Chapter 975 - Unlocking the Second Gate

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Liu Wuxie gave the twelve fiends no chance to react and struck with overwhelming force.

"The Great Dragon Aspect Art!" he bellowed.

The Heavenly Dragon Seal transformed into a divine dragon that coiled above the underground mines.

The Great Dragon Aspect Art froze the three divinekin in place as they struggled to break free from its restraints. They couldn't escape, no matter how they tried.

The remaining divinekin quickly moved in to help. If they lost a single person, their collective power would weaken severely. After all, they were immensely powerful with their flawless cooperation.

"You want to join forces? Let's see after you try this!" Liu Wuxie roared and cleaved down with the Heretic Blade.

He had intended to stop the other divinekin from reinforcing the three.

Shortly after, a torrent of ice energy poured down, forming an ice wall that separated the twelve fiends. This was his actual strategy: to divide and conquer.

The Great Dragon Aspect Art restrained the three divinekin as they struggled with all their might to break free. The seal exerted immense pressure on them, and their bodies looked ready to rupture at any moment. A loud rumble tore through the surroundings, clearing them away and allowing sunlight to pour through the ceiling.

"Ancestral tree, prepare to devour them!" Liu Wuxie called out.

He knew this was a rare opportunity. If he could convert these three divinekin into Divine Fruits, he would be be able to slay the other divinekin.

The ancestral tree had long prepared itself and unleashed countless branches that burrowed into the divinekin's bodies while they were withstanding the Heavenly Dragon Seal's pressure.

The branches instantly froze them. They could only watch helplessly as the ancestral tree devoured their divine energy.

In less than a breath, the ancestral tree disintegrated the three divinekin, stripping their skins away. It devoured their divine energy and converted it into three Divine Fruits.

"These are massive!" Liu Wuxie gasped, looking at the glistering Divine Fruits.

Any Divine Fruit he had seen before looked like a miniature in front of these three fruits, radiating immense energy.

Without hesitation, Liu Wuxie plucked the three Divine Fruits and tossed them into the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron.

In the next second, a terrifying surge of divine force coursed through his body, and his comprehension of dao techniques increased staggeringly.

Most importantly, the divine force fully manifested the second gate in his soul sea. If he could obtain more Divine Fruits, he would be able to open it completely.

"That feels great!" Liu Wuxie murmured, his eyes alight.

Divine force rejuvenated every inch of his body as insight surged through him, unraveling all the mysteries of the dao techniques he had struggled with in the past.

"Die!" Liu Wuxie turned to the other divinekin.

If he could kill them all, he would unlock the second gate, allowing him to reach a new peak in his strength.

"Great Five Elemental Palm!"

"Golden Flame Strike!"

"Frost Dao Art!"

After being strengthened with divine force, Liu Wuxie unleashed three dao techniques in succession. Divine force amplified each dao technique, multiplying its power tenfold.

Facing the incoming dao techniques, the nine divinekin exchanged a look before charging at Liu Wuxie. With the death of their three brothers, they had lost their will to live. They were brothers who lived and trained together as one.

The Golden Flame Strike ripped through two divinekin before they could react. The ancestral tree immediately devoured their divine energy and converted them into two Divine Fruits.

As he fought, Liu Wuxie continued refining the Divine Fruits through the cauldron, strengthening his divine force.

Liu Wuxie unleashed the Great Five Elemental Palm, killing three divinekin and feeding their divine energy to the ancestral tree.

Like that, the divine energy of the five Divine Fruits surged and slammed against the second gate.

With a loud rumble, the gate burst open, and divine force surged into his body, flooding the desolate world and merging into his soul sea, enhancing his dao techniques.

At this point, Liu Wuxie was certain—even those at the Earth Profound Realm couldn't rival him in the comprehension of dao techniques. It was a sudden enlightenment with all the profundities revealed to him.

More divine force empowered the Frost Dao Art, strengthening its power and turning the underground mine into a frozen ocean. Everything—rock, earth, and the remaining divinekin—except Liu Wuxie turned to ice.

The frost immobilized the remaining divinekin but failed to kill them.

The ancestral tree extended its branches and created four more Divine Fruits.

Liu Wuxie wasn't in a hurry to refine them for now, as he had already unlocked the second gate. The boost in his strength wouldn't be that high even if he refined them. The endless flow of divine force from the second gate was enough for now.

Even after slaying the twelve fiends, Liu Wuxie felt no sense of satisfaction. It was as if he had accomplished something trivial, a mere inevitability. He had foreseen their clash long before it happened, and he had emerged victorious.

But he knew it wasn't over. More divinekin would come, driven by vengeance and the desire to see him dead.

Soon, everyone regrouped as they mainly had healed up from their injuries.

"Big Brother Liu, let's get out of here. It's freezing in here," Gu Yu said, shivering.

With their cultivation, they should've been able to resist the cold, but the Frost Dao Art contained ice-attribute laws that could even suppress true essence.

They broke through the surface and emerged from the underground mine.

Liu Wuxie handed Gu Yu a Divine Fruit. "Gu Yu, eat this."

He knew he might've died if Gu Yu hadn't defended him by putting his life on the line.

"Thank you, Big Brother Liu!" Gu Yu grinned and accepted it without hesitation. He knew it had to be extraordinary since it came from Liu Wuxie.

Standing by the side, Fiery gave Liu Wuxie a pitiful look.

This drew an eye-roll from Liu Wuxie before he tossed it a Divine Fruit.

Lu Liang and the other assassins were clearing up the battlefield, and once they were done, they planned to scout for information.

Shortly after Fiery consumed the Divine Fruit, it began to radiate with an even stronger aura. The shimmering golden runes beneath its fur grew stronger as well.

Gu Yu consumed the Divine Fruit, and dazzling radiance erupted around him.

"Big Brother Liu, this stuff is insane!" Gu Yu laughed. He couldn't believe there were treasures that enhanced the divine force. If he could obtain them in large quantities, wouldn't that mean he could keep strengthening his dao techniques without limit?

Liu Wuxie gave Gu Yu an eye-roll. Divine Fruits were rare, and even Liu Wuxie doubted his ability to obtain them easily. After all, the divine race was too powerful, and he didn't want to face them head-on unless absolutely necessary.

Gu Yu scratched his head and chuckled before focusing on absorbing the divine force.

"Master, we've cleaned up the battlefield," Lu Liang reported with the other three assassins.

"You three, go gather intel. Ruan Ying will stay behind," Liu Wuxie said.

If they receive any information, they could send it back to him through Ruan Ying.

"Understood!" Lu Liang's group of three left at once.

After his breakthrough into the Spirit Profound Realm, Liu Wuxie realized that his soul sea had doubled. Previously, controlling the figures in the pool of faith had strained his reserves due to their growing cultivation.

But now, everything was different. His soul sea had expanded, and the pool of faith grew along with it. Most importantly, he had unlocked the second gate, further amplifying his control.

The figures in the pool of faith sank deeper, locking themselves within. They could never break free from his control unless he chose to undo the conversion.

"Big Brother Liu, where are we going next?" Gu Yu asked.

Following Liu Wuxie had brought him plentiful harvest, such as the Dragon Pearl, the Great Dragon Aspect Art, the dragon soul for the Dragon Clan Scepter, and the Divine Fruit. He was determined to stay beside Liu Wuxie.

"How long has it been since we came into this world?" Liu Wuxie asked.

He didn't have a plan, as there were too many treasures in the sacred ground for him to monopolize everything.

"Four months," Ruan Ying replied.

There were two months left before the sacred ground closed.

"Let's find the nearest city to rest," Liu Wuxie said.

With no clear plan, he decided to rest for a few days and consolidate his cultivation. He had been racing against time in the past four months, and there weren't many people capable of threatening him now that he had reached the Spirit Profound Realm.

The group of three headed toward the nearest city, and the journey took about an entire day.

Other cultivators also flocked into the city. With time running out, they had also decideded to stop searching for treasures and consolidate their cultivation, aiming to reach the Earth Profound Realm in the next two months.

Liu Wuxie still had no idea that everyone in the sacred ground had gone mad searching for him. Since the Thunder Saint Pearl, no treasure of equal value had appeared. After so many years of excavating in the sacred ground, most treasures had already been taken.

"Big Brother, are we going to go in? Something doesn't feel right," Gu Yu commented as he glanced at the city.

He could sense that something was off with the city, and those who were entering were eying them with hostility. Someone had recognized Liu Wuxie and had already gone to alert others.