Chapter 234: The Invincible Zhou Qing

Further away, ordinary Late Stage Great Cultivators who had hidden their identities were also watching the spectacle.

Battles to the death between peak Great Cultivators were incredibly rare. If not for the opening of the Lingxu Blessed Land and the Purple-Eyed True Monarch pulling the strings, True Monarch Huanye and True Monarch Wugan would never have acted so readily.

The Body Refining resources within the Lingxu Blessed Land were of immense use to Great Cultivators of any path.

However, the scene that unfolded next left all the ordinary Great Cultivators dumbfounded.

The combined force of three peak Great Cultivators—True Monarch Huanye, True Monarch Wugan, and the Purple-Eyed True Monarch—had actually been beaten into a panicked retreat by True Monarch Golden Face.

True Monarch Huanye's final, agonized shriek echoing on the soul level, in particular, sent chills down the spines of the numerous Great Cultivators present.

"Wh-what happened?"

"Three peak Great Cultivators defeated and forced to retreat? They even suffered severe injuries. How is this possible?"

"These are peak Great Cultivators... not ordinary true lords at the Early Nascent Soul Stage or Mid Stage..."

The ordinary Great Cultivators watching the spectacle widened their eyes, their hearts churning with horror and disbelief.

They had envisioned many outcomes. They thought you might retreat completely unscathed under the combined assault of the three peak Great Cultivators, or escape after paying a certain price, or flee with heavy injuries.

But they never imagined that fighting three against one, the ones wounded and driven back would be the three peak Great Cultivators.

It was simply unfathomable.

"True Monarch Golden Face... What level of power has True Monarch Golden Face actually reached...?"

An ordinary Great Cultivator could not help but speak. As a Great Cultivator himself, he knew exactly how difficult it was to advance even a fraction in strength at this level.

At the Early Nascent Soul Stage, perhaps mastering a certain secret art or obtaining a specific weapon could elevate one's strength.

But by the Late Nascent Soul Stage, especially for peak Great Cultivators at the Late Nascent Soul Stage Peak, every aspect of their power had already been pushed to the absolute limit.

Taking another step forward from the pinnacle was harder than ascending to the heavens.

Moreover, judging from your clash with True Monarch Wugan, True Monarch Huanye, and the Purple-Eyed True Monarch, your strength was not merely a fraction higher than theirs.

"What a pity..."

You stood casually in the void. Dharma power surged around you, oppressing the space and causing it to twist and distort.

You glanced in the direction True Monarch Huanye and True Monarch Wugan had fled, but you did not give chase. Firstly, the Lingxu Blessed Land was on the verge of opening, and there was no need to miss it just for these two true lords.

Secondly, even if you gave chase, you might not catch them. Instead, it could invite more unforeseen variables.

The public identities of True Monarch Wugan and True Monarch Huanye were certainly not simple. They might very well belong to the Two Bodies, the Three Dharmas, or other peak factions.

If you pushed them too far and forced them to reveal their identities and call upon their allies, it would yield no benefit for you.

"Purple-Eyed True Monarch..."

With a flicker of thought, you swept your gaze over the piece of withered wood stored inside your Storage Ring.

This withered wood was the medium for the Substitution Technique the Purple-Eyed True Monarch had used to escape your grasp.

The so-called Substitution Technique was a life-saving secret art in the cultivation world. It involved refining a piece of high-grade spirit wood with one's own heartblood. In critical moments, the caster could swap places with the spirit wood, allowing it to take the attack in their stead.

This swap could neither be blocked nor stopped.

A cultivator could refine at most one piece of substitution spirit wood in their lifetime. Furthermore, during the refinement process, they had to continuously infuse the wood with their own heartblood and soul.

The restrictions were immense.

'It's not as if I gained nothing.'

Your expression grew thoughtful. After the Purple-Eyed True Monarch swapped places with the withered wood, the wood in your hand had begun to disintegrate.

Clearly, the Purple-Eyed True Monarch did not want this piece of wood to fall into your hands.

However, you instantly halted its disintegration.

Since this withered wood contained the Purple-Eyed True Monarch's heartblood and soul aura, it was the perfect medium for a Divination Grandmaster. With this wood, the difficulty of divining the Purple-Eyed True Monarch's whereabouts would plummet.

'I'll deal with him later.'

You sealed the withered wood away securely. The Purple-Eyed True Monarch was a target you absolutely had to kill.

This wasn't just because he colluded with the Demon Abyss Realm. More importantly, if the Purple-Eyed True Monarch remained alive, he might step into the Deity Transformation Stage before you and snatch away your title of Heavenly Monarch, which would be a massive headache.

Thanks to the experience of your fifth simulation, you knew that the Purple-Eyed True Monarch's foundation in all aspects was solid enough to support his breakthrough into the Deity Transformation Stage.

Although your interference in this simulation had cost this peak Great Cultivator many of his destined fortunes, killing him to eliminate future troubles was still the best approach.

Fifty thousand li away.

A streak of escape light arrived in an instant and skidded to a halt, revealing the pale face of True Monarch Wugan.

"Too strong, he's just too strong. How could a peak Great Cultivator be this powerful?"

True Monarch Wugan let out a soft breath of relief. His true identity was a peak Great Cultivator of the Xuantian Sect.

The Xuantian Sect was one of the Three Dharmas, the origin of dharma cultivation in the Human Realm. Thus, True Monarch Wugan's dharma power was incredibly dense; the dharma domain he formed was capable of suppressing even peak Great Cultivators.

Yet compared to you, True Monarch Wugan knew without even looking that his dharma power was significantly weaker.

Just moments ago, if his Quasi-Tier-5 life-saving trump card from the Xuantian Sect had not activated in time, a single palm strike from you—infused with boundless dharma power—would likely have inflicted critical damage to his physical body.

'A legendary Great Cultivator... True Monarch Golden Face's Nascent Soul dharma power has reached the level of a legendary Great Cultivator...'

After a long silence, this thought flashed through True Monarch Wugan's mind.

A legendary Great Cultivator was a concept that only existed in the Ancient Era.

During the hundred thousand years of the Near-Ancient Era, many Deity Transformation Stage Heavenly Monarchs had been born, yet not a single legendary Great Cultivator had emerged.

With the heaven and earth resources and the realm environment of the Near-Ancient Era, it was incredibly difficult to support the rise of a legendary Great Cultivator.

It was not that legendary Great Cultivators were stronger than Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs; rather, becoming a legendary Great Cultivator required shattering the limits of the Nascent Soul Stage in a specific aspect. The Near-Ancient Era simply could not provide the environmental conditions necessary for peak Great Cultivators to achieve such a breakthrough.

"To think I actually had the chance to exchange blows with a legendary Great Cultivator. It is no injustice that I lost this time!"

True Monarch Wugan turned his head and shot a deep look toward the Lingxu Blessed Land. Facing a legendary Great Cultivator, a peak Great Cultivator could do no more than flee for his life; putting up a fight was impossible.

The absolute crushing disparity in dharma power left a peak dharma cultivation true lord like True Monarch Wugan feeling utterly powerless, thoroughly suppressed in the very field he excelled at.

Unless he invoked the Rank 5 foundation of his sect, True Monarch Wugan had absolutely no thought of continuing his battle with you.

In another direction.

A continuously waning soul aura surfaced, solidifying into a figure. It was none other than True Monarch Huanye.

"A legendary Great Cultivator... he's a legendary Great Cultivator who has broken the Nascent Soul Stage limits in the soul aspect." True Monarch Huanye popped several pills in quick succession, only barely managing to halt her deteriorating soul.

True Monarch Huanye's true identity lay with the Four Great Chambers of Commerce. Her most proficient soul illusion arts originated from the inheritance of an exceptionally tyrannical Heavenly Monarch from the Ancient Era.

Other than a legendary Great Cultivator who had shattered the limits of the soul, who could severely injure her with a single soul attack?

True Monarch Huanye had not experienced True Monarch Wugan's predicament, so she was unaware that in True Monarch Wugan's eyes, you had shattered the Nascent Soul Stage limits in your dharma power as well.

The legendary Great Cultivators of the Ancient Era were those who had broken the Nascent Soul Stage limits in a specific domain. That domain could be the physical body, the Nascent Soul, or the soul.

The Nascent Soul represented dharma power.

However, the boost granted by your golden talent, Surpassing Oneself by Half a Move, was a comprehensive enhancement across all aspects, not merely a boost to a single domain.

"To think that a legendary Great Cultivator was actually born in the Near-Ancient Era..."

Her aura weak, True Monarch Huanye gazed distantly toward the Lingxu Blessed Land.

'Who exactly is he? Someone from Heavenly Sword Peak? But I didn't sense even the slightest bit of a sword cultivator's sharpness...'

True Monarch Huanye pondered silently. Sword cultivators naturally excelled in offensive arts; if a legendary Great Cultivator was most likely to be born in any faction, it could only be the Heavenly Sword Peak.

Yet when you had attacked, your dharma power had surged like a mighty river and your soul had felt boundless and infinite. These were not the methods of a Heavenly Sword Peak sword cultivator at all.

A hundred thousand li away.

The Purple-Eyed True Monarch's figure materialized out of thin air.

"A legendary Great Cultivator? How could a legendary Great Cultivator possibly be born in the Near-Ancient Era's Human Realm?"

The Purple-Eyed True Monarch had not suffered any actual injuries, but the forced use of his Substitution Technique made his heart bleed in agony.

Any cultivator could only ever refine a single piece of substitution wood, which meant the Substitution Technique could only be used once.

'Even... didn't have the confidence to make me a legendary Great Cultivator. How did True Monarch Golden Face step into that realm...?'

The Purple-Eyed True Monarch's expression shifted unpredictably before he vanished from the spot, leaving absolutely no trace of his aura behind.

At the entrance to the Lingxu Blessed Land.

Great Cultivator Mangu watched as you approached step by step, treating you like a fatal threat.

Whoosh—

Another towering figure appeared beside him. It was the helper Great Cultivator Mangu had invited: a peak body cultivation Great Cultivator from the Extreme Dao Pavilion.

Originally, this peak body cultivation Great Cultivator had been lying in ambush, intending to strike at a critical moment.

However, the pressure you brought was simply too immense, forcing the peak body cultivation Great Cultivator from the Extreme Dao Pavilion out of the shadows to face you alongside Great Cultivator Mangu.

"True Monarch Golden Face, you have my admiration."

Great Cultivator Mangu stared at you, his voice low. "To become a legendary Great Cultivator in the Near-Ancient Era... I am thoroughly ashamed of my own inferiority."

"For the opening of this Lingxu Blessed Land, my Sacred Body Sect is willing to share it with you."

Great Cultivator Mangu spoke plainly. He lacked the confidence to stop you, even with the assistance of another peak body cultivation Great Cultivator.

Just moments ago, three peak Great Cultivators—True Monarch Huanye, True Monarch Wugan, and the Purple-Eyed True Monarch—had failed to last long against you before fleeing in defeat.

Therefore, Great Cultivator Mangu made a direct concession, offering to share the Lingxu Blessed Land with you. This way, they could at least preserve a portion of the harvest inside the blessed land.

Hearing this, the peak body cultivation Great Cultivator from the Extreme Dao Pavilion felt a slight wave of relief; he was quite satisfied with Great Cultivator Mangu's compromise.

Having witnessed the fate of True Monarch Huanye and the other two peak Great Cultivators, he naturally had no desire to exchange blows with you. Negotiating peace was, of course, the best outcome.

"Share it with me?"

A strange look crossed your face. "Without you here, the entire Lingxu Blessed Land is mine anyway. Why would I ever bring you along?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Great Cultivator Mangu's expression turned exceedingly ugly.

The implication of your words was not hard to understand: you intended to swallow up the entirety of the harvest from the Lingxu Blessed Land's opening.

"True Monarch Golden Face, my Sacred Body Sect..." Great Cultivator Mangu brought out the Sacred Body Sect's name, hoping to invoke some hesitation in you.

But the very next moment—

You struck directly.

Terrifying dharma power fluctuations erupted. Space warped, and the grand array shrouding the blessed land crumbled inch by inch.

"Attack!" Great Cultivator Mangu roared furiously. He truly did not want to fight you, but the Sacred Body Sect could not afford to lose face. As the origin of body cultivation in the Human Realm and the most dazzling, prosperous faction of the Ancient Era, its reputation prevented him from backing down.

Boom—!

Great Cultivator Mangu's physical body swelled exponentially, reaching several dozen zhang in height in the blink of an eye. A golden aura rippled outward, permeating the air with an indestructible presence. This was precisely the Indestructible Golden Body of an ancient peak body cultivator.

The Indestructible Golden Body was the most domineering method of ancient peak body cultivators. It pushed through all obstacles with supreme physical strength, suppressing all demons and monsters.

"Since it has come to this, allow me to witness the might of a legendary Great Cultivator." The peak body cultivation Great Cultivator from the Extreme Dao Pavilion likewise unleashed his physical qi and blood. His Indestructible Golden Body stretched across the void, and within a thousand-li radius, qi and blood surged ceaselessly like a vast ocean.

"Not bad."

You nodded slightly. Your hands formed a seal, and majestic dharma power converged, forming a massive seal that slowly pressed down upon the two Indestructible Golden Bodies.

The massive seal was the Sea Overturning Seal from the Shanhai Inheritance. However, executed with your dharma power that had shattered the Nascent Soul Stage limits, the might of this secret art had similarly transcended the bounds of the Nascent Soul Stage.

"Get back!"

Great Cultivator Mangu reached out, manifesting a giant black hammer, and swung it fiercely upward against the descending, suppressive seal.

Bang! Great Cultivator Mangu staggered back several steps, his hands trembling faintly. The surface of the giant black hammer roiled with turbulent energy.

'My full-strength hammer strike couldn't even shake it in the slightest?'

Watching the massive seal descend without a single fraction of a decrease in speed, Great Cultivator Mangu felt a profound sense of powerlessness.

Indestructible, overwhelming others with sheer force—these were terms originally used to describe body cultivators like them. Yet facing this massive seal you cast, Great Cultivator Mangu finally understood what it meant to be utterly crushed by an unstoppable momentum.

Boom!

The peak body cultivation Great Cultivator from the Extreme Dao Pavilion also attacked in that instant. His qi and blood boiled and interwove, like an ancient giant hurling an attack, but the result was simply annihilation under the massive seal's suppression.

Hum— Wherever the Sea Overturning Seal passed, ripples appeared in space. This was a clear sign that its sheer power was faintly shattering the limits of the Human Realm.

"Go!"

Great Cultivator Mangu's eyelids twitched violently. Without a shred of hesitation, he shot backward in a frantic retreat, putting distance between himself and the Lingxu Blessed Land.

Seeing this, the peak body cultivation Great Cultivator from the Extreme Dao Pavilion also immediately fell back, completely abandoning any intention of confronting you head-on.

The numerous Rank 4 Mid Stage body cultivation true lords of the Sacred Body Sect also retreated one after another.

'They retreated on their own?'

With a flicker of thought, you dispersed the Sea Overturning Seal.

For the two peak body cultivation Great Cultivators to realize the difficulty and back down was the best possible situation.

If they had stubbornly guarded the blessed land's entrance to block you, it would have been somewhat of a headache. The Indestructible Golden Body of ancient peak body cultivation true lords excelled most at defense and survival. They were like two massive, stubborn lumps; even with your methods, it would be difficult to grind them down in a short amount of time.

"Lingxu Blessed Land."

You looked at the entrance to the blessed land before you.