Chapter 1 The Beginning

At the same time, inside Mount Taibai Volcano.

Su Zhou was in a mountain cavity that led directly to the inner wall of the volcano's crater, sitting down casually like an ordinary person, closing his eyes to cultivate.

Hundreds of meters below this place was a lake of boiling magma. Beside him was a gap leading to the inner side of the crater, filled with sulfurous gas. In the spirit world, the fire spiritual energy, rotating like a tornado in the crater, had transformed into a heaven-reaching, earth-connecting flame storm, constantly gushing out from the depths of the earth veins, going straight to the clouds gathering at the summit.

In the clouds, golden lightning flickered due to the conflict between the high-heat airflow and the northern snow clouds.

An ordinary person placed in this desperate situation would not only be unable to cultivate but would be directly killed by the heat and poison. Even wearing heat-resistant clothing and a gas mask, inhaling even a bit of this extremely yang spiritual energy would scorch and damage the insufficiently strong spiritual power circulation within their body.

But now, Su Zhou, who had already become a Grandmaster, could freely cultivate in this perilous place.

Wisps of golden-red spiritual energy were extracted by Su Zhou out of thin air from the spiritual energy storm within the crater and absorbed into his body—an act that would be equivalent to self-destruction for others was no more dangerous than normal cultivation for him, and could even be considered a great tonic.

"My spiritual power attribute leans towards explosiveness and destruction, which is the so-called 'Fire element.' Although this is vastly different from true fire, it is very similar to the nature of the spiritual energy in the volcano and has significance for reference and validation."

Since becoming a Grandmaster, that is, after reaching the peak of the Awakening stage, Su Zhou could feel that his communication with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had deepened further. This manifested practically as a further advancement in his spiritual vision ability.

With a single glance, he could not only see the trajectory of spiritual energy movement but even the details of spiritual energy flow—through the soil and rock layers, Su Zhou could see how the lava beneath the volcano was gathering momentum and accumulating power. He could even predict that this volcano would erupt in one hundred and twenty years, blooming a spectacular and scorching flower of ash upon this snowfield.

If it were a human, Su Zhou could now even see whether the circulation of 'qi' within their body was good!

And now, he was absorbing extremely yang spiritual energy, incorporating it into his body, simulating the rhythm of the volcano's pulse, and tempering his body.

This was precisely the foundation for reaching the 'Innate' stage, which was also the 'Transcendent' realm—a powerful adaptability to various types of heaven and earth elemental energies.

"Possessing spiritual power is what makes a true cultivator… What is needed to go from mundane to Spirit Awakening is a wisp of 'spirituality' born from one's life essence, that is, from the body and soul."

"With spirituality, one can imprint the spiritual energy of heaven and earth with one's own mark, transforming it into 'spiritual power' that can be utilized by an individual. When a person can control their spiritual power with their thoughts and use it, that is the Awakening stage."

Having reached his current realm, Su Zhou's understanding of cultivation was even clearer.

He was born with Spirit Awakening and had unconsciously accumulated a large amount of spiritual power over a long period. Because he could not control this spiritual power himself, it dissipated and strengthened his body, making his body stronger and stronger, laying a solid foundation for his future Awakening, allowing him to rapidly reach the peak of Awakening in just a few months of cultivation.

Although spirituality was the foundation of cultivation, the strength of life force could still accelerate the speed of cultivation. This was also the principle of dual cultivation of both nature and life in ancient times—a healthy body could accommodate a healthy soul and more spiritual power reserves.

"However, the human body, as a primitive life structure, has a natural limit to the amount of spiritual power it can contain. Even a perfect body like mine cannot withstand dozens or hundreds of times the amount of spiritual energy of an Awakened—in other words, even a genius among geniuses like me cannot cultivate the *Zhou Tian Lan Jia* (All-Encompassing Tempest Armor) to the Lesser Completion stage in the Awakening stage."

At this moment, Su Zhou activated the *Lan Zhong* (Tempest Seed) located in the center of his forehead. This armor composed of狂风 (kuang feng, violent winds) had a trace of golden-red color due to the spiritual energy in the volcanic region.

He sensed the structure of the *Lan Zhong* (Tempest Seed) and confirmed his idea: "At this time, it is necessary to transcend the original life form, using the original body organs as the foundation, or even creating a 'Transcendent' spiritual power organ out of thin air to store more spiritual power—like the Golden Core, or the magic furnace. The names are different, but ultimately, that's what they are."

"If I want to store more spiritual power in my body in the future, I must sublimate and transform my internal organs with spiritual power, so that they are not only human organs used for the circulation of physical matter but also organs for transporting and storing spiritual power. Then, based on this, condense more transcendent structures in the body to control spiritual energy."

"*Lan Zhong* (Tempest Seed) is an excellent example—although the *Zhou Tian Lan Jia* (All-Encompassing Tempest Armor), this innate technique, is very rough compared to Sacred Geometry, it can allow me to understand and move towards the Transcendent stage even before I obtain Yala's second volume of Sacred Geometry inheritance."

This was the method Su Zhou found to reach the Transcendent stage.

The Transcendent stage was a leap in the level of life. Taking humans as an example, it was a transformation from a basic flesh-and-blood species into a transcendent being with spiritual power organs in the body. The Divine Wood World called this step acquired returning to innate, which was closer to the original 'Dao.'

At this time, one could also see the difference between 'cultivation methods' and 'secret methods.' Cultivation methods were similar to Sacred Geometry, used to expand the cultivator's spiritual power foundation and did not possess any combat abilities in themselves, while secret methods were like the *Zhou Tian Lan Jia* (All-Encompassing Tempest Armor), simply a method of using spiritual power that could be used for combat and daily application. As for how to cultivate the spiritual power that could activate this secret method, that was not its concern.

To give an analogy, if a person was a computer, then cultivation methods were strengthening the computer's hardware, while various secret methods were software running on the hardware foundation. The two complemented each other, allowing the user, that is, the cultivator, to achieve their desired goals.

Yala was not unwilling to teach Su Zhou the second volume of 'Sacred Geometry,' but according to its original words, 'Sacred Geometry was originally a supreme classic with great information disturbance. It would be fine in the main world Earth at the center of the seal, with the great seal suppressing it, but taking it out randomly in another world might attract a lot of troublesome attention.'

"You definitely don't want to be targeted by a dozen existences like me every time you go to a different world, right? It's better to be low-key outside."

However, it also affirmed that Su Zhou's idea was correct. Furthermore, Su Zhou's spiritual power reserves had not yet reached the limit of his body, so creating spiritual power organs in his body was indeed not urgent. Now, he only needed to use the pure spiritual energy of the volcano to temper his body and lay a good foundation for his future realm.

Whoosh—

It could be seen that after absorbing a large amount of volcanic spiritual energy, circles of high-speed airflow rose around Su Zhou, rapidly rotating around his body. They transformed into vortex-like structures, then constantly contracted, became smaller, and finally all condensed in his chest, transforming into a subtle but extremely dense spiritual energy structure.

A *Lan Zhong* (Tempest Seed) located in the very center of his chest was thus cultivated.

No one disturbed him. The demon army dared not come to invade for the time being. People would regularly send him drinking water and food every day. Su Zhou stayed in the high-density spiritual energy environment inside the volcano, concentrating on cultivation, increasing his spiritual power reserves, optimizing the spiritual energy circulation structure in his body, and condensing *Lan Zhong* (Tempest Seed).

Time flew by.

Seven days had passed since Su Zhou killed the demon general Beastmaster and advanced to the Grandmaster realm.

The divine weapon would be completed in just over a day. The demon army had not come to attack, not even probing. The reinforcements had finally arrived at the border of Liaozhou after many setbacks—because Han Zongshi (Grandmaster Han), the mole, had leaked the route in advance, the reinforcements were repeatedly attacked by flying spiritual tree monsters and the demon army along the way, and could not advance at full speed, but they had finally arrived.

It was also on this day that Su Zhou condensed his fourth *Lan Zhong* (Tempest Seed), reaching the limit of his spiritual power support.

"Boom boom boom boom!"

A figure was swinging a large spear in the open space in the volcanic belly.

The head, throat, chest, and abdomen of this figure were wrapped in four interconnected translucent storm armor, with each step and each spear swing, the air would explode out of thin air, the ground would shatter, and even the rock of the volcanic abdomen will thus shake and fall off, like a small rain.

It could be seen that with each swing of the great spear, it could bring up white shock waves of several feet long, bringing out a track on the ground. This shock wave almost like an empty palm force had completely integrated into every movement of this figure, making his attack range circled out of thin air!

After ten minutes of full swing, the figure slowly stopped the big spear in his hand and the pace under his feet.

Su Zhou let out a long breath, and under the blessing of the head armor, this breath blew away the rubble throughout the cavity like a storm.

Today's Su Zhou, the vital points of his body have been岚种 (Lan Zhong, Tempest Seed) protection. Although, the full version of周身岚甲 (Zhou Shen Lan Jia, All-Encompassing Tempest Armor) is composed of nine岚种 (Lan Zhong, Tempest Seed)defense circles on the head alone, and there is only one now, but Su Zhou has done the best he can do at the awakening stage, and can incorporate this innate secret method into actual combat.

"Feels great, my combat power has been greatly improved again… After going back, if I encounter any military exoskeleton armor, I feel like I can dismantle it with my bare hands!"

Su Zhou slightly swayed his shoulders, and suddenly a huge force stirred the air, stirring up a strong wind, he reached out his hand, grabbed it casually, and grabbed a bang out of the air.

Such a grab is more terrifying than the claws of the strongest tiger. Su Zhou can now single-handedly lift a tripod and throw an elephant, throwing a car like a basketball with pure brute force: "The inheritance of the 神木世界 (Shinmu World, Divine Wood World) does indeed have its own uniqueness. Although many secret methods are declining now, in the great environment of spiritual energy recovery, I am afraid that these secret methods will be re-shining!"

However, just when Su Zhou was looking forward to the future and in a good mood, he received extremely bad news from a craftsman who hurried over.

"What, the reinforcements can't come?!"

Su Zhou's surprised voice rose a few pitches—although he never thought of putting all his hopes on the reinforcements from the beginning, but it was also five宗师 (Grandmasters) and two hundred后天武者 (Hou Tian Wuzhe, Acquired Martial Artists), which was regarded as the high-end combat power of one-fifth of the entire 百家义军 (Baijia Yijun, Hundred Families Rebel Army), how could it suddenly say that it can't come?!

If such a reinforcement arrives, then the entire fortress can be described as impregnable, no matter how many demon soldiers attack it!

At this time, Li Daoran, with a face full of anxiety, also rushed to Su Zhou's retreat. He didn't say a word of nonsense, and said directly: "Our reinforcements collided with the reinforcements of the demon army, and they are now at the border of Liaozhou, and their footsteps have been delayed... If it was just like this, I wouldn't be so anxious. After all, the reinforcements also played a role. It is said that even Liesheng and its iron cannon brigade went to delay it, and according to the grand craftsman, the divine weapon will soon be built, even if the demon army comes out in full force, we can only block it for one day at most."

"But the Demon Dynasty's 国师 (Guoshi, National Preceptor) is also among them, and the number is far more than we imagined!"

国师 (Guoshi, National Preceptor), one of the two Grandmasters in the Demon Dynasty camp. According to legend, this person designed the '化龙仪轨 (Hua Long Yi Gui, Dragon Transformation Ritual)' with millions of people's blood energy refining the undead elixir to supply the emperor and Manchu Wang Gong (Prince) Daifu (Grand Master) to take.

If ordinary demon soldiers are just using the ritual to transfer their souls to the undead roots, and then manipulate the human body with the undead roots, then the emperors and princes who take the undead elixir will naturally give birth to their own undead roots in their bodies—whether it is affinity or future development prospects, they are two levels of rituals, and even the high-level members of the demon dynasty who take the undead elixir can naturally subdue the demon soldiers and order them to act.

Its strength is not to say that it is not powerful, even the three Grandmasters of the 百家义军 (Baijia Yijun, Hundred Families Rebel Army) will fall into a disadvantage in a heads-up fight.

And this time, it took several times the number of demon soldiers and demon generals of the Hundred Families reinforcements, and caught the Hundred Families by surprise!

"The Demon Dynasty has completely abandoned the defense of all fortresses and cities except for the two important places of 'Nantianjing' and 'Nanjiang Tianguan', exchanging land for time—they are almost coming out in full force, and our army is still marching towards Nantianjing... It's too decisive. They don't care about any people's foundation, and they don't care about how corrupt the situation will be, they just want to destroy the divine weapon!"

"Let's go out and see the situation first." There was no time to continue analyzing the situation. Su Zhou immediately got up, took his spirit iron spear from the side, and then left the volcanic belly with a serious face, and came to the top of the mountain around the 太白 (Taibai, Venus) volcano crater with Li Daoran.

He stood on the top of the mountain and stared into the distance.

In the spiritual vision, the surging blood-colored咒怨 (Zhou Yuan, curse resentment) turned into a hazy mist, mixed with a huge amount of blue wood energy, and was sweeping in with dark clouds like a typhoon.

The 国师 (Guoshi, National Preceptor) who had just walked down from the zhenqi airship in the distant mountain position also raised his head and looked at the green and purple spiritual light on the mountain that was accumulating but not moving like a volcano.

"Here it comes."

Both of them said in unison on the mountain and down the mountain.

The final battle to protect the divine weapon is about to begin.