28: The strongest man in history

"Explode!"

When Lin Chen softly uttered that word...

Time, at this moment, seemed to stand still.

The inconspicuous spherical object in his hand, though shimmering with Nine-Colored Lightning, instantly erupted with a terrifying light that made the entire world tremble and the sun and moon lose their brilliance!

The light, initially, was just a point.

But the next instant, it transformed into a Nine-Colored Blazing Sun... capable of devouring everything!

There was no earth-shattering explosion.

Only an extreme, destructive, purifying... silence!

Before that Nine-Colored Blazing Sun, the Blood Slaughter Demon Empress's massive demonic claw, which had covered the sky and obscured the sun, was like ice and snow meeting a scorching sun. It couldn't even last for a single breath before being instantly evaporated and dissolved into nothingness!

Immediately after, the Nine-Colored Blazing Sun expanded with a speed that surpassed thought!

It devoured the sky, devoured the earth, devoured the massive demonic boat made of countless white bones, and devoured all the demonic Cultivators on the boat who hadn't even had time to scream!

It also devoured... the Mid Nascent Soul Stage female demon, the Blood Slaughter Demon Empress, whose face still held traces of triumph and cruelty, but whose pupils were instantly filled with endless fear and disbelief!

"No—!!!"

This was the last trace of her divine sense left in this world.

Immediately, it was completely erased by the violent power of the Nine Revolutions Lightning Tribulation!

Both body and soul perished!

The entire process was extremely fast!

When the destructive nine-colored light dissipated, the sky returned to clarity.

The demonic boat, the demonic Cultivators, the Nascent Soul Demon Empress... everything vanished into thin air.

Only that figure remained in the sky, hands clasped behind his back, his clothes gently fluttering in the wind.

Silence.

The entire Qingyang City fell into a deathly silence.

All the survivors stared blankly at the figure in the sky, their minds a blank... In the corners of the city walls, several family patriarchs who had packed their bags overnight but couldn't escape because the city gates were sealed, were now slumped on the ground, their faces ashen.

"Fa...fake, right? That was a Nascent Soul Old Monster..."

"One move... and she's gone?"

"I... I just now... was I calling the Saint a lunatic?" A patriarch remembered his previous remarks, and his body trembled uncontrollably. A warm, foul odor emanated from his crotch.

They looked at the god-like figure in the sky, their eyes no longer holding the previous disdain and mockery, only endless, bone-deep fear and... regret!

They knew that they, and their families, were finished.

In the city ruled by this new god, there would be no place for traitors... Inside the Lin Family mansion.

The elders who had previously privately discussed that Lin Chen was too young and impetuous and would bring disaster upon the family, were now uniformly kneeling on the ground, frantically kowtowing towards the sky, their foreheads already a bloody mess.

"Saint's divine might! Saint's divine might is unparalleled!"

"I... I have sinned! I actually doubted the Saint! I was truly blind!"

Their hearts were filled with lingering fear. They knew that the Saint's unfathomable methods would definitely be aware of their previous small actions. Now, they only prayed that this new god would, for the sake of kinship, forgive their foolishness... Inside the City Lord's Mansion.

Luo Bingli's senior sister, who was far away in the Purple Cloud Holy Land, also witnessed this perception-shattering scene through a Secret Treasure Mirror.

Her majestic and beautiful face, her expression changed from worry, to shock, to disbelief, and finally, completely solidified into a stone statue.

Her mouth hung open, unable to close for a long time, only one thought wildly reverberating in her mind:

"What... what kind of power is that?! Who... who exactly is he?!"

She finally understood why her senior sister would willingly acknowledge a Foundation Establishment Stage boy as her master.

How could this be just a boy?

This was clearly a true dragon... capable of stirring up the winds and clouds of the entire Tianfeng Kingdom, and even the wider world!

...In stark contrast to the fear and regret of these people, were those who had chosen to believe in Lin Chen from beginning to end.

Lin Family Patriarch Lin Zhan was now shedding tears of joy. He looked at his son in the sky, trembling with excitement, continuously muttering, "My son... my son has the bearing of a Great Emperor! He has the bearing of a Great Emperor! Hahaha!"

Lin Ziyan and Lin Xiaoya gazed foolishly up at that figure, their beautiful eyes sparkling with unresolvable admiration and worship.

This was their man!

A man who could create miracles and overturn everything!

After a brief, deathly silence.

In the city, someone, it was unclear who, was the first to recover from the extreme shock, and with all their might, let out a hoarse cry:

"Saint... Saint... Invincible!"

This cry was like a spark dropped into boiling oil, instantly igniting all the survivors who had escaped the calamity!

"Saint is invincible!!"

"Long live the Saint!!!"

"Our Qingyang City will forever follow the Saint!!!"

Earth-shattering cheers, like a mountain tsunami, erupted from every corner of the city, converging into a torrent that could pierce the clouds!

Countless people, regardless of gender, age, or cultivation level, at this moment, sincerely knelt before the figure in the sky, prostrating themselves in worship!

Their eyes were filled with fervent faith!

Lin Chen, in the most shocking and unreasonable way, destroyed all doubts, slapped everyone's faces, and became the sole god of Qingyang City!

...However, Lin Chen was not satisfied with this. After all, he just realized that he was like a hot commodity; even if he did nothing, women would snatch him to use him as a cauldron... If he truly didn't have some life-saving strength, he would really be drained to death. There are only bulls that die from plowing, not land that dies from exhaustion!

So even to this day, he hasn't casually plowed the land... After all, his mating rights are very precious!

The next moment, Lin Chen made a decision!

"Master, have you really decided... to participate in the Purple Cloud Holy Land's entrance examination?"

Luo Bingli respectfully brewed a cup of Spirit Tea for Lin Chen, her beautiful eyes holding a hint of confusion and worry.

With Master's current strength and prestige, wouldn't it be better to be the local emperor of Qingyang City, free and unconstrained? Why go to such a strict sect, filled with geniuses?

"Qingyang City is too small."

Lin Chen took a sip of tea and said lightly.

His gaze seemed to penetrate the walls of the secret chamber, looking towards the more distant horizon.

"Luo Bingli, I ask you, how much do you know about the cultivation realms of this world?"

Luo Bingli was stunned by the question, then respectfully replied, "Reporting to Master, as far as this servant knows, within our Tianfeng Kingdom, the path of cultivation can generally be divided into five major realms: Body Refining, Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul."

"Among them, Body Refining and Qi Refining are merely the foundations of cultivation; their numbers are like fish crossing a river, countless."

"Those who can successfully reach Foundation Establishment can be called 'Cultivators,' possessing a lifespan of a hundred years. In a city, they are enough to establish a small to medium-sized family. In the entire Qingyang City, all Foundation Establishment Cultivators combined number no more than a hundred."

"And those who can condense a Golden Core are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns! They can be called 'Immortal Masters,' with a lifespan of up to five hundred years! They are enough to guard a city and become a regional overlord! Like our entire Qingyang City, including Black Wind Mountain, the visible Golden Core Experts are only... a mere three!"

As she spoke, a hint of pride flashed in her eyes.

Lin Chen nodded, signaling her to continue.

"As for the Nascent Soul Realm above Golden Core..." A deep reverence and longing flashed in Luo Bingli's eyes. "That is the existence of an 'Old Ancestor' level! They can be called 'True Monarchs,' with a lifespan of a thousand years! Their divine souls are entrusted to heaven and earth, and their magical power is profound! In our entire Tianfeng Kingdom, among billions of people, the known Nascent Soul True Monarchs are only... fewer than ten!"

"These ten people separately control the three strongest Holy Lands and the Imperial Family of the Tianfeng Kingdom; they are truly existences standing above the clouds, dictating the fate of all beings!"

"It is too difficult to break through to Nascent Soul! Its difficulty is a hundred times harder than cultivating from a mortal to Golden Core! Talent, resources, and luck are all indispensable! In the past hundred years, in our Tianfeng Kingdom, there have been no less than a hundred peak Golden Core stage experts seeking to break through to Nascent Soul, but ultimately, only two have survived and successfully broken through!"

Hearing these numbers, Lin Chen finally had a clear concept of the combat power system of this world.

"Then... what about beyond Nascent Soul?" Lin Chen took a sip of tea, asking seemingly casually.

"Beyond Nascent Soul?" Luo Bingli looked bewildered at the question, then smiled bitterly, "Master, that is beyond what this servant can know. Perhaps only the Holy Lords of the three great Holy Lands know about that legendary realm. In this servant's opinion, Nascent Soul is already the end of cultivation, the limit of human power."

Lin Chen smiled upon hearing this and said nothing more.

But in his eyes, a flame named "ambition" flickered.

Is Nascent Soul the end?

No.

For him, who possessed the [many sons, many blessings] system...

Everything had just begun.

And that so-called [Purple Cloud Holy Land], with its admission requirement of "Golden Core Stage" and a one-in-a-hundred selection rate, seemingly unattainable, was nothing more than... a larger, more advanced "newbie village" for him to level up faster!