Chapter 429 - 355: Breaking Through the Sixth Floor
Beneath the Star Tower, Chen Sheng stood with his arms crossed, his gaze calm:
"The sixth floor, here I come!"
For the past three years, he has fully dedicated himself to comprehending the development of the Yin-Yang Dao Domain with the help of the [Yin Yang Divine Soul]. Under Dharma Master Hong Jue’s guidance, he practiced the with rapid progress!
Now, he has achieved Minor Success in the Secret Technique passed down by his teacher, transforming his Daoist Body into a state of Yin Yang Qi particles.
A faint black-and-white aura surrounds him at all times, marking a stark contrast in defense and life-preserving abilities compared to before.
More importantly, he has integrated the essence of the Secret Technique into the Path of Yin Yang Annihilation Sword, infusing his Sword Technique with the terminal power of Annihilation Dao Rhyme, along with the cyclical vitality of the Yin Yang Qi, leading his attack power into a whole new realm.
He stepped into the Star Tower, finding the illusion beasts from the first to the fifth floor mere chickens and dogs to him now, clearing through in less than half an incense stick.
As soon as he entered the sixth floor, the familiar sensation of space solidifying arrived on schedule. But this time, the Yin Yang Qi particles around Chen Sheng lightly trembled, dissolving the binding force into invisibility.
The cool murderous intent of starshine cast from the Star Crystal Sky Window on the dome was quietly converted into pure energy nourishing the Daoist Body upon contact with the black-and-white aura on his skin.
In the center of the field, the star pattern array map, ten times more complex than the fifth floor’s, hummed lowly with deep purple primordial magnetic energy flowing within, fiercer than before but unable to stir him with dread.
"Buzz—"
The star pattern array map exploded with brilliant light, weaving starshine with primordial magnetic power into a heavenly light column, within which the Star-devouring Primordial Magnetic Beast, as massive as a mountain, slowly condensed.
The outline of nine heads and nine tails grew increasingly dreadful, with dark golden gleam emitting from the magnetic crystals on its heads.
On the ends of the nine tails, star power chains solidified like mysterious essence, with star runes circulating on the scales of the primordial magnetic armor, genuinely forming a nascent circulation star orbit.
"Roar!"
Before Chen Sheng could steady himself, the Star-devouring Primordial Magnetic Beast roared abruptly, nine heads rising simultaneously targeted at his direction, nine tails sweeping the firmament raising gusty winds.
Instantly, countless deep purple claw shadows emerged from the void, blanketing all domains like torrential rain, fracturing space wherever they passed, with terrifying streams of primordial magnetic particles roaring through fissures, exuding an annihilating force.
This was ’Primordial Magnetic Shattering Claw’, the lethal move that once sent Chen Sheng fleeing wretchedly.
"Brilliant move!"
Chen Sheng’s eyes flashed brilliantly, not only did he not evade, but instead, he stepped forward actively.
The Yin Yang Qi particles around him spun wildly, the black and white Qi interwoven before him forming a giant Yin Yang Fish shield, with countless miniature Yin Yang Fish spinning rapidly on its surface, creating layers of defensive barriers.
Meanwhile, he grasped the sword hilt in his right hand, the sword body quivering within the sheath, encircled by black-white Qi and Five Elements Spirit Light, emitting a space-stalling aura even unsheathed.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Countless claw shadows slammed onto the Yin Yang Fish shield with deafening detonations.
The stream of primordial magnetic particles manically assaulted the shield, attempting to dissolve its defense, but whenever a crack appeared, the black-white Qi would instantly flow to repair it, making the cracks vanish in a trice.
Chen Sheng stood resolute as a mountain behind the shield, even having the leisure to observe the Illusion Beast’s technique trajectory, inwardly musing:
"Indeed, after achieving Minor Success in the Secret Technique, things are different; this move once wore me out, but now, I can handle it with ease."
Seeing its attack futile, the Star-devouring Primordial Magnetic Beast’s eyes flashed a hint of human-like astonishment, then its form momentarily dispersed into myriad star lights.
Like last time, it intended to employ a star orbit ambush!
But this time, Chen Sheng was well-prepared, his Primordial Spirit Power extending from his brow, enveloping the entire field with the Yin Yang Dao Principle, perceiving every ripple of space.
At the instant the Illusion Beast’s form dissipated, he brandished his sword suddenly: "Yin Yang Derives Five Elements, Break!"
The sword light swung out like a matching strip, instantly differentiating the black-white Qi into Five Elements Spirit Light: metal, wood, water, fire, earth; as it passed through, the power of the Five Elements interacted vigorously, forming a circular shockwave.
"Boom!"
The shockwave hit a certain spot in the void; an originally empty place suddenly rippled.
A deep starry tunnel attempted to cleave open but was shattered by the sword light; the Star-devouring Primordial Magnetic Beast’s form was forcibly revealed on the tunnel’s opposite end, a momentary crack flashed across the dark golden magnetic crystal.
"To think you could see through my star orbit secret technique!"
Enraged and astounded, the Star-devouring Primordial Magnetic Beast spat deep purple primordial magnetic beams from its nine heads simultaneously, while its nine tails swung, star power chains shot toward Chen Sheng like serpents, with the chain ends wrapped in fast-spinning primordial magnetic particle flows.
Fusing with the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth, Chen Sheng’s form shuttled through the gaps of beams and chains, moving several times faster than when he last performed the Five Elements Sword Escape.
The Yin Yang Qi particles around him flowed continuously, with even occasional brushes by the particle flow only causing a fleeting white mark on his skin, quickly restoring to its original state.
After battling intensely for a while, Chen Sheng gradually grasped the Illusion Beast’s technique patterns, with an indifferent look:
"Now, the tables have turned!"
He suddenly retracted the sword, Yin Yang Qi particles around madly converged onto the blade, with the star runes on the sword body resonating with the star patterns on the Illusion Beast Armor, but emanated entirely opposite annihilation aura.
"Yin Yang Annihilation Sword, Second Style—Star Fall!"
Sword light burst abruptly, the black-white Qi transformed into a miniature star whose surface twined Five Elements Spirit Light, rapidly spinning while absorbing surrounding starshine and primordial magnetic power.
At the flick of Chen Sheng’s wrist, the star metamorphosed into a comet shooting towards the Star-devouring Primordial Magnetic Beast, the fissures in the fragmented space were swallowed by the Star Power, even the primordial magnetic particle flows forcibly incorporated into the star’s trajectory.
The Star-devouring Primordial Magnetic Beast sensed a fatal threat, lighting up all nine heads and tails simultaneously, its primordial magnetic armor bursting with brilliant light, the nascent circulation star orbit fully unfolding to form an impenetrable defensive barrier.
"Boom!"
The collision of the star and barrier produced neither earth-shattering thunder nor soundless energy dissolution.
The star patterns on the primordial magnetic armor shattered one by one, while the star continually shrank, entrapped in a deadlock.
"Now is the moment!"
A glint flashed in Chen Sheng’s eyes as he suddenly urged the Secret Technique; his Daoist Body transformed into a black-and-white streamlight, shooting toward the Illusion Beast like an arrow released from the bowstring.
During the momentary breach as the star and barrier stalemated, the Illusion Beast’s defense showed a brief weakness, and he launched his long sword forward again.
This sword had no unnecessary embellishments, only concentrated the purest power of Yin Yang Qi and the finality of the Annihilation Dao Principle, aiming directly at the dimmest magnetic crystal at the center of the Illusion Beast’s nine heads — that was its core!
"Shoosh!"
The Sword Light pierced through the seam of the Primordial Magnetic Armor, accurately hitting the magnetic crystal.
The magnetic crystal shattered in an instant, and the Star-devouring Primordial Magnetic Beast let out a mournful roar. All nine heads and tails simultaneously wilted, and the Primordial Magnetic Power and Star Power around its body began to dissipate.
Chen Sheng took the opportunity to withdraw, stabilizing himself in mid-air, watching the Illusion Beast’s body gradually transform into scattered starlight, but he did not feel the thrill of victory, instead he fell into contemplation.
With that sword just now, he clearly sensed the operational pattern of the Illusion Beast’s Circulation Star Orbit.
It unexpectedly contained a trace of the profound meaning of time and space Dao Principles, subtly aligned with his master’s Circulation Star Orbit Dao Rhyme, yet with an addition of the Primordial Magnetic Power’s ferocity.
"I see, star orbits are not only for defense, they’re crucial for spatial movement and power amplification..."
His heart suddenly cleared up, deepening his understanding of the Path of Yin Yang Annihilation Sword.
At this moment, the Star Pattern Array Map lit up, this time not condensing an Illusion Beast, but transforming into a golden pillar of light that enveloped Chen Sheng.
The pass mark at the center of his brow shined brightly, even more dazzling than last time, and the sixth star beside the fifth star on the token at his waist slowly lit up, emitting a radiant brilliance.
After the light pillar dissipated, the stone door to the sixth level opened slowly, revealing the staircase to the seventh level, enveloped in an even mightier Star Power than the sixth level, bringing a heart-pounding pressure.
Chen Sheng looked up at the top of the staircase but did not climb immediately, rather stood in place to regulate his breath for a moment, digesting the insights from the fierce battle just now.
This breakthrough not only validated his improvement in strength but also granted him new comprehension in the integration of Sword Dao and Dao Principles.
...
Yunlu had been there, above the square, a vast chart formed by starlight hovered, the real-time scoreboard within the tower — the "Star Chart."
On the chart, countless names flickered between light and shadow with the success or failure of disciples’ trials.
"Ah, failed again... The Star-devouring Primordial Magnetic Beast on the sixth level is truly formidable; its Primordial Magnetic Void-Shattering Claw can’t be countered directly."
A dejected voice echoed, as a Named Disciple in a gray robe staggered out of the sub-tower’s main gate, exhaustion lingering on his face, even a faint trace of blood marked his temple.
He looked up at the Star Chart. As his gaze swept past the sixth level, it suddenly froze, his eyes widened in shock, as if seeing a ghost.
On the sixth level’s section of the Star Chart, a name "Life-Annihilating" was slowly dimming.
Yet the section of the seventh level, often populated only by names of Inner Sect Core Disciples, suddenly lit up with a new golden light, the words "Life-Annihilating" impressively present, like a new star rising in the night sky, dazzling and striking!
"They... they’ve broken through the sixth level?!"
More than one person saw the new golden light on the seventh level, causing the square to erupt instantly.
"Damn! It’s really the seventh level! Am I mistaken?"
"Last time I saw Prince Life-Annihilating challenge, didn’t they get stuck at the sixth level? Only a few years have passed!"
"Three years! This must be a peerless prodigy?"
"The seventh level... that’s the combat power threshold of Void Refining, the prince is not even a thousand years old yet."
The disturbance on the Star Chart not only astonished the Named Disciples, but even far away in a mist-filled Secret Realm on Phecda Star.
Several Inner Sect Core sequence cultivators sat around a star array discussing cultivation techniques, one of them caught the change in the Star Chart’s reflection with the corner of his eye, his hand with the spell abruptly paused.
"Fellow disciples, look at the Star Chart!"
He waved his hand, enlarging the image on the star array.
On the water mirror at the center of the Secret Realm, the "Life-Annihilating" name on the seventh level of the Star Chart was clearly visible, the golden glow circulating, displaying extraordinary presence.
Several Inner Sect cultivators looked up, and upon seeing the name, the Secret Realm instantly fell silent.
Moments later, an elder with a reddish nose first sighed, stroking his goat-like beard, full of emotion in his eyes:
"Our little junior brother is truly a genius! Not yet a thousand years old and has reached the seventh level, such accomplishments, even among our Inner Sect sequence, are unheard of."
Another middle-aged cultivator with a resolute face smiled bitterly:
"Back when I reached the seventh level, I was just past the age of three thousand, barely meeting the Inner Sect standard, compared to little junior brother, it’s a world of difference."
In Qing Xiao Palace, there is a rule that Named Disciples who can break through the seventh level within three thousand years can directly join the Inner Sect sequence.
These few had all climbed the ranks from Named Disciples step by step, fully aware of the difficulty!
Many people get stuck at the sixth level for decades or even centuries, ultimately stopping regrettably.
But Chen Sheng took only three years to achieve the leap from the sixth to the seventh level, such progress is nothing short of incredible.
A younger cultivator lamented, his eyes full of regret:
"Just three years, from initially entering the sixth level, directly rushing to the seventh level, this speed is terrifying!"
"Alas, little junior brother joined our master’s tutelage too late, if he could have received guidance from our master a few hundred years earlier, perhaps our Daoist Palace might have another prodigy in the realm finals!"
"Indeed, indeed."
"It’s a pity this junior brother is often cultivating in seclusion, otherwise I’d truly wish to forge a friendship with such talent, truly unheard of."
Just as everyone was sighing, the golden light of the Star Chart suddenly dimmed — the name "Life-Annihilating" on the seventh level gradually darkened, evidently stopping there.
But the Inner Sect cultivators in the Secret Realm felt no disappointment, instead they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Stopping at the seventh level is fine, if he could really rush directly to the eighth level, our Dao Hearts might shatter,"
The middle-aged cultivator laughed and said:
"Speed of breaking through one level in three years is already frightening enough, given time, little junior brother may definitely assault the eighth level."