Chapter 328: The 12th Step

The many Emperors were also stunned by the speed of Li Yang's progress.

However, they all felt it was impossible for Li Yang to pass the twelfth step.

"Whether he can pass or not, the Talent Li Yang has displayed is already terrifying. Yangyuan, I have to ask you again how you're feeling right now."

"Haha, Lihuo, stop teasing Yangyuan. Don't you know that Yangyuan previously granted Li Yang a great deal of contribution points and even helped his home planet develop? Yangyuan is very clever. Even if Li Yang becomes a powerhouse, his relationship with Yangyuan will certainly be excellent."

...

The Emperors continued their discussion, but Yangyuan Emperor remained silent, his gaze as deep and still as water.

'The eleventh step…'

He thought to himself, his mind a mystery.

Under everyone's watchful gaze, Li Yang's figure entered the space of the twelfth step!

This step represented the benchmark for the most monstrous geniuses in the Longevity Realm of the Human Race!

Could Li Yang... pass?

...

'Hm? Not a demonic beast?'

Li Yang appeared in the space, but surprisingly, no demonic beast was present. Instead, there was a human.

He was a middle-aged man holding a long spear. The aura radiating from him was far more powerful than that of a World Master.

"You are outstanding to have reached the space of the twelfth step!"

The middle-aged man looked at Li Yang, a faint smile gracing his lips.

"Seventeen years ago, Mixed Void defeated me and passed this step. The one before him was over a hundred billion years ago. Now, you have arrived, Li Yang. I sincerely hope you can pass as well."

"However, I will not hold anything back," the middle-aged man said, gripping his long spear.

'It's conscious?'

Li Yang was even more surprised to hear the man speak.

However, the twelfth step was the benchmark for geniuses in the Longevity Realm of the Human Race, so it was only natural for it to be somewhat special.

"I wouldn't want you to hold back, either." Li Yang took a deep breath, a hint of battle lust glinting in his eyes.

"Excellent!"

The middle-aged man said calmly, "Then let us fight!"

BOOM!

The long spear in his hand pulsed, and streams of laws flowed across its surface. Li Yang was shocked to feel a familiar fluctuation from these laws!

'Fire Element, space, and lightning?'

Li Yang easily recognized the fluctuations of the laws. The man was using the Hexagram Spear, and the profound mysteries of the laws it employed were the very same ones he had comprehended!

WHOOSH!

The long spear shot forward, emitting a terrifying pulse of energy as it flew toward Li Yang.

'He's stronger than I am with this skill,' Li Yang noted, watching the spear technique.

He was intimately familiar with the Hexagram Spear. He knew he couldn't replicate the version the middle-aged man was currently demonstrating. If he were to fight using the Hexagram Spear, he would be no match at all.

'However, the Hexagram Spear is no longer my strongest attack!' Li Yang's expression was serene.

He swung the long spear in his hand, and the three laws woven into it began to fluctuate violently.

As he executed the move, the phantom of a long spear materialized above him. An utterly terrifying fluctuation of energy began to coalesce upon this phantom!

The surrounding space seemed to freeze, affected by its immense power.

The energy coalesced with incredible speed, finishing just as the middle-aged man's attack was about to strike.

"Go!"

Li Yang swung his spear, and the phantom spear instantly shot forward.

BOOM!

As the phantom spear shot out, the space around it seemed to twist and distort, releasing terrifying waves of energy in all directions.

Within the phantom spear, lightning and fire were completely intertwined. It seemed less like a single attack and more like a being composed entirely of lightning and flames.

It had no defensive properties; from the moment it was unleashed, it was pure, terrifying offense.

The Destruction Spear Skill. It was a purely offensive art! The name alone hinted at the sheer power of its attacks! To destroy everything!

In the blink of an eye, the two terrifying attacks slammed into each other within the space!

'The battle within the space of the twelfth step has begun.'

'I wonder whose attack is stronger.'

'Li Yang isn't using the Hexagram Spear.'

'He must have learned that attack in the Lingyue World.'

The many divine consciousnesses were all watching the battle inside the space.

Soon, they would know if Li Yang truly had the strength to pass through this space.

RUMBLE!

The terrifying power of the attack radiated outwards, shrouding the entire space and obscuring the scene within.

After the energy from the attack finally dissipated, the scene reappeared before them.

To their astonishment, Li Yang was completely unharmed, but the middle-aged man's aura had weakened slightly.

Seeing this, the many Deities, and even the Emperors, were stunned.

"Li Yang is slightly stronger!"

"He can actually pass the twelfth step!"

"How is this possible?"

Li Yang's strength had actually reached such a level!

Just as they suspected, Li Yang's power was greater than the middle-aged man's. The two then engaged in a frantic battle, and the middle-aged man's aura grew progressively weaker, constantly worn down by Li Yang.

In the end, only a faint trace of the middle-aged man's aura remained.

Li Yang's final, fatal blow struck the man's body. It should have killed him instantly, but the attack had no effect.

'Hm? I didn't kill him?' Li Yang frowned slightly.

At that moment, the middle-aged man stopped. He looked at Li Yang, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"In just over a decade, two monstrous geniuses have appeared in our Human Race. Li Yang, you are truly impressive."

The middle-aged man smiled. "Congratulations on passing the twelfth step."

After he spoke, his figure flickered and vanished completely.

Li Yang was left standing alone in the silent space.

'I passed,' Li Yang thought to himself.

The twelfth step of the Path of Deities. This was the benchmark—the benchmark for monstrous geniuses of the Human Race! A Talent like this might only appear once every hundred billion years.

Seventeen years ago, Mixed Void, a genius ranked in the top one hundred in the history of the Human Race, passed. Now, Li Yang had passed as well!

'Now that I've passed, I can break through to the Star Lord Realm with the highest possible potential and receive the best resources and training from the Saint Hall!'

The Saint Hall cultivates geniuses for one hundred years. The better they perform and the stronger they become during this time, the greater the benefits bestowed by the Human Race's Eternal Saint Hall will be once they reach the Star Lord Realm, with even more resources invested in them!

And passing the twelfth step of the Path of Deities represented the absolute peak of potential for a Longevity Realm genius. Breaking through after such an achievement would earn one the highest level of resource investment from the Human Race Saint Hall!

'Once I break through to the Star Lord Realm, I will return to Earth!' Li Yang thought.

A glint flashed in his eyes. 'Celestial Net, the Kande Clan... I won't let a single one of those who oppressed Earth get away!'

It was perfect. He would pass the twelfth step of the Path of Deities, return as a supreme genius, and resolve all of Earth's troubles!

'Next step!' Reining in his emotions, Li Yang's figure flickered, and he instantly appeared in the space of the thirteenth step!

(Thank you to 'Bansheng Liangliangliang dao Shang' for the 1,500-coin donation, and to '08a' for the 100-coin donation. Thank you.)