After defeating the Snowfiend, Zhou Qing continued flying along the floating wooden bridge.
Before long, he saw an island appear ahead.
At its center was a constantly erupting volcano, filling the entire island with dark red volcanic ash.
Volcano Island.
Looking at the spectacular sight before him, Zhou Qing couldn't help marveling.
Sure enough, the name fit.
Soon, Zhou Qing reached the end of the floating wooden bridge and saw a massive stone stele.
On the stele was a "Roaring Ape Diagram." It looked unremarkable, but Zhou Qing knew it was a staff technique that led directly to the fourth level of taiji power.
It was also the staff technique the Snowfiend had just used against him.
"As expected of a technique left behind by World God Beixiu. It progresses from the simple to the profound and cuts straight to the heart of the matter. Never mind the Three Realms-even most techniques in the Nine Directions Chaos Kingdom can't compare."
After marveling at it, Zhou Qing shook his head.
"Unfortunately, I don't follow the dao of Taiji."
After studying the staff technique recorded on the stele, Zhou Qing flew straight into Volcano Island.
Soon, he encountered seven Empyrean Gods in total: six men and one woman.
These seven Empyrean Gods were known as the Seven Ancient Dragon Gods and were among the first human Empyrean Gods of the ancient era.
The Seven Ancient Dragon Gods had entered the Moonlit Pool before the destruction of the ancient era, and had been there for tens of trillions of years.
Compared with them, Empyrean God Xiuke, who had spent only a little over a hundred million years on Snow Mountain Island, seemed less miserable.
However, every advantage came with a disadvantage. Though they had been trapped in the Moonlit Pool for tens of trillions of years, they had also escaped the calamity that destroyed the ancient era.
It was hard to say whether their luck was good or bad.
The Seven Ancient Dragon Gods were excited the moment they saw Zhou Qing and Empyrean God Xiuke.
For tens of trillions of years, few living beings besides the seven of them had set foot on Volcano Island.
Thus, the Seven Ancient Dragon Gods were exceedingly warm toward Zhou Qing and Empyrean God Xiuke.
In return for their hospitality, Zhou Qing took rare treasures, exotic beasts, and immortal wine from his estate-world treasure to share with everyone.
Inside the palace on Volcano Island.
"Good wine! What good wine!"
Empyrean God Fierce Dragon, the second eldest of the Seven Ancient Dragon Gods, gulped down a bottle of immortal wine as he praised it.
"Little brother Taixu, the meat of these exotic beasts you raised is truly delicious."
Empyrean God Berserk Dragon, the sixth of the seven dragon gods, praised it as he ate.
It wasn't just the two of them. The other dragon gods also ate and drank without pause, their mouths never stopping.
At first, because Zhou Qing's avatar was of the demon race, the seven dragon gods had only been warm to him on the surface, while remaining somewhat wary in their hearts.
But after eating and drinking, the seven dragon gods immediately hit it off with him.
Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the seven dragon gods found Zhou Qing a place to stay in the palace.
Sitting on the bed, Zhou Qing began comprehending the Crescent Moon Chapter of the Time and Space technique as usual.
Over the years, Zhou Qing's nine avatars had comprehended the Time and Space technique together and had long since made progress. He felt that only a sheet of window paper stood between him and the second level of the power of time and space.
Earlier, after raising his space power to the fourth level, he had discovered that he had poked through that sheet of window paper.
As Zhou Qing's comprehension deepened, golden space power and silver time power flowed out of him.
The next moment, Zhou Qing's eyes snapped open.
The golden space power and silver time power then fused into a multicolored light.
The second level of the power of time and space-achieved!
Zhou Qing nodded as he gazed at the dazzling multicolored light in his hand.
As expected of a composite Dao, even the second level of the power of time and space was already no weaker than third-level space power.
If he could break through to the third level, it would probably rival fourth-level primordial power.
This was nothing like his earlier combination of third-level time and space power. It would be equal to true fourth-level primordial power.
Aside from raising the power of time and space to the second level, Zhou Qing devoted most of his efforts to refining his moves.
After all, his space power had only recently broken through to the fourth level, and many of his moves had yet to be adjusted to match it.
First was the Dark World. With his mastery of fourth-level space power, Zhou Qing pressed on in one burst and cultivated it to the eighth level, the Qian Heaven Realm.
Next was Void Great Destruction.
Unlike the Dark World, however, Zhou Qing had never directly cultivated Void Great Destruction.
He chose to take its essence and incorporate it into his own claw techniques.
After Zhou Qing's continuous refinements, his claw techniques could be said to be completely different from the original nine ultimate moves.
A year later, Zhou Qing ended his cultivation and walked into the main hall.
"Brother Taixu."
"Junior brother Taixu."
The seven dragon gods and Empyrean God Xiuke greeted Zhou Qing when they saw him.
"Dragon gods," Zhou Qing said, getting straight to the point when he saw them. "Please take me to the guardian of Volcano Island."
"Brother Taixu, you're going to challenge the Purgatory God?" Empyrean God Withered Dragon, the eldest of the seven dragon gods, grew serious at his words.
"You must think this through. I know you defeated the Snowfiend, but the Purgatory God is far stronger than the Snowfiend."
"I'm confident," Zhou Qing stated his view succinctly.
Seeing how confident Zhou Qing was, the seven dragon gods exchanged glances. Then their eldest, Empyrean God Withered Dragon, spoke. "Since you're leaving, could you take the seven of us siblings off Volcano Island with you, as you did Brother Xiuke?"
After all these years, the seven dragon gods understood that they would probably struggle to reach the next island by their own strength alone.
Staying on Volcano Island any longer would only mean wasting their time.
Moreover, thirty million years ago, the Purgatory God had issued an ultimatum: in a hundred million years, he would kill them with all his might.
If they didn't follow Zhou Qing now, only death awaited them here.
"Of course, no problem," Zhou Qing replied with a smile.
After taking the seven dragon gods and Empyrean God Xiuke into his estate-world treasure, Zhou Qing crossed Volcano Island and came to a sea of fire.
Like the sea he had crossed earlier, this sea of fire had a floating wooden bridge over it.
Zhou Qing piloted his flying boat along the floating wooden bridge and plunged into the ocean of flames.
Before long, he saw the guardian of this trial, the Purgatory God, in the distance.
The Purgatory God was bald, and all the hair on his body was red.
He combined the strengths of the Golden Yaksha and the Snowfiend: he possessed a divine body close to a True God's, like the Golden Yaksha, and had mastered a fourth-level primordial power, like the Snowfiend-the Wuji Power.
Thus, in terms of strength, the Purgatory God was already close to the threshold of a True God.
"I heard about you from the Snowfiend and the Yaksha." When the Purgatory God saw Zhou Qing, a trace of madness crept into his otherwise calm voice. "Never mind that brute of a Yaksha, but defeating the Snowfiend proves you've got some skill."
"No new Empyrean Gods have come here in so many years. I hope you can give me a satisfying fight."
As he spoke, the Purgatory God swung the two short halberds in his hands.