Chapter 712: The Altar at the End of the Celestial Road

"Ye Tianling?"

The manifested figure took shape.

Ye Tianling saw a man clad in cyan armor.

His entire body was encased in the armor, which exuded an ancient aura, as if it hailed from a long-forgotten age.

Ye Tianling’s gaze swept across the area, but he couldn’t discern anything out of the ordinary. However, he was certain of one thing: this was the place to open the Hidden Dragon Demon Cave.

If he could enter the Hidden Dragon Demon Cave before the rankings were finalized, the benefits would naturally be far greater.

That much was certain.

"Scram!"

Ye Tianling barked, not caring what this armored man was up to, and immediately unleashed his Fist Intent.

BOOM—

The void trembled violently as a terrifying, berserk power erupted, instantly sending the armored man flying backward.

"Aargh—"

The armored man cried out in pain, his expression turning foul in an instant.

This change was even reflected on his cyan armor, causing the entire suit to turn a deep crimson.

"Hm?"

A peculiar glint appeared in Ye Tianling’s eyes. ’This strange phenomenon is clearly related to the Hidden Dragon Demon Cave.’ He didn’t know what the man was doing here, so he simply threw another punch.

BOOM—

Just as Ye Tianling’s fist shot out, a blindingly brilliant light erupted from the eyes of the man in the now-crimson armor.

A terrifying killing intent, like a beam of divine light, shot toward the heavens before charging straight at Ye Tianling.

This killing intent was immense. Before he had entered the Thousand Shadows Pool, an attack like this would have severely wounded him if not for the protection of his Tianshu Myriad Paths Imperial Qilin Armor.

But Ye Tianling was not the same man he was back then.

Faced with such an attack, Ye Tianling stood as still as a mountain. The killing intent from his own punch was annihilated by the brilliant light, which then continued its assault on him, yet he made no move to defend himself.

BZZZT—

The terrifying attack struck the spot between Ye Tianling’s eyebrows. But at that moment, a faint ripple spread out from his skin, completely nullifying the incredibly powerful blow.

"H-How is this possible! How can you be so strong!"

The man’s voice was filled with utter shock and horror.

Ye Tianling, however, took a moment to analyze the attack. Feeling only a slight vibration and a faint sting between his eyebrows, he felt a sense of relief.

’An attack this powerful still couldn’t breach my physical defenses. This is the terrifying power of the Sword Venerate Dominating Body, formed by the fusion of the Eight Great Ancient Divine Bodies.’

And now, enhanced by the Azure Celestial Dominator Blood, this peerless defensive power was even more extraordinary.

"It seems you’re nothing special after all."

Ye Tianling spoke calmly. He had previously been focused on his surroundings, but now, he was getting serious.

He activated his Azure Celestial Dominator Blood, and his Dragon Soul Divine Blood manifested the Netherworld Life and Death Path. Ye Tianling’s Fist Intent condensed once more as he simulated the Thunder Inference King’s Azure Dragon Fist.

He deeply yearned for that Fist Intent. Ever since witnessing it, he could not forget it.

His mind was filled with the image of that punch, his heart with the Thunder Inference King’s true, domineering aura.

That aura was indescribable. It was as if wherever he stood was the apex of existence, a fact that required no explanation or proof.

That was true dominance. True invincibility.

The experience had left a deep impression on Ye Tianling, showing him the path he ought to walk.

Now, Ye Tianling tried to combine his Azure Celestial Dominator Blood with his Sword Venerate Dominating Body, throwing a similar punch.

As his fist shot out, however, he couldn’t find a single trace of that domineering feeling.

Even so, the punch he threw possessed an incredible, heaven-defying level of Battle Power.

With a single punch, he pierced through everything, and the mist before him exploded outward.

The attack was so terrifying that the man in the Red Battle Armor didn’t dare to face it head-on.

But he couldn’t evade it, either. Ye Tianling’s punch seemed to have locked onto him. No matter how he traversed the void, employing various evasive maneuvers that resembled Instant Teleportation, it was all for naught.

PFFT—

Ye Tianling’s fist tore through the void as if shattering the very barriers of time and space, instantly striking the man in the Red Battle Armor.

The punch unleashed a terrifying Battle Intent. The power of his bloodline, combined with the Laws Ye Tianling had comprehended, exploded in an instant.

BOOM—

A terrifying, destructive sound erupted in an instant. At that moment, the man and his Red Battle Armor were unable to withstand the blow, even after he unleashed all of his hidden reserves and Battle Power.

SPLAT—

A horrifying, muffled explosion rang out.

Then, a bloody light erupted into a mist of gore before instantly disintegrating into nothing but dust.

"Aaargh—"

Only then did the agonized scream of the man in the red armor finally ring out.

But by then, he had already been utterly annihilated, body and soul.

Ye Tianling walked over and unleashed his Emperor’s Qi Dragon Swallowing Heaven Divine Technique. He devoured the man’s Essence, Qi, and Soul, refined them with his Samadhi Celestial Fire, and swept the resulting energy into the Space-Time Soul-locking Tower.

Ye Tianxi didn’t stand on ceremony either, immediately absorbing and refining the energy to begin another transformation with her Nirvana Nine Transformations.

Afterward, Ye Tianling absorbed nearly thirty thousand Dao Rhyme Fragments from the misty area. Upon acquiring the fallen Cultivator’s Dao Rhyme Fragments, he finally learned the man’s identity: Qiu Yechang of the Qiu Family, ranked three hundred seventy-three.

After killing him, Ye Tianling’s rank leaped to two hundred thirty.

He didn’t much care for this rapid rise in rank.

He had no intention of vying for first place right now. The truly important things were waiting in the Hidden Dragon Demon Cave.

Ye Tianling needed to understand the difference between the Hidden Dragon Shackles and Tianshu Ancient Town. He also wanted to learn how to break the Life Soul Poison—though he was already confident he could handle both.

After collecting the Dao Rhyme Fragments, Ye Tianling unleashed a wave of Celestial Fire Power that swept through the maddening, disorienting mist. He then stepped onto what looked like a Celestial Road.

The Celestial Road was dark and cold, quite similar to the one Ye Tianling had seen before.

As Ye Tianling advanced, his Celestial Fire continuously burned away the mist, causing it to gradually disperse.

On the Celestial Road, a dark Celestial Curtain appeared.

Across the Celestial Curtain, countless stars emerged, creating a strange and gloomy vista.

Ye Tianling continued forward for nearly half an hour before finally reaching the end of the Celestial Road.

Here stood an immense sacrificial altar. Inscribed upon it were incredibly complex Dao Patterns, upon which flowed a Dao Rhyme Radiance. It was as if the Heaven and Earth Laws themselves had become Spiritual, gathering in this very spot.

Dao Rhyme Fragments filled the air, as dense as a plague of locusts—a truly daunting sight.