95: Tianzun projection, desperate breakthrough

Above the secluded valley, death qi permeated, and space solidified. The soul hall heavenly venerate projection that emerged from the void, though not his true body, exuded a pressure that silenced all birds and beasts in the Black Wind Mountain Range and withered all living things. The Peak Eight-star Dou Zong of the Styx Alliance elders were as insignificant as ants before such an existence.

Xiao Chen shielded the pale Mo Linglin behind him, his muscles tensed. His Spirit Realm Great Perfection soul power furiously circulated, resisting the terrifying pressure that surged like a tide. His expression was extremely grim, his heart pounded wildly, and his blood almost froze. The aura of this Heavenly Venerate Projection was far more solid and terrifying than the one in the Star Realm; his strength was probably infinitely close to the true Dou Zun level!

“Jie jie... Boy, your growth rate is truly astonishing.” The Heavenly Venerate Projection let out a hoarse laugh, his hollow eyes seemingly capable of devouring all light. “Six-Star Dou Zong, Spirit Realm Soul, able to touch the ‘Intent’ realm, and heavily injure a Styx Alliance elder... The Xiao Clan bloodline truly lives up to its reputation. What a pity, today it will be cut short here.”

He did not immediately act, his playful gaze, like a cat toying with a mouse, swept over Xiao Chen, finally landing on Mo Linglin and the seven-colored spirit nurturing lotus in her arms: “This Spirit Nurturing Lotus will be perfect for nourishing this projection of mine. As for you... your soul will be the best sacrifice for my Lord!”

Before he finished speaking, the Heavenly Venerate Projection slowly raised a giant hand condensed from pure death qi and gently pressed it towards Xiao Chen and Mo Linglin!

“Netherworld... Soul Devouring Palm!”

There was no earth-shattering commotion, only an invisible, soul-freezing, terrifying suction force that suddenly erupted! Xiao Chen only felt as if his soul was being forcibly torn from his body, his sea of consciousness ached intensely, and his consciousness began to blur! Mo Linglin behind him let out a muffled groan and directly fainted!

“Dream on!”

Xiao Chen’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared towards the sky! His Spirit Realm Soul power burned at an unprecedented speed, the Soul Emperor Canon and Myriad Souls Returning Flow Art were pushed to their limits, and the clan mark on his brow burst forth with dazzling golden light, fiercely guarding his sea of consciousness! At the same time, he fully activated the Heaven Opening Axe Intent, transforming it into an invisible soul battle-axe, and fiercely hacked at that soul-devouring force!

“Chila!”

A piercing tearing sound emanated from the soul level! The Axe Intent and the soul-devouring force collided violently, Xiao Chen's sea of consciousness felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, blood instantly gushed from his seven orifices, and his body trembled violently, but he stubbornly resisted this fatal blow with his unyielding will and the protection of his clan mark! However, the cost was immense; his soul power was instantly more than halved!

“Oh? You can block a Soul Devouring Palm from me?” The Heavenly Venerate Projection showed a hint of surprise, which then turned into deeper coldness. “It seems I need to get serious.”

He formed hand seals, and death qi surged around him, transforming into countless pitch-black Soul Locking Chains, like venomous snakes filling the sky, shooting towards Xiao Chen from all directions! These chains not only contained terrifying physical attack power but also carried strange forces that could imprison the soul and corrode one's origin! Each chain was enough to easily kill a low-level Dou Zong!

There was no avoiding it! No escaping!

“I'll risk it all!”

A look of determination flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes! He knew that conventional methods offered no path to survival! Only by embracing death could he find life!

He no longer defended, but instead actively met the chains filling the sky! At the same time, he injected all the Dou Qi, soul power, and even the faint Origin Qi seed fluctuations within his body into the fragment of the heaven burning furnace!

“heaven burning furnace, devour the heavens and earth! Refine for me!”

The fragment erupted with an unprecedented crimson light, instantly enlarging and transforming into a phantom ancient furnace. A terrifying suction force emerged from the furnace mouth, actually actively devouring some of the incoming Soul Locking Chains! Inside the furnace, myriad flames roared, frantically refining the death qi chains!

“Sizzle sizzle sizzle...”

The chains and the furnace flames fiercely resisted each other, emitting a piercing sound. The furnace vibrated violently, and cracks spread across its surface, clearly struggling greatly, but it ultimately managed to temporarily withstand some of the attacks!

However, more chains had already reached him!

“Puff! Puff! Puff!”

Xiao Chen's body was pierced by several chains, and blood spurted wildly! The icy death qi frantically eroded his meridians and internal organs, bringing excruciating pain! But he gritted his teeth, enduring with his powerful physique and tenacious will! At the same time, using the impact of one of the chains, his body violently retreated backward, crashing into the cliff face covered with strange moss in the depths of the secluded valley!

“Dying struggle!” The Heavenly Venerate Projection sneered, controlling the chains to pursue relentlessly!

Just as Xiao Chen's back was about to hit the cliff, an unexpected change occurred!

His Spirit Realm Soul keenly sensed that within this cliff face, there was actually an extremely faint, yet incomparably pure, exit to an underground Origin Vein! The Styx Alliance had probably chosen this location earlier precisely because this wisp of Origin Vein Qi could conceal their aura!

“Underground Origin Vein... Origin Qi...” A crazy idea suddenly came to Xiao Chen, as if enlightened!

He no longer resisted the impact of the chains, but instead actively slammed his body against the cliff! At the same time, he activated a secret technique from the Myriad Souls Returning Flow Art, an extremely dangerous one — the Origin Guiding Art! This was an incomplete method he had obtained from the ancestral stone inheritance, capable of forcibly drawing in faint Origin Qi, but it was extremely easy to explode and die!

“Boom!”

A hole was smashed into the cliff, and a hot, pure, pale yellow stream of air surged out! It was precisely the Qi of the underground Origin Vein!

“Now is the time! Origin Guiding Art, Merge!”

Xiao Chen, disregarding everything, frantically absorbed this Origin Vein Qi, forcibly integrating it into his almost depleted Dou Qi ocean and severely injured soul! At the same time, he regarded the Heavenly Venerate Projection's terrifying death qi pressure and chain attacks as a kind of ultimate “pressure” and “refinement”!

Break and then stand! No breaking, no standing!

“Crack! Crack!”

Sounds of shattering came from within his body, his meridians snapped, and his Qi Sea was on the verge of collapse! His soul was also like a flickering candle in the wind, threatening to extinguish at any moment!

But at this critical moment between life and death, the Origin Qi seed, which had been dormant deep within his Qi Sea, stimulated by the homologous Qi and squeezed by the extreme external pressure, finally... awakened!

Buzz—!

A faint but supreme, pale golden stream of Qi, containing the vitality of creation, flowed out from the Origin Qi seed. Wherever it passed, the shattered meridians repaired and reshaped at a visible speed, becoming wider and tougher than before! The depleted Dou Qi ocean frantically expanded, becoming more vast and pure! The heavily injured soul was also nourished, becoming more condensed and brilliant!

The barrier of Peak Six-Star Dou Zong, under the impact of this new power, shattered like paper!

Seven-Star Dou Zong! Achieved!

Not only that, although his soul realm did not break through to the Heavenly Realm, its essence underwent a transformation, and his comprehension of the Heaven Opening Axe Intent instantly elevated to a whole new level! It was no longer a simple intent of chopping, but contained a trace of the true meaning of creation and genesis!

All of this happened in a flash of lightning!

The moment the Heavenly Venerate Projection's chains attacked again, Xiao Chen suddenly opened his eyes! Golden light burst from his eyes, and a brand new, powerful aura soared into the sky!

He pointed his fingers like a blade, and with a gentle stroke, he slashed at the incoming chains!

“Heaven Opening... Creation Slash!”

A solidified axe qi, with faint golden vitality flowing around its edges, appeared out of thin air! Where the axe qi passed, space seemed to be cut by a subtle black crack! The Soul Locking Chains, which were capable of corroding souls, instantly melted and disintegrated like snow meeting the sun the moment they touched the axe qi!

“What?! He broke through? And there's the aura of Origin Qi?!” The Heavenly Venerate Projection showed surprise for the first time, his voice filled with disbelief and horror! “This is impossible!”

Xiao Chen stepped on the void, and although his body was covered in blood, his aura was like a rainbow! He felt the surging power and new insights within him, and his gaze turned cold as he looked at the Heavenly Venerate Projection.

“Thank you for your 'help,' allowing me to break through! Now, it's my turn to return the favor!”

He took a step forward and actively attacked the Heavenly Venerate Projection! A new round of fierce battle instantly erupted! But this time, the offensive and defensive positions had already reversed!