Chapter 826: Opening a new path (I)

A young man with long black hair calmly stepped out from the center of the vortex of silver light that rippled outward for several kilometers. The warriors guarding the passage all bowed respectfully. "Greetings, my lord, Divine Might King."

To these warriors of the Fifth and Sixth Heavenly Realm, and even their leader, who was of the Eighth Heavenly Realm, the title of "King" held as much authority as a god. Even though Chen Chu was young, they still held a deep reverence for him.

It wasn't just his cultivation they respected, it was also the contributions he had made to the Federation. Ever since the demon god Belitir appeared in the Sky Battlefield over ten days ago, stories of Chen Chu’s feats had already spread throughout the mythical world.

From his initial mission to confront an avatar of a cult god while only at the Sixth Heavenly Realm, to his deep raids into the rear of the Purgatory Empire, he had slain over twenty cult gods and demon kings; this was nearly half of the kings currently active in the Federation.

When Chen Chu's record spread across the human territories of the mythical world a few days ago, every cultivator was utterly shaken, including those of the Heavenly Feathered Race.

After years of war with the three great empires, the Feathered Race had lost more than a hundred mythical-level warriors, while the empires themselves had only lost a little over forty. Now, Chen Chu alone had taken out almost half that number. It was beyond belief.

Although, on the battlefield back then, it was because the high-level powerhouses were all entangled with great demon kings and demon gods, that allowed Chen Chu the opportunity to shine. Even so, that did nothing to diminish how terrifying this human named Chen Chu truly was.

Facing the fervent gazes of the cultivators below, Chen Chu gave a slight nod. "No need for formalities."

After signaling the warriors to relax, Chen Chu turned to look at the nearby orbital battleships and the ten-thousand-meters tall divine tree, which radiated dazzling golden light. The moment his gaze landed on the Eternal Divine Tree, Chen Chu's eyes turned golden-black.

All color drained from the world around him, and everything faded away except for the divine tree itself. Its enormous roots were wrapped in radiant golden runes and stretched without end; they burrowed deep into the earth, reached outward into the void, and crossed the turbulent World Force between the mythical world and the Blue Planet, before finally piercing into the Blue Planet itself.

Through the dozens of golden roots fanning out from Passage One, Chen Chu could faintly see the very core of the Blue Planet’s "world." It was a boundless, radiant crystal wall that now came into contact with another World Force. The area of contact was gradually enveloped by the power of the mythical world, forming a separate sphere of light.

A galaxy slowly rotated within, and several points of light orbited around the stars, each giving off a faint, hazy glow. Through the roots of the Eternal Divine Tree and the connection point of the two world passages, Chen Chu caught a glimpse of the true image of the mythical world devouring the Blue Planet.

That dazzling crystal wall was clearly the vast universe where the Blue Planet resided. In comparison, the Blue Planet and its galaxy were nothing more than a tiny speck in comparison. The mythical world was now instinctively eroding that region. When the process was complete, it would mean the galaxy that the Blue Planet was in would be severed and swallowed entirely.

Furthermore, because the erosion had already reached its late stage, it was no longer possible to stop the mythical world from devouring the Blue Planet. The only way to save the world now was to ensure that, when the Blue Planet was swallowed during the second mythical surge, it would remain intact, rather than shatter.

Hold up the sky!

The phrase, something Luo Fei had once told him, suddenly surfaced in Chen Chu’s mind. It now seemed the First Councilor and the others had seen this vision as well. That was why, even while dealing with the attacks from the Purgatory Clan all these years, they had also been searching for a way to save the world.

However, to protect an entire galaxy was no simple task. It was nothing like dragging a micro-world only a thousand kilometers wide, as the Dragon Emperor had once done. The immense burden was unimaginable; even a supreme cultivator would be crushed instantly under the weight of the pressure.

As Chen Chu frowned slightly, a thunderous roar echoed from a battleship over ten kilometers away. A streak of purple-black lightning snaked across the sky, revealing Li Daoyi. "Knew it was you, Chen Chu. Only a show-off like you would make even walking look pretentious."

Seeing Li Daoyi still in his Daoist robe, Chen Chu smiled. "It’s been a while, Brother Li."

Li Daoyi shrugged. "It's just been two months, but you’re still as dramatic as ever. This time you actually charged all the way into the Purgatory Clan’s rear lines?"

Chen Chu chuckled. "I was lucky. If that passage hadn’t opened up, I wouldn’t have gotten so deep into their territory."

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Li Daoyi then curiously asked, "So, are you here to join the expedition too?"

"We’ll see. First, I’m heading to the Sky Battlefield to meet with the First Councilor," Chen Chu replied. Xie Chen had mentioned the expedition, but whether or not he would join would depend on how things developed.

There was a lot on his plate right now. From breaking seals, to gathering Life Crystals to push the limits of the five body enhancement arts and turn them into innate runes, then fusing them with his Divine Battle Scripture.

After exchanging a few words with Li Daoyi, Chen Chu turned into a streak of golden light and shot toward the Sky Battlefield at over twenty times the speed of sound. It wasn’t until half an hour later that Luo Fei and An Fuqing, who were aboard two of the battleships over a hundred kilometers away, learned of Chen Chu’s arrival.

"I knew he’d be fine." Standing on Mech No.1’s shoulder, Luo Fei looked toward the direction of the Sky Battlefield, a faint smile appearing on her face.

At the same time, a black-haired girl sitting cross-legged at the edge of the

Expedition 3’s

deck slowly opened her eyes. A terrifying sword will radiated from her body. "He’s back."

***

In less than an hour, Chen Chu had crossed nearly twenty thousand kilometers to arrive outside Sky Battlefield City. Because he was in a hurry, he chose not to take his fighter jet.

[High-energy fluctuation detected. Object incoming at twenty-six times the speed of sound. Divine soul fluctuation verified. Welcome to the Sky Battlefield, Divine Might King...]

As the electronic voice echoed from the smart watch on his wrist, Chen Chu had already passed through the outer bases spread across a thousand kilometers around Sky Battlefield City. At the same time, the Celestial King’s voice sounded in his ears. "Chen Chu, come to me."

Guided by an unseen force, Chen Chu transformed into a streak of golden light and soared into the sky. He rose one hundred kilometers, then two hundred, climbing rapidly until he reached an altitude of over a thousand kilometers.

Boom!

The moment he passed a thousand kilometers, a heavy pressure descended from the sky, as if invisible principles were trying to suppress him and push him back down.

Bang!

That suppressive force, used to restrict mythical beings, was instantly shattered by Chen Chu’s explosive power. He continued to rise at a terrifying speed. The higher he flew, the stronger the pressure became. The immense force began to distort and shake the surrounding space.

By now, golden flames had erupted across Chen Chu's body, and streaks of blue lightning flickered, radiating a brilliance that outshone even the golden sun in the sky. Countless people below immediately took notice, but at a distance of more than two thousand kilometers, even the kings couldn’t make out Chen Chu’s figure. Only the Heavenly Kings like Gabriel knew he had returned.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As Chen Chu reached over three thousand kilometers in altitude, the invisible gravitational force around him had become so intense it was crushing space itself. Even he furrowed his brows under the crushing pressure, which had reached the level of a middle stage heavenly king.

"The sky in the Mythical World is divided into multiple layers. Don’t force your way up, we’ll pull you in," came the voice of an older cultivator. Soon, the white glow of a principle enveloped Chen Chu, and he was transported ten thousand kilometers high in the sky.

In an instant, Chen Chu felt as if everything around him had become unreal. The land below grew faint and blurred, not just because of the swirling clouds, but as if the sky itself was separated by several thin layers of film.

At the same time, the patterns of laws woven throughout heaven and earth became clearer. Even the golden rays falling from the sun seemed tangible. This strange feeling made Chen Chu frown.