Zhao Feng gazed forward, a smile on his face.
Then, with a wave of his hand
"Continue forward."
"The formation has already opened a gap. Enter through that opening," Zhao Feng commanded immediately.
At this moment, he was extremely excited.
He had cultivated martial arts to the Divine Ability Realm, making him an invincible existence in the mortal world.
Yet, the stronger he became
The more curious he grew about the true nature of this world.
The mysterious suppression
The restriction on lifespan
Zhao Feng had to uncover the truth.
The Black Dragon moved at an incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, it reached the gap in the formation and surged through.
As Zhao Feng entered
The formation immediately sealed shut behind him.
Stepping into the Ghost Valley mountains
"As expected of Ghost Valley! This formation even serves to gather spiritual energy. The concentration of spiritual energy here is more than ten times that of the outside world."
"But compared to true spiritual veins, it's still lacking."
"Guiguzi's presence is just ahead."
Zhao Feng scanned the surroundings, his divine sense spreading out. His gaze locked onto the highest peak.
The Black Dragon swiftly charged toward it.
As they neared
Guiguzi's expression shifted, his face filled with astonishment.
"A dragon."
"And not one of those domesticated creatures, but an entirely unfamiliar dragon, brimming with murderous intent."
"This is not an orthodox dragon clan."
"Moreover, this Zhao Feng how can a mere mortal tame a dragon?"
As Guiguzi observed the Black Dragon, his astonishment deepened.
Clearly
It was his first time seeing such a dragon.
It seemed completely different from the dragons he had encountered before.
The dragons he had seen radiated a sacred aura, yet this dragon was pitch black, exuding an overwhelming and terrifying hostility.
It looked utterly fierce and ruthless.
However
As Zhao Feng approached
Boom!
The Black Dragon landed firmly atop the peak of Ghost Valley.
Upon seeing the elderly figure before it, the Black Dragon grew cautious, its massive eyes fixed intently on Guiguzi. It could sense a profound threat emanating from him.
Not only the Black Dragon
Zhao Feng's gaze also fell upon Guiguzi.
His demeanor was the very embodiment of an immortal sage ethereal and mysterious.
At first glance, he appeared to be an ordinary man.
But Zhao Feng could sense an immensely terrifying power within him.
"If I can battle him, perhaps I will finally be able to unleash my full strength. And with the formation's protection, there will be no impact on the outside world."
At that moment
Looking at Guiguzi, Zhao Feng's eyes gleamed with battle intent.
"This brat he wants to fight me?"
Sensing Zhao Feng's burning gaze, Guiguzi immediately understood.
Without speaking
A surge of energy instantly enveloped his body as he slowly levitated into the air.
Suspended midair
A whisk materialized in his hand, shimmering with the radiance of an enchanted treasure.
"Guiguzi truly understands."
Zhao Feng smirked inwardly.
Without saying a word
Dragon Spring Sword drew
Sword qi surged into the sky.
A terrifying wave of True Essence erupted from Zhao Feng's body.
An overwhelming pressure instantly spread through the void
A violent shockwave swept across the air, causing space itself to ripple.
For the first time
Zhao Feng unleashed his full power.
"What a terrifying aura!"
"It matches the presence I sensed in Xianyang before it was indeed him!"
"And yet"
"This is not the path of immortality. It is a form of cultivation I have never seen before. Back in Xianyang, he displayed the might of the Returning Void Realm. But now, at close range, his aura has reached a level comparable to the Unity of Void and Dao."
"What exactly is his cultivation?"
Guiguzi stared at Zhao Feng in shock.
"Senior Guiguzi."
"Take a strike from me!"
Zhao Feng chuckled.
Lifting Dragon Spring, he raised it high, its blade pointed at the sky.
"One Sword Across Worlds!"
The terrifying True Essence within his dantian surged
Rapidly flowing through his meridians, instantly empowering the Dragon Spring Sword.
Buzz!
The sword vibrated.
Sword intent filled the air.
A crimson sword light shot skyward
As if it could tear through the heavens themselves.
"This is neither a spell"
"Nor an immortal technique."
"What kind of move is this?" Guiguzi continued watching in astonishment.
With his vast experience, he could sense Zhao Feng's momentum rising.
As though reaching a terrifying threshold, poised to erupt with power beyond his original realm.
However
Guiguzi did not seem overly concerned.
As if he had absolute confidence in his strength.
Raising his whisk, he summoned a powerful energy barrier around himself.
"Slash!"
Zhao Feng roared.
His sword descended.
In an instant
Dragon Spring Sword fell.
A sword light, spanning hundreds of meters, slashed toward Guiguzi in perfect synchronization with Zhao Feng's strike.
As though capable of splitting heaven and earth.
The sword light struck Guiguzi's barrier!
Boom!
A terrifying force erupted.
Even with Guiguzi's cultivation, his expression changed as he looked on in utter shock.
The immortal energy barrier above him
Cracked!
The crimson sword light intensified.
It struck once more.
Crack.
Guiguzi's barrier could no longer hold
It shattered instantly.
Yet, just before it collapsed completely, Guiguzi teleported away.
With nothing left to obstruct it
Boom!
A nearby mountain was instantly cleaved in two by the strike
The ground trembled violently.
"What kind of technique is this?"
"This is neither a spell nor an immortal art."
Guiguzi asked in disbelief.
"This"
"Is martial arts."
Zhao Feng smiled.
Then, raising a hand
"Dragon Subduing Palm!"
A single palm strike.
A dragon's roar echoed through the void.
A crimson dragon shadow
Surged toward Guiguzi.
Tearing through space itself, the void collapsed in its wake.
Guiguzi's eyes gleamed with newfound intrigue.
He no longer evaded.
"Ghost Valley Zongheng!"
"Break!"
Guiguzi waved his horsetail whisk.
With a slight flick,
It instantly stirred the void, forming two sharp whisk sword energies.
In just a moment, they slashed out,
Colliding fiercely with the dragon's shadow.
Boom!
The two attacks clashed,
An overwhelming force immediately erupted, filling the sky with murderous intent.
"Good lad,"
"This martial path is interesting fierce and dominant, seemingly born for battle."
"With your martial prowess alone, you are already capable of contending with a cultivator in the Integration Realm."
"However, you are still not quite there against me."
Guiguzi let out a hearty laugh.
Then, with a swift movement,
His figure instantly turned into an afterimage, vanishing into the void.
When he reappeared,
He was already right in front of Zhao Feng, swinging his horsetail whisk with an overwhelming force.
Zhao Feng raised his sword to block.
The two clashed in midair,
Their figures weave through the void.
Each collision unleashed terrifying energy ripples, causing the void to tremble violently.
The aftermath of their battle left cracks across many of the surrounding mountains in Ghost Valley, a testament to their immense power.
"Explosive Fist!"
As Zhao Feng blocked with his sword,
He clenched his left hand into a fist and struck out.
An explosive force, infused with his true essence and the power of his physical body,
Shot forward.
The void shattered, and a deafening sonic boom echoed.
"Immortal Power Shield!"
Guiguzi quickly formed a seal with his fingers, instantly condensing a protective barrier.
Boom!
Zhao Feng's fist slammed into the shield.
The barrier shattered instantly.
Guiguzi's figure was sent flying backward.
"What terrifying strength!"
"How has this martial path refined his physical body to such an extreme level?"
Guiguzi was deeply shocked.
Although he had managed to block the attack with his barrier, he could still feel the sheer raw power of Zhao Feng's physical body.
"Senior Guiguzi,"
"Ordinary martial techniques are useless."
"Let me test my divine ability domain against you."
"I have never gone all out in battle before, but today, I can finally fight to my heart's content!" Zhao Feng laughed.
Then, his expression turned serious.
He immediately unleashed his divine ability.
"Slaughter Dao Domain!"
With a loud shout,
A blood-red radiance erupted from Zhao Feng's body.
In the blink of an eye, it spread across a thousand-zhang radius,
Enveloping Guiguzi within.
The moment this domain was unleashed, the entire sky turned blood-red.
Inside the domain, everything was filled with killing intent, a murderous aura, and the essence of bloodshed.
The presence of the battlefield was fully manifested within.
"Something's wrong."
"My cultivation is being suppressed?"
"This martial path is too strange!"
"Since when did such a cultivation method exist?"
Guiguzi, standing within the domain, looked astonished.
He could feel that his cultivation was being suppressed.
If he originally had full strength, then at this moment, nearly twenty percent of it had been suppressed.
Zhao Feng's Slaughter Dao Domain worked based on the enemy's cultivation level.
If the opponent was just one major realm above him, it could suppress up to thirty percent of their strength.
But Guiguzi's cultivation was undoubtedly far beyond Zhao Feng's.
"One Sword to Cross the Ages!"
Zhao Feng roared.
While maintaining his domain, which was consuming his true essence,
He once again gathered his energy and unleashed his strongest sword strike.
Within the domain,
The enemy's cultivation was suppressed, while Zhao Feng's strength was slightly enhanced.
He condensed another powerful strike.
With a mighty swing, he slashed toward Guiguzi.
A blood-red sword light streaked toward him.
"This brat is truly relentless."
Guiguzi cursed inwardly.
He quickly gathered his immortal power.
With a flick of his horsetail whisk,
He constructed several layers of immortal power barriers.
The sword strike descended.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions erupted.
The sword's energy directly struck Guiguzi's body.
"Pfft!"
Even Guiguzi, at this moment, was wounded by the sword, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Seeing this, Zhao Feng's expression changed.
He quickly withdrew his true essence, causing the blood-red sword energy to dissipate.
Then, he retracted his Slaughter Dao Domain.
With a flash,
He appeared in front of Guiguzi.
"Senior, were you already injured?"
Zhao Feng took a glance and immediately noticed Guiguzi's condition.
Even now, Zhao Feng could tell that Guiguzi's cultivation was unfathomably deep he couldn't see through it.
His full-powered strike should not have been able to injure Guiguzi.
"Heh."
"An old wound."
"With my immortal power suppressing it, it's nothing serious." Guiguzi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled faintly.
Then, he gathered his immortal power, suppressing his injuries once more.
His previously turbulent aura gradually stabilized.
Hearing this,
Zhao Feng showed a hint of surprise.
"For someone of your cultivation, to suffer injuries?"
"If I am not mistaken…"
"Senior, you should be one of the legendary Immortals, correct?"
In truth,
Upon arriving in Ghost Valley,
Zhao Feng had already used his detection ability to examine Guiguzi.
While he couldn't see every detail,
He could at least determine his cultivation realm.
Name: Guiguzi
Cultivation: Great Perfection of the Heavenly Immortal Realm
Lifespan: 100,000 years
Status: Severely injured
...
This is the information Zhao Feng saw about Guiguzi.
"Heh, an immortal…"
Guiguzi let out a bitter laugh and shook his head.
Then, he slowly descended from the void.
Zhao Feng followed him down.
Looking at the pitch-black mountain ridges, Guiguzi waved his hand.
A surge of celestial energy shot out, instantly forming several orbs of celestial light, illuminating the entire mountain range as if it were broad daylight.
"This celestial technique is truly extraordinary."
"Turning night into day in an instant."
Seeing this, Zhao Feng couldn't help but marvel.
"Today, I have witnessed the power of this martial path."
"In terms of raw strength, you seem to be at the level of Refining Spirit and Returning to the Void. But in actual combat, you have already reached the Integration Realm of Refining Void. I even have a feeling that you could battle a true immortal."
Guiguzi sighed in admiration.
"Senior flatters me." Zhao Feng cupped his hands in response.
"This martial path of yours… did you create it?" Guiguzi asked curiously.
"If no one else in this world has mastered it, then I suppose I am the first person to walk the martial path," Zhao Feng said with a slight smile.
From Guiguzi's reaction, it was clear that martial cultivation did not exist in this world.
Otherwise, Guiguzi would not have been so astonished by its power.
And his response to martial divine abilities was just the same.
The martial path was an entirely different cultivation system compared to Guiguzi's techniques.
"Martial path…"
"You have pioneered an entirely new way of cultivation."
"And from what I can tell, this martial path of yours does not require a spiritual root, does it?" Guiguzi asked with interest.
"Martial cultivation is accessible to all, but achieving true success depends on talent and physique," Zhao Feng explained.
"Accessible to all?"
Hearing this, Guiguzi was stunned.
"Is that even possible?"
"How could everyone cultivate?" Guiguzi asked in disbelief.
"Isn't immortality cultivation also open to all?" Zhao Feng asked in return.
"Immortality cultivation requires a spiritual root. Only those with a spiritual root can refine the world's spiritual energy into their power."
"The higher the grade of the spiritual root, the faster the refinement process, and the greater the talent."
"Of course."
"Aside from spiritual roots, one's physique is also extremely important," Guiguzi explained.
"I see," Zhao Feng nodded, then asked the question he was most eager to have answered.
"Ever since the Qin Dynasty began its campaign of conquest, I have traveled through the various states of the Divine Continent."
"The world's spiritual energy is so abundant, yet I have never encountered any cultivators. Why is that?"
Hearing this, Guiguzi gazed at Zhao Feng.
"Do you truly wish to know?"
"The lifespan of mortals is fleeting, and what is past is past."
"Learning the truth may not be a good thing for you."
After saying this, Guiguzi let out a sigh.
"Senior."
"I have already stepped onto the path of cultivation, yet my lifespan is still limited. With my current cultivation, I should be able to live for at least two thousand years, but some inexplicable law is restricting me. Why is this?" Zhao Feng asked, voicing the greatest doubt in his heart.
"Because of the Heavenly Laws."
Guiguzi slowly spoke.
"Heavenly Laws?"
"The Heavenly Court?"
Zhao Feng probed cautiously.
"You know about the Heavenly Court?" Guiguzi looked at Zhao Feng with surprise.
"For thousands of years, the path to immortality has been severed. How do you know of the Heavenly Court's existence?" Guiguzi asked in astonishment.
"I read about the Heavenly Court in an ancient text."
"The Heavenly Court governs the realms, ruling over the heavens, the earth, and the mortal world."
Zhao Feng replied.
"You are correct."
"The Heavenly Court indeed holds dominion over the cosmos and exerts authority over all immortals."
"However, the Heavenly Court of today is no longer what it once was."
"The Immortal Realm may no longer be the Immortal Realm either."
Guiguzi let out a sigh.
"Senior."
"Please enlighten me." Zhao Feng cupped his hands in respect.
"Today's immortals are no longer the immortals of old."
"Today's Heavenly Court might be better called the Demon Court."
"Have you ever seen immortals feasting on flesh and blood?"
"Have you ever seen immortals refining pills using human beings?"
"Have you ever seen immortals consuming the hearts and livers of infants?"
Guiguzi stared at Zhao Feng, his eyes filled with despair and even fear.
As Zhao Feng listened to Guiguzi's words, a grim image formed in his mind.
Immortals drink blood and eat flesh.
And not beast blood but human blood.
Not beast flesh but human flesh.
One scene after another struck Zhao Feng's heart like a hammer.
"Have immortals always been like this?"
Zhao Feng's expression stiffened as he asked Guiguzi.
"No."
Guiguzi shook his head.
"In the past, though there were many conflicts in the Earthly Immortal Realm and the Heavenly Realm, it was never this chaotic."
"But ten thousand years ago… no, I don't even know exactly when."
"Suddenly, mortals who could cultivate without natural spiritual roots began to appear. Or rather, they did have spiritual roots but they were artificially awakened through a special ritual."
"By consuming a 'Spiritual Root Pill,' even ordinary mortals could gain spiritual roots, and their cultivation speed far surpassed that of those who naturally awakened their roots."
"Not only that."
"When powerful immortals took these Spiritual Root Pills, their talents surged, their physiques transformed, and their strength skyrocketed."
"As a result."
"Countless immortals began consuming these pills, and with them came a nightmare upon the world."
…
Guiguzi spoke slowly, recounting the nightmare that befell the Immortal Realm and the entire cosmos.
After consuming the Spiritual Root Pills, immortals became violent and bloodthirsty.
They developed a taste for human blood and flesh.
Countless immortals began breeding humans as livestock.
Countless immortals started treating humans as food.
After hearing this, Zhao Feng frowned deeply.
"Where did these Spiritual Root Pills come from? They couldn't have appeared out of nowhere."
"I do not know the exact details, but I once heard a powerful immortal one who had never taken the pill say that this was either the work of extraterrestrial demons or the result of calamity itself."
"In any case."
"This is not something we lesser immortals can hope to understand," Guiguzi sighed.
"Then… do saints exist in this world?"
Zhao Feng immediately asked.
If the Earthly Immortal Realm existed,
Then was this world akin to the mythological Great Desolation?
Were there saints?
All these questions swirled in Zhao Feng's mind.
"You… know of saints?"
Guiguzi was shocked to hear Zhao Feng mention that word.
"They truly exist?"
"If saints exist,"
"Then why does the Spiritual Root Pill still exist? Why is the world in such turmoil?" Zhao Feng asked, bewildered.
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