Chapter 3066: Three Stops of Tai Xu
The Eon Calamity is a life-and-death tribulation for deities.
But it also brings endless benefits.
It is the power of heaven and earth baptizing the deity, tempering the physique, divine soul, and spiritual will.
For this reason, the vast majority of deities cannot cultivate to the Tai Zhen Realm before enduring their first Eon Calamity. Only a once-in-ten-thousand-years prodigy like Shang Hong could step into this level before crossing the Eon Calamity.
Even figures like Xue Jue and Huang Tian relied on the baptism of the Eon Calamity to break through to the Tai Xu Realm.
Within a single eon, reaching the Infinite Realm before crossing the Eon Calamity?
Such a figure, even with Xiu Chen Heavenly God's experience, was unheard of.
Since Zhang Ruochen, this junior, was so arrogant and even dared to swear by the honor of Immovable Bright King Great Venerable and Xue Jue Ancestor, Xiu Chen Heavenly God could find no reason to refuse this bet of his.
Of course, the most important reason was that Xiu Chen Heavenly God truly had no right to choose.
After Zhang Ruochen swore the oath, under the strict vigilance of Xue Jue War God, Xiu Chen Heavenly God entered the inner space of the Sundial and arrived at that ancient cave.
Its finger gently touched the stone wall of the cave.
Instantly, the stone wall became crystal clear, like divine jade, emitting specks of light.
Sensing the familiar aura within the Sundial, the fierce gleam in Xiu Chen Heavenly God's eyes vanished for the first time, replaced by a look of reminiscence. It said, "If not for that battle ten thousand years ago, how would I have ended up like this? Xumi, I hate you!"
Zhang Ruochen said, "What do you have to hate? Back then, all you Hell Realm deities ganged up on Saint Monk. You couldn't match his skill, got your divine body shattered, and lost your divine source. How can you blame Saint Monk for that?"
"What do you, a child, know? The things that bald monk Xumi did back then were worse than beasts. Do you think he became a monk for no reason? It was because he knew his sins were too heavy, and even he couldn't forgive himself. 'If Hell is not empty, I vow not to become a Buddha'—that refers to the Hell in his own heart." Xiu Chen Heavenly God said.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Xiu Chen with a strange expression, thinking to himself, Could Saint Monk have done something to wrong it back then?
But that didn't seem right!
Although it looked no different from a woman, its personality was entirely that of a man.
It hardly seemed like a scorned woman nursing a grudge.
"What are you looking at? It has nothing to do with me. If you want to know the answer, go ask that Nutian Shenzun of the Destiny Temple yourself." Xiu Chen Heavenly God snorted coldly.
Xiu Chen's personality was extreme, so Zhang Ruochen didn't believe its words at all.
He always held deep respect for Saint Monk.
But he also believed that some major event must have happened back then.
Zhang Ruochen grinned and said, "From now on, call me master properly! If you dare be so fierce again, I'll take the Soul-Whip and give you a few hundred lashes. What are you glaring at? Hurry up and fuse. Do you still want to take revenge on Ming Jian Shen? If he refines the Universe Cauldron, who under the Infinite Realm will be his match?"
Even knowing that he would regain his freedom in the future, Xiu Chen Heavenly God was still full of resentment. If not for Xue Jue War God standing nearby, he would have wanted to tear Zhang Ruochen apart with his bare hands.
In this ancient cave, there was a small fire, the flame of the Sundial's artifact spirit.
After being damaged in that battle ten thousand years ago, the artifact spirit's flame went out. Although it reignited later, it had always been very weak.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God's body turned into a mist of divine soul, converging toward the fire.
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged, and streams of divine soul flew out from his body, rushing toward the fire and merging into the Sundial.
"Sizzle, sizzle!"
The light emitted by the fire grew brighter and brighter, burning fiercely.
The surface of the Sundial, once rough and uneven, now showed crystalline particles, with ancient patterns and markings emerging. At the very center of the stone disk, a graceful and slender imprint appeared, exactly like Xiu Chen Heavenly God.
Below the Sundial, it had already turned into an endless ocean of time, boundless and vast.
Xue Jue War God nodded in satisfaction, feeling elated, and said, "Xiu Chen, you've made a huge profit this time. With the Sundial as your divine body, your combat power far exceeds before."
"You're the ones who really made the profit! Even if I regain my freedom in the future, I'll still have to work for your Blood Absolute Family for over a hundred thousand years."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God's artifact spirit body recondensed, flames burning on it, and he snorted, "The injury this time was too severe. My combat power has fallen from the peak of Tai Xu Realm to the early stage of Tai Xu Realm. Even with the Sundial as my divine body, my combat power is far from before. Unless I use the Eternal Heart and Time Divine Liquid to reforge a divine source, my combat power can only return to the peak of Tai Xu Realm."
Zhang Ruochen said, "What's the rush? Is the mere peak of Tai Xu Realm even a goal worth pursuing? What realm were you, Xiu Chen, in the past? It was only because you were limited to a soul body that you could only exert peak Tai Xu Realm combat power."
"Think about it—why, when you, with peak Tai Xu Realm combat power, faced Ming Jian Shen, who was also at peak Tai Xu Realm, were you shattered in a single blow?"
Xiu Chen Heavenly God didn't hide his contemptuous gaze and said, "What do you know? I only had peak Tai Xu Realm combat power, while Ming Jian Shen had peak Tai Xu Realm cultivation. Xue Jue is at the early stage of Tai Xu Realm, but as the main god of the Palm Path, he also has peak Tai Xu Realm combat power."
"When Xue Jue's cultivation reaches the peak of Tai Xu Realm, how much greater will the gap be compared to now? You, a child, understand nothing."
Zhang Ruochen took out a Soul-Whip and said, "What I mean is, Ming Jian Shen's advantage is just a divine sword and a large amount of Sword Dao Essence. In terms of using divine abilities, can he compare to you? The Way of Time also has some advantages over the Sword Dao, right? As for the divine body, can his compare to the Sundial? As for Rule Divine Marks and Divine Qi, you just need time to accumulate them."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God looked at the whip in Zhang Ruochen's hand, his eyelids twitching. He became much more polite, no longer speaking with sarcasm, and said, "Easier said than done. Just the large amount of Sword Dao Essence Ming Jian Shen holds has already established his foundation as a top-tier strongman under the Infinite Realm. Ask Xue Jue—did his Palm Dao Essence come easily?"
Xue Jue War God's expression was serious, and he said, "Ruochen, don't underestimate Ming Jian Shen just because you borrowed the power of Heavenly Mother to defeat him. This man's combat power isn't just about holding a large amount of Sword Dao Essence and a divine sword. His talent in the Sword Dao is extraordinary, and he has the potential to break through the Infinite with a single sword."
Zhang Ruochen was naturally not a frivolous person. He said solemnly, "Being called the number one sword under heaven, he is naturally extraordinary. I'm not arrogant enough to compare myself to him now. But I believe that for Xiu Chen to defeat him is not too difficult. Right, Xiu Chen?"
Xiu Chen Heavenly God showed a proud expression and said, "As long as I have enough time to rebuild my divine soul, accumulate Rule Divine Marks and Divine Qi comparable to his, and combine it with the special power of the Sundial, it's not impossible to defeat Ming Jian Shen, who is at the Soul Stop stage."
"Of course, if you, Zhang Ruochen, are capable enough to find me the Essence of any one of the Way of Time, the Way of Killing, the Ultimate Jade Heavenly Way, or the Way of Five Elements Earth, and make me the main god of that path, then defeating Ming Jian Shen would be effortless."
At the peak of the Tai Xu Realm, there is the saying of the "Three Stops of Tai Xu."
Body Stop, Soul Stop, and Heart Stop—these are the three tribulations from the Tai Xu Realm to the Infinite Realm.
Body Stop: The physical body stops transforming, Rule Divine Marks cannot increase, and Divine Qi stagnates.
Soul Stop: The divine soul stops growing.
Heart Stop: The most terrifying, it is said to make deities lose their drive for progress, their heart for enlightenment, and their clarity of judgment.
Each of these three stops is extremely difficult to overcome. Even if you are gifted, even an eon-level genius might be stuck at one stop for an entire eon, or even never break through.
Of course, there is also the legend of "breaking through three stops in seven days."
Although Xiu Chen Heavenly God was left with only a soul body, he had long broken through the three stops—this was his unique advantage.
An advantage in realm!
"Let's return to All Gods Continent first to collect the soul fragments and the Divine Qi and Divine Dao Rules of Shura Great Yi Realm." When Xiu Chen Heavenly God said this, his eyes were full of resentment.
If not for being struck by the Pure Yang Divine Sword, he believed he could now exert combat power at the middle stage of Tai Xu Realm.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Xue Jue War God and said, "Grandfather, how many experts from the Undying Blood Clan have come? Is Xue Tu with you all?"
Xue Jue War God knew that Zhang Ruochen wasn't really concerned about Xue Tu, and said, "Only I came alone, but Xue Yao and Mo Bosha and the others had already led a large group of Undying Blood Clan cultivators to set out earlier. Let's go meet them first."
"Xiu Chen, return to the Sundial first."
Zhang Ruochen and Xue Jue War God left the Void World, turning into two beams of divine light, flying through the starry sky of the region where the Lost Paradise was located.
Xue Jue War God said, "Xiu Chen is proud and certainly won't submit sincerely. Be careful that he might turn on you in a dangerous situation. You must understand that although you now hold his life and death and can control him, if you die at the hands of an enemy, he won't die—he'll be freed instead. Controlling the strong with weakness is extremely dangerous. Xiu Chen was once immensely powerful and knows all kinds of secret arts. He might even reverse control you, using the artifact to control the person."
"Grandfather, rest assured. I will be cautious. In the short term, I won't let him have a divine source; that would make him harder to control." Zhang Ruochen said.
"As long as you know what you're doing!"
Xue Jue War God nodded and then said, "Since you swore by the honor of Xue Jue Ancestor, you absolutely cannot break it. Do you really have that much confidence in reaching the Infinite Realm within one eon?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "The Infinite Realm isn't that easy, but I will do my best. However... this oath did indeed trick him!"
"Cultivating for one eon might not reach the Infinite Realm, but suppressing Xiu Chen shouldn't be too difficult. And even if I can't suppress him, there's still you, Grandfather! I only said I would set him free—I didn't say that after setting him free, I wouldn't suppress him again."
Xue Jue War God laughed heartily and didn't bother to give any more advice, clearly seeing that his grandson knew exactly what he was doing.
"Grandfather, you came all the way to the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain for my sake, didn't you?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Xue Jue War God and the Undying Blood God had almost always acted separately, so that even if one fell, the other could continue to guard the Blood Absolute Family.
But this time, coming to such a dangerous place as the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, both Xue Jue War God and the Undying Blood God appeared together—a clear sign of how seriously they took it.
(Chapter End)