185: The combined power is incredible, the rewards are explosive!!
“Ding—!”
A crisp notification sound rang out, like heavenly music.
【Congratulations to the host for successfully surviving the Nine-Nine World-Extinguishing Lightning Tribulation, breaking the shackles of Heaven and Earth, and promoting to the Body Integration Stage!】
【Detected that the host's cultivation has broken through a major Realm, the Family Luck is being calculated and upgraded...】
As these lines of text flickered, Chen Xu looked down with a sense of premonition.
In the very center of Tianxuan City, that Luck Golden Dragon...
Was currently letting out a high-pitched dragon roar that shook the Soul.
“Ang—!”
The Luck Golden Dragon, which had originally been entrenched above the City Lord's Mansion and was about a thousand zhang long, now looked as if it had consumed some great tonic.
It opened its massive mouth and actually began to swallow the seven-colored auspicious clouds falling from the sky and the scattered Law fragments.
It gulped them down in huge mouthfuls.
As it devoured, its golden scales became increasingly dazzling, and its body surged with the wind.
Two thousand zhang... three thousand zhang... five thousand zhang!
In just a few breaths, this Luck Golden Dragon, which symbolized the rise and fall of the Chen Family,
Had more than doubled in size.
It circled above Tianxuan City, its massive shadow almost enveloping the entire city,
But it didn't make people feel oppressed; instead, there was a sense of protection as heavy as a mountain.
【Family Luck promotion successful! Current Rank: Heaven-Grade High Grade!】
【Luck blessing effect improved: Clansmen's cultivation speed increased by 300%, probability of breaking through a Bottleneck increased by 50%, probability of obtaining Opportunities while traveling abroad greatly increased, and probability of birthing offspring with top-grade Spiritual Roots greatly increased!】
Looking at this series of data, Chen Xu was extremely satisfied.
Heaven-Grade High Grade Luck!
This meant that in the future, even a pig in the Chen Family,
As long as it stayed in this environment long enough, could Cultivate into a spirit.
But it wasn't over yet... the System's notification sounds continued to bombard him.
【Given that the host is the first mighty figure of the Chen Family to break through to the Body Integration Stage in all eternity, breaking the upper limit shackles of the Family Bloodline, the unique achievement has been reached—Founding Ancestor!】
【Achievement rewards are being distributed...】
【Reward 1 · Cultivation Infusion: Detected that the host has just entered the Body Integration Stage and the Realm still needs to be stabilized, the System specially rewards ten thousand years of pure cultivation to help the host reach the heavens in one step!】
“Ten thousand years of cultivation?”
Chen Xu's heart skipped a beat. Before he could react, a vast and boundless energy of extreme purity
Exploded within his Dantian and Purple Mansion without any warning.
This energy wasn't a violent impact, but like a gentle river, it surged along his Meridians,
Rapidly filling his Dantian, which was still somewhat empty after his recent Breakthrough.
If it were an ordinary Cultivator who had just broken through to the Body Integration Stage, they would need to go into seclusion for ten years just to stabilize their Realm.
To Cultivate from the Early Body Integration Stage to the Peak of the Early Stage,
Would take at least three to five hundred years of painstaking effort.
But this System directly compressed those hundreds of years into a few seconds.
Boom!
Chen Xu's aura, which had been somewhat steady after just undergoing the tribulation, was now like ignited gunpowder,
Climbing frantically once again.
Early Body Integration Stage stabilized... mid-point of the Early Stage... late-point of the Early Stage... until the Peak of the Early Body Integration Stage!
He was just one step away from entering the Middle Body Integration Stage!
This sudden turn of events
Gave the few people below who were observing and acting as Protectors a huge fright.
“This... what's going on?!”
Chen Daoxuan's eyes widened. Usually steady, he had now lost his composure: “Why is Father's aura still rising? And rising so fast?!”
“This doesn't make sense!”
Lan Shuyao was also full of shock: “Having just survived the Lightning Tribulation, the Spiritual Qi in his body should be in a Rebirth phase after exhaustion, which is when he's weakest. How can Brother Chen...”
Reflected by the seven-colored light, the purple-gold radiance around Chen Xu was so thick it almost wouldn't disperse.
That pressure was several times more terrifying than when he was fighting the Lightning Tribulation just now.
“Oh my goodness...”
Ba Dao swallowed hard, his scalp tingling: “I've heard that every step in the Body Integration Stage is like climbing to heaven, and every bit of progress is as difficult as reaching the sky. This isn't climbing for the Family Head; he's clearly flying up on a rocket!”
The Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle shrank into its shell, only showing its two small eyes darting around, muttering: “Monster, he's an absolute monster.”
“I, the Old Turtle, have lived for tens of thousands of years, and it's the first time I've seen someone skip hundreds of years of bitter cultivation right after a Breakthrough. Following such a master, I've truly picked the right person in this life.”
Chen Xu paid no mind to the shock of the people below.
He was currently immersed in the pleasure of his surging power.
That powerful sense of control where he could tear the sky with a gesture and change the world with a single thought
Gave him the true confidence to establish himself in this cruel Spirit Realm.
“Hu—”
Chen Xu exhaled a long breath.
He clenched his fists, feeling the Grandmist magic power surging within him.
His eyes flashed with sharp light.
“Is this the power of the Peak Early Body Integration Stage...”
“Now, if I face other Body Integration Cultivators again, even without the help of a Formation or using my trump cards, I'm confident I can kill them within ten moves!”
But this was only the beginning.
The System's rewards were still being distributed.
【Reward 2 · Divine Ability Evolution: Detected that the host has mastered the Space Law Divine Ability Universe in the Palm. Under the blessing of the Body Integration Stage's power of rules, this Divine Ability has undergone a qualitative change and evolved into—One Palm, One World!】
With a thought from Chen Xu,
He slowly raised his right hand, palm facing up.
The previous sense of an independent space that could only be used to trap people or store items had disappeared.
In its place was a profound and mysterious feeling.
He looked at his palm, as if it were no longer a piece of flesh,
But a world of primordial Chaos that had yet to be opened.
He could clearly feel that as long as he wished, he could construct mountains and rivers, evolve the sun, moon, and stars, and even... establish rules within this palm!
The previous Universe in the Palm was, at most, a high-level cage.
And the person trapped inside
Could still try to break the barrier with their powerful cultivation.
But the current 'One Palm, One World' was truly about opening up a real Small World within that small space.
Once an enemy fell into it, they would be entering Chen Xu's home field.
He was the creator god there, the Heavenly Dao there.
Unless the opponent's cultivation was much higher than his and they could directly shatter the Laws of the Void Realm, Chen Xu could make them live or die as he pleased in this world.
He could even strip the opponent of their cultivation and reverse their time.
“What a domineering Divine Ability.”
A flicker of heat flashed in Chen Xu's eyes.
This was simply a divine skill tailor-made for killing those at a higher level.
Imagine, in a battle between two people, Chen Xu flips his hand and directly pulls the opponent into his Small World.
Then he slowly grinds them to death with the power of rules inside. How desperate would that be?
“However, to maintain the operation of a real world, the magic power consumed is also an astronomical figure.”
Chen Xu tried to deduce it slightly and felt the magic power in his body draining away like a bursting river.
He quickly withdrew the Divine Ability.
“It seems I'll have to use it sparingly in the future, as a trump card.”
Just as Chen Xu was still pondering the uses of his new Divine Ability, the System's final notification arrived as scheduled!
【Reward 3 · Magic Treasure: Congratulations to the host for obtaining an ancient relic—Eternal Evergreen Sword (Damaged · Emperor Weapon)!】
As soon as the words fell, Chen Xu felt his hand grow heavy.
A longsword that looked somewhat dilapidated
Appeared in his hand out of thin air.
This sword had no scabbard, and the blade was a grayish-brown color like withered wood.
It was covered with crisscrossing cracks, as if it would shatter at any moment.
Even at the hilt, a few long-dried vines were wrapped around it.
It looked like a fire poker picked up from some deep mountain forest.
If it were thrown by the roadside, probably no one would give it a second look.
But the moment Chen Xu's hand gripped the hilt, his expression changed.
“Buzz—!”
An indescribable aura of life and death intertwined
Instantly erupted from this withered wood-like blade.
That wasn't ordinary Spiritual Qi; that was Emperor's Might!
Although it was only a wisp of residual Emperor's Might,
It carried a terrifying Concept of eternal indestructibility and evergreen existence.
The immortal slaying sword tip inside Chen Xu, which was originally unyielding and full of Killing Intent, the moment this aura appeared,
Actually began to tremble.
It cowered and hid deep within his Dantian, not daring to compete with it.
“An Emperor Weapon... even a damaged Emperor Weapon is an existence that stands above Immortal Artifacts.”
Chen Xu gently stroked the rough blade, his eyes full of shock.
He could feel that this sword contained the ultimate Wood Law.
Wood represents life and growth.
But the Wood of this sword was the kind of Dao that had experienced endless years and seen through the cycle of life and death.
One strike, and all things live; one strike, and all things perish.
“Eternal Evergreen...”
Chen Xu softly murmured the name.
He tentatively injected a sliver of magic power.
In an instant, on that originally withered blade, a crack lit up with a brilliant emerald green light.
Following that, an illusory green lotus bloomed at the sword tip.
Although it was only a momentary phenomenon, the surrounding space actually sprouted tender green shoots under this power, as if the void had been given life.
“Good stuff! Absolutely good stuff!”
Chen Xu toyed with it, unable to put it down. Although he couldn't yet fully exert the power of this Emperor Weapon,
And even repairing it would require long years and a massive amount of resources,
As long as he had this in hand, his attack power would go up another level.
Combined with that domineering 'One Palm, One World',
This Tianxuan City could now be considered truly impregnable.
“Thirty years of endurance, transforming into a dragon in one day.”
Chen Xu put away the longsword and stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the brightly lit giant city below.
At this moment, although the System's rewards had ended,
The sweet rain covering the entire city brought another celebration to the Chen Family.
The night in Tianxuan City had never been so bright, nor so noisy.
The heavenly sweet rain brought by Chen Xu's Breakthrough was like a miracle.
It fell indiscriminately on every inch of land in the city and on every living being.
This wasn't ordinary rain; this was the gift of the Heavenly Dao to this land when a Body Integration powerhouse was born.
It was also the materialized manifestation of the Chen Family's Heaven-Grade Luck feedback.
For Chen Xu, this rain might only be used for a bath and to repair some superficial wounds.
But for the millions of low-level Cultivators in the city,
This was a massive Opportunity.
“Broken... I broke through?!”
“Family Head's Divine Might! Family Head's divine grace!!”
“I'm at the Golden Core stage! I finally broke through!”
“My old injuries are healed! The Meridians scratched by a Yao Beast years ago are actually all healed!”
"Heavens! Why did that non-fruiting spiritual peach tree in my yard suddenly blossom?!"
Exclamations of surprise, laughter, and cries of joy intertwined, merging into a massive wave of sound that shot straight into the clouds.
Throughout Tianxuan City, spiritual light rose from everywhere.
Those were the spiritual power fluctuations triggered by Cultivators breaking through; they were so dense that they looked like stars falling to the earth.
They illuminated this massive city, making it look like a dream or a fantasy.
When one person attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs rise to heaven.
This ancient saying, which had circulated in the Cultivation World for countless years, was being played out to the fullest in Tianxuan City tonight.
Even within the City Lord's Manor, brilliant colors were on display.
Standing outside the main hall, the two brothers, Chen Daochu and Chen Daoxuan, were also flushed with excitement.
Although they were already powerful figures at the Void Refining Stage,
this sweet rain still provided them with significant benefits.
In particular, the traces of Body Integration Stage Law fragments contained within the rain were of inestimable value for stabilizing their Realms and comprehending a higher level of the Dao.
"This feeling... is wonderful."
Chen Daochu took a deep breath, the spiritual power within his body surging like a great river. "I feel that my Early Void Refining Stage Bottleneck has loosened a bit. If I go into seclusion for a few days, I might be able to directly charge into the Middle Stage of Void Refining!"
"Do not be overly ambitious and rush blindly."
Although Chen Daoxuan was also excited, he maintained some rationality and reminded him, "While this Opportunity is good, you must proceed step by step. However... this is indeed a grand gift from Father."
He turned his head to look at the several companions beside him.
Ba Dao was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his massive demonic saber resting across his knees. The Evil Qi on the blade had been washed clean by the rain, and instead, it emitted a heavy sense of returning to simplicity.
Clearly, he had also gained significant benefits from this sweet rain, and his Saber Intent had progressed further.
Lan Shuyao sat with her eyes closed in concentration, surrounded by Sword Qi. The pitter-patter of the rain in her ears seemed to transform into the sword-humming of the Great Dao, helping her polish her Sword Heart.
The most exaggerated one was that Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle.
This old fellow had somehow flipped his body over, four legs in the air, revealing his pale white belly.
He was catching the rain from the sky like a funnel.
As he caught it, he hummed comfortably, "Comfortable... so comfortable... this isn't rain, these are Spirit Stones! A bit more, fall more into old turtle's mouth!"
On his originally emerald-green turtle shell, several ancient runes faintly emerged.
His aura became increasingly unfathomable.
Clearly, this exotic beast with an ancient Bloodline had likely gained more benefits from this event than anyone else.
Just as everyone was immersed in this feast of collective advancement,
the anomalies in the sky finally began to slowly dissipate.
That purple-gold figure, which had been floating in the Void Realm, also moved.
Chen Xu did not teleport down directly; instead, he took one step at a time, treading upon the Void Realm.
He descended slowly as if walking down a set of stairs.
With every step he took, a purple-gold lotus would bloom in the Void Realm beneath his feet to support his body.
With lotuses blooming at every step, his Dao charm was naturally formed.
The moment he landed in front of the City Lord's Manor's main hall, all the clamor instantly fell silent.
Whether it was the clansmen currently breaking through, the excited and celebrating Cultivators, or powerful individuals like Ba Dao and Lan Shuyao,
at this moment, everyone's gaze was focused on that green-robed man.
It was a kind of awe and worship that came from the depths of their Souls.
The current Chen Xu, though his face remained the same,
had undergone an earth-shattering change in his temperament.
He just stood there quietly, like a towering divine mountain or a vast sea of stars.
He left people with no desire to resist at all, only wanting to prostrate themselves in worship.
"Congratulations to the Family Head on the Major Achievement of your divine technique and your promotion to Body Integration!"
Chen Daoxuan was the first to react. He straightened his clothes and knelt on the ground with a heavy thud, his voice as loud as a bell.
"Congratulations to the Family Head on the Major Achievement of your divine technique and your promotion to Body Integration!!"
Immediately after, Chen Daochu, Ba Dao, Lan Shuyao, and the others all knelt down together.
This kneel was one of heartfelt submission.
Then, the sound seemed to be contagious, rapidly spreading outward.
The inner guards of the City Lord's Manor, the Law enforcement team, the outer city garrison, ordinary clansmen, and visiting Loose Cultivators... five million people, at this moment, no matter where they were or what their cultivation level was, all bowed deeply toward the direction of the City Lord's Manor.
"Congratulations to the City Lord on the Major Achievement of your divine technique!!"
"May the Chen Family prosper for ten thousand generations!!"
The shouts of these millions of people gathered together, turning into a terrifying wave of sound that dispersed the last traces of clouds in the sky.
This was the Power Of Will of all living beings, and also the true backbone of the Chen Family.
Chen Xu looked at the dense mass of kneeling people before him and those faces full of fanaticism and hope, and a surge of heroic pride couldn't help but rise in his heart.
He did not speak in a high-and-mighty tone; instead, he lightly raised his hand, and a gentle force instantly swept across the entire city, lifting everyone up.
"Everyone, rise."
Chen Xu's voice wasn't loud, yet it echoed clearly in everyone's ears, carrying a power that set people's minds at ease.
"These thirty years, you all have worked hard."
This simple sentence made the eyes of many Chen Family elders instantly turn red.
For these thirty years, they had hacked through thorns and brambles in the wilderness, gritting their teeth to endure.
Now, looking at their Family Head's figure which was like a god or demon, they felt that all these sacrifices were worth it.
"From this day forward."
Chen Xu's gaze scanned the entire field, his tone becoming matchlessly domineering, each word like a nail driven into everyone's hearts.
"My Tianxuan City no longer needs to act according to anyone else's whims."
"Be it Tianyu Holy Land or the Central Province Great Families, if they are friends, there is fine wine; if they are enemies..."
Chen Xu smiled slightly, and a phantom of a chaotic world faintly emerged behind him. It was the outward manifestation of the "Universe in the Palm" Divine Ability.
"Then let them come and test whether my Chen Family's blades are sharp enough!"
"Good!!"
"Kill!!"
The crowd boiled over once again.
The clamor ended, and the prosperity returned to tranquility.
As the cheers above Tianxuan City gradually faded, the heavy vermilion gates of the City Lord's Manor slowly closed.
Isolating the external fanaticism outside the high walls.
Inside the discussion hall, the lights were bright.
Nine armchairs were arranged in a semi-circle, and at the center was Chen Xu, who had just been promoted to the Body Integration Stage.
His aura had not yet been fully withdrawn.
The hall was very quiet, so quiet that one could hear the slight sound of the lamp wicks popping.
Everyone's gaze was like iron filings attracted by a magnet, firmly stuck to Chen Xu.
In those eyes, there was not only admiration for the Family Head but also a yearning and curiosity for a higher Realm.
The Body Integration Stage.
That was a legendary existence like an immortal, a figure truly standing at the Peak of the Spirit Realm.
Previously, everyone could only see fragments of information about Body Integration experts in ancient texts.
Phrases like "plucking stars with a bare hand" or "changing the vast sea into mulberry fields with a single thought" sounded mysterious and miraculous, but what it was actually like,
no one had ever seen with their own eyes.
Now, a living Body Integration expert was sitting right in front of them, and he was their own Family Head. How could this not make their hearts itch with curiosity?
"Why are you all looking at me like that? Do I have a flower on my face?"
Chen Xu picked up his teacup and gently blew on the tea leaves floating on the surface, breaking the somewhat frozen atmosphere.
His tone was very casual; he didn't put on a high-and-mighty air just because he had broken through.
Instead, he exuded a kind of friendliness that made people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.
"Father, you must be joking."
Chen Daoxuan gave a bitter smile and was the first to cup his hands. "It's truly because that move of yours just now was too shocking. Although we have also luckily stepped into the Void Refining Stage, in front of the Family Head, we feel like children facing a giant. Not only can we not see through you, but even looking up makes our necks ache."
"Yes, Father!"
Chen Daochu was someone who couldn't keep things in. He leaned forward and asked eagerly, "Stop keeping us in suspense and tell us about it?"
"What exactly is the difference between the Body Integration Stage and the Void Refining Stage? I saw you slay that dragon with a single sword strike in the sky just now. It felt like a casual wave, so how was the power so immense?"
The others nearby also nodded one after another. Even the usually reticent Xiao Hei
had his eyes brighten a bit under his cloak.
Chen Xu put down his teacup, his gaze sweeping across everyone present.
He saw the thirst for knowledge in everyone's eyes.
For Cultivators, this desire to explore the Great Dao was etched into their bones.
Since the core combat power of the Family was all here, letting them broaden their horizons would also be beneficial for their future cultivation.
It could also further stabilize the morale of the forces.
"The Void Refining Stage refines the Void and Cultivates Laws."
Chen Xu didn't demonstrate immediately but first threw out a few theories. "You can now achieve tearing through space, borrowing the power of Heaven and Earth, and even initially using Laws for attacks. But in the end, you are still 'borrowing'."
"Borrowing?"
Lan Shuyao's elegant brows furrowed slightly as she fell into thought.
"Correct. Borrowed power, after all, is not your own."
Chen Xu extended a finger and lightly tapped the Void Realm in front of him. "However much Heaven and Earth lends you, that is all you can use."
"If the rules of this world change, or if you are thrown into a place without Spiritual Qi and with chaotic Laws, how much of your strength would remain?"
Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill in their hearts.
This was indeed the greatest weakness of the Void Refining Stage.
Once they left a familiar environment or encountered a Formation that could seal off Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi,
their combat power would indeed be greatly discounted.
"But the Body Integration Stage is different."
Chen Xu's voice rose slightly, and his eyes became deep. "The so-called Body Integration is for the body to merge with the Dao and the Soul to merge with Heaven. At this Realm, one no longer borrows rules, but... dictates rules."
"Dictates rules?!"
As soon as these four words were spoken, the several Void Refining experts present felt a boom in their minds.
It was as if a new door had been violently pushed open, revealing the vast and boundless new world behind it.
"I do not borrow the power of Heaven and Earth; I myself am Heaven, and I myself am Earth."
Chen Xu smiled faintly and slowly raised his right hand, extending it before everyone. "Talk is cheap. Since you want to see, then I will show you what is called... Universe in the Palm."