Chapter 150: with translation of chapter title

As Wu Mingkong's words about testing Chen Zheng fell, Feng Baiyu's brows twitched ever so slightly, giving rise to a vague bad premonition.

Regarding the grudges between Chen Zheng and Ruyi Zi, Wang Daoling, Hua Tiandu and others, to be honest, he still leaned more toward Chen Zheng.

But Wu Mingkong, after all, is the sect's first Patriarch, an Ancient Giant, with deep authority; having already made a decision in front of a host of senior Elders, he could not openly contradict it and save face.

And Xie Tiankui and Lin Feiyan, who had just spoken up for Chen Zheng, along with many senior Elders favoring Chen Zheng, all, like Feng Baiyu, were about to speak but held back.

Some senior Elders who remained neutral were indifferent, thinking it was merely a test of Chen Zheng's loyalty, which is a perfectly normal matter.

If Chen Zheng can voluntarily release Wang Daoling and the others from the Tenfold Five-Element Tower, they can intensify his cultivation later without delay.

For them, a disciple's loyalty to the sect is of utmost importance, with talent, opportunities, secrets, and so on coming second.

Otherwise, no matter how high Chen Zheng's talent, how many opportunities, or how great the secrets, it would all be in vain.

Just as Sun Xihua just said, would Chen Zheng share the secrets he holds with them?

Obviously not.

As for whether Chen Zheng temporarily fails the test, they didn't really care.

They would simply extend the time, continue observing, and watch Chen Zheng's future conduct.

Could a small test cause Chen Zheng to become resentful and cause some trouble?

Or even, like the Linglong Immortal Sovereign from over three thousand years ago, directly defect from the sect?

Stop joking.

They are not the ancient Taiyi Sect; their minds are not so narrow as to exclude disciples practicing Demonic Cultivation, and they have never oppressed Chen Zheng.

On the contrary, they were magnanimous, not holding Chen Zheng accountable for having offended Wan Gui Immortal Island, the Blood‑Shadow Demon Sect, Taiyi Sect, and the Boundless Star Palace, thereby bringing calamities to the sect.

They also did not hold him responsible for, after his return, violating sect rules by suppressing Wang Daoling and others on the Feathered Ascension Heavenly Palace.

Their Feathered Ascension Sect, in effect, bore all that for Chen Zheng.

Having gone this far, what more could Chen Zheng be dissatisfied with, what else does he want?

"Elder Tianxing, you go down and keep an eye on Chen Zheng's every move, to see whether he releases Wang Daoling and those Elders. If he passes the test, you shall have him hand over the spirit talismans of the Five-Element Land to the sect for custody; at that time I will summon him personally and bestow abundant rewards," Wu Mingkong's ethereal voice resonated again from the Heavenly Emperor Mirror.

"I..."

Elder Tianxing's lips quivered, trying repeatedly to speak, but he dared not say more; he bowed, whispered in a low voice, "I will faithfully follow the Patriarch's decree," and withdrew from the space.

………….

Time reverted to the previous moment.

On the Peak of Righteous Qi, inside the main hall.

On the long table were spirit fruits and spirit wine for guests; Chen Zheng and Qiu Xiyu, along with the women of the Linglong Blessed Land, sat upright beside the table.

Both sides began to discuss serious matters.

Qiu Xiyu asked, "Brother Chen, have you heard of the Zuma Great World, which lies more than five thousand hundred billion trillion light‑years beyond our Xuanguang Great World?"

Chen Zheng nodded, "Of course I've heard of it; it is said that this realm is dominated by a sect called the Zuma Divine Sect."

Qiu Xiyu sighed, "The power of the Zuma Divine Sect surpasses many sects in our Xuanguang Great World, not inferior to the Taiyi Sect."

A thoughtful expression flickered across Chen Zheng's brow, and he asked, "Could it be that the Linglong Immortal Sovereign's request of me is related to that Zuma Divine Sect?"

He recalled that the Linglong Immortal Sovereign seemed to have a good relationship with the Zuma Divine Sect.

The last time he saw the Linglong Immortal Sovereign on the Sumeru Golden Summit, it was only a projection; his true form is said to reside in a universe thousands of hundred billion trillion light‑years away.

Now it seems that the Linglong Immortal Sovereign was perhaps in that Zuma Great World at that time.

"Indeed."

Qiu Xiyu gently nodded and laid out the whole matter: "Recently I sent the Supreme Headmaster to be a guest at the Zuma Divine Sect, to discuss profound Dao with the Zuma Sect Leader, and we established a wager to send disciples from each sect to spar in four days, to see whose disciples are stronger."

She gave a wry smile: "You probably know the state of my Linglong Blessed Land, Brother Chen; among all true‑line disciples, only six Ancient Giants have reached the Golden Core realm or higher. There is only one true‑line disciple who has attained the Tenfold level of divine skill, named Canghai; her strength is not great, ranking tenth on the Longevity Candidate List and still below the Jade Mechanism disciple of Jiuding Pavilion. By contrast, the Zuma Divine Sect hides dragons and crouching tigers; there are dozens of thousands of true‑line disciples above the Golden Core, and tens of thousands of unparalleled geniuses, far outnumbering our Linglong disciples."

Upon hearing Qiu Xiyu's words, the women beside her, such as Piao Yun and Ye Qingqing, bowed their heads in shame.

Consider how mighty their Linglong Blessed Land is; the Supreme Headmaster is reputed as the number one master of the Xuanguang Great World, revered by countless beings, and even renowned throughout the entire three‑thousand‑world expanse.

Yet their disciples are disappointing; the senior true‑line sister ranks only tenth on the Longevity Candidate List.

With such strength, not even the top true‑line disciple of the Taiyi Sect or the Feathered Ascension Sect compares, let alone the foremost disciple of the Jiuding Pavilion merchant guild.

It is indeed rather embarrassing.

"So, the Zuma Divine Sect's true‑line disciples are indeed formidable; your Linglong Blessed Land's chances are slim," Chen Zheng understood the situation.

He asked, "Then the Linglong Immortal Sovereign means that I should represent your Linglong Blessed Land in battle, to compare strength with the Zuma Divine Sect's disciples?"

"Well, the Supreme Headmaster said to first let Brother Chen join our Linglong Blessed Land under the title of true‑line disciple, then go together with our sect's disciples to the Zuma Great World. Rest assured, the Supreme Headmaster is not truly admitting you into our sect; it's merely a pretense to deal with the Zuma Divine Sect. After the sparring, you will remain a Feathered Ascension Sect disciple and may return at any time; our Linglong Blessed Land will also present you with a generous gift. Do you accept?" Qiu Xiyu's hopeful gaze fixed on Chen Zheng.

Piao Yun and the other women also appeared slightly uneasy, as if fearing Chen Zheng might refuse.

After all, times have changed; Chen Zheng's strength now rivals an Ancient Giant and surpasses all past, present, and future as the foremost prodigy.

"Heh heh."

Chen Zheng sneered inwardly, holding the Feathered Ascension Sect in great contempt, having been utterly disappointed long ago.

The Feathered Ascension Sect is a trash sect that demands vision yet lacks it, demands resources yet has none.

Even dogs that come by shake their heads.

Why does he even return?

Is he looking for discomfort?

If it weren't to kill Ruyi Zi and others, and because Fang Qingxue and Jia Lan are still here, he would have never returned.

He might as well be a Free Cultivator outside, at least without so many constraints.

Nevertheless, there is no need to discuss this matter further with the women.

He said earnestly, "Elder Qiu, you and the Linglong Immortal Sovereign have treated me kindly; not even a trivial matter, even if it means walking through fire and water, I would not refuse."

The last time he ascended the Heaven‑Stepping Ladder, he obtained the Heavenly Doom Shark Boat of Wan Lianshan, thanks to Qiu Xiyu's tacit approval.

Later, on the Sumeru Golden Summit, he received personal guidance from the Linglong Immortal Sovereign and advanced to the Yin‑Yang realm.

Linglong Immortal Venerable also gave him a Daluo talisman.

These things were extremely precious to him at that time.

Even without the Heaven-Slaying Divine Shark Boat, he could not have blasted open Rashomon and easily slaughtered Wan Luo at that time.

Now he has some ability, and Linglong Blessed Land happens to need it, so naturally he should repay a bit.

Then thank you, Fellow Daoist Chen.

Qiu Xiyu's face showed joy, and she cupped her hands, saying: "In four days, the Sect Master Supreme will open a transmission gate to the Zuoma Grand World within our sect; I don't know whether you will return with us now, or wait until the day of sparring arrives to go?"

"I still have some matters to attend to, so I won't be traveling with you all for now." Chen Zheng pondered slightly and said thus.

"Alright, we won't disturb you, Fellow Daoist. See you in four days." The matter settled, Qiu Xiyu and Piao Yun and the other women felt relieved in their hearts, rose and bade farewell.

The hall fell silent.

Chen Zheng temporarily did not go look for Jiaolan, nor did he pay attention to Little Crane, the father and son of Golden Stone Terrace, and Chen Fu and Liu Suyun who had come from the South Sea to Huahua Sect days earlier.

He casually closed the hall doors, took out the Ten Directions Five Elements Pagoda, poured the 'Refining' true fire into it, and began to refine Wang Daoling and the thirty-plus Elders.

The Elders were low in strength; they died before they could even utter a miserable cry.

"What kind of fire is this? Ah! You're so crazy, daring to kill me, to kill a Vice Sect Master? Aren't you afraid the Sect Master Supreme will find out?"

Wang Daoling was powerful, bearing the Five-Colored Divine Chains, yet even in the raging flames his body melted like a candle, emitting a bewildered and miserable howl; he could hardly believe Chen Zheng would kill himself.

According to his original expectation, he would at most be suppressed by Chen Zheng for a while, and once Chen Zheng's anger subsided, he would be released.

After all, he is one of the Vice Sect Masters, his status is exalted, and hardly anyone dares to move against him.

According to sect rules, even if the Sect Master Supreme and the Grand Elder wanted to act against him, they would have to go through a triple-hall trial and vote.

Who would have thought Chen Zheng wouldn't even consider his status or the sect rules, saying he'd kill him and just killing him.

He has cultivated for over a thousand years, yet he has never encountered such a lunatic, even more demonic than the Demonic Path.

"So what if he knows? If he wants to kill me, I will immediately leave the sect, and later return to slaughter the entire Huahua Sect!" Chen Zheng said in a grim tone.

"You... you..."

Wang Daoling was stunned by Chen Zheng's degree of madness, unable to utter a complete sentence, his body turning into a pool of clear essence in the flames.

His Yin-Yang Annihilation Primordial Spirit also exploded, turning into fifty-five clusters of divine abilities.

These included the Yin-Yang Annihilation Divine Light, the Azure Moon Tide-Generation Technique, the Instant Kill Great Law, the Heavenly Sky True Fire, etc., divine abilities.

All those divine abilities and essences flowed out from within the Ten Directions Five Elements Pagoda, infused into Chen Zheng's body, merging into his natal talisman.

Boom—!

From within Chen Zheng's body came the sound of galloping steeds.

His mana began to surge!

One hundred eighty million horses... two hundred million horses... two hundred thirty million horses...

Until it stopped at two hundred fifty million horses.

And the divine abilities in his natal talisman, after removing duplicates, increased from the original two hundred seventy-three to three hundred fifteen.

On it were demon gods, immortals, flames, sea tides, cloud thunder, dragon tiger, great sun, fierce wind, heavenly calamity, five phases, blood infants, spirit infants, etc., divine abilities of both demon and immortal paths, as well as the Three Thousand Great Dao!

A full three hundred fifteen divine abilities!

If this natal talisman were unleashed, it would definitely scare everyone in the Huahua Sect inside and out into idiots.

However, the people of the Huahua Sect would never have the chance to see it.

Because Chen Zheng's natal talisman was melting and transforming, gradually condensing into a phantom of a great sun, sinking and floating, radiant and brilliant, illuminating heaven and earth.

This is the Void Elixir.

Shentong Liu Chong cultivators want to turn their natal talisman into a golden core, but it cannot be done overnight.

Basically, they must first condense a Void Elixir, then after accumulating dozens of years, when they have enough accumulation, can they transform the Void Elixir into substance, becoming a true golden core.

This process is called the Half-Step Golden Core Realm.

However, how vast are Chen Zheng's accumulations?

No cultivator of the same realm can compare with him; the difference is greater than that between a beggar and an immortal king.

Without any doubt, the Void Elixir instantly solidified into substance, becoming a true golden core, as if the Great Dao hung in the void, heaven and earth existing because of it, sun and moon moving because of it!

The Seventh Level of Divine Abilities Golden Core Realm has been achieved.

Chen Zheng's mana doubled, reaching the strength of five primordial heavenly dragons.

What does that mean?

Know that an ordinary cultivator of the First Level of Longevity, the Ten Thousand Longevity Realm, has mana of only one to four primordial heavenly dragons.

Chen Zheng, however, has five, completely surpassing ordinary First Level Longevity cultivators, capable of sweeping this realm and being hegemonic among the myriad ancient giants.

At this moment, his combat power can be said to lie between the First and Second Levels of Longevity.

Truly terrifying!

The improvements brought by the breakthrough are not limited to this.

When his natal talisman transformed into a golden core, Chen Zheng's three hundred fifteen divine abilities also tempered his fleshly body once more.

Especially the eight central calamity characters—'Dark', 'Refine', 'Clothing', 'Cannon', 'Speed', 'Change', 'Great', 'Super'—which merged with his body like water and milk, making every inch of his skin, muscle, bone, and even his hair become astonishingly strong.

If someone could obtain a single strand of his hair, without any need for refinement, they could cleave heaven and earth, and clash head-on with a Dao artifact.

You didn't missee, each strand of Chen Zheng's hair is already comparable to a Dao artifact, containing terrifying, world-shaking divine might!

Even a drop of sweat that falls from his body is precious immortal liquid; others who consume it can have their strength explode and their lifespan increased by a hundred years.

Chen Zheng's own lifespan has reached thirty-six thousand years, comparable to a powerful being of the Second Level of Longevity, the Undying Body Realm.

For example, Chirotian, who once led the six Ancient Giants to question the sect, also has a lifespan of just over thirty thousand years.

Chen Zheng merely being at the Seventh Level of Divine Abilities already possesses such a lifespan; if spoken aloud, no one would believe it, and they'd only think him a madman spouting nonsense.

"Aside from lacking a heaven-earth dharma form and being unable to draw in the pure yang qi that seeps down from the immortal realm, I am already no different from the myriad ancient giants."

Chen Zheng slightly experienced the changes brought by promotion, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"I don't know what new calamity characters have appeared on the Sheep Skin Scroll," he gathered his mind and began to examine the Sheep Skin Scroll deep in his sea of consciousness.

Dong dong dong!

Suddenly, a knocking sound came from outside the hall.

Chen Zheng frowned slightly, and upon sensing who was outside the hall, he said, "Come in."

The hall door was pushed open, and a pale-faced, beardless youth stepped in—it was the Heaven Punishment Elder.

However, the Heaven Punishment Elder lacked his usual dignity, instead appearing troubled; as soon as he entered, he sent a mental transmission asking, "Chen Zheng, how are Wang Dao Ling and the others, whom you have suppressed within the Superior Dao Artifact?"

His voice sounded extremely tense, like a bowstring about to snap.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zheng narrowed his eyes and instantly understood what was happening.

It's likely that while just now refining to death Wang Dao Ling and the others, the Heaven Punishment Elder detected the abnormality through some means.

He showed no expression, and likewise sent a mental transmission asking, "Elder, why are you asking about this?"

The Heaven Punishment Elder hesitated for a long time, then sighed and said, "Ancestor Master Wu Mingkong has personally spoken, wishing to use Wang Dao Ling and the others to test your loyalty to the sect; only by releasing Wang Dao Ling and the others can you pass the test. If they are killed by you, great trouble will ensue."

"Test me?" Chen Zheng suddenly burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" the Heaven Punishment Elder was taken aback.

(End of chapter)