Chapter 153: Descent of Myriad Races

The Master of Space talent truly began to flex its might only at this moment. Otherwise, even with an understanding of the true meaning of space, it would have been impossible to ripple the power of spatial order with just a single finger.

It would have been even more impossible to slash space open with a single palm sweep through the air.

Jiang Ming now felt that his control over the surrounding space had reached its absolute peak, capable of freezing space directly and turning it into something tangible.

With a slight mental sense, countless nodes appeared in his mind—some bright, some dim, varying in distance and depth.

There were also spatial meridians, spatial fluctuations, and much more.

"Of course I need to experience it. Only through intuitive perception can I comprehend it better!" Jiang Ming said. "I am troubling Grand Master Li!"

"It is no trouble at all," Li Slowly replied. "Shall I first explain my understanding of the Realm of No Distance to you?"

"That would be wonderful!" Jiang Ming was overjoyed.

"The true intent is the continuation of artistic conception, a more profound power of the Dao," Li Slowly said slowly. "The seven mortal-transcending stages of martial arts are divided into early, middle, late, and perfection stages, which are actually categorized based on one's mastery of the true intent. The true intent itself is also divided into initiation, minor accomplishment, major accomplishment, and perfection, corresponding to four distinct levels."

"I comprehended the Dao of Space and wielded the power of space. Yet, even upon reaching the perfection of the Mortal-Transcending Realm, I was only capable of forming spatial ripples."

"Upon entering the Terrestrial Immortal Realm, my mind and spirit expanded greatly, and my comprehension of the true intent deepened by another level, allowing me to perceive the spatial nodes scattered all around."

"Every single spatial node lies upon the spatial meridians. Stepping across any one of them will transport you to another place."

He slowly explained his own comprehension of the Dao of Space.

The closer the distance, the brighter the spatial nodes; the farther away, the dimmer they appeared.

There were also methods for measuring distance and so forth.

"Places you have visited will leave a corresponding sense of familiarity, or a marker, upon their spatial nodes. With a single thought, merging your body into the spatial node will transport you to the corresponding location."

Spatial nodes were three-dimensional and possessed distinct layers, yet they were quite easy to distinguish.

The area just below the ground surface was yellow on the bottom and gray on the top, representing a fusion. Pure gray meant mid-air, while gray mixed with yellow indicated being inside the earth.

If the yellow color was dotted with specks of golden light, it generally indicated mountains.

And so on.

Jiang Ming listened quietly while perceiving the spatial nodes. Indeed, it matched what the other man had described, but...

Through the spatial nodes, he could sense the hazy conditions of the outside world, preventing him from accidentally materializing inside a mountain, water, or similar hazardous locations.

Li Slowly had also mentioned that at the peak of the Mortal-Transcending Realm, he could only stir spatial fluctuations, but what about him right now?

He could pluck the spatial meridians, freeze space, tear it apart, and perceive spatial nodes.

And more!

Beyond that, he could grasp the spatial meridians directly, and the numerous spatial nodes all lay upon these meridians.

"Grand Master Li's Realm of No Distance is clearly teleportation, and moreover, the most shallow form of teleportation, which requires corresponding spatial nodes to achieve. Perhaps it can cover vast distances because of his high cultivation!"

"Yet, why do I feel like I don't need spatial nodes to teleport at all?!"

"Whatever my eyes can see, and my mind can reach, I can attain!"

"Only beyond my sight, within the range of my sensory perception, do I need spatial nodes to assist me so I don't teleport blindly!"

Jiang Ming thought with a strange expression.

Clearly, this was the ability of the talent known as the "Master of Space."

"With my 'Master of Space' talent, in two or three days at most, the true intent of space can reach perfection."

"With my current grasp of the Dao of Space, relying solely on spatial power, I could easily slay an ordinary eighth-realm powerhouse!"

This was not arrogance, but an evaluation and deduction based on the few Terrestrial Immortals he had already dealt with.

The Dao of Space was truly formidable!

"Are you ready?" Li Slowly asked after finishing his explanation.

"I am ready!" Jiang Ming nodded, then looked aside. Jun Qiye had not yet awakened, while Ye Bailu and Luo Feng were guarding him and simultaneously recovering their strength.

Chen Bei and the others were wreaking carnage elsewhere.

"Then let's go!" Li Slowly placed a hand on his shoulder, and the next moment, their figures vanished without a trace.

A stream of flash later, they appeared by a riverbank, and his voice rang out: "A person passing leaves a shadow, a goose passing leaves a sound. Wherever one travels, one leaves behind their own aura. Through spatial nodes, this is sensed with exceptional clarity. Furthermore, with precise distances, reaching a specific location, and navigating the coordinates surrounding the path traveled, one can accumulate experience through repeated journeys until absolute precision is achieved."

This was clearly the imparting of practical experience.

Immediately afterward, the two figures vanished again, subsequently appearing in various locations.

Deserts, oases, forests, mountains, water surfaces, and other regions of the Nine Domains.

After a long while, they returned once more to the Floating Mountain.

"How does it feel?" Li Slowly asked.

"Exquisite!"

"That is good. Master Jiang, I take my leave once more. If you ever have need of anything in the future, just give the word!"

He cupped his fists, nodded in greeting to Ye Bailu and the other, and vanished completely.

"The Realm of No Distance is truly miraculous!" Ye Bailu walked over. "Brother Jiang, have you mastered it?"

"Mastered it!" Jiang Ming said, then flickered repeatedly. In an instant, densely packed figures appeared all around.

Those were residual afterimages left behind by sheer speed.

In the end, Jiang Ming returned to the exact spot where he had originally stood.

"Damn it!" Ye Bailu's eyes widened. "Your teleportation is simply defying the heavens!"

"Why do I feel like this is even more overpowered than the Academy Grand Master's Realm of No Distance?!" Luo Feng looked over in shock. "Brother Jiang, from now on, wouldn't you be in an undefeatable position?"

"My buddy's thigh just got a lot thicker, I'll need to hug it tight from now on!" Jiang Ming couldn't help laughing.

He was in an exceptionally good mood.

With this divine ability, not only would future battles become more flexible, but his self-preservation capabilities would also be massively enhanced.

"I'm a Holy Body, why would I need to hug your thigh?!" Ye Bailu snorted. "Once I further unlock my Holy Body, I'll shatter space directly. Will you still be teleporting then?"

He sighed again. "The Holy Body is just too difficult to advance. Otherwise, how could two measly Terrestrial Immortals have blocked my edge!"

"You call Terrestrial Immortals 'measly'!" Jiang Ming said speechlessly. "Those are eighth-realm powerhouses. Have you reached that level yet?"

Amidst their banter and laughter, Jiang Ming checked on Jun Qiye once more. The latter had stabilized and was currently immersed in self-healing.

Just as he was about to sit cross-legged to continue comprehending the Dao of Space, a thought stirred in his mind, and he reached out to pull the Urula Bell that had fallen in the distance toward him.

This was another supreme treasure of the Floating Temple, and its effects were quite remarkable.

Turning it over in his hand and sensing it with his divine sense, he discovered a strange brand hidden deep within it.

"This brand is deeply hidden and very faint, yet its essence is extremely powerful. If my soul weren't strong enough, I wouldn't have even discovered it."

Jiang Ming frowned. He tried to purge it with his divine soul, but shockingly, he could not refine it.

"Could it have been left behind by the Buddha Lord who founded the Floating Temple?"

His gaze flickered, revealing a trace of cold amusement.

With a single thought, the Urula Bell hovered in front of him. He clenched both fists, channeled the Dao of Inch Fist, and struck it in a violent pincer movement. With a muffled explosion, the Urula Bell was forcefully shattered.

True qi surged, and the primordial yang energy flowed like fire, burning the fragments thoroughly before he casually tossed them away.

"Brother Jiang, was there a hidden danger?" Ye Bailu looked over.

Jiang Ming nodded. "There was a soul imprint inside the Urula Bell. To prevent future troubles, it's better to destroy it. It's nothing more than a common artifact anyway, so there's no heartbreak."

"A common artifact?" Ye Bailu couldn't help shaking his head. "If those slaughtered people from the Floating Temple heard that, they'd definitely vomit blood!"

"They wouldn't even have the chance to vomit blood anymore."

"That's true!"

The sun set in the west.

This deep crater did not appear dark because raging fires were burning everywhere.

Evil auras, death auras, nether auras, and grievances gathered together, yet they were drawn by some mysterious force, flowing toward Jun Qiye and merging into his body.

Jiang Ming looked over, a thought rising in his heart, and summoned the Concept of Life and Death to envelop Jun Qiye, fully displaying the Dao of Life and Death he had comprehended before the other's eyes.

He knew that although Jun Qiye had not yet woken up, his consciousness had already returned.

He was currently in the middle of cultivation.

Ye Bailu and Luo Feng also looked over, understood the situation after a brief thought, and smiled.

Night fell, and the stars twinkled.

Chen Bei and the others gradually returned.

"The harvest this time is simply too huge! In two years at most, I am confident I can break through, condense the Martial Dao Golden Dan, and step into the eighth realm of martial arts!" Chen Bei was extremely excited.

The others, however, remained somewhat silent.

"Sigh!" After a long time, Zhou Tian sighed. "Coming here, I've truly witnessed the darkness of this world. A sacred Buddhist site, yet it resembles a living hell—enslaving the common people, truly frantic and deranged. Buddha is no Buddha, and men are no men!"

"You'll get used to it!" Luo Feng replied indifferently.

Everyone looked at him.

"The Myriad Realms Battlefield is the truly cruel place!" Luo Feng continued. "This descent required us to independently slay an eighth-realm powerhouse, but how many such beings exist within the Nine Domains? I suspect this great tribulation is specifically targeting us. If my guess is correct, nine times out of ten, other races are descending upon this place to wash the Nine Domains in blood. They use a cruel reality, bloody slaughter, the wails of the common people, and earth-shattering catastrophes to drive our growth. This is a killing tribulation, but even more so, a tempering of the mind and soul."

"Compared to what lies ahead, the situation before us is probably negligible."

"You all need to mentally prepare yourselves!"

Luo Feng's voice was cold and grim.

"I've thought of that too. The so-called great tribulation is aimed at us," Wang Qiutong whispered, "to prepare us for heading to the Myriad Realms Battlefield, providing a process of adaptation. Sigh, the universe is too vast, and there are too many races with different dispositions. Intertwining together, they form a terrifying competition. To lag behind is to be enslaved, and once enslaved, it leads to the scene before our eyes. To avoid being enslaved, we can only rise up and fight, to contend and to seize."

This was a heavy topic.

The bonfire crackled fiercely, and the aroma of roasted meat filled the air.

"Eat and drink first. Once we've recovered, we'll search for the Floating Temple's treasury!" Jiang Ming said instead. "After finding the treasury and digesting its contents, we might experience a massive surge in strength. Don't forget, the Floating Temple has a millennium's worth of accumulation. As for the future? Don't think too much; just handle the present well!"

"Seize the present!" Luo Feng tossed over a flask of wine and laughed. "Thinking too much only breeds unnecessary trouble. Might as well have a drink, grip the blade in your hand, and no matter what thorns and obstacles lie ahead, just hack them apart with a single slash!"

"Haha, hack them apart with a single slash!" Ye Bailu laughed heartily. "Brother Luo, where's mine?"

"You're still a little brat, drinking is not allowed!"

"Cut the crap, hand it over!"

Amidst banter and laughter, they also recounted their respective experiences.

The night passed quietly, and dawn broke the next day.

Jiang Ming awoke from his quiet meditation and looked at Jun Qiye.

The latter was already sitting cross-legged upon a blue stone, a rhyme of the Dao emanating from his body. As the cycle of life and death rotated, his aura grew steadily stronger.

He opened his eyes as well, catching Jiang Ming's gaze, and smiled. "Brother Jiang, thank you!"

"Even an initial initiation into the Dao of Life and Death has massively boosted my combat power. Blessed with the power of life and death, through its constant cycle, I no longer have any worries for the future!"

"From this day onward, I shall embody the Grim Reaper, reaping the myriad souls of alien races!"

Jun Qiye was filled with boundless heroic spirit.

He, too, had comprehended it.

He had grasped the true intent of life and death.

Once initiated, he would be able to comprehend it to the realm of perfection in due course.

"Brother Ye, Brother Luo, and everyone else, thank you!" Jun Qiye stood up and cupped his fists in salute. "If not for you all, I really would have died!"

"If not for you, we would have died too!" Luo Feng laughed. "Together, watching out for and helping one another, we can unleash our true strength. Let's march forward side by side from now on and continue slaughtering our enemies!"

"Side by side, and continue slaughtering enemies!"

Everyone's spirits were lifted.

After stretching their muscles slightly, they began searching for the treasures of the Floating Temple.

Before long, numerous medicinal herbs and great elixirs were carried out.

"Good grief, there are eighteen thousand-year-old ginsengs alone."

"There are also thousand-year-old polygonatum, blood spirit fruits, and other spiritual items!"

"Holy shit, this is the Ten-Thousand Blood Vajra Pill, which can massively enhance blood-qi power."

"This flask contains precious blood, refined from the vital essence of numerous demonic spirits."

"Damn it, this flask contains fetal blood! Damnable bastards!"

Seeing the label pasted on one of the flasks, everyone flew into a rage and ultimately burned it to ashes with a burst of flames.

A massive pile of spiritual herbs and precious pills lay before them.

As for golden treasures?

There were even more of those, but no one paid them any mind—those things were useless to them.

"Take whatever you need, everyone, don't be polite at all. If you're polite, there won't be any left!" Jiang Ming laughed.

"I want all of it!" Ye Bailu rubbed his hands together, looked at Jiang Ming, and asked, "You practice body-refinement too, you don't want any?"

"I don't!" Jiang Ming shook his head. "If I were to break through, this pile of stuff would probably be devoured completely in one go. You guys split it up; you can just sponsor me when I need it."

"I don't need any," Chen Bei shook his head.

"It's not of much use to me either," Bai Bing said.

After everyone picked and chose, a large pile still remained.

"Brother Jiang, if you don't take any, there really won't be any left," Ye Bailu said again. "Once it's in my hands, it's truly gone!"

"Hurry up and take them away. If I can't help myself, you won't even get a share!" Jiang Ming said. "Hurry up and unlock your bloodline; otherwise, your so-called Holy Body will just be an empty title."

Ye Bailu was instantly rendered speechless.

Right at that moment, everyone looked collectively toward the northeast.

"Extremely terrifying spatial fluctuations... Could the great tribulation have arrived?!" Wang Qiutong exclaimed in shock.

"Let's go take a look!" As Jiang Ming's voice fell, his figure had already vanished without a trace.

He teleported out of the crater and emerged above ground.

In the wasteland stood a crooked tree, next to which had appeared a massive fissure resembling an eye. A large swarm of alien beings was currently pouring out from inside in a chaotic flood.

Golden hair, golden skulls, golden skin—everything about them was a brilliant, radiant gold.

They possessed humanoid bodies, yet grew pig-like snouts and ears, along with enormous bellies.

Every single one of them stood over two meters tall.

Each emitted an incomparably powerful aura.

"The Golden Picus Clan!" Luo Feng arrived by Jiang Ming's side as well, recognizing them at a glance, his pupils contracting sharply. "The source of the great tribulation really is the alien races; they've appeared on the Myriad Realms Battlefield before. Didn't our calculations say there were still nearly two months left? Why have they appeared ahead of time?!"

Jiang Ming, however, looked into the distance.

At this moment, he sensed spatial fluctuations erupting in many different places.

Within the territory of the Great Tang alone, there were at least four such locations.

"The great tribulation is the alien races. Good, very good!" Chen Bei smiled—a smile that was cruel and deeply gratified. "These Golden Picus are all very strong. Even the weakest among them possesses Grandmaster-level cultivation, and over a thousand of them have come out. If they scatter in all directions, they really would cause a terrifying catastrophe. But to us, it's just a piece of cake."

"You're underestimating them!" Luo Feng grew slightly nervous, staring fixedly at the spatial fissure before suddenly leaping into the air. "Let me test whether I can destroy this spatial gate!"

Boom...

Just as his saber stroke was about to land on the fissure, a golden hand reached out from within and effortlessly batted him away.

This scene startled everyone.

Luo Feng was far from ordinary in his strength.

Immediately afterward, they watched as a Golden Picus standing ten meters tall stepped out from the fissure. The moment its foot struck the earth, a violent aura swept across all directions.

"There's an eighth-realm existence among them. We've got trouble," Luo Feng said, growing slightly tense as he stared fixedly. "This clan has thick hides and boundless strength. Among peers of the same realm, few humans can match them. As a golden race, they generally possess racial talents that become terrifying once unleashed. Everyone, be careful."