2132 The Skies in an Uproar (1)Hu hu!
With Zhao Ya"s rapid recovery, she immediately began launching a barrage of forceful and deadly strikes against the white tiger.
In the blink of an eye, the tables were turned.
The sheer aggressiveness that Zhao Ya was fighting with made it impossible for the white tiger to stand its ground, causing it to slowly acc.u.mulate injuries.
However, it was no easy feat for Zhao Ya to continue attacking with such fervor. It was inevitable that her stamina would be swiftly whittled down if she maintained such high-intensity offense.
But when it looked as if she was about to run out of energy, she would simply pop another pill into her mouth and continue with her attacks. Shortly after Zhao Ya consumed her third pill, the ma.s.sive white tiger finally lost its strength and slumped to the ground.
Seeing that she had finally defeated her opponent, Zhao Ya wiped the sweat off her forehead and heaved a sigh of relief.
If not for her teacher"s pills and her Pure Yin Body, there was no way she would have been able to hold on for so long. That was a battle she had to put her life on the line in order to win!
"Isn"t it supposed to be rather easy to obtain the Aura of Divinity? What"s going on?"
Perplexed, Zhao Ya turned to the white tiger on the ground, which happened to dissipate right at that instant to form a bundle of golden fluid.
It was like what she had witnessed with the rabbits previously, but what was different about it was the sharpness the golden fluid formed by the white tiger. To make a comparison, if the golden fluid formed by the rabbit was a stream, what she was looking at before her was a boundless ocean.
And this left her feeling slightly shocked.
"Could it be that... the Aura of Divinity can be cla.s.sified into different tiers as well?"
She had never heard of something like this before, but everything before her was pointing in that direction.
"That"s not important at the moment. I should first get down to business..."
Knowing that there was no way for her to know for sure, she chose to quickly sit down on the ground and started to meditate.
Hu!
The golden fluid immediately surged into her body.
Kacha! Kacha!
As soon as the energy seeped into her body, her bottleneck was swiftly shattered, and her cultivation grew at a visible rate.
"What formidable Aura of Divinity!" Zhao Ya remarked with narrowed eyes.
The Aura of Divinity carried a sharp metal aura that made her feel as if her meridians were going to be ripped apart. At the same time, it felt like the roar of sword qi, clearing away all the obstructions hindering her within her body.
In less than ten minutes, she surpa.s.sed her own limits and became a real G.o.d.
Weng!
The moment she became a G.o.d, a brilliant light gathered around her and embraced her, making her seem as though an angel.
But Zhao Ya herself remained oblivious to it. She was too absorbed in her cultivation to notice any of this.
As Zhao Ya made her breakthrough, Lu Chong also arrived at the other end of the mountain peak. Shortly after his arrival, he encountered a dark silhouette.
It was neither a rabbit nor a tiger. Rather, it had an appearance that was similar a human, but it was made entirely out of mist.
Using the pills given to him by his teacher, even though the fight was not easy for him, he still managed to defeat the dark humanlike silhouette eventually.
The defeated silhouette dissipated to form a bundle of golden fluid, becoming a powerful source of energy that fueled the growth of Lu Chong"s soul.
The others were all facing the same situation.
w.a.n.g Ying encountered a snowy ancient tree, Zheng Yang encountered a behemoth covered in flames, Wei Ruyan encountered a river that could consume life...
North of the Firmament, there existed a vast, boundless ocean. At the very middle of this ocean was a humongous palace floating right above its surface. Like the searing sun in the sky, it radiated a brilliance that cast it in an angelic glow.
The clear water beneath the palace reflected its grandeur perfectly, crafting out a dreamlike landscape.
Within the palace, there was a bearded elder sitting on a grand and majestic throne. He was staring intently at the empty s.p.a.ce in front of him, seemingly deep in thought.
"Monarch."
A middle-aged man entered the splendid hall and clasped his fist.
The elder glanced downward before nodding slightly to acknowledge his presence. Then, he asked, "When will the duel between that person from the Sky of Freedom and the Heaven Subjugation Monarch be held?"
"It"ll be held on the fifteenth of the next month," the middle-aged man replied with a deep voice.
"Fifteenth... The night of the full moon?" the elder muttered beneath his breath. "That person from the Sky of Freedom accepted the duel faster than I thought."
"Monarch, pardon my insolence, but there"s a question that has been bothering me for some time," the middle-aged man said.
"You have been with me for many years now, so there"s no need for you to behave so warily around me. Feel free to pose your doubt," the elder replied.
"Thank you for your kind words, Monarch." The middle-aged man nodded. "I was just wondering if the Heaven Subjugation Monarch is really that formidable, such that even the other eight G.o.d Monarchs aren"t a match for him."
The elder paused for a brief moment upon hearing those words as he raised his head in reminiscence. Then, with a deep sigh, he remarked, "Unfathomably so."
"What about that person from the Sky of Freedom? They have never appeared in public before, so no one knows just how powerful they are. Compared to the Heaven Subjugation Monarch, who is more powerful?" the middle-aged man asked.
That person from the Sky of Freedom is unfathomably powerful as well. I have never met them in person before, but the aura they emanate was as towering as the lofty heavens, as if the entire universe revolved around them. It was not a force that any being in the world could contend with. But as for who is more powerful, I am unable to say for sure." The elder shook his head.
"That means that the battle between the two of them will be the greatest battle ever since the Firmament came into existence..." The middle-aged man widened his eyes in realization. Then, a bitter smile crept onto his lips as he sighed deeply. "It would really have been a great honor to witness their battle, but it"s unfortunate that a person of my caliber would have disintegrated to ashes before I could even approach them."
Even a Conferred G.o.d King would be easily killed if he was caught between the battle between G.o.d Monarchs.
It might appear to be just a realm of difference, but the gap between those two realms was absolute. Nothing could bridge the difference. That was also why the position of the G.o.d Monarchs had been unshakable ever since the founding of the Firmament.
This might also be why there had only been nine G.o.d Monarchs in the Firmament since time immemorial till recent decades.
"You wish to witness the battle? This is something that concerns the reputation of the Nine Skies, so you should drop that idea of yours." The elder shook his head.
But all of a sudden, the elder"s movements halted for a brief moment, and his pupils dilated ever so slightly, reflecting the huge fluctuations in his emotions.
The keen-eyed middle-aged man noticed the difference and asked worriedly, "Monarch, did something happen?"
"That person from the Sky of Freedom has just pa.s.sed down a message... They are inviting the eight of us to witness the battle!" the elder replied with a slow and contemplative tone, as if he was trying to discern the other party"s intentions.
He did not think that the person from the Sky of Freedom would make such a call.
Even for the other G.o.d Monarchs, they had chosen to fight the Heaven Subjugation Monarch behind closed doors. As a result, not even the Conferred G.o.d Kings beneath them were aware of the results, even though they could probably fathom a guess.
"Does this mean that the person from the Sky of Freedom is confident in defeating the Heaven Subjugation Monarch?" the middle-aged man asked.
"Perhaps," the elder remarked with a doubtful edge to his tone. "The difference in their strength is unlikely to be too great, given that they have both reached the pinnacle of the world. It"s hard to tell who will win at this point, so we can only watch what happens. Speaking of which, the Fourth Flood of Spiritual Energy is coming soon, right? Are there any outstanding geniuses in our Acheron Ocean at the moment?"
"Not yet," the middle-aged man replied. "Even though most cultivators treasure the opportunity they have to cultivate more than ever after the receding of spiritual energy, it still isn"t that easy to find outstanding geniuses among them. Furthermore, in order for them to stand out in the Flood of Spiritual Energy, they must possess top-notch capabilities. Such people will eventually become G.o.d Kings at the very minimum... Sigh, there are simply too few of such people around."
"I heard that Old Geezer Qiankun of the Sky of Drifting Specters recently secured himself a decently talented soul," the elder remarked questioningly.
"There"s indeed such a thing. According to the rumors, he found him from the lower worlds and absorbed his soul right into the Netherworld Pool. Based on our sources, it seems like G.o.d Monarch Qiankun is currently helping him forge a new body."
"If that soul is able to move Old Geezer Qiankun into action, his capabilities must be truly extraordinary. What a pity that he didn"t appear in our Sky of Acheron! Otherwise, I would have made sure to groom him regardless of how much it costs and turn him into a top-notch expert in the shortest time possible..."
"Indeed..." The middle-aged man shared the elder"s lamentation. "Rest a.s.sured, Monarch. I have left a mechanism in the Celestial Mountains so as to ensure that we"ll be able to get to any emerging top-notch geniuses as soon as they appear!"
The elder nodded silently before slowly closing his eyes, a gesture that symbolized that the middle-aged man was dismissed.
But at that very moment, the sound of a clock suddenly echoed outside the room.
The elder immediately opened his eyes and rose to his feet. "The Bell of Conferred Kings?"
The middle-aged man also trembled in agitation upon hearing the chimes.
"The sounding of the Bell of Conferred Kings means that a cultivator who possesses the potential to become a Conferred G.o.d King has appeared!" the middle-aged man exclaimed.
There were only so many Conferred G.o.d Kings in the world, making them existences that were almost as rare as G.o.d Monarchs. Their power was second only to the G.o.d Monarchs, so it went without saying that they were highly sought after by all powers.
"Hurry up and recruit that genius to our side," the elder instructed anxiously. But before finis.h.i.+ng his words, he changed his mind and said, "Forget it, you"re too slow. I"ll do it myself!"
Right after saying those words, the elder disappeared on the spot.
Those who had become G.o.d Monarchs were capable of instantaneous teleportation. As powerful as the spatial laws of the Firmament were, they were insufficient to curb them anymore.
"It seems like our Sky of Acheron is set for the Flood of Spiritual Energy then..."
Seeing that the G.o.d Monarch had personally made a move to recruit the genius, the middle-aged man heaved a sigh of relief.
In the Sky of Adamant Gold-
G.o.d Monarch Fumeng was in the midst of a court a.s.sembly when he heard the Bell of Conferred Kings chiming loudly.
"A genius suited for our Sky of Adamant Gold has appeared. I"ll receive him personally." Hu!
G.o.d Monarch Fumeng disappeared on the spot.
In the Sky of Cloud Dragon...
"Even in the long history of Firmament, the appearance of geniuses of such a caliber has been extremely rare. The last time it happened was the Heaven Subjugation Monarch and his direct disciples. We mustn"t miss this opportunity. The rest of you should make preparations here while I head over to take a look personally!"
With a slight jolt, the Cloud Dragon Monarch morphed back into his true body, a Five-clawed Golden Dragon, before vanis.h.i.+ng on the spot.
"Hahaha! Who would have thought that such a formidable genius would appear for our Sky of Blazing Sun? I still remember how that darned Qiankun bragged about the soul he found before me just a while ago. This time, I"ll make sure to groom the prodigy personally. No matter how much I have to accelerate time by, I"ll make sure that he becomes a Conferred G.o.d King before the Flood of Spiritual Energy!"
With a brilliant chuckle, G.o.d Monarch Zhuoyang flung his robe to the side, revealing his bare thighs.
Seeing this sight, an aged attendant beside him immediately rushed forward and awkwardly advised, "Monarch, if you are heading out, may I humbly request for you to put your undergarments on? It"ll diminish your honor if someone sees it!"
"As someone who governs the blazing sun, the heavenly flames that I harness within my body will swiftly reduce any clothes I wear to ash. It"s simply too much trouble to put them on again and again! I might as well just bare it all!" G.o.d Monarch Zhuoyang harrumphed impatiently.
"I understand that it"s more cooling for you to bare it all, but aren"t you heading out to receive someone? You might leave a bad impression if you leave like that," the aged attendant advised.
As a subordinate serving G.o.d Monarch Zhuoyang, he was too familiar with the habits of the latter for his own comfort. No one could have imagined that one of the Nine G.o.d Monarchs would actually detest putting on underwear!
It was fortunate that he rarely left his palace, or else the honor and dignity of the Sky of Blazing Sun would really be tossed into the gutters!
“Enough, you are too naggy. I"ll be right back with that fellow!"
Hu!
G.o.d Monarch Zhuoyang swiftly created undergarments around his bare bottom with his divine energy before vanis.h.i.+ng.