Chapter 616: Heavenly Spiritual Martial Competition Begins

Angry Squid:

At the bottom of the Cloud Sea, where several important earth veins converged, the power of these veins surged turbulently, seemingly much more volatile than before. Utilizing this force, Li Fan set up the Earth-Fire Rejuvenation Formation and placed the serene Tianyang at its center. He then, one by one, added numerous materials such as "Eternal Adamantine," "Clear Sky Crystal," and "Purple Spirit Marrow" into the formation.

Like a massive furnace, under the scorching light of the earth-fire power, these materials slowly began to merge with Tianyang's puppet body. During the countless years Tianyang was in slumber, it was precisely through this formation that he, with his mere Foundation Establishment cultivation, broke through his limits and continuously advanced to become a Divine Transformation Immortal Lord. However, because the Body Transformation Sect of that time was merely an unranked sect, even after Tianyang inherited all of its legacy, his financial resources were limited. After thousands of years, reaching the Divine Transformation stage was already his limit. Furthermore, the strength of the puppet's body was inherently limited by the materials used, with a low upper bound. While it was fine when fighting opponents of the same realm, attempting to defeat enemies across realms, like true prodigies, was exceedingly difficult.

However, with Li Fan's assistance now, all of this would completely change. With so many heavenly materials and earthly treasures poured in, even if it only created a simple puppet, it would be enough to contend with ordinary Dao Integration cultivators. Coupled with Tianyang's unyielding spirit and will, it might even survive against Mo Sha, the ultimate spirit of heaven and earth.

The blazing light of the Earth-Fire Rejuvenation Formation was reflected in Li Fan's pupils. He stood observing for several days, noticing that the progress was slightly slower than anticipated. "Little Junior Brother, I'll add more fuel for you," he said. With that, pile after pile of top-grade spirit stones, containing immense amounts of pure spiritual energy, were cast into the formation by Li Fan. Like dry wood meeting a fierce fire, like a raging blaze meeting an east wind, almost immediately, the operational efficiency of the Earth-Fire Rejuvenation Formation more than doubled. Li Fan, meanwhile, stared at Tianyang within the formation, his gaze profound.

Ten days passed quickly. Soon, the friendly exchange gathering in Heavenly Spirit State commenced. To prevent any unforeseen incidents, the entire Heavenly Spirit State was now under complete lockdown, with all teleportation arrays rendered ineffective. No unauthorized personnel were allowed to enter and cause disturbances. Consequently, ordinary cultivators had no opportunity to witness the opening ceremony and the mutual exhibition of the "World-Suppressing Artifacts." The so-called "World-Suppressing Artifacts" was a collective term used by the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council for powerful magical treasures of extraordinary might capable of influencing the course of war between the two factions. According to circulating rumors, both sides exhibited one World-Suppressing Artifact this time. Everyone who saw them was shocked by the terrifying power they could unleash, and all thoughts of re-igniting conflict were dispelled. However, due to confidentiality requirements, the specific functions of these two World-Suppressing Artifacts could not be extensively discussed, which only left everyone itching with curiosity.

On the second day after the opening ceremony, the highly anticipated competition phase officially began. Dao, Martial Arts, Artifacts; Formations, Pills, Talismans. Only one event was held each day, with the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council each sending three prodigies to compete. The first event, and the most captivating, was the Martial Arts combat. At this moment, countless cultivators across the Myriad Immortals Alliance watched the first representative's appearance through the Heavenly Spirit Scrying Mirror. Looking at their appearance, it was a youth of merely ten-odd years, whose gender was indistinguishable. They wore a white robe and had a red ribbon tied in their hair, appearing exceptionally handsome. The corresponding description promptly appeared on the scrying mirror: "Di Luwu." This was the name of the youth before them. Immediately, the cultivators burst into an uproar. The delegation from the Five Elders Council also looked displeased for a moment. "What is the meaning of this? Sending a mere child to such an important occasion?" "Are you truly implying that our Five Elders Council has no one competent?"

All the cultivators present possessed extraordinary cultivation, and they could naturally discern that this youth named Di Luwu was not an adult maintaining a childlike physique. Rather, they were genuinely less than ten years old. No matter how much of a genius, having lived for such a short time, how strong could they possibly be? The cultivators on the Five Elders Council side all looked extremely grim. Immediately, a sword-wielding youth in a green robe stepped forward, indignant and with murderous intent in his eyes. "Guzhi, do not be careless!" Among the Five Elders Council cultivators, an elderly woman who looked no different from a mountain village peasant suddenly shouted. This middle-aged woman's identity seemed highly unusual. The green-robed youth named Xu Guzhi nodded solemnly. Only then did he gracefully approach Di Luwu. "Please enlighten me with your guidance!" Xu Guzhi narrowed his eyes, pointing his sword directly at Di Luwu. A great battle was about to erupt, and the Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators also saw the information about the two individuals. Both were at the peak of the Divine Transformation cultivation stage. Di Luwu was nine years old, and Xu Guzhi was fifty-six.

Cultivators across the land who witnessed this scene were all utterly astonished. "A nine-year-old Divine Transformation cultivator? Am I seeing this correctly?" "Even if one started cultivating from the womb, it couldn't be this fast!" "Is this real? Is this Di Luwu the fastest cultivating cultivator in history? How did they do it?" "To think I am now three hundred seventy-eight years old, yet still lingering in the Nascent Soul realm. The disparity between people is truly despair-inducing." "Heh heh, you're already in the Nascent Soul realm. What about me, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator?" Even before the fight began, it ignited public opinion across the land. For a time, cultivators discussed animatedly, speculating about Di Luwu's origins. Even Li Fan's eyes flickered with a hint of admiration and surprise. For no other reason than that a nine-year-old at the peak of Divine Transformation was truly beyond common sense. "Could it be a reincarnation and re-cultivation method like Senior Brother Zhang's? Or perhaps, the Heavenly Profound Sect's Dharma King's soul possession and rebirth?" "Or perhaps..." Li Fan stared intently at Di Luwu's perpetually indifferent expression, suddenly feeling a sense of familiarity. "A Heavenly Artificer?" "Is this Di Luwu from that era?"

Just as Li Fan was speculating, Xu Guzhi made his move. He brandished his straight sword, and in an instant, a colossal sword shadow materialized, pressing down from the sky. "A Thousand Swords Unceasing, Stretching Like Mountains." On the scrying mirror, a simultaneous explanation appeared. Layer upon layer, tens of thousands of colossal swords converged from all directions, simultaneously crushing down upon Di Luwu. There was no earth-shattering noise; only the unadorned, continuous sword shadows, overwhelming like mountains, brought an unparalleled sense of oppression. Meanwhile, Di Luwu, surrounded by the multitude of swords, seemed to be frozen in fear, motionless and bewildered. The hearts of the Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators were instantly clutched tightly. Just as the countless colossal swords were about to strike, Di Luwu made their move. A silver dragon, like a sudden flash of lightning, illuminated heaven and earth. It swiftly pierced through the encirclement of colossal swords. Before any of the cultivators could react, it had already pierced through Xu Guzhi's chest.