Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

The young man stood tall on the bow of the galleon, a fierce wind whipping against him, sending his robes dancing wildly.

At first glance, he had the stunning air of an immortal.

"It's certainly a good thing to have that kind of confidence."

"But you must not grow arrogant or reckless. Remember, there are always bigger fish in the sea. You're not the only expert at the Divinity Transformation Realm attending the Peach Blossom Banquet."

The Elder Buddha spoke slowly. He wasn't trying to crush the young man's spirit, but he didn't want the boy's recent breakthrough to make him reckless and impetuous.

"I know. The truly formidable ones probably broke through to Divinity Transformation long ago."

"But I am the Buddha's Son of the Holy Temple! Hailed as the reincarnation of a true Buddha!"

"How could I possibly be that much weaker than them?"

The young man laughed boisterously, his gaze as sharp as a blade!

That's right. This young man—who had just broken through to the Divinity Transformation Realm, his cultivation transformed and his confidence swelling to unprecedented heights—was none other than the Buddha's Son of the Holy Temple!

Once, he had crossed paths with Ye Chen in the Dragon Prison Cave.

At the time, he was at the Seventh Layer of the Primordial Mansion Realm, while Ye Chen was only at the Peak of the Spirit Sea Realm.

Yet in the end, he had been defeated by Ye Chen—a loss he long considered a disgrace.

After all, he was an outstanding genius among his peers. Not only did he break through realms quickly, but his foundation and innate talent had also been honed to an astonishing degree.

To be defeated in the end by someone in a realm far beneath his own had dealt a heavy blow to this peerless Buddha's Son.

But ultimately, he didn't spiral into despair. Instead, he used that failure to turn all his resentment into motivation, throwing himself wholeheartedly into his cultivation.

In the end, his potential was massively stimulated. In the short span of just over a month, he broke through one realm after another until, on the eve of the Peach Blossom Banquet, he had actually reached the Divinity Transformation Realm!

The Primordial Mansion Realm and the Divinity Transformation Realm were two completely different tiers of power.

Someone at the Ninth Layer of the Primordial Mansion Realm might be able to defeat three cultivators at the Eighth Layer working together.

But someone at the First Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm could easily crush ten cultivators at the Ninth Layer of the Primordial Mansion Realm, even if they joined forces!

The gap between Great Realms was as wide as a chasm!

Therefore, after breaking through to the Divinity Transformation Realm, the Buddha's Son felt as if he had been completely reborn. His cultivation had reached a state where he was like a different person entirely.

He was confident that if he were to face Ye Chen again, he could crush him to death with a single finger!

"Are you still dwelling on that defeat in the Dragon Prison Cave in Lei Province?"

The Elder Buddha behind the Buddha's Son was, of course, Master Jialan, the abbot of the Holy Temple who was accompanying the Buddha's Son to Dongxuan Province!

He glanced at the Buddha's Son, and as if reading his mind, suddenly spoke.

"Of course. That defeat is seared into my memory. It's precisely because of that lingering resentment that I've been able to achieve what I have today!"

"I have never lost to a peer in Yan Province. This time, I will get my revenge on Ye Chen!"

The Buddha's Son said in a grim tone.

"...Then I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed," Master Jialan said.

"Why?" The Buddha's Son frowned. "Wasn't he recruited by Song Yubing of Cyan Rainbow Hall to be her backup? He's bound to attend the Peach Blossom Banquet!"

"You've been completely immersed in your cultivation lately, so you're out of touch with what's happening in the outside world."

"From what I know, the Song family has already made their move. They're guarding the gates of Dongxuan Province for the sole purpose of intercepting Ye Chen!"

The Buddha's Son was stunned to hear this.

'The Song family? One of the four great families of Dongxuan Province? They're a behemoth, far more powerful than the Holy Temple!'

'And a behemoth like that has its sights set on Ye Chen now? But why?'

As if sensing the Buddha's Son's confusion, Master Jialan went on to explain, "Song Yubing, the prodigy of Cyan Rainbow Hall, apparently comes from the Song family and has some conflict with them."

"It seems their reason for taking action this time is also related to that Song Yubing."

"As for the specific details of their internal disputes, I'm not clear on those."

"I see..." The Buddha's Son couldn't help but sigh with regret. "It would be a real shame if I can't compete against Ye Chen again at the Peach Blossom Banquet."

"What? Has that past defeat already allowed Ye Chen to become your Heart Demon?" Master Jialan's brow furrowed slightly. If that were the case, things could get complicated.

But the Buddha's Son simply shook his head and chuckled. "Perhaps he was, before."

"But now that I've broken through to Divinity Transformation, he's no longer qualified to be my Heart Demon."

Seeing this, Master Jialan finally let out a slow sigh of relief.

Clearly, the Buddha's Son's massive leap in strength had also brought about a change in his mentality.

His intense confidence had allowed him to cast aside the Heart Demon that was Ye Chen completely.

"Excellent."

"What you should be doing now is setting your sights on the monstrous talents of Dongxuan Province."

"The prodigies from outside Dongxuan Province are indeed no longer qualified to compete with you."

...

「Dongxuan Province, outside a mansion shrouded in clouds and mist.」

A young man, completely shrouded in a sinister black light, sat cross-legged by a jade-green lake, cultivating.

As the lake water rippled, streams of energy visible to the naked eye flowed out from its depths, all of which were absorbed into the young man's body.

As this process repeated, the aura around the young man grew increasingly solid.

"HUUUFF—"

Suddenly, the young man exhaled a long breath of foul air. He opened his eyes, and a brilliant black light shot from his pupils, tearing through the mist before him. Like two longswords, the beams plunged straight into the void.

'The Undying Demon Body. I've finally mastered it.'

'Within the Third Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm, I am invincible!'

'Even an expert at the Fourth Layer, or even the Fifth Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm, wouldn't be able to kill me!'

The young man slowly rose to his feet, a terrifying aura rippling from his entire body!

He was the Undying Demon Lord, the peerless prodigy of the Penglai Sect—the number one Demon Dao sect in Dongxuan Province!

Even before venturing into the Dragon Prison Cave, he had already possessed the foundation to break through to the Divinity Transformation Realm.

He had simply delayed his breakthrough at the time so that he could enter the Dragon Prison Cave.

After returning from the Dragon Prison Cave, he no longer had any reservations and easily stepped into the Divinity Transformation Realm.

Now, after a period of dedicated, secluded cultivation, he had mastered his Undying Demon Body. His cultivation transformed along with it, allowing him to break through to the Third Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm in one fell swoop!

Looking across all of Dongxuan Province, how many other Cultivators of his generation could raise their cultivation to such a level before the Peach Blossom Banquet even began?

Without a doubt, he already possessed the strength to vie for first place at the Peach Blossom Banquet!

'I hear that Ye Chen will also be at the Peach Blossom Banquet.'

'I can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out that after just over a month, I've already broken through to the Third Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm.'

A derisive smile crept onto the Undying Demon Lord's face.