Translator: CinderTL
The storm unleashed by the Void Storm Dharma Aspect raged through the ranks of the Wu Ji Sect and Heavenly Palace forces like a natural disaster.
At this point, the combined Dharma Aspect forces of the Heavenly Palace and Wu Ji Sect still numbered over one hundred and fifty.
Had these one hundred and fifty Dharma Aspects undergone millennia, or even tens of thousands of years, of rigorous training, their actions synchronized, and equipped with numerous Dao Artifacts and Talismans, all led by a commander who could command their absolute loyalty and wield them like an extension of his own arm, forging a united front, they might have posed some trouble for Li Chunjun.
But...
The one hundred and fifty Dharma Aspects were divided into three large circles and over a dozen smaller ones. The only Supreme Dharma Aspect present, Long Xingyu, who possessed the potential to unite them all, had already fallen. In this fractured state, how could they possibly unite?
How could they forge a united front?
How could they achieve a hundred hearts beating as one?
In an instant, the storm unleashed by the Void Storm Dharma Aspect swept through the ranks, unleashing a tempest of blood and carnage.
The Wu Ji Sect forces, who had borne the brunt of Li Chunjun's focused assault, had already lost over half of their fifty-nine Dharma Aspects!
Even though they had undergone three years of special training and shared a natural allegiance as members of the same sect, the catastrophic losses shattered their formations, forcing their battle lines to crumble.
By this point, the battle had ceased to be a battle.
It was a complete and utter annihilation!
"My combat power should be over 400,000 now!"
Li Chunjun manipulated the Void Storm Dharma Aspect.
The sensation of unleashing his full power, coupled with the fearless Dharma Aspects testing the Void Storm Dharma Aspect's strength, allowed him to gauge his own capabilities.
His Life Level had increased, boosting his Essence, Qi, and Spirit, which had further amplified his Qi to an estimated 60,000 Millennial Magic Power.
The refinement of his Void Dao Body and Destruction Dao Body had also amplified the power of these two Dao principles by over 70%.
Moreover, the fusion of various materials into his Dharma Aspect had transformed the already Top-Tier Void Storm Dharma Aspect into a Supreme Dharma Aspect...
His combat power should now range between 400,000 and 410,000.
However, despite this formidable combat power, Li Chunjun could clearly sense that controlling such immense power had become significantly more challenging.
Against a group of Dharma Aspects rarely exceeding 100,000 combat power, this flaw was negligible.
However, when facing top-tier supreme sages of equal combat power, these flaws would be magnified infinitely, allowing even weaker supreme sages to exploit his vulnerabilities and defeat him through cunning tactics.
In other words...
He had only achieved invincibility with his Dharma Manifestation, still far from being invincible as a Supreme Sage.
Let alone matching those Quasi-Tenth-Tier powerhouses who qualified to attempt dao unification.
"Mind Realm," Li Chunjun realized.
His Mind Realm was lagging far behind.
While top-tier supreme sages had at least reached the eighth layer of the Mind Realm, if not the ninth, he was stuck at the sixth layer.
This level of Mind Realm was even inferior to that of some top-tier dharma manifestations.
In fact, there were more Venerables with a seventh-layer Mind Realm than there were Supreme Dharma Aspects.
"Fortunately, reaching Life Level 40 will grant me a precious opportunity for sudden enlightenment," Li Chunjun mused.
This sudden enlightenment required three core elements:
Mind Realm!
Sovereign Dharma Manifestation!
And...
Exploring dao unification... even forging his own path to dao unification!
"Sudden enlightenment requires time and space, so... they need to stop and wait for me."
Li Chunjun pondered, his gaze turning coldly toward the dharma aspects of the Heavenly Palace and Wu Ji Sect.
Under the relentless assault of the Void Storm Dharma Aspect, the dharma aspects of the two Council-level Powers had already sunk into deep despair.
"We can't stop it! We can't stop it! It's utterly unstoppable!"
"Is this how our Junior Brothers felt when facing Li Chunjun in the Star Abyss all those years ago?! This power... it's simply despair-inducing!"
"A Human Race dharma aspect could never reach such heights! Either he possesses a Quasi-Immortal Artifact, or..."
Divine Sage!
But none of the dharma aspects dared utter those words.
For to speak them would mean certain death.
As for the present...
"Li Chunjun! Are you truly going to slaughter us all?!"
Venerable Fengxing, leader of the Six Wind Catchers, sent a desperate yet faintly hopeful Divine Sense transmission.
Li Chunjun glanced at him...
At least someone has finally realized.
Li Chunjun spoke calmly, "Your lives are insignificant, but your dharma manifestations are crucial to me! I need to exchange them for cultivation resources as quickly as possible to swiftly attain the Supreme Sage realm, transform into a Law-Based Lifeform, and accumulate over a hundred thousand years of Millennial Magic Power immediately after my transformation!"
Though his words remained ruthless, a flicker of desire simultaneously surged in the eyes of Venerable Fengxing, Universal Transformation Venerable, and the others.
They understood perfectly why Li Chunjun needed to rapidly accumulate a hundred thousand years of Millennial Magic Power.
Even before entering the dark horned prison, they had suspected that Li Chunjun was taking this immense risk to challenge their Heavenly Palace and Wu Ji Sect dharma manifestations within the prison.
Indeed, he had come for their dharma manifestations.
Among the hundred-plus dharma manifestations present, the proportion of high-grade and Top-Tier Dharma Manifestations was exceptionally high. Averaged out, they were worth hundreds of millions of Spirit Crystals!
In this world, all slaughter and conflict stemmed from profit.
Without sufficient gain, who would willingly fight to the death against other dharma manifestations?
Let alone dharma manifestations of equal rank, even when facing Primordial Spirits or Nascent Souls, dharma manifestations rarely bothered to kill them without a compelling reason.
Therefore, they had no reason to doubt Li Chunjun's words.
At that moment, Venerable Fengxing's eyes gleamed with desperate hope. "Venerable Li, if I offer enough Spirit Crystals to buy back my life, would you consider it?"
"Buy back your lives with Spirit Crystals?" Li Chunjun said calmly. "Even if I kill you, the Spirit Crystals on your bodies will still be ours."
"No!" A dharma manifestation beside him quickly interjected. "Venerable Li, though we didn't know of your strength before entering the dark horned prison, we understood the risks involved. To prevent our assets from being lost upon our deaths... uh... falling into your hands, we've already made arrangements to leave them to our descendants!"
He even sounded somewhat relieved as he added, "So, apart from our dharma manifestations, we carry nothing of value!"
His words were immediately echoed by several other dharma manifestations. "Indeed! I never wanted to enter the dark horned prison, but I owed the Dragon-Elephant Imperial Lord a debt I had to repay. To prepare for the worst, I've already arranged for my assets to be transferred to my most promising descendant upon my death. Venerable Li, you won't gain much from us."
"Venerable Li, we bear you no grudge. We were coerced into entering the dark horned prison to oppose you. If you agree, I will gather ten billion Spirit Crystals to beg for a chance to live!"
"Indeed, Venerable Li. Killing us would only yield the resources of a fragmented dharma aspect. If we offer to buy our lives, you'll gain far more. Why stand against Spirit Crystals and Dao Pills?"
One by one, the dharma aspects joined the chorus of pleas.
In the face of such overwhelming odds, they had no hope of victory.
Better to buy their lives with wealth.
For cultivators, most conflicts stemmed from the division of resources, unless there was a truly irreconcilable blood feud.
With sufficient profit, two great dharma aspects who had been fighting to the death yesterday could be clinking cups and calling each other brothers today.
If they were willing to do this, surely Li Chunjun would be too.
"Whether you have the resources or not, I'll know the moment I check!"
Li Chunjun's divine sense power reverberated through the Void.
He spared those who begged for mercy, but showed no mercy to those who still resisted.
A Void Storm swept through the battlefield.
Against such overwhelming power, these dharma aspects—with combat power barely exceeding 100,000 and utterly lacking coordination—were no match for him. In an instant, over a dozen dharma aspects were torn apart.
As one of the dharma manifestations was about to be crushed, it unleashed its Divine Sense: "Li Chunjun, kill me, and you'll gain nothing! Even if I self-destruct my dharma manifestation, I'll never let you succeed!"
With those words, a terrifying surge of energy resonated with the laws of the Dao, creating violent tremors within the raging Void Storm.
But...
It was merely a tremor.
Not even a crack appeared in the storm's relentless assault.
Still...
His desperate resolve clearly made Li Chunjun pause his attack.
This moment of hesitation gave the remaining dharma manifestations a glimmer of hope.
One after another, they activated their Divine Sense: "Venerable Li, what that Venerable said is true. Even if you win after we self-destruct our dharma manifestations, what will you gain? A hundred billion Spirit Crystals at most! But if you spare us, we'll buy our lives with Spirit Crystals, and your final reward will be trillions—two trillion, even three trillion!"
"Heaven cherishes life, Venerable Li. Give us a chance!"
"If a hundred billion Spirit Crystals per person isn't enough, we'll offer two hundred billion! Three hundred billion!"
A cacophony of Divine Sense filled the Void.
Their words finally seemed to have an effect.
Li Chunjun focused his gaze on the Human Emperor Banner, observing the gradually filling level 40 upgrade experience bar. As if swayed by their words, the rampaging Void Storm paused slightly.
"Twenty billion? Thirty billion?"
His gaze settled on the dharma manifestation before him. "Can you actually afford that many Spirit Crystals?"
"If we don't have enough, we can borrow! With our dharma manifestation's strength and status, we could secure loans of twenty to thirty billion Spirit Crystals by agreeing to some harsh terms," the dharma manifestation quickly replied.
Seeing Li Chunjun finally relent, the other dharma manifestations hurriedly made promises and swore oaths, guaranteeing they would gather the full amount—twenty to thirty billion Spirit Crystals—even if it meant risking their lives, provided Li Chunjun spared them.
"In that case..."
Li Chunjun's gaze swept across the dharma manifestations present. After a long pause, he declared, "To earn my trust, you must first surrender your Dao Artifacts!"
His gaze sharpened, focusing on the twelve individuals, including the three blood eagles. "Hand over your Dao Artifacts and offer a life-saving sum that satisfies me, and I might grant you a chance to leave alive. Otherwise..."
Behind him, the Void Storm Dharma Aspect's aura surged violently, radiating a terrifying combat power of 400,000 units.
"None of you will leave the dark horned prison alive!"
(End of the Chapter)
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