The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

Wei Mingzi let out an incredulous roar filled with endless resentment and madness, and his demonic body began to dissipate rapidly under the unparalleled blade light.

However, no matter how unwillingly he roared, he could not change the outcome of his defeat.

His figure eventually transformed into specks of light and dissipated on the arena, leaving only the lingering echoes of hatred and despair reverberating in the void.

Jiang Xuan stood with his sword in hand, his breathing slightly disordered, but his eyes were as cold as ice, unwavering. He felt no pity for this demon who had schemed to possess him; it deserved to die. As for the "unparalleled opportunity" the other had mentioned before its death, he scoffed at it. What credibility could the promise of a remnant soul that couldn't even protect itself hold?
As the battle ended and Jiang Xuan was about to catch his breath, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Where Wei Mingzi disappeared, amidst the gradually dissipating rain of light, a faint, unique glimmer quietly emerged.

He cautiously stepped forward and discovered that it was a feather about the size of a baby's palm, pure white, as if it were formed from the purest spiritual light!
The feather was as light as a feather, warm to the touch, and exuded an ethereal, pure, and incredibly mysterious aura, completely at odds with Wei Mingzi's previous image of being filled with demonic energy.

"What is this? Could it really be something left behind by that demon?"

Jiang Xuan became highly vigilant.

He tried to probe it with his divine sense, but found that the feather seemed not to exist in this spatial dimension. His divine sense easily passed through it and could not capture its specific form.

The instant his fingers touched the feather, a strange change occurred! The snow-white feather seemed to come alive, transforming into a stream of light that entered his brow and merged directly into the depths of his consciousness!

Jiang Xuan's heart sank, and he immediately looked inward into his sea of ​​consciousness.

The feather hovered quietly in a corner of his mind, emitting a soft and pure light, without any unusual movement, as if it were just an ordinary object.

However, he dared not be careless in the slightest. This thing was of unknown origin and related to the strange Wei Mingzi, so he had to be extremely vigilant. Since nothing unusual had been found yet, he could only classify it as an object requiring close "attention" and leave it for later investigation.

Just then, the entire massive arena was suddenly filled with an incomparably dazzling, vast rain of light, like a reversed galaxy!
That clear, powerful voice once again resounded throughout the entire secret realm.

"Jiang Xuan, the trial participant, has successfully passed the third trial of the Azure Cloud Path, 'Hundred Battles'."

"Winning a hundred battles will grant you rewards from the secret realm."

As the voice faded, the dazzling rain of light seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, rapidly converging and merging towards the center of the arena, ultimately transforming into three orbs of light that emitted blinding radiance and were impossible to look directly at, silently hovering in mid-air in front of Jiang Xuan.

"rule.

You have three rewards to choose from. You have 15 minutes to make your choice. Failure to choose within the time limit will be considered an automatic forfeiture of all rewards.

Three choices? And there's a time limit? Jiang Xuan's gaze sharpened, and he didn't dare to be negligent. He immediately stepped forward and focused his attention on the three orbs of light.

The first ball of light was a purplish-red color, with thousands of auspicious rays, and inside it seemed to contain a pill the size of a longan.

The surface of the elixir was covered with countless tiny pores, breathing out incomparably pure black and white energy. The two energies intertwined, giving rise to a mysterious and wondrous phenomenon outside the ball of light: "the roar of dragons and the howl of tigers, the harmony of heaven and earth," brimming with the essence of Dao!
A surge of information naturally flooded Jiang Xuan's mind—[Two Elements Aperture Pill]! For cultivators below the Spirit Sea Realm, consuming this pill can awaken their consciousness, break through cultivation barriers, and unconditionally elevate them to a minor realm! Furthermore, its medicinal properties are mild, providing a stable foundation with absolutely no side effects!

"Unconditionally advance to a minor realm!"

Jiang Xuan's heart trembled violently.

He knew all too well that the later one's cultivation level, the more difficult it was to break through. Such a divine pill was probably unheard of in the entire empire! If he could obtain it, he could immediately advance from the Human Gang Realm to the Earth Gang Realm! It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted.

But upon closer reflection, it wouldn't be difficult for him to advance to the Earthly Gang Realm through his own cultivation. Although this pill was good, it wasn't necessary at the moment, so it seemed a bit "wasteful".

He suppressed his excitement and shifted his gaze to the second ball of light.

The second orb of light radiated a soft and pure silver glow. Within the light was the phantom of an ancient-looking, smoothly flowing suit of armor—the [Silver Star-Suppressing Armor]! Mysterious cloud patterns, landscapes, and auspicious beast designs were naturally imprinted on the armor, its silver light flowing around it. It was not only a powerful defensive artifact, but also aided in cultivation, nourishing the spirit and tempering the body!
What moved Jiang Xuan even more was that the information showed that this armor could automatically protect its owner at critical moments and withstand a full-force attack from a Spirit Sea Realm expert!
"It can aid in cultivation and save lives in critical moments... It's truly a wonderful thing!"

Jiang Xuan felt his heart race again.

The value of this armor is absolutely immeasurable; it is a coveted treasure for any cultivator.

He almost couldn't resist reaching out his hand.

However, his gaze eventually fell on the third orb of light.

This third orb of light was the least noticeable and the dimmest.

What's suspended in the air isn't a complete artifact, but rather a dark gray fragment about the size of a palm, covered in rust and with an extremely irregular shape, resembling a corner of some kind of bronze seal.

But even this broken fragment exuded a terrifying sense of oppression that made Jiang Xuan's heart tremble, as if some ancient power capable of shaking heaven and earth was dormant within it.

Information floods in—[Fragment of the Ancient Seal of Heaven-Shaking]! Containing the ancient and supreme inheritance, [Nine Collapses of Heaven-Shaking Dao]! This technique is one of the "Nine Treasures of the Great Wilderness," an ultimate offensive art!

"The Nine Treasures of the Great Wilderness... The Nine Heavens Shaking Dao..."

Jiang Xuan murmured these words, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

His strongest attack method is currently the "Star Gathering Style," which is quite powerful, but ultimately the method is somewhat limited.

He desperately needs to enrich his combat system, especially this kind of offensive secret technique that sounds incredibly domineering!
Almost instinctively, driven by the purest desire for power, Jiang Xuan made his decision in an instant!

Without further hesitation, he stretched out his finger and pointed directly at the third ball of light—[Fragment of the Ancient Seal of Heaven-Shaking]!
The moment his fingertips touched the orb of light, the other two orbs vanished silently like phantoms.

The ball of light he had chosen suddenly erupted with intense light, engulfing him entirely. The next moment, he felt a dizzying sensation as the world spun around him.

When Jiang Xuan opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the real world, still sitting cross-legged on the futon in his room.

In my mind, that cold voice left behind the last message.

"The fourth level is called 'Conquest of the Realm'. You need to advance to the Spirit Sea Realm to unlock it."

At the same time, he felt something appear beside him. Looking down, he saw it was that rusty, incredibly heavy, dark gray iron piece—a fragment of the Heaven-Shaking Ancient Seal!
Suppressing his excitement, Jiang Xuan immediately tried to probe the ancient seal fragment with his divine sense, hoping to find the inheritance mark of the [Nine Collapses of Heaven and Earth].

However, just as his divine sense touched the fragment—

"Om!!"

An indescribable, excruciating pain, as if it were tearing the entire sea of ​​consciousness apart, suddenly erupted!
"what!"

Jiang Xuan groaned, his face turning deathly pale instantly.

He suddenly looked inward into his mind's eye, trying to figure out what had happened.

In the center of that once calm sea of ​​consciousness, the snow-white feather that had previously merged with and remained quietly suspended was now bursting out with an unprecedented, dazzling light, as bright as the sun!
At the core of that light, a phantom figure, filled with boundless resentment and ecstatic joy, was slowly taking shape!

Who else could it be but Wei Mingzi?!
"Hahaha!! Junior! Do you really think I can be killed by you so easily? How naive!!"

Wei Mingzi's maniacal laughter echoed wildly in Jiang Xuan's mind. Although the illusory figure was blurry, it exuded an evil aura that made one's soul tremble.

"That 'Taiyi Immortal Feather' is the true dwelling place of my remnant soul! All that happened before was just to lower your guard, so that this last wisp of my original soul could successfully infiltrate your sea of ​​consciousness!"

He greedily "breathed" the aura of Jiang Xuan's sea of ​​consciousness, his voice filled with endless desire and ferocity.

"After countless years of waiting, I have finally obtained your flawless body! With a solid foundation, boundless potential, and a will as strong as iron, honed through countless battles! Perfect, utterly perfect! Once I erase your soul and consciousness, seize your body, and be reborn, I will surely one day ascend to the pinnacle of the Great Dao again, continuing the glory of the Demon Lord! Hahaha!!"

Amidst the maniacal laughter, Wei Mingzi's remnant soul phantom suddenly spread its arms, unleashing thousands of tentacled black demonic energies from its body. These demonic energies, however, were mixed with a strange golden divine radiance, sweeping wildly towards Jiang Xuan's sea of ​​consciousness like a plague! Wherever it passed, Jiang Xuan's divine soul power was eroded and annihilated as if melting snow!
The indescribable pain, like millions of steel needles piercing his soul at the same time, almost made Jiang Xuan lose consciousness and completely collapse in an instant!

"Ugh—!"

He let out a painful roar, his body trembled violently, and even traces of blood seeped from his seven orifices.

But with his terrifyingly tenacious will, he held onto the last shred of clarity, his teeth clenched, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, as he roared with rage in his heart.

"Old devil...you...are too smug for too long!!"

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, a sudden crisis loomed! Wei Mingzi's remnant soul, carrying overwhelming demonic energy and eerie golden light, swept wildly like a world-destroying tide, attempting to completely annihilate Jiang Xuan's divine soul and consciousness!
The excruciating pain that tore at his soul almost made Jiang Xuan faint, but his will, tempered by countless battles and inner demons, displayed astonishing resilience at this moment.

He endured the pain that would have instantly broken an ordinary cultivator and unhesitatingly activated the Lesser Netherworld Divine Technique with all his might!
"Om-!"

In an instant, it was as if a stabilizing needle had been thrown into his entire sea of ​​consciousness! The chaotic scene that had been churning due to the erosion of demonic energy suddenly changed, and a vast and boundless Zhouxu Star Map was revealed!

Countless stars moved slowly along some extremely mysterious trajectory, repeating endlessly, like the manifestation of the eternal and unchanging Dao.

The brilliant and clear starlight was released from these stars. The light was not dazzling, but it carried a powerful force that could purify and suppress everything. Like an invisible barrier, it firmly protected Jiang Xuan's core soul and clashed fiercely with the sweeping golden light of demonic energy!
"What?! This...this is...a Radiant Spirit Rune?! No! This is impossible!!"

Just moments before, Wei Mingzi was laughing wildly, confident of victory, but his expression suddenly froze, and his illusory pupils widened to their limit, filled with extreme horror and disbelief!
He stared intently at the strange phenomenon that reflected the surrounding void and shone with starlight, as if he were witnessing the most unbelievable thing in the world. His entire remnant soul trembled violently from extreme shock and let out a roar of shock and rage.

"Radiant Spirit Runes! You... how could a mere junior at the Gang Realm possibly decipher and control 'Radiant Spirit Runes'?! This is a power that only 'Divine Rune Walkers' can access! Just who are you?!"

His voice was filled with fear, as if the words "Divine Rune Walker" carried some kind of magic that made his soul tremble.

However, Jiang Xuan had no time to pay attention to his shock.

Supported by the Lesser Netherworld Divine Art, he felt as if he had become the master of this sea of ​​consciousness and starry sky! With a thought, the clear starlight that filled the sky was summoned and transformed into a series of dazzling waterfalls of silvery light. Instead of being a passive defense, it actively rushed towards Wei Mingzi's illusory figure!

"No! No! Get out of my way!"

Wei Mingzi let out a terrified scream, his remnant soul frantically darting left and right, trying to avoid the starlight that contained the power of purification and soul suppression.

But in this sea of ​​consciousness dominated by Jiang Xuan, he had nowhere to escape! The starlight and galaxy, like a ribbon, enveloped and entangled him with perfect precision!
"Chichichichi——!"

Like a scorching hot iron being branded onto ice and snow, Wei Mingzi's remnant soul phantom emitted thick black smoke and let out an extremely shrill scream the moment it came into contact with the starlight! His ferocious and terrified face twisted and deformed under the burning starlight.

"Ah—! It hurts so much! My friend! No! Master! Spare me! Spare me! I'm willing to serve you as my master, my slave, my servant! I will impart all my knowledge and secrets to you! I only beg you to spare my life!!"

The intense pain and the shadow of death caused this former "bloodthirsty demon king" to completely lose all his pride and dignity, and he let out extremely humble howls and pleas for mercy.

At this moment, he was merely a fragile remnant of his soul, and what he feared most was this power that directly affected his spirit and soul! After being trapped for endless years, he had finally glimpsed a sliver of hope for escape and rebirth, but in the blink of an eye, he was about to face the misfortune of annihilation of both body and soul. This fall from heaven to hell terrified him to the extreme.

However, Jiang Xuan ignored his desperate pleas, his eyes as cold as iron. Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself! This old devil had schemed to possess him; his intentions were despicable, and there was no reason to let him go!
He continued to operate the Lesser Netherworld Divine Art at full power, drawing upon even more of the Zhouxu Starlight, which, like a flood bursting its banks, completely engulfed Wei Mingzi's remnant soul. (End of Chapter)