Chapter 26

San Xiao cried out in shock. The Upper Clarity Divine Thunder they had painstakingly cultivated for years had been effortlessly dispelled by their opponent. Fear flashed through the three women's eyes as they unconsciously retreated half a step.

Nothing in this world was impossible.

Before Tai Cang had finished speaking, three bolts of violet lightning shot forth. San Xiao collapsed at once, knocked unconscious by the thunderous impact.

[ Ding! Mission completed. One use of full-level access granted. ]

Hearing the System Notification, Tai Cang's lips curled slightly. It was time to explore Shen Ni's inheritance.

He sheathed his sword and flicked his finger, shattering the jade talisman in Zhao Gongming's robes. A flash of white light appeared, teleporting the heavily wounded Zhao Gongming away.

"Everyone, let us study this stone stele." Tai Cang turned toward Cang Du and the others, cupping his hands.

"Just what I was thinking."

The group gathered before the black stele. Guangchengzi analyzed, "This stele should be where the opportunity lies, but unfortunately, it blocks the entrance to the canyon."

"Fellow Daoist, can you recognize the writing on this stele?"

At his words, Cang Du and the others all looked toward Tai Cang.

They had lingered here for quite some time, yet they had never managed to decipher the inscription, much less uncover its mysteries.

"I do not recognize it either."

Tai Cang shook his head and withdrew his gaze.

The writing was far too obscure for him to comprehend.

Then Tai Cang stepped forward and said calmly, "Though we cannot decipher the inscription, that does not mean there is no way inside."

"This stele may be some special magical artifact. Perhaps it can be activated with spiritual power."

With that, he raised a hand and pressed it against the stele. With a thought, he injected his spiritual power into it.

Crack—

A sharp cracking sound suddenly rang out.

Everyone followed the sound and saw a fissure open at the top of the stele. Beneath the pitch-black stone, a faint crimson glow seeped through, drawing every eye.

"The stele cracked!"

"It can actually absorb spiritual power!"

Cang Du, Guangchengzi, and the others stared in astonishment.

A puzzle they had pondered for so long had unexpectedly progressed so easily. It was truly beyond their expectations.

"Fellow Daoist Tai Cang, let us lend you a hand!"

"Junior Brother Tai Cang, let us act together!"

"I want to see what exactly is hidden beneath this stele!"

Everyone swiftly stepped forward and poured their spiritual power into the stele.

Cracking sounds rang out one after another as the stele rapidly fractured beneath the onslaught of spiritual power.

Before long, the enormous stele collapsed with a thunderous crash. Rubble scattered across the ground, revealing a blood-red stone tablet engraved with clear words:

"I am Shen Ni, Emperor of Fierce Beasts!"

"In the past, I ruled the Eight Desolations and swept across the six realms. None in the primordial world could match me. To seek a breakthrough, I transformed my body into the Beast Realm, and all its mysteries were hidden here."

"Seek it. I have left the secret of the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal within the Beast Realm. This is power beyond a quasi-Sage. Whether you can grasp it depends entirely on your own fortune."

Gulp—

After reading the inscription, Tai Cang and the others could not help swallowing.

Power beyond a quasi-Sage—could it be the realm of a Sage?

Could the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal be a Sage?

"Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal!"

"Power beyond a quasi-Sage!"

Outside, the gods of the primordial world were shaken.

Di Jun, Eastern Emperor Tai Yi, Zhen Yuanzi, Minghe, and other supreme experts all rose to their feet, their burning gazes fixed on the blood-red inscription displayed in the mirror.

If this record was true, Shen Ni's death likely concealed another truth.

His so-called fall might have been precisely for the sake of breaking through to the Great Perfection realm of quasi-Sagehood.

Shen Ni had possessed no Primordial Violet Qi, yet he had reached the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. That meant one could attain Sagehood even without Primordial Violet Qi!

If they obtained his inheritance, would that mean they too could break through the shackles of quasi-Sagehood?

"Big Brother!"

"Fellow Daoist Laozi!"

"Senior Brother Taiqing!"

On the main seats, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Jieyin, Zhunti, and Nuwa's expressions changed drastically. They all looked toward Laozi, their eyes full of alarm.

If the inscription spoke the truth, the structure of the primordial world would be utterly overturned!

The Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal was a supreme realm above quasi-Sagehood, its might enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with a Heavenly Dao Sage.

If that was truly the case, would the order in which the six Sages ruled heaven and earth not be broken? Even their supreme positions might be shaken!

"Do not panic!"

Laozi was the first to steady himself. After exhaling a breath of turbid air, he said in a deep voice, "The realm of the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal is, in truth, not much different from our Primordial Sages."

"However, this path was cultivated by the Chaos Demon Gods of old. In this age, those who can reach such a realm are exceedingly rare. One must possess the foundation of a top-tier innate demon god to even qualify to comprehend it."

"More importantly, within the primordial world, Sages may borrow the power of the Heavenly Dao to remain eternally indestructible, with inexhaustible spiritual power. A Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal possesses no such authority."

"Even if someone were fortunate enough to break through, they would merely be a pseudo-Sage. How could they be mentioned in the same breath as a true Sage?"

"So that is how it is!"

Hearing Laozi's explanation, Yuanshi and the others immediately breathed sighs of relief.

As long as it did not threaten the authority of Sagehood, the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal was nothing to worry about. Besides, the requirements for cultivating this path were extraordinarily harsh. Looking across the primordial world, even the Three Pure Ones merely possessed the foundation of innate demon gods.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother!"

Jieyin, Zhunti, and Nuwa cupped their hands in thanks. Knowing that the foundation of the Sage Dao was unharmed, the three of them glanced at the excited gods in the arena, and mocking looks flickered in their eyes.

Mere ants dared to covet the Sage realm. How absurd.

"Fellow Daoist Tai Cang!"

Before the blood-red stele, Cang Du suddenly came back to his senses and said urgently, "Right now, we—"

Roar—

A heaven-shaking roar suddenly echoed in every direction.

The phenomenon triggered by the blood-red stele had alerted all sides. Countless strange beasts and fierce beasts surged in from every direction. Even from tens of thousands of miles away, the pressure emitted by those colossal Grand Unity Golden Immortal-level creatures was enough to suffocate them.

"This is bad!"

Guangchengzi and the others' expressions changed drastically. "Retreat at once! If the beast tide encircles us, we will surely die!"

Before their words had faded, the group had already transformed into streaks of light and fled in panic.

The inheritance was tempting, and the secret of the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal was precious, but neither was more important than their lives.

"They came too quickly..."

"They will not even give us a chance to investigate."

Tai Cang's face darkened. He had never expected Shen Ni's inheritance to be so close at hand, only for the beast tide's upheaval to ruin everything. Unless one possessed strength capable of crushing Grand Unity Golden Immortals, there was only one path in this endless Beast Realm: death.

"Fellow Daoist, hurry and leave!"

Yuding grabbed Tai Cang's sleeve, about to flee through the air.

"Wait!"

Tai Cang suddenly swept his sleeve. Three streaks of sword qi precisely shattered the jade talismans in San Xiao's robes. Dazzling white light, carrying the power of space, instantly teleported the three women out of the secret realm.

After doing all this, Tai Cang said solemnly, "Now that our route of retreat is cut off, we might as well break out separately. Before the beast tide arrives, kill as many fierce beasts and strange beasts as possible—let us decide victory and defeat by our own abilities!"

Hearing this, Yuding's body trembled slightly.

He looked around thoughtfully, then suddenly clenched his fists. "Good. Fellow Daoist Tai Cang, let us each display our own abilities!"

Before he finished speaking, Yuding performed an escape technique and hurried away.

At this point, they had little time left in the Beast Realm. Since they could not escape, they could only hunt as many inner cores as possible to secure their final rankings.

In the blink of an eye, Yuding reached where Guangchengzi and the others were.

The Chan Sect Golden Immortals quickly gathered and sped toward an area with fewer strange beasts.

Even Cang Du had already withdrawn in advance. Bearing the inheritance of the Human Sect, his techniques were exquisite and his escape arts extraordinary. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from Tai Cang's sight.

"Have they all left?"

Tai Cang took everything in, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. He swept his gaze over the strange beasts and fierce beasts flooding in from every direction, then resolutely turned and returned to the outskirts of the canyon.

With a low shout, Tai Cang activated his spiritual power and attempted to collect the blood-red inscription.

Though he did not know its value, he firmly believed Shen Ni would not have carved those words here without reason, nor would he have casually placed it at the entrance to the canyon.

Amid a hum, the blood-red inscription shook violently.

A strange power surged forth and slammed heavily into Tai Cang.

Tai Cang groaned, his body flying back ten thousand miles before he finally steadied himself against a towering ancient tree.

"What powerful rebounding force."

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, astonishment flashed through Tai Cang's eyes. He had never expected the blood-red inscription to resist being collected by cultivators.

By his estimation, even advancing to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm would not be enough to move this object in the slightest.

"At least quasi-Sage cultivation is needed..."

Tai Cang calculated silently, helplessness flickering in his eyes. It seemed obtaining Shen Ni's inheritance would not be easy.

"Since that is the case, I can only complete the other task first."

Having made up his mind, Tai Cang drew a deep breath and looked toward the restless forest in the distance. A cold gleam flashed in his eyes. "I am determined to claim the position of foremost among the Three Sects."

He immediately began to act. Rather than rashly attacking, he started making careful preparations.

Countless bolts of Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder burrowed underground under his control: ten miles, a hundred miles, a thousand miles, until a radius of five thousand miles was completely covered in a net of lightning.

After completing the arrangement, Tai Cang leaped onto an enormous banyan tree and coldly overlooked the approaching beast horde.

"It is time to harvest."

A heaven-shaking rumble came from afar.

Guangchengzi and the others were engaged in a fierce battle with the beast horde, while Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder exploded across the sky without end.

However, the beast horde was simply too numerous. In less than a quarter of an hour, the battle came to an end. Several streaks of white light shot into the sky and sent them out of the Beast Realm.

"It is over?"

Tai Cang counted the streaks of white light and confirmed that Guangchengzi and the others had all been eliminated.

He then looked around, trying to find Cang Du's trail.

Cang Du had left with them earlier. By all rights, he should have been spotted as well, yet there had been no sign of him. Why was that?

"Roar—"

"Roar—"

Roars suddenly rang out in succession.

Looking up, Tai Cang saw that great numbers of fierce beasts and strange beasts had already entered the Primordial Clarity lightning minefield he had laid. Within the dense forest, the black mass of beasts charged madly toward the blood-red inscription. Fierce slaughter erupted along the way, and the ground was quickly stained red.

"They came quickly!"

Tai Cang narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Since that is the case, let us begin!"

With a thought, the True Martial Black Eagle Banner instantly unfurled to protect him. Forming a hand seal with his left hand, he shouted, "Explode!"

Boom—

Boom—

As the earth shook and mountains trembled, black lightning erupted from beneath the ground. Strange beasts below the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm fell one after another, convulsing before losing their ability to fight in an instant. As the tremors intensified, the beast horde fled in panic, but it was already too late.

A pillar of lightning shot into the sky, instantly reducing the nearby beast horde to ash. This was only the beginning—more lightning pillars erupted in succession, turning a thousand-mile region into a black lightning prison. Even Grand Unity Golden Immortal-level strange beasts could not escape. Charred corpses fell like rain, while the scent of roasted flesh mixed with white smoke and filled the surroundings.

"It worked!"

Tai Cang swept his eyes over the battlefield, now resembling ruins, and the corner of his mouth rose slightly. Protected by the treasure banner, he moved through the lightning domain and swiftly harvested the inner cores of the beast horde.

"Magnificent!"

"What a Tai Cang!"

The great experts watching outside all praised him. He had defeated his enemies with strategy and slaughtered tens of thousands of fierce beasts in an instant. There was no longer any suspense in this battle.

"Fellow Daoist Tai Cang, I cannot compare."

The Twelve Immortals of Chan Sect and the Jie Sect direct disciples all sighed with emotion. Especially the Jie Sect members, who had never expected Tai Cang, who had seemed to be merely coasting before, to reverse the situation in one stroke and possibly seize the title of foremost among the Three Sects. If Duobao were here, he would likely be burning with jealousy.

Hum—

Cang Du suddenly appeared in a wretched state, covered in blood. Yet no one paid attention to him. Every gaze was focused on Tai Cang as he harvested inner cores.