Devour

Li Tong frowned on his delicate face and shook his head, "How can we tell the winner? It seems like the two are evenly matched in terms of skills."

Cheng Bai's expression was subtle, and he said with a wry smile, "I was wrong earlier. This is rock-paper-scissors, and Zhu Yan obviously lost easily."

Li Tong was surprised and said, "It's okay to compete like this."

The Smoker whispered, "Very clever."

Although the winner was determined, no one knew why Zhu Yan died. Cheng Bai had no other clues and it was difficult to judge. He did not want to waste time and walked to the next palace.

The tenth palace is the Rooster Palace. The stone statue is colorful and shaped like a rooster, which is the rare and divine bird, the Angri Rooster.

When I entered the palace, I saw a lot of colorful feathers scattered around, which were still shining and not covered with dust, but there were no corpses.

Cheng Bai teased, "What a mess."

Li Tong had a rich expression on his face, and said in surprise, "Could it be that Ang Riji left this place naked? I wonder what happened at that time."

Cheng Bai asked: "Is the feather also a treasure?"

Li Tong nodded and said, "Of course. The skeletons and corpses of such great monsters are rare treasures, not to mention these Angri feathers. The Angri chicken is relatively strong among the twelve earthly branches, and is not much different from the Bashen. It may be a good idea to abandon the feathers to save life."

Cheng Bai said bluntly: "It was able to save its life and retreat bravely, which is already one step ahead of the python. There are no more clues, let's go."

Although there were treasures, they could not take them. Cheng Bai pretended not to see them and led the team to the next palace.

The eleventh palace is the Dog Palace. In front of the gate is a stone statue shaped like a raccoon with a white head and red hair. It is the legendary mythical beast Tengu.

Inside the palace lay the remains of animals and human bodies. Weapons had been broken into several pieces, making it difficult to tell what weapons they were. It seemed that a fierce battle had taken place there.

The fist and claw marks left around are extremely sharp, and the remains still contain the mysteries of profound martial arts and secret techniques, which are dazzling.

Cheng Bai's vision grew, and after a closer look, he said, "Shi Qi has made new progress since he came here. His punching power is even more profound and mysterious, and he has come up with new ideas than before."

Li Tong took a look and praised: "Tian Gou may not be as strong as Cang Long, but he is stronger than Bashe and Ang Ri Ji. Shi Qi may have come to the City of Promotion more than once or twice for the challenge. After passing the Xu Gou Palace, he has stabilized in the middle stage of the Wu Xiang Realm."

Cheng Bai pondered for a long time, then smiled happily, saying, "To others, these are just broken traces, not worth mentioning, but to me, they are like rare secret manuals that answer many difficult questions. This is truly a rare opportunity."

Li Tong asked: "What's the big gain?"

Cheng Bai said solemnly, "Today I have fully understood the most difficult killing moves in the Six Paths of Bliss, the Killing Technique and the Purification Technique. Compared with them, the Falling Leaf Divine Palm and the Hundred Battles Divine Fist that were passed down in later generations of the Jade Hall are only half-understood and are not on the same level."

The Smoker was quite impressed and said flatteringly: "The Lord was able to comprehend the Dao from a few old fist prints. He is extremely gifted. There are not many people like him in the world."

Cheng Bai found what he heard quite useful and understood enough to lead the team to the last palace on the top of the mountain.

The twelfth palace is the Pig Palace. The stone statue outside the door looks like a pig, with an elephant's trunk and a cow's tail. It is also a legendary beast rarely seen in the world, the Nightmare Tapir.

The beast-shaped skeleton in the palace was intact and huge in size, but much smaller than the previous giant monster.

Cheng Bai walked around the corpse of the dream tapir and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "This is another unsolved mystery. There are no signs of fighting, so it's hard to tell how it died."

Li Tong said confidently: "The Dream Tapir can invade other people's dreams and feed on dreams. It ranks at the top among the Twelve Earthly Branches Demon Kings, not inferior to the Azure Dragon, but it is not known for its physical body. I'm sure this battle will be unique."

Cheng Bai guessed, "Could it be that they had a spiritual battle in a dream, so there was no wound at all. Was it the same before?"

Li Tong continued, "Dreams are the area that the Dream Tapir excels at. Even masters who are stronger than it may not be able to win, but it was defeated here. This shows that after a round of challenges, Shi Qi's spiritual awareness and skills have increased a lot. He may have been close to the late stage of the Wuxiang Realm at that time."

Cheng Bai thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps Shi Qi has mastered some secret technique or treasure that we don't know about, and successfully got through this difficult time."

It took a lot of time to travel around the twelve zodiac signs. The day passed quickly and Cheng Bai simply camped on the top of the mountain.

Regardless of day or night, the light in the tower is always as gentle and bright as the dawn. Looking down at the mountain, the twelve palaces are like a winding dragon crawling in the mountains, half hidden and half visible, the surroundings are clearly black and white, and everything is silent.

However, Cheng Bai was not the only one there. At the foot of the distant mountain, shrouded in shadows, an orange bonfire was lit, which stood out in the quiet valley.

"There are other challengers who have reached the fifth floor. Who are they?" Cheng Bai was secretly curious. Other hunters also have this ability? It was really unexpected.

There was a winged creature flying over there, landing near the campfire. Others couldn't see the tiny distant figure clearly, but Cheng Bai's spiritual eyes didn't miss it: "It's the Frost Demon Dragon King. Mo Ruo came up again so quickly, and he was able to recover after being cut into pieces. His immortal demon body is really amazing."

Li Tong knew the result of that battle, and reminded him, "He has understood that you have a strong foundation, and you will never make the same low-level mistake again. The immortal demon body is very difficult to kill, and its life force is so strong that it can almost catch up with the immortal realm of the true saint. To have such ability in such a low realm is a heaven-defying existence. No wonder you are so conceited."

"If I can't surpass my strong enemy, how can I be the supreme ruler of the Six Paths? If we meet and fight again, I will definitely defeat him completely."

Cheng Bai was chatting and laughing calmly. He now knew more about the cultivation system and path from Li Tong than the three sects and seven halls of Qiongqi Continent knew at once.

Ordinary warriors go through the five major realms of fetal breathing, moving strength, concentrating momentum, questioning the heart, and verifying the body, and constantly improve themselves, commonly known as the fifth level of verification. When they have achieved perfection, their true energy is strong, they can fight elephants, kill bears and tigers with their palms, and all grass, wood, bamboo and stone can be used as weapons to kill people.

But this is only the limit of human power. Although one has reached the level of a cultivator, one has not yet been able to glimpse the great Dao, so strictly speaking, one cannot be considered a cultivator.

The first sign of spiritual cultivation is to enter the Bao Yuan realm, where the true essence is condensed from gas to liquid and becomes the true essence. This is followed by the five realms of refreshing the mind, returning to the roots, expanding the law, and becoming heavenly and human, collectively known as the heavenly and human realms. The true essence is cultivated to return to the void and condense into the solid, forming an inner elixir and possessing magical powers.

At this point, the internal energy is released to form a wall, and the body is invulnerable to swords and spears, achieving the harmony of yin and yang, the mind returns to its root, the Dharma nature is transparent, forming a unique domain, interacting with external natural forces, and turning the power of all things for one's own use. The cultivator can be called a human immortal.

At this time, the secret skills mastered are even more mysterious and magical, such as exorcising spirits, controlling wind and spitting flames, walking in the sky, seeing the sky and hearing the earth, etc. The methods are strange and varied, but this is only the starting stage for the cultivator.

To climb the great road, one needs to open many doors of magical power, and walk through the five great realms of inaction, no thought, no form, no dwelling, and no restraint, collectively known as the five mysterious realms of nothingness, to break the root of the bondage of consciousness and appearance, and reach the realm of self-generation of the mind, where the intention goes and the form goes, and the perfection of the nature of the mind.

At this point, the cultivator can be called an earth immortal. The five gates of magical power connect the upper, middle and lower dantian. The primordial spirit changes unpredictably and travels freely between heaven and earth.

Cheng Bai further inquired: "What kind of mystery is the realm after the Five Mysterious Realms?"

The smoker sat nearby, also listening attentively.

Li Tong said: "Earth immortals' primordial spirits have left their bodies, but they are still limited by their physical bodies and cannot break through the boundaries of heaven and earth. Therefore, they must condense their Dharma bodies, which are divided into five realms: marrow cleansing, bone refining, soul forging, dragon transformation, and nirvana. They must cultivate until their physical bodies become holy. Heaven and earth are born with me, all things are one with me, my body and the Tao are united, and I completely shed my mortal body and transform into a holy body. My magic power is as vast as the sea."

Cheng Baidao: "Have you become an immortal now?"

Li Tong shook his head and said, "The road to cultivation is long. After reaching the fifth level of Nirvana, one can achieve immortality by breaking through the void."

Cheng Bai said suspiciously, "It sounds very low-class, not a real immortal."

The Smoker laughed and said, "My flying technique can also allow me to travel through the void, but the time limit is limited. There is no air in the void, so it is difficult to persist for a long time."

Li Tong laughed dryly and said, "The wandering immortals travel in the void, free and easy, how could it be difficult to persist? You just don't have enough cultivation, listen to me slowly."

Cheng Bai and Yan Gui listened attentively.

Li Tong continued, "To become a higher level celestial being, one must cultivate the five realms of Three Worlds, Gathering Sources, Paying Respect to the Sect, Developing Dao, and Overcoming Tribulations. One must undergo the test of the Three Calamities to forge a divine body. Going against the will of heaven is the most dangerous. Those who fail will be reduced to ashes and everything will be in vain. Only those who successfully overcome tribulations can cultivate to become true immortals. After going through the five realms of Void Realm, Myriad Things, True Self, Extinction, and Immortality, one can roam outside the Three Realms and Six Paths, live forever, and have the divine fire ignited by the fire seed. Only then can one cultivate to become a golden immortal."

Cheng Bai asked in amazement: "Divine Fire? What does this have to do with the Divine Fire Source?"

Li Tong said, "It matters a lot. The way of the immortals has flourished. Hundreds of millions of years have passed since the ancient times. Although it is rare for people to become immortals in each star field, there are many in the vast universe. Golden Immortals are not eternal. There will always be those who have exhausted all the methods of longevity, whose life spans have come to an end, or whose souls have been destroyed in the world-destroying wars. They will leave behind various immortal fire seeds, divine fires, and Dao fruits, which may wander in the void, be buried in ancient lands, or fall into the hands of others and become the source of immortal divine fire."

Cheng Bai sighed and said, "So this is how the source of the divine fire came from."

Li Tong said: "This is another form of immortality. It is not easy to cultivate to become an immortal. Maybe it is not as good as before, but some of the power has been preserved. Every source of divine fire has a history, and it originated from this."

The Smoking Ghost also said: "There are thousands of schools of thought arguing about the way of immortals and saints, and some call them by different names. Among the demon race like us, we rarely call ourselves immortals, but more often we call ourselves saints and sages."

Cheng Bai became interested and asked, "What's the point of this?"

Li Tong elaborated: "All races have their own culture. The way of immortal saints is dominated by the immortal race, so they are called immortals. In the realm of scattered immortals, other races may call them sages, masters, and ancient gods. In the realm of celestial immortals, other races may call them saints, god masters, and demon masters. In the realm of true immortals, other races may call them true saints, god kings, and demon kings. In the realm of golden immortals, other races may call them sacred, true gods, god monarchs, and demon monarchs. And so on."

Cheng Bai happily said, "I have learned a lot."

After talking for a long time, the smoker fell into a deep sleep while Cheng Bai sat cross-legged on the Zhenwu stone bed, quietly digesting what he had learned today.

The next day, we meandered up the mountaintop, passed through a misty area, and arrived at the sixth floor of Shengjin Pagoda.

Li Tong introduced: "This floor is where you can see the cultural achievements of all races in war, and it's called the City of Ending."

Cheng Baiqi asked: "Why is it called the end?"

Li Tong explained: "A deadly weapon brings an end to life."

Looking up, you can see a group of rooms connected to each other around the wide passage, one grid after another, one circle after another, neatly built, layer upon layer, full of rhythm, and seemingly endless.

Cheng Bai looked at the industrial-style buildings and asked in confusion, "This doesn't look like a living room, but more like a warehouse. Where are the weapons?"

Li Tong looked around, his vision was empty, and he said in surprise: "This place used to store the ultimate world-destroying divine weapons of the Pangu clan and all the clans in the heavens. Now there is nothing that can be used."

The City of Ending once stored a vast amount of weapons and supplies, but now it is empty... No, not all the weapons are gone.

There are several huge objects as tall as mountains, standing out from the crowd of rooms. Because they are too big or damaged, they have not been taken away and are still displayed here, like a huge open-air exhibition hall.

These weapons are huge in size and finely crafted, but unfortunately they are rusted, dented, deformed, and incomplete, obviously having been baptized by the cruel flames of war. They are fixed on a huge exhibition stand with ancient text descriptions next to them.

In front of him was a spherical object with a diameter of 800 meters. The concave ring part looked like the pupil of an eyeball. The broken parts revealed the steel bones inside, while the intact parts glowed with a cold metallic luster.

Li Tong introduced: "The Eye of Defeat, created by the Iron Heart Clan, is a great killer weapon circulated among the Star Sea weapon refiners. When it flies up to the sky and looks down at the earth, thousands of troops will be reduced to ashes, and it is enough to destroy all the cities on the entire continent."

Cheng Bai glanced at the ancient characters beside the booth. The translation of Tongyan Secret Art was similar to what Li Tong said. He couldn't help but frowned and silently compared it with the nuclear bombs of Earth civilization. One is a continuous combat weapon, and the other is a disposable item. The actual power of this thing is much greater than that of a nuclear bomb. It is a weapon that can explode a country. He couldn't help but ask, "Are there a lot of them?"

"The cost is much higher than that of the Yellow Turban Warriors, which limits their number. At the peak of the Iron Heart Clan's power, there were only about ten thousand of them. They can form a battle array with even greater power. Their participation in the battle is enough to destroy stars and sweep across the star field."

Li Tong said: "There are even more powerful ones. Do you see the Thunder God's Gun over there?"

On the other side, there was an extremely giant javelin-shaped object that was over a thousand meters long and narrow. It was composed of multiple metal hexahedrons of different sizes. The top was like a cannon muzzle, emitting a cold breath of death. If it had not been broken into two parts, its momentum would have been even more terrifying.

"This is the ultimate soul weapon created by the Thunder God Clan. When it flies in the void, the world-destroying divine thunder it spews out is enough to destroy the Qiongqi Continent. Some weapon refiners are crazy about it."

Cheng Bai asked curiously, "Can a refiner create a weapon like this?"

Li Tong said with a smile: "The weapon master of the Gentlemen Clan is far behind, so of course they can't make it. The Sky-Patrol Spiritual Boat is their current limit. The methods of refining these spiritual artifacts are all here with me. Just supply Gawain Athens every day, the more the better. Let me chew it slowly, and I can show you a little bit..."