Chapter 236 – Thirty-Three Heavens Above, Three Thousand Great Worlds Below

Just as Lu Chen eliminated the five Immortal Fiends including Du Zhaogang, Xing Li from Martial God Mountain finally noticed something unusual about ‘Lu Chen’.

Ever since he activated the Myriad Phenomena Cloud Disk, Lu Chen had remained standing in place without taking any initiative to attack.

Had Xing Li never fought Lu Chen before, he might have thought Lu Chen was hesitating due to fear of his strength.

That he was waiting motionless for Xing Li to reveal an opening.

But because he had previously crossed swords with Lu Chen and clearly understood his capabilities,

He realized just how bizarre Lu Chen’s strategy of using stillness to counter movement truly was.

One must remember that Lu Chen’s reason for interfering was to protect Ye Hao.

Yet if he kept delaying here with Xing Li, Ye Hao would undoubtedly face certain death.

If Lu Chen truly didn’t care about Ye Hao’s survival, why would he bother intervening in the first place?

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

For a moment, Xing Li’s mind began racing furiously.

Contemplating the underlying meaning behind Lu Chen’s actions.

When you eliminate all impossible scenarios, whatever remains—no matter how absurd—must be the truth.

If viewed from another perspective, perhaps the one being delayed wasn’t Lu Chen… but himself!

Realizing this, Xing Li’s expression immediately changed.

He looked around and discovered that due to Lu Chen’s ‘Mountains of Corpses and Seas of Blood – Sword Domain’, he could no longer perceive events occurring outside.

“Figured it out?”

Lu Chen’s Heretical Avatar finally spoke as it observed Xing Li’s grave expression.

Watching Lu Chen’s calm demeanor, Xing Li’s expression turned extremely unpleasant.

“With your abilities, was such elaborate deception necessary?”

At this point, Xing Li knew he couldn’t break through Lu Chen’s Sword Domain, nor could he change what was happening beyond it.

So he simply began conversing with Lu Chen.

To this, Lu Chen replied indifferently: “Use surprise to win, use orthodox methods to consolidate. I never take unnecessary risks, but if stratagems can achieve goals more easily, I won’t rigidly follow conventions either.”

“Wait here patiently with me. This matter… will soon be concluded.”

Having said this, Lu Chen ignored Xing Li’s fluctuating expressions and returned to his tranquil state.

While he appeared composed, Xing Li grew increasingly frantic.

He stepped out from the cloud disk and approached Lu Chen.

Staring at Lu Chen’s expressionless face, Xing Li resembled someone who had suppressed secrets for years, now unable to hold them back.

“Wait? You want me to wait here?”

“Do you know what will happen to me and my Family if that little bastard Ye Hao reveals what happened back then?”

“You should know I wasn’t originally this brutish in appearance. But stealing someone’s Dao bone is hardly an honorable deed.”

“If I didn’t act savage and ruthless, others might steal my bones too, or even pluck out my eyes.”

“How could a born Supreme like you understand the suffering of us ordinary people.”

“You only know I come from the Eastern Divine Continent, but do you know our Family originally weren’t from this world?”

“Thirty-Three Heavens above, three thousand Major Thousand Worlds below.””Our Xing Family was originally an immortal clan in the Profound Yuan World, but just because we helped that little beast Ye Hao’s parents, we offended an Immortal from the Thirty-Three Heavens.”

“Although Ye Hao’s parents chose to bear all the consequences alone, how could the thoughts of an Immortal be easily guessed by us Mortals?”

“Even if the Immortal truly forgave us, those Sects and Families wanting to curry favor with the Immortal would still hunt us down to the last.”

“For this, we had no choice but to leave our homeland and come to this unfamiliar Azure Cloud World.”

“You once told me, ‘With Double Pupils, one is already on an invincible path, why borrow another’s bones?’ Right?”

As Xing Li spoke, he walked toward Lu Chen.

At this moment, there was no trace of the barbaric Qi of the Eastern Divine Continent left on him—only the noble aura that could be cultivated by a great Family.

Stopping not far from Lu Chen, he said, “If even you understand this, how could I and my Family not know?”

“But we have no time. No one knows when the Immortal might come for us, or whether other Cultivators from the Profound Yuan World have discovered we fled to the Azure Cloud World.”

“We must be fast, as fast as possible, to pool the entire Family’s resources and nurture a new Immortal.”

“Only then can we be at ease. Only then will the Xing Family have a chance to survive in this Major Thousand Worlds.”

“Do you think I’m hunting Ye Hao down out of sheer malice? It’s what his parents owe us.”

“If not for his parents, our Xing Family would still be a top-tier immortal clan in the Profound Yuan World.”

“Double Pupils? Not enough. Double Pupils alone aren’t enough to remove the Sword hanging over our Xing Family.”

“Only when Double Pupils and Desolate Bone are combined do we have a sliver of hope.”

“I absolutely cannot allow Ye Hao to live, because as long as he exists, the Immortal might one day track us down through his Bloodline.”

“What did we do wrong? We just want to survive.”

At this point, Xing Li seemed to have unburdened a heavy stone weighing on his heart for so long, finally feeling relieved.

Hearing this, Lu Chen fell silent for a moment before asking, “Why are you telling me all this?”

Xing Li smiled and said, “Because of the words ‘Azure Cloud Sect.’ You may not yet understand what ‘Azure Clouds’ truly means, but when you reach the Thirty-Three Heavens in the future, you’ll grasp the weight of these two words.”

“Whether in the Thirty-Three Heavens or other Major Thousand Worlds, pure Cultivators like you are becoming increasingly rare.”

“The phrase ‘Dao Follows Nature’—how easily can it be realized?”

“In this life, matters beyond our control are as numerous as carp swimming across a river. Often, it’s not that we can’t see through them, but that we lack the power to change them.”

“I must go out. This isn’t for myself, but for the three thousand clansmen behind me and their future.”

“This is what I carry on my shoulders, the duty I must fulfill.”

As he spoke, Xing Li began to fully activate his Double Pupils.

Even though he knew his Double Pupil Art: Heaven Sealing Stele would have little effect on Lu Chen.

But just as Xing Li had said, he possessed the conviction that he must go out.

The seemingly tyrannical and fierce exterior of Xing Li was, in essence, merely a disguise to protect himself and the Family behind him.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen sighed and said, “One Sword. If you can withstand one Sword from me, I will no longer interfere in your affairs.”

“Agreed.”Xing Li nodded, then fully activated the spiritual power within his body.

The Desolate Bone within him was mobilized, releasing an ancient aura from his very being.

In the next moment, peculiar patterns emerged on Xing Li’s skin.

The blood and Qi energy within him seemed to be drawn by some special cultivation method, ultimately forming a headless phantom behind him.

Simultaneously, a massive blood-red axe appeared in Xing Li’s right hand as if from nowhere.

This axe was completely wrapped in bandages, seemingly sealed by some formidable power.

Even while sealed, Lu Chen could still sense the overwhelming killing intent contained within the axe.

After the sealed axe appeared, an identical large axe materialized in the hands of the headless phantom behind Xing Li.

Although the True Immortal Trial prohibited the appearance of Fourth Realm Dao Artifacts,

this sealed Dao Artifact currently only possessed the quality of approximately Third Realm Perfection.

Combined with Xing Li’s unique blood and Qi manifestation, his power was undoubtedly greatly enhanced.

Previously at the Gathering of Heroes, to conceal his identity as a member of the Xing Family,

he hadn’t dared to activate his family’s immortal technique, the Netherworld Undying Art,

nor dared to reveal his family’s Dao Artifact, the Nine Hells Battle Axe.

But within the True Immortal Trial, inside Lu Chen’s Sword Domain, Xing Li had no such concerns.

Because here, no one knew his identity as a member of the Xuanyuan Xing Family.

Double Pupils, Desolate Bone, Immortal Technique, Dao Artifact…

Xing Li finally revealed his true strength at this moment.

The dozens-of-meters-tall headless phantom formed from blood and Qi manifestation alone possessed an aura surpassing that of most ordinary Golden Core Stage cultivators.

Lu Chen had no doubt about the power of Xing Li’s upcoming axe strike.

This was undoubtedly the strongest opponent he had encountered since arriving at the True Immortal Trial, aside from Cui Chengyun.

The previous Third Realm cultivators from Huaiyang’s Demon Suppression Division, Yue Ziqi and Yuwen Hongguang, couldn’t compare to the current Xing Li, who was merely at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

This was a peerless genius who had perfectly fused blood and Qi energy with the Entering Dao Conception to reach the ‘Pinnacle Realm.’

The effect was similar to how Lu Chen had integrated the Heaven Sealing Stele into his Law-Extinguishing Sword Intent.

Both were products of the perfect fusion of technique and Dao.

Although this headless phantom was extraordinary, Xing Li clearly couldn’t control it very well yet.

After conjuring this headless phantom, his complexion turned noticeably pale.

This showed just how much burden creating this headless phantom had placed on him.

But Lu Chen had to admit that he felt some pressure from this headless phantom.

Looking at the Heaven Sealing Stele floating before Xing Li and the headless phantom behind him,

Lu Chen understood why the Xing Family had implanted the Desolate Bone into him, who already possessed Double Pupils.

The reason was that the Xing Family’s Netherworld Undying Art was fundamentally an immortal technique that focused on tempering blood and Qi, pursuing physical body ascension to sainthood.

Not to mention the secret techniques and divine abilities that came with the Desolate Bone physique,

the nearly endless blood and Qi energy alone made cultivating the Netherworld Undying Art much more efficient for those possessing the Ancient Desolate Body.

That Xing Li could summon this headless phantom at the Foundation Establishment Stage was not only due to his considerable comprehension ability, having cultivated the Netherworld Undying Art to a high realm,

but also because of the abundant blood and Qi energy provided by his Ancient Desolate Body.

This shared remarkable similarities with Lu Chen’s First-Grade Great Dao Immortal Foundation.

Most people only saw that Lu Chen had mastered Harmony Realm Sword Intent at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

What they failed to notice was that Lu Chen’s Foundation Establishment Stage was fundamentally different from others’ Foundation Establishment Stages.Ordinary individuals at the Foundation Establishment Stage typically possess a Spiritual Power cultivation of no more than one million.

Among them, those with a human-grade Foundation Establishment have an upper limit of merely slightly over one hundred thousand.

However, Lu Chen’s First-Grade Great Dao Immortal Foundation boasts a terrifying upper limit of twenty million.

With twenty million in Spiritual Power cultivation, this alone places him in an undefeatable position against cultivators of the same stage.

It is also the fundamental reason why he can execute many techniques and Divine Abilities at the Foundation Establishment Stage that even astonish those at the Golden Core Stage.

Even among those at the same Foundation Establishment level, there are disparities.

Facing Xing Li, who was on the verge of consolidating a complete headless phantom, Lu Chen made his move.

“Roar!”

A black Sword-Qi True Dragon soared into the sky, emitting a resounding Dragon’s Roar.

It circled high in the heavens, its dragon head raised proudly.

Then, starting from the center of its brow, the entire ink-black dragon’s Dragon Scales began to shift toward a golden hue.

This touch of gold was the result of the Sword Domain’s enhancement.

After fully transforming into a Sword-Intent Golden Dragon, the golden giant dragon dove down, striking a claw toward the Heaven Sealing Stele in front of Xing Li.

Though it wasn’t the first time he had encountered this Sword-Intent True Dragon, the Heaven Sealing Stele’s effect of suppressing all methods in the world still had limited efficacy against it.

After all, the essence of the True Dragon Sword Intent was pure power and cultivation.

As the saying goes, the Great Dao is ultimately simple—this was no exception.

Technique?

The True Dragon Sword Intent possessed only power, no technique!

Boom!

The Sword-Intent True Dragon struck the Heaven Sealing Stele with its claw, causing it to shake violently.

Simultaneously, Xing Li’s pupils trembled, sending waves of sharp pain.

But he paid no heed, remaining focused on operating his Netherworld Undying Art.

Gradually, the headless phantom behind him began to grow more substantial.

And on the phantom’s abdomen, the outlines of facial features started to appear.

Observing the phantom, Lu Chen confirmed his earlier speculation.

Indeed, the so-called headless phantom was the War God Chiyou from the myths and legends of his previous life.

Combined with the surname Xing, Lu Chen deduced that their Family might have intricate connections with Chiyou.

If the true Chiyou were to appear before him, Lu Chen would not hesitate to turn and flee.

But a mere imitation of Chiyou’s qi and blood manifestation was not yet something Lu Chen needed to retreat from.

Moreover, if you can fuse Divine Abilities with Dao techniques, why can’t I?

Water Virtue Star Manifestation: Yellow Springs

As a surge of pure Divine Ability power emanated from Lu Chen, a skeletal Buddha slowly materialized behind him.

Upon seeing this eerie skeletal Buddha, Xing Li’s pupils contracted.

For in this Buddha, Xing Li sensed both the compassion of a Buddha and the killing nature of a demon.

These two opposing attributes were now ingeniously fused together.

If it were just this skeletal Buddha, Xing Li wouldn’t be overly shocked.

After all, this skeletal Buddha was merely a Divine Ability manifestation, still inferior to his own Chiyou phantom.

But when the Crimson Spirit Sword fell into the hands of this skeletal Buddha, everything changed.

The Harmony Realm Blood Killing Sword Intent, the three-realm Spirit Sword Gluttonous Fiend Weapon, and the special Divine Ability ‘Yellow Springs’—

The combination of these three elevated its level beyond the Chiyou phantom that Xing Li had currently consolidated.

Xing Li knew of Lu Chen’s unparalleled Sword Intent, but he never imagined that Lu Chen’s cultivation in Divine Abilities was equally astounding.How could a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator manage to cultivate multiple Dao Integration Realm Sword Domains without falling behind in his cultivation, while also advancing his Divine Ability to such a level?

Could he actually be an Immortal’s Reincarnation?

For a moment, Xing Li’s mind was violently shaken, his thoughts in turmoil.

During this time, Lu Chen’s Underworld Star Aspect had already grasped the descending Gluttonous Fiend Weapon.

The killing intent and Karma from the Mountains of Corpses and Seas of Blood converged on the sword, forming a crimson Karma Divine Sword.

As the fiendish weapon was seized, the Underworld Star Aspect fully revealed its murderous nature.

Simultaneously, Lu Chen’s Sword-Intent True Dragon once again shattered Xing Li’s Heaven Sealing Stele.

The disappearance of the Heaven Sealing Stele seemed to be a signal.

The next moment, Xing Li raised his head.

His eyes were filled with an unstoppable ferocity.

Bearing the future of his entire Family on his shoulders, he absolutely could not fall here.

If he could just block one of Lu Chen’s sword strikes, he would be able to leave this place and completely eliminate Ye Hao, the threat to the Xing Family, while he was still in his cradle.

For this, he was willing to pay any price.

“Unless you’re an Immortal descending to the mortal realm, no one can stop me here!”

Xing Li roared, gripping his battle-axe with both hands and swinging it toward Lu Chen.

The phantom of Xingtian behind him mirrored the same movement.

This axe strike… was earth-shattering and heaven-rending.

(End of Chapter)