“Lu Chan, hold him off!”
Gu Wen was enveloped by gun qi that burned like raging fire, charging forward with a sword in one hand and a spear in the other.
“Truly asking the impossible.”
Lu Chan turned her body, nine tails slowly extending as the Fox Immortal Dharma Manifestation appeared.
She exerted all her strength to pull the True Monarch ahead into an illusion, but the vast gap between their realms caused blood to seep from the corner of her mouth.
In just two breaths, she was shaken off.
The seventh layer of Dao Foundation had already condensed its Dharma Manifestation, making its spirit extremely resilient and difficult to control.
Those two breaths instead confirmed her astonishing talent as the sixth on the Earth Ranking; even a True Monarch could not be immune to her illusion techniques.
The True Monarch, seemingly offended, shot an angry glare at Lu Chan but did not stop, continuing to flee towards the city outskirts.
It was not that he was frightened by Gu Wen and his group of young cultivators, but rather that Ao Tang had killed a True Monarch who was a layer higher in Dao Foundation with a single claw, which had already terrified him to the core.
In just two breaths, Gu Wen had closed the distance by thirty zhang.
“I’ll escort you a bit.”
He Qi arrived beside Gu Wen, his hand, now more than three times its original size, supporting Gu Wen’s feet.
He must have been practicing some kind of body refinement technique, as his physical strength was extraordinarily formidable.
Gu Wen immediately understood and let He Qi carry him while he focused on gathering his qi.
Suddenly, he noticed a faint golden light emanating from He Qi’s abdomen, sensing the surging immense magical power beneath his palm.
It was several times thicker and more solid than his own, prompting him to ask, “Your magical power is indeed profound; it’s almost comparable to a True Monarch.”
The path to immortality places all constraints within certain limits, but its quality is not restricted.
“By sheer luck, I’ve condensed a five-turn Golden Core. Although it’s not yet a complete six-turn, it’s at least half a step there.”
He Qi spoke with a hint of pride, and Gu Wen began to understand the source of his arrogance.
Though he had not fully condensed his spiritual manifestation at the third layer, he had a slight breakthrough at the fifth layer, which he referred to as the Golden Core.
The perfection of the Dao Foundation becomes increasingly difficult as one progresses, but perhaps He Qi had some special constitution that made the fifth layer slightly easier for him.
The transformation of the fifth layer of Dao Foundation involves condensing the Golden Core in the qi sea, while the perfected method corresponds to the six-turn Golden Core.
It was evident that everyone assumed the existence of a Golden Core; the fifth layer of Dao Foundation was essentially further refining the Golden Core.
But I don’t have a Golden Core.
If I can refine one using methods that enhance its quality, wouldn’t that fundamentally place me above others?
Collecting his thoughts, Gu Wen focused on the approaching True Monarch.
There was still a certain gap between them; the opponent was clearly more adept at fleeing techniques, which forced He Qi to expend great effort just to keep up.
The opponent possessed a five-turn Golden Core below the sixth layer, likely not exceeding the third turn, while He Qi, at the fifth layer, was already at a disadvantage.
Even with a two-realm gap, he could still be pursued; although He Qi was going all out, it highlighted their disparity.
“Can you accelerate further?”
“I can, but it will consume even more of my energy, and I might not be able to assist afterward.”
“Just helping me catch up to him is assistance enough.”
He Qi sensed what Gu Wen meant and widened his eyes slightly, saying, “You want to face a True Monarch with an eighth-layer battle power alone?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“You madman, if you succeed, you’ll be the number one person in the world!”
He Qi couldn’t help but curse, then used all his strength to hurl Gu Wen forward, like a cannonball bursting through the air.
One hundred zhang, fifty zhang, thirty zhang, five zhang.
“Junior, you’re going too far!”
Being chased in broad daylight and now caught up to, the Rong family’s True Monarch turned in fury to counterattack.
Bang!
The two collided; the True Monarch wielded a blade, its light slashing towards the gun qi, while his other hand defended against the heart sword.
The variety of techniques provided a certain advantage; the opponent could not only respond to the Zhaolie Spear but also needed to defend against the heart sword.
However, mastering even one offensive technique is already quite difficult, let alone being proficient in two.
The third turn Golden Core of the fifth layer of Dao Foundation brought forth immense magical power, but without the spiritual manifestation enhancement of a perfected third layer, its power was on par with Gu Wen.
The gun qi clashed with the blade light without losing ground, and the heart sword gained a slight advantage.
In their first encounter, Gu Wen held the upper hand, lightly injuring the True Monarch’s spirit.
“How could this be?”
The True Monarch sensed something was amiss, disbelief flashing in his eyes.
A junior at the fourth layer of Dao Foundation was actually on par with him.
In a fit of rage and humiliation, he unleashed a thirty-zhang blade light, empowered by his blade Dao Dharma Manifestation, surpassing the spiritual manifestation.
Yet unexpectedly, the Scarlet Dragon Dharma Manifestation appeared, instantly overwhelming it, the gun qi firmly suppressing the blade light.
Compared to Xiao Yunyi, his weapon Dao qi was too weak, and compared to himself, it was like scattered sand!
Gu Wen’s spear pierced through the blade light, stabbing into the True Monarch’s body; the sixth-layer Dao Foundation Golden Core refined his body into dragon sinews and tiger bones, the spearhead striking like it had met fine iron.
But so what? If one spear doesn’t work, then a hundred spears, a thousand spears, ten thousand spears! Faster, stronger, fiercer!
The sky was filled with gun qi wrapped in raging flames, and the True Monarch found himself unable to land on the ground mid-air.
He raised his great blade in resistance, but his qi and Dharma Manifestation seemed like toys before Gu Wen.
He refined the Five Spirits Manifestation, possessed a Dharma Manifestation, and had two-fifths of the Primordial True Spirit Soul; what was wrong with killing a True Monarch who was only at the first layer of perfection?
In the distance, those who were pursuing did not stop, their eyes wide; even Xiao Yunyi fell into an unspeakable silence.
The Wine True Monarch seemed to have caught a glimmer of hope, quickly approaching as he chased after the two engaged in a high-speed battle.
“Impossible! How could I be suppressed by a mere fourth layer?”
The True Monarch exerted all his strength, struggling to swing a blade in the narrow gap, the high-grade mundane weapon spear shattering with a sound, leaving only half in Gu Wen’s hand.
The situation seemed to reverse; the two finally landed, standing in an open space by the city wall.
The True Monarch could escape by leaping over the city wall, but he had no intention of running now, or he would lose all face.
He sneered, “Do you think you can kill me with a broken spear? My three-turn Golden Core has refined my body; how could your mundane weapon break it?”
One layer of Dao Foundation is one layer of heaven; he was not a completely useless True Monarch, at least possessing a layer of perfection.
This indirectly indicated his decent talent, with a certain baseline guarantee; naturally, he wouldn’t be lacking in condensing a Golden Core.
The sixth and seventh layers are a crucial dividing line; the number of turns in the Golden Core and the strength of the Dharma Manifestation are vital.
“Why not?”
Gu Wen also revealed a sneer, his heavy breathing filled with killing intent.
He was no stranger to breaking weapons; the Zhaolie Dharma Manifestation was too fierce, unable to fully withstand even the Xuan Heavy Spear.
【Heaven’s Essence, twenty-seven years】
【Heavenly Gang Spear, second style, integrated and comprehended, requires ten years of Heaven’s Essence】
With each breath, the second style of the Heavenly Gang Spear merged into the Zhaolie Spear, the refinement of the gun qi suddenly doubling, like raging fire completing the broken spearhead.
【Heavenly Gang, third style, integrated and comprehended, requires twenty years of Heaven’s Essence.】
But why do I need twenty years? Seventeen years is enough!
Gu Wen invested seventeen years of Heaven’s Essence; he was just a step away from the third style of the Heavenly Gang Spear, yet he had already advanced with the spear to engage in battle.
Bang!
The gun qi collided with the spiritual treasure blade, instantly creating a gap, which was quickly mended.
The True Monarch felt as if Gu Wen had gone mad; in their close-range offensive exchanges, he glimpsed the boundless killing intent in Gu Wen’s eyes and sensed his unparalleled demeanor, gradually feeling fear.
This child, aside from his cultivation, surpassed him in every aspect; he could hardly produce anything to rival him.
He truly wanted to kill himself!
“Junior, this is as far as you go; otherwise, this Monarch will drag you down with me even in death!”
What responded to him was the sky full of gun qi, an almost frenzied assault, as if there were deep-seated grudges between the two.
Yet in Gu Wen’s view, there were, but they were not directed at him personally.
When Gu Wen glimpsed the realm beyond immortality, he yearned to step out of this narrow world at every moment.
But the Dao Monarch Emperor was an obstacle to his path beyond, and the world’s True Monarch was a hindrance to Yu Hua.
She had promised to show him the vastness of the world, and he had promised her to become the greatest of men, the pinnacle of the earth.
If they could not be invincible, if they could not be unparalleled, they would not be able to step out of here.
Gu Wen was testing himself, whether he possessed the demeanor of invincibility, whether he possessed the demeanor of being unparalleled; thus, he needed to slay stronger foes.
Those who obstruct the path are all mortal enemies.
【Heavenly Gang, third style】
The gun qi surged threefold, the spiritual treasure blade soaring high, a spear like a dragon piercing into the True Monarch’s chest.
Gu Wen slowly lifted the True Monarch’s corpse, letting blood drip onto his face, feeling the warmth of victory.
Those who are one level higher than me can hardly match me.
Those who are not prodigies and are two levels higher, or prodigies one level higher, otherwise all are illusions.
Footsteps approached from behind; he turned around in surprise to see another True Monarch nearing, but Gu Wen did not recognize the Wine True Monarch.
Though exhausted, he still pointed his spear at the other, asking, “Do you also wish to fight me?”
The Wine True Monarch looked at the young man before him; in his twenties, he was far too young for a cultivator, and he instinctively took a step back, feeling a hint of retreat when facing an extremely weakened fourth-layer Dao Foundation youth.
At the same time, the thought of retreat vanished, the invisible oppression and illusions dissipating.
This was the protector of the Daoist Heavenly Maiden, a fourth-layer Dao Foundation cultivator who could forcefully slay a True Monarch.
The Wine True Monarch thus escaped the fatal calamity that loomed over him.
(End of Chapter)