Taking advantage of the fact that it had not yet discovered Zhang Huan, he quietly approached, aiming the mouth of the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar at the broken sword.
Accumulating the force of the laws throughout his entire body, black light surged out of the demonic jar, and a Supreme Dao light wave spewed forth. In an instant, the broken sword was blasted until it lost its radiance, driven along the light wave to crash against the symbols on the body of the bronze palace.
Striking with the might of a million jun, the fractured areas on the broken sword became dense and shocking to the eye.
It was already broken to begin with, missing even half of its blade. Although it was also an artifact at the level of an immortal, it fell far short of immortal artifacts like the Heaven-Piercing Nether Treasure.
After enduring long periods of attrition, it had fought to a mutual destruction with the order symbols on the immortal metal of the immortal palace, bringing it practically to the verge of complete ruin.
Even a true fallen immortal would retain less than one-tenth of their peak strength and run the risk of being counter-killed, let alone an immortal sword that was on the verge of shattering.
Immortal symbols continuously rose and fell upon the chains, suppressing the broken sword until its divine light flickered indistinctly, while Zhang Huan continuously bombarded it with the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar.
A few breaths later, as if unwilling to be ruined here, the sword erupted with a divine chime. Brighter than ever before, it withstood the dual suppression and fiercely slashed toward the final immortal metal chain.
The white blade cleaved open the immortal metal, banishing a small half of the order laws, and there it locked in a stalemate. Before it could cleave open the final restraint, the deity wailed, and the next moment the entire body shattered explosively.
It failed. The deity transformed into a rain of light and dissipated in the air, making a final struggle but failing to break free. After a desperate fight, the blade exploded into more than ten fragments of varying sizes.
Zhang Huan's eyes shone brightly, and he manipulated the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar to snatch the fragments. The fragments of an immortal artifact were priceless treasures.
The immortal Dao laws upon them alone were enough to benefit one immensely.
Becoming an Emperor in the future would even allow him to use them as a foundation to forge another complete immortal artifact, nurturing it within the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountain and using other materials to complete it was not impossible either.
The immortal palace had no consciousness; ever since Zhang Huan entered this place, he had never discovered its deity.
Otherwise, it would not have allowed this immortal sword to spend a long period of time slowly wearing away and severing the order chains.
Most likely, this immortal sword had been sealed here in an era of unknown antiquity, unable to leave the immortal palace, and thus it had wanted to break free.
Once the immortal sword was destroyed, the order symbols also dissipated. Lacking any target to suppress, it slowly lost its immortal power and became ordinary.
Several thick, multicolored pieces of immortal metal dropped casually to the ground, flashing with five colors and translucent like glazed glass.
Zhang Huan safely stored the immortal sword fragments, collected the immortal metal pieces one by one, and sensed the aura of the immortal Dao in this place.
Everything else was secondary; these items related to immortals were the true treasures here.
If one could comprehend even a trace of them, the benefits would be absolute.
Zhang Huan sat cross-legged here, not forgetting to stimulate a sliver of Emperor power to shoot out of the palace. Matters of great importance were at stake, and Zhang Huan had no intention of letting the old daoist leave this place alive.
The immortal qi drifting through this place was a supreme tonic, with a single wispy thread capable of extending one's lifespan by at least a century. All of it was the purest Essence of Life, and over the long passage of years, more than a hundred strands had accumulated.
Zhang Huan did not refine them, instead storing every last one within his bitter sea for future use.
The immortal Dao symbols were transcendent, representing an exposition of a different life level that the Human Dao could not reach. Zhang Huan comprehended the immortal Dao aura within the immortal palace, and more than a century passed before he knew it.
During these years, his cultivation level climbed alongside his comprehension of the immortal Dao, granting him an even clearer understanding of the Dao. He even sublimated within the flying immortal power, integrated it into his own research, and created a false immortal power.
Compared to the true immortal power it was inferior, but it was considerably stronger than the flying immortal power. Having integrated a portion of the immortal Dao's law symbols, it was extraordinary.
He had spent over a century carelessly creating it, and many areas had yet to be elevated to their absolute peak. In the future, the false immortal power would become even purer, and one day it might not be unable to rival true immortal power.
Zhang Huan surmised that by that time, his understanding of the immortal Dao would probably be nearly complete, falling little short of a true immortal.
The mortal realm has great utility, but when it comes to reaching the immortal realm, it's still better to use true immortal power. Is there any need to waste effort researching this false immortal power?
He shook his head. This false immortal power sounded impressive, but in reality, it was a embroidered pillow—impressive in appearance, but useless in reality.
Within the Human Dao Domain, it could still exert a suppression of half a level, keeping his foundation at an advantage at all times, but once he reached the immortal Dao domain, it would become as tasteless as chicken ribs.
However, it is still sufficient.
To become a true immortal, one must accumulate at least several hundred thousand years of effort within this mortal dust.
Such a long time will be enough for me to cultivate the false immortal power to its peak and then pioneer another path.
Zhang Huan muttered to himself. In this life, he could entirely specialize in the false immortal power to expand his own advantages.
Future matters were still far away, and he was nowhere near reaching immortality; they were not things he should be considering right now.
Cultivating here for a day could equal a hundred days in the outside world, with the Great Dao appearing as if right before his eyes. This bronze immortal palace was, in itself, a stroke of creation.
Throughout the entire world, it would be difficult to find such a fine place for a quasi-emperor like Zhang Huan to make progress.
Zhang Huan was not in a hurry to leave either, choosing simply to grind against his shackles right here and advance his cultivation level.
No wonder it was said that cultivating immortality required wealth, companions, methods, and land; having a good blessed land and grotto-heaven was utterly crucial to a cultivator, closely linked to their cultivation level.
Even for a bitter ascetic who sought everything within themselves, having a good grotto-heaven for cultivation yielded twice the result with half the effort.
I have now attained the Fifth Heaven; advancing a step further will require a good deal of years of grinding. At this rate, wanting to achieve the Dao will take at least several great centuries.
Zhang Huan muttered to himself. Taking things one step at a time was certainly steady, and grinding away through time would surely lead to becoming an Emperor.
However, that was too slow. He intended to emulate Ye Fan's feat of breaking through three consecutive quasi-emperor tiers here, refining a body of external essence to break through multiple realms in one fell swoop.
He happened to have a ready-made weapon for proving the Dao—an azure gold cauldron. Summoning it forth at this moment, he truly forged it into his own weapon to store his blood essence.
As his blood seeped out and poured into the azure gold cauldron, a strange undulation spread outward. Zhang Huan's physique withered slightly by a fraction, and a strand of black hair turned white.
By the time all the crimson blood essence left his body, Zhang Huan would be entirely withered, sealing away his entire body's blood and qi.
This action was an excavation of human potential, probing toward deeper levels, and more blood essence would be produced thereafter.
Rosy light surged from Zhang Huan's body, and in an instant, his blood and qi grew vigorous once more, continuously replenishing the lost essence of life.
Repeating the cycle, Zhang Huan forced out his blood essence once more. Having undergone transformations and accumulated no small amount of foundation during the quasi-emperor stage, he had no idea just how far his potential could reach at this moment.
Time flew by, and another two hundred years passed in an instant.
The cauldron was filled to the brim with Divine Blood Essence, overflowing with boundless life force, like a gleaming piece of glazed glass.
Zhang Huan sensed that the time had come.
It is time to go out and undergo the tribulation. After centuries of closed-door cultivation, coupled with the creation of the bronze immortal palace, this opportunity is not small.
Zhang Huan could feel that his current state was full to bursting, showing the signs of a tribulation; it was only because he was inside the bronze immortal palace that he had not drawn down the lightning tribulation.
The moment he stepped into the outside world, heaven and earth would immediately sense him and unleash the lightning tribulation.
Glancing one last time at the green bronze ancient palace, Zhang Huan did not leave it behind, taking it with him as he turned and stepped across space.
So it was in the Eastern Wasteland.
Glancing across the boundless earth, Zhang Huan instantly knew his location.
Flying aside for a single breath would bring him to the ancient forbidden ground, the Primordial Ancient Mine.
In an instant, Zhang Huan tore open a spatial rift, stepped into the boundless void, and flew toward the borderlands.
The great tribulation of the late Quasi-Emperor was immense in momentum; he must not attract the attention of those inside the forbidden ground.
In his anticipation, attention would only be drawn when he reached the tribulation of the Ninth Heaven's great tribulation.
Before even being anointed with the precious blood, boundless purple qi swept down from overhead. The firmament flashed with divine lightning, covering a vast expanse of the borderlands—a truly terrifying sight.
The tribulation had arrived; this was the Sixth Heaven of the Quasi-Emperor.
Zhang Huan attacked with his divine soul, crystalline and brilliant, unstained by worldly rosy clouds. With a long roar, he charged into the endless sea of lightning, shattering the boundless tribulation.
The thunder rumbled, growing even more perilous, yet his divine soul remained right within it, calm and unruffled, taking the initiative to attack the vast sea of electric light.
Even the tribulation that shook the universe could not harm Zhang Huan by even a fraction. He simply stood amidst the lightning sea, and when the dark clouds dispersed, his withered figure remained unchanged.
The tribulation of the Sixth Heaven could no longer inflict damage upon him.
Now comes the real main event.
Zhang Huan did not relax; he knew the true slaughter tribulation was only just beginning, featuring not only the heavenly tribulation, but quite possibly a human tribulation as well.
"So it was you, the traitor of the underworld! To think it is you undergoing tribulation here!"
A quasi-emperor looked over from across thousands of star systems, a ferocious expression in his eyes as he charged over to kill him.
They had once placed a curse upon Zhang Huan, and naturally possessed a method to sense him at close range.
The momentum of the tribulation was immense, reaching every corner of the Six Harmonies and Eight Desolations without exception; even in the borderlands, it could be perceived by the powerful beings across the universe.
"The Underworld acts; all living beings stand aside!"
Wielding an imperial weapon in his hand, he charged forward blindly, intent on slaying Zhang Huan right while he had just finished his tribulation.
"I wondered who it might be; to think it is the Underworld Lord himself who has arrived. I am trembling with fear."
Zhang Huan sneered, killing intent likewise exposed in his eyes. No wonder this person was so arrogant; as it turned out, it was his enemy from the underworld.
He had previously learned information regarding the underworld's quasi-emperors, among whom was the contemporary Underworld Lord. Rumor had it that he was an ancient powerhouse returned from rebirth, having achieved creation and attained the Eighth Heaven of the Quasi-Emperor.
This Lord was the supreme powerhouse of the underworld in this era.
Yet Zhang Huan felt no fear, simply watching him charge over. False immortal power unleashed patches of rosy light that surged like a vast ocean, filled with ten thousand strands of murderous intent.
He had no intention of using an imperial weapon; even though he had just survived a tribulation, he was confident he could slay this invincible quasi-emperor of the underworld.
"Rise!"
The azure gold cauldron permeated immortal symbols, growing rapidly in size like the Heavenly Manifestation, encompassing one side of the borderlands amidst hazy chaos qi, and charged toward the Lord alongside Zhang Huan.
Before the Underworld Lord could unleash his Emperor power, Zhang Huan used the Soldier Character Art to control the imperial weapon. By now, he was no longer limited to controlling it for just a single split second.
The imperial weapon lost control, and the Underworld Lord lost his composure for a moment. However, seeing that Zhang Huan possessed only the strength of the Sixth Heaven, he similarly did not deploy his own imperial weapon, feeling no fear in his heart as baleful qi billowed to the heavens to take Zhang Huan's life.
Their taboo arts clashed head-on, but the Lord's arts were fragile, directly shattered by the white, miraculous immortal power.
"This is immortal power... Impossible! How could you possess the power of an immortal?!"
All the color drained from the Underworld Lord's face as he asked in disbelief.
He knew this power all too well, having personally witnessed the immortal-grade power of the Heaven-Piercing Nether Treasure.
Regardless of what divine abilities or secret techniques he unleashed, before the other party's milky-white immortal power, they were like mere earthen dogs and clay chickens, their might dropping manifold before being easily crushed.
This was a gap in life levels; even though he dared not believe it, he could clearly perceive that this power was emanating from someone whose realm fell short of his own.
Zhang Huan's expression remained indifferent, responding with a fist. Carrying the false immortal power, he shattered the Lord's arrogance; blood splashed, and the next moment, an extra head rested within his palm.
The Underworld Lord's body collapsed limply to the ground, his divine soul gripped by terror within his skull. To think he had been counter-killed in such a brief span of time, skipping across two realms to be beaten until he had not the slightest power to fight back.
With a single strike that pulverized the divine soul, Zhang Huan turned his gaze to the other imperial weapon, retrieving the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar to suck it into the jar.
No matter how the imperial weapon struggled, it was useless; he would suppress it for a millennium to save future trouble from underworld members bringing it to cause him grief.
Zhang Huan sat cross-legged in the void, refining a peerless corpse pill right on the spot.
Powerful figures across all corners of the universe were alarmed and unable to find peace, staring silently at this borderland.
They could all see that this was a peerless powerhouse; even the Underworld Lord had fallen in defeat to his hands, and there was truly a possibility of him becoming an Emperor in the future.
A corpse pill condensed by an Eighth Heaven quasi-emperor was comparable to a supreme divine medicine. Zhang Huan finished refining it and stuffed it into his mouth.
What followed next was the true main event; the corpse pill could help him secure a few more points of certainty in surviving the human tribulation.
The azure gold cauldron flipped over, its flawless crimson blood encapsulating the essence of life, and the surging blood and qi covered the firmament.
"Fall!"
Zhang Huan formed hand seals, and endless crimson blood poured down, directly engulfing him. Drop by drop, they resembled blood-colored diamonds, radiating light and profundity, drowning him into a bloody figure.
Centuries of coagulated blood, accumulated strength for a breakthrough—every inch of Zhang Huan's skin greedily absorbed the crimson blood.
The blood light was overwhelmingly brilliant, and upon being drawn into his body, it seemed to come alive, transforming his physique throughout his entire body, washing his divine soul, causing his essence, Qi, and spirit to climb continuously until they reached a state of fullness.
The heavenly tribulation arrived once more. At this moment, Zhang Huan had swallowed all his accumulations, standing upon a new supreme peak.
The tribulation of the Seventh Heaven was peerlessly great, raging wildly across the borderlands of the universe.
"How is he undergoing tribulation again? Didn't he just survive a tribulation a moment ago?"
Shocked voices rose and fell across the universe in succession.
"He is defying the heavens! Breaking through multiple realms in succession—to think such a monstrous talent exists in this era, it makes one's blood run cold."
Someone knelt in despair, realizing only upon cultivating to this day that towering mountains lay ahead on the imperial path, difficult to reach, and the path of contending for the Dao had already been won by another.
Zhang Huan calmed his mind and regulated his breathing. His withered physique returned to perfection, his divine soul was crystalline and brilliant, and even his flesh and blood radiated luster.
The lightning tribulation descended, shattering a river of stars. Looking toward the highest reaches of the firmament, he exhaled a breath, spewing out boundless potential.
Miraculous visions continuously manifested across the firmament, and all sorts of supreme slaughter tribulations, rarely seen from ancient times to the present, descended. Zhang Huan calmly survived them, his entire person resembling a blazing sun.
His momentum had already surpassed the heavenly tribulation, standing upon another terrace and growing even more formidable than it.
The dark clouds receded; the ordeal of enduring two consecutive tribulations was still not over, and the Eighth Heaven's tribulation arrived.
The powerful beings across the universe grew numb. This scene was comparable to defying the heavens, utterly beyond imagination.
Scores of tribulation punishments arrived simultaneously, rolling forward as lightning streaks slashed across eternity. Composed of Great Dao runes, they plummeted downward, splitting even the void into ashes.
This lightning was comparable to the most dangerous murderous force in the universe, yet Zhang Huan still felt no pressure.
Yin and yang, the five elements, the Ninth Heaven space-time tribulation—each was more terrifying than the last, containing the origin of the world as the most ultimate calamities. Zhang Huan shook them off with his false immortal power, passing through unscathed.
Ascending three tiers in a row like a quasi-emperor from mythology, none dared to believe it, yet the fact was right before their eyes. Someone had truly succeeded, writing a contemporary myth.
Just when they thought it was all over, yet another world-shaking heavenly thunder descended, one that even the vast universe borderlands could not support, growing so large it covered boundless star seas.
The moment it appeared, it tore through the infinite lightning of the Eighth Heaven's tribulation. Even more astonishing and terrifying to the spirit, it resembled an immortal penalty calamity capable of destroying the eternal firmament.
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