Earthquake

It was merely a matter of perception. Ants and mayflies could not comprehend the existence of humans. In their lifespans of less than a single day, they could never understand how magnificent a life form capable of living for centuries was. In their living range of merely a few thousand meters throughout their entire lives, they could never fathom the sheer vastness of a planet tens of thousands of li across. Just like Yaoguang moments ago, deeply marveling at how wondrous it was to see through the essence of all things with a single glance. Yet in truth, this perception was just like an ordinary person casually seeing everything a mayfly could ever encounter in its lifetime in one glance. The two were identical in nature. Different dimensions brought different perceptions. "Perhaps it was due to rising from death, or being reborn from the deceased. In any case, for some unknown reason, I... obtained this higher-dimensional perception. It's like an ant suddenly gaining human vision, able to see everything in the ant world at a single glance... However, right now I am too weak. Just as an infant can barely control its own body, I... am the same, at best able to touch upon a minuscule amount of information through 'keywords'..." Yaoguang closed his eyes, quietly digesting this truth. Higher-dimensional perception allowed him to "see" all information related to a certain "keyword" at a glance. Just as if an ant gained human vision, if it wanted to know where edible leaves were, a single "glance" would instantly make it clear. There was no need at all to rely on collective cooperation like other ants. Similarly, if it wanted to migrate, it could also see through everything with a glance, analyzing paths and circumventing danger. Its individual efficiency far surpassed that of the entire collective. "So, I am too weak right now. Even with higher-dimensional perception, I can only search a tiny handful of keywords like [Martial Path], [Demon Hunting], [Merchant], and [Artifact Refining]. Just like an infant with eyes can only see a few meters around itself, only as my strength keeps rising—meaning my life tier keeps advancing—and I can 'see' more clearly will I be able to unlock more keywords I desire, like [Alchemy] and [Sword Cultivator]..." Yaoguang formed a comprehensive understanding of the mystery within him. As for why this higher-dimensional perception manifested as an "ancient tree"... That was also tied to his own cognition. In his brain's understanding of "knowledge," concepts like profession trees and skill trees aligned best with this image. If he could overcome his primal instincts, he could also alter the ancient tree's form, turning it into a compass, a galaxy, or anything else. Pondering this, he turned his focus toward the Dao Fruits hanging there. If information was what he "saw," then Dao Fruits were equivalent to his comprehension of those things. Just like reading a book, a Dao Fruit was the knowledge he learned after finishing the text. Yaoguang rubbed his brow, extracting his consciousness from the truth of the ancient tree. "Now is not the time to delve deeply into higher-dimensional perception. After all... right now, I am merely a mortal. Just like a poor man, understanding the society of the rich will not bring him happiness; rather, it easily plunges him into depression. Higher-dimensional perception is the same. Instead of probing deeply into the wondrous marvels behind high dimensions, it is better to first use this perception to improve myself and my immediate surroundings—just like a poor man coming into contact with the wealthy world, learning its information, and turning it into his own wealth to break free from poverty." Yaoguang composed his mind and focused his gaze on the Dao Fruit formed upon reaching the peak of the ninth tier. This Dao Fruit... "Child of the Stars." Yaoguang's eyes brightened slightly. The ninth tier was called Star Transformation. The existence of Child of the Stars was practically equivalent to another outcome of Star Transformation. A life form possessing the Child of the Stars trait would achieve extraordinary harmony with the world—namely, the magnetic field—of its native planet. Given enough time to push the traits of Child of the Stars to their peak, he could even display the miraculous marvels belonging to a Star Lord while still at the Heavenly Being stage. "I knew it. The Life Force Field theoretically should be an ability possessed only by a ninth-tier Star Transformation, merging the Life Force Field with the astral force field into one to truly step into the Star Lord realm. Yet an ability that belonged to the ninth-tier Star Transformation appeared in the form of a Dao Fruit at the eighth tier's completion. Thus, the Dao Fruit of the ninth tier... inevitably touches upon the realm above the ninth tier—the Star Lord realm." Yaoguang quietly felt the mysteries of the Child of the Stars technique... To be precise, Child of the Stars was not a technique, but rather a passive state. It operated constantly, without interruption. This was vastly superior to the Earth Furnace and the Life Force Field. "Furthermore, with the Earth Furnace present, combined with the Life Force Field I've grasped... relying on the Child of the Stars trait, I can already act like a Star Lord, bearing the mountain and earth-vein momentum upon myself with my Life Force Field. With every move, I can genuinely shatter mountains and rend the earth." A sharp light flashed across Yaoguang's eyes. The next moment, he strode straight out of Mount Yuhuang Villa, rushing with great strides toward Longyou Stream—the key point where the mountain and earth-vein momentum of Mount Yuhuang was strongest. Upon reaching Longyou Stream, he used the Earth Furnace secret technique to quickly unite himself with the mountain and earth-vein momentum, using the Child of the Stars passive to deepen this fusion. He even... He began consciously allowing his own Life Force Field to resonate with the mountain and earth-vein momentum. Under this resonance, Yaoguang clearly sensed his perception spreading outward at extreme speed. Centered on Longyou Stream, it plunged straight into the woods ahead, then deep into the Mount Yuhuang mountain range, taking in every contour of the mountains. In this state, he felt as though he had become the mountain god of Mount Yuhuang, an intrinsic part of the mountain itself. As long as he wished, he could mobilize even more of the mountain and earth-vein power to temper his body, vastly accelerating his cultivation efficiency. Likewise... As his fusion with Mount Yuhuang deepened, he could even imbue every action with the mountain and earth-vein momentum of Mount Yuhuang. Though his unfamiliarity and relatively weak Life Force Field meant the momentum he could draw was limited, when he threw a punch, the entire Mount Yuhuang seemed to emit a faint rumble. Rumble! Accompanied by the crushing passage of what seemed to be a formless, intangible force, a boulder weighing over a hundred tons directly in front of Yaoguang was pulverized on the spot. From over a dozen meters away! Shattering a boulder of over a hundred tons through empty air! Even artillery shells could not achieve such power. After all, this was not drilling holes to detonate dynamite and shatter rock, but crushing it head-on. Such a method... Could no longer be called mere fist techniques or secret arts. It was... A divine ability! "No! The marvels brought by stacking the Earth Furnace, the Life Force Field, and the Child of the Stars don't stop here!" Yaoguang quietly felt the operation of Mount Yuhuang's mountain and earth-vein momentum. Soon sensing something, he strode forward, covering over a dozen kilometers until he reached a massive slope. The slope leaned at an angle over sixty degrees, covering an area of no less than ten thousand square meters, dotted with countless boulders weighing hundreds of tons. Yaoguang looked at the slope, took a deep breath, and set his Life Force Field vibrating violently. As his Life Force Field trembled, the mountain and earth-vein momentum of the region ahead was disrupted. The flow of the mountain and earth-vein momentum here was already inherently unstable; disturbed by Yaoguang's Life Force Field... The ten-thousand-square-meter slope, holding unknown tens of thousands of tons of mountain rock, instantly began to quiver faintly. As time passed, this vibration grew increasingly obvious and intense... Finally, when the trembling reached a critical threshold... This mountain face spanning ten thousand square meters began to fracture, tilt, and slide downward. Countless trees on the slope were ripped apart as the mountainside broke away. Boulders weighing several tons, tens of tons, and hundreds of tons tumbled ceaselessly with the sliding mountain mass, crashing down into the stream not far below. Millions of tons of earth and rock poured down in a thunderous avalanche as the landslide began. Such magnificent, terrifying power was something that not only Martial Saints, but even Heavenly Beings would flee from as fast as possible. Attempting to face such majestic power—virtually a natural disaster—head-on meant certain death. "This kind of power..." Sensing the landslide wrought solely by his own hands, Yaoguang could not help but suck in a cold breath. Too formidable. This power was... Simply too terrifying. Moreover, right now he was not even a Heavenly Being, and his Life Force Field remained at the Martial Saint tier. If his cultivation made another breakthrough and he truly stepped into the Heavenly Being realm, causing his Life Force Field to expand drastically, complemented by Child of the Stars, couldn't he trigger a localized earthquake all by himself?! If a Heavenly Being could already cause localized earthquakes, what about the even stronger Star Lords?! Destroying cities and wiping out nations with high-intensity earthquakes would be child's play. Perhaps... Those Star Lords standing at the very peak could even tear tectonic plates apart, plunging a planet's civilization straight into extinction. Taking it a step further, above the Star Lord realm, could they directly shatter planets?! Yaoguang's body trembled faintly. Excitement. Fear. It was too overpowering. A living, breathing humanoid disaster. Only after a long while did Yaoguang slowly settle his turbulent emotions. Using Child of the Stars to trigger earthquakes or landslides was indeed effective for destroying structures, but in a battle between Heavenly Beings, it might not be very useful. After all, an opponent could run. No Heavenly Being would stand dumbly in place when a landslide came crashing down, letting it bury them alive. Therefore... To deal with the Rebirth Society and that Soul-Commanding Envoy from what was suspected to be the Sixth Fleet of the Moon Demon Empire's Divine City Expeditionary Army—the one who had seized Xie Bo'en's body—what he truly had to rely on was his own strength. "With the Child of the Stars trait, the process of drawing upon the mountain and earth-vein momentum, and even the world's momentum, to forge a Heavenly Being body will inevitably be shortened significantly. Plus, the Spirit Concentration Pills sent by the Xuelong Empire are sufficient to let me complete the transformation of my spirit intent... If all goes smoothly, I can forge the Heavenly Being body and truly step into the Heavenly Being realm in three to five months." Yaoguang calculated. Yet he knew in his heart that the Rebirth Society expert who possessed Xie Bo'en might not give him that much time. ... Matters unfolded just as he had anticipated. In merely a month, the mysterious expert who had seized Xie Bo'en made his appearance. He fully unleashed the invincible power possessed by a Heavenly Being presiding over an entire world, charging into the Xuelong royal family with thunderous might. Even though the Xuelong Xie family had prepared in advance and dispatched personnel clad in high-grade battle armor with formidable firepower, they were still torn apart in their armor and slain on the spot. Had the Xie family higher-ups not acted decisively by dropping a low-yield hydrogen bomb directly over the imperial palace to heavily wound the mysterious expert, the entire upper echelon of the Xie family might have been slaughtered to the last person. Such an upheaval made it impossible for the Xie family to sit still. Xie Yier sought out Yaoguang at once, imploring him to personally intervene and launch a campaign of devastating retaliation against the Rebirth Society. Between Xuelong and the Rebirth Society, it was now a fight to the death.