Loan Wusheng

More than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Zheng Jun breathed a sigh of relief; the 'Forbearance of All Beings' Dharma Image was finally complete.

However, news of his incognito visit had already spread throughout the entire world of Jambudvipa.

Therefore, if officials still want to engage in any deception or cover-up, they should think twice about the consequences.

However, with the completion of the repayment of the 'Forbearance for All Beings' Dharma Image, the huge weight in Zheng Jun's heart was finally lifted.

With the ten Dharma forms now complete, it is time to oversee the affairs of these ten Dharma forms and calmly break through to the Dao Lord level.

Even if I can't break through, I still need to seriously try to reach the 'half-step Dao Lord' realm.

With this thought in mind, Zheng Jun took a deep breath, and suddenly two pages of books appeared in his dantian.

One is the 'Great Dao Martial Arts Manual', and the other is the 'Book of Sacrifice'.

This unique cheat code has helped him get through a lot of time. Without the 'Great Dao Martial Arts Manual', Zheng Jun wouldn't be where he is today.

However, by today's time, the 'Great Dao Martial Arts Manual' has become almost useless.

After all, it cannot pre-plan a realm.

Zheng Jun's ten Dharma images have also been finalized.

So now, all Zheng Jun can rely on is another book, which is also the book he just acquired.

The Book of Sacrifice!

Zheng Jun is now very clear about one thing: the upcoming battle for Dao Lord is essentially a race against time.

The competition is between himself and True Lord Xuanqiong Yuxiao, who is faster.

Because of his own connection, Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun had previously obtained a large amount of Origin from those Devouring World Ancient Beasts, Youtian Kun. He was definitely closer to becoming a 'Dao Lord' than he was. If he wanted more Origin, he would have to pay a price, otherwise he would never be able to surpass Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Zheng Jun decided to take a gamble.

Using this 'Book of Sacrifice' to help myself achieve my goals, overtake others, and completely surpass Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun!

Zheng Jun also possesses items that enable him to achieve a breakthrough.

That is a bronze fragment representing the remaining Heavenly Dao of that lost world!
The setting sun was like blood, and Zheng Jun stood alone on the rugged rocks.

The tide washed over his bare feet and then receded, as if the vast blue waves of the South China Sea were nothing more than fleeting foam beneath his feet.

Zheng Jun took a deep breath and stared at the bronze fragment floating in his palm. The surface of the bronze fragment was covered with obscure and difficult-to-understand patterns of the Heavenly Dao. Through the bronze fragment, one could almost see the former grandeur of a world.

"Go."

With a soft murmur from Zheng Jun, the bronze fragment was placed into the Book of Sacrifice.

The instant the bronze fragment sank in, the entire page suddenly burst forth with a blinding crimson light, like molten lava erupting from the depths of hell. The runes that had been writhing like venomous snakes emitted sharp hisses, as if they could not withstand such a high-level offering.

But soon, the 'Book of Sacrifice' stabilized, and a line of dark red characters with strong, bold strokes appeared in the center of the page.

[A Heavenly Dao-level treasure has been sacrificed, capable of providing countless sources of essence.]

Zheng Jun breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the small, dark red characters in front of him.

The next second, the instant the bronze fragment melted away, Zheng Jun's pores suddenly burst forth with dazzling light.

The primordial torrent surging from the 'Book of Sacrifice' was like a celestial river overflowing its banks, each drop carrying the vast aura of a shattered heavenly path, stirring up a raging torrent in his meridians.

"boom--!"

A thunderous roar suddenly erupted over the South China Sea, and the once clear sky was torn open with a dark crack!
The ten Dharma forms that Zheng Jun had condensed over many years—Lord of the World, Forbearance of All Beings, Wanderer of the Jianghu—manifested one after another in the void, and at this moment, they knelt down in worship toward the figure in the center as if on a pilgrimage!

The golden body of the Dharma intertwined with the origin of the Heavenly Dao, and actually condensed into a blurry phantom of a twelve-petaled lotus platform behind Zheng Jun!
Resonance with the Way of Heaven!

The various Dharma forms in Jambudvipa were also greatly surprised.

Of course, nowadays, the only remaining Dharma form in Jambudvipa is the 'Zheng Party'. Everyone realized something at this moment and turned their attention to the South China Sea.

This state of affairs only proves one thing.

Some people have reached the state of perfect origin, where they can no longer contain other origins. They have truly reached the ultimate state, and apart from mastering the Heavenly Dao, there is no possibility of going any further.

This state is usually referred to as 'half-step Dao Master'!
A half-step Dao Master may not seem perfect, but half a step is still half a step.

But this is just what people commonly refer to as a stage. What it truly represents is becoming the strongest individual being without controlling the world.

"In just over two hundred years, he achieved the title of 'Half-Step Dao Master'."

Zhuohuang stood in the capital, her expression one of extreme envy.

The images of Shennong and the Turtle Fisherman reflected Zhuohuang's own feelings at that moment, a mixture of emotions.

Two hundred years.

Two hundred years.

When they were two hundred years old, they had just entered the Yuan Dan realm. Overjoyed, they were naive and believed that they would surely become the number one person in the world in the future.

Now that a two-hundred-year-old half-step Dao Master has appeared before them, they are shocked to realize how vast the gap is between people.

Zheng Jun himself remained standing on the reef, his brow relaxed.

"Sacrificing the bronze fragments has yielded such a vast amount of essence; it truly was not a waste."

Zheng Jun let out a breath, clearly very satisfied with the result of the sacrifice.

It can be said that this sacrifice actually saved Zheng Jun from a thousand years of arduous cultivation!

Even longer!

After all, the essence of things takes time to accumulate.

The fact that he could withdraw all the money at once gave Zheng Jun a sense of relief.

In that case, I'm afraid I've already surpassed that True Monarch Xuanqiong Yuxiao.

Next, Zheng Jun only had one thing to do.

To take control of the Heavenly Way!

……

In the Xuanhuang Realm, Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun, who had been cultivating a tranquil mind and abstaining from desires, preparing to bring the essence stored within his body to its peak and formally step into the Divine Transformation Realm, suddenly sensed something and couldn't help but raise his eyes to pierce through the void and look towards the direction of the Yanfu Realm.

The moment he looked towards the Yanfu Realm, Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun felt extremely uneasy.

"Zheng Jun has already reached the 'Half-Step Dao Lord' realm?"

Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat incredulous.

How can this be? !
How could he possibly surpass me and become a 'half-step Dao Master' before me?

This isn't just unscientific; it's downright fantastical!
Makes no sense.

However, since things have come to this point, even if True Lord Xuanqiong Yuxiao could not accept it, he could only accept this fact now.

What should I do next?
Is it...

Are we just going to watch this kid take control of the Heavenly Dao of the Yanfu Realm and thus become the 'Yanfu Dao Master'?
impossible!
A cold glint suddenly appeared in Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun's eyes, and his knuckles clenched until they turned white.

He took a deep breath, and a cracked crimson jade slip appeared in his palm. It was something he had obtained from a world ruin a thousand years ago when he had just broken through to the Nascent Soul stage and was traveling outside the realm. It was a method that could extract a certain amount of origin in a short period of time, allowing him to reach the Divine Transformation stage.

But the price is also simple: this source is only 'lent' to you by this world, and you will have to return it before long.

After repaying the debt, he would have little chance to take control of the Heavenly Dao for the next three or four hundred years.

Because the essence within your body is 'lent' to you by the world, you need time to digest this part of the essence that does not belong to you in order to continue to control the Way of Heaven.

Otherwise, the Heavenly Dao can detonate its origin when you refine it, causing you to fail to control it.

Now, True Lord Xuanqiong Yuxiao has no time to worry about anything else.

What's three or four hundred years?
If Zheng Jun becomes the Dao Lord, three or four thousand years will be too late! "Since that's the case... let's perish together; let's both sides suffer heavy losses!"

Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun suddenly crushed the jade slip, and blood-red Dao flames instantly rose around his body.

The sky above the Xuanhuang Realm suddenly cracked open, and the essence of the Xuanhuang Realm immediately fell from the void as if it were free.

The Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm was also pleased to see this happen.

After all, the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm had watched helplessly as True Monarch Xuanqiong Yuxiao approached the Nascent Soul stage, powerless to resist, and had resigned himself to his fate. Suddenly, True Monarch Xuanqiong Yuxiao acted recklessly, and the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm was naturally happy to see this happen.

As the origin of the Heavenly Dao descended, the Daoist aura around True Monarch Xuanqiong Yuxiao surged, and the Five Qi converged within his Purple Mansion, with the Three Flowers gathering at the top.

With a resounding cry that resonated throughout the thirty-three heavens, a golden bridge ten thousand feet high appeared beyond the nine heavens!

"break!"

But then, Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun shattered the void with one step, and layers of green lotus bloomed beneath his feet. The ancient divine barrier that had stood for countless ages crumbled like glass under this gift from the heavens!

In that instant, the violent pressure of the Nascent Soul stage tore the clouds within a hundred miles into a vacuum, countless vortexes of spiritual energy twisted and reassembled in the shattered void, all birds fell, and rivers flowed backward.

"Senior brother has broken through?"

Upon seeing this, the other three Nascent Soul True Monarchs in the Taixu Sword Pavilion were overjoyed.

They were not clear about what had happened, but by observing the strange phenomena in the heavens and earth, they knew that a Nascent Soul cultivator had appeared in this world!
However, before the three could step forward to offer their congratulations, they saw Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun standing on the golden bridge, his divine transformation realm aura sweeping across the eight wastelands like a tidal wave.

The shattered void was reflected in the eyes of True Monarch Xuanqiong Yuxiao, but a sinister sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Zheng Jun, let the battle for Dao Lord begin today!"

Before he finished speaking, he waved his sleeve, and the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm tore apart the boundary wall on its own, opening up a void passage for him that led directly to the Yanfu Realm.

Chaos surged within the passageway, yet it could not withstand the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun stepped in, his figure falling to earth like a meteor, heading straight for the South China Sea!

Seeing this, the other three Nascent Soul cultivators of the Taixu Sword Pavilion were extremely surprised and puzzled.

They quickly came to their senses and understood what they needed to do next.

Assassinate Zheng Jun!

"..."

Jambudvipa, South Sea.

Zheng Junzheng closed his eyes to comprehend the surging Heavenly Dao Origin within his body, while the illusory image of the twelve-petaled lotus platform slowly rotated behind him.

Suddenly, Zheng Jun's brow twitched, and he abruptly opened his eyes to look at the sky.

"boom--!"

The once clear sky suddenly cracked open with a pitch-black rift that stretched for thousands of miles, and a giant hand wrapped in blood-red Dao patterns reached out from it, slamming down with destructive force!

"Xuan Qiong Yu Xiao has indeed arrived."

Zheng Jun had anticipated this, and ten Dharma images instantly manifested, forming the 'Ten Directions Protective Array' to withstand the attack.

"boom!"

With a single strike, towering waves surged in the South China Sea, turning reefs into dust.

After this attack, Zheng Jun also figured out the opponent's methods.

I was immediately relieved.

Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun's breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm was due to his haste and impatience.

Although Zheng Jun was unaware of the specific methods involved, such a temporary method of achieving a breakthrough was undoubtedly a low-level approach.

"A borrowed Nascent Soul Realm cultivator dares to dream of becoming a Dao Lord?"

With a cold laugh, Zheng Jun drew his Dragon Abyss Blade, its blade slashing in reverse, while the Lord of the World, holding the Imperial Seal of the State, pressed down from the sky.

The golden bridge of Xuanhuang Realm that had accompanied Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun was bent under the weight, and the illusory image of the jade seal revealed the vast landscape of the Yanfu Realm, with each mountain peak radiating an imperial sword aura that suppressed eternity.

"Zheng!"

The Primordial Formless Sword pierced out from the void, with seventy-two Dao Palaces flowing around its tip.

The Dao mark between Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun's brows had transformed into blood-red pupils, and the borrowed Heavenly Dao essence imbued each of his sword strikes with the weight of a realm.

The moment the two forces collided, the seawater within a radius of a thousand miles instantly vaporized, and the exposed seabed immediately cracked, resembling volcanic soil.

"Catch the sword!"

Zheng Jun shouted, and the white bone sword body of the Sword God Dharma Form suddenly disintegrated, turning into 90,000 star sword pellets.

Each of these sword pellets reflected the phantom images of the powerful enemies Zheng Jun had slain over the past two hundred years, from Liang Fan and Lou Wei, who were the first to die at Zheng Jun's hands, to the Supreme Being of the Western Paradise and the Golden Palace Master of the Ten Thousand Demons Palace... Countless emotions condensed into substantial sword intent, crashing into the Golden Bridge like a galaxy pouring down.

"The Great Void Returns to One, All Swords Return to Their Origin!"

Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun roared, and ten thousand ancient swords broke through the sky from the Xuanhuang Realm.

But this time, the sword flow was mixed with blood-red essence, and he was burning the life sword soul of the Xuanhuang Realm cultivator!
The seventy-two peaks of Taixu Sword Pavilion collapsed simultaneously, countless disciples bled from their seven orifices and knelt on the ground, their natal flying swords uncontrollably turning into streams of light and disappearing into the void.

"boom!"

The moment the sword pellet clashed with the sword tide, an aurora that annihilated everything exploded, and the void was scorched with burning marks. Suddenly, he felt a slight chill on his left arm. Looking down, he saw that his sleeve had turned to ash inch by inch, and the flesh beneath it was disintegrating and dissipating in units of Dao marks!

"Cause and effect shifting?!"

Zheng Jun's pupils shrank suddenly. This Xuanqiong Yuxiao True Monarch had used some unknown method to pin the anchor point of the Heavenly Dao's backlash onto himself!

"Open the Dharma Image of Forbearance for All Beings!"

A sharp shout, like a thunderclap, caused the eighty-four thousand Prajna light wheels to suddenly collapse, transforming into gilded Buddhist liquid that poured into Zheng Jun's mangled body.

But then, bones began to grow flesh, and broken pieces of flesh were rejoined, eventually solidifying into a precious crystal body amidst the chanting of Buddhist hymns!

This True Lord Xuanqiong Yuxiao has many tricks up his sleeve, but Zheng Jun is no pushover either.

Each of the ten deities has its own function.

After stepping into the half-step Dao Lord realm, I have become infinitely close to invincible!
Even though Nascent Soul cultivators have a strong advantage when facing opponents who have only condensed one or two Dharma Aspects, they are completely outmatched when facing a Half-Step Dao Lord who possesses ten Dharma Aspects of various kinds!

"The farce is over. Nascent Soul cultivators are nothing special."

Zheng Jun took a step forward, and the void shattered layer by layer like a mirror.

The Dragon Abyss Blade flashed, like the first ray of primordial light that cleaved through the chaos at the beginning of time—pure, violent, and unstoppable!
The Primordial Formless Sword of True Lord Xuanqiong Yuxiao wailed incessantly, and the seventy-two Dao Palaces vanished one after another. The sword body, which was originally as smooth as water, was now like a dried-up riverbed, with countless ravines that had lost their charm!

When the final Dao Palace shattered, this peerless swordsman who had ruled the Xuanhuang Realm for three thousand years finally revealed his first flaw since entering the Nascent Soul stage.

"laugh!"

The Dragon Abyss Blade's light pierced the air, like the most chilling moment in the long river of time, directly penetrating the chest of True Monarch Xuanqiong Yuxiao.

The ten thousand ancient swords trembled in unison, uttering a final, unwilling cry before crumbling apart into countless stardust fragments.

Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun lowered his head, his pupils suddenly shrinking.

On the blade, fragments of countless worlds were reflected: in each fragment, his defeated figure was reflected.

Zheng Jun's strike not only severed his life force, but also severed all the 'possibilities' that belonged to him in all the heavens and myriad worlds!
"I see……"

The golden-patterned Daoist robe crumbled inch by inch, and Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun suddenly looked up at the sky and laughed bitterly: "This is the true... half-step Dao Lord realm... No wonder only Yanfu can produce a Dao Lord in the Three Realms..."

Xuanqiong Yuxiao Zhenjun completely vanished.

The South China Sea has fallen into a deathly silence.

Only the Dragon Abyss Blade remained suspended in the void, a drop of blood from its tip falling into the sea, causing the vast ocean to surge thousands of feet high!
Then, everything returned to calm.

Why did True Lord Xuanqiong Yuxiao arrive so hastily, and why did he perish so quickly? (End of Chapter)