One sword appears, two swords appear... a hundred swords appear... a thousand swords appear... ten thousand swords appear...
This is the Boundless Sword!
The sword light crisscrossed, stretching endlessly, forming a river of swords in the dark and mysterious realm, its shimmering light like a galaxy.
When the Dark Emperor looked up, the scene resembled a starry sky on a summer night, with a Milky Way stretching across the night.
In an instant, the Boundless Sword fell towards Dark Star with the force of a comet hitting the Earth. Having reached such a level of power, exquisite techniques were no longer useful; attacks were often simple and brutal, yet capable of slaying Buddhas and gods.
Look at Sun Wukong in battle; he only uses his staff to smash, and even a slight scratch can cause injury, while a direct impact can kill. Few can withstand a single blow from his staff.
These swords were like comets, and the "dark star" was Earth. Although they shattered the black clouds, they did not harm the Dark Emperor Daoist much. They merely cut the magnificent palaces built on the dark star into pieces and pierced the black ground, which resembled the earth, into craters.
To counter Jiang Liu's vast, star-like sword technique, the Dark Emperor Daoist unleashed several dark divine abilities in succession. The Azure Emperor watched intently, counting them as he murmured, "Annihilation True Eye..."
Then, the Dark Emperor Daoist looked up at the sky full of sword rivers with his abyss-like eyes, as if he could see through the endless void and countless twisted and folded spaces, and directly focused his gaze on Jiang Liu who was riding a sword.
"Dark Storm Hammer! Its power is three times stronger than the Yin-Yang Chaotic Hammer, the ultimate technique of the Peach God Path!"
Just as the Azure Emperor spoke, an overwhelming surge of darkness erupted, the winds whipped up by this dark current were powerful enough to tear apart even the hardest steel, its force comparable to the "Shaking Technique." Countless dark winds coalesced into a gigantic, rolling fist, crashing down upon Jiang Liu with overwhelming force.
"The Great Dharma Seal of the Hidden Flower of the Womb!"
"This is... the Nine Strikes of Breaking Yuan!"
"Pure Lotus Flower..."
The Azure Emperor spoke these words in one breath, utterly astonished. Each of these divine abilities, once passed down, would almost certainly become a supreme martial art or supreme spell capable of establishing a sacred land.
Each one is more profound than the "momentary and subtle" Dao that Jiang Liu comprehended; this is the "mysterious" Dao of the ancient Yang God.
As soon as the Azure Emperor finished speaking, Jiang Liu's Vast Star River Sword was like a meteor shower. Although it was dazzling, it was also short-lived and was broken by the Dark Emperor Daoist.
Jiang Liu waved his hand, and five sword pellets landed on his palm. The light on them flickered, clearly corroded by darkness. Jiang Liu showed no expression; this Five Elements Sword Dao was merely a secondary divine ability he cultivated. He was only using it now to test his skills.
"It seems there is still a huge room for improvement in my swordsmanship! From one sword to ten thousand swords, it is difficult! Then from ten thousand swords to one sword, it is even more difficult! When my boundless sword condenses into a hundred swords, ten swords, and finally into one sword... and finally returns to no sword! Perhaps that is when I will truly be unstoppable!"
Jiang Liu pocketed the Unfathomable Sword Pill with his sleeve, then said to the stone Buddha, "Monkey, I'll test the waters for you first, the rest is up to you!"
"Just what I wanted!" The stone Buddha had been itching to act, and with a flick of his stone staff, the space trembled, crackling and sputtering. His Dharma form expanded once more, seemingly about to reach the heavens and tear through the darkness. Instantly, flames blazed, banishing the endless darkness.
"Dark Emperor, take this!"
A surge of blood-red energy shot into the sky. The monkey raised its stone club, imbued with an aura of annihilation—this was the true power of a planet colliding with Earth. The stone club slammed into the "Dark Star," and instantly, an energy vortex appeared. A black torrent, thousands of feet long, appeared at the point of impact, shooting outwards like a tidal wave.
That power shocked everyone.
"At the peak of the Human Immortal realm, the fist intent is tangible. This monkey's world-destroying fist intent is truly terrifying. It's no less than an asteroid hitting the Earth. My swordplay just now was merely a meteor, burned up in the atmosphere, and even if it landed, it would only be a small meteorite. His is a planet that wiped out the dinosaurs; with one strike, everything is destroyed, a single blow destroys the world..."
Jiang Liu looked at the huge crater that had appeared on the Dark Star and knew that the Dark Emperor Daoist was truly going to die this time. Although he had used the power of the Dark Star to dodge the attack, the monkey was definitely not limited to just this one strike.
Sure enough, the second baton fell again.
Boom, boom, boom boom boom...
The stone Buddha, like a game of whack-a-mole, relentlessly attacked the Dark Emperor Daoist. On the Dark Star, the essence of accumulated dark true energy, the condensation of darkness, was instantly blasted into billowing black smoke.
It's unclear how many blows were hurled, but the Stone Buddha had practically destroyed the entire "Dark Star." Finally, he stopped, standing on the ravaged black earth, panting heavily.
Even at the peak of the Human Immortal realm, he was so exhausted that he was panting.
"Hehe, Dark Emperor Daoist, if you have even a tiny bit of crumb left, I'll eat the stick in my hand!"
Having said that, he gripped the stone staff and flicked the "Dark Star" to its tip, proclaiming loudly, "Master, Azure Emperor, the three of us working together will extract the core of the Dark Star!"
"Alright!" Jiang Liu took a deep breath, and a small bronze cauldron appeared on his left palm. Then he threw a punch at the huge "Dark Star".
"shock……"
At the same time, the six halos behind the Azure Emperor's head swelled up, and he also threw a punch, uttering the word "Zhen" just like Jiang Liu!
At the same time, the stone staff in the stone Buddha's hand also trembled. Jiang Liu's attack was almost as powerful as that of the Creator. The Azure Emperor was also a human immortal, and with the help of the aura of faith, he was not bad either. The strongest was still the monkey stone Buddha, the peak of the human immortal, who was close to the substance of fist intent.
The three combined to unleash a terrifying attack, causing the Dark Star to crack and then begin to collapse and disintegrate.
A huge black sphere with a diameter of several miles disintegrated. Although it was not as shocking as the collapse of a planet, it was still awe-inspiring that the three of them had destroyed it together. Destroying an asteroid with their own hands was still awe-inspiring.
"This dark star is the origin of this dark and mysterious world. If we take this dark star, this world will collapse. However, this dark star is so large, its core must also be quite large! Abbot, refining it will not be easy!" The Azure Emperor's description of "large" was relative to a human, and indeed it was. For the human body, it was truly boundless.
Jiang Liu's gaze was intense as he said, "It's worth spending any amount of time. Think about it, if you were to throw a neutron star at someone, who could withstand it? However, a neutron star is too extreme. If you were to throw an asteroid at someone, no one could stop it either!"
"Hehe..." The Azure Emperor covered his mouth and chuckled, saying, "A neutron star is a celestial body with a mass of one hundred million tons, or even one billion tons, per cubic centimeter. It is the most terrifying celestial body in the universe besides a black hole. The Pangu Banner in the hands of the Primordial Celestial Venerable might be a magic weapon like a black hole. Then Zhao Gongming's twenty-four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls might be twenty-four planets or satellites. No wonder Zhao Gongming used the Sea-Stabilizing Pearls to injure the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect in the Investiture of the Gods. Later, the Burning Lamp Daoist obtained this treasure and transformed into the Twenty-Four Heavenly Kings. These magic weapons contain the mysteries of the birth and death of the universe!"
Chapter 218 Death Star
Magical treasures are categorized into three types: Primordial, Innate, and Acquired. Acquired treasures are crafted by cultivators, while Innate treasures are created by Heaven and Earth. Primordial treasures, naturally, are the supreme treasures that existed before Heaven and Earth were separated. However, without exception, once a treasure reaches the Acquired or Innate level, it must be in harmony with the Great Dao. The birth and death of the universe, and the creation of planets, are naturally manifestations of the Great Dao.
Of the three thousand great paths, if one chooses one and reaches its ultimate state, it becomes a supreme treasure; the rest are merely spiritual treasures. Therefore, magical treasures are also divided into supreme treasures and spiritual treasures.
Jiang Liu took the core of the "Dark Star" to create a planet, modeled after Zhao Gongming's Sea-Stabilizing Pearl. However, the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl is a primordial spiritual treasure, a natural creation of heaven and earth. In Zhao Gongming's hands, the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl was merely used to injure people with its boundless power, but in the hands of Dipankara Buddha, it transformed into the heavens, nurturing all living beings.
Therefore, in Zhao Gongming's hands, the "Sea-Stabilizing Pearl" was an innate spiritual treasure. When Dipankara Buddha transformed into the heavens, he extended the Great Dao rules contained within it to the extreme, thus breaking through to the level of an innate supreme treasure.
"Look at this Buddha's kasaya. It's considered a top-tier protective magic treasure in the Yangshen world, but it's still only an acquired spiritual treasure. The Creation Boat, the Eternal Kingdom, and the Hall of Saints that Hong Yi later crafted, etc., are definitely not outside the category of acquired supreme treasures. In the Primordial World, acquired magic treasures are just the entry level. Above them are innate spiritual treasures, innate supreme treasures, chaotic spiritual treasures, and chaotic supreme treasures. Using the science from my previous life, I simulated the birth process of a planet and refined a planetary core that's not much different from the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl."
The stone Buddha nodded and said, "That's a good idea. To forge a planet's core, it's nothing more than a thousand hammerings and forgings. In short, just keep hammering it."
"So there was a reason why Zhao Gongming used the Dinghai Pearl to hit people. If he hadn't refined the twenty-four star cores, the Old Ancestor Randeng wouldn't have been able to easily transform them into the Twenty-Four Heavens."
With the Dark Emperor dead, these dark energies were left uncontrolled and returned to calm. The halo behind the Azure Emperor's head rippled, spreading out in circles and peeling away the dark power, which resembled black earth, from the surface of the "Dark Star."
"They're out!" The Azure Emperor smiled and said happily.
"This is the core of the Dark Star? How come I see a skull on it!" Jiang Liu stared at the enormous, irregular sphere, hundreds of meters in diameter, covered in unknown metals, black crystal-like formations, and pale, broken bones. What surprised Jiang Liu most was that in the very center of the sphere, the front of a dark skull was visible, seemingly embedded in it.
Compared to the entire enormous "Dark Star," this skull is not large, but if compared to a human, this head is enormous, about the size of a Dongfeng heavy truck.
"It seems that when 'Xuan' refined the core of this Dark Star, he incorporated quite a few things! He even fused in the corpse of this ancient powerhouse... Bloodshed and countless battles, surviving to the death, that's what forges a powerful being. This corpse skeleton hasn't decomposed yet, so it must have been a powerful being back then, perhaps even reaching the point of shattering the vacuum! It's a pity the physical body is gone, leaving only the immortal pride, otherwise we could have seen the secrets of the ancient powerhouse's acupoints!"
The stone Buddha leaped onto it and pried at it a few times, finding it incredibly sturdy, seemingly fused with the entire star core. It was struck with a stone stick, but remained completely still, emitting a clear metallic sound, prompting a sigh of amazement.
"Human Immortals are known as True Immortals who do not leak anything. They form their own world and have reached the point of shattering the vacuum. Their physical bodies are no less powerful than ordinary magical treasures, and it is normal that their bones are immortal!" The Azure Emperor also came over and stroked the bones of this ancient, nameless powerhouse.
Jiang Liu tapped his fingers, producing a resounding clang. The entire skeleton had turned to steel, completely merging with the Dark Star's core. However, in his view, this was only a preliminary fusion, not yet a true integration. After secretly sensing it for a moment, he said, "Judging from this appearance, it seems this powerful being is not human! I wonder what race he is; even the 'Fleeing One' couldn't be detected! You two, lend a hand and refine this behemoth!"
Such a huge sphere with a diameter of 100 meters cannot be collected at will.
The first step is refining it, enveloping it with divine sense. If it were someone alone, it would be extremely difficult. But Jiang Liu, Qing Di, and Shi Fo, as a trio, reduced the difficulty several times over. The three of them formed a triangle, each standing on one side, their divine senses steadily sealing the "Dark Star" in the center.
The three of them didn't know how long they stayed in the "Dark Mystic Realm" until the "Dark Star" was completely refined, at which point Jiang Liu opened his eyes. With a wave of his hand, a sphere that could be held in one hand landed in his palm, slowly rotating like a star.
"Without soil, without air, dead and decaying, let's call it the Death Star!"
This "dark star," which Jiang Liu now calls the "death star," is indeed a death star; a planet devoid of life is a death star. It appears to be a small metal sphere, but this is merely an appearance; its true form is sealed within the void.
"The Death Star! When it grows large enough, until its environment allows ordinary life to survive, that will be when it becomes a supreme treasure. The revolution is not yet complete, comrades, we must continue our efforts!"
The monkey grinned maliciously at the "Death Star" in Jiang Liu's hand and said, "Now is the time to find the Great Zhou Emperor. He caused us trouble twice, so we took his Sky City!"
Jiang Liu held the "Death Star" in his hands, extremely satisfied. He felt as if he had integrated all his magical treasures into it, using them as a foundation. However, he forcibly restrained himself and said, "The Great Zhou Ancestor will naturally want to seize his treasures and integrate them into the Death Star. However... his Void City is located in the chaotic void of the Outer Heaven. The Outer Heaven is vast and boundless, like a sea of stars. We'll wait for him to appear and capture him in one fell swoop..."
“Master, that’s not necessary. Ba fought him twice, and the Heavenly Demon God-Slaying Technique injured him. With his strength, he can’t get rid of the Heavenly Demon aura in a short time. With this, I can track his whereabouts…” As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and held a monkey hair, which was the life-bound monkey hair of the demon ape “Ba”, and it carried a Heavenly Demon aura.
"Excellent! Seize Sky City and condense the outer core for my Death Star! Azure Emperor, I entrust the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion to you! Stone Buddha, let's go together."
Having said that, he left his body with the stone Buddha and departed from the "Dark Mysterious Realm," ignoring the Heavenly Serpent King, and directly broke through the void and left.
In the blink of an eye, it seemed as if an invisible barrier had been broken through, and they arrived in the sea of stars. Jiang Liu's physical body had not yet reached the realm of a human immortal, so he could not enter the sea of stars beyond the heavens in his true form. The stone Buddha, however, was not afraid. Holding the monkey hair of "Ba," it continuously shuttled through the chaotic void. After traversing an unknown distance, suddenly, a magnificent meteorite cluster appeared before Jiang Liu's eyes.
Unlike other meteorites colliding and crashing in the void turbulence, these meteorite clusters floated quietly, motionless.
The meteorites in these meteorite clusters are all huge, covering several miles in circumference. They float in the air, forming shapes like mountains and palaces. At first glance, they look like countless palaces and small mountains floating in the sky.
It was just too desolate, devoid of any life.
"Master, we've arrived! The Great Zhou Emperor is right here!" the stone Buddha said, pointing to the meteorite cluster. Then he shot off, blasting the meteorites in his path into pieces with a single punch, or knocking them aside and smashing them into the meteorites beside him, still leaving them in fragments.
These meteorites are just ordinary rocks; they couldn't withstand a punch from a monkey.
Jiang Liu followed closely behind and saw a large meteorite, about two or three miles in circumference, floating in the center of the meteorite cluster, resembling a small city. This large meteorite was entirely red and emitted a strong, coppery odor, so strong that it felt as if one's nose was completely filled with the smell of metal.
"Crimson Refined Copper? This material is a top-tier forging material even in the Journey to the West world!" Jiang Liu exclaimed in surprise. "The main material of the Nine Provinces Cauldron, Blazing Sun Purple Copper, is of the same grade as Crimson Refined Copper. Since Gonggong knocked down Buzhou Mountain, splitting the primordial land, and after tens of thousands of years of mining and excavation by countless cultivators in the four continents of the lower realm, both Crimson Refined Copper and Blazing Sun Purple Copper have been exhausted. I never expected that I would still be able to obtain so much Crimson Refined Copper..."
What appeared before Jiang Liu was a city entirely cast from Crimson Refined Copper, suspended in the center of the meteorite cluster.
A copper city.
Within the "Copper City" lies a powerful and imposing aura.
"In ancient times, there was a Heavenly Dao, which extracted and refined primordial copper, Great Evolution True Gold, Black River Water Essence, Reverse Flow Qi, True Heavenly Demonic Qi, Nine Yin Primordial Water, Nine Yang Floating Clouds, and fused with the Great Cauldron True Words of 7,300. It took 333 years to forge the Heavenly City, which possessed boundless power. Later, it was struck by the Ship of Creation and destroyed in the sky..."
Jiang Liu couldn't help but recall this passage: without a doubt, this "Copper City" is the remnant of the "Sky City" of the Primordial Sky Path!
It was indeed a remnant; even the Great Ancestor of the Great Zhou Dynasty could not make it function. He could only leave it in the chaotic void as his fundamental stronghold.
"Buzz..."
As always, the stone Buddha was violent. Without saying a word, he struck the "Copper City" with his staff. Instantly, a loud sound like the ringing of a bronze bell echoed through the meteorite cluster, reverberating all the way to the depths of the void.
"Who is it...?"
With a roar, a powerful surge of blood energy erupted from the "Copper City," so intense it was almost comparable to that of an immortal. Following this, immense magical power surged into the sky, and the "Throne of Avici" soared into the air. Within the rolling black clouds, battle spirits roared, unleashing a devastating carnage.
The Great Zhou Emperor appeared, seated on his throne with an unpredictable expression. He was now a physical being, not a manifestation of his soul. This was his lair; his physical body was hidden here for cultivation.
"It's you! You actually found this place..." Upon seeing Jiang Liu, the Great Zhou Emperor stood up in surprise. He had tried to seize Jiang Liu's treasures twice before, and now that he had been chased to his lair, he knew that there was no way to reconcile. He immediately threw a punch at Jiang Liu.
Strike first and you'll have the upper hand; strike later and you'll suffer the consequences.
Great Annihilation God Fist! 20112
Chapter 219 Merging Sky City
"Imperial Supreme Domination! Great Annihilation Divine Fist".
Emperor Taizu of the Great Zhou attacked Jiang Liu from afar, picking on the weakest target. In his view, as long as Jiang Liu was captured in one fell swoop, that terrifying monkey would also be restrained.
Jiang Liu was currently in his primordial spirit state, but the Great Zhou Emperor could not discern this. The primordial spirit is one, while the divine soul contains countless thoughts; this is the fundamental difference. In the Great Zhou Emperor's eyes, Jiang Liu's primordial spirit was his true body.