"Dou God? That's impossible! Are there really still beings of that level in this world?!" Tong Ming and the other three were drenched in cold sweat, utterly overwhelmed by the terrifying, apocalyptic aura pouring out of Goku. Tong Ming had encountered a Dou God once, thousands of years ago, and this soul-shaking pressure was unmistakable—only a Dou God could release something like this! He was certain now: Goku was a Dou God. And yet... this aura felt even more terrifying than any Dou God he had ever known.
"A... Dou God? How is that even possible?!" Yun Yun and her two companions were stunned. The man who had been traveling with them all this time was actually a legendary Dou God? But hadn't the Dou Gods vanished from the continent ages ago?
Outside the castle, over a hundred Rank 6 and above magical beasts were trembling under the oppressive pressure that had suddenly swept across the land. Some of the more cowardly ones even collapsed to the ground in fear, frozen in place. One by one, they halted and turned to stare at the castle not far away, which shimmered with a radiant glow—the source of that horrifying power.
"Dear heavens! What is this monstrous aura? Could this place not be the ruins of a Dou God after all, but rather a sealed realm imprisoning an ancient demon?!"
"Don't tell me... the seal has been broken? Has an ancient demon awakened?!"
"Screw this damn ruin! I don't care about treasure anymore—my life is worth more than that!"
Panicked roars echoed one after another as the magical beasts scrambled to flee. Countless beasts surged toward the rift in space, escaping this place that filled them with fear and dread. Still, a few bold ones didn't retreat. Some had already taken human form, others were peak Rank 6 beasts—they kept their distance from the castle, banding together in the outer perimeter, waiting for the right moment to act.
___
"So... are you ready to die?" Goku glanced coolly at Tong Ming and the others. Xue Yi quickly raised his hands and stepped aside. "I'm not with them! He's the one who hurt that little girl! I've got nothing to do with it!"
Goku gave him a disinterested glance and ignored him entirely. That actually came as a relief to Xue Yi—being ignored was good. It meant he wouldn't get dragged into this terrifying mess.
Tong Ming's expression darkened. He was a prideful man—how could he allow himself to be looked down upon? After the initial shock faded, he calmed his mind, his eyes turning cold as murderous intent surged. "What a bold claim! Since you're so confident, let me see just how strong you really are. I haven't stretched my limbs in thousands of years—looks like today's a good day to loosen up!"
"Oh? You've still got the nerve to challenge me? Impressive." Goku cast him a faint glance before turning toward the slightly messy herb garden. The sentient spirit herbs inside had already sensed the arrival of a world-shaking powerhouse and had long since gone into hiding. What remained were some mid-rank, unsentient Rank 5 and Rank 6 medicinal herbs, along with a few low-grade Rank 7 ones.
"Hmph. Hiding? Let's see how long you can hide." With a wave of his hand, the entire herb garden vanished into thin air, leaving behind a deep, dark crater. Goku had used his unmatched spiritual power to directly store the garden into his World Ring.
"N-No way?!" Everyone present was dumbfounded. Imagine a massive herb garden spanning several miles suddenly vanishing before your very eyes—what would your reaction be? For Yun Yun and her group, the constant shocks were starting to numb their senses.
The disappearance of the herb garden made Tong Ming's face even gloomier. "Impressive, I must say. You must have some incredible artifact—an ancient treasure, perhaps?"
"You're not qualified to know." Goku gave him a glance and said flatly, "Now that the herb garden is mine, feel free to come at me—all of you."
"Hmph! No need for them. I alone am more than enough to handle you!" Tong Ming scoffed with arrogance. Known for his unmatched defense, he could even survive blows from a Dou God. Having lived for millennia without a single defeat, his confidence was justified.
Far from being afraid, Tong Ming seemed even more excited. He had been stuck at peak Dou Saint for over a thousand years, endlessly seeking a breakthrough with no success. Now, a once-in-a-lifetime opponent had appeared—this might be his chance. Even if he couldn't obtain the inheritance hidden here, perhaps this battle alone could allow him to ascend beyond.
"Oh? You want to use me as your stepping stone to reach the peak? What a laughable idea." Goku looked at him calmly, then threw a simple punch. But this seemingly unremarkable blow caused the space around them to collapse layer by layer. This world could no longer contain his power. That punch had already exceeded the limits of this dimension—it no longer belonged in this realm.
Tong Ming's face twisted in shock. He raised both arms, and a mystical black tortoise shield appeared before him.
Clang!
Goku's fist slammed into it with a deafening boom. Tong Ming's eyes widened in disbelief as cracks spread across the shield. Then, with a loud snap, it shattered into glowing fragments and vanished.
The momentum of the punch didn't stop. Carrying destructive spatial force, it struck Tong Ming squarely in the chest.
Boom!
His body was launched like a cannonball, smashing through a wall and leaving a massive hole before slamming into the castle's giant bronze gates with another thunderous crash, finally crashing to the ground. Blood gushed from his mouth.
"Lord Tong Ming!" Tian Fang and the other two rushed to his side in horror, helping him up from the ground, all while looking at Goku with undisguised fear and awe.
Tong Ming slowly lifted his head and looked at Goku, eyes full of disbelief and terror. "You… You're not a Dou God… You're something beyond a Dou God…"
The moment those words fell, everyone around them froze in shock.
Just a single punch—and Tong Ming could already sense the vast difference in power. His defense, which could withstand attacks even from Dou Gods, had been shattered by a plain punch. This could only mean one thing: the man before him wasn't just a Dou God—he was something far beyond that. The realization left him breathless with dread. Wasn't the Dou God realm supposed to be the peak of this world? Could there truly be a realm above that?
"Oh? You took my punch at just fifty percent power and still survived?" Goku looked at Tong Ming, mildly surprised. This guy was only a peak Dou Saint, and though he was a magical beast, that level of defense was absurd.
"Only fifty percent…" Tong Ming gave a bitter laugh. And to think… he had actually hoped to use someone like this as a stepping stone. What a ridiculous thought.
"Then... are you ready to die now?" Goku's voice was calm, his tone unhurried, yet laced with undeniable dominance. A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips. "A peak Rank 9 magic core… heh, not a bad trophy."
"You're powerful—no doubt about it. But that doesn't mean I'm ready to give up just yet!" Tong Ming's gaze was sharp, burning with determination and defiance. He had been trapped at this bottleneck for far too long, and now, with his lifespan nearing its end, there wasn't much time left. Encountering a being beyond Dou God in such an unexpected way… even if the odds of victory were slim, there was no escape now. Since he couldn't run, he'd stake it all in this final gamble.
This time—it was do or die.
"This space is too cramped. Let's take this fight outside! I won't lose to you again that easily!" Tong Ming spoke with resolute calm as he took out a fragrant, radiant pill and swallowed it in one gulp. Within moments, his body glowed with an aura of multicolored light. His previously pale complexion flushed with color, and the injuries he'd just suffered rapidly healed. Clearly, the pill's grade was extraordinary. A creature that had lived for thousands of years—of course he had hidden cards to play.
"Oh? Still want to duel me? Are you planning to go all in… or revert to your true form to fight?" Goku asked with a glint of interest in his eyes. Without hesitation, he followed Tong Ming out of the castle. Yun Yun and the others trailed close behind—how could they possibly miss a showdown of this scale?
"Look! Someone's coming out! Isn't that the group who entered the castle earlier? They're still alive?!"
"Yeah—and isn't that Bloodrobe over there? But… those three beside him, aren't they human?"
"What? Since when did humans get this deep in?"
"Could they be the ones who opened the Dou God's gate? But… they're way too weak! I could eat them in one bite!"
"Where's that terrifying aura from earlier? Don't tell me that being hasn't fully emerged yet?"
"Look—they're squaring off! Are they about to fight?!"
"Now this is going to be good. Let's keep our distance and watch."
Dozens of Rank 6 and transformed Rank 7 magical beasts hid in the distance, whispering among themselves. As they spotted the figures emerging from the castle, their interest surged—but none dared get close. Though the humans and beasts seemed weak at a glance, the presence of Goku and his aura of overwhelming might made even high-ranked beasts instinctively tremble.
That kind of pressure… was the same level as Bloodrobe. And who was Bloodrobe? The only known Rank 9 beast in the entire Magical Beast Mountain Range! If these newcomers were on the same level—then had multiple Rank 9 beasts arrived from outside the mountain range?
Shock, awe, and deep confusion rippled through the beasts watching from afar.
Facing Tong Ming, along with Ao Yun, Tian Fang, and Yun Que, Goku remained utterly composed. "So, what? Finally made up your mind? Planning to fight me together now?"
"Hmph! Fight you together? You misunderstand. They're not 'with' me—they're me." Tong Ming snorted coldly. As his aura began to climb sharply, the three figures beside him—Ao Yun, Tian Fang, and Yun Que—also flared with power in perfect harmony. Goku could immediately sense it: their auras weren't just similar—they were nearly identical.
"So you're all one being... No wonder your auras are so aligned." Goku's brow lifted in surprise. That was unexpected. Who would've thought that the three 'followers' beside Tong Ming were actually extensions of his own self? No wonder these Rank 9 beasts had followed him so loyally—they weren't companions; they were him.
"Haaah!!" Tong Ming and the other three shouted in unison as their bodies began to glow. Dou Qi surged like tidal waves, cloaking them in radiant light. That dazzling brilliance pulsed and flared as their forms began to change, growing larger and larger...
Tong Ming's figure rapidly shifted, morphing into a colossal black tortoise the size of a small island. Its limbs were as thick as mountain pillars. Crimson eyes the size of boulders glared from a face that radiated power. Its massive shell was etched with ancient, mysterious runes, exuding an aura of timelessness and indestructibility.
Ao Yun transformed into a second, ferocious-looking head, grafted beside the tortoise's original one, snarling with primal fury.
Tian Fang reverted to his true form: a pitch-black giant serpent coiling around the tortoise's massive shell, its blood-red tongue flickering menacingly in the air.
Yun Que let out a shrill cry as she transformed into a beam of light, fusing directly into the tortoise's body. Moments later, a pair of shadowy, radiant wings unfurled from either side of the tortoise's shell, stretching wide enough to blot out the sky.
A suffocating aura swept across the entire area. All the beasts watching in the distance trembled, eyes filled with fear and shock.
Long ago, Tong Ming, unwilling to face eternal solitude, had used a forbidden technique to split off parts of his body. Those fragments eventually developed independent consciousness, cultivated for thousands of years, and even assumed human form to remain by his side. Now, faced with a crisis unlike any before, the four were one once again—Tong Ming had returned to his original form.
"The Profound Nether Mystic Tortoise… It's really him!" Bloodrobe stared in disbelief at the gigantic beast, his expression twisting in shock. "He's still alive after all these years… No wonder—he is one of the ancient Mystic Tortoise clan!"
"Profound Nether Mystic Tortoise? Isn't that the mythical beast spoken of in legends? It actually exists?!" Yun Yun gasped, covering her mouth with trembling fingers. What she had witnessed today was beyond anything she could've imagined. Every single revelation defied her understanding of the world.
"Oh no… Is Goku really going to fight that thing? Can he even win?" Nalan Yanran's face paled as she stared at the island-sized tortoise. Its ancient shell alone seemed unbreakable. Could anyone truly destroy that?
"So this is your true form? A giant turtle, huh. Gotta admit—your defense really does look insane." Goku's eyes gleamed with curiosity as he looked at the Profound Nether Mystic Tortoise. This was the biggest turtle he'd seen in his life.
"Then come, human warrior. Let's begin the second round." A thunderous voice echoed from the tortoise's second head, booming like a clap of divine thunder. Its very breath caused the earth to shake and the air to tremble.
BOOM!
Rocks shattered, clouds scattered, and the Profound Nether Mystic Tortoise struck out with one colossal claw, crashing toward Goku like a sky-splitting pillar. In that instant, Goku felt a strange connection—he suddenly understood how Sun wukong from Journey to the West must've felt, pinned beneath the Five Elements Mountain by Buddha's palm. That claw covered the sky in darkness, crashing down with unimaginable force. Without absolute confidence, a weaker soul would've been paralyzed with fear before the strike even landed.
"Now we're talking!" Goku's eyes lit up with excitement. This was the first time he'd ever fought something this huge. With a mighty roar, golden Ki erupted from his body, wrapping him in blazing flame-like energy. He shot upward like a meteor of light, facing the incoming claw head-on.
BOOM!
Their collision echoed like the roar of a thousand thunderstorms. Shockwaves ripped through the air, space itself cracking and rippling. The Mystic Tortoise had gone all-out, intending to crush Goku in a single blow—yet, no matter how much strength he used, that tiny human beneath his claw didn't budge an inch.
His eyes widened.
Every spectator stared in stunned silence. A human—tiny as a speck—was resisting a beast the size of a floating island... and not even falling behind! It was already a staggering scene—but what happened next utterly broke their minds.
"Heh. Is that all you've got? That hulking frame of yours is wasted if you hit this soft." Goku sneered, gripping the colossal claw with both hands as his Ki surged again.
"Haaah!!" With a roar, veins bulging and muscles swelling, Goku began to lift.
Yes—lift.
Bit by bit, his seemingly insignificant frame started hoisting the enormous Profound Nether Mystic Tortoise off the ground.
The jaws of every onlooker dropped wide open. Eyes bulged. Common sense shattered.
This wasn't just a battle—it was the rewriting of the laws of reality.