Forge your destiny into a sword, slash your soul and ascend to immortality

Chapter 157 Breaking Through the Tribulation Again

Although the Yingfu Pagoda Realm deviates from the orthodox lineage of the Wuji Heavenly Dynasty, the Ying clan, the Human Emperor, was once born into one of the hundred lineages at the top of the tower, and had a distinguished lineage.

This position of "Human Emperor" was personally bestowed by the Empress, ranking alongside the first-rank "Grand Spirit Official" in the Celestial Dynasty, and possessing sufficient authority and power.

Furthermore, his ancestor Ying Tian stayed overnight in the Empress's palace and was granted entry into the Lingxiao Pavilion, where he was granted the title of Duke of Ying. Although the title could not be inherited, it was still equivalent to the first-rank military officer, the Grand Spirit Official, bestowed by Heaven.

The Ying family boasts two members holding the title of First Rank Spirit Official, making them a top-tier aristocratic family within the Wuji Heavenly Dynasty system.

Although he doesn't operate within the [Tianjing] city and doesn't interact much with other aristocratic families, he is full of confidence and is not intimidated by the Feng family behind Feng Yu in front of him.

Faced with Yingkun's questioning, Feng Yu responded calmly:
"Your Majesty, please do not doubt me. My presence here today was approved by the court, and the Duke of Ying is also aware of this."

“If you, Ying, are unwilling to be the villain, then I, Feng, will take on that role.”

"If Your Majesty has any questions, you may submit a memorial to inquire. However, for now, we ask Your Majesty to cooperate in implementing the Empress's decree."

Yingkun stared intently at Feng Yu in front of him, unleashing his powerful Emperor-level magic in an attempt to overwhelm him.

This Feng Yu was only at the fourth rank of [Star Picking] cultivation, yet he remained unmoved.

Behind him, Gu Lin stepped forward and shattered Ying Kun's magic with a single punch, sending the master of Ying Futu Realm flying over a hundred miles away.

Despite both being at the third-grade [Heaven-Mending] realm, Yingkun and [Gulin] have a vastly different true combat strength.

To suffer such humiliation at one's own hometown gates and to bow down and admit defeat would be contrary to the principles of the human emperor.

Yingkun raised his hand and struck the [Human Emperor Bell]. A surge of magical power fell upon him, and the second-grade [Spiritual Energy] immediately merged perfectly with his [Human Emperor Dharma Image], directly pushing his magical power to the second-grade [One-Word Stele].

However, Gu Lin appeared beside Ying Kun in a flash, and with another punch, he shattered Ying Kun's Dharma Armament. Then, with another punch, he hammered the second-grade Human Emperor Bell into the core of the realm.

The dignity of the Ying Clan, the "Human Emperor," and the "Ying Futu Realm," was utterly crushed without any chance of fighting back!

This time, Gu Lin personally descended upon Yingfutu Realm to suppress all those who dared to resist with his formidable martial prowess.

Without a cultivator at the level of a Great Completion Dao Child facing them, even those with only second-grade combat strength are merely punching bags for Gu Lin.

Just then, Feng Yu spoke up:
"Human Emperor, the Lord of the Gulin Realm has joined forces with my Feng Clan. We have not come here to target your Ying Clan. Why are you blocking our way?"

"Listen to my imperial decree!"

"By the mandate of Heaven, Ehuang decreed."

"Heaven's justice is clear: force stops war, and war establishes order."

"I hereby issue this edict to you: the Gu clan, Chunyang, and Yanfu have each dispatched their heroes to hunt at the Yingfu Tu border."

"The victor accepts the will of Heaven and settles the matter of cause and effect; the loser submits to the destiny of Heaven and ends the war forever."

"This battle will decide our fate, life and death will be determined by destiny, all grudges will be settled, and the world will bear witness."

"If they dare to engage in private feuds again and disturb my land, then the entire faction will be considered rebellious, and the royal army will surely punish them!"

After conveying the imperial edict, Feng Yu continued:
"Human Emperor, we are both bystanders in this battle, so let Fellow Daoist Gu Lin decide for himself."

Only then did Gu Lin speak, his voice sharp and resonant, revealing his formidable strength:

“Ying clan! [Wuyan] gouged out my elder sister’s eyes, [Yuanyang] severed my nephew’s spirit. I, the Gu clan of [Tuotuo Mountain], will never coexist with [Chunyang] and [Yanfu].

“Three thousand years ago, I originally intended to destroy your Yingfutu Realm, but your ancestor Yingtian obtained an imperial edict from the Empress, which temporarily ended the conflict between our two realms.”

"I gave the Empress face and endured for three thousand years, but I never expected that [Chunyang] and [Yanfu] would become so powerful."

"With Fellow Daoist Feng mediating, I have obtained the Empress's approval. You should quickly step aside."

"I will deal with you after I have wiped out the remnants of these two lineages."

"【Blood River】 and 【Three Poisons】, please lead the way for me."

After saying that, Gu Lin threw another punch, punching a large hole in the barrier beneath his feet, and was about to crawl into it.

Just then, a boy riding a white ox floated out from among them.

Before the boy could even speak, sword intent surged wildly from his body.

The sword intent glanced at Feng Yu's neck, then stabbed at the brow of [San Du], then exploded at the mouth and nose of [Xue He], and finally landed on the eyeball of [Gu Lin].

Gu Lin, who was always fearless, actually felt a stinging pain in his brows and eyes in the face of this young man's sword intent.

Before the newcomer even registered, everyone knew that this was Chunyangzi in person.

Gu Lin glanced at the young man and, seeing that he was only at the Fuling level, spoke:
"Kid, you're putting on quite a show. If you can't handle this situation, where are your parents?"

Jing Qian, sitting opposite him, scoffed and said:

"Fellow Daoist [Gulin], please save your breath!"

"You only dare to bark at my door when my elders aren't home."

"If I were to actually summon some elder to appear and beat the shit out of you, how would you face yourself?"

"I'm only wasting my breath on you because my cultivation level is still low. Once I advance to the [Star-Picking] realm, I'll smash your head in!"

Jing Qian's few words drew attention from everyone present.

Has this newly promoted "Pure Yang Master" taken the wrong medicine?
How can they be so arrogant!

Throughout the entire [Bei'e Yinghuang Wuji Tian], [Gu Lin] is also a renowned war god!

He fought against ten powerful second-rank experts, a feat that can be verified.

Among all the states in the Wuji Dynasty, only a few dukes in the Lingxiao Pavilion and the four great generals in the military supply chain can rival Gulin.

The remaining [Great Spirit Officials], including even the two prime ministers, all had cultivation levels of the second rank, but their combat strength was completely incomparable to that of [Gu Lin].

【Wuji Tianchao】is strong in its system, not in the strength of individual individuals.

Therefore, Gulin has always been seen as the pinnacle of combat power, dominating the northern sky.

Even though three thousand years ago, the six second-rank great demons of [Yao Gu Lin Hai] were defeated by three cultivators below the third rank from [Ying Fu Tu Realm], losing a great deal of face.

But that's because Gu Lin didn't personally take action.

This time, his true form has arrived in the [Yingfu Pagoda Realm], and he has given the current Human Emperor a severe lesson.

The fact that this sixth-rank cultivator, Chunyangzi, dared to speak so rudely truly surprised everyone.

Faced with Jing Qian's verbal provocation, Gu Lin remained expressionless and continued speaking:
"Boy, now that you've shown yourself, there's no way you're going to survive. Just wait to die on the sidelines."

Then, the demon race's holy son transmitted his voice throughout the entire realm once more:

Where are the people of the Jambudvipa (the world of samsara)?

At this moment, Ying Hao, who was standing to the side, rode forward on his [Flame Demon Luo] and replied:
"I am the current true disciple of the [Yanfu Dao], what instructions does the Realm Lord have for me!"

Gu Lin glanced at the two teenagers in front of him, shook his head, and continued:
"You claim to be descendants of the Dao Ancestor, which sounds impressive, but in reality it's all just empty talk."

"When the enemy came to our door, there wasn't even anyone in charge."

"You two aren't even a hundred years old combined, how could you possibly have enough magic power to let out a fart?"

Then, he turned to the others and said:

"Fellow Daoists, bear witness that I am now settling my karmic debts with [Yanfu] and [Chunyang], and will take [Chunyang Cave Heaven] and [Ghost Origin Hall] from the [Ten Halls of Yanfu Underworld Lord].

"If either of these factions is dissatisfied afterward and wants to entangle me again, I will fight them to the end."

Having said that, Gu Lin wasted no more time and made his move!
With a single punch, his immense magical power erupted, shooting straight towards the core of the [Yingfu Pagoda Realm].

This punch completely pierced through the vast net of primordial energy in the mountain realm, revealing a void passage leading directly to the core of primordial energy.

The power of [Gulin] was so great that it could break through spatial barriers and shatter all defenses.

The entire [Yingfutu Realm] was filled with lamentations, as a massive amount of primordial energy poured out—this was the very essence of the realm!

Looking again at the core of the primordial energy, the Ghost Yuan Palace, which had been chosen as a target by Gu Lin, had its whereabouts exposed and revealed to everyone.

Gu Lin, without hesitation, raised his hand and unleashed a fist-shaped attack towards Gui Yuan Dian.

The Ten Palaces of the Underworld Lord of Yama are all first-rank treasures, of immeasurable value.

The other nine temples were all heavily repaired and suppressed, making them difficult to control. Only the Ghost Origin Temple was unclaimed and had caught the eye of Gu Lin.

"Junior, how dare you!"

The two stove spirits in the Ghost Yuan Hall appeared and angrily attacked, erecting a huge protective barrier of yin and yang to block the punch from Gu Lin.

Both the black snake and the white snake are second-rank stove spirits with extraordinary foundations, but these two snake spirits are all in the logistics department and are not good at fighting.

The protective barrier they created was pierced through by Gu Lin's punch, failing to hold them off for even a moment.

Just as this punch was about to strike the two snake spirits, a void rift suddenly opened, swallowing the punch directly into it.

The power of the [Sumeru] dimension manifested, and [Gulin]'s fist force was swallowed up and fell into the [Sword Ring], beginning a cycle.

Before the first punch landed, another one was already delivered!
[Gu Lin] gave the enemy no chance to breathe, his fist energy as powerful as mountains and seas!
But every punch of energy that landed had a void rift that absorbed and swallowed it.

Looking at Jing Qian's figure again, he had already stood in front of the Ghost Yuan Hall.

The Three Lives Eye between his brows opened wide, and no Gu Lin fist energy could escape his lock-on; they were all contained by the power of Sumeru.

This is a perfect fusion of the First-Class Divine Eye and Spatial Divine Power.

Then, he spoke:
"Lord Snake, please activate the Yin year. I've troubled you to bear the burden for me all these years."

"You flatter me, Sect Leader!"

The two snake spirits evaded Gu Lin's attack, and with Jing Qian leading the way, they plunged into the Ghost Yuan Palace.

Immediately, a strange, pitch-black magical power emanated from the Ghost Yuan Palace and seeped into the core of the Yingfu Pagoda Realm's primordial energy.

This magical power is the miraculous Immortal Qi painstakingly condensed by the Ghost Origin Palace. It is a genuine first-grade Great Power's magical power and the source of the Yin Year in the entire realm.

As soon as this wisp of immortal energy descended, the yin energy in the entire realm immediately erupted, and the yin energy that had been stagnant for many years was once again activated.

This was precisely the tactic that Jing Qian had laid in advance!

With a wave of his hand, [Good Corn], [Ghost Phoenix], and Ao Hua all appeared.

Within the Ghost Yuan Palace, a thick mass of Immortal Qi separated and landed on the three great demons, with Good Corn alone possessing 70% of it.

The three demons' auras surged instantly, soaring into the sky and engulfing the three enemies high above.

Among them, one dragon and one phoenix attacked [Blood River] and [Three Poisons], while [Good Corn] attacked [Gulin].

During the Yin Year, the corpses of demons, blessed by Yin ghosts, can instantly advance one rank. The reason behind this is the power of the Immortal Qi within the Ghost Yuan Palace.

This is the core method of exorcism passed down through the [Yanfu Dao] lineage!

Many guardian deities and spirits in the [Yanfu Dao] sect, with the blessing of the immortal energy of the [Ghost Yuan Palace], can immediately advance one rank from below the first rank.

At this moment, the three demons temporarily advanced. [Good Corn] had already become a powerful first-rank expert, while [Ghost Phoenix] and Ao Hua, with their deep foundations, also advanced to the second-rank [One-Word Stele].

Jing Qian managed to hold off the situation for a short time by relying solely on his own methods of the [Yanfu Dao]!
[Ghost Yuan Palace] Immortal Qi is rare; such a trump card can only be used once every few years.

The current [Immortal Qi] is being stockpiled to prepare for the arrival of the enemy.

If it weren't for Gu Lin's arrival, Blood River and Three Poisons alone would have been doomed to perish in the Ghost Yuan Palace.

The two traitors, however, were self-aware enough to only dare to show themselves after currying favor with a powerful ally. High above, [Good Corn], having briefly advanced to the first rank, experienced for the first time a magical power far stronger than that of its own father, and was momentarily captivated.

It transformed into a giant rice plant thousands of feet long, scattering countless roots that bound towards [Gulin].

He kept muttering to himself:

"I'm awesome! I'm about to take off! I'm invincible!"

Then look at that [Gulin], it looks like a cannonball, rampaging through the roots of [good corn].

His punches landed with deadly force, easily severing the tangled corn roots, but these roots seemed endless, trapping him within them and leaving him unable to break free for a time.

With the help of the immortal energy of the Ghost Yuan Palace, Good Corn and Gu Lin have temporarily reached a stalemate!

Although the amount of [Immortal Qi] was limited and wouldn't last long, it still greatly changed the course of the battle.

……

One hundred million miles outside the boundary of the Flower Spirit Sea, Shang Xi had just finished his battle with three second-rank powerful beings and completely escaped the territory of the Flower Spirit Sea.

This great battle lasted for a full six months, a truly epic and exhilarating fight!

Shang Xi killed seven second-rank powerful beings in their mortal forms, demonstrating unimaginable combat prowess.

He wielded the five second-grade [Spiritual Ability] skills with unparalleled mastery, resulting in an exceptionally perfect combat power system.

This is the true level that a master of a complete system should possess.

Beside him, the [Mother Yaksha] and the [Drought Demon] surrounded a [Sword Lotus], inside which sat a little baby, a little over a year old, surrounded by lotus petals, sitting cross-legged.

After absorbing a massive amount of vital energy from the Flower Spirit Sea, Zhenmiao was finally reborn and gained a new life.

However, she still has a long way to go before she can completely complete the entire reincarnation process and lay a foundation that surpasses her previous life.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes, her bright, intelligent eyes blinking, and said:
"Master, where are we going next?"

After her rebirth, Zhenmiao vowed never to be an elder again, changed her Dharma name to Chimiao, and insisted on becoming Shangxi's disciple.

She was raised by Shang Xi in both her lives, and in her heart she had long regarded him as her teacher and father.

Shang Xi said:

"Let's wait here for your senior brother to bring some things over, and then we'll set off."

The four waited for a short while before a spatial fluctuation occurred, and a [Array Nail] fishhook pierced through the spatial barrier and appeared there.

It was Jing Qian who came here using the method of fishing in the void to seek the aura of his master's magical power.

This spatial manipulation ability was something he mastered after advancing to the first rank in the [Three Lives Eyes], a truly wondrous ability known as "void projection."

After the [Array Nail] appeared, a ghostly figure attached to it quietly materialized, revealing itself to be the shrine maiden, Ikuhime.

At this moment, Sheng Ji's magical power surged forth, and she was unable to completely restrain it for a while. However, she also managed to obtain a mouthful of the [Shadow Demon Immortal Life Porridge], gaining a powerful [Heavenly Mandate], and successfully broke through the boundary to advance to the fourth-rank [Star-Picking] Great Ghost.

As soon as Sheng Ji appeared, she tore open a rift in the void and took out a jade bottle from the [Sumeru] dimension. Inside the bottle were four bowls of [Shadow Demon Immortal Life Porridge], which she handed to Shang Xi.

Shangxi twisted the bottle open, giving three sips to Chimiao, Lingling, and Huohuo, and swallowing the remaining sip himself.

In the blink of an eye, the four of them experienced a surge in magical power, achieving the [Destiny]!
After Chi Miao's reincarnation, she was still born with the Dao and awakened half of all her [Heavenly Mandate] from her previous life. With just one bowl of porridge, she directly raised her [White Fang Life Essence] cultivation to an astonishing 300,000.

The foundation laid in this life is ten times greater than that of the previous life!
But this is not her limit. She maintains her reincarnation state without ending, and can still devour acquired things to strengthen her innate nature.

It seems that it won't be long before she regains her title as the number one genius of [Pure Yang Heaven].

The four of them digested it very quickly, finishing the large bowl of porridge in less than an hour.

Shangxi began by saying:
"We are ready, fellow Daoist, may we begin?"

Sheng Ji nodded, and the shadow beneath her quietly stood up, leaving its original position and transforming into a shadow clone identical to the original.

This is the newly acquired power of [Destiny] by Ikihime.

She left her avatar there, while her original form transformed into a ghostly shadow, wrapping itself around the [array nail].

Then, [Hanba] unleashed a burst of magical energy, which condensed into a boundary beacon.

The [Array Nail] pierced the beacon and plunged once more into the depths of the void.

Not long after, the avatar of Sheng Ji raised her hand and opened a huge entrance to a void rift.

The four people present could clearly see that on the other side of the rift was the exit of the rift opened up by the true form of the living princess.

The opponent has already used the [Array Nails] to travel to a new destination.

Without hesitation, the four of them traversed the vast distance, using advanced applications of the [Sumeru] dimension to directly cross the vast distance and descend into the heart of [Yaogu Linhai].

Just as Gu Lin arrived in Yingfutu Realm with the two traitors, Xuehe and San Du, Shang Xi also arrived in Yaogu Linhai with the two righteous warriors, Mu Yacha and Hanba.

Shang Xi then spoke:
“Chi Miao, I will send you into the core of the [Demon Ancient Lin Hai] to complete your reincarnation there.”

"You need to dig out the fragment of the soul that [Gu Lin] planted inside, so that I can kill it."

"In that case, you can take his place and become the new master of [Yao Gu Lin Hai]."

With Gu Lin seriously injured, the pressure on Chi Xiao's side can be relieved somewhat.

"There aren't many powerful demons left in [Yao Gu Lin Hai]. I've cleaned them all up with Ling Ling Huo Huo and filled their magical corpses into the Yuan Qi Core for your reincarnation."

"Let's go all out and see just how far you can go!"

Chi Miao's little face turned solemn and serious as she spoke:
"Don't worry, in this life I will never be as playful and mischievous as I was in my previous life, and I will definitely cultivate diligently."

……

Within the Great Black Heaven, taking advantage of the window of opportunity presented by the Shadow Demon Emperor's serious injury and subsequent retreat, Zhu Yun, with no regard for consequences, launched a massive and sweeping massacre.

For thousands of years, he was sealed within the bright sun on the sunny side of the world. Bored, he spent a great deal of time and his naturally regenerating magical power crafting offering talismans.

Even though he wasn't very good at it and could only make one every three years, he still accumulated over a thousand.

This time, Zhu Yun unleashed all of the thousands of bamboo leaf-shaped [Offering Talismans], manifesting a thousand terrifying sword energies within the dark side of [Mahakala].

These sword energies intertwined like rain, gathered and dispersed like smoke, and began a frenzied slaughter that washed over the entire [Great Black Heaven].

The Great Black Heaven is much smaller than the Northern Elephant Emperor's Limitless Heaven, less than one percent of the Northern Heaven's territory.

Even so, it is still a top-tier realm among all the heavens, with an area more than a thousand times larger than the [Yingfutu Realm].

The exact number of Shadow Fiends living inside is impossible to count.

Just considering those at the second rank, there are over a hundred of them!

At this very moment, all of these Shadow Demons became victims of Zhu Yun's sword.

His sword energy was all-pervasive, sweeping away everything in its path, omnipresent, like a solar storm sweeping across the entire realm at breakneck speed.

Wash, wash!
With the power of "Mending the Heavens," he single-handedly destroyed a world, reducing all beings below the First-Rank Demon Emperor to mere pigs and dogs.

Zhu Yun displayed the prowess of the "Pure Yang Butcher"!

He knew clearly that his path to becoming a second-rank official was just around the corner.

Given his cultivation level, he could have easily achieved a two- or three-character [Destiny Stele] long ago.

But before today, he still lacked the tempering and was unable to achieve what he wanted.

For cultivators at the [Pure Yang Master] level, a [Life Stele] with five or more characters is a worthwhile achievement to cultivate and diligently pursue.

This is an extremely important foundation for subsequent cultivation.

Fortunately, what was missing has been made up!
He almost followed the path that every [Chunyangzi] had to take to advance, sacrificing an entire Heavenly Realm and forging his own ladder to heaven through endless slaughter.

Behind Zhu Yun, Banla Luotian had recovered from his injuries and was carrying a large cauldron, following closely behind Zhu Yun to collect the corpse of the Shadow Demon and refine it into a nourishing elixir.

For him, advancing to the second rank and inscribing the two-character "Destiny Stele" was already enough.

There was absolutely no hope of carving even one more word.

Due to limitations in the lineage, this is already the best achievement of all generations of cultivators at the [Kitchen God Shop].

At this moment, he was also preparing the last pot of good porridge for his own and Zhu Yun's promotion.

At that time, these two Rank 3 [Heaven Mending] powerhouses will ascend to the [Immortal Qi Mountain] together in this realm to complete the most important advancement of their lives.

From this point on, barring unforeseen circumstances, they will be immortal and indestructible, escaping all calamities.

……

Outside the Yingfu Pagoda Realm, the battle is incredibly fierce!
The magical power displayed by the six powerful beings shocked the entire world, and was even more magnificent than the scene of Shangxi's advancement last time.

Jing Qian, who instigated this proxy war, remained uninvolved and merely observed from the sidelines.

Suddenly, he appeared beside the Human Emperor and asked:
"Your Majesty, regarding the karma of that Feng family son, I wonder if Lady Ying might take the blame for me?"

The Emperor narrowed his eyes and said:
"Daozi, please feel free to make a move. We will take responsibility for the consequences."

Jing Qian nodded, and then flashed to Feng Yu's side.

Under the [Three Lives Eye], all of the opponent's magical power was clearly seen. The [Sumeru Pure Yang Immortal Sword Embryo] transformed into an invisible sword light, silently piercing through all of the opponent's defenses and killing this seemingly incompetent envoy of the Celestial Empire with a single sword strike.

The fact that the Feng family dared to provoke the Ying family naturally indicates that they have a powerful background.

His family includes a first-rank official, the "Heavenly-granted Military Governor of Tianjing," and a first-rank official, the "Duke of Lingxiao Pavilion," whose status and rank are even higher than those of the Ying family.

It goes without saying that the two dukes are of equal status, but the Jiedushi of Tianjing Star, although only a first-rank Grand Spirit Official, has a status and power far exceeding that of the mere Emperor of Yingfutu Realm.

The fact that Lady Feng was able to take on this role naturally shows that she enjoyed the Empress's deep trust.

However, the power struggles among the dukes in Lingxiao Pavilion are intense, with the Duke of Ying and the Duke of Feng being sworn enemies.

This time, the Feng family joined forces with the Gulin clan to cause trouble in the Yingfutu region, marking another clash in the power struggle between the two dukes.

In Jingqian's eyes, this Feng family member dared to bring people to make things difficult for him, and was already courting death.

After killing Feng Yu, Jing Qian turned his attention to the Three Poisons.

This three-headed demon monk had kept Jing Qian waiting for quite some time. Now that he had finally seen it, it was a case of lovelorn men and women finally meeting.

For the "Three Poisons," the "Worldly Understanding" destiny is the innate destiny that is awakened innately, and it is also an important foundation for him to start his cultivation.

However, over thousands of years, there has never been an opportunity to elevate it to the [Heavenly Mandate] rank.

If he manages to steal Jing Qian's [Worldly Understanding] this time, he will definitely make great progress in his cultivation, and may even be able to carve the second character on the [Mountain of Immortal Qi]!

However, from Jingqian's perspective, the "Worldly Understanding" destiny, which enhances enlightenment and wisdom, is extremely rare and is of particular importance to his spiritual practice.

Especially after he embedded it into the [Three Lives Eye], making it the core of the [Spiritual Mechanism], it became irreplaceable.

He eagerly anticipated killing the Three Poisons and stripping the last Worldly Liberation Stone from him.

For a second-rank cultivator, a destiny below the Heavenly Mandate cannot ascend to the Immortal Qi Mountain, nor can it be inherited during rebirth.

If Jing Qian can destroy the physical form of the Three Poisons, then the Worldly Liberation can be successfully freed and belong to him.

He had been preparing for this for a long time!
(End of this chapter)