"Is this the man? Truly, someone like him is scarcely seen across the ages. With a physique and divine strength like that, no wonder you all found him troublesome!"
Immortal King Yin Sha spoke. Unlike the other kings, he knew little about Lin Yue, but the sight of Lin Yue's physique shocked him as well.
"Lin Yue, what a pity. Though you have yet to become a king, your talent surpasses ours. If you survived, you would certainly become one. I have never had such confidence in anyone before. Were you from our realm, whether you were my disciple or not, I would spare no effort to nurture you. But alas, what a pity."
Immortal King Yan Cang looked solemn, lamenting the fate of this outstanding young man. His physical strength surpassed even the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan's, and the secret arts he cultivated defied heaven all the more. In a one-on-one fight, even a king would surely be ground into oblivion.
In other words, Lin Yue really could destroy a king head-on through his physique alone. Though a king's body and primordial spirit were difficult to annihilate, once their body was shattered and their divine essence exhausted, even a king would die.
This young man defied heaven to an extraordinary degree. His ferocity surpassed even those great fiends of the past. After all, although many of those fiends lacked king-level primordial spirits, theirs were hardly weak; they simply had not passed the Immortal King Primordial Spirit Tribulation to become Perfected Immortal Kings. Their secret arts were equally heaven-defying, yet none were as astonishing as Lin Yue.
"Once we extract his primordial spirit, the Small Wooden Box will be ours, and so will his secret arts. Though the box is important, a heaven-defying body-tempering secret art like this makes everything we have done worthwhile."
Immortal King Fukui spoke again.
An unknown amount of time passed. Under the four Immortal Kings' relentless refinement, Lin Yue's entire body began to split apart. Golden blood illuminated the sky. This supreme precious blood was no weaker than a king's, proof that his physique surpassed that of ordinary kings.
The wheel of yin and yang had already fallen dormant.
What else could save me?
Could the fate of the Nine Heavens truly not be changed? When future generations recalled the battle of the Immortal Ancient era, would it be just like the original story? Would they merely remember that there had once been such a man, such a predecessor, who rose against heaven and advanced in triumph, only to be surrounded and slain by Immortal Kings in the end?
Then they would add a few titles-heaven-born prodigy, heaven-defying genius! Heh. In the end, would I still perish, my Dao extinguished?
I, Lin Yue, arrived in the final years of the Immortal Ancient era. Ever since stepping onto the path of cultivation, I cultivated as though my life depended on it, never relaxing for even a moment. I pushed human immortal martial Dao to its utmost depths and fought bloody battles all the way here without once stopping. Even compared with the fallen heroes and Immortal Kings of the Nine Heavens, I had done no less.
I gave everything, breaking through the ultimate shackles and growing stronger as swiftly as possible. As the first across all ages to defy immortality, I ascended to the supreme immortal Dao, surpassing countless predecessors.
I rose bearing the destiny of the Nine Heavens. I possessed an unsurpassed kingly body and peerless divine strength. Yet I could change nothing, and would still end with my life lost and my Dao extinguished!
I cannot accept this. I refuse to submit. My heart cries out against this injustice!
Suppressed by four Immortal Kings-who could escape?
Seeing that Lin Yue seemed to have stopped struggling, the kings all breathed a sigh of relief. They feared he would erupt once again and flee, just as before. At the rate he was growing, the next time they met, even if the three of them burned their life essence together, they might fail to suppress him.
As time passed, Lin Yue's translucent primordial spirit began to leave his body. Having never properly cultivated it, his primordial spirit was far too weak compared with his physique.
Not only did his primordial spirit begin to leave his body, but the Small Wooden Box also slowly floated upward, gradually leaving his internal cave heaven under the boundless suction of the Black Bone Tower and the Black Cauldron.
Feeling the Small Wooden Box at such close range made all four Immortal Kings' souls twitch. This was not a pulse emanating from the box; it was naturally drawing upon their souls. Darkness drove their longing for it.
Joy appeared on their faces.
As though sensing that Lin Yue truly faced mortal danger this time, the golden martial Dao divine infant within his cave heaven stopped suppressing his primordial spirit. It slowly emerged from his body and stood above his head.
This golden divine infant, born from Lin Yue's three Dao flowers, not only housed his true self but also bore his Martial Dao True Intent and possessed the many strange secret arts of the yin-yang Dao chapter.
"What is happening? Is this his actual primordial spirit?"
"How strange. Apart from his physique, this thing was what fought us earlier!"
Immortal King Fukui's brows knitted tightly. As someone whose chief source of power was devouring primordial spirits, he had seen them evolve into all manner of things. Some people merged their primordial spirits with ancient artifacts; others extracted them and housed them within puppets.
Yet he had never seen a primordial spirit like this. It seemed not to be a primordial spirit at all, but a deity dwelling within Lin Yue's body.
Most terrifying of all, this golden manifestation seemed unaffected by any power.
Time, space, and the passing ages could not penetrate it. Moreover, it possessed a mysterious might capable of suppressing every kind of power.
Suddenly, the golden martial Dao divine infant began to swell slowly, growing rounder and rounder until it bulged like a sphere.
Brilliant rays of holy light began shooting from the sphere, illuminating the entire Boundary Sea.
Only then did the four Immortal Kings sense a threat to their lives. An aura like a descending demon king began to envelop heaven and earth. Even the towering waves around them seemed to sense the danger and flee this region.
The four kings' primordial spirits trembled instinctively. Sensing an irresistible power gathering, they wailed incessantly, warning them to flee!
The golden light was dazzling, yet all was silent, for even sound was annihilated before it could travel, submerged within time.
A fleeting instant of splendor became eternal divine light!
The golden sphere exploded. Golden light spread, and terrifying energy swept across heaven and earth, engulfing everything tangible and intangible. The energy expanded like a ring of light. Wherever it passed, the void collapsed, time halted, and stars turned to ash.
From afar, the collapsed void had yet to recover and resembled a black hole. Even chaos energy was drawn into it, like the maw of a colossal beast devouring heaven and earth. The primordial spirits of many kings in the Boundary Sea shuddered, and they instinctively looked back. These energy fluctuations were like a strike from a titan.
Even the River of Time manifested beneath the spreading energy!
When all the golden light dispersed, the islands that had stood upon the Boundary Sea were gone. The waters below poured into an immense pit hundreds of millions of miles across. Even with the waters of the entire Boundary Sea filling it, it could not be filled in an instant.
The four kings of the Foreign Realm slowly emerged from the void. Their expressions were frighteningly grim, their bodies battered and broken. Their kingly physiques had cracked, and even their primordial spirits were split and bleeding. The wounds covering Immortal King Youyu still had not healed. This was a terrifying sign: he had overdrawn his primordial spirit's vitality, expending more than he could replenish.
"Where is he? Did he detonate himself rather than suffer humiliation?"
Immortal King Fukui spoke. The Black Bone Tower had cracked in the explosion and even let out mournful cries.
Yan Cang gazed at the Skyvault Divine Furnace in his hand, his face equally grim. Cracks covered the furnace.
"Where is the Small Wooden Box?"
Immortal King Yin Sha cared more about the Small Wooden Box's whereabouts.
"That damned wretch! He is dead. He cannot possibly be alive. An eruption of energy like that would severely injure even a titan. I refuse to believe he survived!"
Immortal King Youyu had suffered the worst injuries. His body, mind, and primordial spirit had all been grievously wounded!
"No. I have a feeling he will not die. I only hope that when we meet again..."
Immortal King Yan Cang spoke gravely.
Chapter 65: A Despicable Man
Above the endless Boundary Sea, a young man whose entire body was cracked sped through the void. Golden blood illuminated heaven and earth as he swept onward like a Golden Crow. Even the blood pouring from his body could not make him stop, for a peerless kingly pressure followed close behind.
To free Lin Yue, the martial Dao divine infant had detonated itself, blasting the void apart. Though the Small Wooden Box had been hurled somewhere unknown, Lin Yue had seized the chance to escape. Without his martial Dao divine infant, he was like rootless duckweed, wanting only to find somewhere to sleep and heal as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, he had barely escaped the tiger's den before entering the wolves' lair. As he fled through the void, someone had set their sights on him.
Behind him, an Immortal King's light blazed brilliantly. His terrifying speed likewise surpassed the imprints of time, carrying him ten thousand miles in an instant. He, too, was a king-an Immortal King of the Immortal Domain.
This man had been among those watching the four kings surround and attack Lin Yue. Now, he made no attempt to conceal his purpose: he wanted to seize Lin Yue's heaven-defying scripture.
After all, judging by Lin Yue's performance, he could do far more than merely contend with kings. His invincible physique could grind a king into oblivion. Even though this man had already entered the ranks of Immortal Kings, he could not help coveting it. With such a heaven-defying scripture, he might well advance another step.
"Where do you think you're going, boy? Hand over the scripture."
Lin Yue was now fleeing entirely through sheer willpower. He might lapse into unconsciousness at any second, yet the will of human immortal martial Dao allowed him to keep moving on bodily instinct alone.
Their chase drew many watching eyes.
"Hmph. That shameless scoundrel is plundering a burning house again. He has disgraced every Immortal King."
Someone in the Boundary Sea recognized the Immortal King pursuing Lin Yue and spoke with utter contempt. As an Immortal King, he had cast aside even a king's dignity to employ such despicable methods.
Generally, anyone who ascended to Immortal King had absolute confidence in their own arts. Few would behave this way. More often, they studied others' arts merely for comparison. Having already walked their own path to kingship, who would learn another's arts as their own path? Of course, across the heavens and myriad realms, all kinds of people existed. Moreover, Lin Yue's art tempered the body and was exceptionally precious. It was indeed worth seizing, even if only to bestow upon descendants who had yet to choose their paths.
"Indeed. If he had the courage to fight that man and seize his arts, perhaps I would think better of him and call him a hero. Instead, he only dares strike while his opponent is gravely injured. Truly contemptible."
"Hmph. Those lofty, self-righteous Immortal Kings of the Immortal Domain are no different from the conceited Immortal Kings of the Foreign Realm. Some are nothing but despicable hypocrites. I hate hypocrites like that even more than outright villains."
Some kings cursed loudly, evidently having suffered considerably at the hands of the Immortal Domain's Immortal Kings. Unfortunately, none came to help.
"Boy, hand over the scripture, and I will spare your life!"
"Shameless old thief! Today's cause will bear tomorrow's fruit. One day, I will settle accounts with every last one of you!"
Without his martial Dao divine infant, Lin Yue continued driving his divine essence despite his grave injuries, causing his body to split further.
"Hmph. I am an Immortal King, imperishable through countless tribulations, untouched by karma. Who can settle accounts with me? Heaven-Cutting Step!"
Lin Yue's Yin-Yang Reversal was simply too heaven-defying. Even using his own Immortal King movement art, his pursuer struggled to catch him.
"Boy, how long can you hold on? I told you, I only want your arts."
Ultimately, Lin Yue was too severely injured. Even driving his divine essence to its absolute limit, he could not keep going for long.
"Hmph. Since you insist on seeking death, do not blame me for being merciless. Die! Soul-Destroying Spear!"
Behind him, a strike bearing peerless kingly might split the void and thrust straight at Lin Yue. His pursuer seemed to have lost patience and intended to kill him outright.
"Yin-Yang Reversal, cough...!"
Lin Yue tried to unleash everything, but before he could finish speaking, he coughed up golden blood. Even exerting all his strength at the final moment, he only managed to keep the strike from hitting his heart.
An aura belonging solely to an Immortal King spun wildly around the kingly spear. Its sharp radiance shot out like an aurora, its terrifying penetration seemingly capable of piercing everything in heaven and earth.
The terrifying spear light entered through a crack in Lin Yue's body, piercing his back and bursting through his chest.
Normally, how could Lin Yue's physique have been pierced so easily? Unfortunately, his precious body was cracked, and his divine infant had been destroyed.
Boom...!
Lin Yue's body, as heavy as primordial stars, plummeted and smashed into an island below, making the entire island tremble.
"Cough... cough..."
Endless golden blood spread across the ground. Within Lin Yue's kingly body, golden bones gleamed like peerless crimson gold. Most horrifying was the gaping hole through his chest, from which blood flowed without cease.
Seeing that Lin Yue could no longer resist, the middle-aged man descended from the void. His terrifying kingly pressure suppressed the four corners of heaven and earth, with no effort to restrain his aura. His face was cold, his gloomy eyes fixed upon Lin Yue. Though he said nothing, the gaze that regarded Lin Yue as an ant said everything.
"This young man's fate is too tragic. First, he narrowly escaped a group of kings, and now he faces another Immortal King's assault. It truly leaves one helpless. Even I feel the injustice on his behalf, but what can be done?"
"Indeed. Across the ages, there have been many supremely gifted people, but few have endured ordeals like these. If he survives, he will surely become a titan someday. Gentlemen, anyone who wants a titan to owe them a favor may act now."
Many gazed across ten thousand miles of void, lamenting the injustice Lin Yue suffered. Some even joked about stepping in to save him.
"Hmph! You refused the offered wine, only to drink the wine of punishment. Had you stopped earlier, why would it have come to this? You have angered me. No one can save you today."
"Heh... cough... heh...! Done pretending? Now you want my life? What a nauseating creature. Immortal Domain or Foreign Realm, you are no different to me. If I survive, I will one day ascend to the Immortal Domain and settle this karmic debt."
Lin Yue's entire body had lost sensation. He could no longer even feel pain.
"Hmph. Our Immortal Domain is a supreme realm, with kings standing in vast ranks. What would it matter even if an emperor descended? You still dream of settling karmic debts? Today, I will refine your body and imprison your soul."
"Spirit Refining Art, rise!"
The Immortal King of the Immortal Domain unleashed a terrifying secret art, directly tugging at Lin Yue's primordial spirit.
Long since unable even to scream, Lin Yue felt his primordial spirit slowly separating from his body, no longer held in place by the martial Dao divine infant.
"Boy, it is all over."
The king of the Immortal Domain grinned viciously!
Lin Yue had closed his eyes, seemingly accepting his fate.
Sigh... Perhaps this is fine, too. Though this is an ugly end, I did fight for the beings of the Nine Heavens. My journey through this world was not in vain.
In the end, Number Ten will still have to finish all of this. I was only a passing traveler after all.
Unfortunately, heaven did not follow human wishes. The yin-yang Dao body within Lin Yue's spiritual platform could no longer sit still. It rose from the spiritual platform and appeared above his head.
The Immortal King of the Immortal Domain froze. As he watched the Dao body swell into two spheres, one black and one white, a trembling that began in his soul spread through his entire body.
Before he could react, rays of white and black light began shooting out of the spheres.
For an instant, everything fell silent.
Terrifying energy swept through heaven and earth, just as when the martial Dao divine infant had detonated earlier. The island, as vast as a great realm, evaporated into ash. Once again, the River of Time manifested beneath this terrifying energy.
When the Boundary Sea calmed, the king of the Immortal Domain stood with a gloomy expression, his entire body battered and broken. These energy fluctuations, comparable to a titan's strike, had cracked even his kingly physique. His expression nearly twisted out of shape.
"That damned ant! His life is tougher than a cockroach's. Do not let me catch you, or I will leave you no path to reincarnation!"
His vicious muttering seemed to make him feel a little better.
"What a pity. We just missed a chance to have a titan owe us a favor."
Many gazes came from across the void, some even carrying pity-directed, of course, at the king of the Immortal Domain.
"He still wants another encounter? Does that fool really think he will survive the next one?"
"He is still too young. When a heaven-defying child like that returns, it will be the hour of his death. Heaven-defying titans have always been like this throughout the ages. I have seen plenty."
Chapter 66: Land of the Setting Golden Crow
Upon the Boundary Sea, the passing years were unknown.
An enormous cluster of volcanic islands came into view. Thick smoke billowed across the sky as lightning darted through thunderclouds. Gray mist and poisonous fumes mingled with the dense smoke, shrouding all of heaven and earth.
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