"That Kui Niu's innate divine ability, in its complete form, should be called 'Heaven-Treading Thunderclap.'
'Heaven-Treading' is merely the simplest material attack—while 'Thunderclap' is the true killing move, a soul attack."
An innate divine ability capable of simultaneously encompassing both physical and soul assaults… it was clear that this Kui Niu's strength was far beyond an ordinary peak lower God.
Even so, Sadius was not afraid.
As a triple-element soul mutate, his soul defense far surpassed that of his peers. Moreover, he still possessed the incomplete soul-defense Sovereign artifact—the Coiling Dragon Ring.
Unless that Kui Niu was actually a Highgod, it would be impossible for it to truly harm him.
Having obtained the information he wanted, Sadius bid farewell to Catherine. Doehring returned to the Magical Beast Mountains, waiting for the Necropolis of the Gods to open once again.
Sadius himself returned to the royal palace of the revived Pouant Empire.
Reyna was cultivating quietly in her own chambers.
Ever since becoming Sadius's woman, Reyna had trained even more diligently.
She was merely a ninth-rank magus, not yet a Saint. One day, she would still grow old.
She didn't want to die like an ordinary mortal—she wished to remain by Sadius's side forever. Thus, she continued to cultivate tirelessly.
Yet, perhaps due to innate talent, advancing to the Saint-level had not been easy for Reyna. Ten full years had passed, and she remained stuck at the ninth rank of magus.
"My lord… I feel so useless…" Reyna's eyes shimmered with tears as she spoke softly while in Sadius's embrace.
Sadius gently stroked her hair.
"How could that be? You're only thirty-six years old and already a powerful ninth-rank magus. Across the entire Yulan Continent, there aren't many whose talent exceeds yours."
"But… I'm afraid of growing old…"
Sadius comforted her for a while longer.
"My lord… this time you'll be entering the Necropolis of the Gods again. Once you go, it'll be another ten years…"
There was a hint of sorrow in her voice. If Sadius returned after ten years and she still hadn't reached the Saint-level, she would already be a fading beauty, no longer in her prime.
Sadius thought for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"Little Reyna, why don't you try cultivating Life Magic instead? Perhaps your talent in the Laws of Life is higher than in the Laws of Light. And within Life Magic, there are secret techniques for preserving youth and prolonging vitality."
Reyna's heart was moved.
She had been focused solely on training in Light Magic, hoping to reach the Saint-level as soon as possible, never once considering whether she might have greater talent in the rules of Life.
Now that she'd hit a bottleneck in Light Magic, perhaps Life Magic could be her new path forward.
The very next day, Sadius sent a soul transmission to the High Priestess Catherine, requesting methods to cultivate Life Magic.
For Catherine, this was a trivial matter. She instructed one of her Saint-level archmagus to deliver the relevant tomes and scrolls to the Pouant Empire.
Time passed swiftly. Soon, the day arrived when the Necropolis of the Gods would reopen.
Four lower God experts gathered at the South Sea.
Leylin's eldest and second brothers, along with Tarossa who had just emerged from the Necropolis, did not participate in this round of trials.
"Alright, the four of you are all here. Let's depart."
Beirut led the team. Just like before, five figures entered the Necropolis of the Gods together.
"This time, you will be sent directly through the passage to the twelfth layer. Ten years from now, I will wait for you here."
Then, with Catherine in the lead, the four of them stepped into the shimmering passage one by one.
The Twelfth Layer of the Necropolis of the Gods.
The four emerged from the tunnel into a world of towering mountain peaks.
"Catherine, you've been here before. You know where that Divine Beast Kui Niu is located. Why not lead the way?" Sadius asked.
Catherine's brows furrowed slightly.
"Sadius, are you sure? Kui Niu's strength is no weaker than that of some ordinary mid-level Gods. Facing it carries significant risk."
Sadius only chuckled.
"If I lack even that much confidence, how can I talk about cultivation and advancement?"
"…Very well. In that case, I'll guide you. But I won't take part in the battle."
She simply couldn't gamble her life; after all, the Yulan Empire still needed her support.
War God O'Brien remained silent, following the trio.
They flew over ridge after ridge until they finally spotted an unusual place.
The surrounding mountains curved inwards, forming a natural basin. At the center was a low-lying valley—like a massive, natural trumpet-shaped amphitheater.
From afar, the four of them could already see a colossal Divine Beast standing sentinel there.
"Gentlemen, this is as far as I go. From here on… it's up to you."
Catherine turned back toward Sadius and Dylin.
Sadius nodded his thanks, then flew together with Dylin toward the massive Kui Niu.
As they neared the valley, the previously resting Kui Niu slowly opened its enormous eyes.
"Intruders… leave my domain. Otherwise… you die!"
Its voice boomed like a great war drum, echoing across the entire twelfth layer of the Necropolis of the Gods.
Dylin glanced at Sadius and spoke, his tone calm yet eager.
"My friend, allow me to test him first. As a fellow Divine Beast of the Yulan Plane, I'd like to gauge his strength."
Sadius nodded slightly.
"Be careful. If you truly can't withstand him, don't force it."
"Understood."
Dylin flew forward.
"I am Dylin of the Yulan Continent. Please grant me some guidance!"
The Kui Niu tilted its massive head slightly, as if recognizing him.
"You… you are the Suanni Divine Beast from the Yulan Plane?"
"Indeed."
Kui Niu's eyes gleamed with interest.
"I am Usor, the Kui Niu from the Moro Continent. If you truly wish to battle… should you fall here, you can only blame yourself."
Then, beneath Kui Niu's thousand-meter-tall frame, a single massive hoof stomped down. The entire valley quaked violently.
Dylin didn't hesitate—he directly transformed into his true body, the mighty Suanni lion, unleashing a terrifying roar as the aura of Destruction burst forth.
Moments later, the two titanic beasts collided in a clash of raw might, shaking the mountains themselves.
This valley became like a giant arena, the two Divine Beasts slaughtering each other amidst endless echoes.
Though Usor only had a single leg, as a lower God it could freely fly; its mobility in combat was unaffected. Yet Dylin's reaction speed was clearly faster, allowing him to slash and rake with his claws.
Usor could only rely on the massive horn atop its head to ram and strike back.
But the Kui Niu's defense was astonishing. Dylin's fierce blows barely managed to leave a mark.
Realizing this, Dylin shifted back to his human form, summoning his artifact-grade gauntlets before striking once more at the massive Kui Niu.
But in that instant, arcs of thunder and lightning surrounded Kui Niu's body—it lowered its head and directly met Dylin's fist with its horn.
Destruction power and thunder law collided violently—an earth-shattering explosion erupted.
Dylin's body was sent flying backward through the air.
Even from just that brief exchange, he knew… he couldn't truly match this opponent.
Still, Dylin did not feel dejected.
The opponent's strength was indeed overwhelming, but not exaggerated to the level of a true mid-level God. He could still stand his ground and continue the fight.
"Again!"
Dylin roared and charged back into battle.
Outside the battlefield, Sadius watched the fight with narrowed eyes.
He'd gained a rough sense of the Kui Niu's power.
"If I use a dual-element fused divine power, I should be able to defeat this creature… but it would take some time. What I really want to see is its innate divine ability. If Dylin can force it to unleash that, I'll have a much clearer idea of what we're dealing with."
In the valley, Dylin shouted mid-battle:
"Usor, your defense is indeed formidable. But your attack speed is lacking. If this drags on, once I find an opening, you'll still be defeated!"
Kui Niu Usor sneered, a deep rumble in its chest.
"Then let's see if you truly have that ability."
With that, Usor transformed—his massive beast body condensed into that of a towering, muscle-bound warrior. In his hands appeared an artifact-grade gauntlet, gleaming ominously.
High in the air, two figures—one wreathed in the aura of Destruction, the other crackling with lightning—clashed again and again, their fists meeting like thunderclaps in the sky.
—
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