Chapter 500 438: Fuck This Game

Shanhai Pass, the Six Celestial Passes.

The Flame Bear Battlefield.

The main enemy in this battlefield was the Flame Bear Race, a branch of the Ancient Bear Race (bears?) from the Mountain and Sea Royal Family. While the fighting wasn't as intense as in the Dragon-slaying Battlefield, it was still among the most active.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~

A great battle had just ended.

The Lifebound Divine Fire of the Flame Bear Race gradually extinguished. The clamor in the various garrison cities died down as everyone silently cleaned up the aftermath on the battlefield.

'With the merits from this fight, I should be able to reach the consummation of the Perfect Saint Realm.'

Wuchen took off his battered armor, evaporated the blood and flesh of the Flame Bear Race from his body, and clenched the Battle Merit Order in his hand as he walked toward the Dao Celestial Stele.

Before the Celestial Stele.

People came and went, exchanging their battle merits.

"Brother Jiang, a pleasure working with you."

Seeing Jiang Han also in line, Wuchen couldn't help but greet him with a smile.

The garrison cities they were stationed at were adjacent to each other.

They had cooperated several times recently. With Jiang Han's endless schemes and Wuchen's charges into enemy lines, they had reaped a massive amount of battle merits each time.

More importantly, for some unknown reason, though Jiang Han was a man of few words with a detached demeanor, Wuchen always felt a strange sense of kinship with him.

"This kid is a deep schemer, and his heritage is extremely mysterious. You'd better be careful around him," the Big Black Wolf reminded him again.

From the first time it saw Jiang Han, the Big Black Wolf had determined that he was an even purer Seeker of the Dao than Wuchen. One should never get too close to such a person, or you wouldn't even know how you ended up dead.

Although before entering Shanhai Pass, Wuchen had often been called a cunning villain and a malicious Demon, there was still a shred of burning humanity in his heart.

But Jiang Han... he was too pure, too extreme. His was a divinity that bordered on cold and ruthless. No external affair or object could move his Dao Heart in the slightest.

'I know my limits.' Wuchen's smiling expression didn't change.

Thanks to the flexible survival rules he'd cultivated since childhood, he knew how to deal with different kinds of people. His relationship with Jiang Han was purely one of mutual exploitation.

They were both cunning; neither could pull a fast one on the other.

"Mm, congratulations to you as well."

Jiang Han's gaze flickered. He nodded with a faint smile, his mind dwelling on the great secrets Wuchen had inadvertently revealed.

Among them, what he coveted most was undoubtedly the Mixed Lotus Extreme Path, one of the Ten Great Supreme Divine Techniques. He was thinking of finding a suitable opportunity to trade for it.

Snatching it by force or trickery was impossible.

He could sense a certain dormant, ancient power within Wuchen, somewhat similar to that of the white-robed child.

After their simple greeting, the two didn't exchange any more words. Their personalities weren't compatible, their relationship was limited to cooperation, and there was no point in putting on a false front.

While queuing to exchange their battle merits, the conversation of the soldiers ahead reached the ears of Wuchen and Jiang Han:

"I heard there's a major operation against the True Dragon Fortress in the Dragon-slaying Battlefield. If my Horizontal Refining Mastery wasn't so lacking, I definitely wouldn't miss out on that feast."

"You? The Dragon-slaying Battlefield is the number one battlefield in the Six Celestial Passes. Even the lowest-ranking soldiers are required to have a Horizontal Refining Saint Body at the Twenty Layers of Heaven. Otherwise, you couldn't even withstand the aftershocks of the battle!"

"The risk is greater, but the rewards are terrifyingly high. The True Dragon Emperor Clan! The battle merits for killing just one of them are equal to killing ten from the Imperial Race."

"After this battle is over, I wonder if there will be a new Celestial King. A Celestial King can preside over an entire battlefield. Their status is no small matter."

...

The Dragon-slaying Battlefield... As Wuchen took in this information, his good mood instantly vanished.

Because that "dear master" of his had been transferred to the Dragon-slaying Battlefield, starting anew and once again leaving him far behind.

Not long ago, he had also applied for a transfer to the Dragon-slaying Battlefield, but his cultivation was too low. The environment there was unique, and the minimum recruitment requirement was a Horizontal Refining Saint Body at the Twenty Layers of Heaven. Having only just become a Saint, he couldn't even touch the threshold.

'After I absorb this batch of Dao Source, I should be able to head to the Dragon-slaying Battlefield.'

Wuchen let out a slight breath, suppressing the gloom in his heart. 'As long as I can still see his back, it proves I still have a chance to catch up. I just have to work harder...'

"Hongyuan Calendar, the Era of Five Tribulations... In the battle of Purgatory Grand Universe in the Dragon-slaying Battlefield, Primordial King's battle merits were illustrious. For slaying members of the Candle Dragon Emperor Clan... he is hereby conferred the title of Primordial Heavenly King!"

The congratulatory roar from the Dao Celestial Stele froze Wuchen's expression on the spot, turning it rigid as if he'd been struck by lightning. The shocked and excited discussions of the people around him seemed to fade into the distance.

Primordial Heavenly King...

Celestial King.

A Great Venerable!

How long has it been?

How long has it been since he was transferred from the Reincarnation Battlefield to the Dragon-slaying Battlefield? He'd promoted an entire military rank in a single battle again!

How could he be so ridiculous?

Catch up? Catch my ass!

Wuchen stood there, dumbfounded. He felt his future was shrouded in darkness, and even his Dao Heart, forged through a thousand trials, was becoming a little unstable.

The gap was just too big.

He had just reached the Saint Realm, and his "good master" who was plotting against him was already a Great Venerable.

Between the two of them, to put it bluntly, there was a gap of more than one hundred and thirty minor realms!

This...

What the hell!

At that moment, Wuchen truly understood what it meant to be a sparrow trying to soar with a swan, hopelessly overestimating himself. A chill washed over his heart, and he felt as if his future fate was completely sealed!

As for Jiang Han, he knew less, so he felt less pressure.

He didn't know that Wu Dao was the Primordial Heavenly King. He only felt a slight sense of awe, thinking that heroes in this Great Era were as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river, and he still had a long way to go.

「At the same time.」

The Great Dao's congratulatory announcement of Primordial King's promotion to Primordial Heavenly King also spread throughout the All Heavens Pass.

The Seven Days Pass.

Within the Three Lives Battlefield.

"Who in the world are you? Why..."

The Three Lives Army Master, Long Chen, stared intently at the dazzling title "Primordial Heavenly King" in the Dao Celestial Stele's Celestial King sequence, completely unable to calm his mind.

The last time Wu Dao was promoted to War King, he had felt a mysterious connection between them, giving rise to an involuntary sense of urgency and fear of loss.

Now that Wu Dao had been promoted to Celestial King, that feeling of impending loss was even stronger. It was as if the Primordial Heavenly King would take something from him in the not-too-distant future.

"From Military King to Celestial King in such a short time... it won't be long before he's transferred to the Seven Days Pass. When that time comes..."

Long Chen's eyes narrowed, a chill rising in his heart. The higher one went in the Extraordinary Sequence, the more one feared karmic connections.

Just a Celestial King Great Venerable was enough to unsettle his mind and make it difficult for his Dao Heart to find peace. If he continued to grow...

'I must strike first to gain the advantage!'

The Eight Celestial Passes.

Within an unknown, mysterious space-time.

A vast, crimson, and ominous Dao Essence, like a demon sealed for ages, was unsealed. After reviving, it flickered and vanished without a trace.

WHOOSH~

The Heaven-Burying Emperor walked out of the shattered, mysterious space, letting out a weary sigh of relief. After noticing the Great Dao's announcement in his Battle Merit Order, a slight smile touched his lips.

"A Great Venerable. Not bad, not bad at all. At this rate, it won't be long before he can ascend to the Nine Heavens Pass. When that time comes, Buzhou Mountain... perhaps the World Emperor can make a full return."

The Ten Celestial Passes!

Hongyuan First Pass City!

Deep within the magnificent Shanhai Pass, where the Great Dao cascaded down like a waterfall, inside the core of an Elder's Dao field in the Commander Elder Council.

"At any cost..."

A figure shrouded in Chaos within the Dao field stared intently at Wu Dao's image.

At any cost.

This meant that even if all the "Nails" under his command were exposed, he had to take down the Primordial Heavenly King!

Mountain and Sea Realm.

In the Desolate North Sea, North of the Red River.

Zhangwei Mountain.

The Ancestral Land of the Candle Dragon Race.

"SCREEE—"

On this day, a young Sparrow with wings that blotted out the starry sky, a white head, colorful feathers, rat feet, and tiger claws flew in from outside Zhangwei Mountain.

Wherever the Sparrow passed, like a Divine Messenger, all members of the Candle Dragon Race greeted it with reverence. No dragon dared to block its path, and it entered Zhangwei Mountain unimpeded.

Before long.

Under the resentful gazes of the Candle Dragon Race's many Ancestral Kings, the Sparrow took away the Snow Candle Dragon, who was recuperating within the clan, and never returned.

The younger generation only heard rumors.

It seemed the Snow Candle Dragon had coveted something it shouldn't have touched and had offended that incredible Little Ancestor of the Taotie Race, the Common Lord of North Mountain.

As for the specific reason, no dragon knew.

...

Wu Dao was not omniscient and omnipotent.

Naturally, he did not know that his promotion to Primordial Heavenly King had attracted all sorts of attention, both overt and covert, with some even sharpening their knives for him.

After exchanging all his battle merits for Five Tribulations Dao Source, he obtained over twenty thousand units of Great Venerable Dao Source!

The calculation of battle merits in Shanhai Pass wasn't just about how many powerful enemies one killed.

With the Great Dao made manifest, every bit of contribution you made on the battlefield would be converted into battle merits.

Back in the Five Celestial Passes, Wu Dao had indirectly prevented their destruction.

He had received Great Venerable Dao Source far exceeding what his kill count would suggest, and the same principle applied to the Purgatory Grand Universe.

The Great Venerables he killed were only a small part of it.

The bulk of his merits came from his large-scale slaughter of the True Dragon Fortress's army, which indirectly reduced massive losses for the Dragon-slaying Battlefield and accelerated the fortress's collapse and retreat. His contribution was immense.

Due to Qin Zhou presiding over the front lines and with the True Dragon Fortress eliminated, it would be difficult for the Mountain and Sea forces to make a comeback in the short term. The Dragon-slaying Battlefield enjoyed a rare period of peace, providing a considerable amount of time to lick their wounds and recover.

But everyone knew that as a Ten Realms Heaven Emperor, Qin Zhou's main stage to shine was the Eighth and Ninth Celestial Passes. He couldn't possibly remain in the Dragon-slaying Battlefield for long.

Once all the garrison cities were rebuilt, the moment Qin Zhou left, the retaliatory offensive from the Mountain and Sea forces would surely be even more ferocious than before. Therefore, everyone was seizing the time to absorb their Dao Source and improve themselves.

As for Wu Dao.

After obtaining a large amount of Dao Source, he did not stop his reaping. His Main Body continued its secluded cultivation, while his Incarnations relentlessly killed enemies and earned merits in other battlefields.

The consequence was that within a short period, a large number of newly promoted Military Marquis and War Kings appeared across the various Territorial Battlefields of the Six Celestial Passes, which was a blow to many veterans.

But this was a good thing.

So, not many people paid it much mind.

Not to mention, the territories of Shanhai Pass's Ten Celestial Passes were countless, and the flames of war never ceased. The conferment of Military Marquis and King titles was simply too common. Only a Celestial King would cause the entirety of Shanhai Pass to take slight notice.

With an abundant supply of Dao Source, Wu Dao sank 'deeper and deeper' into the Mire of Flesh and Mud. The Primordial Dao Wheel 3.0 was running at full power, rapidly deducing and evolving the Primordial Magnetic Civilization.

After being nourished in return, his Initial Tribulation Yuan Magnetic Path grew with incredible speed. He was able to advance a layer of cultivation almost every few days, a pace that was unbelievably fast.

At the same time.

The Primordial Sect was also making frequent moves.

It was rampaging wildly throughout the All Heavens, reaping massive amounts of Divine Souls and numerous One Tribulation Dao Realms. Its infamy soon surpassed that of the dormant Dragon Hunting Tower.

But Wu Dao didn't care.

When this period of secluded cultivation ended, the Initial Tribulation Yuan Magnetic Path would certainly reach consummation.

That also meant he had to prepare a large number of 'pacifiers' in the form of One Tribulation Dao Realms and a massive amount of Divine Souls in advance, to continue squeezing the Hongyuan One Tribulation Path.

Of course.

Aside from its regular tasks, the Primordial Sect was also acquiring Energy Cosmic Divine Liquid for Quasi-Emperor Weapons on Wu Dao's behalf, while also searching for any news of Emperor's Weapons.

Emperor's Weapons were a bit difficult.

After all, they were the top-tier Big Killing Artifacts in Hongyuan. Ownerless Emperor's Weapons were practically nonexistent; one could only try their luck in forbidden zones or ancient battlefields.

The energy for Quasi-Emperor Weapons, Cosmic Divine Liquid, was much easier to obtain.

Over the long eons of the Five Tribulations, many large merchant houses with ancient legacies had emerged in Hongyuan. Many of them were backed by an Emperor's Lineage or even a Common Lord.

As long as one could afford the price, never mind Cosmic Divine Liquid, they could even procure the Chaos Mother Liquid needed to power an Emperor's Weapon!

But perhaps due to the influence of the war, the prices of high-level strategic resources like Cosmic Divine Liquid had risen drastically. It had even reached a point where they were practically not for sale externally, reserved only for internal consumption.

However.

It was still the same old saying—

Money makes the world go 'round!