Chapter 236: Justice Must Prevail!

"Is that him?"

"That's him! The most talked-about figure across the great immortal peaks these past few months, the Immortal Gate's number one independent cultivator, the strongest Divine Power, and the one who struck above his realm to kill Senior Brother Kunyun!"

"Dousheng?"

In an instant, a massive wave of spiritual sense swept toward Wang Ping. The Gambling Blessed Lands, in particular, immediately focused their arrays on him.

After all, the purpose of these blessed lands was to broadcast the ranking changes on Dao Proving Mountain to the billions of independent cultivators under the Immortal Gate's rule and open betting pools. As the Immortal Gate's current number one independent cultivator, Wang Ping was practically a universal idol among their ranks. The traffic he could generate was naturally astronomical.

Soon, throughout the major independent cultivator worlds...

The Gambling Blessed Lands rolled out massive ad campaigns. Throngs of excited independent cultivators flooded into the broadcast array formations these blessed lands provided.

Of course, they were just there to watch the show.

However, among the countless streams of spiritual sense, there were also those genuinely scrutinizing and evaluating him, carefully sensing the shifts in Wang Ping's qi signature.

"Senior Brother, what do you think?"

In another corner of the sky, concealed by layers of magical power, an inner sect disciple looked curiously at the youth beside him. "Did he really kill Senior Brother Kunyun?"

The youth shook his head.

"Absolutely impossible."

"There's definitely more to the anomaly with the Eight Trigrams Furnace and Senior Brother Kunyun's life tribulation. It was eighty percent likely the work of a Qi Refining practitioner. This guy merely took the fall."

The Immortal Gate still had clear-headed people.

Or rather, Mingyou's methods of transferring karma mostly worked on independent cultivators and outer sect disciples. It didn't have much impact on inner sect disciples.

After all, inner sect disciples who had cultivated Divine Powers already shared a deep connection with the qi of their respective heaven and earth. This was especially true for those who had started crossing their lightning tribulations. No matter how deeply they had been influenced beforehand, the strike of a lightning tribulation shattered all illusions. It would wake them up regardless; they wouldn't stay deceived for long.

"Moreover... this person isn't even a Major Divine Ability cultivator."

The youth's eyes shone brightly.

"Eighty-one bolts of lightning tribulation. Once a cultivator crosses them, their Divine Power will inevitably possess an aura of perfect consummation. But this person lacks that, meaning his still has flaws."

"Really?"

The inner sect disciple next to him blinked. "Maybe he just hasn't gone to cross it yet? With such immense fame, how could he not even be a Major Divine Ability cultivator?"

"Impossible."

The youth flatly rejected the idea. "Lightning tribulations offer no benefits to cultivators. Why would someone capable of crossing a lightning tribulation choose not to? It must be because he lacks the ability."

"Besides, look at him." The more the youth thought about it, the more wrong it felt. "Those Major Divine Ability cultivators in the Immortal Gate—aside from those cultivating inherently Major Divine Abilities—which of them isn't draped in magic treasures? Which of them doesn't possess an incredibly profound Dao foundation? But look at this Dousheng. He falls far short by comparison."

"Major Divine Ability? He barely meets the criteria."

"But as for magic treasures, I looked over with my Treasure-Viewing Dharma Eye, and it seems he only has one. As for Dao foundation... what kind of Dao foundation can someone from an independent cultivator background possibly have?"

No matter how they sensed him, Wang Ping gave off one distinct impression.

He was so weak.

Thinking up to this point, the youth suddenly shook his head again. "It's also possible he's playing the pig to eat the tiger. But regardless... I think I can test him."

Of course, he didn't plan on playing the role of a bandit cultivator.

Although he believed Wang Ping's combat record was vastly inflated, he wouldn't attack him directly out of caution. What if it wasn't inflated? Wouldn't he be doomed?

However, Dao Proving Mountain was a different story.

After all, nobody truly died inside Dao Proving Mountain. It was the perfect place to test this current top-tier Divine Power of the Immortal Gate without forging any grudges.

'If he has real skills, I'll just lose a bit of qi destiny. At worst, I'll steer clear of him afterward. If he doesn't, then not only can I earn an astronomical amount of qi destiny from him, but I might also figure out how to arrange an "accidental" death for him at the hands of bandit cultivators...'

Soon, the youth formed his plan.

He wasn't the only one; many other cultivators harbored similar plans. After all, the qi destiny blazing like a bonfire around Wang Ping right now was simply too tempting.

At the same time, Lian Shengyue tore through the air, arriving on the scene.

As a true transmission of Bliss Immortal Peak with such a unique temperament, her arrival naturally sparked a wave of commotion. Many cultivators began to speculate.

Lian Shengyue paid no mind to any of it, only looking at Wang Ping.

"Senior Brother, should we not delay?"

Clearly, she was equally covetous of the qi destiny on Wang Ping's body. Now that they were at the entrance of Dao Proving Mountain, she could hardly wait.

"Mhm."

Wang Ping nodded slightly. His figure flashed, and he flew straight into Dao Proving Mountain—and almost simultaneously, over a dozen streaks of escaping light rose into the air!

It was obvious they all wanted a piece of the pie!

...

A towering mountain, three massive gateways.

"Here again..."

Wang Ping stood before the three gateways—Artifact, Technique, and Law—but he didn't take the Law path like before. Instead, he walked into the rightmost gateway.

Artifact!

'Taking this path, all the qi destiny harvested from braving the mountain can be used to upgrade treasures... Perfect, the Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade has felt a bit lacking recently.'

In all fairness, as a divine weapon and magic treasure, the profundities of the Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade were already quite formidable. Ordinary Divine Power cultivators might not even possess such a magic treasure. However, Wang Ping's cultivation base was advancing far too quickly, leaving the Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade feeling somewhat like chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, yet a pity to throw away.

Now that he had the chance, upgrading it wasn't a bad idea.

As for Lian Shengyue, Wang Ping didn't take her matter to heart at all. Long before arriving, he had already figured out how to deal with her.

"Besides, it's not even certain she'll run into me."

Wang Ping had naturally seen the scene when he entered Dao Proving Mountain. He knew he had currently become a prime target in the eyes of many cultivators.

Under these circumstances, whoever ran into him would have to rely entirely on luck.

Wang Ping stepped onto Dao Proving Mountain and looked around. To his surprise, he found that he hadn't appeared on the 666th Layer, but rather on the first layer.

"Starting from the beginning?"

"Is it because my Realm broke through?"

Wang Ping didn't mind. He waited patiently for his first opponent to appear. Soon, a figure began to slowly condense from the light a short distance away...

"Boom!"

Wang Ping gathered his strength and brought out his newly learned methods. Divine light swirled in his palm as he grasped the Tiangong Creation Hammer and instantly smashed it down on his opponent.

The figure shattered on the spot.

The only thing left behind was a lingering echo:

"Huh?"

On the other side, Wang Ping, fully prepared for a bitter struggle, also froze. That hammer strike just now was merely a greeting; he hadn't even exerted any real force yet.

'Hey, how did you die?'

But he quickly reacted. "It's the cultivation base... Was that opponent just now an ordinary Divine Power cultivator? Not a Major Divine Ability cultivator?"

Wang Ping stood in place and pondered for a moment before his eyes lit up. "Could it be because I didn't completely cross the lightning tribulation? Strictly speaking, I'm not a true Major Divine Ability cultivator in the real sense, so Dao Proving Mountain misjudged... and assigned ordinary Divine Power cultivators as my opponents?"

It was highly likely!

"If that's the case, doesn't that mean I'm basically using the combat strength of a Major Divine Ability cultivator to strike down ordinary Divine Power cultivators, utterly humiliating them and stripping away their qi destiny?"

Wang Ping was instantly energized.

He loved crushing weaklings, not to mention he could harvest a wave of qi destiny in the process. Although he already had plenty of the stuff, who would ever complain about having more?

...

Dao Proving Mountain, 666th Layer.

The youth guarded this place. He didn't continue heading up; he simply camped here. As long as the person challenging the mountain wasn't Wang Ping, he decisively attacked and eliminated them.

His name was Xuanci.

As a fellow disciple of the Xuan generation, his cultivation base even surpassed Xuanyin's. Having already crossed the Seven-Nine Lightning Tribulation, he wasn't far from reaching Major Divine Ability.

If not for this, he wouldn't have dared stand guard here. Even before encountering Wang Ping, he had already attacked and defeated three competitors harboring the same intentions. Although his magical power suffered some depletion, his spirit, energy, and focus had climbed to their peak in the process. His combat strength had arguably increased rather than dropped.

'When fighting a true transmission, there's no need to talk about morals or justice.'

'As soon as I confirm it's that Dousheng, I won't wait for him to gain a stable footing, and I won't exchange words. I'll immediately launch a sneak attack, going all out to decide the victor in a single move.'

If he won, he would make a massive profit.

If he lost, he would claim he hadn't seen clearly and proactively yield his spot, avoiding any damage to their relationship. As for the lost qi destiny, he had already earned it back just now anyway.

Either way, he wouldn't lose out.

While Xuanci was still deliberating, his heart suddenly stirred.

On the 666th Layer, light and shadow condensed. A brand-new figure stepped out from within. His qi signature was vast and mighty, bearing down upon the area like a colossal mountain.

'It's him!'

Xuanci's pupils sharply contracted. He instantly recognized Wang Ping's qi signature. Without any hesitation, the magical power he had been accumulating for so long poured out like floodwaters rushing through open gates.

Divine Power erupted!

Almost simultaneously, three magic treasures on his body activated at once. As he pointed his fingers, a dazzling, blinding brilliance abruptly rose between heaven and earth.

Three Yang Authority-Governing Primordial Magnetic Divine Light!

Just like You Xuexin's, this Divine Power originated from Earth Yin Earth—the Mid-Heaven Orthodox Origin Blended Harmony Qi. Yet, it was one of the rare slaughter Divine Powers born of this harmonizing qi.

The so-called Three Yang referred to Yang Earth, Yang Wood, and Yang Fire.

And Three Yang Authority-Governing meant that the Wood and Fire Governance came first, followed by the traction of Earth qi. Consequently, the Yin Earth lost its position, no longer retaining its upright and orthodox qi as it transformed into profound magnetism.

The divine light unleashed in this manner specifically countered all magic treasures in the world. Furthermore, it could cause an opponent's Divine Power and magical power to lose balance, clashing with one another until they ultimately self-destructed.

Xuanci had done his homework before making a move. He had asked around and learned that this true transmission Dousheng's magical power cultivated Earth Yin Water, while his Divine Power cultivated Heaven Yang Earth. The two were inherently mismatched and directly countered by Xuanci's Divine Power. Not to mention, Xuanci cultivated Earth Yin Earth, which naturally countered Earth Yin Water magical power.

A double counter. How could he lose?

Just as Xuanci thought this, he suddenly heard a voice right by his ear. Carrying an inexplicable rhythm, its cadence echoed between heaven and earth.

"Wood and Fire Governance, Yin Earth transforming into magnetism. Conversely, losing its qi of harmony—how could it not suffer damage?"

Upon finishing his words, light and shadow flashed.

Boom!

Xuanci's eyes widened instantly. His spiritual sense roared, yet it only managed to capture the image of an indestructible heavy hammer. Carrying the momentum of a collapsing sky, it bore down on his face in an instant!

"Crack!"

Divine Power, magical power, and physical body shattered one after another. Xuanci's figure vanished from the spot just like that, leaving behind nothing but an exploding burst of blood.

"The impact felt off."

Wang Ping withdrew his Heavenly Craft Creation Hammer, somewhat surprised. "He was much stronger than the last opponent... Could it be that, like me, he also came to crush weaklings in the low-tier brackets?"

'Truly shameless!'

'Fortunately, I was here to maintain the fair and just combat environment of Dao Proving Mountain.'

'Justice must prevail!'