My son is about to break through.

The moment they met
The Heavenly Punishment God suddenly realized that he had underestimated the strength of this Mysterious Heavenly Immortal Emperor.

He originally thought that even if Gu Qingfeng was strong, he would only be at most at the level of half-step immortal.

After all, tens of millions of years is but a fleeting moment in the long history of the Endless Immortal Realm, which is measured in epochs.

Even those peerless geniuses who are said to be one in a billion years need to go through countless hardships and accumulate time in order to touch the threshold of immortality.

Even though the other party had defeated the Taixu God Lord and injured the Wanjie God Lord in a single exchange, the Tianji God Lord still held the same opinion.

But when they actually clashed, the Heavenly Punishment God realized he was wrong.

Moreover, it's completely wrong!
The combined power of their six half-step immortals was an ancient existence that had left its mark on the Immortal Stele of Longevity and survived countless eons.

However, this power, which was enough to make even immortals take notice, failed to gain the slightest advantage when it clashed with Gu Qingfeng!

The woman in blue stood calmly in place, as if she were standing not on shattered chaos, but on her own courtyard.

There was no dazzling divine light around him, only a hazy Daoist aura. That aura seemed weak, but it steadily held back the six destructive torrents. No matter how they crashed and roared, they could not cross the threshold.

Gu Qingfeng appeared completely at ease throughout.

It seems he hasn't really used his full strength yet.

Such power naturally caused the Heavenly Punishment God Lord to feel a deep, soul-stirring shock.

For a fleeting moment, his Dao heart even wavered slightly, wondering if the other party had quietly stepped into the legendary level of immortality!
But the moment this thought arose, it was forcibly rejected by the Heavenly Punishment God with immense willpower.

What a joke!
Immortality at tens of millions of years old?
This is something that has never happened before in the endless immortal realm since the beginning of time, spanning countless eras and billions of years!

Throughout history, every recorded and universally acknowledged immortal being has undergone at least dozens, or even hundreds, of arduous cultivation and accumulation before finally achieving the union of body and spirit with the Dao.

After all, immortality is difficult to attain, and the Great Dao is arduous; this is a consensus among all the powerful who have climbed to the realm of Heavenly Venerable Gods.

It was not merely an accumulation of strength; the hardships involved were beyond what outsiders could understand.

If someone were to say that there were unparalleled geniuses who could ascend to the heavens in just tens of millions of years, crossing the endless chasm and entering the immortal realm, no one would believe it; they would only regard it as a fool's dream.

not to mention--

The Heavenly Punishment God focused his divine eyes, and the true patterns of the Great Dao flowed within his pupils as he tried his best to discern all the energy surrounding Gu Qingfeng.

Although the opponent's power is vast and unfathomable, its life form and Dao fluctuations have clearly not yet reached the level of complete integration with a supreme Dao, where one is one with the Dao and the Dao is me.

To unite oneself with the Dao!

That is the most core and fundamental symbol of immortality!
It is the only sign that the imprint of life is intertwined with the fundamental laws of chaos.

To determine whether a powerful figure has truly entered the immortal realm, one should not simply observe their strength, but rather examine whether they possess the unique aura of "the Great Dao is within me, and I am the Great Dao."

Gu Qingfeng did not possess this aura.

However, although the Heavenly Punishment God Lord could be fairly certain, based on his ancient experience and secret techniques, that Gu Qingfeng had not truly entered the immortal realm, his shock and horror did not diminish in the slightest; on the contrary, they became even more profound.

The reason is simple.

Even though the opponent has not truly entered the realm of immortality, he can still fight against six ancient gods who have reached the pinnacle of immortality in a direct confrontation, and subtly gain the upper hand.

With such strength, it's estimated that it's not far off from being a true immortal.

After all, any ancient god who could leave their name on the Immortal Stele of Longevity had reached the pinnacle of power below immortality, standing at the true peak of half-step immortality.

Even among those who are both at the half-step immortal level, their strength is often three points weaker when facing these ancient gods who have left their names on the immortal monument.

The combined power of six ancient deities is far more than simply the sum of its parts.

To put it bluntly, this lineup could even put up a fight against an immortal being who has just achieved Dao and whose realm is not yet stable.

But now, even with the six ancient gods joining forces to confront Gu Qingfeng head-on, they couldn't gain any advantage whatsoever. How could this not alarm the God Lord Tianji?
In fact, it wasn't just the Heavenly Punishment God Lord who was shocked; the Taixu God Lord was also experiencing a tremendous surge of dread.

Having once faced off against Gu Qingfeng, he believed he had a thorough understanding of the Xuan Tian Immortal Emperor's strength.

But now, when the six gods joined forces and the power of the Great Dao was raised to its limit, and they clashed with Gu Qingfeng again, the Taixu God Lord was shocked to find that the opponent's strength was several times greater than when he fought him before.

That absolute control over the power of the Great Dao, that attack that was casual yet contained infinite variations, was completely different from before.

It's hard to imagine that the other party could achieve such a terrifying breakthrough in strength in just over ten million years; this completely defies the common sense of cultivation.

Of course, another thought that sent chills down the spine of the Great Void God Lord surfaced uncontrollably.

It cannot be ruled out that when the other party fought him, he did not actually use his full strength, but deliberately concealed his strength.

Otherwise, the Supreme God Lord would absolutely believe that, given the strength Gu Qingfeng was displaying at the moment, if he had gone all out back then, he wouldn't have had a chance to escape, let alone be defeated.

……

"boom!"

"Boom!"

At the heart of the battlefield, the seven towering figures shattered billions of miles of chaotic void with every movement they made.

Every clash and exchange unleashes a dazzling light of Dao principles that dims even the sun, moon, and stars.

A terrifying torrent of power surged forth from them, spreading outwards into the endless distance, like seven world-destroying meteorites thrown onto a calm, chaotic sea, the ripples of which shook the very four directions.

Such terrifying commotion and aura had already penetrated the territory of the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty, alarming countless ancient beings hidden in the depths of chaos or sitting in the void of various immortal realms.

Many powerful Celestial Venerables were awakened from their deep seclusion by this fluctuation. They either used their divine sense to traverse endless time and space to look into the distance, or used great supernatural powers such as the Water Mirror and the Sky Canopy to reflect the battlefield.

When they saw the scene on the battlefield, without exception, their eyes were filled with disbelief and horror.

"The six ancient deities on the Immortal Stele of Longevity couldn't suppress this Xuan Tian Immortal Emperor even when they joined forces? This... how is this possible!"

"He fought against six opponents and still had the upper hand... This person's strength is probably not much different from that of a true immortal!"
Could it be that my boundless immortal realm is about to give birth to a legendary being who, despite not being immortal, can rival immortals?

"As expected of a prodigy unparalleled in this era of humanity, reaching this level in just tens of millions of years. Compared to him, our hundreds of millions of years of arduous cultivation are simply child's play..."

For many celestial beings who often go into seclusion for hundreds of millions of years, tens of millions of years may simply be a slightly longer period of seclusion, a time for deeper enlightenment.

They find it hard to imagine that in such a short period of time, someone could rise from humble beginnings to such heights.

If they were on the battlefield at this moment, they probably wouldn't even be able to withstand the aftershocks of the battle. Their foundation would crumble and their souls would be destroyed in a single exchange, turning them into insignificant specks of dust in the chaos.

...In a certain chaotic void, about several hundred large immortal domains away from the border of the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty, the space rippled slightly, and a figure dressed in an ancient star-patterned Daoist robe quietly appeared.

It was none other than the Celestial Venerable of Mountains and Seas.

He has a young face, looking only in his early twenties, but his eyes are full of vicissitudes, as if he has witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations.

At this moment, he was looking solemnly towards the direction of the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty. Even though they were so far apart, the terrifying fluctuations emanating from the center of the battlefield, which surged like a chaotic tide, still made this peak Seven Tribulations Celestial Venerable feel a sense of unease.

"It seems that this battle is no longer necessary for the Mountain and Sea Holy Land to intervene."

The Celestial Venerable of Mountains and Seas murmured to himself, his voice carrying a hint of relief, but more so a deep sense of awe.

"This Immortal Emperor Gu's strength is far more terrifying than the rumors outside; it's simply unfathomable!"

Ever since learning that the evil god clan intended to harm the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty, the Mountain and Sea Celestial Venerable personally set out, traversing the endless chaos to arrive.

After all, in the eyes of the Celestial Venerable of Mountains and Seas, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Gu Qingfeng was the chosen one of destiny, born to fulfill the destiny of the human race in this era.

Now, chaos surges beneath the surface, evil gods are powerful, and humanity is declining.

If we were to save the human race from collapse and turn the tide, looking at the present world, perhaps only the Xuan Tian Immortal Emperor, who has appeared out of nowhere, has a slight chance of doing so.

Therefore, the Celestial Venerable of Mountains and Seas could not stand idly by and watch the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty perish.

Although Shan Hai Tianzun knew very well that with his cultivation at the peak of the Seven Tribulations, he could only play a very limited role in a battle against someone at least at the half-step immortal level, and might even be in danger of perishing, he still resolutely set off to come.

only--

Just as the Celestial Venerable of Mountains and Seas stepped onto the edge of the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty's territory and had not yet made contact with the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty, the great battle, which was expected yet far exceeded expectations, suddenly broke out.

That terrifying aura that swept across everything in an instant, causing all paths to groan and chaos to churn, made even the Lord of the Mountain and Sea Holy Land feel a genuine sense of powerlessness, like an ant gazing up at the heavens. It was an absolute gap in the level of life and the essence of power, which could not be bridged by courage or determination.

The difference is too big!
Every single one of them fighting on the battlefield at this moment is a peerless being who has truly stood before the threshold of immortality.

Let alone him, a Seven Tribulation Celestial Venerable, even those old monsters who have survived nine immeasurable tribulations and can be considered the pinnacle of Celestial Venerables would probably be like ants in front of someone of this level.

However, compared to the terrifying strength displayed by the six ancient gods, Gu Qingfeng's performance, which was completely beyond common sense and subverted cognition, was what shocked the Mountain and Sea Heavenly Venerable the most and even made him tremble slightly.

Before this, if Shan Hai Tianzun still harbored a last shred of doubt, questioning whether the speculations about Gu Qingfeng being the chosen one of humanity were accurate.

Now, having witnessed firsthand this invincible demeanor of one against six, standing proudly above all others, his doubts had vanished, replaced by an almost unwavering belief.

The reason is simple, direct, and irrefutable.

If one were not a chosen one born under the great destiny of humanity, destined to face the great calamity of chaos, how could one possess such terrifying power that defies the laws of time and overturns common sense in just tens of millions of years?

Such a rapid growth rate and such combat performance cannot be explained by conventional factors such as talent and opportunity.

Only the mysterious and profound destiny of heaven can barely make sense.

Before Gu Qingfeng was born, for a long time, the title of the number one human below the immortals belonged to the peerless overlord of that brilliant era—Xiang Chu.

That overlord once dominated his generation with his unparalleled martial prowess, striking fear into the hearts of the evil god clan.

Its glorious achievements are still being sung in ancient human records and are regarded as the pinnacle of combat power below immortality.

Even though Xiang Chu, the Hegemon, has been dead for many years, his position as the number one person after the Immortal has never been shaken, and no successor has been able to truly challenge him.

But now, the Celestial Venerable of Mountains and Seas knows that things are different.

Times have truly changed.

With Gu Qingfeng's sudden emergence and his earth-shattering victory, the title of the number one person below the Immortal level has been completely changed hands.

……

"boom--"

In the void, Gu Qingfeng unleashed a palm strike, turning billions of miles of space into dust.

Immediately afterwards, he turned his palm into a fist, the movement simple and unadorned, without any fancy moves, and threw out a straight punch.

This punch produced no dazzling divine light, no deafening roar, and didn't even cause significant spatial fluctuations.

But in the eyes of the Supreme God, it was as if a vast and boundless universe was collapsing and compressing towards him, with endless power converging at a single point, blocking all his escape routes, ignoring the barriers of time and space, as if attacking simultaneously from three time dimensions: past, present, and future.

"not good!"

The Supreme God's expression changed drastically. He frantically urged the power of the Great Dao, his figure becoming illusory and uncertain, attempting to transform reality into illusion and merge into chaos to avoid the power of this attack.

However, it didn't work—

Gu Qingfeng's fist finally struck the Taixu God Lord heavily.

"boom--!"

An indescribable, dull, deafening roar.

The Supreme God Lord let out a muffled groan, a mixture of pain and rage. His ancient divine body, which had accumulated over countless years, was like porcelain struck by an ancient divine mountain. A terrifying fist-shaped indentation suddenly appeared in his chest, and then, from the center of the fist-shaped indentation, countless cracks instantly spread throughout his entire body.

"Boom!!"

Most of the divine body was completely destroyed and dissipated under this punch, turning into the most primordial chaotic energy.

Blood stained the sky, and the road echoed with mournful cries.

The aura of the Supreme God Lord declined at a visible speed, his face turned as pale as paper, and his eyes were filled with disbelief, horror, and lingering fear.

If he hadn't fought back with all his might at the last moment, that punch could have killed him instantly.

Gu Qingfeng's eyes were indifferent, without the slightest ripple, as if he had only done a trivial matter.

With a slight movement of his foot, he intended to press his advantage and completely erase this ancient god from the chaos.

However, just as he moved—

"Gu Qingfeng! Stop being so arrogant!"

The Heavenly Punishment God roared, his black divine spear trembling and unleashing an extremely terrifying power. (End of Chapter)