Netherworld Venerable's Challenge

(190,000 words already. It's been put on the shelves. Life as a flop is really too hard. Please, dear readers, give me a subscription. I'll kowtow to you all: thud thud thud...)

Tribulation Heavenly Venerable had once again attained the Dao and become a Venerable. This news shook the entire universe.

On this day, Li Ming suddenly received a letter of challenge.

It had formed from an incredibly dense corpse aura and contained the ultimate laws of corpse aura. It flew to the heavenly gate of Reincarnation Sea and exploded directly.

Tribulation Heavenly Venerable was challenging the Demon Venerable. The news that they would engage in an earth-shattering battle swept through the entire universe like a thunderclap.

Tribulation Heavenly Venerable had not died. His corpse had awakened, and he had once again attained the Dao and become a Venerable, shaking the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.

He intended to challenge the Chaotic Body Demon Venerable. Once the news spread, the whole universe erupted.

Before the battle had even begun, the news was already spreading across the major life-bearing planets.

Many people were eagerly awaiting it. Tribulation Heavenly Venerable was the first Heavenly Venerable of the Age of Mythology, and legends about him were practically miraculous, filled with countless unbelievable tales.

Just how profound did his foundation have to be for his corpse to awaken and for him to attain the Dao and become a Venerable again?

Just how powerful had he become?

People also longed to witness the clash between Tribulation Heavenly Venerable and the Demon Venerable.

The Demon Venerable had already killed more than thirty Dark Supremes and was hailed as the number-one Heavenly Venerable in the universe.

And now someone actually dared challenge him. Either Tribulation Heavenly Venerable was excessively arrogant, or he was truly extraordinarily powerful.

"Just the identity of being the foremost Heavenly Venerable of the Age of Mythology, Tribulation Heavenly Venerable, already gives him enough weight and qualifications!"

"The strongest corpse throughout the ages! After awakening, he cultivated once more to the realm of a Heavenly Venerable. Just how powerful is he? It is truly something to look forward to!"

For so many years, the Demon Venerable had reigned supreme throughout the universe, with no one able to withstand his edge. Many people had been hoping for something to happen.

Now that such an immensely powerful challenger had appeared, countless people were filled with anticipation.

Li Ming naturally knew that Tribulation Heavenly Venerable was clearly resentful. He believed that being forced to hand over the Source Heaven Book back then had been a humiliation.

Therefore, after attaining the Dao again, he had come to challenge Li Ming at the first opportunity.

Li Ming looked at the letter radiating corpse aura above the Southern Heavenly Gate of Reincarnation Sea and grabbed it.

There was only one word written on it: "Battle!"

Li Ming did not sense any hostility from it. Instead, he sensed confidence—a confidence that regarded oneself as supreme.

It seemed that Tribulation Heavenly Venerable was extremely confident in his own strength.

"Tribulation Heavenly Venerable? Netherworld Emperor Duan De?"

Li Ming was also very interested in how strong Tribulation Heavenly Venerable was after his corpse had awakened and he had attained the Dao once again.

After all, the Supremes of this era were simply too useless. Killing them had been as easy for Li Ming as chopping vegetables.

Even the renowned Longevity Heavenly Venerable and Carefree Heavenly Venerable had been killed by him.

Li Ming truly was powerful, rarely seen throughout all ages. Still, Tribulation Heavenly Venerable was also a famously formidable figure.

Many people were awaiting this clash.

Li Ming took a single step and arrived at the Mythical Battlefield.

There was not a trace of sound here. It was cold and dark.

With a thunderous boom, an incomparably blazing bolt of lightning tore through the universe and entered the Mythical Battlefield, chaos energy swirling around it.

It was Li Ming.

He looked toward Tribulation Heavenly Venerable opposite him. At this moment, Tribulation Heavenly Venerable still looked like a plump Daoist priest, as though time had left no mark on him.

Corpse aura enveloped his entire body, while all kinds of Source Art Runes appeared around him. The myriad Daos of heaven and earth roared, as though he controlled the will of a Heavenly Emperor.

"Tribulation Heavenly Venerable?" Li Ming asked.

"That's right. It is me. I have come back to life, and I have once again attained the Dao to become a Heavenly Venerable!" Tribulation Heavenly Venerable said calmly.

With another thunderous boom, their battle erupted without any warning.

Chaos energy surged violently, while corpse aura spread in every direction and drowned the entire battlefield.

For a time, no one could see the details of the battle within.

They only knew that an earth-shattering and extraordinarily fierce collision was taking place there.

It was a true battle between Heavenly Venerables, causing the awakened Dark Supremes' expressions to change again and again.

What a powerful Chaotic Body!

What a powerful Tribulation Heavenly Venerable!

His reputation was well deserved. Everyone was deeply shocked.

They had never expected such an intense battle to occur.

As the incomparably fierce slaughter continued, people finally saw the blurry scene within.

Li Ming stood there with chaos energy coiling around him, surrounded by endless Chaos Laws, Immortal Ascension Light, and Great Dao Flowers.

Meanwhile, Tribulation Heavenly Venerable before him seemed to have collapsed the chaos domain. Azure Dragons, White Tigers, Vermilion Birds, and Black Tortoises formed from strands of corpse aura, mixed with endless Source Art Runes, and launched an earth-shattering battle against Li Ming.

"Too powerful!"

A Dark Supreme exclaimed in astonishment.

He could sense that Tribulation Heavenly Venerable had fused corpse aura with the Origin Heaven Forbidden Divine Formation, creating an incomparably unique Great Dao.

Amid those most ancient Source Art Runes were nine extremely mysterious Heavenly Venerable runes.

Although Li Ming's Chaotic Body could command the myriad Daos of heaven and earth, Tribulation Heavenly Venerable could likewise draw upon the power of heaven and earth through the Origin Heaven Forbidden Divine Formation, representing the will of a Heavenly Emperor as he fought until all things between heaven and earth were annihilated.

Punch after punch crashed out within. Azure Dragons, White Tigers, Vermilion Birds, and more fell one after another, turning to ash amid raging flames...

They decayed into ruin beneath the Immortal Ascension Light...

Li Ming's expression remained calm. Immortal Ascension Light illuminated everything, and even the surrounding void collapsed.

One Immortal Spirit after another, formed from corpse aura and Source Art Runes, fell into the starry sky.

Yet these Immortal Spirits were inexhaustible. Every one of them was incomparably powerful, having evolved to an unbelievable level, as though they had emerged from the Immortal Domain or the Underworld.

The entire heaven and earth seemed to have been branded with endless Source Art Runes by Tribulation Heavenly Venerable. Laws erupted like a vast ocean, shaking all heaven and earth. He was using the power of the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Lands to attack Li Ming.

"Tribulation Heavenly Venerable truly is powerful. No wonder he is someone who attained the Dao and became a Venerable once more."

"His body has undergone multiple transformations. It can actually rival, or even surpass, the Chaotic Body."

"This is simply unbelievable!"

Everyone was immensely shocked. They were astonished to discover that Tribulation Heavenly Venerable's strength was actually so formidable.

Great Dao laws collided as brilliant radiance burst forth. Every energy storm was incomparably dazzling.

"Why did Tribulation Heavenly Venerable not die?"

"How could his corpse awaken and allow him to attain the Dao and become a Venerable again?"

Everyone looked at the overwhelmingly powerful Tribulation Heavenly Venerable with disbelief written all over their faces.

"Could it be that he truly broke the shackles of heaven and earth and found another kind of Longevity Method?"

"Tribulation Heavenly Venerable, you truly are strong!" Li Ming praised.

"No. Tribulation Heavenly Venerable is already dead. I am now Netherworld Emperor Duan De!"

"Whether you are Tribulation Heavenly Venerable or Netherworld Venerable, you will not escape defeat and death today!" Li Ming shouted.

"Let me see just how strong a true Chaotic Body really is!" Netherworld Venerable roared.

Rumble!

The incomparably intense battle continued. A Netherworld Venerable's Treasure Wheel appeared above Netherworld Venerable's head. It had fused the Nine Immortal Metals and, after being tempered by corpse aura, had turned black as ink.

Li Ming's Heavenly Demonic Saber appeared and clashed head-on with the Tongtian Nether Treasure.

Clearly, the Tongtian Nether Treasure was no match for the Heavenly Demonic Saber. The saber cleaved it in half with a single strike.

This battle darkened the sun and moon and drained the mountains and rivers of color.

Netherworld Venerable had abandoned all Dao and techniques belonging to Tribulation Heavenly Venerable. Every move he made was Origin Heaven Divine Art.

He even used the Origin Heaven Divine Formation to evolve chaos and sweep across all directions.

Li Ming had not expected Netherworld Emperor Duan De to have cultivated the Origin Heaven Forbidden Divine Art to such a level.

Li Ming had battled Netherworld Emperor Duan De for so long not because he was no match for Netherworld Venerable, but because he wanted to glimpse Netherworld Venerable's Dao and techniques.

In this lifetime, Netherworld Emperor Duan De had attained the Dao and become a Venerable through Source Arts. It was simply too incredible.

To uncover the secret within, Li Ming had to force Netherworld Emperor Duan De to his limits before he could truly glimpse its profound mysteries.

"Kill!"

Li Ming let out repeated long roars.

He forced Netherworld Emperor Duan De to his absolute limit.

At this moment, Netherworld Emperor Duan De's body was nearly exploding. He was covered in blood and on the verge of collapse.

That terrifying energy storm was even about to shatter the Mythical Battlefield into pieces.

Everyone was deeply shaken. Just what level had their strength reached?

But people soon realized that the Demon Venerable had long since gained the upper hand.

It was simply that the Demon Venerable kept attacking Netherworld Venerable without ever ending the battle.

The battle raged until heaven and earth went dark, until an entire Cosmic Frontier Wasteland collapsed.

People believed the two were evenly matched, but only those Dark Supremes could see clearly that the Demon Venerable had thoroughly comprehended Netherworld Emperor Duan De's understanding of Source Arts.

In the end, Netherworld Emperor Duan De transformed entirely into an Origin Heaven Forbidden Divine Formation, wrapping Li Ming inside and attempting to refine him, refine chaos, and smelt chaos.

Yet Li Ming easily counterattacked his way out.

In the end, Li Ming was completely unscathed, as graceful as jade in the wind.

Netherworld Emperor Duan De, however, was covered in blood, his body broken and battered.

"I truly never expected this outcome!"

"I never expected you to be this strong!"

Netherworld Emperor Duan De's face was full of bitterness and disbelief.

"You are indeed strong. Killing other Dark Supremes would be no problem for you, but compared with me, you are still far too lacking," Li Ming said with a smile.

"To attain the Dao and become a Venerable through Source Arts, this lifetime holds immense promise for you!" Li Ming encouraged.

With a puff, Netherworld Emperor Duan De's body exploded, scattering blood everywhere. He had not died; his injuries to the Great Dao were simply too severe.

He painfully reassembled his body. "The Demon Venerable truly deserves to be called the foremost expert among Heavenly Venerables!"

"This poor Daoist admires you!"

And so, the battle came to an end.

Many people had never expected Netherworld Emperor Duan De to suffer such a complete defeat before the Demon Venerable.

And the Demon Venerable's strength was actually this terrifying.

Li Ming invited Netherworld Emperor Duan De into Reincarnation Sea, where they discussed the mysteries of the Dao together.

They spoke at length about the Way of Reincarnation behind corpse spirit awakening and explored the Red Dust Immortal Path.

In a sense, the two could be considered fellow travelers upon the Red Dust Immortal Path.

While everyone else was still utterly lost, they had already begun discussing how to achieve Mortal-World Ascension.

Days passed one after another.

On this day, an astonishing Great Dao fluctuation swept through the entire universe.

Li Ming looked toward a region of chaos deep within the universe, surprise appearing in his eyes.

"The aura of a Sacred Spirit?"

That earth-shattering aura was clearly the sign that a Perfected Sacred Spirit was about to be born.

The moment a Perfected Sacred Spirit was born, it possessed strength at the peak of the Quasi-Emperor realm. It could even directly attain the Dao and become a Venerable, possessing overwhelmingly powerful strength and exerting pressure across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.

The Sacred Spirit Race was extremely special. It was said to be blessed by Heaven and could naturally nurture Immortal Gold and Great Dao scriptures within their bodies.

They were naturally born from the union of heaven and earth. They did not need anyone to teach them forbidden secret arts, as they could naturally nurture Great Dao scriptures on their own.

And they were incomparably powerful.

Once successfully nurtured, they became Perfected Sacred Spirits at the peak of the ninth level of the Quasi-Emperor realm.

It was said that Sacred Spirits of this level challenging Supremes, or even Heavenly Venerables, was no mere legend.

Although they could not defeat a true Dao attainer, this also showed just how formidable such Sacred Spirits were.

Nearly everyone who attained the Dao and became a Venerable had a record of killing Perfected Sacred Spirits.

Every Perfected Sacred Spirit required millions of years to be successfully nurtured.

Legend had it that killing one would bring Heaven's curse.

Only true Dao attainers, who were likewise favored children of Heaven, could kill Perfected Sacred Spirits without suffering any curse.

Li Ming dismissed this legend with disdain.

Back then, he had devoured an unknown number of Sacred Spirits and had never encountered any condemnation or curse from heaven and earth.

Perhaps the Bronze Mirror had concealed his aura, or perhaps his own luck was simply heaven-defying and he himself was favored by Heaven.

Perhaps those Sacred Spirits he had killed deserved to die in the first place.

Their origins may have existed only to fulfill Li Ming.

"A Perfected Sacred Spirit has been born?"

"It is said that Perfected Sacred Spirits are immensely powerful, only a step away from attaining the Dao and becoming a Venerable."

"There is already a Dao attainer in this era. Everyone else has long lost their chance!"

"Judging by this aura, it is definitely a Perfected Sacred Spirit, one with the strength to challenge Supremes!"

"I just hope they do not massacre the universe!"

"Yes, these creatures are too awful. They actually despise every living being in heaven and earth apart from Sacred Spirits!"

"Every time they are born, there are mountains of corpses and seas of blood."

"Are they trying to become enemies of the entire universe?"

Regarding the birth of this Perfected Sacred Spirit, all living beings in heaven and earth watched coldly.

Only the Sacred Spirit Race cheered.

This was because the Sacred Spirit Race was exceedingly powerful and proud, looking down upon every other race.

Throughout the history of Shrouding the Heavens, nearly every era had records of Sacred Spirits bringing calamity upon all living beings.

It was said that during the era when Daode Tianzun attained the Dao and became a Venerable, the calamity of the Sacred Spirits had been at its most rampant.

It was said that Daode Tianzun had suppressed several Sacred Spirits, even dismembering them and refining them into divine liquid.

In later generations, a Perfected Sacred Spirit had sought revenge, yet had never found Daode Tianzun's burial site.

By then, the birthplace of that Sacred Spirit had become a Sacred Spirit Forbidden Zone.

That vast world was boundless, majestic, and magnificent.

That pitch-black sacred mountain was an awe-inspiring sight from afar.

Chaos mist even coiled around it, making it truly astonishing.

Now that a Perfected Sacred Spirit had emerged, countless Sacred Spirits cheered.

They even rushed toward that black divine mountain, wishing to join the Perfected Sacred Spirit's ranks.

"Another Perfected Sacred Spirit has emerged!"

"The glory of our Sacred Spirit Race has returned!"

"More and more Perfected Sacred Spirits are being born, and we can seal them away to await the right time!"

"Daode Tianzun once slew several Perfected Sacred Spirits of our race. This grudge must be avenged!"

The Sacred Spirit Race was exceedingly confident. To them, even a Heavenly Venerable of the current age was someone they dared to challenge.

Not to mention that they had true Sacred Spirit Supremes, and even Sacred Spirit Heavenly Venerables.

Of course, this was merely what was said.

No one had ever seen a true Sacred Spirit Heavenly Venerable battle another Heavenly Venerable.

"Come, let us seek trouble with Daode Tianzun!"

"We must find his grave, dig him out, and whip his corpse!"

"We will refine his corpse into divine liquid and avenge our hatred!"

No one had expected that, the moment this Perfected Sacred Spirit emerged, it would immediately gather countless Sacred Spirits. They blotted out the sky and swept across the starry sky.

They searched everywhere for traces of Daode Tianzun's grave.

After finding nothing, they arrived at a Dao Gate, the place where Daode Tianzun's legacy had been passed down.

"Where is Daode Tianzun? Get out here at once!"

"Bring out Daode Tianzun!"

Countless beings shouted in unison, carrying the momentum of an army determined to level the Dao Gate.

"The Human Race deserves death!"

"Daode Tianzun's disciples and descendants all deserve death!"

Blood light burst forth, and blood energy surged into the heavens. One Dao Gate disciple after another died.

There was simply no one capable of stopping them.

Just as Li Ming was about to act, a withered, branch-like finger suddenly appeared.

The enormous finger covered the heavens and earth, like a river of stars and also like a pillar holding up the sky.

The Perfected Sacred Spirit's expression changed drastically. With a long howl, it resisted with all its strength.

Yet in the end, that finger merely flicked the Sacred Spirit away.

It vomited blood in great mouthfuls before exploding with a thunderous boom.

The countless Sacred Spirits that had followed behind, whether Saints, Great Saints, or even Quasi-Emperors, were casually swept by that finger and turned into piles of mangled flesh, then gathered into its hand.

"Daode Tianzun!"

The entire universe erupted into an uproar.

Many found it hard to believe. Daode Tianzun had not shown any trace of himself for so many years, yet he was actually still alive.

Judging from his aura, it seemed he had not cut himself down.

He still possessed the complete aura of a Heavenly Venerable.

High above all else, he looked down upon the mortal world.

When Li Ming had parted ways with Daode Tianzun, Daode Tianzun had originally said that he planned to seal away that world and attempt Corpse Spirit Awakening.

Clearly, this amount of time was not enough for Corpse Spirit Awakening.

Daode Tianzun had obviously survived through some other method.

"Could Daode Tianzun have also drawn inspiration from me, transformed, and lived out a new Lifetime?"

Li Ming was somewhat astonished as well.

The heroes of the world were as numerous as carp crossing a river. So long as they gained even a little inspiration, they could change their fate.

The powerful figures recorded in history truly could not be underestimated.

Daode Tianzun was also a renowned powerhouse. It was not strange for him to have found a new way to survive.

Li Ming did not know what method Daode Tianzun had used to remain alive, but it was clear that Daode Tianzun's vitality and blood were no longer so abundant.

Or rather, he had already entered his true twilight years.

Li Ming could sense it from that aura.

Sure enough, just as Li Ming had guessed, a shriveled little old man tore through the void and stepped out.

Though his aura still appeared powerful, he already radiated a heavy air of old age.

"I have studied Sacred Spirits for many years and have finally gained some insight. Perhaps beyond the cycle of nine lifetimes, I can attempt to transform into a Sacred Spirit," Daode Tianzun muttered to himself.