Chapter 50: One Character, One Calamity: The True Tenfold Unbreakable Body!

Above the Heavenly Demon Battlefield.

Chen Zheng clenched his palm and rose upright, his robe rustling in the wind, and gazing down at the palm‑shaped great pit amid the rolling dust below, he slightly nodded, "Not bad at all."

He advanced to the first rank of Shen Tong, attaining the power of 1,200 Xuanhuang fiery horses.

It should be known that the Mortal Secret Realm has Tenfold, and the Shen Tong Mi Jing likewise has Tenfold.

They are, respectively, the first rank Power Realm of Shen Tong, the second rank True Essence Realm, the third rank Primordial Gan Realm, the fourth rank Yin‑Yang Realm, the fifth rank Heavenly Human Realm, the sixth rank Unification Realm, the seventh rank Golden Core Realm, the eighth rank Great Calamity of Wind and Fire, the ninth rank Heaven and Earth Law Phase, and the tenth rank Defying Heaven, Changing Fate.

The Tenfold realms are like ten celestial chasms, and ninety‑nine percent of cultivators in the world cannot surpass them.

The gap is too large.

For example, in the first rank Power Realm, a cultivator's power ranges between 70 and 200 horses.

If the power is transmuted into True Essence and one reaches the second rank, it reaches 300 to 700 horses, crushing first‑rank cultivators.

Refining True Essence into Gan Qi to achieve the third rank is even stronger; the power jumps directly to 1,000–3,000 horses.

Moreover, as a Shen Tong cultivator's rank rises, not only does the quantity of power increase dramatically, but its quality also differs vastly from the previous rank.

By the same token, each rank advancement multiplies the quality of power three to five times, like the difference between ordinary iron and diamond!

One can imagine how strict the hierarchy among cultivators is.

It's like officialdom: nine grades and eighteen ranks.

One rank higher can crush a life!

But now, Chen Zheng, just entering the first rank of Shen Tong, already has more than ten times the power quantity of his peers, comparable to a third‑rank Shen Tong cultivator.

Moreover, because he practices the Nether King True Body, the quality of his internal power is exceptionally high, comparable to the Gan Qi of a third‑rank cultivator.

In other words, he can now contend with the third rank of Shen Tong.

Crossing two realms to fight!

Chen Zheng feels gratified by this.

The accumulation during the Mortal Secret Realm has finally not been in vain.

What is even more gratifying is that the Sheep Skin Scroll deep in his mind stirred again, emitting an ancient, desolate aura, and slowly unfurled a corner.

"Finally it arrives."

A look of joy flickered in Chen Zheng's eyes.

He ignored the distant scene, did not fall into deep shock, nor gazed reverently at his assessing disciple; he simply flew away from the place, found a deserted, remote spot, sank his spirit into his mind, and began to inspect the Sheep Skin Scroll.

He still recalled that when the Sheep Skin Scroll first appeared in his mind, it contained the first rank of the True Demon Tenfold Unbreakable Body: Nether King True Body.

It was precisely because of the Nether King True Body that his progress was so rapid.

The second time, the Sheep Skin Scroll opened a chaotic space with storage capability, likewise solving his immediate need.

But this third time was completely different from the first two.

The Sheep Skin Scroll showed neither the second rank of the True Demon Tenfold Unbreakable Body nor any activated function.

Instead, two characters emerged.

"Hmm?"

Chen Zheng stared in surprise at the two characters.

He knows Earth scripts, the scripts of the Eternal World, and even the scripts of the demon, god, and spirit races from reading across worlds, yet he has never seen such characters on a Sheep Skin Scroll.

Moreover, the two characters on the Sheep Skin Scroll were crooked and twisted like a demonic sigil, exuding an aura of evil, as if representing two extremes, yet the more he looked, the more profound and all‑encompassing they seemed.

But.

Upon seeing the two characters, Chen Zheng felt an inexplicable familiarity and quickly grasped their meanings.

The two characters respectively stand for "Lian" and "Yi" ("Refine" and "Clothe").

"So that's it! One character, one calamity; one calamity, one character, interlinked, unbreakable through ten thousand calamities! No wonder during the Mortal Secret Realm, my one hundred and eight demon hollows connected via blood formed a 'Ming' character, which means this."

Chen Zheng's gaze lingered on the "Lian" and "Yi" characters on the Sheep Skin Scroll for a long while, then he smacked his forehead, suddenly enlightened.

He finally grasped a long‑standing mystery! The True Demon Tenfold Unbreakable Body is not, as he once thought, merely an incomplete version lacking the core "Calamity‑Count Cultivation Method", but the genuine complete version.

The Nether King True Body he has cultivated for so long, strictly speaking, is not the first rank of the True Demon Tenfold Unbreakable Body, but a single "Ming" character. (Earlier text was edited, changing the "Mo" character to "Ming").

Thus the so‑called first rank Nether King True Body derives from this "Ming" character, making it easier for him to comprehend and begin.

Indeed, as Chen Zheng expected.

Looking again at the front of the Sheep Skin Scroll, all the lines concerning the Nether King True Body had vanished.

In their place was a crooked "Ming" character, similar to the "Lian" and "Yi" characters.

What he has been cultivating all along is this "Ming" character!

The "Ming" character also represents one rank of calamity.

But not the traditional heavens‑calamity, mortal‑calamity, wind, fire, thunder, etc.

Rather, any act Chen Zheng does—killing, arson, blood‑draining for cultivation, conflicts, caring for others, eating, drinking—falls within this calamity.

Even any thought that arises in his mind is a calamity.

This novel you.

All heavens and all things, all beings and affairs, are within calamity.

This is the core concept of the True Demon Tenfold Unbreakable Body.

In that instant, Chen Zheng realized.

The spiritual power within the abyss was refined, surging like great rivers toward the power source in his mind, and transmuting into power.

Hundred rivers have different sources, yet all flow into the sea!

His power rose again like a swelling tide, directly increasing by fifty horses, reaching 1,250 Xuanhuang fiery horses.

His mortal body also became considerably stronger.

"Ming, Lian, Yi."

Chen Zheng rode without pause, began to focus on comprehending the three scripts on the Sheep Skin Scroll.

Time passed.

When he comprehended the first character, the 108 apertures in his body no longer needed to be linked by fresh blood, and had completely formed a true 'dark' character.

This 'dark' is like a small black hole, able to contain everything, resembling the source of magical power in the mind's sea.

Chen Zheng knew that from now on he had one more source of magical power than ordinary people.

Of course, his understanding of this 'dark' character was just the beginning; many profound mysteries remained undeveloped.

When he comprehended the second character, the dark-gold true flames within the 'dark' character all flew out, forming a blazing 'refine' character, as if able to burn everything.

And when he comprehended the third 'clothing' character, his internal magical power slowly welled up from his body surface, condensing into a wide and ancient robe.

This robe was pitch-black and gloomy, moving without wind, with crisscrossing, mottled scarlet patterns flowing like blood.

As if a supremely powerful being had been slain, its blood splattered onto the robe, etching a grim mark that would last forever.

'With great difficulty I converted the demonic qi in my apertures into dark gold, and now another such robe appears—my righteous aura cannot be preserved.'

The vast demonic qi emanating from the robe made Chen Zheng wryly smile.

At a glance, this robe is not something worn by a follower of the Correct Path.

Clang clang clang!

Suddenly, waves of grand bell sounds resonated slowly, as if a call from another time-space.

'Has it finally ended?'

Chen Zheng turned his head toward the horizon where the bell sound came from; a huge gate rose up from the ground, exactly like the transmission gate in the Heavenly Void Courtyard.

This meant the time for the inner sect examination had arrived; by entering the transmission gate, one could leave the Heavenly Demon Battlefield and return from the extraterrestrial starry space to the Feather Ascension Sect.

Chen Zheng hesitated not, concealed his black-red robe, and flew toward the transmission gate.

In an instant, he flashed into the gate.

Thanks to book friend 20240739231820662 big shot for the reward of 200 starting point coins!

Thanks to all the big shots for the recommendation and monthly tickets!

(End of chapter)