Chapter 22

The pupils of the Asura Race's Taiyi cultivators contracted sharply as three spiritual treasures released their pressure at once.

The spiritual pressure emitted by these three treasures was actually comparable to that of High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures!

If they could seize even one of them...

The moment an Asura cultivator entertained greedy thoughts, the Vajra Scepter came smashing toward his crown with the force of wind and thunder!

The seemingly cumbersome scepter moved like a serpent in Lu Tian's hands, yet it still possessed the might to split mountains and shatter stone.

If this blow landed, he would likely be finished on the spot...

In that instant, his opponent hastily spat out a small shield etched with golden patterns.

Clang—!

Amid a thunderous boom like a great bell, the shield twisted out of shape in an instant, its spiritual light completely extinguished.

One more strike, and this spiritual treasure would surely be reduced to ashes!

But Lu Tian had no time to pursue him.

The scepter spun swiftly to block toward the right, where hundreds upon hundreds of sword lights had formed a heavenly net descending upon him.

With a furious shout, the Vajra Scepter expanded a hundred zhang, stretching before him like a Pillar Supporting the Heavens. The rain of swords struck its body and sent sparks flying across the sky.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The ringing of metal striking metal was as dense as a sudden downpour.

The Moon Washing Blade in his left hand transformed into a silver whirlwind as it clashed with the Asura swordsman.

Lu Tian's Blade Technique was smooth and flawless. No matter how tidal the enemy's offensive became, he could find no opening.

In terms of mastery over the blade, Lu Tian could have easily suppressed his opponent. Yet he deliberately maintained a stalemate—because that Asura swordsman was tangling him up with a life-risking style of combat.

The stone staff and long spear formed a deadly cage, drawing all the remaining Taiyi cultivators into the battle. Shadows of the staff and spear lights intertwined into a net, forcing everyone to defend with all their strength.

Damn it! Where had this bastard gotten so many methods?

Could he have inherited the true teachings of some great expert? These divine abilities were completely unheard of!

He had not even revealed a Dharma Form incarnation. Just how many more killing moves was he hiding?

The seven Taiyi cultivators transmitted messages in secret, growing more alarmed the longer they fought. Lu Tian's endless trump cards were like an abyss whose depths could never be sounded.

"Stop hesitating. Attack with everything you have and disrupt his rhythm. Don't let him lead you by the nose!" Moxi transmitted calmly. "He's only a Golden Immortal. What's there to fear?!"

"No matter how strong he is, with the seven of us joining forces, victory is only a matter of time!"

Those words greatly lifted everyone's spirits.

Defeating Lu Tian was merely a matter of time.

They were the ones besieging him. Lu Tian could only defend passively.

One man against seven!

So what if he had four arms?

There would eventually be an opening!

These Taiyi powerhouses were all battle-hardened veterans. As long as Lu Tian revealed even the slightest flaw, they could seize the chance to launch a fatal attack!

And they held the advantage in numbers. Even if one of them made a mistake, the others could promptly fill the gap.

Lu Tian also realized how troublesome the situation was.

He had struggled even when facing three opponents alone. Now that seven people were besieging him, even after using his Vajra Body, he was hard-pressed on every side!

"This can't drag on!"

"The longer this stalemate lasts, the worse it is for me. Sooner or later, they'll force out an opening. Once they seize that chance, it'll be over!"

Lu Tian understood the battle situation perfectly well.

Minor injuries had already begun appearing on his body!

The seven Taiyi powerhouses coordinated seamlessly, and their combat experience was even richer than his. Any tiny flaw would be magnified without limit by them!

If not for the Power of Creation instantly repairing his wounds, he would already be covered in injuries!

At this critical moment of life and death, he had to go all out!

The last time he fought three Taiyi cultivators, he had suffered because he had not used his Vajra Body. Fortunately, the Power of Creation had repaired his wounds.

This time, he would not hold back again!

With a thought from Lu Tian, a violent force of destruction suddenly surged from within his body.

In an instant, his mind became utterly clear.

Previously, he had always struggled to comprehend the Dao of Creation. Even though the Power of Creation flowed through his body, he had failed to grasp its essence.

But at this moment, as the power of destruction emerged, he understood in an instant!

After all, he had personally comprehended the Great Annihilation Technique before!

A sharp gleam flashed through Lu Tian's eyes as he suddenly recalled the Vajra Scepter, stone staff, and long spear.

Only the Moon Washing Blade remained in his hand.

Under everyone's astonished gazes, Lu Tian remained calm in the face of the attacks about to descend.

He gripped the hilt tightly with both hands—

Buzz!

The Moon Washing Blade let out a clear cry.

The power of one world was poured into the blade!

Lu Tian fused the Great Annihilation Technique into his Blade Technique!

Then...

The power of a second world stacked atop it!

A third!

A fourth...

Nine Heavens and Ten Earths!

The power of nine realms condensed upon the edge of the Moon Washing Blade in an instant. The saber suddenly became as heavy as a mountain, and even with both hands gripping it, veins bulged across Lu Tian's arms.

However—

Every layer of heaven and earth doubled the blade's power.

With nine layers stacked together, its might surged ninefold!

He no longer held anything back. His lifespan boiled like flames.

The Severance Secret Method activated, and his vital essence and blood transformed into boundless energy!

His combat strength increased another fivefold!

The Vajra Dharma Form manifested, and the strength of his body surged tenfold!

Wielding the blade with an indestructible golden body, bearing the power of nine worlds, and carrying a torrent of destruction bought by burning his life—

The might of this blade was comparable to four hundred and fifty ordinary strikes!

The blade light rose!

The nine heavens trembled in unison!

A waning moon became a blade!

The blade radiance that split the earth and severed the sky swept across everything!

The Crimson Continent shattered with a thunderous crash!

Seven Golden Immortals were reduced to ashes!

The aftershock tore open a bottomless abyss stretching one hundred million li!

When the blood mist dispersed—

Jieyin, Zhunti, and Styx were all left speechless.

Ancestor Minghe's blood-red pupils contracted violently. Though this strike was no more than the force of a casual sleeve flick to a Saint...

Lu Tian was only a Golden Immortal!

Yet this single blade had unleashed destructive power at the peak of the Taiyi Realm!

The Crimson Continent had been specially forged by Styx. Even battles between Taiyi cultivators could not damage it in the slightest.

Yet the abyss now running across the continent silently proclaimed:

The edge of this youth's blade had surpassed the limits of Golden Immortals!

The might of that slash deeply shocked Styx. He had never imagined that a cultivator could unleash such a stunning strike at the Golden Immortal realm!

At this moment, this genius was still transforming.

Styx, Jieyin, and Zhunti all saw it clearly. Lu Tian sat cross-legged, devouring the origins of the seven Taiyi Golden Immortals.

He was still absorbing them? Nine thousand Golden Immortals and one Taiyi cultivator had actually been insufficient to restore his foundation? Styx could not help murmuring to himself.

Lu Tian always brought unexpected surprises!

They had thought that absorbing six thousand Golden Immortals and one Taiyi cultivator would be enough, yet he was still drawing in origin energy.

After this, his foundation should be completely restored, right? Styx asked hesitantly.

So far, Lu Tian had devoured nearly ten thousand Golden Immortals and eight Taiyi Golden Immortals! If even that was not enough, just how astonishing was his foundation?

Could he be Pangu's direct descendant?

The more Styx thought about it, the more anticipation filled him. He hoped Lu Tian would reveal even more astonishing talent!

Jieyin pondered for a moment. "It should be close. Let everything follow fate and see what fortune he possesses. If it truly isn't enough, we can seek another opportunity."

The three supreme powerhouses of the primordial world stared fixedly at Lu Tian.

They dared not disturb him. They merely waited to witness what kind of miracle this young man could create and what astonishing foundation he truly possessed!

Taiyi Golden Immortals truly were extraordinary. Each one was comparable to three thousand Golden Immortals! The Blood Sea Trial arranged by Master was just enough for me to devour my fill.

Lu Tian continued absorbing origin energy, savoring the pleasure of feeling his foundation gradually become complete.

Sixty percent, eighty percent, ninety percent, ninety-nine percent...

He did not notice that a faint fragrance had begun to waft from his body.

Perfect completion!

Lu Tian let out a long breath as an unprecedented sense of comfort swept through his entire body.

At that moment, dark clouds suddenly gathered above his head, covering an area of ten li. Though they did not span a great distance, the pressure within them was terrifying—every flash of lightning was comparable to a full-force strike from a Taiyi Golden Immortal!

This was... the Shaping Thunder Tribulation?

Lu Tian stared at the tribulation clouds in momentary astonishment. He had clearly already taken human form, so why had restoring his foundation brought another thunder tribulation?

Fortunately, he quickly regained his senses.

He had not naturally taken human form. He had only become human after transmigrating and possessing this spiritual bamboo.

Strictly speaking, he had never truly undergone the proper process of taking form!

"Could it be that only after my foundation was fully restored and my origin perfected did the Heavenly Dao judge me to have officially taken form?"

"Previously, my origin had been so severely incomplete that the Heavenly Dao may have believed I was already dead..."

Lu Tian considered it briefly. That seemed to be the only reasonable explanation.

After all, he was a visitor from another world and did not originally belong to this primordial world.

Given his special identity, a few abnormalities were only natural.

"Forget it. There's no point overthinking this. I should focus on passing the tribulation first."

Lu Tian tightened his grip on the Moon Washing Blade. Golden light burst around him as the Vajra Dharma Form unfolded abruptly.

Facing a heavenly tribulation for the first time, he did not dare be careless in the slightest.

The power of a thunder tribulation was impossible to predict. He had to meet it with everything he had.

In an instant, a seemingly gentle bolt of lightning drifted down from the clouds.

Though it resembled a willow catkin, it contained the force to split mountains and cleave the earth, comparable to a full-force attack from a Taiyi Golden Immortal!

"A Shaping Thunder Tribulation is actually this dangerous?"

Lu Tian's pupils narrowed slightly.

This level of difficulty far exceeded his expectations. If this was the standard, there would likely be very few beings in the primordial world who could successfully take form!

As thoughts raced through his mind, he had already swung his blade to meet it.

The edge of the Moon Washing Blade collided with the lightning, erupting in blinding electric light.

Leaping serpents of lightning raced along the blade and entered his body—

Only to be completely absorbed!

Not only did the remaining lightning force fail to harm him, it even made his entire body feel refreshed.

The corners of Lu Tian's lips rose slightly.

He had almost forgotten. His true body already wielded the authority of destruction and could command heavenly lightning.

In that case, it was only natural that he possessed extremely high lightning resistance.

Boom!

The second tribulation bolt crashed down!

The Moon Washing Blade cleaved through the lightning again, and Lu Tian grew fiercer with every battle.

What should have been a solemn tribulation scene had turned into the strange sight of a blade cleaving thunder tribulation after thunder tribulation.

The power of destruction flowed into his meridians along with the lightning, deepening his understanding of the Dao of Destruction by another measure.

As the tribulation clouds churned—

At the peak of Kunlun Mountain, inside the Eight Sceneries Palace.

Three Daoists were fiercely Discussing the Dao when the youngest, a blue-robed Daoist, abruptly stopped calculating with his fingers.

"Interesting." A strange light flashed through his eyes. "I just deduced the birth of a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Root. It seems to share some Karma with the three of us..."

Before he could finish, the white-haired old Daoist beside him and the imposing middle-aged man both turned toward him.

The middle-aged Daoist urgently pressed for details.

He quickly calculated with his fingers. A moment later, his expression shifted. "It truly is a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Root coming into being. It is actually connected to all three of us. How strange indeed!"

The old Daoist revealed a surprised expression upon hearing this. He also raised his hand to calculate, then nodded. "What my two junior brothers said is correct."

These three were the Three Pure Ones who shook the primordial world—Dao De Tianzun, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Tongtian Jiaozhu. The three brothers had all attained Saint positions, their names renowned throughout heaven and earth!

As they calculated, their gazes met, and all three focused their minds to delve deeper.

A moment later, Dao De Tianzun was the first to open his eyes. A trace of melancholy passed through them before he smiled in understanding.

Yuanshi Tianzun followed close behind, his gaze like lightning as it pierced straight into the Primordial Blood Sea—

There stood a figure wielding a blade against the lightning tribulation.

Blade light flashed coldly as tribulation lightning roared.

"The Blade Technique is passable..."

"In the end, it was wasted on him."

Even across boundless void, Yuanshi could still sense that clear, ethereal aura—the unique origin of a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Root.

As Yuanshi watched Lu Tian undergo his tribulation, his memories surged back to twenty thousand years ago:

That travel-worn young man who had come from the west had once knelt and begged to join the Three Pure Ones.

His eldest brother had said the youth lacked fate with them, while he himself had found the youth's innate qualities mediocre and instead accepted True Person Huang Long, who had come to seek discipleship alongside him.