Chapter 156: A Sigh from the Master

Chen Bei's aura was surging wildly, and a vague vision of a world appeared above his head. With the slightest tremor, it possessed the might to crush the firmament.

"He has broken through!"

Luo Feng said.

With a slightly complex expression, he had originally thought he would be the first among them to break through, given that both his spiritual reader attainments and martial arts cultivation had reached the peak of the seventh realm.

Instead, Chen Bei took the lead.

Given their talent and special abilities, once they stepped into the eighth realm, they would definitely be able to contend with Emperor Pino. After all, they were the absolute cream of the crop among human geniuses.

"He has indeed broken through." Jiang Ming, however, looked toward the top of Chen Bei's head, his eyes burning with bright light and a stream of wisdom flickering within his pupils, seeing through the external phenomenon straight to the essence.

He also sensed the fluctuations of the world's phantom projection.

After a long while, a strange rhythm rippled across his own body.

"The Samsara Artistic Conception, you've actually comprehended it too." Luo Feng looked at Jiang Ming, his expression extremely complex. "This is the Samsara Artistic Conception, after all! To comprehend it from Chen Bei in such a short span of time, your comprehension ability is truly heaven-defying."

Not to mention him, even Wang Qiutong, Jun Qiye, Bai Bing, and the others wore deeply complex expressions.

It was not difficult for them to comprehend ordinary artistic conceptions, but this was the Samsara Artistic Conception, one of the most supreme Dao rhythms in the world.

"What a pity, up until now I still haven't comprehended the mysteries of time, the Dao of cause and effect, the gate of creation, the method of space-time, and the power of chaos!" Jiang Ming sighed.

Hearing this, even Luo Feng could not help rolling his eyes.

"Is he even human!" Jun Qiye could not help humming, then said solemnly, "What are your plans next?"

"Go to Chang'an!" Jiang Ming said without hesitation. "Ren Tianxing and Yi Tianyan are still over there, and perhaps other classmates have also arrived. If Chang'an City falls, I will go alone to bring them out; if it doesn't fall, we will temporarily settle down there and cultivate hard, striving to advance further."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I'll go check it out right now!" Jiang Ming could no longer wait. "You guys rest here for the time being and wait for my news!"

As his voice fell, he teleported away.

"Using the Dao of space for traveling is truly convenient." Jun Qiye felt a tinge of envy.

"Space..." Everyone felt a sense of yearning.

Before long, Jiang Ming arrived outside Chang'an City. He stopped on a hilltop, looked around, and his mood turned heavily solemn.

The earth was shattered, crisscrossed with gullies.

Mountain peaks had collapsed, and rivers had altered their courses.

The villages he had once seen had been completely annihilated.

Battles were still raging high in the sky; with Master's strength, he was actually being dragged down by the opponent—how utterly unimaginable.

On the ground, slaughter was still unfolding.

Chang'an City was enveloped in divine light, clearly having activated its defensive grand array.

Ah...

A miserable scream came from the distance. Jiang Ming's gaze focused, and he teleported instantly, just in time to witness a horrific scene: Wang Jinglue was entangled by all four limbs by a giant octopus, which ripped him apart alive before swallowing him down.

Jiang Ming raised a hand and shot out a sword beam, exploding the octopus's head, but its tentacles still twisted, lashing the void and causing a series of sonic booms.

Shifting his gaze, he saw a town in the distance engulfed in raging fires, with numerous alien beings devouring despairing residents.

Jiang Ming flashed to the vicinity, his martial arts domain enveloping the surroundings. In an instant, the alien beings were slaughtered to the last, and a significant amount of blood was also collected.

Just as he was about to leave, a chill gripped his heart.

A sheep's head suddenly appeared in front of him, followed by a body squeezing out from the void.

Was this spatial traversal?

"Human, your blood qi is so vibrant." The alien with a sheep's head and a deer's body unexpectedly uttered a girl's crisp voice. "Be my male servant, and I will spare your life."

Clang...

The response to the opponent was a slash of sword qi. Amidst the shifting yin and yang was a fatal sword strike that directly cleaved the opponent in two. To Jiang Ming's shock, this creature was still not dead.

"Nice moves, but unfortunately useless against me!" The sheep-headed voice remained completely devoid of ripples.

Yet its body was now on the other side.

Extremely bizarre.

"Within the myriad realms and among all races, the types of life are vast and endless, but they all share a common characteristic: life." Jiang Ming said as he threw out another sword strike.

This sword contained the power of life and death.

The sheep's head opened its mouth and spat out a storm, attempting to obliterate the sword qi, but it ultimately underestimated Jiang Ming. Its head was cleaved in two by a single sword, and amidst the revolution of life and death, its vitality was directly wiped out.

"Is this one also a bizarre god?"

Pondering this, Jiang Ming collected some of its flesh and blood tissue into his spatial ring so that he could later study the differences in this species' genes.

In the distance, sword qi whistled like a surging river sweeping across the nine heavens, possessing a majestic momentum capable of destroying mountains and crushing peaks.

Jiang Ming teleported close and saw a middle-aged man in white fighting a giant octopus beast. This octopus was extremely terrifying; with a single lash of its tentacles, it shattered the sword qi in mid-air.

The densely packed eyes on its tentacles flashed with light, causing the surrounding laws to become chaotic. It even made Jiang Ming, who was watching from the sidelines, feel unwell, creating a sense of mental derangement.

"A bizarre god, eighth realm!"

Jiang Ming made his judgment.

As for the middle-aged man?

Judging from his sword intent, it was nine out of ten Sword Saint Liu Bai. He was strong—very, very strong. As his sword intent whistled, it resembled a vast, overwhelming torrent carrying an unstoppable momentum capable of destroying everything. Yet the bizarre octopus he faced was even more terrifying.

Both in speed and strength, it steadily surpassed him by a notch.

At that moment, the bizarre octopus's figure flickered, actually condensing eight figures that appeared around Liu Bai, trapping him in the middle and forming a layer of domain power.

The chaotic spiritual power twisted the void into a complete mess.

"My heart is like iron, entering sainthood, transcending divinity. You are merely an alien; how could you shake my mind?" Liu Bai's voice was resolute and clangorous, his willpower extremely firm. But the very next moment, he was sent flying with a lash, coughing up a mouthful of blood on the spot.

"Ant!" The bizarre octopus's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Waters of the great river come from the sky, pouring down the nine heavens to form an ocean!" Liu Bai's aura grew even stronger. With a single airborne sword strike, it seemed to summon the Milky Way pouring downwards. Just as it was about to submerge the bizarre octopus, the latter raised its head and spat, shattering the sword qi into disarray.

"Ant!" The bizarre octopus spat out two more words, carrying disdain and contempt for the weak.

"In the mortal world I am utterly invincible, with a single sword I cut off the nine heavens." Liu Bai's swordsmanship was peerless. Like a teleportation, he arrived in front of the bizarre octopus, delivering a sword so swift it belonged not to the mortal realm, which—though slightly evaded by the opponent—still severed two of its long tentacles.

The next moment, however, those two tentacles suddenly exploded, transforming into individual vertical eyes that locked onto Liu Bai and shot out divine light.

Even with Liu Bai's willpower, he was disturbed by the chaos.

"Humans are only fit to become food. After eating you, my strength will surely advance further." As the bizarre octopus uttered these words, one of its tentacles had already transformed into a long spear, piercing through the air straight toward Liu Bai's glabella.

He simply could not dodge this strike.

At the most critical split second, Jiang Ming teleported in front of Liu Bai and threw a punch that directly blasted the tentacle to pieces. The terrifying force transmitted through it shocked the bizarre octopus, prompting it to hastily sever that tentacle.

Before it could make its next move, Jiang Ming was already above its head, and his martial arts domain descended simultaneously. The bizarre octopus's body trembled and it erupted with terrifying power, but it struggled to break free for a moment.

Yet it was turning ethereal, preparing to escape using its special ability.

How could Jiang Ming give it the chance?

"Die!"

With a single punch falling, the bizarre octopus was completely blown apart, turning into a ball of blood mist. Jiang Ming frowned slightly, and a flame shot from his pupils, enveloping the blood mist within it.

He sensed a strange fluctuation.

The bizarre octopus had not been completely killed.

Then he would continue.

Hum, hum, hum...

Faintly, a bird's cry seemed to sound. Jiang Ming mobilized the power of his Dharma form, using the Golden Crow to unleash the True Fire of the Sun to burn the blood mist and thoroughly refine the residual imprint.

Reaching out with a grab, he retrieved the remaining clump of blood and stored it in his spatial ring.

"Many thanks!" Liu Bai had thought he was going to die, but unexpected help had arrived at the crucial moment, with a powerhouse appearing out of nowhere who slew the bizarre octopus with a flick of his finger. This left him deeply shaken.

He cupped his fists in a salute.

"The great calamity has arrived; we should naturally support one another!" Jiang Ming said before leaving directly, ascending high into the sky.

In the clouds of the nine heavens, an intensely terrifying battle was underway.

Master possessed boundless divine abilities and heaven-defying power, but facing the hundreds of meters long bizarre octopus, he could only drag it down rather than genuinely suppress it.

"Terrifying..."

Sensing the horrifying fluctuations of power, Jiang Ming's heart shook, and Master's voice rang in his ears: "Little fellow, this monster is too strong. This old man cannot kill it, but I can stall it for a year or two. Chang'an City is temporarily safe; you and the others must grow quickly. As for the world? Alas, there is no time to care about it. Cultivate hard, strive desperately—if you cannot grow, this world will completely overturn."

The sigh in the middle contained a helpless resignation to fate.

Jiang Ming cupped his fists, but a chill gripped his heart as he noticed a bizarre octopus in the distance looking his way.

This one was even more colossal than the one just slain, its power even more terrifying, surpassing even Emperor Pino whom he had killed.

"The one killed just now was only an ordinary bizarre octopus, is this one the Bizarre Octopus King?"

As Jiang Ming thought this, various horrifying visions appeared in his mind; his head grew dizzy, and demon-like whispers seemed to echo in his ears, making him feel nauseous and restless.

He immediately grew alert.

"A curse?"

Thinking of this, he teleported away instantly.

This type of entity was not something he could afford to provoke for the time being.

Jiang Ming arrived outside the city walls and saw the Academy's second senior brother, Jun Mo, holding a long sword and gazing outside. Jun Mo's sword intent soared and his battle intent was high; he seemed eager to rush out and slaughtering the enemy, yet he was forced to stay behind to guard the city.

Jun Mo also looked over in this direction and nodded.

Jiang Ming flew directly across—the grand array offered no obstruction—and landed on the city wall path, asking, "How is the city inside?"

"Stable." Jun Mo wore a blank expression, his voice tinged with coldness. "Master Yan Se died in battle, perishing together with a giant octopus."

Jiang Ming fell silent.

"Master said you and the others are very important, and all convenient paths may be opened for you." Jun Mo said again. "If you need anything, just say the word!"

"Alright!" Jiang Ming nodded, his figure flashing as he returned to Tianwu Manor.

Ren Tianxing and Yi Tianyan were still there.

The blind monk Mud Bodhisattva and his granddaughter had not left either.

"Brother Jiang, how is it over there?" Ren Tianxing asked impatiently.

"Rest assured, everyone is safe." Jiang Ming said as he looked at Mud Bodhisattva. "What does the future hold?"

He then turned to Yi Tianyan: "Can you see through the future?"

"The future is no longer predictable." Mud Bodhisattva said solemnly. "The heavenly secrets are in complete chaos."

"Destiny is dozing off, and karma is fluctuating violently." Yi Tianyan smiled instead. "Anything is possible. Either the world is destroyed, or we survive the great calamity."

"How is what you said any different from saying nothing?" Jiang Ming said with mild annoyance.

"This is precise divination, not reckless guesswork. The answer is the same, but the nature is entirely different." Yi Tianyan replied gently. "Brother Jiang, with your current strength, you cannot change the grand trend of the world, nor can you easily sway it. Since that is the case, one more of you doesn't make it much, and one less doesn't mean much less—so just cultivate hard!"

Jiang Ming fell silent.

He deeply understood that such a grand trend rested upon the supreme powerhouses.

If Master could not defeat the Bizarre Octopus Emperor, then everything would be over.

If he could defeat it, the world would merely be in chaos for a period of time.

"Very well!" Jiang Ming nodded. "Are you coming with me, or staying here?"

"With Master here, this place is the safest." Yi Tianyan smiled.

"Alright, I'll go look for Zhou Tian and the others. You guys stay put and cultivate diligently." Having said that, Jiang Ming turned and left.

A sense of urgency had gripped him.

After greeting Jun Mo, Jiang Ming teleported away, soon arriving at the territory of the Hanging Temple and appearing beside Chen Bei.

At this moment, everyone was looking up, because a bird had appeared above them.

It had a bird's head and a human body, and its entire body gleamed golden, reflecting a mesmerizing luster in the sunlight.

"The Golden Clan!" Luo Feng said. "The Golden Clan has many branches, such as the Golden Piks and the Golden Bird-men overhead. This is a race even more proud and powerful than the Golden Piks. Born arrogant, they feel deeply humiliated when various races dub them 'bird-men,' and they kill and eat anyone they see."

"How is it over there?" After a brief explanation, Luo Feng looked at Jiang Ming and asked.

"Temporarily fine." As Jiang Ming spoke, his figure abruptly vanished, reappearing right behind the Golden Bird-man. The latter reacted with ultimate speed, his body spinning sharply to unleash a destructive storm upon Jiang Ming.

Wind blades sliced through the void, intent on tearing Jiang Ming to pieces.

"Such sharp perception." Jiang Ming was greatly startled, but he did not dodge. Instead, he mobilized his martial arts domain to press down directly. At the same time, his blood qi surged, his strength poured forth, and he activated the Zhou Tian Star Body Protection Art to guard against the unexpected.

He stomped heavily with his foot, causing the void to crack with tens of thousands of fissures, obliterating many wind blades. However, quite a few still landed on his defense, triggering violent fluctuations.

The protective art was torn, but Jiang Ming flicked his finger and blasted the wind blades to smithereens.

"Soul Sword!" Jiang Ming did not hold back. A flash of light shot from his pupils, causing the Golden Bird-man to let out a miserable scream before Jiang Ming stamped down on him, smashing a deep crater into the ground.

He was instantly sealed by Jun Qiye a moment later.

"Bird's head and human body—truly living up to the name of bird-man." Jun Qiye examined him closely and curled his lip.

"I am of the noble golden avian race, while you humans have base bloodlines, fit only to be food. Do you see my head? A bird's head and a human body, what does this indicate? It indicates that we golden avians will forever press down on you humans!" The Golden Bird-man was extremely arrogant.

"Brother Chen, can you extract memories?" Jiang Ming ignored him and looked instead at Chen Bei.

"I couldn't before, but I can now." Chen Bei let out a sinister laugh. "Leave it to me. Let's also take a look at where they popped out from, and what powerhouses they have in their clan."

As he spoke, he swallowed the Golden Bird-man whole.

(End of chapter)