Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

As the news from Extreme Ice Island spread, Saint Son Ding Dai and his entire army were annihilated, causing a massive shock throughout Han State, sparking endless discussions and sensational reactions.

The demise of figures at the Saint Son level had not happened in Han State for many years, and now there were two at once.

Ding Dai and Night Mo were somewhat famous in the entire Han State and even in the Gray Domain. Their strength was extraordinary, reaching the great perfection of the Heavenly Human Realm before thirty. With time and training, there was a possibility for them to break through to the Heavenly Realm and become figures at the level of Saint Master.

Moreover, those who accompanied Ding Dai and Night Mo were also individuals with outstanding talent and cultivation, all belonging to the line of direct disciples from holy lands, destined to be important high-ranking figures within their sects in the future.

But now, the future hopes of Wind Gate and Night Spirit Valley had all perished, all fallen at the hands of Gu Chen.

How could this not enrage the two major powers?

Even the sect master of Wind Gate and the valley master of Night Spirit Valley, who was also the head of the Yaksha Clan, were alarmed. Shaking with fury, the leaders of the two powers sought iron-blooded retribution and declared war on Frost Soul Sect.

As this news began to spread, Han State immediately became extremely unsettled. With the three strongest forces clashing, the people of Han State felt endangered and terrified, fearing being dragged into this fearsome war.

Simultaneously, murdering Gu Jiuge became the publicly declared intention of Wind Gate and the Yaksha Clan.

After many years, the first prodigy listed in the golden rankings of the Gray Domain was added to the kill list by two major powers—an event that drew the attention of countless people eager to see the final outcome.

That day, Gu Qingyan approached Gu Chen with a grave expression and said, "The three powers have already gone to war. The forces sent by Wind Gate and Night Spirit Valley are all experts in the Earth Realm, even including their elders. The situation in Han State is increasingly dire, and our sect is urgently preparing various responses."

Furthermore, Gu Qingyan told Gu Chen that the two major powers had arranged for many spies to watch all the major and minor teleportation arrays in Han State, it seems, to prevent Gu Chen from escaping secretly.

It must be said, Wind Gate and Night Spirit Valley had considered this very carefully.

After learning of Gu Chen's strength, not a single Heavenly Human Realm figure showed themselves; after all, if Ding Dai and Night Mo were no match for him, others would be even less likely to be his opponents.

"These are only the obvious measures. In secret, Master has asked me to tell you to be extremely cautious and it's best not to leave the mountain during this time," Gu Qingyan said.

Once they weathered this storm, neither Wind Gate nor Night Spirit Valley would pose a threat in the future, for their legacy had suffered a break. Meanwhile, Frost Soul Sect would continue to rise, with a distinguished younger generation and strong core members.

At this moment, Gu Chen suddenly said, "I've heard that Wind Gate and Night Spirit Valley offered Frost Soul Sect a proposal: cease the war as long as I am handed over to them."

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyan's delicate face changed slightly—she was well aware of this message but had kept silent to avoid causing Gu Chen excess worry.

"Big brother, rest assured, Master has already promised me that Frost Soul Sect will do everything to protect you. Besides, Master and the elders would never do such a thing," Gu Qingyan stated emphatically.

Gu Chen nodded slightly. He trusted Gu Qingyan and, moreover, if Frost Soul Sect had wanted to act against him and accept the terms from Wind Gate and Night Spirit Valley, they would have done so already, not waited until now.

Unfortunately, being passive wasn't in Gu Chen's nature; he did not want his fate to be in the hands of others.

Gu Chen was not truly a member of Frost Soul Sect. Though they had promised to protect him with all their might, he trusted himself more than anyone else.

The intentions of Wind Gate and Night Spirit Valley were clear—they wanted to force Gu Chen to show himself so they could kill him and restore their honor.

"Since that's the case, I'll fulfill your wish!" Gu Chen's eyes turned cold; he was ready to take action. However, not now—he still needed to wait a little longer.

"Qingyan, I may need to seclude myself for some time," Gu Chen said.

"Big brother, you…" Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyan was overjoyed. She certainly knew that Gu Chen had already reached the great perfection of the Heavenly Human Realm. The next step was to reach an entirely new realm.

"Good, during this time, I will stay nearby and ensure that no one disturbs you," Gu Qingyan said with a serious expression.

Gu Chen nodded but didn't refuse. In truth, with the presence of his true body and the Zhou Cauldron, breaking through the limits of the martial realm and reaching the Cave Heaven Realm wouldn't take too long.

Moreover, the breakthrough was possible through his true self, without affecting his incarnation. However, to avoid drawing undue attention and misunderstanding, Gu Chen explained his actions thus.

Then, Gu Chen returned to his room, sat down on the bed, flipped his palm, and took out a Breakthrough Pill the size of a dragon's eye, flickering with divine light.

Indeed, it was the Breakthrough Pill!

Gu Chen hadn't originally planned to use the Breakthrough Pill so soon, but now, with Wind Gate and Night Spirit Valley wanting to force his hand, there was nothing more to say.

Besides, Gu Chen was confident that even without the Breakthrough Pill, he could still make rapid progress; a bottleneck could only hinder him for so long.

"The right thing should be used at the right time," Gu Chen murmured to himself, looking at the Breakthrough Pill in his hand.

The next moment, he swallowed the pill and took out a piece of jade emitting a soft glow. He held it in his palm and immediately his mind became exceptionally clear, falling into a state so mysterious and profound, almost akin to the Dao Realm.

At the same time, far in the Mysterious Intent Sect in the Fallen State of Cangyu, within the medicinal valley, Gu Chen's true body also flashed, appearing within the land formed by the Zhou Cauldron, in the midst of the heavenly seeds.

The true self and incarnation were one and the same, united in essence. As the Breakthrough Pill was consumed and the incarnation entered the Dao Realm, all of this applied equally to the true self.

For from the beginning to the end, the two bodies shared a single consciousness; whatever the incarnation sensed, so too did the true self.

Hum!

At this moment, the body of the true Gu Chen glowed. The instant he ingested the Breakthrough Pill, he felt the bottleneck that had troubled him for a while, invisible and intangible, silently vanish as if it had never existed.

"Indeed, this is a wondrous and exceedingly rare divine pill," Gu Chen remarked with emotion.

Immediately, his expression became solemn, the bottleneck vanished, and nothing could stop him from breaking through and reaching beyond the limits of martial arts—it was now!

"Break!"

Inside Gu Chen's body, overwhelming and surging mana operated like tidal waves, producing roaring tsunamis within him, an awe-inspiringly powerful sound.

His muscles radiated brilliant light, and his entire being's essence, qi, and spirit reached the ultimate peak, suddenly beginning to sublime!

The realm of man belonged to the domain of humanity, where martial artists could indeed borrow the power of heaven and earth, but were limited by their own capacities, which severely constrained their performance.

Therefore, the realm of man was really just the starting point of cultivation.

Once one reached the Earth realm, one was no longer a martial artist but a cultivator. Between the two, there was an insurmountable chasm, and they were totally incomparable.

The first level in the Earth realm was called the Cave Heaven Realm. Its true meaning was to construct a miniature heaven and earth inside the body, corresponding to the vast heaven and earth outside, and once the Cave Heaven was formed, the essence of one's life would undergo a leap and their strength would surge immensely, increasing many times over, perhaps even more than tenfold!

"To condense the Cave Heaven within the body, one requires an immense and infinite power of heaven and earth, but the human meridians are too fragile to withstand such colossal strength. Therefore, beings must construct heavenly meridians within themselves to bear the vast power of heaven and earth," Gu Chen's mind was peaceful and serene, and he fell into an inexplicable state of enlightenment, with various insights about the Cave Heaven Realm emerging in his mind.

Constructing heavenly meridians equally requires the power of heaven and earth, undoubtedly supported by various heavenly treasures and earthly marvels, demanding enormous resources.

It was for this reason that the Heavenly Mysterious Imperial Dynasty scoured all over the land for all sorts of treasures for Gu Yan.

However, Gu Chen had no such concerns because within his body lay a complete world!

The power within the seed of heaven was endless, fully meeting the needs for Gu Chen's breakthrough into the Cave Heaven Realm!

Moreover, in his transformed state, he had access to a vast amount of Heavenly Origin Liquid, which could also provide for his breakthrough needs.

At this moment, Gu Chen sat cross-legged on the continent shaped by the Zhou Ding. His expression was grave, he took a deep breath, and in his heart, he whispered, "Condense!"

Immediately, in the next instant, from within the seed of heaven inside his body, surged a torrent of exceedingly pure power of heaven and earth, spreading throughout Gu Chen's entire body, throughout his limbs and bones.

This power was incredibly abundant, and with the use of the Breakthrough Pill to shatter the bottleneck—also known as the barrier of realms—nothing could stop his advancement anymore.

Under Gu Chen's manipulation, it didn't take long, only a short time, for a heavenly meridian to be constructed within his body.

The heavenly meridians looked no different from the regular meridians within the human body, but they were far more robust and sturdy, with various extraordinary properties.

At the same time, as the first heavenly meridian was formed, Gu Chen immediately felt his essence, qi, and spirit significantly strengthened.

And this was just a single heavenly meridian.

"Continue!"

Gu Chen's expression was serious as an endless stream of pure strength flowed from within the seed of heaven. Furthermore, because the two had merged as one, the power that surged forth carried fragments of colorful, luminous rules—something unfathomable when consolidating heavenly meridians through absorbing power from the outside world.

This was the strength of the seed of heaven, which would grow alongside its host, profoundly mysterious, able to defy the heavens and change destiny. Even a mediocrity, once endowed with the seed of heaven, could transform into a genius rare to find in the world.

Boom!

Infinite power of heaven and earth, accompanied by luminous fragments of rules, surged within Gu Chen's body, together with the aid of the Heavenly Origin Liquid. One by one, thick and resilient heavenly meridians continuously formed inside him.

Time also dripped away with each passing moment.

Soon, a full month had passed.

"Done!"

Finally, on this day, Gu Chen's body trembled, releasing waves of brilliant radiance, like a great sun. Rays after rays of light projected outward, looking supremely intense and dazzling to the extreme.

Hissss!

After the successful breakthrough, Gu Chen's eyes opened, his gaze was deep and sharp like heavenly swords—forcible and penetrating. With the heavenly meridians consolidated and the breakthrough in martial arts realms, upon reaching the Cave Heaven Realm, his body surged with a power far more vigorous than the vast ocean.

At this moment, Gu Chen's condition reached an unprecedented level, his essence, qi, and spirit were perfectly complete and extremely abundant, as if limitless.

At the same time, he felt as though every move he made could shatter the void and crush heaven and earth!

From Gu Chen's advancement into the realm of man to the breaking of the bottleneck, shattering limits, and stepping into the Earth realm, the total time taken did not exceed half a year!

Even in the upper realms, throughout all of the 3,600 domains, this could be called a miracle, his speed of cultivation progression unmatched.

This astonishing achievement, if spread, would be enough to pierce the firmament of the upper realms and spark a fervent discussion throughout!

"From now on, having undergone a transition in the essence of life, transcending the domain of humanity, I am no longer a martial artist but a cultivator!" Gu Chen mused to himself.

Compared to his prior state in the realm of man, the feeling was like the difference between an ordinary person and the pinnacle of martial arts in the realm of man—the gap was just that immense!

He could hardly restrain himself, eager to emerge from seclusion and go on a killing spree, slaying foreign races to gain continuous battle achievements!

"Wind Gate? Night Spirit Valley? As you wish, I have arrived!" Gu Chen's expression was frosty, his black hair flowing, his whole presence immensely powerful.