146: Awakening progress: 40%! Emperor level nine combat power!

Deep within the Rootless Bitter Sea.

Black mist surged, and Death Qi permeated the air.

A figure in black rushed in from the outside world and plunged into the Bitter Sea. In an instant, the figure was transformed into a handful of mud and ash by the sea's eerie power, dissipating into the water.

In the next moment, the space deep within the Bitter Sea twisted. That handful of ash actually recongealed, transforming back into the previous figure in black. He prostrated himself before a blurry black shadow, trembling violently.

"Reporting to my Lord, it has been found. The one who killed Her Highness Fei'er is Taiyi Holy Land's number zero sequence, Xu Jinhuan!"

"That brat seems to have mastered the Art of Great Karma. When he wiped out Xuanyang Holy Land, he used the power of Karma to kill everyone related to them. Her Highness Fei'er was caught in the crossfire and suffered a tragic end, her Dao dissipating!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Before the words could finish, countless terrifyingly powerful forces erupted from the blurry black shadow. They churned the core of the Rootless Bitter Sea into towering waves, with black billows slapping against the sky.

The Great Dao manifested above the Bitter Sea, Chaos was in turmoil, and the heavens and earth changed color. The entire Rootless Bitter Sea trembled violently under this being's wrath.

It was as if doomsday had arrived!

Fortunately, this place was a Life Forbidden Zone, already desolate and devoid of any living beings, so no casualties were caused.

"Damn him! Damn him!!"

A hoarse, violent voice echoed through the Bitter Sea, carrying overwhelming rage and malice.

"This brat has ruined this seat's plans time and again. He truly deserves to die!"

The death of a Dao Companion was a small matter; to the Ruler of the Rootless Bitter Sea, a mere Dao Companion was nothing. But this was a pregnant Dao Companion, and that made it different.

Between heaven and earth, it was an iron law that the more powerful a being, the harder it was to produce offspring.

Those like them, Rulers of the Forbidden Zones who had thrown themselves into darkness and fallen into the abyss, found it almost impossible to have descendants.

However, conversely, once they did have offspring, it would be earth-shattering, as the child would be born with all sorts of incredible powers.

They might even be born with an Immortal Fate!

Immortal Fate—wasn't this the very reason these Rulers of the Forbidden Zones gave up their Heavens Heart Imprints, severed their worldly ties, and cast themselves into darkness?

The destruction of an Immortal Fate was the true reason for his explosive rage.

The storm lasted for an entire day before it gradually subsided.

The blurry black shadow also regained its previous calm and composed demeanor. The violent aura around him was completely retracted, and he remained that high-and-mighty Ruler of the Rootless Bitter Sea who looked down upon all living beings.

Only deep within his eyes was a trace of imperceptible gloom and killing intent hidden.

He indifferently glanced at the figure in black prostrated before him, who didn't even dare to raise his head. With a wave of his wide sleeve, an ancient Talisman slowly floated toward the man. Atop the Talisman lingered the terrifying pressure of the Late Stage Emperor Realm.

"Sealed within this Talisman are three full-strength attacks of the Middle Stage Emperor Realm."

His voice was flat, yet it carried an unquestionable command.

"Go to the Taiyi Holy Land. Destroy that brat along with the Taiyi Holy Land. Pull them up by the roots!"

The figure in black hurried to prostrate himself, respectfully receiving the Talisman with both hands while kowtowing repeatedly.

"Yes! This lowly one shall go at once!"

...At the Taiyi Holy Land, auspicious light swirled and Immortal Qi was dense.

Having experienced a great victory in the Immortal War, the entire Holy Land was immersed in the busy work of scavenging resources and reorganizing their foundations.

On Eastern Emperor Mountain, inside Xu Jinhuan's Immortal Cave.

Fifteen Immortal Dao Lineages.

A total of over ten thousand in the Saint Realm, billions of God Realm Cultivators, and an innumerable amount of those in the eight transcendent realms.

Such a massive amount of Origin was enough to create dozens of Peak Great Sages.

Even the resources consumed by ten Quasi-Emperor experts breaking through would barely equal this.

When water is full, it overflows; when the moon is full, it wanes.

Inside Xu Jinhuan's body, the Saint Realm Bottleneck he had long since touched naturally began to crack and shatter under the washing of the surging Origin!

Furthermore, he had already thoroughly comprehended the essence of the Saint Realm, so there were no Bottlenecks in his understanding of the Great Dao.

In an instant, a mysterious and sacred aura emerged from the void, surrounding his body. Dao sounds faintly echoed as the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth surged toward him frantically.

Saint Realm, achieved!

However, the Origin consumed to break through the Realm was just a drop in the bucket. Xu Jinhuan's Physique was the true consumer.

Surging energy poured in like a river backflowing into the sea, wave after wave impacting his body, repeatedly nourishing every inch of muscle and bone and every drop of essence blood, pushing his Physical Body's foundation higher bit by bit, transforming toward a higher level.

Finally, at the moment the power of Origin was nearly exhausted, a burst of Chaos divine light erupted from within Xu Jinhuan. The Eternal Chaos Body had undergone a qualitative change!

[Awakening Progress: 40%]!

Buzz!—

Endless Eternal Power spread from his Dantian throughout his body. The laws of the Eternal Dao flowed through his Meridians, and a boundless amount of Chaos Qi boiled and surged at his side.

At this moment, Xu Jinhuan's Divine Soul seemed to leave his Physical Body, traveling through a mysterious eternal ocean.

No past, no future, and no present.

All things in heaven and earth, the Universe and the starry rivers, everything ceased to exist. Only an eternally indestructible, never-receding mysterious aura remained, lingering around his Divine Soul.

Eternity!

Even in this instant, Xu Jinhuan developed an extreme illusion:

He seemed no longer to be a living person, but a cold statue looking down upon the heavens and the Universe, watching the world change and witnessing the birth and death of the Universe, while he himself remained leisurely as before, eternal and unchanging.

Like heartless machinery, like the cold Heavenly Dao without emotion, all the joys, angers, sorrows, and pleasures of the world had nothing to do with him... Hiss!—

A bone-chilling coldness came from the depths of his Divine Soul. Xu Jinhuan shuddered violently and, with an extremely tough willpower, forcibly pulled himself out of that eerie state.

"This is not what I want. If the price of reaching the Peak of the Dao is losing my humanity, then I would rather not have this Dao!"

This was the first time Xu Jinhuan had questioned his Eternal Chaos Body, wondering if this Heaven-Defying Physique was a blessing or a curse for him.

That feeling of losing all emotions and desires, leaving only absolute rationality, was truly too terrifying—so terrifying it made his heart skip a beat!

"But in this state, combat power can be exerted to the extreme, and strength will see a massive boost. It's not uncontrollable; I can certainly turn it to my own use."

As his Physique transformed, Xu Jinhuan's Comprehension Ability also rose accordingly. His already Heaven-Defying comprehension reached an even higher level.

In a flash of thought, he had already thoroughly analyzed that state of absolute rationality, even mastering the method to actively enter it at any time or place.

"In this state, all my thoughts will be absolutely rational, and every decision will be absolutely correct, like a deity. I'll call it God Form State."

"Furthermore, the boost this Physique transformation brought me is truly terrifying."

After creating the God Form State, Xu Jinhuan began to check the gains from this Breakthrough.

His Realm had risen to the First Layer of the Saint Realm, his Physique Awakening progress reached 40%, his comprehension of the Eternal Dao deepened, his Comprehension Ability improved, the Eternal Myriad Dao Art advanced, the 'Myriad Ages Transformation Method' technique entered its second stage, and his Physical Body reached the Emperor level... Many aspects of his strength had improved, and all were earth-shaking changes. When stacked together, his strength naturally underwent an incredibly exaggerated leap.

[Limit Combat Power: Great Emperor Ninth Heaven! (Under the condition of fully activating 'Myriad Ages Transformation Method' and God Form State)]

"!!!"

Looking at the System panel, Xu Jinhuan himself gasped, rubbing his eyes hard to verify he wasn't seeing things.

He knew he was terrifyingly strong.

But he didn't know he could be this terrifying.

A single Breakthrough actually directly boosted his combat power by an entire major Realm, and it was a leap from Quasi-Emperor to Great Emperor—a gap that was practically an unbridgeable chasm!

"I should now be sufficient to sweep across the entire Three Thousand Dao Provinces!"

"A mere Dark Turmoil? This Young Master can suppress it with one hand!"

"Jie jie jie! Rulers of the Forbidden Zones, your time has come!"

After a brief bout of chuunibyou,

Xu Jinhuan slowly stood up, stretched his limbs, and prepared to leave seclusion... On the other side of Eastern Emperor Mountain, in a temporary residence.

The Azure Lotus Empress had her eyes tightly shut, seizing the time to recover her cultivation. Her strength was climbing steadily.

In just half a month since waking up, her strength had recovered from the Sixth Heaven of the Quasi-Emperor Realm to the Peak of the Quasi-Emperor Realm, just one step away from returning to the Earth Immortal Realm.

No, it was returning to the Emperor Realm.

Of course, this Emperor Realm didn't refer to a true Great Emperor. She had already lost the recognition of the Heavens Heart Imprint and was no longer a Great Emperor.

Without the blessing of the Heavens Heart Imprint, an Emperor Realm expert's abilities were greatly constrained, and their strength would be at least halved.

This was also why Rulers of the Forbidden Zones and Dark Giants generally wouldn't provoke the current Great Emperor of the era. Even a rabbit would bite when cornered; if truly pushed, a current Great Emperor could easily take one down with them.

She, the Azure Lotus Empress, was the only exception.

Because of the Green Lotus Sword Intent.

That Green Lotus Sword Intent could slash through darkness and sever the link between a Lord of the Forbidden Zone and the darkness.

Recalling that bloody battle from back then, the Azure Lotus Empress suddenly opened her eyes. A cold light burst from them, her teeth clenched, and a boiling killing intent surrounded her as she gazed toward the Forbidden Zones at the edge of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces.

"Immortal Mountain, Ancestral Dragon Nest... I will surely pay you back tenfold for what happened back then!"

Suddenly, her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she keenly caught a faint trace of Saint pressure permeating the air. Though weak, it carried an overbearing and chaotic aura that could not be ignored.

"Hmm? That brat broke through again?! It seems the Heavens Heart Imprint of this era will very likely be his."

She knew this was the scene of Xu Jinhuan's Breakthrough.

Having obtained her, the Azure Lotus Empress's Primal Yin, it would be strange if this brat couldn't quickly break through to the Saint Realm.

Even if she was full of resentment for being treated so recklessly by him, the Azure Lotus Empress had to admit that this man, who had the grace of detoxifying her, had a talent that was terrifyingly Heaven-Defying.

If such an opponent had emerged on her path to attaining the Dao back then, she wouldn't have had full confidence in reaching the end.

Even now, a primitive palpitation arose in the Azure Lotus Empress's heart, as if she were facing a lethal existence capable of threatening her.

Realizing this, her heart was shocked to the extreme.

"Just what level has this brat's strength reached? Why do I have the illusion of facing myself at my Peak?!"

But as soon as this thought arose, she forcibly dismissed it.

"An illusion! It must be an illusion!" she grumbled to herself. "He hasn't even refined the Heavens Heart Imprint, so how could he possess the power of a Great Emperor? My perception must be wrong!"

"It's all that bitch's Silver Dragon Love Poison's fault. It damaged my Divine Soul and even messed up my perception!"

The Azure Lotus Empress silently recited the Mind-Calming Incantation several times to rein in her wandering thoughts.

Sitting cross-legged on the Azure Lotus Jade Platform in her residence, she circulated her Azure Lotus Dao Charm to nourish her Divine Soul, attempting to charge at the threshold of the Emperor Realm without the Heavens Heart Imprint and recover her Emperor Realm strength.

Suddenly, her brow jumped, and the Green Lotus Sword Intent spontaneously emerged to protect her. A bone-chilling coldness poured down directly from the Nine Heavens!

"Not good! There's Great Emperor-level pressure!"

The Azure Lotus Empress cried out in alarm, her figure instantly flashing out of her cave as she looked up at the sky.

Not just her, but all the God Realm and Saint Realm Cultivators of the Taiyi Holy Land, even the Grand Elders and the Holy Lord, felt that world-destroying aura. Their faces turned pale in unison, and they tried to circulate their cultivation to resist, only to find that under this pressure, even lifting a hand was difficult!

Above the sky, the figure in black stood suspended in the Void Realm. His face was obscured by black mist, but it couldn't hide his shocking killing intent.

He looked at the panicked crowd of the Taiyi Holy Land below, his lips curling into a cruel smirk. Without a word of nonsense, he raised his hand and sacrificed the ancient Talisman into mid-air!

"Oral decree from the Lord of the Forbidden Zone: Taiyi Holy Land has acted perversely, behaved unscrupulously, and slaughtered the innocent. Its crimes deserve death!"

"The Lord of the Forbidden Zone, out of concern for all living beings, ordains this seat to act on behalf of Heaven and level Taiyi!"

"Kill!"

The figure in black shouted softly, his fingertip tapping on the Talisman.

In an instant, the Talisman erupted with ten thousand zhang of black light, and a terrifying power far exceeding the Peak of the Quasi-Emperor Realm exploded.

Within the black light, an illusion of the Rootless Bitter Sea appeared with towering waves, carrying a deathly power that could annihilate everything, as it smashed down toward the Taiyi Holy Land's protective array!

Boom!

The massive sound shook the Three Thousand Dao Provinces. Wherever the Great Emperor's power passed, the Void Realm shattered inch by inch, turning into a boundless black hole.

The Taiyi Holy Land's protective array was like paper before this power. It couldn't even last half a breath; the array's light shield was instantly covered in cracks before exploding. Countless array runes turned into ash and dissipated between heaven and earth!

The aftershocks of the array's destruction surged toward the interior of the Holy Land. Countless pavilions and buildings collapsed, and numerous Cultivators within the Holy Land were sent flying by the shockwaves, spitting blood. The Immortal Qi-shrouded Eastern Emperor Mountain was shaken violently.

Before the attack had even fully landed, the Taiyi Holy Land suffered an unprecedented heavy blow!

Moreover, the attacker didn't kill them directly. Instead, he spared their lives so the Disciples and Elders could watch the descent of this Great Emperor-level attack with their own eyes, seemingly enjoying the pleasure of torturing ants!

"How is this possible! This is a Great Emperor-level attack!"

The Taiyi Holy Lord slumped to the ground, looking at the black light filling the sky, his eyes full of despair. "When did my Taiyi Holy Land provoke such a being?!"

The Grand Elders looked at each other, their faces deathly pale. Peak Great Sage combat power was less than an ant before the power of a Great Emperor. They didn't even have the courage to strike and could only watch as that black light smashed toward the core of the Holy Land.

On Eastern Emperor Mountain, watching this scene, the Azure Lotus Empress was anxious.

As a former public enemy of the Rulers of the Forbidden Zones, she naturally assumed the opponent had come for her.

"Bastard!"

"If you want to kill this Empress, then kill me. What kind of skill is it to involve the innocent?!"

The Azure Lotus Empress scolded angrily.

Her Azure Lotus Dao Charm circulated frantically, condensing into a ten thousand zhang Azure Lotus illusion to try and block this strike.

But her Realm had not fully recovered after all. Even if the Green Lotus Sword Intent could counter the power of darkness, it was still so pale and powerless before the chasm of the Emperor Realm.

Upon contact, the Azure Lotus illusion shattered inch by inch. She herself was knocked back repeatedly, spitting out a mouthful of blood, her pretty face pale as she felt despair.

I have dominated for a lifetime, yet today I fear I will lose my life here!

It's just a pity that so many people were dragged into this...