280: Chapter 280 The Three Realms of Divine Power, the Highest Peak in the Northern Region

Chu Sheng stepped through that door, and before his eyes, everything was pitch black.

Even his Divine Sense could not reach out, as if it were being blocked by something.

Chu Sheng's hand rested on the hilt of his sword. The zhu xian sword remained sheathed, but Sword Qi was already circulating within his body, ready to erupt at any moment.

"Don't be nervous." Lord of the River's voice came from beside him, carrying a hint of a smile. "Tianmo Mountain is just like this; everyone who comes for the first time is afraid."

Chu Sheng said, "I am not afraid."

Lord of the River said, "Then why is your hand shaking?"

Chu Sheng looked down at his hand; it was indeed shaking.

He cursed under his breath and tucked his hand into his sleeve.

The darkness lasted for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

A glimmer of light appeared ahead—not sunlight, but a kind of cold, moonlight-like radiance.

Chu Sheng quickened his pace and walked out of the darkness.

The scene before him made him gasp.

He stood at the foot of a massive mountain.

The mountain was so high its peak could not be seen, piercing straight into the clouds.

No, it wasn't clouds; it was a kind of black mist churning at the mountainside, obscuring the summit.

The mountain itself was black, shimmering with a faint, cold light.

There was no path up the mountain, only a narrow stone staircase extending from the foot of the mountain deep into the mist.

The stone staircase was very narrow, wide enough for only one person to pass.

Bones were scattered on both sides of the stone staircase.

There were remains of the Human Race, the Demon Race, the Yao Race, and some whose race could not be distinguished.

The bones were coated in a black substance, like solidified asphalt.

Lord of the River squatted down, picked up a bone, examined it, and then tossed it aside.

"These were all people who wanted to climb the mountain. They didn't make it and died at the foot."

Chu Sheng asked, "How did they die?"

Lord of the River said, "Corroded by Devilish Qi. The Devilish Qi of Tianmo Mountain is no ordinary Devilish Qi. It stems from the Origin of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor. Anyone without a Heavenly Demon Body will suffer Qi Deviation after a single breath."

He looked at Chu Sheng, the corners of his mouth curling up.

"You have the Heavenly Demon Body, so you are not afraid. This Seat is a soul body, so I am not afraid either. But if an ordinary person came here, they wouldn't be able to walk ten steps."

Chu Sheng thought: No wonder no one dared to come to Tianmo Mountain.

It wasn't that they didn't want to come; it was that they didn't dare.

The two stepped onto the stone stairs and began to ascend.

The stone steps were very steep, and each one was very high, as if designed for giants.

Chu Sheng walked very slowly, not because he was tired, but because he was sensing the surrounding Devilish Qi.

The Devilish Qi was so dense it felt substantial; even breathing it made his lungs feel cold.

But his Heavenly Demon Body was operating automatically, absorbing, transforming, and storing that Devilish Qi.

His cultivation was slowly growing, like water dripping into a cup—drop by drop, very slowly, but continuously.

Lord of the River walked ahead, speaking as they moved.

"The Heavenly Demon Ancestor's original name is unknown, as is his background. Some say he was born from Chaos, some say he is the Reincarnation of an ancient Demon God, and others say he was just an ordinary member of the Demon Race who Cultivated step by step."

"This Seat leans toward the third theory. Because he climbed up from the bottom, he knew the suffering of those at the bottom. So after he became the Demon Venerable, he was very kind to the Demon Race, and not unkind to the Human Race either."

"How strong was he? You know about the Divine Ability Three Realms, right?"

Chu Sheng shook his head.

His understanding of Divine Ability was limited to those few bamboo scrolls of "Fuyao Ninety Thousand Miles".

Lord of the River said, "The first Realm of the Divine Ability Three Realms is called Tongxuan. It involves comprehending Divine Ability and initially revealing its mysteries. Generally, Cultivators in the Daocheng Realm have their own signature Divine Ability. For example, your Fuyao Ninety Thousand Miles—if you were in the Tongxuan Realm, you could traverse ten thousand miles in an instant, without needing to practice it in such a half-baked way as you do now."

Chu Sheng's mouth twitched, but he did not speak.

Lord of the River continued, "The second Realm is called Yufa. It involves mastering no less than three Divine Abilities, launching them at will without needing to deliberately activate them. When you reach this Realm, the power of your Divine Ability will double, and they can be used in combination."

"The third Realm is called Guiyi. Ten thousand laws return to one, and Divine Ability is boundless. It involves mastering no less than nine Divine Abilities and being able to fuse them into one. When you reach this Realm, you are basically invincible across the Five Regions."

He paused, his voice lowering slightly.

"The Heavenly Demon Ancestor was in the Guiyi Realm at the time. His Divine Ability count was not nine, but eighteen. Each one was trained to the extreme, and each one could destroy the world."

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment, then asked, "What about above the Guiyi Realm?"

Lord of the River shook his head. "There is no above. The Guiyi Realm is the peak of the Five Regions. Anything beyond that would be the possible existence of Ascension. Whether the Heavenly Demon Ancestor Ascended, no one knows. Some say he Ascended, some say he died, and others say he is buried in this mountain."

He looked up toward the mountain peak, where the mist churned, obscuring everything.

"This Seat has lived for thousands of years and has seen countless Geniuses. But those who can train Divine Ability are few and far between. Those who can reach the Tongxuan Realm are already as rare as Phoenix feathers. As for the Yufa Realm, this Seat has only seen three. As for the Guiyi Realm, only the Heavenly Demon Ancestor."

Chu Sheng asked, "What about Greed? What Realm is he in?"

Lord of the River said, "Greed? He just broke through to Divine Ability, at most Tongxuan. But he has the power of Greed and Gluttony in his hands; given time, Yufa will not be a problem."

Chu Sheng did not ask again.

His pace quickened.

The stone steps became steeper and steeper, and the Devilish Qi became thicker and thicker.

Chu Sheng's Heavenly Demon Body was operating crazily, absorbing the surrounding Devilish Qi.

His cultivation was growing, and the Bottleneck of the Early Stage of Dao Completion began to loosen.

But he did not stop to make a Breakthrough; he continued to walk up.

He could not stop.

If he stopped, he might never be able to move again.

Lord of the River followed behind him, his pace also a bit heavy.

He was a soul body; although he was not eroded by Devilish Qi, the pressure of Tianmo Mountain still impacted him.

His figure was swaying, like a lamp about to be blown out by the wind.

Chu Sheng looked back at him, took a Medicinal Pill from his Storage Pouch, and tossed it over.

"Solid Soul Pill, 6th grade. It can stabilize the Divine Soul."

Lord of the River took the Medicinal Pill, did not stand on ceremony, and consumed it.

His figure stabilized a bit, and he nodded at Chu Sheng.

"Thank you."

Chu Sheng waved his hand and continued to ascend.

When they reached the mountainside, Chu Sheng suddenly stopped.

He saw a stone tablet.

The stone tablet was very tall, about three zhang, pitch black all over, with dense text engraved on its surface.

Chu Sheng walked up to take a closer look. It was ancient seal script, so old that even he did not recognize it.

Lord of the River walked over, took a look, and read it aloud.

"Inscription of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor—In my life, I have killed countless people, and saved countless people. Those I killed were those who deserved to be killed, and those I saved were those who deserved to be saved. My conscience is clear."

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment, then said, "This old thing is quite arrogant."

Lord of the River laughed, "He is indeed arrogant. But he has the capital to be arrogant."

The two bypassed the stone tablet and continued to ascend.

The higher they went, the greater the pressure became.

Chu Sheng's Heavenly Demon Body began to emit an unbearable humming sound, like an overloaded engine.

Fine sweat appeared on his forehead, and his fingers were trembling.

But he gritted his teeth and did not stop.

He had only one thought in his mind—go up.

He had to go up.

He could not be crushed here.

He still had too many things to do.

He could not fall.

Chu Sheng took a deep breath and exhaled the turbid Qi.

He quickened his pace.

He did not know how long he had been walking.

Chu Sheng felt as if he had been walking for hundreds of years.

His consciousness began to blur, and the path before him began to twist.

But he did not stop.

His feet were mechanically moving upward—one step, two steps, three steps.

Lord of the River's voice came from behind, very light, as if drifting from a great distance.

"Look, we're almost there... the mountain peak is just ahead..."

Chu Sheng raised his head and saw a ball of light ahead.

Not the cold moonlight, but a warm, sunlight-like radiance.

His pace quickened slightly.

The light grew closer and brighter.

Chu Sheng reached out and grabbed at the light.

His fingers touched the radiance.

Warmth.

That was the first time he had felt warmth since entering Tianmo Mountain.

His body felt a little lighter.

He took the final step and walked into the light.