I bear witness to immortality in the human world.

Imprisoned beings of the Immortal Realm?!

Wu Ming was shocked when he heard what the Qingming Peak Master said.

Even though he can now exchange blows with even a Nine-Refined Dao Saint, he is still like an ant when facing a true immortal being. Just look at the supreme treasures he holds. If an immortal being possessed them, they could unleash almost all their power. But in his hands, such as the Eye of Thunder, he can only unleash one ten-thousandth of their power at most.

The gap between the ninth level of refinement and the eighth level of refinement is already enormous, but the gap between immortality and the ninth level of refinement far exceeds the gap between the ninth level of refinement and the eighth level of refinement. It is like the difference between a Dao Saint and a mortal, completely as different as heaven and earth!
"All the opportunities here come from that immortal being."

"Let's go, it's in the center of the First Prison."

Qingming Daosheng smiled slightly as she looked at the shock on Wu Ming's face. Back when she was still at the eighth level of the Refinement Realm, she was also shocked when she first came here and learned about the information about this place. That was the first time she had seen an immortal being with her own eyes.

Now,

Qingming Daosheng led the way, skillfully guiding Wu Ming through the complex terrain until they finally arrived at the center of the First Prison.

This was an incredibly vast, flat wasteland, spanning nearly a thousand miles in circumference. The moment Wu Ming stepped into this place, his gaze was drawn to a dark shadow in the center of that vast wasteland.

What a creature it was!
It is magnificent and spectacular, like a deity.

Even now, when Wu Ming is seen from afar, he still evokes a sense of awe and reverence in ordinary people.

This creature was a hundred feet tall, with six legs and two horns, and it lay prostrate in the center of the wasteland. What was even more shocking was that it was bound by nine chains, which firmly imprisoned it there, unable to move an inch.

Those nine chains, though seemingly just iron chains, could be sensed by the soul's perception of them. They were filled with a vast array of Dao patterns, as dense and minute as the ocean, possessing immense power.

"That ancient Thunder Emperor has been gone for an unknown period of time, but the chains he left behind can still seal and suppress an immortal being for countless ages. Such power of creation is truly beyond the comprehension of mortals..."

Wu Ming gazed at the strangely shaped immortal creature in the center of the wasteland, his heart filled with turbulent emotions.

Although he possessed the Demon-Subduing Diagram, the Eye of Thunder, and had even seen the incarnation of the Thunder Emperor, the one before him was a truly complete immortal being. Just one glance at him gave him an overwhelming sense of oppression, a feeling that compelled him to kneel and submit.

Such beings were imprisoned here for countless years until they went completely insane.

"The ancient Thunder Emperor is naturally beyond the comprehension of ordinary people."

The Azure Nether Peak Master gazed intently at the imprisoned immortal being and said, "We cultivators can overcome the tribulation of decline and attain immortality by refining our primordial spirit nine times and condensing our blood nine times. However, among the immortal beings in the world, there are three realms: the 'Initial Realm,' the 'King Realm,' and the 'Emperor Realm.'"

"Our Great Jin Holy Land has produced a total of seven immortal beings since its founding. One has fallen, leaving only six. They are the strongest beings in the Holy Land today. But even the 'Ancestor' who founded the Great Jin and the Holy Land was only an immortal being at the initial stage."

"Of the five continents occupied by the human race, the Northern Continent has eight regions. The Northern Wilderness Region where the Great Jin is located is only one of them. Currently, there are more than forty immortal beings in the entire Northern Region, among whom only one has reached the 'King Realm'."

"As for the other continents, apart from the Central Continent, they are not much different from the Northern Continent. Only the Central Continent has the richest resources and is the most prosperous. At least seven King-level beings have come from the Central Continent."

The Azure Peak Master was a Nine-Refined Dao Saint who had lived for thousands of years. Although she was not a truly immortal being, her understanding of the world was naturally far greater than Wu Ming's. At this moment, she slowly narrated, revealing the complete face of this world to Wu Ming.

The five continents of the human race, hundreds of Immortal Initial Realm cultivators, and more than ten Immortal King Realm cultivators—this is the existence of billions of humans who, after millions of years of inheritance, have finally stood at the pinnacle.

but,

Even the Azure Peak Master didn't know everything. When the 'Emperor Realm' was mentioned, she became somewhat unclear. She only knew that there was no Emperor Realm in the world today. All Emperor Realm beings were born before ancient times, and almost all of them had perished.

The last emperor-level being in ancient times was named the 'Black Emperor'. Although he was the last emperor-level being and the one closest to the present day, he left behind the fewest relics and the least amount of information, making him the most mysterious emperor.

"Black Emperor..."

Upon hearing the Azure Peak Master mention the Black Emperor, Wu Ming's expression remained unchanged, but a slight ripple stirred within him.

He thought of the Demon-Subduing Diagram, that towering and boundless figure, the countless soldiers in the Demon-Subduing Diagram, the phantom of the Thunder Emperor, and the words the Thunder Emperor's phantom had spoken to him.

The Demon-Subduing Diagram should be the Black Emperor's most precious treasure. Since even his most precious treasure fell into his hands, perhaps the Black Emperor, like other ancient emperors, perished in the long river of history. But even if a being as powerful as the Black Emperor perished, he might have left behind many contingencies. For example, the Thunder Emperor left behind the Thunder Emperor Palace and a projection. Perhaps the Black Emperor also left something behind.

Thinking about it this way, what the Black Emperor left behind might be in the Demon Subduing Diagram, but his cultivation level is not high enough to reach it.

Just as Wu Ming was pondering this.

Suddenly, I heard the voice of the Peak Master of Qingming Peak in my ear.

"The lightning punishment is coming!" "Observe carefully and comprehend it thoroughly."

Wu Ming collected his thoughts and suddenly looked towards the immortal creature in the center of the vast wilderness.

I see,

Suddenly, a beam of white light pierced the dark sky, illuminating the entire world as bright as day. Immediately afterward, a bolt of purple divine lightning, hundreds of feet thick, struck down from the sky, crashing down on the body of the immortal being and engulfing its massive form.

"Ahhhh!!!"

The immortal being let out a painful wail.

The massive, hundreds-of-feet-long divine lightning engulfed it, and its body could be seen constantly cracking and disintegrating amidst the thunder, its flesh and blood shattering. Yet, its body seemed to contain some indescribable indestructible property, and its shattered flesh and blood rapidly recovered almost in the blink of an eye.

Thus, amidst the cleansing and constant restoration by the thunder, this immortal being suffered the punishment of lightning again and again.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

"No, no, ah! Kill! Kill! Kill all of you ants, who dare to covet my territory..."

It roared madly, seemingly aware of Wu Ming and Qingming Peak Master's presence. It roared furiously in the direction of Wu Ming and Qingming Peak Master, and its huge body tried to struggle to stand up and pounce towards Wu Ming and Qingming Peak Master.

The mere act of getting up sent chills down Wu Ming's spine. He felt his hair stand on end, as if he were a mortal walking in the deep mountains and being stared at by a striped tiger. His hair stood on end and his whole body stiffened.

but,
The enormous body of that immortal being merely raised a little, and the nine chains on its body suddenly lit up with a crimson light, as if nine bolts of blood-red lightning had exploded, instantly binding its body.

These nine crimson lightning bolts seemed even more terrifying than the purple divine lightning in the sky. In an instant, they nearly tore his body apart, blasting nine deep, bone-revealing cracks, causing him to scream in agony, but he no longer had the strength to struggle.

This seemed to have reached its limit; visibly, the speed at which its flesh and blood were healing on its shattered body slowed down.

Both the nine chains and the purple divine lightning in the sky seemed to possess intelligence. When the immortal being's endurance was nearing its limit, the power suddenly subsided, and it stopped bombarding its body.

As Wu Ming watched this scene, he felt a surge of emotion, and countless insights kept flowing through his mind.

The purple divine lightning that descended from the sky felt incredibly familiar to him, as if its essence was the Divine Firmament Thunder Technique he cultivated, only the difference in power was like heaven and earth.

"There's no mistake, that's the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder, the supreme divine technique of the Divine Heaven Thunder Law..."

A ripple appeared in Wu Ming's eyes.

He had already obtained all three parts of the Divine Firmament Thunder Technique, and even the general outline of the Divine Firmament Thunder Technique. He had mastered all three thunder techniques, but he had not yet completed the integration of the three thunder techniques with the general outline.

Within the general principles of the Divine Firmament Thunder Techniques are two thunder techniques, 'Heavenly Punishment' and 'Purple Firmament,' both of which are supreme divine techniques formed by combining the power of the three thunder techniques of the Divine Firmament. Wu Ming has not yet integrated the three techniques with the general principles, so naturally he cannot use these two thunder techniques.

At this very moment, in the first prison of the Thunder Prison Abyss, he witnessed the power of the 'Purple Heaven' divine lightning with his own eyes, and his heart was naturally filled with excitement. He stared intently at the sky, recalling the operation of the Purple Heaven divine lightning he had seen, and his whole being fell into a state of enlightenment.

aside,
The Qingming Peak Master glanced at him sideways, not surprised by Wu Ming's condition, and even nodded to himself.

This was her first time here. She witnessed the imprisoned immortal being and the heavenly lightning that struck, leaving it unable to live or die. She was shocked but also gained a great deal of insight from it. With Wu Ming's talent and aptitude, it would not be difficult for him to gain some understanding from it. It was just unknown how much of the mystery of lightning magic he could comprehend.

suddenly,

The Azure Nether Peak Master's eyes flashed, and he turned his gaze to a distant direction.

In the center of this First Prison, on the vast wasteland, there were naturally not only her and Wu Ming, but also many beings from all directions and regions who had been entrenched here for many years. On the one hand, they observed the lightning punishment of the First Prison and comprehended the mysteries of lightning magic, and on the other hand, they waited for an opportunity. At this time, someone noticed her and Wu Ming's presence and sent over a few wisps of their souls to observe and probe.

"Humph!"

The Qingming Peak Master merely snorted coldly.

A surge of primordial spirit power belonging to the Nine Refinements Dao Saint suddenly spread out, protecting Wu Ming from disturbance while also domineeringly shattering and obliterating all the wisps of soul thoughts probing from various directions.

From the directions from which the spiritual senses had been probing, muffled groans could be faintly heard, before quickly receding. (End of Chapter)