"Geng Metal governs slaughter. It's a perfect match for the combat techniques and divine abilities of my Human Race's Martial Dao."
"It's a pity that this is only a high-grade Innate Spiritual Root. It only has remarkable effects on those below the Martial Emperor (Daluo) realm, so it will do little for me."
With a piercing gaze, Huang Tian placed the Golden Apple Tree in the inner space of the Kongtong Seal, then stared intently at Buzhou Mountain.
Buzhou Mountain had been formed from Great God Pangu's spine and bore the greatest share of the Pangu Will.
Under the pressure of the Pangu Will, no living beings could be born within the vast territory around Buzhou Mountain. It was even less possible for flowers and trees to grow there. The bare landscape looked desolate.
Countless ages had passed since the world was created. The Pangu Will had weakened countless times over, but it still exerted an astonishing pressure on all living beings below the Sages.
The Great God Pangu had stood at the threshold of the Great Dao. If he had succeeded in proving the Great Dao, it was impossible to imagine how terrifying he would have become.
"Whew!"
Drawing a deep breath, Huang Tian put away the Kongtong Seal and even restrained his own qi and blood, relying solely on the strength of his physical body to withstand the pressure of the Pangu Will.
In fact, even now, with Hongjun's Immortal Dao flourishing, there were still beings besides the Witch Clan who focused on cultivating their physical bodies.
The Prehistoric World had several great body-tempering sanctuaries. The first was Buzhou Mountain, where the pressure of the Pangu Will tempered both the body and the Nascent Soul.
The Nine Heavens Gang Wind, powerful enough to kill even a Grand Luo Golden Immortal, lay where the land of the Prehistoric World met the starry sky.
Leize, where countless thunderbolts gathered, lay at the boundary in the northwest.
The Human Race's Martial Dao cultivated both the inner and outer self.
How could Huang Tian possibly pass up a body-tempering sanctuary like Buzhou Mountain?
"Step, step!"
With heavy strides, Huang Tian steadily climbed toward the summit of Buzhou Mountain.
At first, he moved quickly, but after a hundred steps, the pressure doubled.
"Easy!"
"Let the storm come harder!"
"I'm a Martial Emperor (Daluo) Mid-stage. What's a mere ten thousand zhang to me?"
Huang Tian continued resolutely upward, feeling the pressure grow heavier with every step.
At ten thousand zhang, even most early-stage Daluo cultivators could not withstand the pressure unless they specialized in body cultivation.
Having cultivated the Human Race's Martial Dao, Huang Tian's physical body was only slightly weaker than a Witch's at the same level. Ten thousand zhang was nothing to him.
After a few breaths, Huang Tian continued climbing, his pace steady.
One hundred thousand zhang!
Five hundred thousand zhang!
One million zhang!!
"Whew!"
Gasping for breath, Huang Tian could barely walk. Each step took a long time.
He was almost at his limit.
Yet Huang Tian still did not summon the Kongtong Seal or use his qi and blood to weaken the pressure of the Pangu Will.
At that moment, no matter how cautiously Huang Tian faced the pressure of the Pangu Will, he was like a lone boat in a raging sea, liable to capsize at any moment.
But this was the risk and price he had to bear if he wanted to grow stronger quickly.
The Pangu Will tempered not only Huang Tian's body and Nascent Soul, but also his own will, making it more resilient.
This would provide an immensely important foundation for Huang Tian's future path to Martial Saint (Quasi saint).
"Pop!"
After climbing another five hundred thousand zhang, Huang Tian reached a height of one million five hundred thousand zhang. His mind suddenly felt lighter. His divine sense, which had been compressed to a range of only a few li, instantly spread tens of thousands of zhang.
His Nascent Soul had opened a Martial Dao Domain.
Within the domain, practitioners of the Human Race's Martial Dao gained varying degrees of increased combat power. The boost was not limited to the power of the Nascent Soul; it also enhanced the strength of the physical body.
"That's about enough!"
After climbing to one million eight hundred thousand zhang, Huang Tian summoned his Martial Dao Dharma Image. He did not use it to empower himself, but instead had it undergo the tempering of the Pangu Will alongside him.
The Martial Dao Dharma Image had originally stood at one billion zhang. It grew even larger, soon reaching one billion one hundred million zhang—a height normally attainable only at the late stage of the Martial Emperor realm.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
The Martial Dao Dharma Image then fed its qi and blood back into him, tempering Huang Tian's body. His heart beat like muffled thunder, strong and steady.
All 129,600 of his body's apertures opened, absorbing the surging qi and blood pouring from the Martial Dao Dharma Image. It flowed through his limbs and bones like a vast crimson sea.
The strength of his physical body, at the Martial Emperor (Daluo) Mid-stage, began to loosen and slowly rise.
"Step! Step! Step!"
Gritting his teeth and enduring the pressure, Huang Tian kept climbing. The pressure doubled with every step.
At two million zhang, Huang Tian could no longer hold on without relying on his Martial Dao Dharma Image.
At three million zhang, even the Martial Dao Dharma Image shook violently, on the verge of collapsing.
Huang Tian should not have been sweating, but now he was drenched, his lips pale.
Three million zhang marked the limit for a Martial Emperor.
Beyond that, even beings who specialized in body cultivation had to be at the Quasi saint realm.
For Huang Tian to reach a region of Buzhou Mountain that required two minor realms of advancement, all the way to the peak of Daluo, while still only at the middle stage of the Martial Emperor realm was already astonishing.
"Not enough! Not enough! Not enough!!"
"I'm the First Ancestor of Martial Dao. Who are you looking down on, thinking three million zhang is enough?"
"Break—for—me!"
Roaring furiously, Huang Tian's eyes turned bloodshot as he forced himself to take another step.
Boom!
The pressure of the Pangu Will doubled once more.
"Crack! Crack!"
Every bone in Huang Tian's body trembled. His flesh cracked, and blood seeped out, trickling down.
In an instant, Huang Tian became a man drenched in blood.
"Break!!!"
He shouted again, forcing himself onward with the last of his strength. A torrent of wild qi and blood surged upward from his spine.
The Martial Dao Dharma Image, which had already reached its limit, advanced further, growing to one billion two hundred million zhang!!
Qi and blood surged from the Martial Dao Dharma Image, feeding back into Huang Tian's body.
The void trembled and rippled. Huang Tian felt the pressure around him ease, while his qi and blood grew thicker and more powerful.
"Glorious!"
Huang Tian shouted in exhilaration, laughing with unbridled joy.
He had broken through to the late stage of the Martial Emperor (Daluo) realm!!
With the Kongtong Seal and his natal divine weapon, Huang Tian could slaughter peak Daluo beings who had cultivated any path.
At that moment, Huang Tian's physical strength was exceptional even among the great witches of the Witch Clan.
"Step! Step!"
After taking a deep breath, Huang Tian continued upward, pushing his limits.
Three million five hundred thousand zhang!
Three million nine hundred and eighty thousand zhang!
Four million zhang!!
A full ten thousand years passed, and Huang Tian still showed no sign of reaching his limit.
"Whew, I'm still not quite halfway up the mountain. I'll have to push harder!"
Huang Tian looked up at Buzhou Mountain, whose summit was nowhere in sight. After a brief rest, he prepared to continue climbing.
"Hm?"
Just then, a mysterious premonition stirred within Huang Tian, stopping him in his tracks.
Without hesitation, Huang Tian followed the unseen guidance.
Those at Daluo and above were exceptionally attuned to opportunities and dangers.
A sudden premonition like this had to signal a great fortune. He could not afford to miss it!
He headed north. Tens of millions of li away, the mysterious premonition grew clearer and stronger.
Huang Tian searched the area meticulously, even using his Martial Dao Domain to expand the range of his divine sense.
At last, after spending ten thousand years searching, Huang Tian found it!
"This is the place!"
Standing before a natural Innate Formation, Huang Tian's face lit up with delight.
The innate formation contained not only Innate Spiritual Qi, but also Chaos Qi. Even Nine Heavens Gang Wind swirled within it.
The surrounding Tianji was in chaos. Even Huang Tian's powerful Nascent Soul faltered for an instant.
Beings below the Quasi saint realm could easily lose their way inside and become trapped.
"There must be a treasure inside!"
The more dangerous it was, the happier Huang Tian became. That meant the fortune within was all the greater.
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