Chapter 410: Divine Might

Chapter 410: Divine Might (End of Chapter)

In the vast expanse of the sky, two colossal Extrinsic Demon Gods loomed. Half of their massive bodies had already forced their way into the Azure World, their presence causing the very heavens to tremble.

As beings that fed on worlds, these demon gods possessed exceptionally keen senses. Yet, at this moment, they felt a foreboding sense of impending doom.

It was this instinct that drove them to retreat without the slightest hesitation, despite already having one foot set within the world. Their abrupt withdrawal would result in a direct collision with the world's barrier, causing them minor injuries, but they didn't waver.

"That Demon Tree actually still has such a terrifying trump card up its sleeve?" The two Extrinsic Demon Gods were incredulous.

Even without identifying the exact nature of the threat, they knew it originated from within the Azure World, and they could guess that it was somehow connected to the Primordial Demon Tree.

This only added to their confusion. If the Primordial Demon Tree had such a powerful backup plan, why didn't it use it sooner? Why wait until now, when the Azure World's barrier had already been torn open?

Deep within the boundless void, countless other Extrinsic Demon Gods were also observing the invasion of the Azure World with keen interest. In just a few hundred thousand years, the Azure World's origin energy had increased tenfold, an enticing prospect for these ravenous beings.

However, their greed was tempered by the knowledge that the Azure World had caught the attention of the master of Black Devil Pavilion, one of the most powerful Demon Gods in the region. Over ten million years ago, within a secret realm in the void, the master of Black Devil Pavilion had obtained a significant opportunity that vastly enhanced their strength.

Faced with such a formidable opponent, the other Demon Gods could only look on with envy but dared not intervene.

"I wonder what secrets that world holds," one Demon God mused.

"That Demon Tree fellow really dug its own grave by defying the orders of the master of Black Devil Pavilion. Now it's paying the price," another added, a hint of schadenfreude in its voice.

They watched with glee as the two Demon Gods guarding the world seemed to sense their impending doom and considered manifesting their true bodies. It seemed the end was near for the Primordial Demon Tree.

However, before long, something unexpected happened.

"Hey, why are 'Evil Eye' and 'Thousand Tendrils' retreating?" one Demon God asked, noticing the change in momentum.

Evil Eye and Thousand Tendrils were followers of the master of Black Devil Pavilion, tasked with conquering the Azure World. When the other Demon Gods saw these two preparing to descend upon the world, they believed the outcome was all but certain.

But now, to their surprise, Evil Eye and Thousand Tendrils, who had been forcing their way into the world, were desperately trying to retreat, as if they had encountered some primordial beast.

"This is interesting. I wonder what unexpected turn of events has occurred?"

"What other tricks does that Demon Tree have up its sleeve?"

"Indeed, there must be some secret behind the tenfold increase in that world's origin energy."

The Extrinsic Demon Gods immediately began speculating about the turn of events, most of them driven by curiosity rather than foolishness.

"Let's just watch and see," one of them said, a malicious gleam in its eyes.

"Yes, we can just sit back and enjoy the show," another chimed in. They feared the master of Black Devil Pavilion, but they also took pleasure in seeing Evil Eye and Thousand Tendrils fail.

After all, it had nothing to do with them, and they were content to observe the unexpected twists and turns of the invasion.

Within the Azure World, Lin Yuan hovered in the air, his gaze sweeping across the endless horde of Demon God puppets, reducing them to ashes. These puppets were manifestations of the Demon Gods' power, and just as the Demon Gods could devour worlds, so too could worlds devour Demon Gods.

However, unlike the Demon Gods, which possessed independent consciousness, the world's consciousness couldn't directly oppose them. It could only defend itself indirectly by giving rise to 'Children of the World' and 'Children of Luck'.

But now, under Lin Yuan's control, the Azure World devoured the remnants of power left behind by the destroyed Demon God puppets, strengthening itself.

"This physical body..." Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes, his current vessel having been nurtured and empowered by the abundant origin energy of the Azure World. It possessed an incredibly deep foundation, and within this world, he could harness all its power at will.

"Trying to leave?" Lin Yuan glanced at the two Extrinsic Demon Gods who were desperately trying to escape, and with a slight fluctuation of his thoughts, the very essence of the Azure World transformed into sharp spatial blades that sliced towards them.

"Not good!" The first to react was Thousand Tendrils, who had pushed deepest into the world. More than half of its body had already entered, and if it were cut in two, only a small portion would be able to escape.

Although such an injury wasn't fatal to an Extrinsic Demon God, it would take an unknown amount of time to recover.

"Please, Master, lend us your power!" Thousand Tendrils pleaded as it took out a statue—a depiction of a monster with eighteen arms. Even as a mere statue, it exuded an aura that drove countless beings to madness and submission.

This was a trump card bestowed by the master of Black Devil Pavilion, and it could only be used three times. One of those uses had already been expended during their initial assault on the Azure World, leaving them with just two remaining chances.

Given the nature of the master of Black Devil Pavilion, once bestowed, these opportunities would not be revoked. In other words, as long as they conquered the Azure World with minimal cost, the statue would be theirs to keep.

Evil Eye and Thousand Tendrils had planned to use the statue no more than once, saving the remaining uses for crucial moments in the future. But now?

Sensing the overwhelming fear, Thousand Tendrils dared not hold back.

"So that's the power of the master of Black Devil Pavilion?" Lin Yuan recognized it instantly, having fully assimilated the memories of the Primordial Demon Tree.

It was with the aid of this statue that these two Extrinsic Demon Gods had been able to suppress the Primordial Demon Tree, tear open the Azure World's barrier, and wreak havoc upon its mortal realm.

Through the statue, Lin Yuan had a rough idea of the strength of the master of the Black Devil Pavilion.

After all, the Primordial Demon Tree, in its heyday hundreds of thousands of years ago, was only at the Seventh Tier. The fact that the master of the Black Devil Pavilion possessed strength close to the Tenth Tier was no wonder they could strike fear into countless evil gods.

However, to Lin Yuan's current strength, it was far from enough.

In terms of life stage, Lin Yuan was also at the peak of the Ninth Tier.

But Lin Yuan's Ninth Tier peak was entirely different from a typical Ninth Tier cultivator. When necessary, he could even burst forth with Eleventh Tier battle prowess.

Furthermore, Lin Yuan was not facing the true body of the master of the Black Devil Pavilion but merely a statue that contained a fraction of their power.

Rumble...

In front of 'Thousand Tendrils', the statue exuded a pitch-black mist.

The endless black mist quickly enveloped an area spanning tens of thousands of miles.

"Break."

Lin Yuan stood in the void, appearing insignificant compared to the two colossal Extrinsic Demon Gods. Yet, with a slight raise of his right hand and a gentle tap of his finger, the infinite black mist emanating from the terrifying statue rapidly dissipated, and even the statue itself was shaken, cracks appearing on its surface and swiftly spreading until it crumbled and fell.

Without the protection of the statue,

'Thousand Tendrils' was once again exposed.

"What? The power statue bestowed by the master has been pierced just like that? I still have one more chance to activate it!"

'Thousand Tendrils' couldn't believe it. The strength of the master of the Black Devil Pavilion was unquestionable, and the statue they left behind was enough to sweep away countless Extrinsic Demon Gods.

But now, the statue, which it had pinned its hopes on, turned out to be as fragile as thin paper.

"Hmm?"

With a slight stir of Lin Yuan's consciousness, space rippled, and the statue appeared in his hand.

If he hadn't held back, that previous strike would have been enough to shatter the statue to pieces. However, Lin Yuan wanted to use the statue to gain some insight into the master of the Black Devil Pavilion.

It wasn't that he particularly valued the master of the Black Devil Pavilion, but rather, he was curious about the abilities and intrinsic qualities that an Extrinsic Demon God of this level possessed.

Moreover, with Lin Yuan's comprehension of the rules of cause and effect, he could easily lock onto the specific location of the master of the Black Devil Pavilion through this statue.

Whether it was 'Evil Eye' or 'Thousand Tendrils', they were both acting under the orders of the master of the Black Devil Pavilion to invade the Azure World, and Lin Yuan would not let the mastermind behind this scheme off the hook.

Swish!

Putting away the statue, Lin Yuan looked at the stunned 'Thousand Tendrils' and once again pointed a finger at it.

Swish!

Without the protection of the statue, 'Thousand Tendrils' was completely exposed to the might of Lin Yuan's finger, and in an instant, ninety percent of its body evaporated, leaving only the most critical part, which was then suppressed by the overwhelming power.

"How are you so strong?"

'Thousand Tendrils' trembled inwardly. With just a wave of Lin Yuan's hand, its ability to resist was completely taken away. This strength... even the master of the Black Devil Pavilion might not be able to match it!

In 'Thousand Tendrils' opinion, even someone as powerful as the master of the Black Devil Pavilion seemed to pale in comparison to Lin Yuan at this moment.

But how was that possible?

Wasn't the master of the Black Devil Pavilion an existence that could devour countless worlds and countless Extrinsic Demon Gods to forge their fame?

Before 'Thousand Tendrils' could react any further, its most critical part was suppressed, its consciousness quickly fell into slumber, and it ended up in Lin Yuan's hands.

"Is this the core of that evil god?"

Lin Yuan looked at the mist in front of him and examined it carefully.

"I'll study it later."

Lin Yuan immediately put away the mist.

He didn't kill 'Thousand Tendrils' because he wanted to thoroughly research this Extrinsic Demon God.

In the past, Lin Yuan didn't have the strength, and it took a lot of effort to replace a Primordial Demon Tree. Now that he had returned to the boundless void, he naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity.

In the main universe, Lin Yuan studied the physical structures, soul essences, and especially the innate abilities of powerful beings from the Ten Tribes.

Under various conditions, Lin Yuan was able to develop the most perfect Tenth Stage of martial arts.

And in the boundless void, these Extrinsic Demon Gods, who fed on worlds, were no less valuable to Lin Yuan than the unique life forms in the main universe.

These Extrinsic Demon Gods possessed all sorts of bizarre abilities, and their understanding of the boundless void would likely be of great benefit to Lin Yuan.

This time, Lin Yuan had two goals.

One was to comprehend as many fusion rules as possible, especially the fifth level of the space-time fusion rule.

The second was to explore the boundless void and the Extrinsic Demon Gods themselves.

Lin Yuan's capture of 'Thousand Tendrils' was for this second goal.

After the statue of the master of the Black Devil Pavilion was struck down, 'Thousand Tendrils' was quickly suppressed and fell into Lin Yuan's hands.

It seemed like a very long process, but in reality, it was exceptionally brief, from start to finish, just one breath.

On the other hand.

The giant eyeball, 'Evil Eye', was completely stunned, and a sense of true fear arose in its heart.

'Thousand Tendrils', whose strength was on par with its own, was gone just like that? Even the activation of the statue bestowed by the master didn't stop it.

"Why didn't you tell me about such a powerful being earlier?"

A sense of grievance suddenly rose in the giant eyeball, 'Evil Eye's', heart.

It had originally thought that taking over the Azure World would be a lucrative endeavor, especially since it held the power statue bestowed by the master.

If it hadn't wanted to minimize the cost, the Azure World would have fallen into their hands long ago.

But now, an inconceivable existence like Lin Yuan had popped up.

"Run!"

The giant eyeball, 'Evil Eye', sensed the minuscule figure that had taken down 'Thousand Tendrils' slowly turning its gaze towards it, and its scalp went numb.

"Cut it off for me!"

The giant eyeball, 'Evil Eye', did not hesitate to sacrifice the part of its body that was within the Azure World.

It transferred its consciousness entirely to the remaining stump outside the world and then fled frantically into the distance.

Escaping with half of its body was still much better than total annihilation.

From start to finish, the giant eyeball, 'Evil Eye', never entertained any thoughts of resistance or desperate counterattacks.

It would be completely meaningless. Hadn't 'Thousand Tendrils' tried to resist?

Outside the Azure World, in the depths of the boundless void, the Extrinsic Demon Gods watched the unfolding events in the Azure World with a detached, spectators' attitude.

However, when they witnessed 'Thousand Tendrils' massive body rapidly disintegrating, transforming into its most fundamental power, and being completely devoured by the Azure World until its aura was nearly extinguished, their eyes widened in shock.

What just happened?

What's going on with 'Thousand Tendrils'?

Did it perish? Or was it suppressed?

The multitude of Extrinsic Demon Gods indeed relished the idea of the Azure World experiencing some upheaval.

But similarly, they had never anticipated that this upheaval would be so intense and over-the-top.

In the eyes of the Extrinsic Demon Gods, the so-called upheaval was merely supposed to be an obstacle that would make things difficult for 'Evil Eye' and 'Thousand Tendrils', forcing them to pay a greater price before they could conquer the Azure World.

As for being counter-attacked or suppressed themselves, no Demon God dared to entertain such thoughts.

The possibility was simply too low.

'Thousand Tendrils' and 'Evil Eye' were two Extrinsic Demon Gods wielding means bestowed by the master of Black Devil Pavilion, capable of counter-killing them. Who could suppress them?

"Evil Eye?"

The annihilation of 'Thousand Tendrils' startled the assembled Extrinsic Demon Gods, and they quickly turned their gazes towards 'Evil Eye' in the distance.

Under the watchful eyes of all the Extrinsic Demon Gods, 'Evil Eye', whose body was half-trapped within the world, hesitated not a moment before abandoning half of its body. The remaining half, a giant eyeball, fled like a stray dog, desperately moving away from the Azure World.

Even before the multitude of Extrinsic Demon Gods could react...

A colossal hand emerged from within the Azure World.

The hand, spanning millions of miles, effortlessly seized the fleeing 'half eyeball' and swiftly retracted it back into the Azure World.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

In just a few breaths...

The two massive fissures on the world barrier of the Azure World rapidly healed and then vanished from sight.

Dead silence.

All the watching Extrinsic Demon Gods fell silent.

None of them had anticipated such a dramatic turnaround.

Within the Azure World, there existed a mysterious being that had single-handedly suppressed 'Thousand Tendrils' and 'Evil Eye', two Extrinsic Demon Gods armed with trump cards bestowed by the master of Black Devil Pavilion.

Especially that last scene they had just witnessed, where 'Evil Eye', who had just abandoned half of its body in a desperate bid for freedom, hadn't even had time to breathe a sigh of relief before it was grabbed back by that colossal hand in an overwhelmingly domineering manner.

"What... What just happened?"

"What kind of existence is within that world?"

One by one, the Extrinsic Demon Gods felt their hearts tremble as they gazed upon the Azure World, a sense of unease creeping into their minds.

In their eyes, as Extrinsic Demon Gods, any world was a delicacy, a meal to be devoured. But at this moment, the Azure World filled them with such dread that they wanted nothing more than to immediately flee far away from it.

"The trouble has been taken care of."

Lin Yuan casually suppressed and put away 'Evil Eye', scanning the Azure World once more to ensure there were no 'stragglers'.

After several confirmations...

Lin Yuan turned around and returned to the Tree Crown Continent, back to the Martial Hall.

"Greetings, Martial Ancestor."

High Priestess Qing Yao immediately bowed respectfully towards Lin Yuan.

Perched at the apex of the Azure World, High Priestess Qing Yao had witnessed the entire spectacle. The two Extrinsic Demon Gods, whose might had shaken the heavens, seemed like two chickens awaiting slaughter before Lin Yuan, unable to put up even the slightest resistance as they were easily suppressed.

This scene shook High Priestess Qing Yao's spirit, and it was only now that she truly realized the nature of the Martial Ancestor, the object of veneration for countless beings in the Azure World for countless tens of thousands of years.

"I'm going into seclusion. Do not disturb me unless it's important."

Lin Yuan spoke briefly before entering the Martial Hall.

The doors of the Martial Hall slowly closed.

"Martial Ancestor."

High Priestess Qing Yao's voice trembled as she turned and looked down at the countless martial cultivators and beings below, whispering, "We have survived."

Inside the Martial Hall, Lin Yuan sat cross-legged.

Floating before him were two mist-like entities—the life cores of 'Evil Eye' and 'Thousand Tendrils'.

"These two Demon Gods..."

Lin Yuan's spiritual will was exceptionally powerful, and he effortlessly refined these two mist-like cores, thoroughly comprehending all their memories.

Whether it was 'Evil Eye' or 'Thousand Tendrils', most of their memories were of a frenzied state, roaming the boundless void, clashing and devouring other Extrinsic Demon Gods, discovering new worlds, and attempting to invade and consume them.

Until they encountered the master of Black Devil Pavilion and found themselves utterly powerless to resist, opting to submit instead.

"Their powers are somewhat interesting."

Lin Yuan studied them carefully.

After a moment...

Lin Yuan's expression turned pensive as he put away the two mist-like entities.

"Now that I think about it, this physical body of mine, while innately powerful, profoundly deep-rooted, and exceptionally compatible with martial arts, has not actually embarked on the evolutionary path of martial cultivation?"

Lin Yuan pondered silently.

It was like a person born with incredible strength who had never learned any martial techniques.

"If I cultivate this physical body using the evolutionary path of martial arts, I should be able to further unlock its potential and perhaps even give birth to a fifth type of bodily divine ability?"

Lin Yuan's eyes shone with anticipation.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end