Gu Yuan paused, his brow furrowing at Qu Ling's words. "The original Zhen Tian Seal, what the hell?"
Did the Zhen Tian Sect have two versions?
But Gu Yuan's arrow was already on the string, and it had to be loosed.
Innumerable suppressive forces swept in from all directions, converging on Gu Yuan's fist imprint. Gu Yuan stepped forward and punched.
A fist imprint, several feet wide, shot out, its suppressive aura flattening everything around it.
Bang, bang, bang.
Explosions resounded continuously. The spiritual energy longsword summoned by Qu Ling could not withstand the pressure emanating from Gu Yuan's Zhen Tian Seal and was directly crushed. Even Qu Ling's natal spiritual artifact was bent by the suppressive force.
Qu Ling felt the suppressive power transmitted from all directions, as if he were trapped in a quagmire, his limbs gradually bound and unable to move.
A flash of red light crossed his eyes. Qu Ling formed a hand seal, and a suppressive aura also emanated from him, contending with Gu Yuan's.
But everyone present clearly felt that Qu Ling's Zhen Tian Seal was completely crushed by Gu Yuan's.
If Qu Ling had no trump card, he would likely lose like this.
"Move for me!" Qu Ling's face turned red, veins bulging on his neck. A dragon's roar echoed throughout the square.
A vast azure sea appeared behind Qu Ling. Under the sunlight, the sea shimmered with spiritual light. A dragon's roar, seemingly from the primeval wilderness, pierced the heavens.
Whoosh!
A colossal creature burst from the water, churning and twisting in mid-air, churning clouds and rain.
It had horns like a snake and was called a Jiao.
Roar!
The Jiao dragon immediately rushed out of the sea and coiled around Qu Ling, confronting Gu Yuan's Zhen Tian Seal. Although the Zhen Tian Seal's power was formidable, Gu Yuan had cultivated for too short a time. With a furious roar from the Jiao dragon's Dharma image, Gu Yuan's fist imprint shattered.
Gu Yuan was not surprised. This punch was not very powerful; it was only by grasping the essence of the Zhen Tian Seal that it had such might.
Wait, a flash of inspiration struck Gu Yuan. He looked at the Jiao dragon Dharma image encircling Qu Ling and recalled the moment he had glimpsed his destiny.
Qu Ling's Dharma image was a Jiao dragon emerging from the sea, and his destiny god was the Dragon of the Spiritual Sea!
Wasn't that the same as Gu Yuan, turning his Dharma image into his destiny god? Was this world different? He would need to find more Dharma Image realm cultivators to verify this later. Also, what did Qu Ling's destiny, "a person without destiny," mean?
After all, the Dao Fortune Celestial Map was gradually reviving, and the power of a congenital spiritual treasure was gradually revealing itself.
In the future, it might even be his natal spiritual treasure. Could Gu Yuan not believe it?
All his fate-altering since becoming a cultivator was thanks to the Dao Fortune Celestial Map.
"Spiritual Jiao emerges from the sea!"
Qu Ling clasped his hands together, his body radiating a light blue glow that shimmered in the sunlight. The glow slowly condensed, eventually forming a vast ocean, accompanied by the sound of waves.
The Jiao dragon, which had been circling Qu Ling, let out a heaven-shattering roar and shot out like a silver light into the sea, swimming within.
The moment the Jiao dragon entered the sea, Qu Ling's aura surged several times, as if he had taken a powerful tonic.
Gu Yuan's expression remained calm, unconcerned by Qu Ling's change.
Ripples appeared in the void behind his body, as if a colossal being were breaking through the void and entering the real world.
A giant Kun emerged from the void and stood quietly behind Gu Yuan.
"Is this Gu Yuan's Dharma image? A Kun? It doesn't feel very strong."
Someone looked at the giant Kun behind Gu Yuan, their brow furrowed.
"No, look at the shadow behind the Kun," a gasp rang out, drawing everyone's attention to Gu Yuan's back.
In the void behind Gu Yuan, a divine figure seemed to stand between heaven and earth, emanating an aura that suppressed everything. At first glance, a scorching heat seemed to wash over them.
Qu Ling also noticed this and let out a furious, yet mocking, laugh.
He realized that Gu Yuan had never taken him seriously from the beginning.
He was only using one part of his Dharma image. Some Dharma images were composed of several parts, and the owner could choose to use them. For example, his Dragon of the Spiritual Sea was a typical case.
It was composed of a Jiao dragon and the spiritual sea, and he could use them at will.
Gu Yuan's giant Kun was just the first part, which clearly showed he was looking down on him!
"Ah!" Qu Ling let out a furious roar. The Jiao dragon swimming in his spiritual sea also let out a dragon's roar, transforming into a blue light that shot out from the sea, carrying the power of the entire spiritual sea and enveloping Qu Ling's fist.
A suppressive aura also emanated, wrapping around Qu Ling's fist.
His body transformed into a streak of light, slamming fiercely towards Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan calmly watched Qu Ling, who was rushing towards him at high speed. He unhurriedly raised his right fist and murmured, "Ocean Subjugation!"
You are the Dragon of the Spiritual Sea, so I will suppress your spiritual sea. Let's see how you swim!
Gu Yuan's punch fell like an endless sea instantly overturned, but it was suppressed by a whale's cry from the ancient wilderness. The entire sea region became silent, not even a ripple.
This punch was very strong.
Zhao Xi watched Gu Yuan with a solemn expression, his muscles tensing slightly, ready to erupt and rescue the two if anything went wrong.
Boom!
The two fists collided fiercely.
Crack!
A distinct sound of bone cracking echoed.
Qu Ling, whose face was contorted in pain, suddenly froze. Then, the pain from his arm surged into his mind. He let out a scream, and his body was sent flying back faster than he came.
He crashed heavily onto the stage.
Pfft!
He suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood, his eyes dim. He had lost, and he had lost miserably. His entire right arm was twisted, and numerous bone fragments pierced through his flesh, exposed to the air.
As for Gu Yuan, after sending Qu Ling flying, his fist slammed heavily onto the stage.
Boom!
A collision even greater than before echoed.
The audience fell silent, their eyes fixed on the area shrouded in dust.
A gentle breeze blew, and the dust scattered, revealing the scene within.
Gu Yuan stood quietly in place, looking at Qu Ling lying on the ground. If he hadn't held back at the last moment, Qu Ling would have been pierced through the chest and died instantly, beyond saving even by immortals.
The stage floor in front of them now had a pit three meters in diameter, with cracks extending outwards.
"Hiss, no way, this stage can withstand attacks from the Dao Celestial Realm, and Gu Yuan actually managed to break it? How much power does that take!" Exclamations of astonishment erupted from the stands.
Gu Yuan paid no mind to their discussions. He took a step forward and instantly appeared before Qu Ling, who was gasping for breath.
He said softly, "You lost!"
With that, he left the stage, without disturbing a single cloud. He arrived as he left, and left as he arrived.
Everyone watched with complex expressions as the white-robed figure slowly walked out of the arena.
Zhao Xi sighed softly and instantly appeared beside Qu Ling, who was lying on the ground. A gentle force was injected into Qu Ling's right arm, slowly mending the shattered bones.
He looked up at the surrounding disciples and his majestic voice echoed throughout the venue, "All others may disperse. Be cautious with challenges in the future."
The disciples bowed and left the arena, discussing amongst themselves. It was foreseeable that once these disciples left, a storm would sweep through the entire Zhen Tian Sect. Gu Yuan's Zhen Tian Seal alone would attract the attention of the sect leader level!
Zhao Xi looked at the miserable Qu Ling lying on the ground, who no longer had the spirited demeanor he had at the beginning.
He said earnestly, "Qu Ling, this is just a small setback. Don't dwell on it, understand?"
He was worried that Qu Ling would lose his spirit due to this defeat.
Qu Ling heard Zhao Xi's words and opened his eyes, a light of tenacious resilience flashing within them. He replied to Zhao Xi, "Teacher, I will not give up. I will cultivate diligently and strive to defeat Gu Yuan as soon as possible!"
Zhao Xi looked at the determination in Qu Ling's eyes and was momentarily speechless. He had forgotten that this young man before him was the most tenacious person in the entire Zhen Tian Sect. Failure was commonplace for him; it would not become a burden but would transform into motivation, helping him reach greater heights.
It was precisely because of his character that he inspired a large number of disciples to progress and had many loyal fans.
...
After leaving the arena, Gu Yuan decided to head to the Scripture Pavilion to return the book he had borrowed last time. Then, he planned to look at the martial arts and cultivation techniques of this world.
Since he was now a true disciple, he could freely view all cultivation techniques and martial arts except for those considered the sect's ultimate treasures, which required reporting to the sect leader for a decision. However, he could not freely impart any other cultivation techniques or martial arts to others.
Those who could become true disciples in the Zhen Tian Sect possessed strong self-control. Their lowest realm was the Dharma Image Realm. Once a Dharma image was condensed, the basic path was confirmed; the remaining task was to continuously absorb nourishment to fill it and increase its power.
Therefore, for true disciples, viewing these cultivation techniques served at most as a reference and they would not abandon their original path to cultivate them.
As for martial arts, there were no problems with cultivating many of them, as long as one had the time; the sect would not interfere with such matters.
Upon arriving at the Scripture Pavilion, Gu Yuan felt the complicated gazes around him and was somewhat speechless. The news had spread too quickly.
He had even heard on the way, "This is Gu Yuan. I didn't expect him to be so strong!"
"Yes, yes."
It had only been a few minutes since he left the arena, and the news was already flying everywhere. Indeed, gossip traveled the fastest.
Ignoring the gazes of the crowd, he entered the Scripture Pavilion and, as usual, felt the array pass over him.
He returned the book he had borrowed to its original position and then went upstairs. The first floor contained common knowledge of the cultivation world and notes from powerful figures collected by the Zhen Tian Sect. The second floor and above were where cultivation techniques and martial arts were stored.
Gu Yuan decided to start with the lowest-level martial arts, which were on the second floor. This floor housed martial arts for mortals, basic martial arts, and some body-refining cultivation techniques. Gu Yuan did not intend to continuously use the martial arts passed down to him by the Martial Ancestor.
People always desired some freedom, and Gu Yuan was no exception.
Thinking of the Martial Ancestor, the system he had given him had not yet opened the next world.
Gu Yuan softly called out to the system in his mind.
The system's special electronic voice echoed in his mind.
[Open Personal Panel!]
A virtual light blue panel appeared before Gu Yuan.
[Main Mission: Become a Congenital Divine Demon level expert! (Note: Congenital Divine Demon level experts are classified as Seven-Star experts in the system's plan. The host's current realm is detected as: Dharma Image Realm; The strength classification across the myriad worlds is Four-Star!)]
[Host: Gu Yuan]
[Realm: Martial Path (Initial Dharma Image Realm!); Myriad Worlds Level (Four-Star!)]
[Main Mission: Become a Congenital Divine Demon level expert!]
[Source Power: Thirty-five thousand six hundred thirty-five points!]
[Pending Mission: King of Blood Qi, Achieve Transcension!]
[Spiritual Treasure: Dao Fortune Celestial Map??? (Seven-Star Perfect Grade!)]
Gu Yuan looked at the virtual panel before him and found that the pending mission had been updated. This time, the cultivation was of blood qi. Was it a world specifically for cultivating blood qi?
He could look forward to it, as Gu Yuan's main strength currently lay in his vast ocean-like blood qi. As long as his blood qi endured, Gu Yuan would not die. With sufficient blood qi in his body, severed limbs could be reattached!
However, he had not undergone orthodox blood qi cultivation yet. He hoped this world would bring him some surprises.
Gu Yuan did not intend to enter this blood qi world immediately. He planned to stabilize his strength first, get familiar with the Zhen Tian Sect, and then go into seclusion when fewer people were paying attention to him.
He was still a newcomer, and it was possible that the Zhen Tian Sect leader was still watching him. It was best to be cautious.
He closed the system and began his path of accumulation.
At his current realm of martial path cultivation, it was no longer possible to achieve success through simple arduous training. It required continuously absorbing the martial paths of others, discarding the dross, retaining the essence, and integrating it into oneself. This was the true way.
Gu Yuan intended to start from lower realms, to thoroughly understand the cultivation path of the Myriad Spirits Continent, and to accumulate his foundation. What he learned was his own.
Just as Gu Yuan began to accumulate his foundation, some changes were occurring in the outside world.
...
Temple of the Sacred Fire!
On a large stone tablet, lines of glowing characters flickered.
Lines of characters continuously rose and then stabilized at a certain position.
Xuan Yuan Tian Xia of Sha E Realm—Myriad Spirits Continent!
Yang Tian Kui of Xue Lian Realm—Myriad Spirits Continent!
......
Lines of text emitted light, radiating their brilliance.
Myriad Spirits Continent.
Human territory, Long Yuan City, Zhou Kingdom!
In a secluded alley in the city, a white-haired man in blood-red clothing, carrying a blood-colored long sword on his back, appeared.
Yang Tian Kui instinctively prepared to release his aura to prevent himself from being ambushed.
This was a subconscious action he had developed while slaughtering hundreds of millions of blood demons in the Blood Refining Realm.
He opened his eyes. The sunlight was bright, and the sounds of vendors calling out could be heard from not far away. The ancient-style street was bustling with pedestrians.
He looked up at the sky, watching the sun scatter its light wantonly, and a look of enjoyment appeared on his face.
This was not a world of eternal darkness but a real human world.
"Heh heh, this feeling is so good!" A smile spread across Yang Tian Kui's lips, and he instantly disappeared from his spot.