Chapter 226: Success
His Spiritual Power and strength completely depleted, Shen Daoxing lay on the ground in a daze, gazing up at the sky. He felt utterly exhausted and empty, but this extremity soon gave way to an incomparably refreshing sensation.
After this total depletion, his body began to absorb energy with a vengeance.
Shen Daoxing abruptly sat up in a meditative posture. He formed a hand seal, and the Annihilation of Ten Thousand Swords Technique began to circulate. The one hundred and eight acupoints on his body opened, frantically absorbing the surrounding Spiritual Power.
The winds surged and clouds gathered across the sky. A vortex of formless Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi materialized above Shen Daoxing’s head, pouring into his body like a reversed tide.
The man opposite Shen Daoxing also sat up in meditation. He formed a hand seal, opened his acupoints, and began frantically absorbing the Primordial Energy from the world around him. The winds surged, and a ceaseless torrent of Primordial Energy poured into him like a reversed tide.
Time passed, little by little.
Before he knew it, Shen Daoxing’s fatigue had vanished completely. The Spiritual Power within his Dantian gradually replenished, and his seven-colored Profound Platform began to rotate, emitting a dazzling radiance. A brilliant light flowed across the surface of his body.
The man opposite him was similarly revitalized, his entire body shimmering with a brilliant light.
Soon, the Spiritual Power in Shen Daoxing’s Dantian was fully restored.
Yet, he did not stop absorbing the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. On the contrary, the one hundred and eight acupoints across his body opened even wider.
Even though his body could not contain any more Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, Shen Daoxing continued to absorb it with all his might.
The man opposite Shen Daoxing was clearly taken aback. He didn’t understand, but he mimicked Shen Daoxing’s actions all the same.
It was a profound, ancient, and ethereal sensation, as if he were merging with the world itself. Everything around him became crystal clear, as if held within the palm of his hand.
In a trance, Shen Daoxing seemed to see a door. He walked toward it softly and pushed it open.
In that instant, a gale erupted with the speed of lightning.
"RUMBLE!"
A great clap of thunder echoed through the sky.
Black arcs of lightning flashed within Shen Daoxing’s body. Six streams of Venerable Power shot up like startled heavenly dragons, soaring into the clouds. They intertwined, coiling around one another before instantly merging into one.
"RUMBLE!"
Another clap of thunder shook the heavens.
A bolt of black lightning, seemingly capable of tearing the sky in two, flashed into existence.
In the blink of an eye, the newly merged Venerable Power shot back into Shen Daoxing’s body.
"BOOM!"
A seven-colored radiance suddenly erupted from Shen Daoxing’s Dantian. It shot into the heavens, piercing the sky and standing firm between heaven and earth.
An unparalleled, majestic aura erupted from him. Bathed in the seven-colored light, Shen Daoxing seemed like an ultimate Venerable Supreme from time immemorial, capable of suppressing all existence and shattering the world with a mere gesture.
The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, which had previously stagnated, once again began pouring frantically into Shen Daoxing’s body like a tidal wave.
A breakthrough!
Shen Daoxing had successfully broken through, forging an Extreme Dao Venerable Grotto Heaven!
The man sitting opposite Shen Daoxing stared blankly. He glanced at Shen Daoxing, then looked down at himself in utter confusion.
Shen Daoxing rose to his feet, a completely new air about him.
The man opposite him also stood up.
Then, Shen Daoxing stepped forward and slowly extended a fist.
The man opposite him also stepped forward and slowly extended a fist.
Immediately after, there was a massive "BOOM!"
The man was sent flying backward like an arrow, crashing heavily to the ground with a BANG.
The man staggered to his feet, shaking his head. He looked down at his fist, a look of incomprehension on his face.
’As a perfect replica of Shen Daoxing, I should have whatever abilities he has! My cultivation level should be the same as his!’
But now, Shen Daoxing had changed, entering an unprecedented new realm.
But as a mere replica that could only imitate, how could he possibly understand?
"You’re so good at imitating, aren’t you? Let’s see if you can copy this."
Shen Daoxing abruptly raised his hand.
"RUMBLE!"
A black thunderbolt streaked down from the sky.
Immediately, the new, fused Venerable Power gathered within Shen Daoxing’s body. It converged bit by bit onto his hand, and a jet-black Treasure Sword, crackling with arcs of black lightning, materialized.
The man opposite him froze, then raised his own hand. But after waiting a moment, no Treasure Sword materialized for him.
"Slay!"
Shen Daoxing brought his sword down.
The man was instantly annihilated, as if erased from existence, vanishing into thin air.
Only a tiny black arc of lightning flickered where he had once stood.
"Passed."
As the man opposite him was annihilated, the large character for ’Me’ in the sky twisted and transformed into that single word.
"CRACK!"
Shen Daoxing watched as the scene before him cracked like shattering glass, falling away piece by piece.
Shen Daoxing found himself in a void. He looked around and saw numerous young Practitioners standing about in a daze. They seemed unable to see one another; some were furious, some were terrified, and others were completely at a loss.
Clearly, all these people had just faced the same trial he had.
Shen Daoxing looked up. Not far away, a majestic Celestial Ladder towered into the sky. He walked toward it without hesitation.
...
「Outside Huangliang Tomb.」
Patriarch Xu was looking up at the tomb.
At that moment, on the 7th Floor of the tomb, seven or eight points of light were speeding forward, desperately chasing a smaller, more delicate point of light at the very front.
A moment later, the seven or eight points of light had surrounded the smaller one.
But just then, the smaller point of light used some unknown Body Technique and suddenly burst out of the encirclement. It shot into the distance like a streak of lightning, and the seven or eight points of light behind it scrambled to give chase.
It wasn’t long before they caught up and surrounded the smaller light again. But just as before, it used some unknown Body Technique and broke free once more.
This cycle repeated again and again.
Watching from below, Patriarch Xu’s brows furrowed into a tight knot.
Patriarch Xu turned to Yi Xingtian beside him and demanded, "What is wrong with the disciples of your Celestial Profound Sacred Land? How have they failed to kill a single person after all this time?"
Yi Xingtian remained perfectly composed, a faint smile on his face. "I must admit, this Dugu Sheng has some skill. She is worthy of her title as the East Continent’s greatest genius in centuries. But no matter how she struggles, where can she possibly run inside this small tomb? She is merely a cornered beast fighting for its life."
Yi Xingtian acknowledged that Dugu Sheng was a true prodigy. To escape from so many Inner Sect Disciples time and time again... she was certainly worthy of her reputation as the demoness who wreaked havoc in the Great Yong Empire and single-handedly trespassed into the Forbidden Land. ’It’s a pity such a genius refused to join our Celestial Profound Sacred Land,’ he thought. ’Since she won’t serve the Sacred Land, then she will have to fall here.’
At the thought, Yi Xingtian’s expression turned grim.
Beside him, Patriarch Xu heaved a heavy sigh. He looked up at the 7th Floor of the tomb, where a whole group of people still couldn’t catch a single person, and shook his head in frustration.
Then, Patriarch Xu turned to the Xu Family Descendants at his side. "Where is my son, Ying Shan? What is his status?"