"A little bit too powerful, this body-tempering technique."
"No, this is no longer just a body-tempering technique... Although, my initial goal was merely to acquire a crimson body-tempering method."
The reason why special life forms like Devouring Beasts are powerful and why humans cannot compare is because they are born with immortal, colossal physiques and possess enviable innate abilities.
Humans are inherently frail. No matter how much they cultivate or transform, they cannot rival Devouring Beasts in terms of their physical bodies.
Xing Jinglei's defense and recovery are not inferior to Devouring Beasts, but his stamina still falls short of theirs.
And now, by practicing the Divine Demon Body Tempering, one has the opportunity to transform into a divine or demonic being.
Of course, there are drawbacks. Not all divine or demonic beings can be transformed into through the Divine Demon Body Tempering technique. Currently, less than ten types of divine or demonic beings can be transformed into, all of which originate from previously fused materials.
Furthermore, even after transformation, one may not reach the height of established divine or demonic beings.
However,
"I am human and need not strictly imitate these special life forms. The strongest point of this body-tempering technique is that it can absorb the advantages of myriad divine and demonic beings into oneself. Since that is the case, why pursue Devouring Beasts or ancient Flame Demons?"
"If I am to forge, I shall forge a supreme human divine body comparable to, or even surpassing, divine and demonic beings!"
Fang You pondered carefully.
This body-tempering technique was upgraded from the Myriad Beast Body Tempering, so it was not entirely new. He already possessed a very profound understanding of it.
After a short rest, Fang You began to practice the Divine Demon Body Tempering.
He extended his hand and slowly threw a punch.
The shadow of a giant appeared with his punch, and with a rush, it naturally stirred up a tide of laws.
This was a law that Instructor Fang himself had not yet mastered, but by practicing this body-tempering technique, with every breath, he felt as if he had merged with the laws. Even without understanding anything, he could instinctively summon the power of laws.
Within dozens of breaths, he had directly attained initial mastery of this unfamiliar law.
It was incredibly easy.
"Next, let's try the ability to transform into a divine or demonic being."
He thought, finding a reference – the Devouring Beast.
A terrifying life form capable of devouring all objects, including planets.
In an instant, his cells, his energy, his soul seemed to boil. His entire body exploded with a roar, transforming into an indescribable mass of mist and tide.
It resembled a colossal misty beast formed from countless minuscule fragments of flesh and blood, still expanding and gradually changing shape.
Mist-like wings that blotted out the sky;
An immensely large, streamlined body filled with profound beauty;
Claws that possessed inherent law power;
A ferocious giant maw;
Two pupils, as large as a lake;
Manifested into form in an instant.
A terrifying giant, perhaps slightly smaller than a true Devouring Beast, appeared in the 'cramped' training ground. It raised its head, wagged its tail, and, on a whim, charged towards a wall.
"Boom—"
The base suspended in the sky of the secret realm trembled, and wisps of black smoke emerged from a certain location.
...
"Cough, cough!"
"The quality of this Level Eight training ground is not good."
"Alright, my bad, my bad."
Amidst the swirling dust, the training ground's barrier, which had become spatially warped, was slowly healing.
Fang You had already reverted to his human form, looking at Little Huan who had flown out nervously and anxiously, only to then wear a "(￢_￢)" expression. He felt a pang of guilt.
He genuinely hadn't expected the training ground to be so fragile.
He had practiced skills in training grounds before. However, after reaching the High Rank, he definitely could not do that anymore. High Rank beings possessed the power to shake planets, and peak High Rank beings could even destroy an ordinary planet with a single blow. The Level Eight training ground was spacious, comparable to an ordinary world, but it couldn't withstand even a slightly forceful strike from him.
High Rank beings were inherently not to be trifled with.
Those in the High Rank realm who wished to unleash their power would likely have to find an uninhabited great domain before daring to vent freely.
"Ahem, since you're here, I'll leave the cleanup to you."
He said to Little Huan.
As the words fell, his figure faded and disappeared, reappearing at the entrance of the Battle Tower, striding inside.
After spending several days and nights enthusiastically... practicing in the Battle Tower, Fang You had gained an accurate estimation of the might of transforming into a divine or demonic being.
"My combat power has increased, by approximately 27%."
This figure was not low.
Without using the authority of slaughter, he already possessed combat power exceeding the pseudo-tenth realm. In one-on-one simulated battles, he had defeated the Lord of Phantoms. With such combat power, it would be as difficult as climbing to heaven for other powerhouses to improve by even 0.1%.
Most importantly...
"Divine Demon Body Tempering is a cultivation method!"
"A cultivation method, cultivation is fundamental. This technique can allow my physique to advance by leaps and bounds for a period of time, until it approaches that of ancient innate gods and special life forms."
"Next, I need to upgrade the Mountain River Visualization Method as well."
The Battle Tower could simulate everything, including laws and authorities.
However, it could not simulate 'skill fusion'.
Otherwise, if he had been able to experiment within the Battle Tower, he would have saved a great deal of Destiny Points.
Fang You left the Battle Tower and returned to the training ground, which had already been repaired.
He examined the material light clusters in his mind.
There were slightly fewer materials suitable for fusion with the Mountain River Visualization.
After a brief attempt and a small verification that certain skills were not suitable for fusion, he immediately poured all the remaining skills, in which he had very high confidence, into it.
His divine soul roared.
Countless scenes flashed before his eyes like a magic lantern show.
Innumerable worlds contracted, ultimately being inscribed onto a small scroll.
"Myriad Worlds Scroll (Crimson): Based on myriad worlds, it enhances divine soul power. The more worlds visualized and inscribed, the stronger the Myriad Worlds Scroll becomes."
On his divine soul, the scroll of the Mountain River Map was initially unfurled, with pages of scenes rapidly turning, each page representing a world scroll.
Finally, the ancient book closed and sank into his divine soul. His divine soul also emitted boundless radiance, becoming as clear and flawless as crystal.
His thought speed became even faster, capable of generating tens of thousands of thoughts per second.
The natural law patterns in the heavens and earth suddenly became much clearer in his eyes. Under the same conditions, his speed of comprehending laws could increase by at least 70-80 percent!
And...
Just as he was about to savor it, his entire divine body and divine soul, as if at the dawn of creation, erupted with an indescribable, deafening roar.
Every cell was sublimating!
Every particle of divine essence transformed into light!
He was undergoing a transformation, an unimaginable transformation!
"This is... a transformation towards a Law Divine Body!"
His body had already shown subtle signs of transformation; he had touched upon the catalyst.
And by continuously cultivating Myriad Beast Body Tempering and Mountain River Visualization, he could advance this catalyst.
He had advanced to approximately 16%.
It was like a file downloaded to 16%, and when it reached 100% and was ready, his body and soul would begin to sublimate and merge, forging a Law Divine Body.
He had initially thought that after upgrading the two cultivation methods, he would still need to cultivate diligently for a period before truly beginning to forge a Law Divine Body.
Unexpectedly, the moment the 'Myriad Worlds Scroll' fused and his divine soul transformed, the catalyst he had vaguely sensed erupted like a volcano.
The merging of his divine body and divine soul, the transformation towards a Law Divine Body, had begun!
At this moment, his entire being also transformed into light.
No, he was enveloped in materialized law particles, akin to light. His entire body began to reconstruct like information particles.
However, it was a body reconstructed with law particles as the foundation.
This stage was supposed to occur only after entering the tenth realm, the Root Realm. Fang You, relying on his peak law comprehension, the authorities he wielded, and two divine-demon-level cultivation methods, was acting in reverse.
Since advancing to the tenth realm through the normal path seemed distant, then...
He would take the abnormal path!
However, the abnormal path would entail exceptional suffering.
His body and soul felt as if they were being crushed inch by inch, then reassembled bit by bit.
Throughout this process, his consciousness remained exceptionally clear.
He had to maintain his clarity.
He didn't know if falling unconscious might lead to unforeseeable accidents.
The information available through normal means of advancing to the tenth realm was scarce even for the Fire Seed, let alone the abnormal path. He had no precedent to draw upon.
In fact, this was merely a theoretical path that he himself had deduced.
The path was perilous!
But when had the path of mystery ever been not perilous?
Fang You felt he had no time to waste, no time to hesitate. He could only fight. The sky was about to collapse, and if he couldn't hold it up, that sky would truly crash down.
He just had to grit his teeth and endure!
Fang You's eyes were not crimson, nor were his gums bleeding, because he no longer possessed eyes or gums. The excruciating pain pierced directly into his soul, reaching its very root.
"Fortunately, the path of mystery has always been arduous. Early awakenings are trials, and later learning advanced skills are also repeated trials."
He had suffered unimaginable pain before, yet he had gradually become accustomed to it.
Humans, after all, are most adept at adaptation.
He would get used to it.
Now, the forging of the Law Divine Body was a little more painful than he had anticipated. However, he felt it was manageable; he still had the presence of mind to drift into stray thoughts.
As time passed, the pain did not diminish, but Fang You gradually adapted, becoming expressionless.
...Although he couldn't show an expression at this moment.
He was visualizing his own body, able to meticulously perceive the changes in every particle.
20%!
39%!
57%!
The Law Divine Body was being forged.
This process was not fast; often, only 1% or 2% progress could be made in a day.
Forty-nine days later,
The humanoid light projection, seated in the training ground, radiated an increasingly dazzling glow. However, Fang You was somewhat numb. Enduring excruciating soul-piercing pain for forty-nine consecutive days would numb anyone!
He sat like a statue.
Suddenly, a subtle change appeared on the expression of the figure constructed from light particles.
"Stuck? Stuck?"
The forging of the Law Divine Body had stalled at 99.99%! Just one last push was needed!
He had hit a bottleneck.
He could understand the obstacles to breakthroughs, but... but he was still enduring immense pain at this moment.
If he were stuck for a year, wouldn't he have to endure it for another year? Stuck for ten years, wouldn't he have to endure it for another ten years?
This... this would be too painful!
Even with his disposition, waves of emotion rippled through him.
"Thinking on the bright side, with this instructor's talent and aptitude, there's no reason he would be stuck for that long."
"Maybe he'll break through tomorrow."
"Uh, but it might also take a few months."
A few months was still too long; he wasn't a masochist!
What to do?
He needed to think of a way.
He opened his panel and browsed through the skills he possessed, suddenly pausing.
Behind his rank, another familiar "!" symbol had appeared.
Fang You: "..."
During this forging of the Law Divine Body, he had relied entirely on his own efforts. He had almost forgotten that in addition to effort, people also need a bit of 'opportunity'.
Now, after his 99% effort, the condition for the final bit of opportunity was met.
"Destiny Points, let's see your limit."
"Break through for me!"
In an instant, the forging of the Law Divine Body was completed.
Within the radiance, Fang You's figure gradually became clear.
He opened his eyes and took a step.
This step crossed the river of stars and went straight into the tenth realm!
Root!
Boom—
Somewhere in the secret realm base, wisps of black smoke inexplicably emerged again.
...
"Is this the power of the tenth realm? It's far more than just wielding authority."
His life energy had been further refined, and could now be called divine power. A drop of divine power could crush a continental plate.
After obtaining the Law Divine Body, he could now trigger law powers like earthquakes and tsunamis with a wave of his hand. A wisp of flame he flicked could now transform into world-devouring, world-burning heavenly fire.
"My combat power has greatly increased, and my resistance to pollution and mystery has also increased by tens or even hundreds of times."
He thought.
During his deep dive into the Middle Gloom Realm three months ago, if he had already been in the tenth realm, his actions would have been much more assured, and he could have clearly observed the specific scenes of the battle between the Sun God Venerable and others.
He was now of the same rank as beings like the Sun God Venerable and the Moon Lord.
He was a being standing at the pinnacle of the Gloom Realm.
"However, it's not enough."
"Entering the tenth realm mainly improves self-preservation capabilities, but I have the Fire Seed behind me, Blue Star, and humanity. My current strength is still far from enough."
"Become stronger, continue to become stronger."
"Eventually, I will possess the power to face calamities directly."
Evil Gods were indeed unattainable, but he was also in a stage of rapid improvement and had not yet reached his endpoint.
This was his confidence.
In the eastern, western, northern, and southern regions of the Gloom Realm, powerhouses from the Human Alliance, Elemental Spirit Court, and other forces, along with some ancient beings, had been feeling uneasy for some time.
The Sun God Venerable was injured!
Evil Gods were invincible!
Where did their future lie?
Many powerhouses frowned, racking their brains to find another path.
Some maintained a more optimistic outlook, believing that the calamity would not destroy the entire Gloom Realm. Perhaps when the Evil Gods awoke, they would fight amongst themselves and have no time to deal with humanity.
But this mindset was also a last resort.
If they didn't remain optimistic, what else could they do? Did they have any other options?
To cultivate? How much strength could be gained in just a few years?
Compared to that, placing their hope on the calamity not destroying the Gloom Realm seemed more realistic. Perhaps the environment of the Gloom Realm would become many times harsher in the future, but it would still be habitable.
Some powerhouses thought this way.
Some powerhouses completely gave up and enjoyed life.
The various overlord forces were in turmoil, but within the Fire Seed territory, it was remarkably peaceful. The powerhouses were all doing one thing: cultivating, becoming stronger, and striving to outdo each other.