White-browed old man blushed, “The Demon Clan’s teleportation array is on the back of an ancient divine beast in the Demon Source Sea. That divine beast possesses the Xuanwu bloodline, is powerful, and its whereabouts are elusive. Only the Demon Lords of each generation know the pattern of this divine beast’s movements.”
Furthermore, the demon race has a powerful presence in the spirit realm. Even if we find the teleportation array, we cannot destroy it. The higher-ups in the spirit realm intend to preserve the demon teleportation array so that those who have become demons can successfully ascend to the demon realm. Otherwise, if they ascend using the human teleportation array in the spirit realm, it would only consume human resources.
"The demon envoy who just escaped should know where the teleportation array is, right?" Xiang Yu asked.
Bai Mei felt a chill run down his spine. He wanted to stop Xiang Yu from destroying the demon clan's teleportation array, but he didn't dare to speak. "Uh, you should know, there have been cases of demon lords dying unexpectedly before, but the demon clan's teleportation array has never been interrupted because of it. It must be in the Demon Source Sea."
"Demon Source Sea... First, bind the divine object, then lead people to clean up the remaining demonic cultivators and traitors in other countries of the Central Yuan Continent." As Xiang Yu spoke, Hao Jiu had already started the binding process.
"Thank you for bestowing this treasure upon me, Senior. If you wish to go to the Demon Source Sea, I can lead the way. As for the matter of eliminating the demonic cultivators, Shi Potian can handle it." How could Bai Mei dare to disagree with the binding? Even if it was a deadly restriction, there was no room for negotiation.
Moreover, if one could take this opportunity to build a good relationship with this overlord who is suspected to be a Mahayana cultivator, it would be an extremely worthwhile deal, and might even lead to great success.
"No need, I'll have him take me directly to the divine beast." Xiang Yu said, then stretched out his left hand and grabbed at the void in the direction the demon envoy had just fled.
The demon envoy, thousands of miles away, crashed into an invisible wall of air. His entire body was then immobilized by an unseen force and sent flying backward at an incredible speed, getting faster and faster.
The demon envoy shook his dizzy head, his face filled with terror. He considered self-destructing, but it was just a thought. The fact that the other party had captured him in this way meant they would need him, and that was his hope of survival.
However, the speed at which it flew backwards was a bit too fast. Even the body of someone at the Refinement Realm couldn't handle it. It felt as if all the blood in its body had stopped flowing and rushed to the front, about to explode!
"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have flown so far!" the demon envoy cursed inwardly, but still dared not abandon his physical body, thinking that he could just endure it.
However, what should have been just a few breaths felt incredibly long.
Finally, the battlefield arrived.
Whoosh!
Bang!
Click!
Xiang Yu firmly grasped the demon envoy, but due to the great inertia, the demon envoy's neck broke on the spot, his whole body suffered comminuted fractures, and his internal organs were also shattered.
The demon envoy is dead...
Chapter 476 Black Turtle
Xiang Yu had no intention of politely inviting the demon envoy back. Hao Jiu had suggested letting him go earlier, hoping he would lead the way, but the guy ran in the opposite direction of the Demon Source Sea.
So Xiang Yu used the quickest method to capture him, but he overlooked one thing: the body of a Void Refinement cultivator was not as strong as he had imagined.
However, it doesn't matter. The demon envoy's body is destroyed, but his nascent soul is still there. A nascent soul in the Void Refining Realm is already very strong and is not so easy to destroy. It can even survive for a long time in the form of a Yang God.
Of course, if the demon envoy had abandoned his physical body halfway and escaped directly with his nascent soul, without the protection of his physical body, the nascent soul would probably not have fared much better if Xiang Yu had captured it like this.
"Where is the Demon Realm teleportation array?" Xiang Yu asked directly, knowing that wasting time was also a waste.
"I can take you there, senior, but you must promise to release me. Otherwise, I will never betray the demon race, even if it means my death!" the demon envoy said righteously. Either way, he was going to die, so he had to try.
Although the other party might use soul-searching techniques at the slightest disagreement, he wouldn't even have the chance to self-destruct his nascent soul in front of such a powerful being.
"Okay." Xiang Yu said, then grabbed the Demon Envoy's nascent soul and flew towards the Demon Source Sea. "I agree to the binding. Don't try anything funny."
Hao Jiu activated the shadow system binding program. After all, he was a cultivator at the Refinement Realm, so being a slave or servant wasn't bad.
It's just a pity about that old demon in the Integration Stage; it would have been great if we could have subdued him.
However, a powerful being in the Integration Stage is not so easy to control, and this Ancient Demon of Eternity should be quite formidable, not so easy to deal with.
If Xiang Yu hadn't caught him off guard, it would have been unlikely that he could have been killed instantly. From beginning to end, the Ancient Demon only used the move "Heaven and Earth Dharma Form," without using any powerful magic weapons.
Xiang Yu can now instantly kill a Fusion Stage expert. Although he borrowed the power of the Overlord Divine Halberd, his own strength must be at least equivalent to the peak of the late Fusion Stage to achieve this.
Of course, this is just a conservative estimate. Hao Jiu is more inclined to believe that the Earth Realm Domineering Qi in the Domineering Qi Cultivation System is equivalent to the Mahayana Stage or even the Tribulation Transcending Stage in the Immortal Cultivation System.
After all, the Earth Realm is above the Heaven Realm, and the Heaven Realm is above the God Realm. And then there is nothing more. The God Realm is the pinnacle of all the heavens and myriad realms. The strongest in the cultivation system should be the Chaos Dao Lord.
Below the Chaos Dao Lord are the Dao Lords of the Three Great Laws: Time, Space, and Reincarnation. Below them are the Ordinary Dao Lords, followed by the Great Luo Golden Immortals, the Taiyi Jade Immortals, and so on.
Therefore, the domineering Heaven Realm most likely corresponds to the cultivation realm after ascending to the Immortal Realm, the domineering Earth Realm corresponds to the cultivation realm of the Spirit Realm, and the domineering Profound Realm corresponds to the cultivation realm of the Nascent Soul stage.
The strength of a powerful, protective aura at the Emperor Realm level is likely inferior to that of a Core Formation cultivator, but slightly higher than that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
As for the King Realm's domineering aura, it merely allows one to utilize explosive power, which can only be described as the pinnacle of mortals, capable of fighting against low-level Qi Refining Realm cultivators.
Even if we take a step back and assume that Xiang Yu's strength is only equivalent to the peak of the late-stage Fusion Realm, he would still be a powerhouse second only to the Mahayana Realm in the Spirit Realm. With the added boost from Hao Jiu's system, Xiang Yu would definitely be a hegemon in the Spirit Realm now. As long as he doesn't encounter other system hosts, he would be absolutely invincible in one-on-one battles.
"Thank you for sparing my life, senior. From this day forward, I, Tongmo, am willing to serve you with utmost loyalty!"
Tong Mo secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Placing a restriction was better than self-destructing his nascent soul. He hadn't expected this senior to be so easy to talk to.
"Just call me Overlord," Xiang Yu said.
Soon, they arrived at the Sea of Demonic Origin.
The Demon Source Sea is located in the west of the Central Yuan Continent. The sea area is very vast and there are many sea beasts in the sea. Although there are no demon cores or similar things in their bodies, the teeth and scales of some sea beasts are good materials for refining weapons.
The most distinctive feature of the Demon Source Sea is that its spiritual energy is mixed with a certain proportion of demonic energy. Demon cultivators will feel very comfortable here, while immortal cultivators will find it quite uncomfortable.
Of course, Xiang Yu didn't feel anything; his body was filled with killing intent and domineering energy, which could keep out demonic energy.
The Demon Clan's main base is located on an island in the central region of the Demon Source Sea. Each island has an island lord who used to compete and fight against each other. Now, the Demon Lord has gathered them together to send a wave of people to the Central Yuan Continent to die.
"Where is that black tortoise?" Xiang Yu asked, looking at the sea.
“Overlord, the Xuan Tian Demon Turtle changes its habitat every year. This year, it happens to be near the Zhongyuan Continent. As long as it hasn’t dived into the sea, I’m confident I can find it within half a month.”
Tong Mo has now begun using the Yang God, hiding his nascent soul within the Yang God's body, seemingly fully embracing the role of the strategist.
But he wondered in his heart if this overlord was not a Mahayana cultivator, but a body cultivator with great strength but weak spiritual sense? Otherwise, with a sweep of his spiritual sense, even the most powerful Xuan Turtle mist would not be able to escape, right?
Or perhaps, the Xuanwu bloodline of that Xuan Turtle is extremely pure, or perhaps the Misty Divine Power has undergone some kind of mutation, which can even deceive the divine sense of a Mahayana cultivator.
However... Tong Mo thought about it again and again but still dared not gamble. Perhaps this Overlord Mahayana wanted to give him a chance to make a contribution.
"It takes half a month? What kind of supernatural powers does the Xuan Tian Demon Turtle have?" Xiang Yu had broadened his horizons along the way, seeing many sea monsters and beasts, some of which could even cast spells like cultivators.
"Reporting to the Overlord, half a month is already considered fast. The Xuan Tian Demon Turtle is enormous, with extremely strong defense, and possesses two divine abilities: water arrows and invisibility mist. It is precisely because of the invisibility mist that finding the Xuan Turtle is so difficult," Tong Mo said with a wry smile, but in his heart, he became increasingly suspicious of Xiang Yu.
"Oh? If it's so difficult, how did the demons find it?" Xiang Yu asked in confusion.
"Each Demon Lord has learned a secret sensing technique that allows them to sense the location of the Xuan Turtle. Of course, to be precise, it's not so much sensing the Xuan Turtle itself, but rather a treasure that the Xuan Turtle once swallowed," Tong Mo replied respectfully.
"I see... Can you sense that treasure now?" Xiang Yu asked.
Tong Mo looked embarrassed. "Replying to the Overlord, the mist of the Xuan Turtle is quite magical. It has a partial isolating effect. It cannot be sensed if the distance is too far. It can only be sensed within a 20-mile range by conducting a thorough search."
"Alright, I don't need you anymore." After saying that, Xiang Yu picked up Tong Mo and flew off in one direction.
A moment later, Tong Mo exclaimed, "Overlord, I can sense the Xuan Tian Demon Turtle! It's right ahead!"
At this moment, the supreme divine beast Xuantian Demon Turtle, possessing the Xuanwu bloodline, was resting on the sea surface, motionless, just like an island.
The so-called fog did not stop Xiang Yu in the slightest. Tong Mo cursed inwardly, wondering how stupid he was to think that the Overlord could not find the Xuan Turtle without his help.
That's a peak master of the Mahayana realm!
Without saying a word, Xiang Yu flew directly to the location of the teleportation array on the back of the Xuan Turtle and dug it out, storing it in his storage space.
Tong Mo's lips twitched violently. Could it be that the human race's teleportation array was destroyed just like that? Not a single stone was left, and even a large chunk of the tortoise shell underneath had been dug out!
Chapter 477 Feather God
With the Demon Clan teleportation array in hand, it can be said that this cultivation world has completely separated from the jurisdiction of the Spirit Realm. Moreover, Xiang Yu holds the key to the Spirit Realm and can travel to the Spirit Realm at any time.
To unify all the heavens and myriad realms, the Spirit Realm must be seized. Taking control of the Spirit Realm, this intermediate plane, is equivalent to bringing all the smaller worlds under its jurisdiction into one's own hands.
Honestly, in terms of spiritual energy concentration alone, this lower realm is nothing compared to the spirit realm; it's practically negligible.
However, the value of these lower realms does not lie in the concentration of spiritual energy, but rather in a selection mechanism. Those who can ascend from the lower realms to the spirit realm must be highly talented in cultivation and possess excellent mental abilities.
Advancing to the Nascent Soul stage is much easier in the Spirit Realm, but the proportion of cultivators who reach the Body Integration stage is far lower than that of cultivators who ascend from the lower realms. Moreover, most cultivators of the same level are also inferior in combat power, and even cultivators who advance to the Void Refinement stage may not be able to separate their Yang God.
Although such cultivators in the Void Refinement stage may also advance to the Integration stage, it is clear that the combat power of those whose Yang Spirit is separated from their body is stronger, which is equivalent to having an extra fearless clone.
In short, the lower realm is still very important to the human race in the spirit world, and many powerful beings in the Integration stage have ascended from the lower realm.
Of course, there are also some geniuses native to the Spirit Realm, including Mo Jianli, the only Mahayana cultivator of the human race, who grew up in the Spirit Realm.
However, almost everyone believes that the next Mahayana cultivator of the human race is very likely to be an ascended cultivator from the lower realm, and once such a Mahayana cultivator truly appears, the prestige of the human race will inevitably increase greatly.
Mahayana cultivators often spar with each other, and if they can demonstrate outstanding strength, their race will naturally be looked up to.
However, advancing to the Mahayana stage is a matter of life and death, and whether one can succeed depends on luck. Mo Jianli was not the strongest among the Nascent Soul cultivators of his generation.
The other stronger cultivators at the Integration stage failed to break through, which shows how difficult it was for them to advance. Otherwise, if the human race had a few more Mahayana cultivators, they would have become the overlords of the Spirit Realm.
Of course, if advancing to the Mahayana stage were relatively easy, other races would also have many Mahayana cultivators, and they wouldn't be as rare as they are now.
Another reason why Mahayana cultivators are so rare in the Spirit Realm is the Heavenly Tribulation.
There are two completely opposite paths to cultivating immortality: one is to follow the way of heaven, and the other is to go against the way of heaven.
Cultivating oneself and understanding the great principles of heaven and earth, like An Qisheng, is the way of following the heavens. It's like a spiritual root sprouting a small seedling, blossoming and bearing fruit, and becoming an immortal after maturity.
The cultivators in these cultivation worlds defy the heavens, seizing the creation of heaven and earth to allow their spiritual roots to grow into towering trees, and then blossom and bear fruit.
The advantages of the Heaven-Defying Method are very obvious. It formalizes the process from Qi Refining to Tribulation Transcending and Ascension, making the originally ethereal and ineffable cultivation of immortality relatively simple and clear. This greatly increases the chances of becoming an immortal, and there are fewer taboos. Even the most wicked and evil people can become immortals.
The downside is that it goes against the will of Heaven and is not tolerated by Heaven. Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation cultivators experience a minor Heavenly Tribulation every three hundred years, while Void Refinement, Body Integration, and Mahayana cultivators experience a major Heavenly Tribulation every three thousand years. Many Mahayana cultivators perish in the major Heavenly Tribulation.
Mahayana cultivators in the Spirit Realm are either undergoing a Great Heavenly Tribulation or preparing for the next one. Therefore, Mahayana cultivators rarely participate in wars between different races. The combat power of cultivators in the Integration Stage largely determines the ranking of the hundred races in the Spirit Realm.
In addition, although the lower realm rejects Nascent Soul cultivators, there are still ways for them to continue cultivating to the late Nascent Soul stage. However, they can forget about breaking through again. Moreover, the minor tribulations that occur every three hundred years become more and more terrifying, so it is impossible to stay in the lower realm indefinitely without ascending.
Similarly, Mahayana cultivators who linger in the Spirit Realm and refuse to undergo Heavenly Tribulation will face increasingly powerful Heavenly Tribulations. How many times they can withstand them depends on their individual fortune, or they may find a treasure land where they can conceal the secrets of Heaven and never leave.
Even so, the Great Heavenly Tribulation is much gentler than the Immortal Tribulation. The Spirit Realm has been in the past for countless years, and no one has ever successfully passed the Immortal Tribulation. It can be said that passing it is certain death.
Mortals defying the heavens to cultivate, do they really expect the heavens to go easy on them during the celestial tribulation? Absolutely not!
Of course, once one's cultivation reaches the Mahayana stage, their lifespan is almost endless, and they are at the peak of the Spirit Realm. They have already enjoyed everything they could, and there are not many things that can arouse their interest. Whether they become immortals or not is irrelevant.
If one can survive the great tribulations, living for 100,000 years in the Mahayana path is not a big problem. Unfortunately, each great tribulation is more severe than the last, and by the time it accumulates to about 100,000 years, it is already extremely terrifying.
Therefore, those who can live to be 100,000 years old are truly the oldest living beings in the spirit world, and most of them die before they reach 100,000 years old.
Because they possess Yang Gods, cultivators at the Integration and Refinement stages have long lifespans, but in addition to suffering great heavenly tribulations, they also have to go through countless battles and life-or-death struggles. It would be considered good if they could live for 20,000 to 30,000 years.