Chapter 460: Venerable Supreme Dharma Aspect

CRACK! CRACK!

The bones throughout his body creaked under the immense pressure.

Du Qingshu’s aura had transformed completely; he was like an entirely different person.

Without hesitation, Shen Daoxing pushed off the ground and shot into the air.

The next instant,

BOOM!

Du Qingshu’s massive hand came smashing down.

A deep crater was instantly blasted into the desert floor.

Simultaneously, a shockwave erupted like a ripple on water, instantly kicking up a frenzy of sand across the desert.

"Aargh!"

Caught in the overwhelming, rolling shockwave, Gu Muyun, Wan Hai, Liu Ying, and the others cried out as they were sent flying. They crashed heavily to the ground with a THUD.

Even Shen Daoxing was sent flying backward with a WHOOSH by the immense shockwave.

Witnessing this from the Martial Arts Arena of Pengze Hall high in the sky, Grand Elder Wang Guyuan spun to face a middle-aged man beside him, his face a mask of fury. "The Mad Demon Dust Pill! Vice Island Master Han, have you gone mad? Do you have any idea what you’re doing? That’s an Evil Pill created by the Demon Sect! You actually used it on your own disciple!"

The Mad Demon Dust Pill traded one’s future potential for a temporary boost in power, an exchange that brought nothing but harm. Its refinement process, which required the Essence Blood of a hundred cultivators, was an act of extreme cruelty condemned by all under heaven. It was, through and through, an Evil Pill.

However, Grand Elder Wang Guyuan had barely finished speaking.

"How dare you!"

Vice Island Master Han bellowed, erupting in a fury that seemed to surpass even Wang Guyuan’s own. "How dare you! Elder Xu, you had the audacity to secretly give a disciple an Evil Pill from the Demon Sect? Do you have any idea what the consequences are? What punishment do you deserve?"

Elder Xu Jin of Fusang paused, feigning a startled jump before hurriedly apologizing. "Vice Island Master, forgive me. This... this was indeed my oversight. I never imagined Du Qingshu was secretly hoarding an Evil Pill like the Mad Demon Dust Pill! But, Vice Island Master... I was completely unaware of this matter! Please, forgive me!"

"You scoundrel!"

Vice Island Master Han suddenly roared again. "Elder Xu, as the Chief Steward of Fusang, you oversee the Zhangxian Island Regulations, yet you were completely oblivious to this matter? Such gross negligence! I hereby sentence you to one month of confinement in the ancestral hall on the back mountain to reflect on your transgressions."

"Yes, Vice Island Master! I accept my punishment!"

Elder Xu Jin of Fusang nodded again and again, as if he had just been granted amnesty.

Then, Vice Island Master Han turned to Grand Elder Wang Guyuan and said with a dry chuckle, "Heh heh... Grand Elder Gu, please forgive us. We at Fusang Immortal Island truly had no idea Du Qingshu was secretly hoarding such an evil medicine. After this competition is over, I assure you Fusang will punish him severely! For now, before the match ends, I ask for your understanding, Grand Elder Gu!"

With their perfectly coordinated act, the two of them had completely shirked all responsibility.

’So, "unaware," are you!’

Grand Elder Wang Guyuan was stunned speechless.

The Mad Demon Dust Pill traded one’s future for a momentary increase in strength. What disciple would be willing to take it of their own accord? He, of course, didn’t believe Fusang wasn’t behind it, but Wang Guyuan had no concrete evidence. He was at a loss for words and could say nothing.

Vice Island Master Han gazed down through the clouds, his eyes glinting with a sinister light as the corner of his mouth curled into an imperceptible smirk.

’The position of Island Master of Pengze Immortal Island is too important. It must remain in our hands. To that end, we must win this match, no matter the cost.’

Meanwhile, the disciples watching from above the clouds were in an uproar.

"Du Qingshu actually took the Mad Demon Dust Pill!"

"Tsk, tsk... Fusang Immortal Island will really stop at nothing to win this competition!"

"Du Qingshu has broken through to the Refining Dust Realm! Looks like Shen Daoxing is guaranteed to lose now!"

「Down below the Sea of Clouds.」

Du Qingshu’s eyes were devoid of emotion, his face an icy, expressionless mask. He muttered, "Fusang must win this match. Hand over the Celestial Mirror Order!"

Du Qingshu’s gaze slowly swept across everyone, then narrowed and locked onto Shen Daoxing.

He slowly raised a massive hand. Behind him, the dazzling golden wheel spun to life, and it was as if individual stars began to fly out from it, coming to rest upon his outstretched palm.

In moments, a Seven-Star Linked Pearl Sword materialized in Du Qingshu’s hand.

"Shen Daoxing, hand over the Celestial Mirror Order!"

With a great roar and no regard for the other disciples below, Du Qingshu slashed his sword downward.

The Seven-Star Linked Pearl Sword blazed with light. Instantly, countless motes of light like shooting stars flew from the blade. They streaked across the sky in glowing arcs, like a meteor shower, before raining down with a deafening CRACKLE.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

In an instant, a series of explosions erupted across the desert, kicking up a chaotic storm of sand that blotted out the sky.

Even Gu Muyun, Wan Hai, and the others were caught in the indiscriminate bombardment!

"Get out of here!"

Shen Daoxing roared, leaping up to shield the others with his own body.

BANG!

With a flash of light, Shen Daoxing’s arm transformed, taking on the color of black gold. He threw a sudden punch, shattering an incoming meteor.

The next moment, the Seven-Star Linked Pearl Sword, moving with divine certainty, descended with all the power of a Thunderous Force.

RUMBLE!

There was a single, deafening crash.

A massive fissure was blasted open across the desert, and Shen Daoxing was driven deep inside it.

But the next moment,

one of Du Qingshu’s massive, glowing hands shot down into the great fissure. With a simple clench, it seized Shen Daoxing and lifted him out, gripping him tightly in its palm.

Light flared from Du Qingshu’s five fingers as an unparalleled power erupted from his grip. He then began to squeeze with all his might.

"Shen Daoxing!"

"Shen Daoxing!"

Gu Muyun, Wan Hai, and the others cried out in alarm.

It looked as if Shen Daoxing was about to be crushed into pulp within Du Qingshu’s hand.

But just at that moment...

Du Qingshu’s fingers suddenly froze. Then, a dazzling light shot out from the gaps between them.

Immediately after, as if subjected to an irresistible force, Du Qingshu’s fingers were pried open.

The next moment,

a seven-colored radiance erupted from Du Qingshu’s palm, soaring into the heavens like a world-shaking dragon.

The world’s colors seemed to shift, bathed in a bizarre, kaleidoscopic light. A terrifyingly dreadful aura manifested, and in the next instant, a titanic Shen Daoxing appeared before their eyes.

Standing beneath the seven-colored radiance, Shen Daoxing now radiated a profound and ancient aura, as if he were a Venerable Supreme from time immemorial. With a mere gesture, he seemed capable of annihilating all existence and shattering the Great Dao itself.

Vast and indistinct, a boundless, star-dusted universe seemed to stretch out behind him, encompassing all things.

Heaven and Earth!

This was Shen Daoxing’s Heaven and Earth!

The Heaven and Earth technique involved communing with the world, obtaining the acknowledgment of its supreme existences, and borrowing their power to construct one’s own Golden Body Dharma Aspect.

Shen Daoxing had comprehended the Venerable Dharma Seal and, within the Dharma Seal, gained the approval of that mysterious man, thereby obtaining the power of that ancient Venerable Supreme’s Dharma Aspect.

Thus, he had long since possessed his own Golden Body Dharma Aspect: Heaven and Earth!

In truth, Shen Daoxing had already broken through to the Earth Profound Realm several days prior; he had simply been deliberately suppressing his power.