Chapter 477: The True Martial Unity, Throughout The Heaven and Earth, I Alone Am The Honored One

The front base was located several dozen kilometers away from Base One. However, rather than being a typical military base, it resembled a small town built along the mountains, covering a vast area.

Aside from the airfield at the edge of the base, the rest of the place was divided into living areas, cultivation zones, seclusion quarters, and healing areas, where many cultivators resided.

These individuals included retired military warriors from the front lines and high-level cultivators who had sustained injuries that compromised their foundations, forcing them to retreat to the rear for recovery.

Chen Chu and the other geniuses were located in the seclusion zone, which was built around the mountains. The buildings, constructed from large gray-black stones, resembled rows of sturdy gray houses.

By the time Chen Chu began his breakthrough, twelve days had passed since the ruins' expedition ended.

During this time, many of the geniuses from East Xia had gradually emerged from seclusion, having "digested the gains" from the ruins, and each one of them had made significant progress.

A few hundred meters away from the seclusion zone, in a standalone courtyard, Li Hao sat cross-legged under a tree, cultivating. A faint, fierce, and chaotic demonic aura emanated from his body.

"Hahaha... Li Hao, what do I look like now?" Xia Youhui suddenly appeared on the nearby path, looking quite pleased.

After more than ten days of seclusion, and with the help of inherited knowledge and some resources, Xia Youhui had broken through to the middle stage of the Fifth Heavenly Realm, and a powerful, mountain-like aura surrounded him.

Li Hao opened his eyes, glanced at Xia Youhui, and said, "You look like a tortoise."

"Ugh, what tortoise? It's the Mountain-Suppressing Black Tortoise[1]!" Xia Youhui was instantly displeased.

"I've integrated the Mountain-Suppressing Divine Seal with the Black Tortoise Earthly Art, and my cultivation art has transformed into the Mountain-Suppressing Black Tortoise, making both my strength and defense much more powerful."

Feeling proud of his achievement, Xia Youhui added, "What about you, Li Hao? I heard you emerged from seclusion a day earlier than me. You must have finished transitioning your art by now."

Li Hao responded indifferently. "Yes, I've completed the transition to the Heavenly Demonic Scripture.

"Oh, by the way, I've also broken through to the peak of the Fifth Heavenly Realm. Now, all I need is an opportunity to break through to the Sixth and condense the Demonic Spirit Battle Body, and I can complete the third transformation of my physique."

Xia Youhui's smile froze on his face. This guy had surpassed him by two minor realms.

Boom!

Suddenly, a seclusion chamber in the distance trembled, and a terrifying aura shot skyward, causing the transcendent energy within a five-kilometer radius to surge violently.

"This aura... Someone’s broken through to the Eighth Realm!"

Li Hao and Xia Youhui abruptly turned their heads, staring at the distant scene in shock.

Above one of the seclusion chambers, a massive white vortex formed, created from transcendent energy and covering a range of several hundred meters with an imposing presence.

It wasn’t just Li Hao and Xia Youhui who were startled; many people throughout the small town were also drawn to the commotion, instinctively turning their gaze toward the seclusion zone.

In just a few breaths, hundreds of figures appeared in all directions, standing on tree branches or rooftops as they watched the enormous vortex in the distance.

Among them were youths in their twenties as well as more seasoned individuals in their thirties and forties, each emanating an aura of bloodthirsty killing intent.

A middle-aged man with a scar on his face said in a low voice, "I remember that direction... Isn’t that where the new geniuses from the ruins are in seclusion?"

A younger man below him nodded. "Yes, the students are all in seclusion there. King Xie had instructed us to watch over the area."

Many around them expressed their amazement. "Unbelievable! Breaking through to the Eighth Heavenly Realm before even graduating—this one's a monster."

"Exactly. I graduated more than ten years ago now, and I’m still only at the middle stage of the Seventh Realm. On top of that, I was ambushed by those damned Demon Clan scum and had my vitality damaged."

"A year and a half ago, that kid Xia Zuo graduated at the Seventh Heavenly Realm. We were already shocked by his talent, but this new generation is even more outrageous."

"Haha... The heavens are truly watching over humanity. Each new generation surpasses the last."

As the older veterans from the front lines marveled at the situation, three figures—Lin Xue, Lin Yu, and Lin Mei—who had exited seclusion two days prior, appeared as well.

Looking at the distant seclusion chamber, where a cloud of transcendent energy had gathered due to the swirling winds, Lin Xue was also taken aback. "Who’s breaking through to the Eighth Heavenly Realm?"

Xia Youhui stroked his chin. "Among the students here, only Ah Chu, Ji Wuji, and Li Daoyi are above the Seventh Realm.

"But Ah Chu just broke through to the middle stage of the Seventh Realm not too long ago, and it’s only been ten days, so it’s unlikely to be him. Li Daoyi’s aura was also only close to the middle stage of the Seventh.

"So, it’s pretty obvious—the one breaking through must be Ji Wuji."

"A third-year student at the Eighth Heavenly Realm... No wonder people say his talent surpasses even that of the Innate Awakeners." The crowd was filled with admiration.

After all, Ji Wuji had walked the path of kings and was a once-in-a-generation genius. Coupled with the gains he must have obtained from the ruins, it wasn’t surprising that he could reach the Eighth Heavenly Realm in his third year.

An Fuqing also appeared in a flash, standing on top of a tree over ten meters tall, with a sharp sword will swirling around her.

Just then, in the distant white clouds, the phantom of a massive white divine dragon, over a hundred meters long, appeared. The dragon seemed alive as it weaved and coiled through the clouds, emitting a series of loud roars.

With each roar, an invisible force was stirred from the heavens and earth, transforming into golden light particles that slowly descended and were absorbed by the phantom.

"It’s definitely Ji Wuji."

Once they saw the phantom, everyone became certain of who was making the breakthrough.

Boom!

The heavy roof of the seclusion chamber exploded, and amid the flying dust, a white divine dragon, several dozen meters long, soared into the sky and merged with the phantom in the clouds.

Lightning cracked through the clear sky. Blue thunderbolts rained down from above, striking the dragon’s body. The dragon phantom trembled under the assault of the winding lightning bolts, but instead of diminishing, Ji Wuji’s aura grew stronger, surging with increasing intensity.

The scarred middle-aged man was awestruck, exclaiming, "A divine dragon taking form, undergoing a tribulation for ascension, and stirring the transcendent energy within a five-kilometer radius—once this young man breaks through, his power will be at least on par with the middle stage of the Eighth Heavenly Realm."

Another middle-aged man, with a weak aura, gazed on enviously. "When I broke through to the Eighth Heavenly Realm five years ago, I only stirred the transcendent energy within a one-kilometer radius. Didn’t even cause any natural phenomena."

In the later stages, every step forward was like reaching a new Heavenly Realm. The radius of transcendent energy stirred during an Eighth Heavenly Realm breakthrough was another measure of one’s innate talent and potential.

Especially when natural phenomena occurred, it signified that the person’s innate talent had reached the pinnacle, and they would receive some kind of blessing from the heavens during their breakthrough.

As the crowd looked on in awe and envy, the divine dragon in the clouds completed its fusion with the dragon phantom, its body expanding to over seventy meters in length, as its aura grew even more terrifying.

Roar!

With a thunderous roar, the seventy-meter-long dragon descended from the sky. When it landed on the shattered roof of the seclusion chamber, the divine light dissipated, revealing the figure of Ji Wuji.

He was still dressed in his white robe, exuding the pressure of a powerful Eighth Heavenly Realm cultivator. His gaze was cold, and he radiated an aura of divine majesty.

Yet, even though Ji Wuji stood there with his hands behind his back, his expression calm, inside he was laughing heartily, relishing the shock, awe, and envy from those around him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, violent winds howled from above, and the clouds gathered, instantly forming a massive thundercloud that spanned several kilometers. Purple thunderbolts crackled within.

Boom!

The roof of a seclusion chamber several hundred meters away exploded, and in an instant, a figure wreathed in lightning shot into the sky, like a thunderbolt piercing into the cloud.

In a blink, the thundercloud roared to life, and from within, endless thunderbolts gathered and condensed into a towering fifty-meter-tall figure.

In front of this radiant Thunder Prison True Form, Li Daoyi, dressed in a Daoist robe, raised his left hand to the sky and pointed his right hand at the ground. Purple and golden thunderbolts coiled around his arms.

At that moment, the Thunder Prison True Form behind him slowly opened its mouth, and a grand, resonant voice echoed. "Throughout heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one."

Everyone below, including Li Hao and Xia Youhui, wore strange expressions.

Xia Youhui couldn’t help but feel a little envious. "This guy may not have broken through to the Eighth Heavenly Realm, but his display and aura are far more impressive than Ji Wuji’s."

Li Daoyi’s current aura was only at the middle stage of the Seventh Heavenly Realm, but after refining and fusing his second Innate Thunderbolt, the power he radiated was no less than that of the Eighth Heavenly Realm.

It could be said that this expedition had made these geniuses even stronger.

"Damn it, this guy’s showing off more than I am," Ji Wuji muttered as he looked up at Li Daoyi in the sky, feeling a bit irritated.

Meanwhile, Li Daoyi, who remained expressionless in the sky, had a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Originally, he had planned to continue consolidating his cultivation after refining and fusing his second Innate Thunderbolt, but when he sensed Ji Wuji’s breakthrough, he decided to emerge from seclusion.

Ji Wuji had often shown off in front of him during their previous encounters, but back then, Li Daoyi had been focused on condensing his Innate Thunderbolts and had been unable to compete.

Finally, he had his chance to exact a bit of revenge.

Just as Li Daoyi was feeling pleased and the crowd below thought the spectacle was over...

Boom!

From a cultivation room on the far edge, an even more terrifying aura erupted, causing the transcendent energy within a radius of over ten kilometers to surge violently.

At the same time, a phantom of a vast yellow earth-covered world slowly appeared in the sky, causing the transcendent energy in an even larger radius to go berserk and gather toward it...

1. The raw here is “Xuanwu,” which refers to one of the four ancient gods of China, the god of the north and winter. One of its forms is a black tortoise entwined with a snake. ☜