Master, let me do it
The Eight-Tribulation Devil Emperor high in the sky saw through Chen Changqing's predicament and casually flicked his finger.
Buzz!
A black-gold energy, only as thick as a finger but infused with the power of the Eight Tribulations Demon and the Soul-Hooking Principle of the Nether Bureau, tore through the sky and shot straight at Chen Changqing's brow.
Given Chen Changqing's current state—with all his meridians severed and most of his Divine Sense devoted to saving Xiaoqian —if this finger strike misses, it will be fine; but if it lands squarely, his head will explode like a watermelon on the spot.
"Don't even think about hurting my brother Chen!"
At the critical moment, a hoarse and resolute roar rang out beside Chen Changqing.
Covered in blood, Zhong Cheng, with red eyes, took a step forward and used his body to block Chen Changqing's path.
He gripped the nicked Heavy Sword tightly with both hands, holding it horizontally in front of his chest. At the same time, he recklessly burned all his divine soul and Zhong Family bloodline, which had just advanced to the Peak First Tribulation. The "Ghost-Slaying Divine Seal" between his eyebrows shot out again, transforming into a crimson-gold Pure Yang lightning shield about ten feet in size.
Clang! Click!
The black-gold finger beams slammed solidly into the Pure Yang Thunder Shield.
The stalemate lasted for less than a tenth of a breath.
The chasm-like gap between the Peak First Tribulation and the Eight-Tribulation Half-God Devil Emperor was fully revealed.
Zhong Cheng's proud ancestral Ghost-Slaying Divine Seal emitted a clear, mournful cry, its surface cracking open with three through-holes before it instantly dimmed and bounced back to his brow.
Immediately afterwards, the nicked Heavy Sword that had been with him for many years shattered into pieces, exploding into a shower of scrap metal.
Pfft!
The remaining black-gold finger beam pierced Zhong Cheng's right chest, spraying a spray of blood. The immense impact sent Zhong Cheng flying backward, crashing heavily onto the muddy ground at Chen Changqing's feet, unconscious.
"Zhong Cheng!"
Chen Changqing's eyes were about to burst, and the Pure Yang Qi and Blood in his chest surged violently.
The Eight-Tribulation Devil Emperor high in the sky blew away non-existent dust from his fingertips and stepped down from the sky, the void beneath his feet condensing into a series of black and gold demonic steps.
"His loyalty is commendable, but unfortunately he's a good-for-nothing."
The Eight-Tribulation Devil Emperor stopped in mid-air less than fifty feet away from Chen Changqing, and stretched out a huge black and gold hand that blotted out the sky. The five fingers slowly closed, enveloping Chen Changqing and the ground beneath his feet in the shadow of his palm.
"Now, it's your turn. Hand over the Heaven-Stepping Ring and your life."
Chapter 1078 Nine Commands Unite to Open the Immortal Treasury
For Eight-Tribulation Devil Emperor, a distance of fifty zhang is merely a thought away.
Before the enormous black and gold hand that blotted out the sky had even fully closed, the Eight Tribulations Principle emanating from its palm had already compressed the air around Chen Changqing so much that it exploded, and even the Quasi-Houtian Spirit Treasure Immortal Execution Sword, which he was holding, began to hum under the strain.
Zhong Cheng was unconscious on the ground, was barely breathing; Xiaoqian, inside the Heaven-Stepping Ring, was in danger of exploding and dying at any moment; and Chen Changqing himself had his meridians shattered and had fallen back to the Late Heavenly Monarch Stage.
A truly hopeless situation with no chance of survival.
Facing the black and gold Demonic Palm that was about to strike him down, Chen Changqing, who was kneeling in a pool of blood, slowly raised his head. Beneath his face covered in purple and gold blood, his eyes shone with a frightening light.
"You want the Heaven-Stepping Ring? Then I'll release everything inside and see if you, you piece of trash, can swallow it all!"
Ignoring his internal injuries, Chen Changqing used the last bit of his immortal energy to completely detonate the ancient sacred artifact— the Fragment of the Creation Jade Disk —that was floating above his head!
Buzz--!
The azure light of the Law of Time and Space swept out with unprecedented intensity.
Under the interference of the supreme spacetime rules originating from the ancient sacred artifact, the flow of time within ten feet around Chen Changqing was forcibly slowed down by a hundred times. The black and gold giant hand of the Eight-Tribulation Devil Emperor, which was grabbing three feet above his head, was abruptly suspended in mid-air for an extremely brief three breaths.
Three breaths!
That's enough!
Chen Changqing's thoughts sank into the deepest part of the Heaven-Stepping Ring, directly communicating with the nine ancient Tokens that were quietly floating in the corner of the storage space.
These nine Heaven-Stepping Immortal Emperor Inheritance Tokens were finally collected by him at the bottom of the ten-thousand-foot Blood Pool after he left Mount Shu, traversing the Eastern Wasteland, the Central Domain, and the Heavenly Void Secret Realm.
"Nine commands united, Immortal Treasury, open!!"
Chen Changqing roared inwardly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Inside the Heaven-Stepping Ring, nine ancient Tokens, bearing the marks of time, simultaneously unleashed a dazzling purple-gold imperial light, transforming into nine roaring purple-gold dragons, head to tail, crashing heavily against the chaotic stone gate at the very center of the Heaven-Stepping Ring's Minor World, a gate sealed for ten thousand years.
Rumble--!
A grand bell tolling from the ancient Immortal World resounded deep within Chen Changqing's mind.
The ultimate Immortal Emperor's secret treasure, which even the Heavenly Monarch's Divine Sense could not penetrate in the slightest, was completely opened at the moment when the nine Tokens gathered!
There were no mundane objects piled up like mountains. Behind the hidden gate, there was only a fist-sized sphere of primordial light, radiating a purple-gold primordial light that surpassed the Heavenly Dao rules of the Nine Netherworlds Realm — the Primordial Annihilation Immortal Source!
Beneath the celestial orb of light was an ancient scripture, gleaming with Golden Light, expounding the secrets of physical immortality—the complete eighth chapter of the "Primordial Nine-Turn Body Refining Art"!
Whoosh!
Before Chen Changqing could guide it, the "Primordial Annihilation Immortal Source" left by the Ultimate Realm Heaven-Stepping Immortal Emperor of the Sky to his successor to break through to the ultimate realm of immortality, along with the eighth-stage Body Refining scripture, connected to Chen Changqing's bloodline through the Heaven-Stepping Ring. A wisp of it first instantly erased the demonic mark between Xiaoqian's eyebrows, and then the main body rushed directly into Chen Changqing's riddled body!
[Ding! Detected that the host has obtained the core inheritance of the Heaven-Stepping Immortal Emperor, "Primordial Annihilation Immortal Source," and the eighth stage of the "Primordial Nine-Turn Body Refining Art"!]
[The current host has suffered a backlash from Secret Method, and their meridians are shattered. Do you wish to consume AFK Points for extreme AFK repair and fusion breakthrough?]
Hearing the system notification pop up in his mind, Chen Changqing glanced at the newly refreshed balance of 1.71 billion AFK Points on the panel and didn't hesitate for a moment.
"Reset all 1.7 billion AFK Points to zero! Activate the 100x extreme AFK mode!"
[Ding! 1,710,000,000 AFK Points have been deducted! 100x AFK limit activated!]
Boom--!
An indescribable power of creation exploded within Chen Changqing's body.
The 1.7 billion AFK Points transformed into the purest source of system rules, which, together with the Primordial Annihilation Immortal Source left by the Heaven-Stepping Immortal Emperor, stirred up a transformative life storm within Chen Changqing's limbs and bones.
The meridians that had been shattered inch by inch due to the backlash of the "Violence Formula" were completely healed in less than a thousandth of a breath under the overwhelming force of this immortal source. Not only did they heal instantly, but the meridian barriers also expanded tenfold, transforming into immortal meridians that shimmered with Golden Light.
[Ding! First year of AFK training has ended. The host's physical body has absorbed the Primordial Annihilation Immortal Source and is beginning its attempt to break through to the eighth stage of the "Primordial Nine-Turn Body Refining Art"!]
[Ding! Ten years of AFK farming have ended, and your physical body and skeleton have been completely reshaped for immortality...]
[Ding! Fifty years of AFK training have ended. Congratulations, host! The "Primordial Nine-Turn Body Refining Art" has successfully broken through to the eighth revolution! Your current physical strength is comparable to High-grade Immortal Artifact!]
Only a single breath had passed in the outside world.
Chen Changqing, kneeling on the ground, had his dried scabs on his body crumble away, revealing skin as clear as jade. Ancient chaotic divine patterns flowed within his skin, and the Qi and Blood emanating from his entire body directly shook the stagnant air around him, creating countless fine black spatial cracks.
A physical body of High-grade Immortal Artifact level!
But this is just the beginning.
The energy gained from 1.7 billion AFK Points was enormous. After propelling his physical body into the eighth stage, the remaining 80% of the Primordial Annihilation Immortal Source and the power of idle points were all blasted into the nine cracked Heavenly Monarch Purple Mansions within Chen Changqing's body.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom--!
No longer needing to sacrifice five Avatars to take a shortcut as before, Chen Changqing's true body, with the immense foundation accumulated over countless years, propelled by the power of the Immortal Emperor's essence, head-on collided with the true chasm that stretched between immortals and mortals.
Click--!
The formidable barrier crumbled instantly.
At this moment, the nine Purple Mansion worlds within Chen Changqing's body—metal, wood, water, fire, earth, Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise —completely shed their mortal forms. The nine Purple Mansions expanded infinitely, giving rise to true Immortal World Principle and the origin of chaos, transforming into nine vast immortal Immortal World that suppressed all heavens!
Within the Sea of Consciousness, the Nine Great Red-Gold Primordial Spirits and the Three Great Star Primordial Spirits were simultaneously bathed in the Primordial Annihilation Immortal Source. The Twelve Primordial Spirits opened a vertical immortal divine eye between their brows at the same time, and their Divine Sense range suddenly broke through the 100,000-mile barrier, directly piercing through the sealing array set up by the Eight-Tribulation Devil Emperor, and illuminating the entire Senluo Deathland with every detail.
At the same time, under the operation of the "Invincible Avatar Technique", the five white-robed Avatars that had previously self-destructed and sacrificed themselves instantly reformed in the Purple Mansion under the nourishment of the origins of the nine Immortal World, and the cultivation of each Avatar entered a new world in sync with the original!
[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have cultivated the "Invincible Immortal Ascension Technique" to its highest Ultimate Realm in the mortal realm. Your nine Purple Mansions have evolved into the Immortal World, and you have officially entered the realm of immortality!]
[The system has detected that the host is currently in an interface with unusual rules. The system provides the host with the following two promotion paths to choose from:]
[Option 1: Condense a flawless True Immortal Dao Fruit, immediately draw upon the guiding immortal light of the upper realm, and ascend to the Immortal Realm on the spot! (Note: After ascension, it will be impossible to easily return to the lower realm)]
[Option Two: Suppress the opportunity for ascension, fuse the origins of the nine Immortal World into the Heavenly Tribulation Immortal, and ascend to the "First-Tribulation Pure Yang Tribulation Immortal" on the spot, continuing to remain in the lower realm to sweep away all enemies!]
A system notification sounded in my mind.
Chen Changqing glanced at Zhong Cheng, who was lying unconscious at his feet, and then, thinking of his master and several fiancées waiting for him at Evergreen Peak of Mount Shu, he made a decision in an instant.
The karmic debts in the lower realms are not yet settled; it is far too early for us to simply turn around and ascend to immortality.
"I choose option two: to advance to the Tribulation Immortal!"
Rumble--!
As Chen Changqing made his choice, the three breaths of time gained by the Fragment of the Creation Jade Disk came to an end.
The giant black-gold hand of the Eight-Tribulation Devil Emperor, which had been hovering three zhang above his head, finally slammed down with a terrifying force capable of crushing mountains.
Turn me into mincemeat!
The Eight-Tribulation Devil Emperor's face had just revealed a sinister smile.
Below, in the pool of blood, Chen Changqing, who had been weak and listless, suddenly stood up straight.
Buzz--!
A purple-gold Heavenly Tribulation halo, purely woven from the origins of the nine Immortal World, the Primordial Annihilation Principle, and Pure Yang immortal lightning, suddenly burst open from behind Chen Changqing's head!
A true First-Tribulation Pure Yang True Immortal!
The moment the black and gold Demonic Palm struck down, Chen Changqing neither dodged nor evaded, nor even used the Immortal Execution Sword in his hand. He simply slowly raised his left arm, which had broken through to the eighth level of the "Primordial Nine-Turn Body Refining Art" and was comparable to High-grade Immortal Artifact, and spread his five fingers to grab the eighth tribulation Demonic Palm head-on!
Bang--!
Two hands, one large and one small, collided violently in mid-air.
The scene that I had envisioned— Chen Changqing being smashed to pieces with a single slap—did not occur.
Instead, Chen Changqing suddenly exerted force with his left hand, unleashing the terrifying power of his High-grade Immortal Artifact body. He actually tore through the protective divine Gods and Devils Gang Qi in the palm of the Eight-Tribulation Devil Emperor on the spot, and his five fingers dug deep into the flesh and blood of the Demon Emperor's palm.
"What?! Your physical body... you actually broke through?!"
The sneer on the face of the Eight-Tribulation Devil Emperor instantly turned into extreme horror. He desperately tried to pull back his right hand, but found that his palm was as if it were welded firmly by an ancient divine clamp, and he could not pull it out even half an inch.
Chen Changqing held the Eight-Tribulation Devil Emperor's giant hand with one hand, and five spatial rifts opened simultaneously behind him. The five white- Avatars, who had been resurrected and all advanced to the First-Tribulation Pure Yang True Immortal, stepped out and surrounded the Eight-Tribulation Devil Emperor, trapping him firmly in the middle.
Chen Changqing looked up at the Eight-Tribulation Devil Emperor who was so close to him, and slowly raised the Quasi-Houtian Spirit Treasure Immortal Execution Sword, with his right hand:
"That finger strike just now, you enjoyed it, didn't you? Now, hand over your Eight Tribulation Rings!"