Of course, external forces were only an auxiliary; that Heavenly Venerate was able to attain the Dao still by relying on his own astonishing and brilliant talent.
He was able to see through the essence of ghostly corpse entities, putting their waste to use and inventively producing such a corpse pill that could both subdue corpses and condense the essence of corpse ghosts.
Using a secret art to transform their essence, it was instantly converted into a flesh and blood great medicine.
This Heavenly Venerate possessed great talent!
Zhang Huan felt admiration in his heart, then asked the Little Demonic Box.
"How do you know about this secret art?"
This demonic box had been very quiet lately. After learning that Zhang Huan was not a person from the Underworld, it had become somewhat deranged, but the rice was already cooked, so it could only follow Zhang Huan all the way into the dark.
Though it had surrendered, it was not like the deity of a natal weapon, striving together with one heart and constantly thinking for its master.
It was precisely because its life was pinched in Zhang Huan's hands that it spoke up to give a warning when encountering a crisis. It still needed time to be polished to make it obediently listen.
The rest of the time, it was taciturn, staying all along inside the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar as companions in misfortune with another decayed little pagoda.
Now, reversing its usual state, it actively took the initiative to show goodwill toward Zhang Huan.
"Uh, that. This Soul Stabilizing Bead is actually called a corpse pill."
The Little Demonic Box pondered for a moment, as if organizing its words.
"Secret arts related to it can be practiced by almost everyone in the three branches; it is not any secret."
That being said, that person had deliberately not transmitted the incantation to Zhang Huan.
The other party deliberately had this layer of intention to guard against him, perhaps having long regarded him as a war slave.
"..."
It was just that how this Soul Stabilizing Bead came to be had some stories behind it.
"Vast though the Underworld is, powerful servants are never enough, so master must be careful."
The Little Demonic Box revealed some ancient and distant secrets.
The masters of these war slaves were the group of people who ruled the Underworld; occasionally disappearing one or two was the most normal thing, and there was no way to say they were guarding and stealing at the same time.
And the Underworld forces were colossal; if they needed more, they would just find them.
The female saint who had received him just now even said this was a priceless treasure, a peerless rarity.
Yet thinking of the flesh and blood essence of a quasi-emperor corpse, could it not be a peerless rarity?
The moment he thought that he had also been targeted, Zhang Huan felt a sudden chill.
No wonder this demonic box gave a long-overdue warning; it turned out it was implying things about that person.
It was a pity that Zhang Huan would not take the bait at all. By the time they discovered something was wrong, it would already be too late, having vainly lost a corpse pill.
In the story he fabricated, that ancient corpse would only appear on the battlefield of a distant starry sky.
Yet before this, Zhang Huan had already settled the spiritualized ancient corpse and flown far away with its origin source.
The person behind the scenes had nowhere to vent their anger and could only swallow it alive, destined to fetch water with a bamboo basket resulting in nothing.
"Still, taking a corpse pill to deal with that spiritualized old corpse—now that I think about it, isn't that using the Underworld's things to deal with the Underworld's people?"
He did not know which branch that spiritualized quasi-emperor corpse belonged to. If it knew the person who gave Zhang Huan the corpse pill, then the fun would be huge.
When he sought out that old corpse, he would definitely have to ask it and give it a surprise.
However, come to think of it, the performance of this demonic box was also thought-provoking.
Clearly, all it needed to do was let Zhang Huan notice, yet it told him so much, even explaining the secret art. When abnormal things happened, there must be a demon.
"You are being so attentive; could it be you have some thoughts? You might as well speak out directly."
Zhang Huan got straight to the point. The other party was merely an utensil, with limited capabilities, and could not jump out of the palm of his hand.
"Well. Haven't I been quite obedient lately? It's just that I haven't replenished my energy for a very long time."
The demonic box spoke with embarrassment.
It was truly too hungry; otherwise, it felt it wouldn't have been this attentive and could have endured a few more days.
The demonic box guaranteed that since it had already followed Zhang Huan, it had dismissed any unrealistic thoughts, so please let Zhang Huan rest assured.
"If you are sincerely helping me, I will definitely not treat you unfairly in the future."
Zhang Huan replied with words that let it rest at ease.
Hearing this, the demonic box acted as if a prerequisite had been met, and once again claimed credit before Zhang Huan.
"I'm reporting her: that tower is misbehaving. I don't know how it managed it, but it often uses weak divine sense to send me messages!"
The emotion transmitted was extremely intense, as if it was intolerable to be harassed by it, and also as if it was making a commitment to eradicate the threat for Zhang Huan.
Seeing it decisively shake off and expose itself completely, the decayed little pagoda saw its yellowish tower body rise and fall like breathing, its aura running amok.
"You traitor."
Before it could react, Zhang Huan pinched his fingers, causing more dark light to emerge, wrapping the decayed little pagoda into a zongzi so that it could no longer emit any aura.
The demonic box smiled shyly, as if feeling embarrassed, then looked eagerly at Zhang Huan.
Zhang Huan glanced at it, feeling that all its previous appearance was just paving the way, solely for the reward afterward; it was craftier than a person.
"Do you know the origins of this decayed little pagoda?"
Both of them were quasi-emperor artifacts of the Underworld. The origins of the demonic box were still clear, but this decayed little pagoda was unexpectedly mysterious.
In the outside world, it specifically lured powerful cultivators and recruited them into the Underworld. Over these years, Zhang Huan had never even heard any information about them.
"I don't know. It doesn't look like an object from our era; it looks like a vessel carrying a primer, and I don't know which high-level expert manufactured it."
The demonic box rarely fell into deep thought; it had never seen such a thing before.
The Dao and laws intertwined upon it were no different from a quasi-emperor artifact, yet it lacked its own Dao—or rather, the Dao of its master.
It entirely resembled a hollow machine filled with basic programs, and its various wondrous aspects were hard for it to comprehend.
Just that divine sense secretly transmitted, going straight to its mind and heart, was enough to study it thoroughly. This tower was bizarre.
Hearing this and unable to analyze anything out of it, Zhang Huan nodded.
If it were so easily seen through, then the Underworld's methods would be too rubber-stamp-like; after all, there were still quite a few genuine capabilities.
He had been like this the first time he encountered this little pagoda: knowing it was bizarre yet unable to see deeper levels.
Therefore, after coming to the Underworld, he had never once released this decayed little pagoda out of the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar.
Returning to his residence, he stuffed some heavenly materials and earthly treasures into the jar, making the demonic box smile from ear to ear.
"The corpse pill happens to be just right to help my physical body step into the quasi-emperor realm first; it won't take much time for things to naturally fall into place."
"Next is to gather the origin sources, waiting for the fifty-year period to draw near to deal with the spiritualized old corpse. At that time, I can directly follow the main force heading to the battlefield and slip away."
Zhang Huan pondered the details within, considering setting up one more source art grand array.
The Underworld's Heaven-Piercing Nether Treasure and Supremes were usually in deep slumber, and it was impossible for them to wake up without kicking up a big fuss.
However, the ripples from quasi-emperor-level battles were also not small. Although the location was remote, if the fight dragged on for too long, the other quasi-emperors of the Underworld would at least be able to sense the anomaly.
That being the case, he would take advantage of the old corpse's inability to move and directly lay down an array that concealed the commotion. To be safe, he would finish it off silently and soundlessly.
Over these years, Zhang Huan had acquired vast resources, practically equivalent to raiding the ancestral homes of several quasi-emperors.
He could afford to consume even a quasi-emperor-level grand array.
Using countless divine materials coupled with a few thumb-sized pieces of immortal gold obtained from the Old Daoist Green Ox, it was enough to ensure that no fluctuations would be emitted until he finished off the spiritualized old corpse.
Swallowing the corpse pill, Zhang Huan used a secret art to refine its essence, suddenly feeling his physical body surge with steam, energy sweeping through his whole body, and his blood and Qi skyrocketing.
The energy contained in this pill was simply unimaginable, vast as the sea. Compared to genuine pills, it was even more nourishing—truly a flesh and blood great medicine.
No wonder the person who sent this corpse pill still harbored designs on other quasi-emperors. If he could have a few more, Zhang Huan didn't know what realm his cultivation level could soar to; he figured it could at least save him several hundred years of accumulation.
Using the corpse pill for the first time, Zhang Huan did not suck it dry continuously, only meditating for a moment; the consumed energy was a mere drop in the ocean.
During the process, Zhang Huan did not feel a trace of dead Qi or corpse Qi; it had been purified completely.
"It really is wondrous; this method is simply turning decay into a miracle."
Zhang Huan sighed in praise, his admiration spilling over in words.
This was also a broad and smooth road. By constantly killing ghosts and subduing corpses to accumulate experience, one could harvest increasingly powerful strength.
Continuing in this cycle, the corpse ghosts that made people's hair stand on end would feel terror and fear; to them, he was simply a demon king.
He wondered if the people of that era were just like this: killing corpse ghosts until they went extinct. Aside from the Underworld, one could rarely encounter this kind of thing outside anymore.
"The corpse pill can also store origin sources, which can just happen to resolve the worry of having too many origin sources."
Zhang Huan suppressed himself too fiercely; without producing a divine embryo, he would not break through realms. The massive origin sources within his body had not transformed into strength to settle down. If he kept swallowing like this, one day he would lose control.
It just so happened that he could store them in the corpse pill first, swallowing them in one go later on.
The corpse Qi was purified by the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar, so there was never any worry.
In the dozen or so years that followed, Zhang Huan continued to persist in grave-digging, accumulating foundations, and tempering his physical body to assault the quasi-emperor physique.
From time to time, he went to the Sea of Bones where the spiritualized old corpse was located to deploy some array patterns. Even knowing that the other party might sense him, Zhang Huan still swaggered back and forth.
He had been to the main hall a few times to request the locations of burial pits, and the female saint with a troubled expression had marked out a few more places.
He had inquired who the person who gave him the corpse pill that day was, wanting to express his gratitude in person, but to no avail all along. The contact person only told him to cultivate as quickly as possible and bring back the quasi-emperor corpse early.
Zhang Huan left with a cold sneer in his heart.
Tempering his physique to become increasingly consummate, and after all preparations were complete, Zhang Huan went all out to charge through the barrier, nearly sublimating and about to break open that layer of taboo shackles.
He fixed upon a certain period and reported it to the person in charge of the Underworld. The other party was shocked and hurriedly gave orders to choose a propitious location for Zhang Huan.
The quasi-emperor tribulation was no trivial matter, and lightning was the natural nemesis of extreme Yin objects. If rashly triggered within this Underworld, there was no knowing how many people would be implicated.
Sitting cross-legged on a lightning attracting platform, Zhang Huan quietly waited for his essence, Qi, and spirit to become full.
He had the confidence to survive this tribulation: firstly, his own aptitude was not high to begin with, so the quasi-emperor tribulation would not be as terrifying as those monstrous prodigies, and this time only his physique was undergoing the tribulation, so the lightning tribulation was incomplete.
Secondly, his foundation was sufficient. Having swallowed numerous origin sources and also possessing the Ruthless Emperor's inheritance, having mastered various wondrous techniques and divine abilities, passing the heavenly tribulation was a sure thing.
Climbed his aura to the extreme, Zhang Huan no longer hesitated and actively lured the lightning tribulation to descend!
Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, endless lightning intertwining and coming densely, converging into electric currents and brewing tribulation resembling heavenly punishment.
The moment it appeared, the momentum was vast and mighty, a terrifying might spreading out, peerless, as if continuously heavily striking in the hearts of everyone watching from afar.
The sounds of dragon roars echoed in bursts; this was a tribulation specially sent down for the physical body to achieve the quasi-emperor realm.
The electric light fell, nearly striking out with destructive light. The blood within Zhang Huan's body was boiling, his physical body constantly being washed by light and electricity, shedding layers of skin to reveal flesh and blood.
Blood and Qi surged straight up into the firmament like a tsunami impacting the electric light. Zhang Huan treated it solemnly, unleashing several secret arts to wipe out wave after wave of the heavenly tribulation.
Zhang Huan did not want to reveal the details of the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art, using various divine abilities to cover it up and disguise it as other demonic arts.
The sea of lightning churned above the vault of heaven, its momentum growing increasingly grand. Zhang Huan risked injury to battle with the lightning tribulation; this was a war of attrition.
After a long time, Zhang Huan felt tired for the first time; his saint power was about to be beaten dry, yet the quasi-emperor tribulation was still striking, having already tempered his physique to the tier of a monster.
The gates of potential opened one after another, and Zhang Huan felt the ultimate sublimation of his flesh and blood. Ceasing to consume saint power, he used his body to shake the lightning tribulation head-on.
Boundless, world-shaking divine lightning fell, striking space until it shattered. However, landing on Zhang Huan, it merely stirred up streams of slender lightning snakes.
The quasi-emperor physique was already formed.
The lightning tribulation could no longer do anything to Zhang Huan. The terrifying electric light being brewed was forcibly torn apart, churning with endless light and heat, undulating unceasingly.
At this time, the quasi-emperor tribulation ceased to continue, revealing patches of chaos and scattering just like that—a tiger's head and snake's tail, ending hastily.
Zhang Huan had been suppressing his cultivation level all along, and now he hardened his heart, once again skillfully executing a self-severing slash. He was still in the Great Saint Realm, and the heavenly tribulation sensed this and did not fully descend.
Opening his mouth to inhale a massive volume of Chaos Qi, Zhang Huan's physique rapidly recovered, returning to perfection in the blink of an eye.
The quasi-emperor's power was terrifyingly strong; his life force alone was stronger than a Great Saint's by who knows how many folds.
His aura was more terrifying than a true dragon alive, causing one to feel horrified at a glance.
"Did he succeed or not?"
A person in charge watching from afar wore a grave expression, his brows drifting uncertainly.
He could feel the quasi-emperor might, yet the scene before his eyes told him that the other party had not truly become a cultivator of the same tier as him.
"Most likely he didn't succeed. We have all personally experienced the quasi-emperor tribulation and know its changes best. If he had succeeded, the heavenly tribulation would never exhibit this kind of performance right now."
Another person frowned and said with regret.
"He only succeeded partially, though. It's a pity his foundation is insufficient, and there is still quite a gap from a true quasi-emperor."
"Then how should we treat him? You must know this person's deadline is approaching, and he is among the last batch to head to the battlefield. Don't let any accidents happen."
"Just leave him alone and do whatever we were going to do. Anyway, even if he breaks through, sooner or later he'll just be a Soul Stabilizing Bead; relying on him alone, he can't possibly turn the heavens upside down."
Anything tainted with "quasi-emperor" could not be compared at all to the realms below. Saying that everyone below the quasi-emperor was an ant was no exaggeration.
Some worried that Zhang Huan's strength would surge abruptly, possibly sensing something and causing a considerable commotion, while others felt it was making a fuss over nothing and there was no need to specifically do anything.
If he had been a quasi-emperor from the start, that would have been simple; he would have been targeted early on. As for this group of Great Saints...
After final discussions, they still did not act rashly. After all, he wasn't a true quasi-emperor; as long as things proceeded step-by-step, the people in charge of the Underworld had the confidence not to leak any flaws.
Someone had been waiting early on. Before stepping off the platform, Zhang Huan first adapted to his power, drawing his aura and might inward and locking them within his physique without leaking a single drop.
"Sigh, my strength is lacking; I couldn't even survive the full quasi-emperor tribulation, and prematurely suffered a Dao injury. Now I have to recuperate for a while again."
Zhang Huan smiled bitterly, displaying the self-severed Dao injury and informing them that he indeed possessed some quasi-emperor might, though it was mixed with just a sliver, making it better than nothing.
The crowd pacified him, speaking pleasant words, but in reality, they had long since been laughing out loud in their hearts. Zhang Huan knew it well; they were all putting on acts and out-acting each other.
Collecting some consolation gifts, Zhang Huan asked the person in charge, hoping the other party could provide some more burial pits.
It was almost time to go to the battlefield, and on the surface, he currently needed recuperation. In full view of the public, the person in charge found it difficult to refuse, saying he would send someone to deliver a few healing sacred items to him later.
Returning to his residence, Zhang Huan waited for several days without waiting to see any healing items.
To mention this, the author is a newcomer with a new book, writing a book on Qidian for the very first time.
Before you continue