Chapter 339: Chapter 169: The 3-Stage True Self Body (Part 2)

The sect gate no longer mattered.

Under such immense, divine might, things like wealth and power became as fragile as paper.

Cangwu Zi’s Divine Soul had already been wounded by Zhao Rui. How could a tear in the Divine Soul possibly heal in just over a year?

Because of his injured Divine Soul, he had long harbored a deep-seated resentment for Zhao Rui. He had originally thought that dealing with these juniors from his homeland in the Central Plains would be a simple matter.

When the time came, he could finally vent the hatred in his heart.

He never would have imagined that when they actually fought, he, a magnificent Dharma Grandmaster, would be unable to defeat a local boy.

The flames of this resentful fury flared violently, and an obsession took root in the depths of his mind.

If not for this, he wouldn’t have taken his anger out on the weak disciples of the Qingcheng Sword Sect, or even the innocent courtyard walls and buildings.

If he had just been allowed to vent his frustrations, it might have ended there. But as it happened, at this very moment, Zhao Rui unleashed a Heavenly Demon Secret Technique.

Celestial Demons and Heart Demons were two sides of the same coin—formless, intangible, and impossible to trace.

The moment it was triggered, the Celestial Demon immediately invaded the body of Cangwu Zi, whose Divine Soul was wide open with flaws, and reawakened his Heart Demon.

After writhing for a moment, the True Qi around Cangwu Zi’s body suddenly surged. His originally pure and clear True Essence instantly turned as black as ink.

His form, already over thirty meters tall, unexpectedly swelled again to over sixty meters.

Then, his aura intensified, and his height shot up once more, not stopping until he was over 120 meters tall.

This colossal condensation of True Qi caused the surrounding True Qi to spiral toward Cangwu Zi like a vortex.

It was as if a storm of True Qi had been stirred up.

"ROAR!"

Cangwu Zi roared at the sky, his fists, the size of small mountains, smashing down heavily toward Zhao Rui.

’Holy shit! This has gone completely sideways!’

Zhao Rui once again felt the long-absent crisis of life and death.

He never thought that he, a "fake demon," would end up summoning a real one.

Zhao Rui could no longer afford to hold back. He executed the Dipper Step at extreme speed, his figure flashing across Iron Anvil Mountain as if teleporting.

Cangwu Zi’s fists hammered away at the already modest height of Iron Anvil Mountain, pounding the small peak until it began to break apart and crumble.

’At this rate, forget about protecting the Qingcheng Sword Sect’s buildings. The entire mountain is about to be smashed to bits. What the hell is there left to protect?’

After dodging for several breaths, Zhao Rui thrust out his palm, unleashing several streams of Dragon-Slaying Palm Force. They coalesced into ten giant dragons, each dozens of meters long, that clawed toward Cangwu Zi.

Cangwu Zi shot out a demonic claw, grabbed one of the dragon’s bodies, and with a RIP, tore the massive dragon in two.

He opened his massive maw and chomped down on another dragon’s claw. With a CRUNCH, the Spiritual Qi that formed the dragon’s body instantly dissipated.

The Group Dragon Palm Force arrived all at once, striking his body and causing the Demon Flames to erupt.

Zhao Rui pushed the Charming Maiden Formless Celestial Demon Great Method to its absolute limit, his body conjuring dozens of illusory copies of himself that surrounded Cangwu Zi and launched a rapid assault.

The two were locked in a titanic struggle, their battle causing the sky to change color, the mountains to crumble, wind and clouds to surge, and thunder to shake the heavens.

The villagers and passersby who had been driving over to watch the spectacle saw this terrifying scene from halfway there. Scared out of their wits, they all slammed their cars into reverse and sped away, not daring to venture a single step further.

"God have mercy, what has the world come to? What the hell is that thing!"

"Hello? Hello, is this the Patrol Office? A monster! There’s a monster on Iron Anvil Mountain! You have to send someone, quickly!"

The panicked people scattered and fled in all directions.

Zhao Rui took in the sight and sound of the people’s panicked cries, and his own anxiety grew.

It wasn’t that he had any thoughts of saving the world; it was that Cangwu Zi’s Demonic Qi was growing stronger and stronger, and the pressure on him was mounting.

"Profound Dome True Self Aspect replication progress: ninety-nine percent!"

"Profound Dome True Self Aspect replication progress: one hundred percent! Reward: one Advancement Point!"

After holding on for a few more minutes, the notification from the system panel finally chimed.

Zhao Rui was overjoyed. His figure flickered as his consciousness rapidly processed the key principles of the Profound Dome True Self Aspect technique in his mind.

At the same time, the Dharma True Qi within him began to coalesce around his body.

All the Acupoints in Zhao Rui’s body opened at once, frantically absorbing the surrounding Spiritual Qi.

In just a moment, his Profound Dome True Self Aspect Dharma Body materialized.

It stood over sixty meters tall, more than double the size of Cangwu Zi’s original one.

But compared to the current Cangwu Zi, it was still a step behind.

’Profound Dome True Self Aspect, Divine Jade Palace Body! Purple Mansion Primordial Venerable Body... This Cultivation Technique actually has advancements.’

After manifesting the Profound Dome True Self Aspect, Zhao Rui finally understood what was happening with Cangwu Zi.

He had originally only been at the level of the Profound Dome True Self Aspect. After the Demonic Thought occupied his body and the Dao and Demon merged into one, he had actually broken through two whole Realms, reaching the level of the Purple Mansion Primordial Venerable Body.

Of course, right now he should be called the Heavenly Demon Primordial Venerable Body.

No wonder he was so powerful.

They always say that when you suffer a cultivation deviation, your Power multiplies. It really wasn’t just an empty saying.

With a flash of insight, all techniques became clear to Zhao Rui. He instantly evolved from the Profound Dome True Self Aspect to the Divine Jade Palace Body, borrowing the power of his Acupoints.

As for the even higher-level Purple Mansion Primordial Venerable Body, it required the fusion of will and spirit, so it couldn’t be achieved in a single step.

He could only wait until after the great battle to study it carefully and attempt to manifest it.

But this was already enough.

Zhao Rui let out a great shout, and his Divine Jade Palace Body suddenly unleashed the unparalleled and overwhelmingly mighty Twenty-Eight Dragon Subduing Palms.

This time, no Divine Dragons manifested. Instead, it was pure, solid Dragon Subduing Palm Force.

It struck Cangwu Zi’s body head-on.

Although Cangwu Zi’s Power had greatly increased, his mind was unclear and his reactions were sluggish.

Before, he could rely on instinct to fearlessly face Zhao Rui’s attacks. But now, facing a Zhao Rui whose Power had also greatly increased, how could he possibly remain unscathed after taking a full set of the Dragon Subduing Palm?

The immense Palm Force directly blasted away the outer layer of his Demonic Qi, annihilating it completely.

Before his Demonic Qi could recover, Zhao Rui unleashed the Fiery Heart-Pushing Palm with his left hand and the Cold Ice True Qi with his right.

The duality of ice and fire appeared once more.

The two completely different types of Attribute True Qi slammed into Cangwu Zi’s Dharma Body, which was now unprotected by Demonic Qi.

There were several loud POPS.

Cangwu Zi’s Dharma Body began to swell bizarrely. This expansion was clearly not the evolution of a Cultivation Technique from a surge in Power.

Instead, it seemed more like the final, fleeting resurgence of a dying flame.

After swelling for only a few breaths, Cangwu Zi’s massive Dharma Body collapsed and dissipated in an instant, returning to nothingness.

The True Qi scattered, leaving only a disheveled Daoist in the center of the field, his hair and beard now completely black, his eyes burning with black flames.

The Daoist stood motionless on the edge of the cliff.

His gaze was fixed on the distant east. Suddenly, his figure flickered and vanished without a trace from right before Zhao Rui’s eyes.

Zhao Rui’s eyes narrowed slightly as his Divine Jade Palace Body gradually dissipated.

His own small, true form was abruptly revealed, floating in mid-air.

He glanced down at the wreckage of Iron Anvil Mountain and couldn’t help but shake his head.

’Looks like I’ll really have to go to the Qingcheng Sect’s gate on Qingcheng Mountain now.’

Even his temporary lodging had been destroyed.

’If I don’t ask them for compensation, who else would I ask?’

After waiting quietly for a moment, seeing that the danger had passed, Daoist Yu and Yun Hao hurried over.

"Are you alright?"

"I’m fine."

Zhao Rui said, shaking his head.

"That’s good, that’s good."

Yu Zhengnan didn’t dare ask too many questions. Seeing that he was unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief.

As for the great battle just now, he had nothing to ask. It had already surpassed his comprehension and imagination, and it was something he wouldn’t be able to process anytime soon.

"Pack up. We’re leaving. We’ll go live in the provincial capital. Have the disciples come up the mountain and rummage around to see if there’s anything intact they can take with them."

Zhao Rui said casually.

Yu Zhengnan nodded, his gaze sweeping over Iron Anvil Mountain, which was now a scene of landslides and cracked earth, its entire landscape altered.

The feeling of powerlessness in his heart grew even heavier.

’This world is becoming more and more unimaginable.’

Seeing Yu Zhengnan agree, Zhao Rui’s figure flickered and vanished from the spot.

Leaving only a fading voice behind: "I’m entering seclusion. Do not disturb me unless it’s an emergency!"

...

「Qingcheng Mountain, Qingcheng Sect.」 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Cangwu Zi hasn’t returned? Iron Anvil Mountain is destroyed? It seems there was a great battle—even the mountain itself has been half-leveled!"

Weichen Taoist listened to Cangsong’s report, stunned, a look of disbelief on his face.

Who was Cangwu Zi?

Although he was old, in terms of Power, he was one of the top combatants in the entire Qingcheng Sect.

’Could this Zhao Rui truly be that powerful?’

"You must find Cangwu Zi for me. I want to see him, dead or alive. I refuse to believe that a Dharma Grandmaster could just vanish without a trace."

Weiyun said, his eyes half-closed, his tone icy.

"Yes, Law Enforcement Elder."

Cangsong Taoist hurriedly bowed and exited the room.