Before the divine ability had even taken shape, the Phenomenon was already crushing the laws of heaven and earth. Moreover, these same ten Cave Heavens were utterly unlike Ao Zun's. Immortal radiance wreathed them, impossible for anyone to overlook!
For immortals and mortals were different. The peak of the Human Dao Domain was still within the Human Dao Domain, on an entirely different level from the Immortal Dao!
Empowered by immortal light, the divine ability began to transcend the bounds of an art. Like the underlying law that governed an art, it displayed a power akin to the laws of the world.
The might of the Immortal Dao! Once the words were spoken, the laws followed!
Dazzling immortal radiance slashed toward Yan!
"Break!"
Yan's furious roar rang out! A power that annihilated everything bore down upon it! Indestructible Divine Runes fused with a tremendous force beyond all limits, crushing every law!
After so many ages, even the great formation laid down by an Immortal King began to shake! This energy beyond the Extreme Dao battered it until it nearly cracked!
When the void settled, a silver-haired young man stood at the edge of the formation! Yan, however, had already been driven outside it!
By the rules of this battle, the Heavenly Horned Ant whose fame shook the three realms had lost!
Both men had suffered varying degrees of damage, though Qi Yuan looked somewhat more bedraggled.
As for Yan, the formidable physique of the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan made him look merely a little unsteady! So long as their primordial spirits were not nailed down and killed at once, attacks from opponents of the same realm were nothing more than tempering for them.
After this battle, his body would surely advance another step! He even enjoyed it. As they underwent transformation after transformation, they eventually came to fear that no one would be able to put pressure on them, leaving them unable to advance!
"How could this happen? Did Lord Heavenly Horned Ant lose?"
"This... unbelievable. He really lost!"
On the Nine Heavens' side, cultivators who had yet to enter the Extreme Dao murmured and wailed! Unaware of the true circumstances, all they knew was that Yan had been blasted out of the formation, and they believed he had lost the battle!
Of course, he had indeed lost!
"His opponent comes from that clan. He isn't necessarily weaker than Lord Heavenly Horned Ant, and could even be stronger! After all, when Lord Wuzhong and the others were young, they weren't necessarily weaker than the lords of the Ten Fiends!"
A True Immortal on the Nine Heavens' side spoke. He was an old man, and he praised their opponent because he had lived long enough to see countless prodigies. He had even been fortunate enough to see young Immortal Kings, beings invincible within their own realms!
"Hmph! A victory or defeat now proves nothing! Whether his opponent can enter the King realm in the future remains unknown, while members of the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan need only enter the Immortal Dao and complete their physical transformation to stand shoulder to shoulder with kings! Moreover, these two have performed better than their father did in his youth. They have a chance to surpass their predecessors!"
Her icy tone seemed capable of freezing the void itself. Snow Linglong, who had remained silent for a long time, spoke. She truly seemed to dislike the people of the Immortal Domain!
"Indeed! Among all the races ranked as the strongest, only the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan possesses such physical prowess. They are unique! Perhaps that is precisely why they struggle to attain King-realm primordial spirits. The Heavenly Dao refuses to let such heaven-defying beings truly enter the King realm! Still, I look forward to seeing them surpass their predecessors!"
The young True Immortal on the Nine Heavens' side spoke, wholeheartedly agreeing with Snow Linglong!
"I lost! So there are still worthy opponents out there. You're strong! Let's fight again once I enter the King realm!"
Yan spoke with easy candor. Even as he acknowledged his shortcomings, he did not forget to boast that he would enter the Immortal King realm in the future.
He had that confidence. Or rather, he believed that if he could not surpass his predecessors, then however strong he became, he would still be a failure! This clan had never sought merely to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who came before. Each generation had to surpass the last.
Had the old Heavenly Horned Ant not been surrounded and killed, he might truly have entered the King realm. Yan did not want his own father to laugh at him for falling short even of his old man!
"I had an unfair advantage. Had this been a battle to the death, you would certainly have been the one to survive, fellow Daoist! But next time, I will defeat you fair and square!"
Stirred by Yan's words, Qi Yuan spoke with soaring spirit and boiling blood!
"As expected of a prodigy ranked among the strongest in the Immortal Domain. Even the strongest race of our world has been defeated! Congratulations!"
The old Quasi-King of the Nine Heavens spoke!
"You flatter us, Senior Jing Ci! This young friend will surely stand shoulder to shoulder with kings in the future! Qi Yuan still has a very long road ahead!"
Qi Yi spoke calmly, refusing to let such praise go to his head!
The young Extreme Dao prodigies from the Immortal Domain looked considerably better now! Qi Yuan's victory over a member of the Nine Heavens' strongest clan had at least allowed them to salvage some dignity.
Just as everyone thought the sparring session was about to end, Qi Yuan walked up to the formation and bowed toward the Nine Heavens' group!
"I am Qi Yuan. Dao brother, I humbly ask that you spare no effort in instructing me!"
When they saw whom Qi Yuan was bowing toward, all the Immortal Dao and Extreme Dao figures present froze!
Mysterious smiles curled the lips of those from the Nine Heavens.
The people of the Immortal Domain, however, were utterly baffled. Why did Qi Yuan still want to fight? Could the Nine Heavens have a prodigy even stronger than the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan?
Everyone from the Immortal Domain looked toward Lin Yue, who sat in the foremost row beneath the other side's supreme Immortal Dao figures! The pupils of several True Immortals contracted. Why had they only just noticed this young man? They had looked toward the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan several times, yet somehow overlooked him without realizing it.
Moreover, even now they could not sense his presence! They were True Immortals! Could some supreme ancient artifact be concealing him from the workings of heaven?
Some of the Immortal Domain's Supreme Dao Venerables furrowed their brows. They could not gauge this young man's depths. Even the two members of the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan who had just left the field now treated him as their superior, willingly sitting behind him!
For a moment, speculation stirred in everyone's hearts!
Chapter 38: The Strongest in the Nine Heavens
"Defeating you in your current condition would be no honorable victory. Let's forget it!"
Without rising, Lin Yue spoke softly.
Even he did not know exactly how strong he had become. Only the few Immortal Dao figures present could put pressure on him!
Though he dared not claim he could win, his physical body alone could keep him virtually undefeated against ordinary Immortal Dao cultivators!
"Arrogant! Qi Yuan's talent is unparalleled, and he will surely enter the King realm in the future. Watch your words! Do not be so conceited, or you will only make yourself a laughingstock!"
An Immortal Domain prodigy spoke, considering Lin Yue far too rude! After all, Qi Yuan stood among the strongest leading figures of the Immortal Domain. Even in a supreme great world like theirs, only a handful were publicly known, and all were being nurtured as future kings! Moreover, Qi Yuan had already begun to foster Immortal Dao radiance! Even the Heavenly Horned Ant had fallen before him. In this prodigy's eyes, no one in the Nine Heavens could rival him!
"Indeed. Figures like Lord Wuzhong and Lord Reincarnation cannot appear in every era. Even in the Immortal Domain, they are rare across the ages!"
Another black-haired young man beside him spoke, believing Lin Yue far too conceited.
"Hmph! A beaten foe still dares boast of his valor! If you're not convinced, come back up here. I'll knock you flat with one punch!"
Yu sneered. With her fiery temper, she would never show the people of the Immortal Domain a pleasant face! Especially when the person they were targeting was Lin Yue!
"You... you! You're utterly unreasonable!"
Faced with this brute, Yu, he slunk back, not daring to say another word! She had beaten him so badly earlier that he had been powerless to fight back!
On the Nine Heavens' side, all the supreme figures at the Extreme Dao and above watched Lin Yue with smiles, wondering whether this peerless prodigy would take action!
"If a cultivator has no goal to look up to, he has no drive to advance. If you would offer me a little guidance, Dao brother, Qi Yuan would be deeply grateful! This is a request. I hope you will grant it!"
Unlike the others, Qi Yuan addressed Lin Yue as his Dao brother. Once he sensed Lin Yue, he knew there was nothing ordinary about him. Believing Lin Yue's strength exceeded his own, he adopted a humble attitude!
At these words, everyone from the Immortal Domain froze. They wanted to object, believing Qi Yuan was being excessively humble and undermining the Immortal Domain's prestige.
Yet at the front of the Nine Heavens' gathering, an Extreme Dao aura far more solid than Qi Yuan's erupted from Lin Yue! This natural aura differed from both the Extreme Dao and the Immortal Dao, belonging to a unique realm!
"Heavens! Such might! Has Lord Lin Yue already become a Supreme Dao Venerable?"
The Nine Heavens' One with the Dao cultivators who had not been present earlier cried out as though frightened, their voices twisting!
"N-no way! I remember Lord Lin Yue's age is..." Someone began to speak, then swallowed his words upon seeing Lin Yue's aura. Who would believe him if he said such might did not belong to a Supreme Dao Venerable?
"I remember Lord Lin Yue is not yet fifty. Would the Great Dao allow someone like that to enter the Extreme Dao?"
Someone stammered, still unable to believe it, rubbing his eyes desperately!
The instant they heard he was not yet fifty, the younger generation of the Immortal Domain went blank, while several True Immortals all sprang to their feet. They literally leaped straight up from their cross-legged seats!
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Or has someone used a divine ability to deceive my sight? A heaven-defying being has appeared before us! Is this real?"
An Extreme Dao prodigy from the Primordial Chaos Clan spoke!
"Someone has defied heaven! Even our Immortal Domain has no record of this. He has surpassed his predecessors!"
"This power cannot be mistaken. The apex of the Extreme Dao, and his vitality is immense. He is under a hundred, perhaps even younger. Extraordinary! Is he truly not yet fifty? This is astonishing!"
Qi Yi cried out. As someone from one of the strongest clans in the Immortal Domain, he had seen countless prodigies over the endless years, including outstanding talents like Qi Yuan within his own clan. Yet even Qi Yuan, the finest of them, had never broken such a shackle. This was the first time Qi Yi had lost his composure! Though the Immortal Domain's laws were complete and its cultivation environment better than that of the Nine Heavens, in this age he had never even heard of anyone becoming a Supreme Dao Venerable at five hundred. This, too, could be considered a curse! Countless young people had tried to break it, but none had ever succeeded!
The Immortal Domain's prodigies were dumbstruck.
Someone had broken through a shackle on the path of cultivation that no predecessor had overcome. To the cultivation world, it was like an earthquake.
Even immortals could not remain calm. They might even seek his guidance, for learning how such a being understood the path of cultivation would be immensely helpful!
When Lin Yue rose, everyone from the Nine Heavens beamed. They did not believe he would lose.
His strength had already exceeded that of the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan, and now he had entered the mysterious realm of the apex of the Extreme Dao. All they wanted to know was how he would claim victory, and to witness the might of such a being!
"As expected, your talent is unmatched throughout the ages, Dao brother! Please!"
Lin Yue stepped forward. Yin and yang took form as a Taiji Diagram, their two energies arranging themselves in order before becoming mysterious true characters that merged into the void. Flowers bloomed beneath his feet, and he vanished from his original spot in an instant!
The True Immortals' eyelids twitched! His speed in the Human Dao Domain matched that of a True Immortal. They did not know whether the appearance of such a being in the Nine Heavens was good or bad. Each harbored different thoughts.
Yin-Yang Reversal, Treading the Void! This Heaven-Defying Steps technique from the Yin-Yang Dao Chapter, now close to full mastery, gave Lin Yue the confidence to face the Immortal Dao directly!
"You are excellent. Your talent is extraordinary, and your heart in seeking the Dao is steadfast and sincere! You will surely become an Immortal King!"
Lin Yue looked at the handsome silver-haired young man before him with considerable admiration! This was a true cultivator, worthy of respect!
"You flatter me, Dao brother. Please!"
Qi Yuan's expression grew solemn. His settled aura surged once more, immortal light wreathing him, as though entering the Immortal Dao might require only a single thought! Even Qi Yi had now recovered from his shock. Watching Qi Yuan, he was deeply satisfied.
"Very well! Since entering this realm, I have scarcely fought anyone!"
As soon as Lin Yue finished speaking, the aura unique to the mysterious ultimate realm at the apex of the Extreme Dao erupted in full. His physical body, comparable to the Immortal Dao, underwent complete sublimation, naturally connecting with the laws of heaven and earth and emitting immortal radiance!
"He has yet to enter the Immortal Dao, yet the power of his body alone has already brought him into this domain. This fellow Daoist can now connect with Immortal Dao laws ahead of time. With such a physique, never mind being invincible in his own realm, he may even be able to fight Immortal Dao figures."
A True Immortal from the Immortal Domain spoke, the shock in his eyes only growing!
Terrifying divine power spread outward with the immortal radiance, forming a force field even more fearsome than those of Yan and Yu.
Qi Yuan opened his ten Cave Heavens, manifesting them behind him. Their dazzling immortal light likewise resisted this divine power.
Yet Lin Yue's domain of force still crushed him. It felt as though he bore a primordial star upon his back, an immeasurable weight.
How could they possibly spar under such conditions?
"Another Immortal King Wuzhong? The Nine Heavens truly produces outstanding talents in abundance! It is hard to imagine so many heaven-defying experts emerging from such a small world!"
Qi Yi spoke, placing Lin Yue alongside Immortal King Wuzhong!
Ao Jin's gaze flickered uncertainly. Unlike the others, she seemed unwilling to see anyone too powerful emerge from the Nine Heavens!
"No! He may surpass his predecessors and enter a realm no one has ever attained! Even Immortal King Wuzhong did not display such might in his youth!" The True Immortal from the Primordial Chaos Clan spoke, offering an even higher appraisal!
"Lord Lin Yue shall be peerless and invincible! He is the strongest in our Nine Heavens!"
The cries spread throughout the Divine City!
Chapter 39: The Future Faith of the Nine Heavens
"Let's begin!"
Lin Yue spoke without a trace of concern!
"Be careful, Dao brother!"
The instant Qi Yuan finished speaking, the precious arts nurtured within the immortal light of his ten Cave Heavens transformed into a host of ferocious beasts. They tore through chaos, soared upward, and used Void Shattering to devour Lin Yue!
The terrifying Phenomenon turned this martial arena built by an Immortal King into something akin to Nine Netherworld Purgatory. Cultivators below the Supreme Dao Venerable realm felt their hearts tremble at the sight, like ordinary people facing savage beasts of the primordial wilderness.
"Cave Heaven spirits, evolving laws! An excellent technique!"
Lin Yue praised his opponent. This Immortal Domain prodigy truly had the makings of a king, no weaker than He Wushuang of the Foreign Realm whom he had encountered before. Both were among the most dazzling talents of this age.
Lin Yue did not use his own precious arts. He merely raised his hand and casually slapped outward, and a giant hand materialized. It was only a Phenomenon formed from Extreme Dao divine power.
Yet the Immortal Dao radiance naturally produced by Lin Yue's body made this attack heaven-defying.
After the void imprinted Lin Yue's casual strike, it bore Indestructible Divine Runes capable of smashing through anything, likewise tearing through chaos as it pressed down!
"Such a physique and divine power surpass even the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan. No wonder you two treat him as your superior!"
On the Nine Heavens' side, the peerless immortal maiden Snow Linglong spoke, looking at the two siblings of the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan. The last doubt in her heart vanished.
"Lin Yue is invincible. In this age, no one in his realm will be worthy of being considered his opponent!"
Yan spoke on Lin Yue's behalf. In his eyes, Lin Yue was like his faith itself, the embodiment of this age's greatest strength. Through using the self as the seed, he had embarked on an invincible path!
"Indeed. This is not his true strength. Once he gets serious, no one will dare call themselves supreme before him. Given enough time, even kings will be nothing but ants in his eyes!"
Yu spoke, extolling Lin Yue even more extravagantly than Yan!
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