Chapter 191: Defying Heaven

Swish!

While Chen Zheng was examining the new calamity character on the Sheep Skin Scroll inside the Dragon Tomb, the ancient teleportation array on the surface of Coiling Dragon Star suddenly burst into radiant light, exuding vast spacetime power, as if the ancient teleportation array on the other side linked to this place had been connected by someone.

"What's happening?"

"The ancient teleportation array beneath the Xuanhuang Great World isn't supposed to open for another eleven hours, right? Why are the Elders connecting it early—did something happen over there?"

The many princes and others guarding the ancient teleportation array looked on, startled and uncertain.

"Regardless, we should first use the array to return to the Xuanhuang Great World," said a man about thirty years old with a steady demeanor, stepping forward.

He is the fourth prince of the Great Xuan Empire, known as Prince Yi, whose cultivation far surpasses that of the eldest prince Feng and others, having reached the tenth Tenfold of Shen Tong, defying heaven to alter fate.

The multitude of masters gathered around him made it clear that everyone followed his lead.

"Brother Four is right; this place is too dangerous. If a powerhouse like the Nine Tripod Immortal Sovereign shows up and kills Chen Zheng, staying any longer will surely doom us to be crushed by the battle's aftershocks."

A burly prince, the thirteenth prince Prince Zhan, spoke with lingering fear and hurried toward the ancient teleportation array.

Suddenly, a shocking black vapor erupted from the ancient teleportation array, spreading outward and shooting straight into the heavens.

Within the rolling black vapor appeared a massive dark army of tens of thousands, all Underground Demons, each a Great Asura from the Shen Tong Mi Jing.

The Underground Demons arrived at Coiling Dragon Star at this moment?

It's normal; the ones who discovered the ancient teleportation array linking to Coiling Dragon Star aren't from the Great Xuan Imperial Clan.

When they first came to Coiling Dragon Star, the Elders of the Great Xuan Imperial Clan had warned to guard against the Underground Demons seizing the ancient teleportation array.

Now they have finally arrived.

"Our Underground Demon masters have already pinned down the Great Xuan Elders group on the other side of the array; Lord Chi Lie Demon Emperor himself has also moved, restraining the Xuan Emperor. Our task is to come to Coiling Dragon Star and slay the Great Xuan Imperial Clan members here. Once they die, all the treasures hidden on Coiling Dragon Star will belong to us Underground Demons. Kill!" A handsome man in the center of the demon army issued the command.

The handsome man was a tenth Tenfold Shen Tong master, crowned with a massive ornate canopy engraved with numerous demon deities—some three‑headed six‑armed, some winged, some standing on twin dragons—each vivid, forming a Dao artifact.

Obviously, the handsome man holds a high rank among the Underground Demons.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Tens of thousands of demons shouted their orders, brandishing gleaming great swords, forming a blade formation that unleashed a sky‑filled rain of slashing light, cutting toward the surrounding Great Xuan princes and all their attendants.

"So they're Underground Demons, led by Crown Prince Chi Feng, trying to seize this star's control? But this star no longer belongs to our Great Xuan Imperial Clan—it belongs to Chen Zheng now."

"Talking nonsense won't help—fight them!"

Prince Yi, Prince Zhan, and the others roared angrily, deploying techniques to block the incoming blade rain.

For a moment, the two sides clashed back and forth, unleashing a frenzy of Shen Tong arts and artifacts, their wails and roars echoing endlessly.

No one noticed that two silhouettes slipped silently away from the battling armies, flew toward the distance, hovered among the clouds, and projected their divine thoughts to search something on Coiling Dragon Star.

One of them, dressed in white, was a youth wielding a halberd taller than himself by several heads—it was Meng Shaobai.

The other was a stout elder with a protruding nose and long beard, none other than Kun Peng, the adoptive father Meng Shaobai had recently taken in.

They had come to Coiling Dragon Star—could they be seeking revenge on Chen Zheng?

What about Hua Tiandu, who came with them?

And the child in Hua Tiandu's womb?

"Adoptive father, it's said Chen Zheng is on this Coiling Dragon Star—have you found him?"

Meng Shaobai scoured the ground incessantly but never found any trace of Chen Zheng, growing uneasy as he asked Kun Peng beside him.

"None."

Kun Peng shook his head, seeing Meng Shaobai's disappointed expression, and couldn't help but comfort him: "Shaobai, your pretended father is definitely on this Coiling Dragon Star; I, as your father, will soon help you expose that pretended father and make him acknowledge you as his son."

He said this while carrying Meng Shaobai and soaring toward the distance.

Coiling Dragon Star is indeed vast, but he is a Fourth Tenfold of Eternal Life, Light of the Cosmos realm, and a primeval primordial aberration; his magical power and divine thought far exceed peers, comparable to a Fifth Tenfold of Eternal Life, Creation realm master.

Searching for a person on a star isn't that hard; at most it just wastes a bit of time.

But Coiling Dragon Star is scarred everywhere, and beneath lies a chasm billions of li wide and countless billions of li long, as if a peerless strongman had gouged it with a finger, leaving Kun Peng puzzled.

What kind of strongman could use a finger to carve such a terrifying trench on a star dozens of billions of li in diameter? That's absurd!

"Unfortunately, the child that Fang Qingwei gave birth to is a… a terrible monster, exuding a horrific toxin. Fortunately, at the crucial moment you, adoptive father, reacted quickly and took me out of the Demon Star region; otherwise I'd have been poisoned to death by that monster. Ah, if the child she bore were normal, finding Chen Zheng would be easier—we could just use its blood for the bloodline secret technique to locate him."

Puzzled by the massive trench above the ground, Kun Peng shivered at the words, a deep dread and fear flashing in his eyes.

He recalled that day when they encountered a Star Emperor's dragon bed in the Demon Star region, with Fang Qingwei lying on it.

He saw that Fang Qingwei was pregnant.

Meng Shaobai bluntly claimed that the child in Fang Qingwei's womb was Chen Zheng's, intending to use it to threaten Chen Zheng, and asked Kun Peng to employ the power of the Time Principle to accelerate her gestation, shortening the ten‑month pregnancy so the child could be born quickly.

Kun Peng readily agreed to the request for his beloved child, immediately invoking the Time Principle to speed up the flow of time over Fang Qingwei.

Through his tireless acceleration, Fang Qingwei's belly swelled, and she gave birth on the ninth day.

But unexpectedly, what she birthed was not a child of Chen Zheng but a watermelon‑sized, pitch‑black, bizarre flesh sphere.

The strange flesh sphere, upon birth, emitted a horrific toxin that completely corroded Kun Peng's Time Principle and even turned the entire ground into a swamp spewing black bubbles.

The scene was terrifying; Kun Peng hurriedly summoned his treasured Thirty‑Three Heavenly Treasures and struck the bizarre flesh sphere.

The Thirty‑Three Heavenly Treasures consist of the Heaven‑Stabilizing Ring, Sky‑Covering Wheel, World‑Annihilating Sword, Dominating Sky Blade, Celestial Bridge, Glory‑Sky Bracelet, Theft‑Sky Claw, Sealing Sky Lock, Pilfer‑Sky Ladder, Crumbling Sky Blade, Thunder‑Smashing Hammer, Remnant Sky Map, Transforming Sky Armor, Shaking Sky Bell, Pillar of the Heavens, Heaven's Gate, Void‑Sky Umbrella… and a total of thirty‑three artifacts.

Legend says this set was forged by the ruler of the Immortal Realm, the Creator Immortal King, as a set of anti‑heavenly treasures; once refined, they can channel the power of creation, surpassing even the Eightfold Pagodas, truly capable of killing gods and slaying Buddhas.

In those days, the Yellow Spring Emperor tore open the gate of the Immortal Realm and ascended into it, only to be besieged by endless immortals of all realms.

The Yellow Spring Emperor's divine might was unrivaled; he exterminated countless Great Brahma Golden Immortals and even the Immortal Emperor, but suddenly the Thirty‑Three Heavenly Treasures manifested, and a single strike killed the Yellow Spring Emperor.

Thus the power of the Thirty‑Three Heavenly Treasures is evident.

Although Kun Peng's Thirty‑Three Heavenly Treasures are far inferior to the immortal realm's version, he has refined them all into mid‑grade Dao artifacts, sufficient for him to transcend realms and slay foes.

Yet striking the bizarre flesh sphere caused no damage at all, nearly making Kun Peng so terrified he wet himself, discarding even the Thirty‑Three Heavenly Treasures he spent twenty‑seven thousand years forging, and fled wildly with Meng Shaobai.

In the end they escaped, but an indelible shadow remained in Kun Peng's heart.

The pitch‑black flesh sphere birthed by Fang Qingwei is indestructible, like a malignant tumor capable of contaminating all heavens and realms.

Kun Peng still cannot comprehend why a mere Mortal Secret Realm practitioner like Fang Qingwei could give birth to something so terrifying.

"Shaobai, if you ever encounter Fang Qingwei, you must stay far away; the tumor that this girl produces is too terrifying," Kun Peng's face was exceedingly solemn as he admonished Meng Shaobai.

Meng Shaobai nodded, his face full of self‑reproach, and said, "Adoptive father, it's all my fault; you just lost the Thirty‑Three Days Treasure. But if we can find Chen Zheng and force him to reveal his secret, we will surely suppress the tumor that Fang Qingwei spawned and help you retrieve the Thirty‑Three Days Treasure."

Kun Peng was deeply moved by the words, and the heartache over losing the Thirty‑Three Days Treasure eased considerably.

"Having a son like this, what more could a man ask for?"

He seemed to have made a certain resolve, suddenly grasped Meng Shaobai's hand, and a jade fragment the size of a fingernail appeared on his other hand, saying, "Shaobai, your resolve pleases me as a father. The loss of the Thirty‑Three Days Treasure is irreversible; we can simply gather materials later and forge a new set. Let me tell you, I once experienced a fate‑defying encounter, which yielded this Creation Fragment. Within this fragment lies the supreme power of the Creation Immortal King, the ruler of the Heavenly Court in the celestial realm; the method I used to forge the Thirty‑Three Days Treasure was derived from it. Moreover, I also uncovered a Great Refining Treasure Technique from it, a method of refining treasures unrivaled in the world."

"This fragment is actually a treasure of the Lord of the Heavenly Court, the Creation Immortal King?" Meng Shaobai stared intently at the jade piece in Kun Peng's hand, his eyes almost flashing green, his greed nearly uncontainable, yearning to snatch the Creation Fragment, yet he strained to hide his abnormality from Kun Peng, hurriedly bowing his head to pledge loyalty: "Adoptive father, your kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain; even such a vital secret you are willing to share. I swear to the heavens that I will spare no effort in gathering the materials to forge the Thirty‑Three Days Treasure, assist you in ascending to the immortal realm, usurping the Creation throne, and becoming the new Lord of the Heavenly Court!"

"Good, good child, I have not raised you in vain; once I forge a new Thirty‑Three Days Treasure, I will pass this Creation Fragment to you!"

Kun Peng laughed heartily, patting Meng Shaobai's head, feeling deeply gratified to have such a devoted son.

After speaking, he reached to store the Creation Fragment, but at that moment a mocking voice rang out: "What a scene of a benevolent father and filial son."

"Who?"

Kun Peng was startled, swiftly spreading his divine thought outward in all directions to locate the speaker, yet saw that within a radius of several million li there wasn't a single phantom.

Before he could react further, a gust of wind materialized out of nowhere, blowing over both him and Meng Shaobai.

The two felt their bodies no longer under control; after a whirlwind of sky and earth, they found the surroundings drastically changed, and they had fallen into a magnificent grand hall.

The hall was empty except for a lone figure standing with hands behind his back, a young man who resembled an exiled immortal.

"It's you, Chen Zheng!"

Upon seeing the young man, Meng Shaobai let out a startled scream, quickly seized the Fangtian Halberd, leapt from the ground, and retreated behind the equally upright Kun Peng, as if facing a formidable foe.

"You are Chen Zheng; how can you be this strong?!" Kun Peng's gaze at Chen Zheng was filled with horror.

He thought Chen Zheng's power was comparable to the Fifth Tier of the Immortal Realm, and even his reaction was too slow; being seized and brought to this place by Chen Zheng was simply incomprehensible.

Boom!

Chen Zheng remained silent, reached out, and pinched Kun Peng in his palm, compressing him into a blood‑smeared flesh ball.

As true fire blazed in his hand, Kun Peng didn't even have time to scream before being instantly refined; all his Great Refining Treasure Technique, Great Devouring Technique, and other divine abilities and essences were fully absorbed by Chen Zheng, leaving not a drop, with only a Creation Fragment quietly resting in his palm.

"You... you killed my adoptive father?"

Watching Kun Peng's tragic death with his eyes wide open, Meng Shaobai was completely stunned; the Fangtian Halberd he held clanged and fell to the ground.

He had barely managed to find such a powerful adoptive father, fully believing he could use him to punish Chen Zheng.

Little did he know that, in the end, his adoptive father was not even a match for Chen Zheng and was killed in an instant.

This huge disparity almost caused Meng Shaobai to collapse.

Then his whole body trembled, and reflexively his knees gave way, kneeling down and repeatedly kowtowing to Chen Zheng.

He sobbed and sniffled, shouting, "Thank you, adoptive father, for slaying this damned ghost father; I am endlessly grateful! Moreover, congratulations on obtaining the Creation Fragment; becoming the Lord of the Heavenly Court in the near future is within reach!"

He furtively glanced at Chen Zheng from the corner of his eye, but saw that Chen Zheng didn't look at him at all; his gaze remained fixed on the Creation Fragment in his hand, focused as if Meng Shaobai didn't exist.

He silently exhaled, subtly shifting his knees backward, attempting to flee the scene.

But as soon as he moved a bit, Chen Zheng turned his head toward him, his eyes cold enough to seem able to freeze souls, terrifying Meng Shaobai to the point his spirit trembled, and he frantically shouted for mercy: "Yi..."

Unfortunately, before his words could finish, a faint glimmer flashed in Chen Zheng's eyes, fell upon him, and turned his entire being into void.

Meng Shaobai, fallen.

"This Creation Fragment is fine; if I can refine it, I can absorb the creative qi within, greatly boosting my strength and ascending to the Immortal Realm. However, it is merely a fragment of a Creation divine artifact, which I cannot refine for now; I wonder..."

Chen Zheng withdrew his gaze, then looked again at the Creation Fragment in his hand, his brows filled with contemplation.

Soon he thought of something; with a flick of his hand, he stored the Creation Fragment into a chaotic space, placing it beside the Three‑Life Stone, and used his mind to stimulate the stone, attempting to absorb the creative qi contained within the fragment.

As expected, the Three‑Life Stone emitted a suction, causing the Creation Fragment to tremble wildly, releasing thin streams of air that seeped into the stone, flowing continuously.

Then the Three‑Life Stone fed back surges of power, spreading through Chen Zheng's limbs and bones, causing his magical force to rise step by step, soaring by billions upon billions.

This process was extremely draining on Chen Zheng's mental energy; after only a few breaths, his complexion visibly paled, giving a sense of depleted spirit.

He quickly withdrew his mind from the Three‑Life Stone, and his face regained a hint of color; he thought to himself, "With my current strength I can only barely manipulate the Three‑Life Stone. Prolonged use will severely damage my vital energy. After returning to Linglong Blessed Land, I must close my cultivation for a period, using water‑grinding practice to slowly absorb the creative qi within the Creation Fragment."

He ceased using the Three‑Life Stone to absorb creative qi, took a step forward, and found himself on the surface of Coiling Dragon Star.

Simultaneously, a person identical to him stepped out from his own body, with a State Tripod suspended above his head.

The tripod trembled slightly, tearing open a spatial rift, through which the duplicate entered and vanished.

This was Chen Zheng's clone, yet unlike ordinary clones.

It should be known that a cultivator who reaches the Immortal Realm can freely condense clones from their vital energy; as long as their magical power is strong enough, they can create any number of clones.

However, such clones are far weaker than the original, possessing less than one ten‑thousandth of the body's power.

Certain powerful secret arts or immortal techniques, such as the world‑renowned One‑Qi Nine‑Purities Great Immortal Technique, can forge clones with combat power equal to the original.

Yet they can only produce up to nine clones.

Chen Zheng's clone, however, is different—it is formed from his comprehension of the "Divide" character on the Sheep Skin Scroll.

Indeed, the newly appearing Calamity character on the Sheep Skin Scroll is actually a "Divide" character.

This Calamity character is supremely defiant of heaven; as one's comprehension deepens, it can split out one clone after another, producing countless, inexhaustible numbers—any amount one desires.

Moreover, each clone possesses combat power equal to the original, the same abilities and divine powers, all controlled by the original's single mind.

Clones are like extra arms and eyes of the original; whatever a clone sees is as if the original sees, eliminating any worry that a clone might develop its own thoughts, malicious intent, or break away from the original.

Even more terrifying, after a clone obtains resources and refines them externally, it transmits them through a mysterious fate link to the original, enhancing the original's strength, thereby creating a causal loop that strengthens every clone wherever they are, making them as strong as the original.

In other words, if Chen Zheng were to split out billions of clones and send them to the three thousand great worlds to seek opportunities, he could take off even while sitting at home.

And if billions of clones gathered together to form an army and besiege a single person, even the strongest enemy would likely meet a bitter end on the spot.

Even the divine race's eight hundred billion warriors would be reduced to ash and dust.

Truly terrifying!

The regret is that Chen Zheng has only just grasped the superficial of the "Divide" character, able to split out only a single clone.

This clone, controlled by Chen Zheng, traveled to a distant cultivation world, bearing the State Tripod and eighteen high‑grade Daoist artifacts.

There are two goals for this trip to the cultivation Great World.

The first is to inherit the Nine Tripod Immortal Lord's Nine Tripod Pavilion.

The second is to find a Grand Trade Association, sell the State Tripod and all eighteen top‑grade Dao artifacts, and exchange them for Pure Yang Pills to boost strength.

The main body will return to the Xuanhuang Great World to deal with Su Xiuyi, arrange a duel with Tai Huntian, and a series of other matters.

After the clone departs, Chen Zheng walks toward the location of the Ancient Teleportation Array, where the Earth Demon Clan is battling the Great Xuan side, and both sides have suffered many casualties.

The Great Xuan Empire side loses even more, since the Earth Demon Clan came prepared, outnumbering them severalfold and being driven back step by step.

But as Chen Zheng arrives, the Earth Demon Clan's army bursts apart like fireworks, "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

In the blink of an eye, the Earth Demon Clan side, including Crown Prince Chi Feng, is completely annihilated.

"I thank Senior Chen for the rescue!"

The people of Great Xuan let out a sigh of relief, and under Prince Yi's leadership, they hurriedly straighten their robes and bow grandly to Chen Zheng.

Chen Zheng, however, ignores them, steps directly into the Ancient Teleportation Array, and with a flash of light, he vanishes.

When he appears again, he is already inside the Ancient Teleportation Array deep beneath the Xuanhuang Great World.

"Hmm, a fish that slipped through the net managed to escape from Coiling Dragon Star and return? But you'll die even faster now!" a cold, sinister voice suddenly echoes from outside the Ancient Teleportation Array.

(End of chapter)