Chapter 214: Suppression of Purgatory, Invincible Fighting Spirit (II)

This harvest was much more than Chen Chu had expected. Originally, his plan had been to kill a level 4 mutated beast on the way back and bring it along, since that combined with the weight of the Rampage Ape would have reached the anti-gravity disks’ limit of a hundred tons. Even with the assistance of the disks, that wasn’t something an ordinary cultivator could carry under normal circumstances, much less through one to two thousand kilometers of mountainous terrain.

At the same time, he was somewhat relieved that he had been on the edge of the Yunwu Mountain Range last night. If he had still been deeper in, the soaring scent of blood could have attracted powerful creatures of level 6 or higher. If that had happened, he wasn’t sure if he would have been able to handle it.

According to Chen Chu's estimation of himself, his normal combat power should be at the peak of the Fifth Heavenly Realm. With the eruption of the runes, his combat power would be comparable to the beginning stage of the Sixth Heavenly Realm, which was considered to be relatively strong compared to earlier Realms.

At the beginning stage of the Fourth Heavenly Realm, his normal combat power had reached the late stage of the Fifth, while his explosive power had been comparable to the peak, dominating everything below the Sixth Heavenly Realm.

Now, with the breakthrough to the fifth stage of the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body carrying him to the late stage of the Fourth Heavenly Realm, the span of combat power wasn’t as exaggerated as it had been at the beginning stage.

As one progressed in true martial arts cultivation, the difference in power between each Realm usually became larger. If the power of the First Heavenly Realm was ranked at 1, then the Second Realm would be ranked at 5, the Third Realm at 20, and the Fourth Realm, with the first transformation of true power, at 100.

The Fifth Heavenly Realm involved condensing true power to become several times thicker, making its power ranking roughly between 400 to 600. The Sixth Heavenly Realm, however, was where the power truly skyrocketed; with the integration of will to ignite the flames of true power, a cultivator of that Realm could crush all opponents in the lower Realms with a power of over 1,500.

The Seventh Heavenly Realm, which was when the second transformation of true power occurred, was even more powerful, as cultivators gained the ability to control and use the power of heaven and earth in their attacks.

That was why Lin Xiong had been able to effortlessly kill two cultivators at the beginning stage of the Sixth Heavenly Realm with just a casual palm strike, as well as survive their explosive self-destruction.

Of course, cultivators couldn’t be compared solely by such numbers. Combat power involved many aspects, of which the level of true power was but one part. Taking all of those aspects into consideration, Chen Chu’s combat power matching the beginning stage of the Sixth Heavenly Realm despite him still being in the late stage of the Fourth was absolutely terrifying.

The primary reason for this was the power of his physical body. Apart from his immense strength, his speed and reflexes were also fast, giving the illusion that his explosive power was stronger than even a cultivator in the middle stage of the Sixth Realm and allowing him to kill peak level 5 mutated beasts with a single burst of that power.

Compared to cultivators of the Sixth Heavenly Realm, his true advantages lay in his powerful physical body, the substantive quality he had obtained after breaking through to the Fourth Realm, and the broken runes that instantly burned his vitality and true power.

On the other hand, Fifth and Sixth Heavenly Realm cultivators wouldn’t be completely helpless against him. High-level combat skills at the intermediate level, and high-level arts in the fifth stage, were considered the standard for cultivators of those Realms. Some remarkably talented individuals even managed to refine their arts and combat skills to their peaks just from breaking through to the Sixth Realm.

It was also standard to possess transcendent armor and weapons, which had usually been refined twice by the time their owner broke through to the Sixth Realm, far surpassing the Eight Desolations Purgatory Halberd in strength.

It was fair to say that cultivators in the Fifth and Sixth Heavenly Realms were almost all geniuses, while those with lesser talent had long been stuck in the Fourth.

Lost in thought, Chen Chu emerged from the logistics warehouse and made his way to the base square. As he glanced at the large screen, he noticed his skyrocketing rank on the Achievement List, soaring to 905th.

The Achievement List not only recorded challenges, but also the accumulated points from killing mutated creatures, with higher points awarded for killing across realms. Chen Chu’s feat of solo killing a peak level 5 mutated beast while in the beginning stage of the Fourth Heavenly Realm had resulted in a terrifying leap in points that instantly pushed him forward by over forty ranks.

However, these extra points were only awarded the first time; from now on, such actions would instead become part of his usual achievements.

Since such changes in ranking didn't flash in bright red letters, hardly anyone else noticed.

Chen Chu headed straight for his dormitory to clean his armor and shower off the reek of blood. Feeling refreshed afterward, he made himself a cup of piping hot tea and took a sip, feeling the warmth spread through his body as the scalding water filled his stomach.

He let out a long sigh. "

Phew!

Feels like I've come back to life."

The danger and brutality of last night's battle had surprised even him. The only thing that had saved him had been his robust physique and terrifying endurance; a cultivator at even the Fifth Heavenly Realm would have been surrounded and killed once they had exhausted their true power.

His Strength attribute had grown to 1,200 points as his avatar developed, giving him a base arm strength of around thirty tons. Coupled with the enhancement of his Dragon Force and physique, he had been able to maintain his peak condition the entire battle. Even then, however, he still felt sore all over after wielding his two-ton halberd all night.

Just as Chen Chu was starting to relax, a knock sounded at the door.

Opening it, Chen Chu raised an eyebrow at Li Fei standing outside. "Your information is quite accurate. I've only just returned, and you already knew?"

Li Fei chuckled modestly. "Oh, not at all. I've been here for two years, so I've picked up a bit more information, but I can't compare to your freakish talent. I never expected you to actually slay that late stage, no, peak level 5 mutated beast."

At this, Chen Chu narrowed his eyes. "Li Fei, are you sure you didn't know that beast was a peak level 5?"

This time, if his combat prowess hadn't far exceeded his cultivation level, such incorrect information would have led to trouble, as there was a significant difference between the late stage and the peak. If Li Fei had known that the creature had been at peak level 5, but had told him it had only been at the late stage, it would be very strong evidence of malice.

Sensing Chen Chu's faint coldness, Li Fei quickly explained with a wry smile, "Chen Chu, I swear I really didn't know that the creature was at the peak. In our line of work, reputation is paramount. You can inquire about my name, Li Fei.

"We mainly focus on exploration. Generally, after discovering high-level mutated creatures, we won't make contact but maintain a distance of two kilometers to observe and avoid detection. Our estimations of their strength mainly rely on factors like size and emitted aura, which is usually accurate, but sometimes errors occur. After all, biological mutations often lead to situations beyond the norm.

"Moreover, before I sought you out, I also estimated your strength. I felt that even with a slight margin of error, as long as you were cautious, you could still come out unscathed."

At this point, Li Fei couldn't help but be curious. "Since you killed that mutated beast, I presume you also discovered that distorted spatial realm, right? How was it? Did you find anything valuable?"

Chen Chu looked at Li Fei for a long moment before slowly shaking his head. "That distorted space had nothing but rocks; not even a single blade of grass. I didn't find anything, and while searching, I encountered sudden spatial rifts several times. If I hadn't reacted quickly, I might have died inside."

"Haha... you must be joking. Those spatial rifts are indeed troublesome, but as long as you're cautious, you can evade them in advance. But I didn't expect there to be no resources inside. What a pity." Li Fei expressed some regret.

As for whether Li Fei truly believed him, that was his business. Chen Chu naturally wouldn't disclose his findings, as their transaction had been limited to intelligence exchange.

Sometimes, it was better for everyone to feign stupidity. If he had candidly told Li Fei that he had gained around 600 to 700 contribution points from this venture, although he most likely wouldn’t show it outwardly, who could guarantee that he wouldn't feel a bit shortchanged?

Chen Chu spoke again. "Although I didn't find any resources, my gains were still decent this time. Let's settle the remaining 30 contribution points."

Li Fei, who had come for the final payment, immediately grinned and extended his wrist. "Thank you."

The two quickly completed the transaction via their smartwatches, and then Chen Chu suddenly asked, "Do you have any more information about these hidden realms?"

Li Fei grinned. "It seems that you’re also interested in these things."

"I'm somewhat interested." Chen Chu nodded.

Compared to the toil of hunting and transporting mutated beast carcasses, finding some natural treasures or special resources not only earned more, but was also easier.

Li Fei pondered for a moment. "I do indeed have information about another hidden realm, and I can confirm that there are special resources inside, but it's quite dangerous."

Chen Chu raised an eyebrow. "Quite dangerous? How dangerous?"

"I'm not sure. The entrance emitted a constant infrasound, and as soon as I approached, I felt intense danger and discomfort, so I didn't explore further."

"How much for this?"

"80 contribution points."

"So expensive!"

"This time is different. I can assure you that there are special, more valuable resources in that place. Naturally, the price is a bit higher."

"It's not just a bit higher, that’s dozens of points."

"Hehe! Can't help it. Our line of work involves considerable risks, but we guarantee the quality of our information. After our previous cooperation, you should be aware of that."

Chen Chu pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Alright, let's stick to the previous arrangement. I'll pay a partial deposit first, and settle the balance when I return."

While the information this time was more expensive than before, Li Fei's intelligence had indeed been reliable.

If he could make some discoveries this time—not too many, just enough to bring his total contribution points back up to 300—then he would be able to break through to the sixth stage of the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body.

"Rest assured, the information this time is definitely accurate. But you still need to be cautious. If the situation seems too dangerous, get out. For us cultivators, staying alive is the key to the future."

"Thanks for the reminder. I won't be careless."

With that, the two completed the transfer, and Li Fei sent Chen Chu the information and coordinates regarding the new hidden realm.