It Is Time to End the Supernatural Era!

Following his breakthrough, Huang Tian did not act immediately. Instead, he continued refining the spiritual qi in his body. Over the past few days, he had absorbed so much spiritual qi that it had not only propelled him into the Soul realm, but plenty still remained. By his estimation, if he refined it all, he should be able to step into the middle Soul realm! "After the Soul comes the Dharma Idol. For me, the Dharma Idol realm poses no real bottleneck." The reasons were simple. First, during his time in the Five Directions Realm, he had read countless cultivation techniques and martial arts. Absorbing the distilled essence of a world's martial civilization spanning tens of thousands of years had not only allowed him to tentatively deduce the two divine abilities of the Five-Colored Divine Light and the Calamity-Evading Immortal Robe, but had also clarified the path beyond the Soul realm for him. Second, after returning to Blue Star, he had stayed for nearly three months. During those three months, he had both studied cutting-edge science and technology across various fields and found the time to deduce the Dharma Idol and Great Ascension realms. It was not difficult. Well, at least for him, it was not difficult. Moreover, even if there were flaws in the deduced realms, it would not matter. The body on the Ancient Star was not his true body anyway; even if something went slightly awry, it would be no big issue and would instead provide a reference to refine subsequent realms. Thus, Huang Tian refined the spiritual qi with bold confidence, divine light faintly radiating from his body. In the blink of an eye, half a day passed. "Phew..." Huang Tian exhaled a soft breath of clear qi and carefully sensed the changes within his body. "Just as expected: middle Soul realm, and only a step away from the late stage..." Rising to his feet, he walked to the window. Looking out at the scenery, a faint smile appeared on his face. Then, he unfurled his divine sense in a sweep that covered all of Qingyang City in an instant. In a flash, he "saw" Li Ding and the others in the Dream Expeller Association's branch building. In a brightly lit room, Li Ding was sitting on a sofa, slowly sipping warm water, his gaze deep and heavy as if pondering something. Zhou Zhenhong and Guan Fu sat across from him, visibly uneasy and distracted. *Whoosh!* Suddenly, the air in the room rippled, stirring faint waves, and a figure slowly materialized—Huang Tian's divine intent avatar. Startled, Li Ding and the other two hurried to their feet, respectfully greeting, "Mr. Huang!" Huang Tian glanced at them and got straight to the point: "I intend to destroy every dream relic integrated into every dream expeller in the world. I also demand that all the nations of the world exert every effort to proclaim my name, so that we may purge all nightmares as quickly as possible. Spread this news and notify everyone to mobilize immediately. Within three days, I expect to see results." Li Ding's breath hitched, while Zhou Zhenhong and Guan Fu were both thoroughly shocked. Only after a good while did Zhou Zhenhong speak up with a dry, strained voice: "Mr. Huang, no one would oppose destroying nightmares. But dream relics—especially those already integrated by dream expellers—are like a part of our bodies, like an organ. If they are torn out, I fear it will lead to instant death..." After integrating dream relics, a dream expeller's body and mind, corroded by the relics, were already different from those of ordinary people. While the dream relic was present, this corrosion did not lead to immediate death. But once the relic was removed, the balance would instantly shatter, and their bodies were extremely likely to collapse in an instant, killing them on the spot! In other words, destroying the dream relics was effectively killing the dream expellers. Under such circumstances, hardly anyone would agree to Huang Tian's plan. Li Ding pressed a hand onto Zhou Zhenhong's shoulder. "Don't panic. How could Mr. Huang fail to anticipate this? Quiet down and listen to what he has to say first." Looking at the three men trying hard to maintain their composure, Huang Tian smiled. "Naturally, I know the importance of dream relics to dream expellers. But who said losing a dream relic must result in death?" In Huang Tian's eyes, the corrosive force of dream relics was merely a contamination of foul and evil qi, which could be eradicated with the appropriate spells for dispelling evil and clearing pestilence. He knew countless such arts; some were bound to be effective. Even if they failed, there was still the Five-Colored Divine Light! This grand divine ability was not only capable of suppressing, capturing, and sealing, but could also heal ailments. Its Wood-element Samsara Heaven, one of the five elements, contained the profound resonance of withering, flourishing, life, death, and cyclical reincarnation. It could grant new life even to withered plants and restore a dying person to full vigor, let alone dream expellers tainted by evil qi. "I naturally have a method to heal dream expellers after their dream relics are removed. Furthermore, anyone who willingly surrenders their dream relics to me will be granted cultivation arts and an empowerment of spiritual qi, allowing them to become orthodox cultivators!" If removing the dream relics merely ensured that dream expellers would not die, not many might be willing. After all, from then on, they would become ordinary mortals; all the wealth and status they currently possessed would be coveted by others. A child carrying gold invites disaster. But if they were taught immortal arts and received an empowerment of spiritual qi, that was an entirely different story. At the very least, they would have the power to protect themselves. Naturally, while it was called an empowerment of spiritual qi, the wool still came off the sheep's back. Based on how much spiritual qi Huang Tian absorbed from each person's dream relics, he would return anywhere from one part in several tens to one in a hundred, or even one in several hundred... This was honestly more than fair. After all, these dream expellers were destined to be corroded to death sooner or later. Huang Tian was saving their lives, imparting cultivation methods to them, and granting them an empowerment of spiritual qi. Saving their lives plus bestowing the Dao—Huang Tian felt he was being quite benevolent. Of course, this was also because the source of all nightmares was about to awaken and time was pressing. That was why Huang Tian adopted a carrot-and-stick approach. Even if these dream expellers could not defeat him, it would still be a hassle if they went into hiding. It was far better to induce them to surrender their dream relics willingly. The moment these words left his mouth, the three men were predictably swayed! A cultivator! Just the sound of it was far better than any dream expeller! Although dream expellers possessed considerable strength, the flaws of the system were far too great. It was completely an exchange of life for power. If they could step onto an orthodox path of cultivation, very few would refuse—not to mention receiving an empowerment of spiritual qi. Li Ding's mind raced, and he said in a deep voice, "I am willing to be the first person to have my dream relics removed." His implication was that he was willing to serve as the first test subject. If the removal failed, he would undoubtedly die; if it succeeded, the other dream expellers, seeing that he was still alive, would naturally believe everything Huang Tian said. "Very well." Seeing Li Ding volunteer as a guinea pig, Huang Tian felt a measure of appreciation. This vice president of the Dream Expeller Association was indeed decisive in action, possessing a streak of ruthlessness in his bones. There was a reason he had risen to become a Rank 3 dream expeller. Li Ding took a deep breath. "Please, proceed." Huang Tian swept his divine sense over Li Ding, raised his right hand, and made a drawing motion. Instantly, several dream relics radiating a sinister, freezing aura wrenched free from Li Ding's body. *Bang! Bang! Bang!—* With several successive pops, the dream relics were completely destroyed, their surging spiritual qi absorbed by Huang Tian. The instant the dream relics were extracted and destroyed, Li Ding's body shuddered. Intense agony struck him, draining the color from his face, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he teetered on the verge of collapse. Seeing this, Huang Tian immediately cast several different evil-dispelling spells onto him. Zhou Zhenhong and Guan Fu both held their breath. The critical moment had arrived; life or death would be decided right now! As the spells washed over Li Ding, he let out a soft hiss, and wisps of black qi began dispersing from his body. Zhou Zhenhong and Guan Fu looked on in astonishment, faintly sensing an ominous aura emanating from the black qi. Exchanging glances, they both guessed that this was the corrosive force of the dream relics. After about ten breaths, Li Ding stumbled slightly, and the black qi finally stopped rising. He steadied himself and moved his hands and feet in disbelief. His body felt far lighter, entirely stripped of the past oppression. "President, how do you feel?" Guan Fu asked with anticipation. Li Ding was overjoyed. "I feel... wonderful! So light! It's as though a thousand-jin burden has been lifted from my shoulders—my whole being feels completely unblocked and clear!" Huang Tian once again swept his divine sense over his body. "Not bad. Your body has returned to the state of a normal human." "Thank you, Mr. Huang!" Li Ding said sincerely. Zhou Zhenhong and Guan Fu were also overjoyed. Ever since becoming dream expellers, they had never expected to live long lives; they were simply dragging out their precarious existence, taking it one day at a time. Yet to their utter astonishment, the corrosive force of dream relics could actually be purged! "No need to thank me yet." Huang Tian extended an index finger and tapped the air toward the center of Li Ding's brow. In the next moment, Li Ding felt a flood of knowledge and memories pour into his mind. He closed his eyes, his brows furrowed tightly as he quickly sorted through the memories: several immortal cultivation methods and over a hundred types of spells. After a long time, his brow smoothed out, and he opened his eyes, which were filled with shock. "So profound! The Dao arts are truly profound!!" "Next is the spiritual qi empowerment. Do not let your mind wander. Circulate it along your heavenly cycles according to the method in your memories, and condense a sea of qi." Huang Tian pointed again. Immediately, a torrent of spiritual qi poured into Li Ding's body. Li Ding took on a solemn expression, swiftly cycling the energy along his meridians according to the memories, condensing a vortex of qi in his Huangting. About ten minutes later, Li Ding snapped his eyes open, spiritual radiance flashing in them, looking revitalized and full of vigor. He sensed the changes within his body in astonishment. "This... in just moments, I've reached the peak of Qi Refinement?!" "Try casting a spell," Huang Tian said with a smile. For an ordinary Rank 3 dream expeller, Huang Tian would at most advance them to late Qi Refinement; Rank 2 would be middle Qi Refinement, and Rank 1 early Qi Refinement. However, Li Ding was reliable and very helpful, so Huang Tian elevated him to the peak of Qi Refinement. In truth, he could have forcibly raised him to the Dao Foundation realm, but pulling up seedlings to help them grow would do more harm than good. The Dao Foundation was one's foundation. It was best for Li Ding to cross this threshold on his own. In the memories Huang Tian had given him, there were rich insights and experiences regarding breakthroughs into Dao Foundation. If Li Ding studied them diligently and spent some time building his foundation, breaking through would not be difficult. "Yes!" Li Ding barely suppressed his delight, carefully recalling the spellcasting memories in his mind. Then, tapping his right foot, his entire body drifted upward. Taking another step, he flew straight out the window, ascending more than ten meters into the air. After a few seconds of contemplation, he formed a hand seal. Instantly, wild winds surged outside the building, whipping his sleeves. "Who is that?" "Someone is flying in the sky?!" "Is that... President Li?" Members of the emergency squad inside the branch building looked up at Li Ding flying in the air, full of curiosity. Although they knew that for a Rank 3 dream expeller, flight was nothing impossible, such a sight was still exceedingly rare. This was because dream expellers had to activate their dream relics to fly, and regardless of their rank, none would use a dream relic simply to show off in front of people. Consequently, they rarely saw dream expellers flying in the sky. Standing amidst the howling gale, Li Ding felt a surge of exhilaration. He let out a hearty laugh, thrust his right palm downward toward a pine tree beside the building, and shouted, "Strike!" With those words, a bolt of purple Palm Lightning crashed down. The great tree snapped with a crack and crashed to the ground, giving everyone quite a fright. Still unsatisfied, he moved his hands in rapid succession. Palm Lightning, Wind Blade, Fireball, Earth Puppet Technique, Thorn Vine Technique... Spell after spell flew from his hands, leaving all who watched dazzled and awe-struck, yet also terrified. "President Li is using the power of his dream relics so recklessly—isn't he afraid of accelerating the corrosion?!" "Hurry, find Chief Zhou and get him to talk some sense into him!" "No need, Chief Zhou definitely saw it. He was just with President Li a moment ago. If he hasn't stepped in to stop him, there must be a reason." "Wait, this doesn't look like the power of dream relics. It looks like... the magic spells from mythological legends?" "Indeed, I've never seen any dream relic that could strike down lightning..." The emergency squad members buzzed with animated discussion. Only after indulging himself to his heart's content did Li Ding fly back into the room. Coughing twice in embarrassment, he said, "I lost my composure, lost my composure." Huang Tian smiled. He completely understood Li Ding's feelings. Back when he had first learned spells, hadn't he also been eager to cast them to his heart's content? Calming himself, Li Ding solemnly bowed. "Thank you, Teacher, for imparting the arts!" Having received the Dao, it was only natural to address him as Teacher. Huang Tian raised a hand, and an invisible force lifted Li Ding back up. He then looked toward Guan Fu and Zhou Zhenhong. "Are you willing—" "Willing! We are willing! Absolutely willing!" Before Huang Tian could even finish his question, the two nodded vigorously, trembling with excitement. Watching Li Ding cast spells with such abandon had stirred their blood so deeply that they yearned to trade places with him right that second. Dream expellers led such miserable lives! Their strength far exceeded ordinary mortals, yet they dared not use it except at critical junctures or in life-and-death crises. How could that compare to the freedom of being a cultivator? As long as the spiritual qi in one's body had not run dry, one could cast spells to one's heart's content! Dream expellers? Bah! Not even a dog would want to be one! Huang Tian nodded in satisfaction. "Steady your minds!" Their expressions turned solemn. Immediately, Huang Tian raised a hand and made a drawing motion. As if their internal organs were being scooped out, several dream relics were pulled from their bodies. *Bang!—* The dream relics were shattered one after another. An unspeakable agony washed over them, but then Huang Tian waved his hand, casting several evil-dispelling, pestilence-clearing spells onto them. Instantly, their bodies felt lighter, a plume of black qi escaped, and they felt unburdened and refreshed, their whole beings unblocked. "Ugh..." In the next moment, vast amounts of knowledge and memories poured into their minds, leaving both dazed for a long while. Just as they managed to recover their senses, Huang Tian's voice sounded in their ears: "Focus your minds and circulate your qi!" The two hurriedly closed their eyes and gathered their thoughts, guiding the empowered spiritual qi along their heavenly cycles according to the memories, gathering it into their Huangting. After a long while, they finally opened their eyes, which were filled with delight. Following Li Ding's example, they bowed deeply. "Thank you, Teacher, for imparting the arts!" Huang Tian nodded slightly, merely saying, "Do not forget my instructions..." With those words, his figure dissolved into mist and dispersed lightly on the wind. After he vanished, Guan Fu and Zhou Zhenhong, beaming with joy like children who had just received new toys, continually cast various wondrous spells until their mental energy grew somewhat weary, only then bringing themselves to stop. Li Ding smiled. "How do the immortal arts feel?" Guan Fu and Zhou Zhenhong exchanged a glance. "Far superior to the power of dream relics!" Indeed, far superior! Cultivating immortal methods carried no danger to one's life, allowed one to wield power freely, and, at deeper levels of cultivation, could even extend one's lifespan. This was the true Grand Dao of Longevity! Only a fool would choose to remain a dream expeller! Li Ding laughed heartily. "In that case, let us notify the world!" At dusk that same day, the government of the State of Dongping urgently held a global press conference, livestreaming it simultaneously across major international platforms. The main speakers were Li Ding, Guan Fu, and Zhou Zhenhong. The president and vice presidents of the State of Dongping's Dream Expeller Association, along with numerous high-ranking officials, were also in attendance. At the press conference, Li Ding first solemnly conveyed Huang Tian's ultimatum to world governments and dream expeller organizations, demanding that they take immediate action. After three days, anyone who remained indifferent would die! Even if it meant heads rolling and blood flowing like rivers, he would not hesitate! Next, Li Ding gave a detailed explanation of the profundity and completeness of the immortal cultivation system. Together with Guan Fu and Zhou Zhenhong, he demonstrated a series of spells—summoning wind and rain, driving thunder and flashing lightning, breathing out swords of qi... leaving countless viewers dazzled and utterly dumbfounded. Finally, facing the camera, he enunciated every word with resolute power: "The war against nightmares that has dragged on for nearly a century, the Supernatural Era that has plunged countless people into despair and terror—it is time for it to end once and for all!!!"