Chapter 183: Breakthrough

What did the Zuma Sect Leader see in the thirty‑second underground world that made him act so erratically?

Very simple.

Because when the Patriarch Xiang Tian, with a single punch, summoned the falling stars from beyond the heavens to crush Chen Zheng, at the moment centered on Chen Zheng, the area within a million li suddenly underwent a cataclysmic sky change; black clouds rolled in, obscuring sun and moon, plunging the world into an unspeakable darkness.

In the endless darkness, a continuous "woo‑woo‑woo" sound rang incessantly, dense as a tide, covering the sky, as if the ancient gods of a primordial heaven were weeping bloodily, making every listener shudder with horror.

At the same time.

A massive dark‑gold throne that shattered spacetime rose slowly amid the endless black clouds, spanning the vast heavens.

Seated upon the throne was a humanoid apparition, its features indistinct, enveloped in an unfathomable aura, as if embodying destruction and rebirth.

Its stature was absurdly towering, seemingly endless; even the myriad heavens and realms before it were but insignificant specks of dust.

"What… what is that? So terrifying, how could such a dreadful existence exist in the world?"

"Is that humanoid apparition Brother Chen's Dharma Image? Yet he is only at the Eighth Divine Skill; how could he possess a Dharma Image that only a Ninth Divine Skill cultivator can have?"

"It is Brother Chen's Dharma Image, though not yet complete; he may soon ascend to the Ninth Divine Skill, allowing the Dharma Image apparition to manifest. Yet his Dharma Image is so astonishing that, once fully condensed, the entire three‑thousand‑world expanse might tremble!"

Countless Zuma Sect disciples, upon seeing that humanoid apparition, trembled uncontrollably, their hearts filled with fear and a desire to kneel in submission.

Even the many Elder Elders of the Zuma Sect were no exception.

Even the Zuma Sect Leader's mind developed emotions similar to everyone else's.

Before that humanoid apparition, he seemed not a true immortal, but merely an insignificant ant in the vast heavens, tiny and humble.

That humanoid apparition, however, is the supreme True Demon who commands countless hells as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.

A single word from the True Demon can decide the life and death of all beings past, present, and future; a thought can erase ten thousand ages, ending three thousand chaotic epochs and ushering a brand‑new great world.

This is terrifying!

Precisely because of this, the Zuma Sect Leader acted so erratically, so unbelievable!

Consider that Chen Zheng is only at the Eighth Divine Skill, yet merely manifesting a Dharma Image apparition can cause the Tenth Immortal Realm Zuma Sect Leader to feel a hint of fear—what a concept!

It cannot be described in words!

Chen Zheng and the Zuma Sect Leader differ by a full twelve great realms!

Moreover, once a divine‑skill cultivator attains the Longevity Secret Realm, it becomes increasingly difficult to ascend further and fight.

It is well known that the gap between each successive realm grows ever larger.

They are like celestial chasms, insurmountable!

But now, the so‑called celestial chasm seems to have lost its effect before Chen Zheng.

It is ignored by Chen Zheng.

Chen Zheng is no longer merely defying heaven; he is crushing the iron law that countless celestial cultivators hold as truth, surpassing all heavenly principles.

"Chen Zheng, Chen Zheng, what kind of being have you reincarnated as to be so terrifying?" the Zuma Sect Leader, his spirit wavering, could not help but ask.

"Chen Zheng, are you truly the reincarnation of the Primordial Demon Lord?" Linglong Celestial Venerable's eyes were deep, gazing at the humanoid apparition above Chen Zheng, his heart equally turbulent, far from calm.

She had once entered a micro‑treasury within the Hongmeng Secret Treasury, where she obtained the Great Wish Technique and many scriptures recording the secrets of the Celestial, Demon, Divine, Buddha, and Dragon realms.

Therefore, her understanding of these supreme worlds is far deeper than that of others.

Among those scriptures, she also learned legends about the Primordial Demon Lord.

It is said that the Primordial Demon Lord is the oldest, most mysterious, and strongest Immortal King in the world, commanding the Three‑Life Stone of the past, present, and future.

Even the ancient Three Sovereigns' teacher Hongmeng Daoist, the World‑Freedom King Buddha of the Buddha Realm, the primordial ancestor Dragon of the Dragon race, the Holy King, the ancestor of the Divine race, and other Immortal Kings are no match for the Primordial Demon Lord.

Even the Celestial Court's ruler, the Zaohua Celestial King, has no chance of defeating the Primordial Demon Lord!

The Primordial Demon Lord is so powerful, truly the First Immortal King!

Because of his overwhelming might, the Primordial Demon Lord incited the jealousy of the other kings, was besieged by them, suffered a dreadful calamity, and vanished between heaven and earth.

The Three‑Life Stone's whereabouts are also unknown.

Perhaps…

Chen Zheng truly is the Primordial Demon Lord.

This great being has reincarnated; in the near future, countless supreme worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges will tremble because of Chen Zheng.

Meanwhile, while countless people on the surface are either terrified or speculating, in the thirty‑second underground world, Chen Zheng's True Demon Dharma Image has already moved.

Boom!

He radiated an unmatched vast oppressive pressure, lifted his leg and stepped toward the Xiang Tian Patriarch.

"What?"

The fist that struck at Chen Zheng's Xiang Tian Patriarch showed an expression of disbelief.

Because he pierced the spacetime wormhole with countless hairs, pulling it from beyond the heavens, the stars fell like raindrops onto Chen Zheng, vanishing one after another.

Indeed, they are vanishing.

Just by contacting the oppressive pressure emitted by the True Demon Apparition, whether micro‑stars of ten thousand li in diameter or small stars of a hundred thousand li, all vanished, as if made of tofu.

In an instant, all stars turned to void, not a speck remaining.

The Xiang Tian Patriarch himself was crushed by the pressure, nearly suffocating, unable to move, his fist could not be thrown, and his soul was about to burst.

"I am six great realms above you, also a descendant of the Sacred Elephant, having roamed the heavens and earth for a hundred thousand years, slaughtering countless members of the Zuma Sect; I doubt I cannot contend with a human youth of only the Eighth Divine Skill! Cosmic Light Rule, the power of time!"

Seeing the True Demon Dharma Image about to step on him, the Xiang Tian Patriarch's eyes flashed ferociously, roaring, his aura devouring mountains and rivers.

Suddenly, a towering crimson light erupted from his body larger than stars, flooding the heavens and earth, piercing countless spectators' eyes, causing blood and tears to flow.

This surging crimson light is not a divine skill, but the manifestation of the power of the Time Rule.

The Xiang Tian Patriarch intends to slow the flow of time in this realm to near stillness, trapping Chen Zheng in a temporal quagmire.

In an instant, wherever the crimson light touched, time's flow became exceedingly slow, countless times slower than normal, and all the snakes, insects, rodents, ants and myriad creatures on the earth were frozen.

"So… strong."

Through the spacetime channel, countless Zuma Sect disciples witnessing the crimson light, each a Third Immortal Realm Elder, moved sluggishly like snails, their thoughts lagging.

Undoubtedly, the power of the Time Rule is one of the strongest methods of an Eternal Longevity Fourth‑Tier Cosmic Light Realm cultivator.

Those who have not mastered the Time Rule, once caught in slowed time, cannot break free and can only be slaughtered by the enemy.

Thus, Eternal Longevity Secret Realm cultivators find crossing realms extremely difficult, unlike in the Shen Tong Mi Jing, where people like Ru Yan Shuiyi, Jiang Ming, Sima Chong could advance against the flow.

However, to the surprise of Patriarch Xiang Tian and everyone, the True Demon Dharma Illusory Shadow showed no sign of being affected by the Time Rule.

Its movement did not pause at all; it passed straight through the sky‑filled crimson light and placed a foot on Patriarch Xiang Tian's body.

With a booming crash, Patriarch Xiang Tian's massive body collapsed with a thunderous thud, smashing onto the ground, causing an apocalyptic‑level earthquake that shook violently, cracked wildly, and split open countless fissures tens of thousands of li wide that stretched to the horizon.

They resembled endless dark abysses.

"How can this be? Why are you not affected by my Time Rule?"

Patriarch Xiang Tian was held down by a foot of the True Demon Illusory Shadow, a scene strikingly similar to the True Demon stepping on the Sacred Elephant; the step dimmed his crimson aura, his skin split open, and blood poured out like a great waterfall, staining the mountains and earth.

But he could not even attend to his wounds; instead, he widened his huge eyes, filled with astonishment, and stared fixedly at Chen Zheng, unable to believe that his most powerful method had failed against Chen Zheng's primordial spirit.

Why?

The members of the Zuma Divine Sect were deeply shocked, yet wore bewildered expressions.

Including the powerful demon clans watching from the various underground worlds, they too harbored the same question as Patriarch Xiang Tian.

Chen Zheng's ability to slay Xiang Wanxu can at best be explained as a reincarnation of a terrifying upper‑realm entity that, by some unknown means, broke the limits of heaven and earth and wielded the power of hundreds of Primordial Celestial Dragons.

But under the current circumstances, there is no explanation left.

Everyone eagerly wanted the answer and all turned their gazes toward Chen Zheng.

But Chen Zheng remained expressionless, never explaining that his primordial spirit contains a "super" character that can ignore the constraints of rules.

Bang!

The True Demon Dharma Illusory Shadow atop his head stepped again, turning Patriarch Xiang Tian into a gigantic meat patty.

A spark of the true fire bearing the character "Lian" ignited on the meat patty, instantly spreading, engulfing the entire patty in fierce flames that caused Patriarch Xiang Tian to howl in agony as flesh and blood writhed wildly.

But because he was firmly stepped on by the True Demon, he could not break free and could only let out a ferocious roar: "Kid, wait for me. I am the 936th descendant of the Sacred Elephant King of Ancestor Demon Land! Do you know what kind of being the Sacred Elephant King is? He is a celestial immortal who stands above the Eternal Longevity Secret Realm. Once he learns that I died at your hands, you will be doomed, utterly doomed; no one in the three thousand great worlds can escape the celestial immortal's pursuit!"

When those words fell, countless faces turned pale.

The words "celestial immortal" were weighty enough to crush the universe, leaving people breathless.

Even as powerful as the Zuma Sect Leader, one cannot withstand the might of a celestial immortal.

Chen Zheng, however, stood with his hands behind his back, upright, and calmly said: "Just because of that sentence, I will sooner or later go to Ancestor Demon Land and slay the Sacred Elephant King."

"You… you…" Patriarch Xiang Tian was almost choked to death by Chen Zheng's words, unable to speak further.

This youth is far too arrogant.

Many spectators, however, did not think Chen Zheng was arrogant.

For example, Qiu Xiyu.

She said firmly, "I believe in him; there is no one in the world he cannot slay."

"Senior Brother Chen's confidence is too strong; aside from Jia Lan, no one can make him bow." Piao Yun spoke, her eyes shining at Chen Zheng.

"Our Zuma Divine Sect losing to Senior Brother Chen is not unjust," many beautiful female disciples of the Zuma Divine Sect stared at Chen Zheng with infatuated gazes.

Moreover, they were somewhat jealous of the Jia Lan mentioned by Piao Yun.

"Perhaps in the near future, the news that the Sacred Elephant King died at Chen Zheng's hands will spread across all realms," the Zuma Sect Leader in the Heavens sighed lightly.

"I will protect his growth; no one may harm him. Not Taiyi Sect, not the Sacred Elephant King," Linglong Immortal Venerable said quietly.

The crowd's reactions were varied.

In the underground world, no matter how Patriarch Xiang Tian threatened or cursed, Chen Zheng ignored him.

While refining Patriarch Xiang Tian, he also split off part of his mind to guard against demon clans from the other layered worlds leaping out to ambush.

However, perhaps out of respect for Linglong Immortal Venerable, no demon stronghold acted rashly.

Chen Zheng was actually pleased with this, focusing solely on refining Patriarch Xiang Tian's flesh and blood.

Soon, the massive meat patty that was Patriarch Xiang Tian was refined by fierce flames into a lake‑like transparent liquid, unwilling to fall.

"Very good, this should be enough to transform the primordial spirit, break the Golden Core, and cultivate to the Ninth Level Divine Ability, Heaven‑and‑Earth Dharma Form Realm."

Looking at the lake before him, Chen Zheng's cold indifference faded, and a smile finally appeared.

He trembled slightly all over, then withdrew the True Demon Dharma Illusory Shadow atop his head back into his body.

With another sweep of his robe, he gathered the essence left by Patriarch Xiang Tian, continuously merging it into his own Golden Core.

With Patriarch Xiang Tian's tireless contributions, the Golden Core grew ever more radiant, dazzling.

And within the Golden Core, the True Demon Illusory Shadow finally solidified.

Under the True Demon's foot, countless ancient great demons of hell uttered resonant syllables, like cries from the primordial chaos before heaven and earth opened, as if praying for the supreme True Demon to be born.

Crack!

With each prayer, dense cracks appeared on the Golden Core, which then shattered outright.

When the Core breaks, the Dharma Form is born!

Chen Zheng's True Demon Primordial Spirit was born.

This spirit still sat upright on a throne, as if seated atop ten thousand paths, as though no one in the world was worthy of his standing.

The body of the True Demon Primordial Spirit was thousands of times more majestic than the previous illusion, exuding an aura that transcended life and death, reincarnation, fate, and all.

It was as if the embodiment of a "Calamity"!

At this moment, Chen Zheng finally stepped into the Ninth Level Divine Ability, Heaven‑and‑Earth Dharma Form Realm.

His magical power surged by more than double, reaching the strength of six hundred Primordial Celestial Dragons.

It should be noted that a typical Eternal Longevity Fourth‑Tier Cosmic Light Realm cultivator's magical power lies between four hundred and eight hundred Primordial Celestial Dragons.

Yet Chen Zheng, already at the Ninth Level of Divine Ability, can match the power of such cultivators, showing his greatness.

However, his combat strength cannot be measured by magical power alone.

Before his breakthrough, he could suppress the Xiangtian Ancestor of the fourth Longevity level with the illusory form of his True Demon Primordial Spirit.

After his breakthrough, he will only grow stronger; I'm afraid that even cultivators of the Longevity Fifth Level Creation Realm could be easily crushed by him.

Even cultivators of the Longevity Sixth Level Heavenly Rank Realm might be matched against him across seven major realms, and even slain.

His True Demon Primordial Spirit is truly immensely powerful.

"Huh?"

Chen Zheng's first act after breaking through was to check the Sheep Skin Scroll deep in his mind, to see if any new calamity characters had appeared.

The calamity character is his foundation; without it, he would not have numerous heaven-defying abilities, nor could he cultivate such a powerful primordial spirit.

But when his mind sank into the Sheep Skin Scroll, he saw no new calamity characters appearing on it.

"What's going on? Could it be that…"

Chen Zheng frowned, pondered for a moment, then his mind stirred and sank into the chaotic space within the Sheep Skin Scroll, where he saw a huge strange stone drifting in the vast expanse, and he instantly felt delighted.

The stone's color could not be described, its surface covered with dense, mysterious runes that seemed able to absorb everything—it was exactly the Three Lives Stone that Chen Zheng had once glimpsed, then disappeared, and had fruitlessly searched for.

At that moment, the hearty laughter of the Ancestor Agate Sect Leader rang out from the surface world: "Haha, Fellow Daoist Chen, congratulations on making further progress! I have prepared a feast in the sect; I wonder if you would honor us with a drink together with me and Fellow Daoist Linglong?"

(End of Chapter)