"Fairy, are you saying this guy soared all the way from early Body Integration to half-step Tribulation Transcendence?" Lu Yang asked in astonishment, unable to make sense of what had just happened.
Half-step Tribulation Transcendence was not an actual cultivation realm, but a benchmark of combat prowess. A cultivator whose battle strength surpassed the ordinary Body Integration stage without having truly stepped into the Tribulation Transcendence stage was referred to as a half-step Tribulation Transcendence.
"Haven't I told you before? This is a method of tempering the divine soul—splitting into tens of thousands of incarnations to experience different lives and comprehend the mortal world. In the end, they merge together into the body, returning to their peak state or even ascending to a higher level."
"The cultivation art this guy practices is pretty similar to Shopkeeper Shi's, isn't it?"
Lu Yang took a second to register who she meant, realizing the Immortal Fairy was referring to Vice Cult Master Shi of the Nine Nether Cult.
"Is he also from the Nine Nether Cult?"
"More than that. Given how higher cultivation corresponds to higher rank, he's probably someone on the level of their Cult Master."
Lu Yang was shocked and skeptical, but mostly bewildered.
"Has the Nine Nether Cult gotten so poor that even their Cult Master has to take odd jobs?"
...
The man in the white paper hat sighed. "Every last one of my avatars has returned. None of those identities can ever be used again. How many spirit stones am I going to lose this time?
"Nothing I can do about it. Who told you ancient cultivators to pick a fight with us?"
He had worked so hard to make money purely out of fear that the cult members would discover the astronomical loans hanging over their heads—loans that had been used to build the Nine Nether Cult and pay out monthly allowances.
Never mind that he was now at half-step Tribulation Transcendence; even if he reached the full Tribulation Transcendence stage in the future, he might not survive if the truth were exposed.
He had to take odd jobs while he was still alive and plug the hole.
The more he earned, the higher his odds of survival.
Vice Cult Master Shi viewed the barbecue shop as a lifeline, and the man in the white paper hat felt the exact same way.
"Who are you!" Wu Youdao barked in demand.
In front of the righteous path, the man in the white paper hat naturally could not reveal that he was from the Nine Nether Cult.
All he could do was sneer coldly.
In the eyes of the crowd, this only enhanced his enigmatic aura—even if the identity of the Nine Nether Cult Master was indeed mysterious enough in its own right.
"Waste no more breath, Great Yu cultivator! Let us settle all our scores, old and new, right now!"
Well aware that loose lips sink ships, the man in the white paper hat said nothing further and charged straight at Wu Youdao.
"Audacious cur! You dare take the initiative to attack Us?!"
"Avici Hell—Great Millstone!"
A colossal iceberg condensed above Wu Youdao's head, as massive as half of Hanshui City. Like ancient, unyielding black ice, it was frigid beyond measure, already brushing against the absolute edge of freezing cold!
Beneath Wu Youdao's feet, boundless, raging flames erupted like a prairie fire, yet burned far fiercer and hotter than any normal blaze!
The iceberg and raging fire acted like the upper and lower stones of a mill, trapping Wu Youdao directly in the center, unable to move.
"Hmph! You dare challenge Us with petty tricks like this?"
"Count me in!" Qiu Jin'an stepped forward, his hands swiftly forming seals to cast Five Elements spells.
The freezing chill of the ancient black ice surged to another level, threatening to freeze even time and space solid. The roaring flames took on a dark, obsidian hue—the Nether Ghost Fire, crafted specifically to burn the soul.
Wu Youdao's expression changed. A combined strike from the two of them was enough to threaten his life!
*Crack—crunch—*
The sound of bones grinding echoed out. Tribulation Transcendence blood flowed, unable to be frozen or burned away, leaking from the outer rim of the millstone.
"Universe in the Palm!"
Wu Youdao roared in fury, unleashing a blow of pure wrath. The weight of minor worlds stacked atop one another, shattering the great millstone of Avici Hell to pieces!
"Form the Three Talents Formation!" Qiu Jin'an directed, the appearance of the man in the white paper hat giving him newfound confidence.
"I command the power of the five elements; I shall occupy the Heaven Position!
"You have manifested Avici Hell; you shall occupy the Earth Position!
"Lord Lü, you are the provincial governor and the father-mother official of the people; you shall occupy the Mortal Position!"
The Three Talents Formation was renowned far and wide, having originated in ancient times. Yet it was rarely deployed successfully, for its requirements on fate and cultivation were extraordinarily harsh.
Without a word, the three took their places at Heaven, Earth, and Mortal according to their respective destinies.
The moment the Three Talents Formation took shape, the three immediately felt as though they had merged into a single entity. Their strength rose another tier, and their divine souls became far more steadfast!
"Grand Luo Triple Force!"
Wu Youdao threw a punch. The fist imprint flared with light, splintering space wherever its radiance swept past and sealing off every avenue of escape.
Closing the distance in an instant, the fist struck the man in the white paper hat in the abdomen. The triple force transmitted through the three of them: the man took the first layer of force, Qiu Jin'an absorbed the second layer, and Provincial Governor Lü bore the brunt of the third, most devastating layer. The punch's destructive power was minimized to the greatest degree!
Under the enhancement of the Three Talents Formation, the power of national destiny flowed even faster. In an instant, the three fully recovered their peak state, as if they had never taken the punch at all!
"Kill!"
Steering the Three Talents Formation, the three unleashed their most potent techniques and clashed with Wu Youdao once more.
All four had their bodies blasted apart repeatedly only to mend again and again. Injuries that would have been fatal to lower-tier cultivators were negligible in their eyes, costing merely a bit of spiritual power.
*Huff—pant—*
Wu Youdao drew ragged breaths. In the exchange just now, his body had been shattered more times than those of his opponents. The sheer amount of spiritual power consumed was enormous, impossible to replenish even by consuming pills.
He wanted to break away from the battlefield, but the three kept him encircled, leaving him unable to breach the perimeter.
"Damn you!"
"Five-Colored Divine Light!"
"Pestle and Mortar Hell!"
"Mountain Suppressing Guard!"
The three brought forth their ultimate lethal moves. The five-colored dragon-tiger qi shattered, unable to reform, and Wu Youdao took all three attacks head-on. His body was left mangled, his regeneration visibly sluggish.
Witnessing this, the citizens of Hanshui City waved their hands in jubilation, the dark haze that had fallen over their hearts when Wu Youdao first appeared gradually dissolving.
"Stop watching the show and come help!" Wu Youdao bellowed in rage.
An aged, gloomy voice rang out as a hobbling old man leaning on a cane materialized on the battlefield.
"Your Majesty, this hardly suits your style. You, calling for help?"
"Cang Lei, this is no plea for help—it is Our imperial decree!" Wu Youdao glared furiously at the elder.
"Much the same either way," the old man addressed as Cang Lei chuckled, revealing a mouth with only a few teeth left.
"Cang Lei... Could it be Venerable Cang Lei!" Provincial Governor Lü muttered, looking in shock toward Qiu Jin'an and the man in the white paper hat for confirmation. He found the same astonishment mirrored in their eyes.
All three had heard of Venerable Cang Lei's great name, and their hearts sank. He was an early Tribulation Transcendence mighty figure who possessed consummate mastery over lightning arts.
Yet another Tribulation Transcendence cultivator.
Fighting a single Tribulation Transcendence cultivator had taken everything they had—how were they supposed to handle two?!
"Heheheh, gentlemen, surrender without resistance. Our goal is merely the power of national destiny," Venerable Cang Lei wheezed with a grating chuckle. Lightning runes flickered across his cane, giving the impression that if Provincial Governor Lü dared utter a single word of refusal, a thunderbolt would instantly strike him down.
Qiu Jin'an and the other two did not reply, plunging the area into an eerie silence.
*Crack—!*
Suddenly, a clap of thunder resonated, shattering the quiet.
Venerable Cang Lei froze for a second. He hadn't even attacked yet.
Provincial Governor Lü's eyes lit up as he looked toward the source of the thunder. "It's Sect Master Lu! He's about to break through to the Tribulation Transcendence stage!"
...
At the Corpse Driving Sect.
Elder Gai spat on the scattered corpses of the Wu Corpse Sect.
"Bah! What pathetic trash. With this measly level of skill, you dared test us? Don't you know how to keep up with the times?"
"Y-You... that isn't the corpse-driving art..." The sole remaining survivor of the Wu Corpse Sect pointed a trembling hand at Elder Gai, his life flame dimming rapidly.
He could not believe what had just transpired. He had clearly still been alive, yet his body had been refined by Elder Gai, turning him into a bona fide living corpse entirely beyond his own control.
Beyond that, there were all manner of bizarre, uncanny spells.
Before Elder Gai and the other three elders, the ancient corpse-driving art that the Wu Corpse Sect took so much pride in had failed to gain the slightest upper hand.
"Why wouldn't it be the corpse-driving art? The Dao Seeking Sect improved it for us!" Elder Gai puffed out his chest, brimming with pride.
"Everyone, meditate and recover. We'll head into the city to help in a moment," Elder Gai called out. The recent battle had taken quite a toll on them as well.
*Crack—!*
Heavenly thunder detonated right above their heads. The four elders looked up in stunned disbelief.
Elder Gai was the first to realize what was happening, sheer delight flooding his heart.
"The Sect Master is about to break through!"
Chapter 441