Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

On the Qiankun Continent, the Martial Dao has flourished for tens of thousands of years, reaching incredible heights!

The Martial Arts Ninth Stage, the True Martial Realm, the Heavenly Destiny Realm, the Union Palace Realm...

Each realm is like an entirely new world.

The Martial Arts Ninth Stage is, in reality, just a foundational realm, like the foundation laid when building a house. In the eyes of a true master, even someone who has reached the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Stage is nothing more than an ordinary person!

Only by breaking through to the True Martial Realm can one be considered a true Martial Artist!

A True Martial Realm Powerhouse is also known as a True Monarch. Upon entering this realm, the very essence of their life undergoes a fundamental change. They immediately gain a lifespan of two hundred years, transcending mortality.

They also possess the monumental power to move mountains, fill seas, and shatter peaks with a single punch.

As for the higher realms like the Heavenly Destiny Realm and the Union Palace Realm, they are the stuff of Martial Dao legends.

It is said...

A Heavenly Destiny Realm expert already has the qualifications to vie with the heavens for their fate. Anyone who enters this realm can live for five hundred years, and the most outstanding among them can even live for a millennium. A powerhouse of this caliber can preside over an entire nation, becoming what the world calls an Immortal Master.

As for the Union Palace Realm, and even higher existences, they are myths of the Martial Dao, beings who cannot be described with mortal words!

Jiang Chen had already reached the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Stage. Nearly half of the True Qi in his body had transformed into True Essence, flowing through him like a gurgling stream. Each drop of True Essence was equivalent in quality to ten times the amount of True Qi—especially the Profound Yellow True Qi, which was known as the ancestor of all True Qi!

In its form as Profound Yellow True Qi alone, it was no weaker than the True Essence of an average True Martial Realm Powerhouse.

Once he broke through to the True Martial Realm and completely converted his True Qi into True Essence, his Profound Yellow True Essence would then be known as the ancestor of all True Essence!

His strength would soar to a new level, achieving a qualitative leap.

By then, he would stand a fighting chance against Zhao Qiankun!

Unlike before, when he had to catch Zhao Qiankun off guard and use Fierce Tiger Shocks the Sky just to barely injure him.

However, breaking through from the Martial Arts Realm to the True Martial Realm was no simple process!

Jiang Chen sat quietly in the Five Hearts Facing Heaven meditation posture. The Profound Yellow Undying Technique circulated at full force as streams of Profound Yellow True Qi converged like a raging river, flowing wildly through his body. It continuously refined the Earth Spirit Stalactite he had swallowed. Earth Spirit Stalactite was a very gentle celestial treasure and was extremely easy to absorb.

In just one day, the mouthful of several dozen drops of Earth Spirit Stalactite that Jiang Chen had consumed was completely used up.

A quarter of the True Qi in his body had been converted into Profound Yellow True Essence.

Now, when Jiang Chen circulated the Profound Yellow Undying Technique, his True Qi flow was already mixed with traces of a crystal-clear liquid. This was True Essence!

From gaseous True Qi to liquid True Essence!

’Dammit, dozens of drops of Earth Spirit Stalactite only converted this little bit of True Essence? This is all money, mountains of pure silver...’ Jiang Chen sighed, looking at the small pool of Earth Spirit Stalactite with a pained expression.

For an ordinary Martial Artist, ten drops of Earth Spirit Stalactite would be enough to completely convert their True Qi into True Essence.

’I downed dozens of drops, and I only managed to convert a quarter of it.’

’To achieve full conversion and break through to the True Martial Realm, I’m afraid I’ll need to consume hundreds of drops of Earth Spirit Stalactite. That’s hundreds of millions of taels of silver!’

However, he also understood that the higher the quality of one’s True Qi, the more energy was required to convert it into True Essence.

’I cultivate the Profound Yellow Undying Technique, and my Profound Yellow True Qi is known as the ancestor of all True Qi. The energy required to convert it into True Essence is likely more than a hundred times that of other experts!’

The second mouthful!

The third mouthful...

Jiang Chen took four full mouthfuls, consuming over one hundred and eighty drops of Earth Spirit Stalactite before he finally converted all the True Qi in his body into True Essence.

When he circulated his Profound Technique, his True Essence surged like a sea, rushing through his body.

Each strand of True Essence was like a roaming dragon, roaring and soaring within him, suffused with a sense of immense power.

If his Profound Yellow True Qi was a tiger, then the Profound Yellow True Essence now flowing through him was a dragon emerging from the sea—soaring through the Nine Heavens, invincible in all the universe!

Glancing sideways at the pool of Earth Spirit Stalactite, which was now less than half full, Jiang Chen’s heart bled. He sighed, ’Fucking hell, I’m such a spendthrift! I just gulped down a treasure worth hundreds of millions. But at least I’ve finally converted all my True Qi into True Essence. The next step is to condense a True Essence Spirit Sea, and then I can officially step into the True Martial Realm!’

The True Martial Realm was also divided into Nine Stages. With each Small Realm advancement, one had to form an additional True Essence Spirit Sea within the body!

The True Essence Spirit Sea of an ordinary True Martial Realm Powerhouse was roughly between ten and thirty zhang. Those who could reach fifty zhang could already be called geniuses.

It was said that some heaven-defying prodigies could expand their True Essence Spirit Sea to ninety-nine zhang—they were the true, peerless monsters!

As for a hundred-zhang True Essence Spirit Sea?

At least in the Saint Martial Dynasty, no such legend had ever been heard of.

"Ten thousand origins return to one, into the Spiritual Sea! Endless Universe, the one true self—True Essence Spirit Sea, form!" Jiang Chen chanted the Profound Incantation, guiding the surging True Essence in his body to circulate rapidly. Dazzling True Essence Light erupted from the thirty-six thousand pores of his body. The magnificent, brilliant glow of True Essence filled the entire cave.

It was as bright as day, as brilliant as the Blazing Sun!

RUMBLE...

Faintly, the sound of river waves crashing against the shore could be heard coming from within his body.

A sudden gale swept across the azure lake, stirring the silent water. A towering pillar of water rose into the air, with Jiang Chen at its center.

The column of water shot higher and higher, crashing directly against the rock ceiling of the cave. The pillar exploded, and sheets of lake water rained back down into the lake, pattering like large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate, creating a series of crisp, clear sounds.

SWOOSH!

A fierce wind reversed its course, forming a resplendent vortex above Jiang Chen’s head that drew in all the True Essence Light filling the air. Specks of True Essence Light condensed, forming a river of True Essence that gathered together and transformed into a True Essence Spirit Sea radiating a faint, dark-gold light!

The moment it formed, it was already fifty zhang!

As he channeled the Profound Yellow Undying Technique, it continued to expand.

Sixty zhang...

Seventy zhang...

It kept expanding until it reached ninety-nine zhang, where it finally stopped.

If any other expert were to witness this scene, their jaw would surely dislocate from shock. A ninety-nine-zhang True Essence Spirit Sea!

What a heaven-defying True Essence Spirit Sea this was!

He could be called a heaven-defying prodigy.

But Jiang Chen was not satisfied. A sharp glint flashed through his deep, bright eyes. He looked toward the stalagmite holding the Earth Spirit Stalactite and shouted softly, "Rise!"

SWOOSH!

The Earth Spirit Stalactite within the stalagmite transformed into a milky-white stream, shooting into the sky and merging into the True Essence Spirit Sea.

RUMBLE—

Ten drops, twenty drops, thirty drops...

The Earth Spirit Stalactite diminished at a speed visible to the naked eye. Jiang Chen’s eyes showed neither joy nor sorrow, only a resolute will to press forward. "Profound Yellow Undying Technique, Ultimate True Essence Spirit Sea—"

BOOM—

After consuming a full one hundred drops of Earth Spirit Stalactite, the ninety-nine-zhang True Essence Spirit Sea shuddered violently, and its faint dark-gold color transformed once more. A dark-gold radiance burst forth, like a golden sun over Hong Lake. It continuously expanded in all directions. This process lasted for three full double-hours before it gradually came to a halt.

At this very moment...

The True Essence Spirit Sea above Jiang Chen’s head had reached an unbelievable one hundred zhang!

The corners of Jiang Chen’s mouth lifted. His face was flushed with excitement as he raised his hands and thrust them down. "Ultimate Spirit Sea, Ancestor of True Essence—return to your place!"

CRASH!

The hundred-zhang True Essence Spirit Sea plummeted toward Jiang Chen like a golden waterfall descending from the Nine Heavens, crashing entirely into his Dantian.

BANG—

Jiang Chen’s body shuddered. The golden light around him abruptly receded, and everything fell silent. Even the drifting lake water seemed to freeze in midair. The entire world seemed to pause for a second before returning to normal. The downpour of rain resumed, but it seemed to hit an invisible barrier around Jiang Chen.

Impervious to water and fire, with surging True Essence and a deep, steady breath—these were the signs of having broken through to the True Martial Realm!

"I’ve finally broken through to the True Martial Realm!"

Jiang Chen smiled. He looked inward at his Dantian and saw the True Essence Spirit Sea floating there, its golden light filling the entire space. He felt that with just a slight exertion of force, he could crush an expert like Gongsun Yang.

He then looked inward at his Martial Soul.

Jiang Chen discovered that the yellow halo on his Godslaying Sword had condensed into an orange one, signifying that its rank had advanced to a Profound Tier First-Grade Martial Soul.

His cultivation and his Martial Soul had both broken through.

This pushed Jiang Chen’s strength to a whole new level!

"Zhao Qiankun, if you dared to appear before me now, I could defeat you in ten moves!" A confident smile spread across Jiang Chen’s face.

But just then...

He suddenly felt his Martial Soul, the Godslaying Sword, tremble slightly within his Dantian before flying directly into the True Essence Spirit Sea.

It floated quietly within the True Essence Spirit Sea as nine golden chains shot out from the Spiritual Sea and wrapped around the Godslaying Sword.

At the same time.

A mysterious and vast voice, like the tolling of a great bell, exploded in his mind...

"Eye of the Celestial Dao, Ten Thousand Laws Golden Pupil..."