An exceptionally terrifying scene appeared.
Four enormous hands, each a different color, pressed down slowly from four different directions. Within the Netherworld, every soul trembled, gripped once more by endless terror.
Just moments ago, they had been immersed in the joy of celebration, but now it was as though a basin of cold water had been poured over them.
Not a trace of joy remained.
Instead, the fear in their hearts had been magnified to the extreme.
Crack! Crack!
Layer upon layer of restrictions from the Netherworld began to shatter without cease. Light burned, runes crumbled, and the terrifying hands stretched boundlessly, as if no one could resist them any longer.
Whether they were those from beyond the realm who had yet to descend, or the survivors who had fled Divine Mountain earlier, all of them were thrilled beyond measure at this moment.
Even though the pressure had forced them to their knees, they still cheered and leapt with joy, as though the skies had cleared.
"The Netherworld has been unsealed!"
"With the ancestor taking action, no one can stand against him!"
"Ancestor, quickly break open the Netherworld!"
The crowd shouted loudly.
Inside the divine hall.
Dense divine liquid continued to churn and intertwine.
Lines of text before Lu Chen's eyes were slowly changing. Especially toward the end, the changes had clearly become much slower.
89%, 89.5%, 90%, 90.5%...
The numbers rose bit by bit.
Even Lu Chen could clearly sense the powerful, terrifying pressure.
But soon, his heart tightened, and his gaze suddenly shot toward the Dragon Vein ahead.
The thick Dragon Vein was trembling, as though it had sensed the pressure descending from the heavens. Golden ripples spread from it in waves, while powerful energy swept frantically in every direction.
It instantly reduced the pressure on Lu Chen by countless times.
Then Lu Chen's pupils shrank sharply as he witnessed an astonishing sight.
The figure sleeping within the Dragon Vein actually moved slightly at that moment.
Its fingers twitched, and the skin over its heart suddenly jumped once.
"Is it still alive? Is it about to awaken...?"
Lu Chen was shaken.
What kind of existence was this?
If it awakened, could it change everything?
With urgency in his eyes, Lu Chen stared fixedly ahead.
But he was soon disappointed again.
The mysterious figure only moved faintly before returning to stillness. Then the Dragon Vein before him began to shine. As though it had come alive, it suddenly burrowed into the ground with the mysterious figure inside it. With a boom, it vanished, and the entire divine hall shook violently.
The remaining restrictions within the divine hall all collapsed at that instant, and every formation was annihilated.
Even the divine peak trembled, as though a colossal earthquake had struck.
Lu Chen revealed a look of shock as he stared ahead.
The enormous Dragon Vein had disappeared.
All that remained underground was an incomparably massive black hole.
"That mysterious figure vanished... Was it retreating of its own accord?"
Stormy waves surged within Lu Chen's heart.
Could it be that even the mysterious figure believed it could not withstand this?
And had therefore abandoned the Netherworld of its own accord?
Ding! Congratulations, Host! Divine Liquid Extraction successful! You have obtained one Nine Revolutions Divine Pill! A line of clear text appeared before his eyes.
All the divine liquid vanished. Layer after layer of golden light gathered inward and surged violently, revealing a mysterious pill the size of a longan, floating before Lu Chen.
Lu Chen's eyes flickered as he grabbed the pill.
At once, an unprecedentedly dense essence burst from the pill, as though it contained a vast ocean and stored a bottomless world within.
"What pure power..."
Once this divine pill was consumed, it would surely allow him to cross several realms in succession.
Suddenly, Lu Chen looked at the panel again.
Merit Points: 3.13 million Merit required for next breakthrough: 4.5 million
Without hesitation, he swallowed the divine pill in a single gulp. Endless power instantly erupted within him, like a miniature universe burning.
Terrifying power swept through his limbs, bones, and every corner of his soul in an instant. The magnitude of this power surpassed imagination, while its purity was unprecedented.
As he digested and absorbed it, Lu Chen rapidly rushed out of the divine hall.
He had no time to sit cross-legged and cultivate on the spot, because the pressure descending from the heavens was growing stronger and stronger.
He had to leave as soon as possible.
Otherwise, once the Divine Kings broke through and sealed off space, he would never be able to escape again.
Lu Chen raised his head.
High in the sky, four incomparably massive palms blotted out the heavens and covered the earth. Carrying an aura capable of overturning heaven and earth and destroying the world, they continued to press down slowly.
Every restriction and every rune exploded one after another.
Above those four massive palms were four pairs of cold, intimidating eyes.
As he stepped out of the divine hall, those four pairs of icy eyes all fell upon him at the same time.
"So he is Lu Chen? Not bad. Passable."
"For someone like this to emerge from a patch of Wasteland is something of a miracle."
"Unfortunately, he is a descendant of the rebellious bloodline. He cannot be allowed to live!"
"Tear apart the restrictions and erase him along with them!"
Four cold voices rang out in succession between heaven and earth, as though Lu Chen's fate had been completely decided and he had been sentenced to death.
The four differently colored hands continued pressing down toward the ground.
Yet Lu Chen wore a cold smile, without the slightest trace of fear.
"You speak of erasing me with every breath. What are you supposed to be? If you truly want to kill me, then descend first. But do not let me seize the chance, or none of your descendants will survive. I will wipe them out one by one!"
Whoosh!
His body flashed, and he vanished from the divine peak, racing into the distance at top speed.
He took out his token and began contacting his friends, telling them to retreat swiftly.
In truth, there was no need for him to tell them. Li Wangshu, Miao Wu Fa, Yue Qingtian, Leng Feng, and the others had already rapidly returned to the Yang Realm.
Soon, Lu Chen contacted the patriarchs as well, intending to warn them to be careful. Yet after sending his message, he received no response.
Only after making deductions did he discover that the aura of the first level of hell had completely vanished.
Not only that.
The second and third levels had vanished as well.
"The gatekeepers disappeared too?"
Lu Chen frowned.
Had they sensed danger that quickly?
Soon, a chill rose in Lu Chen's heart.
Even the existence sleeping in the Dragon Vein had fled. No wonder they had run away in advance.
The Netherworld could no longer be stayed in.
But in the future, he could treat this place as a hunting ground and come here to hunt whenever he pleased.
"I wonder when the Yang Realm will be unsealed. Before that happens, I must either reach the Divine King realm in one stroke or gain strength capable of threatening a Divine King!"
Lu Chen's heart was icy cold.
He continued rushing ahead, still rapidly digesting the divine pill within him.
If he did not digest it in time, then once he returned to the Yang Realm and suffered the world's suppression, this divine pill would become much harder to digest.
Only here was the best time.
Because the Netherworld was now being unsealed.
The suppression originating from the Netherworld was also rapidly weakening.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom...
The fluctuations within Lu Chen's body surged again and again like mountains roaring and seas crashing. Every time divine power burst forth, his cultivation would rise another step.
Echoing those sounds was the rumbling overhead.
The four giant hands continued pressing down, their thunderous sounds rolling on as dazzling light blazed forth, as though the world itself were being destroyed.
By the end, Lu Chen could even feel his soul trembling, as though it were about to collapse.
But fortunately.
At this moment, the divine pill was finally completely digested.
His cultivation crossed the threshold of the True God realm in one leap!
He broke through directly from the first level of True God to the third level of True God!
Boom!
Wave after wave of powerful fluctuations burst from his body, surging violently as rolling light erupted. It was as though some mysterious qualitative transformation had occurred within him.
All of his true qi, spirit, and soul rapidly intertwined and fused, ultimately forming a fist-sized golden Godhead within his body.
Dense divine might erupted from within him in wave after wave.
At this moment, his very life essence seemed to have undergone an earth-shattering transformation. Even the powerful pressure from the skies no longer seemed as overwhelming in his eyes.
His robes fluttered wildly, his gaze was icy, and with Tenfold Combat Power unleashed, his body barely held firm beneath the pressure of the four giant palms. Like an unbending pillar of heaven, he radiated unmatched momentum, while his eyes shot forth beams of light ten thousand zhang long.
A Divine King?
So what?
Given time, he would surpass the Divine Kings!
With his current strength at the third level of True God, once he unleashed Tenfold Combat Power, he would come infinitely close to the eighth level of True God.
Once he reached the fifth level of True God, he would come infinitely close to a Divine King!
With his comprehension of swordsmanship and his many talents, he might not be unable to battle a Divine King then!
Above the Netherworld.
Four pairs of cold, terrifying eyes covered the entire Netherworld and met Lu Chen's gaze directly.
In an instant, the space above the Netherworld collapsed, and violent energy surged forth.
It was as though the world had been destroyed.
Vast swathes of terrifying aura swept across everything.
"This rebellious bloodline cannot be allowed to remain!"
"What a rebellious bloodline, to have reached such a level!"
"Once the Netherworld is broken, this man must die!"
"Bind his soul! Do not let him escape!"
Cold and indifferent words came from the four ancient beings, echoing between heaven and earth.
The four terrifying giant palms suddenly began to glow. Countless runes and laws flowed from them, densely packed as though they had formed a unique domain, surging toward Lu Chen.
They intended to stop Lu Chen from returning to the Yang Realm.
They wanted to trap him here and grind him into nothingness.
But Lu Chen remained expressionless and unmoved. His body slowly blurred, completely unaffected. Only his icy eyes and clear voice echoed between heaven and earth.
"Today's cause will bear its fruit someday. Sooner or later, the reckoning will come."
Boom!
His body vanished completely, cutting off all connection with the Netherworld.
The four terrifying giant palms slammed down viciously, yet they ultimately failed to pin down Lu Chen. Only waves of light swept outward with a crashing roar, devastating countless miles.
No one knew how many souls turned to ash and vanished beneath those powerful fluctuations.
"The Netherworld is unsealed. From this day onward, the heavens shall descend!"
A Divine King's cold voice echoed between heaven and earth.
Everyone from beyond the realm cheered and leapt with joy.
Every one of them was incomparably exhilarated.
The survivors hiding within Divine Mountain cheered loudly as well, tears streaming down their faces.
They had finally been saved!
The Netherworld was theirs.
Rumble!
As all the restrictions were ground to dust, the entire Netherworld began undergoing further changes. Divine light bloomed across region after region, blazing brilliantly as waves of power erupted like mountains roaring and seas crashing.
Before you continue