Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 394 Divine Power Contest
The inner city of the desert city is bustling with activity today.

An elderly human cultivator actually wanted to compete in strength with Banu, who was known as the number one warrior among the barbarians.

Moreover, this was on the premise that Banu had explicitly stated that he possessed divine power.

In the central fortress of the city.

"You said a Nascent Soul level primordial spirit pierced into the sea of ​​consciousness?" On the top of the tall fortress, an old barbarian with a head full of silver needle-like hair stared intently at the person below.

"Yes, luckily I was quick-witted, otherwise our whole team would have been wiped out," the barbarian below said with lingering fear, while not forgetting to pat himself on the back.

Upon hearing this, the old barbarian in the upper echelon unconsciously smiled bitterly, but still nodded: "Niu Mang, you did very well."

"Then, Chieftain, let's run!" Niu Mang was very happy to receive the praise and hurriedly suggested.

Upon hearing this, the old barbarian's brow furrowed, then relaxed after a long while. He said earnestly, "Niu Mang, with your divine soul power, if the True Lord's primordial spirit wanted your life, could you still come back alive?"

"So it was my quick thinking that led my people away the moment I spoke," Niu Mang emphasized again.

"Phew~ Of course, your quick wit is also important, but what I'm saying is, that's not the key. The key is that the other party didn't want to kill you. Otherwise, the moment their primordial spirit pierced your sea of ​​consciousness, you would have died, and your quick wit wouldn't have had a chance to be used." The old barbarian was a little out of breath, but he still managed to suppress his emotions and explain.

Niu Mang, whose muscles resembled coiled dragons and whose face was full of scars, widened his eyes: "The chieftain truly deserves to be the most clever leader of our barbarian tribe in a thousand years! He even thought of it without experiencing it firsthand. That's right, that person definitely didn't intend to really kill me."

The old barbarian nodded helplessly.

"Then...we don't need to run anymore?" Niu Mang breathed a sigh of relief.

The old barbarian nodded again, waved wearily, and didn't want to say another word to him.

"Chieftain, something terrible has happened."

Just then, another burly barbarian guard rushed in.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? Is a Nascent Soul True Monarch coming to kill us?" Niu Mang had just reached the door when he hurriedly grabbed the man and asked.

"How many of them are there? Have they entered the city? Have they already killed anyone?"

"Speak up!"

"Huh?" The barbarian guard looked completely bewildered, as if his brain had short-circuited.

"What? Tell me quickly!" Niu Mang shook the other person vigorously, extremely anxious.

"Niu Mang!" the old barbarian shouted wearily.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?" He was already used to the easily startled behavior of these physically strong but simple-minded tribesmen.

"Oh, Chieftain, it's Banu who wants to compete in divine strength with an old codger." The guard finally came to his senses and reported the important matter.

"..." Button python.

"..." Old clan chief.

"Go down!" The old clan chief waved his hand with a hint of helplessness.

"Wow! It's such a big deal? That brat Banu actually bullies people." Niu Mang suddenly slapped his thigh in surprise.

"I'm going to bet everything on Banu to win."

"Chieftain, hurry back and get your belongings, or they'll all be won by others. Trust me, if we bet on Banu to win, we can win them all."

The old patriarch's eyelids twitched, and his mustache rose and fell rhythmically. After a long while, he finally spoke: "Who did you win?"

"Of course, it was that old bettor who won against the idiot."

The old clan chief waved his hand, signaling him to leave quickly.

At the same time, he felt a sense of exhaustion. He had asked God countless times why, among such a vast and untamed tribe, he was the one who was given mature wisdom.

If he had a choice, he would like to be like these people, just a simple-minded barbarian with strong limbs.

That way, at least he wouldn't look like a thousand-year-old piece of rotten wood when he's not even two hundred years old.

Tired!
After Niu Mang rushed out of the fortress like the wind, the old patriarch also slowly got up and headed towards the central square of the inner city.

Among the entire barbarian tribes, Banu is one of the young barbarians he has high hopes for.

Not only do they possess innate superhuman strength that surpasses that of ordinary people, but most importantly, they also possess wisdom that is slightly higher than that of their people.

Perhaps they can be groomed as the next generation's successor.

On the central square.

"Banu, Banu..."

The place was bustling with noise, and a steady stream of barbarians were arriving.

But the liveliest place wasn't on the dueling platform between Li Ji'an and Banu, but in front of a large stone slab in a corner of the square.

Many barbarians gathered around and slapped the valuables they had brought onto the stone slab.

The stone slab is several feet long and two feet wide, with a sword mark in the middle that looks like it has been through a lot of time dividing it into two sides.

The barbarians' gambling method wasn't that complicated; it involved two sides: left and right, and winning and losing.

Simply throw your bets up.

The winner will divide the wealth on the losing side of the stone slab.

At this moment, the right side of the stone slab was piled high with all sorts of valuables: monster meat, animal hides, ores, spiritual plants, spirit stones...

But the left side remained empty.

Therefore, when new barbarians approached, many suggested they throw their trash onto the stone slab on the left.

"Bet on Old Bean, Old Bean will definitely win."

"You guys should bet on the left side quickly, the left side is sure to win."

"Banu is sick today, he's doomed to lose."

……

When Niu Mang arrived with all his possessions, he saw that there was nothing on the stone slab to the left, and his smile froze on his face.

"Whose will we win?" In an instant, the words of the most astute clan leader flashed through his mind.

"Yeah, who did you beat?" He shifted his gaze from the empty left stone slab to the right stone slab.

The wealth there has piled up into a mountain.

"Commander Niu Mang, you've arrived too."

"Commander Niu Mang!"

……

As the clan's chief leader and one of the five pseudo-elixir masters, Niu Mang held a high status and was immediately greeted warmly by his clansmen as soon as he entered the crowd.

"Commander, don't hesitate, Banu will definitely win." One of the men saw Niu Mang looking around at the money and hurriedly whispered a reminder.

"Bet on Banu, you're guaranteed to win," someone else said confidently.

……

After the person next to him finished speaking, Niu Mang finally looked away from the wealth displayed on the stone slab on the right.

At the same time, a shrewd smile appeared on his lips: "Guaranteed win? Win against whom?"

Upon hearing this, those around him instinctively looked at the stone slab on the left.

Even now, the stone slab on the left remains empty.

"Snap!" The next moment, Niu Mang placed all his valuables on the stone slab on the left.

“The clan leader is the most astute in the clan. His question just now, ‘Whose side are we going to beat?’ was a wake-up call for me. To win more, we definitely need to see which side has more resources.” He was determined.

Ding~
The surrounding barbarians were stunned as they watched Niu Mang leave behind a large sum of money and then stride away.

"Isn't Commander Niu Mang supposed to be the most clever commander? How come he's gone mad?"

“Commander Niu Mang is not as clever as me. I am the cleverest person in the tribe.”

……

With the barbarians having placed their bets, the focus finally shifted to the dueling stone platform.

There stood an old man with white hair and beard, frail and nearing the end of his life, leaning on a dragon-shaped staff. Compared to the burly Banu, who was over ten feet tall and whose body was covered with muscles that resembled coiled dragons, he appeared even smaller and weaker.

"Hey, I'm giving you one last chance. Admit defeat now, and I won't throw you into the latrine." Banu, shirtless, spoke with a trembling, menacing gait.

Li Ji'an could feel the immense power rising within him, truly comparable to his own when he first entered the third stage of body cultivation.

The rules for the contest of divine strength are also very simple.

The two men were fighting each other on the stone platform, each trying to throw the other off.

It is possible to use magic. However, the stone platform is too small and the two are too close. To counter the opponent's spirit with magic, one would need to be at least one realm higher to withstand it.

Moreover, physical strength consumes less energy and lasts longer than magical power. It is mainly about physical combat rather than killing, so to win a sure victory in such a small area, one needs to be at least two minor realms higher.

If it were an ordinary cultivator, at least a late-stage Core Formation cultivator would be able to easily defeat Banu, whose physique is comparable to a third-tier body cultivator, on this stone platform.

Unfortunately, Banu encountered Li Ji'an.

His physical strength, at the mid-stage of the third rank, completely surpassed that of Banu.

Li Ji'an smiled faintly and stepped forward.

"Why hasn't that old bean cub activated his magic shield yet?"

"Without a magical shield protecting his small frame, he might be sent flying by Banu's stomp."

……

Seeing Li Ji'an walk steadily toward Banu without activating his magical shield, the group of barbarians were all astonished and suspicious.

Banu stared wide-eyed at Li Ji'an as he approached.

Even when Li Ji'an was right in front of him, he was still full of doubt.

"Dad..."

However, he had only uttered two words when he saw Li Ji'an raise his foot and kick towards him.

He still didn't use any magic power, relying solely on his physical strength to attack.

"..." Everyone stared at Li Ji'an in disbelief.

I have absolutely no idea what Li Ji'an is trying to do.
Boom~
However, the next moment, a tremendous force suddenly erupted from Li Ji'an and instantly transferred to Banu.

"Pama!" Banu's expression changed instantly, and he cried out in alarm as he was sent flying backward.

Just as he was about to fall off the stone platform, his maroon skin suddenly flashed with a bloody light, turning his entire body bright red. At the same time, a powerful physical force erupted from his body, blocking the remaining force of Li Ji'an's kick, and he landed just on the edge of the stone platform.

wow~
In an instant, the entire room fell silent.

Everyone looked horrified.

They couldn't even believe what had just happened.

"Is that old guy a body cultivator?"

"But there was no flow of qi and blood in his body."

"Could he also be one of our gods?"

……

The not-so-bright minds of the group of barbarians were quickly rendered useless.

"Good! Very good! I hope you can become even stronger and not disappoint me." After regaining his footing, Banu was not annoyed by Li Ji'an's unexpected outburst. Instead, his fighting spirit soared and he was full of fighting will.

Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
He then unleashed his full power and walked step by step toward Li Ji'an.

Li Ji'an stood still, neither dodging nor avoiding.

Soon, Banu came to Li Ji'an and was very satisfied with his behavior of not avoiding her.

"Adawa!" Banu then suddenly grabbed at Li Ji'an's shoulders with both hands.

Bang!
Li Ji'an remained expressionless and raised his hands just as the other's hands were about to touch him.

The two immediately assumed a wrestling stance, with all four arms embracing each other.

roar~
Banu exerted all his strength, trying to throw Li Ji'an off.

Li Ji'an, however, remained firmly rooted to the ground, not moving an inch.

At the same time, he finally felt firsthand the source of Banu's physical strength.

It was a tremendous force that was completely absorbed into its body.

This is fundamentally different from the physical strength he gains by cultivating his qi and blood to nourish his body.

Li Ji'an's physique is essentially that of a human, while Banu's physique already contains divine power that does not require the nourishment of blood and qi.

Moreover, this divine power is also closely related to his dantian.

Even the magical power within the dantian is quite similar to the physical strength.

He had previously heard that the barbarian's cultivation methods were different from those of the human race, and that some humans had tried to learn their methods but were unable to get the hang of it.

Now it seems he probably already has a clear idea.

"What's going on?" Banu was even more shocked that his physical strength failed to budge Li Ji'an in the slightest.

"Nothing special." Li Ji'an smiled faintly, but what responded to him was a force even greater than his own.

Boom~
The moment Li Ji'an exerted his strength, Banu's feet instantly left the ground.

Clearly, Li Ji'an's power far surpasses that of Banu.

Banu was thrown off the stone platform again.

He was completely dazed while flying in the air.

He simply couldn't withstand that force.

At the same time, a stirring deep within him grew stronger.

"what!"

Just as he was about to be thrown off the stone platform again, Banu came to his senses, and a certain restlessness that had been simmering deep within him finally burst forth.

"Roar~" Like a beast's roar, Banu's entire body twisted in the air, as if some kind of mutation had occurred.

Immediately afterwards, his limbs suddenly doubled in size.

His already bulging muscles now looked even more ferocious.

One of his arms was thicker than Li Ji'an's entire body.

At the same time, it exudes the aura of a wild beast.

The sudden change in her body caused her to lose the force of Li Ji'an's attack, and she eventually fell back onto the stone platform.

"God is coming!"

"The god Banu has descended!"

"Banu was truly chosen by his ancestors."

Seeing the changes in Banu, all the barbarians in the square became extremely excited.

Banu ignored everyone else, his eyes only on Li Ji'an.

Li Ji'an's strength ignited his fighting spirit.

"Come again!"

After landing, Banu walked steadily to Li Ji'an again and stretched out his arms to hug Li Ji'an with all four arms.

"Ah!" This time, he used his ancestral power again to try to throw Li Ji'an out.

Li Ji'an paused slightly the moment the opponent exerted their strength.

It was clearly at least 50% higher than the strongest physical strength he had just possessed.

Even without using his full strength, he was already finding it difficult to control himself.

"Not enough!" He then became more cautious and unleashed the full power of his internal energy.

Boom~
Banu, who was about to challenge Li Ji'an, changed his expression again. His ancestral power increased his peak divine power by 50%, and he thought he could easily defeat Li Ji'an.

The result was that it only barely managed to shake the surface.

At this moment, Li Ji'an suddenly unleashed a power twice as strong as before.

This power was something he couldn't even reach through his ancestral cultivation.

Click~
The moment Li Ji'an exerted his strength, the stone platform beneath Banu's feet cracked, and then with another sudden tremor, half of the stone platform almost collapsed.

"How is this possible?" The barbarians below the stage were no longer just surprised and doubtful, but utterly shocked by what they saw.

This stone platform of their tribe is a treasure of the barbarians from thousands of years ago. It is indestructible and has withstood thousands of years of divine power battles within the tribe.

Even in the previous battles between the commanders, they had endured countless battles.

This time, it was actually destroyed!
"A high-level body cultivator!" At the same time, the old barbarian patriarch in a stone pavilion not far away also suddenly changed color, looking at this scene in disbelief. Then, his face lit up with wild joy, and he rushed towards the stone platform in the center of the square...

(End of this chapter)