Chapter 1616: Twelve Types of Attainment
"So strong!"
On the Ferry of the Ages, Qin Mu, Qin Fengqing, and Grand Beginning spoke in unison.
The combat prowess that Fire Celestial Venerable displayed at this moment was truly overwhelming. Around his palm, space itself twisted, and Void Celestial Venerable could barely maintain her footing.
Both were among the Ten Celestial Venerables, and Void Celestial Venerable believed she was in no way inferior to Fire Celestial Venerable. Especially after Earth Lord's death, she had spent these days refining the Dao of the Netherworld, her cultivation and strength advancing by leaps and bounds, filling her with immense self-regard.
Although she had not obtained all of the Netherworld's Dao, nor the complete physical body of Earth Lord, the benefits she gained in the Netherworld far exceeded what Fire Celestial Venerable had obtained in the Southern Celestial Realm.
The ancestral land of Southern Celestial Dao Fire could never compare to the Netherworld.
Despite receiving such enormous advantages, she still felt the gap—the distance between herself and Fire Celestial Venerable.
This gap was roughly equivalent to the difference between thirty-five celestial palaces and thirty-six celestial palaces.
A mere difference of one celestial palace created a chasm as vast as heaven and earth.
Fire Celestial Venerable's soul was not his weakness; it could only be considered a shortcoming, and even that was deliberately cultivated. His Dao Fire could refine the soul, and he could also forge his soul to become immensely powerful.
Since the Dragon Han Era, he had continuously tempered his soul with Dao Fire. After obtaining the ancestral land of Southern Celestial Dao Fire, he used it to cultivate his soul, making it unprecedentedly strong.
However, his soul had yet to reach a level comparable to Nether Celestial Venerable's.
Forged a hundred times into steel, his physical body, primal energy, divine repositories, celestial palaces, runes, Dao patterns, Dao chains, divine abilities, and domains—all had been refined to the extreme by Dao Fire, reaching a state of indestructible vajra.
Yet his soul still lacked a crucial element to reach its peak: the demonic fire of the Netherworld.
From beginning to end, Fire Celestial Venerable knew he had this shortcoming, but it could only be considered a flaw, not a weakness.
He could not obtain the demonic fire from Nether Celestial Venerable. That reclusive man had long seen through his true nature. Therefore, he could only acquire it from the battle to slay Earth Lord, or from Void Celestial Venerable or the Netherworld Godchild.
Back when Qin Mu was the Netherworld Godchild, Fire Celestial Venerable had tried to win him over, hoping he would join his camp.
Later, that hope was shattered, and Qin Mu became his staunchest opponent. He was then forced to try winning over Void Celestial Venerable. If she married him, he could use her demonic fire to cultivate his soul.
However, Void Celestial Venerable sought advice from Celestial Master Meng Yun Gui, and Meng Yun Gui's words directly shattered his illusions about her.
During the Netherworld War, Qin Mu struck first, killing Earth Lord before anyone else could, allowing Qin Fengqing to absorb the Netherworld's Dao and inherit Earth Lord's legacy. Void Celestial Venerable forcefully seized the Netherworld's Dao, engaging in a massive battle with Qin Fengqing, Heaven Duke, and others. As for Fire Celestial Venerable, he was held back by Moon Celestial Venerable and Lang Huan, never getting his chance.
He had only one opportunity left: to make Void Celestial Venerable come to kill him. How to make her do so became his final challenge. But that opportunity arrived silently—the reincarnated body of Imperial Sovereign Lang Xuan fled to the Southern Celestial Realm, giving him the leverage to ally with Grand Beginning.
He decisively sided with Grand Beginning, and after the coronation ceremony, he turned against Hao Tian Emperor. Hao Tian Emperor could not tolerate his betrayal and would surely seek to kill him. But Hao Tian Emperor had to guard against Grand Beginning and Grand Ultimate, so the only people he could deploy were Void Celestial Venerable, Ancestral God King, and the like.
Long ago, Fire Celestial Venerable had deliberately exposed the "weakness" that his cultivation technique could not refine the soul. Thus, Void Celestial Venerable would inevitably use demonic fire to burn his soul, attempting to kill him in one strike.
He had begun laying his plans as far back as the Supreme Emperor Era, and only now, after thirty or forty thousand years, was he finally reaping the harvest, achieving his long-held desire!
Fire Celestial Venerable felt the enhancement the demonic fire brought to his soul as it tempered it, and his heart was filled with exhilaration.
What did temporary disgrace matter?
What did betraying friends and family matter?
What did enslaving the humans of the Southern Celestial Realm and using countless human lives to appease the demigods matter?
What did it matter that the humans of the Southern Celestial Realm, after being enslaved, had lost all will to resist?
One general's success costs ten thousand bones!
As long as he, Fire Celestial Venerable, became the most powerful existence in the world, the emperor of this universe, an invincible being, he could rewrite history and leave the most glorious image of himself in the annals of the scribes.
All he had to do was kill everyone who knew the truth, and he would have no stains!
Ever since a million years ago, when Imperial Celestial Venerable died in the Man Hui Corridor Pavilion, he had understood one truth: to survive, one must become the strong, the one who wields the greatest power!
And if one did not become the strong, did not wield the greatest power, one could only cling to the strong, be the strong's dog.
The world always calls dogs humanity's best friends, but dogs have never thought so!
When a dog gains power greater than its master's, the situation reverses.
Void Celestial Venerable fought back under his palm, her divine abilities and Dao techniques reaching the pinnacle of mastery. Having obtained Earth Lord's Netherworld Dao, her understanding of the demonic path had reached unprecedented heights, with as many as thirty-five celestial palaces.
If this had been a few decades ago, such cultivation would have made her the supreme existence among the Ten Celestial Venerables!
But that was decades ago.
After Fire Celestial Venerable obtained her Dao Fire, his Dharma power, divine consciousness, physical body, spirit, soul, runes, Dao patterns, Dao chains, domains, blood and qi, divine repositories, and celestial palaces—none had any weaknesses. He was indestructible, unbreakable.
Twelve types of attainment, all cultivated to their ultimate limit. For the first time in the world, someone had reached this step.
His palm descended, blotting out the sky and covering the sun. Void Celestial Venerable looked up from within his grasp, as if gazing at a burning canopy of heaven.
Any of her attacks could only shake his five fingers, but with a flick of his fingers, he could shatter her divine abilities!
Void Celestial Venerable attacked wildly, her physical body expanding and growing larger, but space twisted under the power of Dao Fire. No matter how large she became, she could never escape Fire Celestial Venerable's control.
As his palm fell, the center of his hand was like a burning sky, leaving her no escape. Even her celestial palaces were burning!
It was the most intense fire, like desire, devouring everything.
Suddenly, above the Southern Celestial Realm, the Xuan Du World appeared. Ancestral God King, controlling the massive body of Heaven Duke, leaned out half his form and struck a palm toward Fire Celestial Venerable's head.
"People of the Southern Celestial Realm, listen! Fire Celestial Venerable has betrayed us, murdering Yin Celestial Venerable and Azure Dragon Celestial Venerable!"
Ancestral God King stood imposing and majestic, shouting loudly: "Fire Celestial Venerable's crimes are unforgivable! Hao Tian Emperor has decreed a campaign against the traitor Fire! All people of the Southern Celestial Realm, kneel! Anyone who stands is an accomplice of the traitor Fire!"
The entire Southern Celestial Realm erupted in uproar.
Countless demigods and humans inhabited the various heavens of the Southern Celestial Realm, along with demigod and human deities who had built divine cities. They formed the divine and demon armies guarding the Southern Celestial Realm.
Now, even these divine and demon armies, upon hearing Ancestral God King's command, knelt down one after another. Not a single person remained standing.
In Fire Celestial Venerable's celestial palace, his disciples—some polishing his statue, others busy with other tasks—trembled violently upon hearing these words, confusion spreading across their faces. They all looked toward Yan Ya Zi.
Yan Ya Zi, Fire Celestial Venerable's disciple, was also thrown into turmoil by Ancestral God King's words, momentarily at a loss.
"Senior Brother, what should we do?" the many disciples of Fire Celestial Venerable asked.
Yan Ya Zi suppressed his chaotic thoughts, thought for a moment, and shouted: "The sage has taught: The ruler is the guide of the minister, the father is the guide of the son, the husband is the guide of the wife! Although Fire Celestial Venerable is our master, he is not greater than the ruler or the father! Kneel! All of you, kneel!"
In Fire Celestial Venerable's celestial palace, the many disciples hesitated. Yan Ya Zi had already knelt, bowing his head. Seeing this, the other disciples knelt down one after another. Even those who wanted to resist abandoned all thoughts of defiance and knelt.
Far away, East Emperor Azure Dragon's mind went blank, and he wondered to himself: "I'm clearly still alive, so why does Ancestral God King say Fire Celestial Venerable killed me? Damn it, it seems allying with Hao Tian Emperor was a mistake..."
Ancestral God King's strike arrived above Fire Celestial Venerable's head. He laughed heartily: "Fire, you never expected this day, did you? The disciples you painstakingly taught won't help you at all, useless to the very end. The Southern Celestial Realm you worked so hard to build has become the best slave farm you tamed for the Heavenly Court!"
Fire Celestial Venerable raised his other palm to meet Heaven Duke's hand, sneering: "Ancestral God King, you want to break my Dao heart? You're far from it! If I win, who will write the history? I will decide it with a single word!"
Boom—
Ancestral God King, controlling Heaven Duke's physical body, possessed the strongest Dharma power and the strongest physical body. Yet even he felt an unparalleled impact when facing an existence like Fire Celestial Venerable, who had no weaknesses!
In this exchange, he gained no advantage!
"Even if all the humans in the Southern Celestial Realm die, even if all the humans in the myriad worlds die, as long as I live, the human race will not be extinguished!"
Fire Celestial Venerable's blood and qi surged, then stabilized. He laughed heartily, delivering lethal blows to both opponents, his voice echoing without end: "I am the human race! I am the supreme being! What Imperial Celestial Venerable sought back then was too little—he only wanted humans to stand equal with other races. But even that, he could not achieve!"
Taking advantage of the momentary fluctuation in his blood and qi, Void Celestial Venerable pulled the long horn from her head and stabbed it fiercely into Fire Celestial Venerable's palm.
Sss.
The long horn pierced through his palm, emerging from the back of his hand and flying toward his brow.
Fire Celestial Venerable's eyes shot out two streams of Dao Fire, his gaze blazing like torches. As it fell upon the flying horn—a Celestial Venerable treasure refined by Void Celestial Venerable—the horn instantly melted away under the light of his eyes!
Fire Celestial Venerable punched Void Celestial Venerable, who grunted, blood spraying from her mouth as she flew backward. Her demonic blood ignited in the starry sky, burning fiercely.
"But as long as I win, even if only I remain, the human race will be the most honored race in the world!"
A Heavenly Court materialized behind Fire Celestial Venerable's head, his primordial spirit seated within it. He reached out, grabbing Heaven Duke's physical body, pulling Ancestral God King and the body together, attempting to drag him out of the Xuan Du. He sneered: "What Imperial Celestial Venerable could not achieve will be accomplished by my hands!"
Ancestral God King clashed with him head-on, pushing the power of the Heavenly Dao to its extreme, using Heavenly Fire to counter Dao Fire.
Fire Celestial Venerable channeled his Dharma power, and layers of Dao Fire spun like wheels behind his head, twisting the Xuan Du itself. Even Heaven Duke's physical body was warped, elongating, showing signs of being transformed into the flame wheel behind his head!
Such overwhelming strength was truly rare.
At that moment, at the edge of the Southern Celestial Realm, Hao Tian Emperor strode through the starry sky. The One Qi Grand Celestial Heaven appeared, the branches of the Dao Tree swaying.
He would personally lead the campaign against Fire Celestial Venerable.
Just as he stepped into the Southern Celestial Realm, another One Qi Grand Celestial Heaven materialized in the void before him. Beneath it, two Grand Ultimate Ancient Gods flanked Grand Beginning, blocking his path.