashing once before transforming into a firebird several zhang in size that soared into the sky!

Although this firebird still retained the appearance of the Red Glow Fire spirit, its might was several times greater; a phoenix cry rang out, the firebird opened its mouth wide, and a dark red pillar of fire a zhang thick erupted, descending to shroud the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon!

"Want to kill this deity! It's not that easy!"

The Outer Realm Heavenly Demon also became combative; with a shake of its entire body, a massive amount of Demonic Qi surged out, manifesting above its head into a pitch-black, gargantuan mountain ten thousand ren high!

With a thunderous boom, the beam of light emitted by the firebird struck directly onto the black giant mountain! It had originally assumed this strike had been blocked, but when the Heavenly Demon's Divine Sense swept over the giant mountain, its expression changed drastically! It saw that the place where the giant mountain had been struck was burning with a raging fire! The firelight illuminated the sky of the Divine Sense sea in a brilliant crimson!