The incense ash and strange earth had been expanding ever since it appeared.
At first, it had been no larger than a football field. In the blink of an eye, it had grown to two or three times that size, shrouded in gray.
At that moment, a crude greatsword made from countless blades swept across the ground. Stretching over a hundred meters, it spanned the entire expanse of incense ash and strange earth, bringing every person and Molting Beast nearby within its reach.
ROAR!!
A vicious wolf with blazing-red fur roared. Demonic energy surged from its body, forming a wolf's head as large as a house. It lunged for the greatsword, jaws wide.
There was no struggle, no contest.
The greatsword swept through without resistance and crushed the wolf to pieces.
The birds beat their wings and shot skyward to evade it, but it was too late. A gale roared past, scattering feathers and blood. Watching from afar, Bone cried out again and again, "What a shame, what a shame."
One Molting Beast after another was blasted apart.
In the blink of an eye, the greatsword had reached Changchunzi and the others. Pressure descended upon them like dark clouds bearing down on a city.
Its tremendous speed left them no chance to retreat as the Celestial Master Temple's people had. They had no choice but to face it head-on!
"Join forces and hold it back!"
Wang Mingshou roared. True-qi flames flickered over his body as he exerted himself to the limit. His technologically modified body rumbled; whatever organs had been altered, his aura surged.
Changchunzi, the elders... everyone responded. Their lives were at stake. How could they hesitate for even a moment?
But just as they brought out their trump cards, the lightning-fast greatsword before them suddenly accelerated again!
A string of explosive cracks rang out. One figure after another burst apart like the Molting Beasts, leaving no bodies behind.
Before the previous wave of gasps had even faded, a fresh round of horrified breaths filled everyone's lungs. Their hearts and minds trembled.
The spectators could hardly believe it. That terrifying attack still hadn't been the cultivator's full strength. At the critical moment, he'd accelerated again, catching Wang Mingshou and the others off guard, cutting them all down and refining them in an instant!
Just how high were his stats?
Every time they thought they'd reached the limit, it turned out they'd underestimated him again. Was he an onion, with layer after layer still to peel?
Everyone was intensely curious.
"He seems like he doesn't belong to our era. He's beyond the level of ordinary people!"
"This is ridiculous. Why does this era have a monster like him? It's infuriating."
"He makes everyone else look dim by comparison. 'Dao Heart Breaker'... What a fitting name. I can already remember what it felt like to plant sweet potatoes."
Puff, puff, puff!
The greatsword that had swept through and slain the experts and powerful Molting Beasts broke apart. Blades rained down around the incense ash and strange earth, forming a barrier of swords.
"Whoever dares take one step inside will die."
After leaving those words behind, Yuan Tianzong stepped into the incense ash and strange earth under everyone's watchful eyes.
The moment his foot touched the ash, wonder stirred in Yuan Tianzong's heart.
The incense ash and strange earth before him wasn't an illusion. It was genuine incense ash, appearing out of nowhere and emanating a mysterious aura.
Its color lay somewhere between blue-gray and moon-white. Even through his shoe, he could feel a faint warmth, as if the ash had only just been created by burning.
How had it appeared?
Curious, Yuan Tianzong didn't hesitate. He raised his hand and reached for a wisp of Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao.
The moment the smoke touched his palm, a strange sensation welled up inside him.
Then the smoke shot toward Yuan Tianzong's brow and burrowed inside.
A formless wave of air swept in every direction, sending incense ash swirling into the sky!
Amid the gale, a spiritual glow appeared between Yuan Tianzong's brows, and his black hair fluttered!
Sizzle!
Tiny threads of lightning appeared out of nowhere, dancing around Yuan Tianzong.
The Celestial Master couldn't help taking a step forward. Longing shone in his eyes beneath the flashing lightning. "Awakening! His spirit is undergoing a transformation. He's awakening!"
Countless people around them erupted into excited chatter.
"So this is spiritual awakening—comprehending the true power of Heaven and Earth!"
"His spirit resonates with thunder. The information passed around online by some unknown Daoist sect says it's one of the most powerful forms of true power in Heaven and Earth!"
"Damn, he was already so strong, and now he's awakened the power of thunder, too. Sigh."
Yuan Tianzong no longer had the mind to pay attention to the voices around him.
He was carefully experiencing what the Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao contained.
What had caused him to awaken?
What did awakening even mean?
Why did people need Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao to awaken on a spiritual level?
These questions had taken root in Yuan Tianzong's mind some time ago.
Now was the time to seek answers!
The Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao was transforming Yuan Tianzong's spirit, elevating it and bringing about a qualitative change—an awakening.
But at the same time, it was battering his spirit, forcing it into a blank state where thought became impossible.
Anyone else would have fallen into a state of "emptiness" at that moment, unaware of anything and passively accepting the transformation and advancement.
But Yuan Tianzong wasn't like anyone else!
He was the most terrifying being of the Dharma-ending era!
His body and spirit stood at the pinnacle of the Dharma-ending era, leaving an enormous gulf between him and those of the second tier!
At a single thought, the state of mind he'd once found in the wilderness surged forth. The breeze passes over the ridge; I become the mountain, towering and unmoving!
In an instant, his scattered spirit gathered again, resisting the spiritual torrent formed by the Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao.
His thoughts grew clear through the pain.
With this perception, Yuan Tianzong uncovered the secret of awakening—the gateway to Heaven and Earth had opened!
That was it. This was exactly what it felt like.
Before, he had been a sealed-off individual, with no connection to Heaven and Earth. Refining Heaven and Earth Origin Energy had only meant absorbing a few impurities leaking through cracks in the gateway.
Now, the gateway had opened!
Heaven and Earth had truly opened a small part of the real world to him!
So this was how spiritual awakening worked!
Perhaps awakening wasn't a transformation of one's spirit at all. Instead, the Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao left a mark on an individual's spirit, granting them the qualification to push open the door and enter the next world.
If the Shackles on the body were an absolute barrier forbidding entry into a restricted zone,
then the restrictions on the spirit were more like those on a private club, a gateway, a house. You could enter, but you needed a key—a qualification.
The Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao was that key, that medium.
"Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao..."
"Hahaha!"
Yuan Tianzong roared with laughter. He understood the purpose of the Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao.
"Extreme Yang Genesis Technique, Extreme Yang Void Technique!"
With a low shout, a powerful force of suction erupted from within Yuan Tianzong. The Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao floating nearby was dragged toward him by force—even the wisps on the other side of several football fields.
The people who'd still been holding on to some hope watched this scene, and their anxious hearts sank to the bottom.
"He won't even leave us a single drop!"
"Insatiable!"
"Can you really absorb that much Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao?"
"Let's see his spirit get crushed!"
Xue Ding looked at his master.
"Master, can you refine a lot of Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao?"
The Celestial Master nodded, still shocked. "You can, but you need a stable and powerful spirit... He's absorbing and refining far too much. He'll be in serious trouble!"
Xue Ding nodded and looked toward the figure standing like a demon god amid the storm of incense ash.
"Nothing will happen to him."
"I'm certain of it."
Before you continue