Chapter 222: with translation of chapter title

Just as Chen Zheng employed the Six-Syllable Mantra Talisman to manifest the illusory image of the Worldly Free King Buddha, aiming to smash the ashen gray giant hand extending from the crack in the ancient divine coffin, a sudden voice revealed his identity.

As that voice rang out, the talismans affixed to the ancient divine coffin seemed to be activated, trembling and flashing incessantly, immortal light blazing.

The talismans were densely packed, unknown how many hundreds of millions; each turned into a hexagonal pattern in the vast immortal light, and about half suddenly flew up, their six corners representing imprisonment, exile, void, sealing, binding, and suppression, tightly entwining the ashen gray giant hand and, in an instant, pulling it back through the coffin's gap into the coffin.

With a clang, the gap between coffin lid and body sealed; the entire divine coffin ceased any movement, silently floating amid the myriad coffins, as if nothing had happened.

"What a powerful seal." Chen Zheng's eyes narrowed.

He could see that the talismans on the ancient divine coffin were forged by a powerful expert using the Great Seal Technique, their sealing power terrifyingly strong; even he could not gauge the strength of the expert who made them, perhaps a Great Luo Golden Immortal or even a Supreme Immortal.

It might even have been personally forged by the legendary Duobao Heavenly Sovereign, specifically to seal the Immortal King's corpse inside.

As his thoughts raced, he withdrew the sky-covering hand reaching for the ancient divine coffin; the Six-Syllable Mantra Talisman vanished from his palm, his eyes flashing like lightning as he gazed toward the source of the voice.

In his sight appeared a person: an exquisitely dressed, big-bellied middle-aged fat man, even fatter than Chen Fu.

Although his body was fat, it gave a strange feeling, as if there was no excess flesh on him; every part was just right, refined like primordial divine metal, indestructible.

In short, he resembled a humanoid magical treasure forged by a treasure-refining master, an immortal-tier magical treasure!

This middle-aged fat man had actually refined himself into an immortal artifact; his flesh was not inferior to Chen Zheng's—he was a ruthless person.

"You are a descendant of Duobao Heavenly Sovereign, the Treasure Lord, right?" Chen Zheng quietly watched the middle-aged fat man approaching from afar and said.

The middle-aged fat man, namely the Treasure Lord, narrowed his green-bean eyes, instantly came before Chen Zheng, looked him up and down for a while, then nodded in praise: "You actually can see that I have Duobao Heavenly Sovereign's bloodline; no wonder you can slay enemies across several major realms."

He shifted tone: "But since you know my identity, you must also know I am only a step away from the God Immortal realm; you are no match for me—leave the Treasure Division Rock, and I will overlook everything you've done today."

Chen Zheng had no intention of leaving; he pointed at the ancient divine coffin and chuckled: "Leaving the Treasure Division Rock is possible, but that divine coffin must be mine."

The Treasure Lord's gaze also fell on the ancient divine coffin, his eyes turning extremely grave as he firmly shook his head: "What lies inside the coffin is extremely evil; even a slight leak could cause an immortal to fall, even pollute the three thousand great worlds to the point of no grass growing; though you are comparable to a Heavenly Immortal, you cannot take it, nor can you control it."

"You're wrong; I can control it."

Chen Zheng withdrew his gaze from the coffin, resting it on the Treasure Lord with a half-smile: "Actually, it's you who might not succeed; if you try to bring it to ascend to the immortal realm, you may not pass the guiding law's test, be detected as abnormal by the immortal realm's overseers, realizing you carry something. Moreover, you carry the Source of Ten Thousand Evils, such an evil thing; surely an immortal will strike to annihilate you, whereas I take it to save you."

Know that when a cultivator reaches the first heaven of the Immortal Secret Realm—the Heavenly Immortal stage—they can trigger the guiding law of the unseen and ascend to the immortal realm.

However, ascension has a precondition: one cannot carry external objects; one must ascend naked.

This is the iron law of the immortal realm.

It means that besides one's own cultivation, all the treasures painstakingly refined and cherished in the lower realm must be abandoned; one goes to the immortal realm to start anew.

Precisely for this reason, some cultivators, even after becoming Heavenly Immortals, Divine Immortals, or Mystic Immortals, are unwilling to ascend lightly to the immortal realm.

In fact, the strong in the Immortal Secret Realm refuse to ascend for another important reason: in today's era, they can dominate the lower realm unhindered, able to kill whomever they wish and force anyone to kneel.

But once they enter the immortal realm where even Heavenly Immortals are worse than dogs, they become utterly insignificant—like a longtime emperor suddenly reduced to a beggar; the gap is huge, not everyone can bear it.

"What you say also makes some sense; the immortal realm's surveillance of immortals is indeed a trouble." Hearing Chen Zheng's words, the Treasure Lord's fat face scrunched up, seeming somewhat shaken, yet after a long while he still shook his head: "How could you know I lack means to evade the immortal realm's overseers' surveillance? Moreover, whether I can successfully bring the Source of Ten Thousand Evils to ascend to the immortal realm or not, this matter is of utmost importance, even the supreme treasure of the treasury; I cannot lightly give it to you."

"You won't give it lightly?" Chen Zheng narrowed his eyes.

This Treasure Lord before him not only possesses astonishing cultivation, being the number one person in the cultivation world, but also proves to be a businessman; after all that wrangling, his firm refusal to give up the Source of Ten Thousand Evils was actually him waiting for him here.

He immediately promised: "You must have investigated me and know my deeds. Let's speak plainly: if you give me that divine coffin as an investment, I will in the future protect you to become a Heavenly Sovereign—how about that?"

"Heavenly Sovereign!"

The Treasure Lord's small eyes flashed with a startling gleam, fearing Chen Zheng might regret, he said: "Brother Chen Zheng is right; the Source of Ten Thousand Evils inside the coffin is too evil; I cannot control it at all; only someone as strong as you deserves to possess and command it; I will now transmit the incantation of the sealing talismans to you."

As he spoke, he transmitted a divine thought to Chen Zheng—exactly the incantation controlling the talismans affixed to the coffin.

At the same time, he reached out and snatched from afar; the ancient divine coffin flew through the air to appear before Chen Zheng.

The Treasure Lord's move was executed in one fluid motion, without hesitation, leaving Chen Zheng somewhat surprised.

Did he suffer a loss?

Had I known, I could have simply promised to protect him to become a Mystic Immortal or a Great Luo Golden Immortal, saving myself from wasting so many resources later.

Forget it.

When his cultivation reaches a certain level, I will have everyone around him drastically improve; even one more Treasure Lord would be no great harm.

Either way, I have gained now.

Whoosh!

Chen Zheng reached out and drew; the Six-Syllable Mantra Talisman reappeared in his palm, emitting a tremendous suction that pulled the ancient divine coffin into the space inside the talisman.

Good, the Six-Syllable Mantra Talisman also contains space; suppressing the coffin within it allows Buddhist light to restrain it, forming a second seal.

"I'm leaving first; if you have any business later, you can find me in the Xuanhuang Great World." Chen Zheng casually tossed a communication token to the Treasure Lord and prepared to depart.

"Brother Chen Zheng..." the Treasure Lord suddenly called out to him, his expression hesitant.

Chen Zheng halted his steps, frowned, and asked: "What else?"

"That chance to protect me to become a Heavenly Sovereign—could I transfer it to my daughter?" the Treasure Lord said after taking a deep breath.

"Oh?" Chen Zheng raised his eyebrows slightly, then nodded: "You are indeed a caring father; I agree."

Having said that, he vanished, leaving only the Treasure Lord smiling with his eyes narrowed to a slit.

…………

"Did Young Master Chen obtain the Source of Ten Thousand Evils smoothly?" As Chen Zheng appeared outside the coffin world, Yuan Potian, who had been waiting there, hurriedly asked.

Chen Zheng replied: "I got it."

"That's wonderful, congratulations, Young Master!" Yuan Potian exclaimed joyfully, eager and impatient, asking: "Shall we now leave the Treasure Division Rock?"

Chen Zheng could not miss Yuan Potian's thoughts; he smiled: "Indeed we must leave; come on, follow me to gather some resources, then go to the Xuanhuang Great World to find my true self, after which we will begin helping you break through."

"Thank you, Young Master!" Yuan Potian trembled with excitement.

The two figures flickered, moving one after another through the many spaces within the Treasure Division Rock; shortly they arrived in the boundless high skies outside.

Chen Zheng had previously promised Yuan Potian that if he helped obtain the Source of Ten Thousand Evils, he would elevate him to the True Immortal realm.

Yuan Potian had already cultivated to the peak of the Hundun realm; advancing to the Void Immortal realm does not require many resources—just summon the immortal realm's heavenly tribulation and successfully pass it.

But advancing from Void Immortal to True Immortal is not so easy, nor can it be done in one fell swoop; it requires a large amount of resources—at least quadrillions of Pure Yang Pills and True Immortal laws—and accelerating the flow of time for cultivation.

He lacks a Three Lives Stone capable of absorbing calamity energy on his person, hence he must go find his true self.

There aren't even over a thousand trillion Pure Yang Pills.

So his gaze, like lightning, swept inch by inch across the cultivation world, passing over the bustling giant cities on the earth, and finally settled on a loft.

The building was colossal, towering into the starry sky like an ancient immortal mountain, emitting dazzling treasure light and indescribable splendor—it was the True Lord Tower, ranked tenth.

Boom!

Chen Zheng raised his massive hand to the heavens and seized the True Lord Tower in one grab.

"Who dares to attack our True Lord Tower? Aren't they afraid of the Business Guild Enforcement Alliance?"

"What a terrifying giant hand, run away!"

"Damn it, if our tower master hadn't suddenly died, the boundless Eternal Sand hadn't been lost, and the Great Yi Sect leader hadn't gone to the Profound Yellow World, we couldn't have let this person run amok…"

Inside the True Lord Tower, many cultivators sensed the massive hand that had descended from the heavens, their scalp prickling with fear as they fled the tower in desperation.

Unfortunately, their speed was too slow; escape was impossible, and the next moment Chen Zheng's massive hand pinched both the True Lord Tower and them together.

"Ahhh…"

True Fire surged from the giant hand, and amid the screams, the tower's vast array of artifacts, materials, medicinal herbs, and 800 trillion Pure Yang Pills turned into a pool of liquid that seeped into the sleeves.

Boom!

The giant hand reached out again, this time snatching a floating palace over twenty billion li to the north, towering high, its walls coiled with true dragons and resonant divine phoenixes.

A plaque at the palace gate bore the massive iron‑etched, silver‑hook characters "Sun Moon", and inside sat dozens of powerful figures—over twenty individuals comparable to the three Ascended Saints—extremely formidable, yet Chen Zheng's probing hand seized them all and instantly refined them.

Another boom rang as the Zhenyu Tower on the other side was also seized and refined, terrifying countless cultivators across the cultivation world.

Many strong cultivators were alarmed by the massive disturbance when Chen Zheng annihilated the True Lord Tower, watching from afar.

"You're the only one left."

After consecutively refining three major business guilds, Chen Zheng finally set his sights on the Heaven and Earth Guild Hall, ranked ninth, in the distance.

"Audacious rogue!" A booming shout suddenly came from a magnificent city below, shaking the heavens.

The city was colossal, spanning tens of thousands of li, and four massive golden characters "Horizon Sea Pavilion" floated above its walls, dazzling the world like four blazing suns.

A figure surged upward from beneath the four characters, a young man with both hands bound behind his back, high nose bridge and narrow eyes; in an instant he stood before Chen Zheng, looking down with disdain through his nostrils: "Rogue, who gave you the nerve to run amok in my cultivation world? Do you not consider me at all?"

"It's the Young Master Ya of the Horizon Sea Pavilion!"

"It seems Young Master Ya intends to personally slay the villain who annihilated the True Lord Tower, Sun‑Moon Treasure Pavilion, and Zhenyu Tower, to preserve order in our cultivation world!"

The gathered heroes gasped at the young man called Young Master Ya, who seemed terrifying.

Indeed.

Strictly speaking, Fenbao Rock stands apart from the many guilds, while the top‑ranked guild is the Horizon Sea Pavilion, backed by the ancient great faction Tianya Sect, subtly rivaling Fenbao Rock.

Ya Shao is the son of Ya Wuben, the head of the Horizon Sea Pavilion, the top young talent on the cultivation potential list, far surpassing all veteran strongmen, having attained the Tenfold True Immortal of Longevity.

True Immortals number no more than a handful across the entire cultivation world; they are the supreme overlords.

"What are you, that you think I should even look at you? I think you're rotten to the core, daring to hop in front of me."

Chen Zheng's face remained expressionless; he spread the five fingers of his right hand, snatched Young Master Ya out of the air, and clamped his neck as if holding a dead dog.

"He… he actually captured Young Master Ya? How is that possible!" The heroes were shocked, unable to believe it.

Ya Shao truly is a True Immortal.

"You, you, you!"

Ya Shao, equally incredulous, turned pale as iron in an instant, his eyes spitting blazing fury that made the void hiss.

As a son of a Celestial Immortal, he is usually aloof, a focal point wherever he goes; every major guild reveres him, his unparalleled divine bearing makes others feel ashamed, unable to meet his gaze.

Yet Chen Zheng lifted him like a dead dog, as if to kill him with sheer anger!

"How dare you insult me, Young Master! I'll fight you! With a torrent of hot blood I'll spill across the horizon, two livers and gallbladders turning into sun and moon, three long sighs entering the immortal path, the four corners' clouds stirring with heroic spirit!"

Ya Shao let out a ferocious roar, his aura soaring step by step, unleashing the Tianya Sect's ultimate skill to deliver a killing blow to Chen Zheng.

"Listen to the rhyme of this poem," Chen Zheng's face darkened, and he delivered a massive ear‑slap that swelled Young Master Ya's pig‑like head.

The onlookers were stunned; the poem seemed to have been written by Ya Shao's father Ya Wuben, with Ya Shao merely reciting it—how did it become his fault?

Clap clap clap…

Chen Zheng delivered dozens more ear‑slaps, blasting Young Master Ya's skull, shattering the True Immortal principles within his body and causing his realm to plummet.

"Senior, spare my life, I was wrong."

Chen Zheng ignored him, casually snatched out the fragments of Ya Shao's internal principles and tossed them to Yuan Potian nearby: "When you ascend to the Void Immortal stage, use them to comprehend the True Immortal principles."

"Thank you, Young Master," Yuan Potian gladly received the fragments.

"What kind of person is he, so brutal," the onlookers retreated, fearing Chen Zheng might also extract the principle fragments from their bodies.

Fortunately, Chen Zheng had no such intention; instead he unleashed True Fire to roast Young Master Ya, making him howl in agony.

"Kid, release the Young Master of the Horizon Sea Pavilion at once, or I'll…"

From deep within the Horizon Sea Pavilion came a fierce shout, like ten thousand demon gods roaring together, echoing through the nine heavens and ten earths.

Then the heroes saw a towering figure surge upward from the Horizon Sea Pavilion, radiating an overwhelmingly domineering aura that caused countless strong cultivators across the world to collapse in weakness.

The person was broad‑shouldered, with an eagle‑hooked nose, snake‑like eyes, and a crimson "Wu" character etched on his brow, resembling a martial deity.

"So it's a Celestial Immortal, the ultimate martial god!" (End of chapter)