Chapter 141: Breakthrough, the Seventh Realm

The Four Calamities of the Sacred Heart—this was the supreme art comprehended by Di Shitian.

The Startling Eye Calamity was one of these, triggered by the eyes. It could instantly annihilate those with weak willpower or wavering focus; it was terrifying indeed.

Jiang Ming’s strength and youth posed an immense threat to Di Shitian. He had to be killed. If he were this formidable now, what would he become in the future? This reminded him of Wu Wudi.

He launched a killing blow immediately. Jiang Ming felt a bizarre force strike directly at his spirit, targeting his will and shaking his soul, causing even his consciousness to tremble. He hurriedly roused his Yin Spirit, manifesting a Dharma image within his sea of consciousness to stabilize himself, yet he still suffered a shock.

It was at this moment that Di Shitian struck, his sword aiming for Jiang Ming’s neck. Jiang Ming’s pupils contracted; he dodged at the last possible second, but was struck in the chest by his opponent's left hand.

Bang!

Jiang Ming was sent flying, his internal energy surging and his chest tight, though he was not wounded. Even though he hadn't had time to activate the Zhou Tian Star Body Protection technique learned from Zhou Tian, he possessed a protective aura, and combined with his formidable physical body and the abundant energy in his meridians and acupoints, he had blocked the blow head-on.

However, the internal impact rattled his organs, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood as he slammed into a nearby cliff. The rock shattered, and Jiang Ming was embedded within it.

"He didn't die!"

"Walking the Immortal Step!"

Di Shitian pursued him instantly, moving like the wind and lightning, fast as a streak of light. He arrived just as Jiang Ming emerged, slashing with a sword that seemed to split the heavens. Cold air surged forth, freezing the world, before transforming into exploding thunder. This was another of his supreme arts, the Imperial Heavenly Wild Thunder.

"Worthy of being a thousand-year-old tortoise!" Jiang Ming barely blocked it, wiping his mouth with a solemn expression. His aura was flickering and unstable.

The opponent’s strength far exceeded his imagination. He had expected a soft persimmon that was easy to squeeze, but instead, he had encountered a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Yet, thinking about it, it was only natural; having cultivated for a millennium with countless supreme arts at his disposal, he must have reached the peak of the Earthly Immortal realm. Furthermore, having discovered that he was not quite strong enough, he had stopped worrying. And just like that, his combat power had soared.

Jiang Ming stepped forward, stirring up endless torrents behind him, and took the initiative to attack. His swordsmanship unfolded—cleaving through floating clouds and splitting the vast seas—as he clashed with Di Shitian. His swordsmanship was peerless, and he fought head-on against the opponent’s terrifying pressure, continuing to counter-attack even while being fully suppressed.

Peaks split, and rivers collapsed.

The World Association was nearly half-destroyed, which made Xiongba, who had been watching from afar, look ghastly pale, his body trembling.

"How can such terrifying existences exist in this world?"

"I know the Sword Saint of Wushuang City is strong, very strong, but he shouldn't be much stronger than me. But what is the background of these two?"

"When I snatched the Mud Bodhisattva, I exchanged a blow with him, and he wasn't this strong!"

"But now... but now..."

"Either one of them could easily kill me!"

"Even if all the members of the World Association were combined, they wouldn't pose any threat to them!"

"Heavens, how could this be?"

Xiongba revealed a look of despair. It wasn't that he wasn't strong enough; it was that the enemy’s strength far exceeded his imagination. Even though he knew there were many experts in the outside world, he had assumed they were at most on par with him, given that his World Association occupied nearly half the territory of the Great Wu.

Bang!

Jiang Ming was sent flying again, his clothes in tatters, blood spraying across the sky. His face was pale, his hair disheveled, and he looked miserable. Even his aura had dropped a level; he clearly was not the opponent’s match.

"Still not dead?"

Even Di Shitian was shocked. How could someone with such a low realm be so tenacious?

He touched his chest, his gaze dark and deep. Jiang Ming, while enduring the terrifying heavenly pressure, suddenly felt his heart pounding wildly, his internal energy falling into chaos.

"Heart Calamity?"

Jiang Ming narrowed his eyes, his aura becoming even more disordered. This was one of the Four Calamities of the Sacred Heart, capable of affecting the opponent’s heartbeat, even linking their heartbeats together to regulate the speed and disrupt their combat power. In a battle between experts, even a slight fluctuation in the spirit could lead to death. He showed a look of panic.

"Go to hell!"

Di Shitian naturally seized the opportunity. His sword arrived before Jiang Ming, the indestructible sword energy tearing through his protective aura and leaving a long gash across Jiang Ming’s chest, nearly splitting him in two. His beating heart was even exposed, looking truly tragic.

Jiang Ming was sent flying again, crashing into a deep pit on the mountain ridge.

Whoosh!

Di Shitian’s sword moved like light, thrown toward the beating heart. Jiang Ming looked desperate, trying to get up and dodge, but he seemed to have lost his strength. He could only sway his body, missing the heart but being pinned to the ground by the sword.

Sword energy exploded, his chest a bloody mess, his heart nearly bursting.

Pfft...

Jiang Ming opened his mouth and spat out an arrow of blood. His aura weakened to the limit.

Di Shitian landed nearby, not daring to get too close, only examining Jiang Ming’s wounds. Finding that the wound on the opponent’s chest couldn't even heal itself, he felt slightly relieved.

"Are you a descendant of Wu Wudi?" he asked coldly.

Jiang Ming struggled, blood surging out immediately, but he could not succeed. He could only lie there.

"Guess?" He spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, a savage grin appearing on his desperate face.

"Hard-mouthed even at death's door!" Di Shitian sneered. "Opposing me, the God, only leads to death or a fate worse than death. Guess, will you die, or will you suffer a fate worse than death?"

"If I die, you won't live much longer either." Jiang Ming’s face was ashen, his eyes filled with an unyielding will, carrying a deep sense of mockery. "Di Shitian, since I know who you are, you should know what that implies?"

"Wu Wudi is still alive?" Di Shitian gritted his teeth. The opponent was in all likelihood a descendant of Wu Wudi. Me not living long? Who in this world could do anything to me? Only the great enemy of the past, Wu Wudi. As for the experts of other territories, he had no fear.

"Speak, is he dead or not?" Di Shitian radiated an extremely cold chill. "No, it's impossible for him to be alive. There can only be one God in this world, and that is me!" He had already arrived not far from Jiang Ming.

"You finally came close to me!" Jiang Ming suddenly smiled, leaping up and pouncing toward him.

"You tricked me?" Di Shitian was shocked, retreating wildly, but he was not as fast as Jiang Ming, who grabbed his shoulder with his left hand.

Boom...

The internal energy within Di Shitian transformed into streaks of sword light, erupting outward, attempting to tear Jiang Ming’s arm apart and shatter his body. The sword energy was infinite, and at such close range, there was nowhere to hide, no way to dodge.

But Jiang Ming had no intention of dodging.

As his body vibrated, the sword pinned to him was shaken away, his wounds healing rapidly. Three hundred and sixty-five acupoints bloomed with divine light simultaneously, forming a miraculous scene of stars outside his body, transforming into the Zhou Tian Star Body Protection technique. Although it couldn't block the sword energy completely, the weakened force could not harm him. However, his left hand was already a bloody mess.

Ultimately, his opponent was too terrifying.

Boom...

Jiang Ming’s other fist smashed toward his head. Just as he couldn't dodge, Di Shitian, having been grabbed, couldn't dodge either.

"Inch Fist, Twenty-One Waves!"

"Immeasurable Force, bestow your power!"

With this punch, Jiang Ming exploded with his full power.

"Gold-Splitting Finger!"

Di Shitian felt the terror of this punch. In an instant, he raised his arm, fast to the extreme, and condensed infinite sharpness into a single finger, pointing at Jiang Ming’s fist.

The next moment, his face changed wildly.

Bang...

Terrifying power was transmitted; his finger exploded with a bang, turning into a mist of blood, followed by his entire arm, and even his shoulder was blasted apart. The power of Jiang Ming’s punch had completely exceeded his imagination.

Di Shitian was stunned. However, his powerful recovery ability and terrifying strength meant that although wounded, he did not die.

"My cultivation is not as good as yours, and my realm is not as high as yours!" Jiang Ming’s thoughts vibrated, transmitting divine sounds. "You have lived for a millennium, mastering countless secret arts. In a normal battle, I am no match for you. The only thing I have that is stronger than you is my physique."

"But to get close to you, to grab you, and to force you into a head-on collision, that is too difficult."

"Di Shitian, you are cautious and careful, but also arrogant and domineering."

"Only by appearing defeated could I make you gradually lower your guard."

"Only by being severely wounded could I make you approach!"

"Otherwise, in a normal battle, even with a surprise attack, you would easily dodge my fist."

"But now..."

"You are the one who will die!"

"You old thing, do you know? To get close to you and grab you, I had to create the illusion of being severely wounded. But your sword energy isn't very strong; while it could break my skin, it couldn't cause severe damage, so the moment the sword energy touched me, I had to forcibly tear my own skin to create the illusion of a serious injury."

"You old ghost, you are too careful!"

"You weren't satisfied with wounding me, you had to use your long sword to pin me down. Even then, I couldn't help but want to counter-attack, but I held back."

"The sword energy carried by your long sword tore my heart, but fortunately, my recovery ability is strong enough; otherwise, I would have truly suffered a great setback today!"

Jiang Ming transmitted through divine sense, extremely fast. He wasn't having an easy time either. His left hand, left arm, and chest were all torn by the opponent’s sword energy, but fortunately, the wounds were not critical. Especially now, with Di Shitian’s arm and shoulder blasted apart, he had suffered a major blow, and combined with the barrage of words, his spirit nearly collapsed.

Jiang Ming’s second punch arrived.

"Want to kill me? You little beast, you aren't qualified! I am a God, I am a God!" Di Shitian went mad, but he knew he was about to face a true, life-or-death calamity.

A light flashed from between his brows, and a small figure emerged, pouncing directly toward Jiang Ming’s brow and entering his sea of consciousness. This was his soul attack technique, the Ultimate Spirit Calamity of the Four Calamities of the Sacred Heart.

Inside Jiang Ming’s sea of consciousness:

His Yin Spirit had transformed into a Sun-Moon Dharma image, evolving its own domain. As Di Shitian’s Yin Spirit entered, it broke directly into his soul domain. The terrifying, soul-annihilating power was weakened layer by layer.

"This is my territory, Di Shitian. You are completely finished!"

"Yin-Yang Grinding Disk, die!"

Jiang Ming was also fighting with his life. Soul combat is the most cruel; it is either you die or I live.

"You actually cultivated a Primordial Spirit!" Di Shitian was shocked, only to find he was trapped and could only stimulate his soul power to resist. He barely managed to hold on.

"What a vast amount of soul power, but your soul power is far from having the quality of mine." Di Shitian breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"This is not a Primordial Spirit, this is a Yin Spirit!" Jiang Ming’s Dharma image vibrated, soul power surging, but he couldn't grind the opponent to dust. Just as Di Shitian said, his Yin Spirit was more condensed, and his soul power was of a higher quality. That is to say, his realm was higher, even if his application was very crude. But its essence was powerful.

"Yin Spirit?" Di Shitian sneered. "I don't care if it's a Yin Spirit or a Primordial Spirit, little beast. Today, I will kill you. Freeze the World!"

He evolved an icy domain, intending to freeze Jiang Ming’s Dharma image. The cold air permeated, terrifying to the extreme. Even though it was evolved from soul power, it was incredibly real. If the Dharma image were frozen, it would truly be over.

"Solar True Fire!" The Golden Crow let out a cry, spitting out a sea of flames that blocked the power of the ice.

The two fought again, evolving various means, turning the world upside down. This was Jiang Ming’s territory, where his soul power was strong, and combined with the Soul Sovereign talent, even if the opponent’s realm was high, he could not be suppressed.

"At such a young age, you are truly terrifying!" Di Shitian was already panicked, wanting to break free, but found the surroundings locked, filled with layers of illusions that he couldn't break. And his Yin Spirit was like a tree without roots, a source without water; as it was consumed, it would continuously weaken until he was eventually killed.

"Heart of the Primordial Spirit, suppress everything!" Di Shitian’s Dharma image turned, directly transforming into a heart. The terrifying power of suppression caused Jiang Ming’s soul domain to tremble slightly, then solidify.

"Heart of the Primordial Spirit?" Jiang Ming looked at the heart, which contained endless Dao rhyming and radiated terrifying soul fluctuations; he was intimately familiar with it.

"Is this the Soul Realm?"

"No, it’s the True Meaning of the Soul!"

"The so-called Heart of the Primordial Spirit is nothing more than the Soul Heart level of the seventh stage of the Divine Path!"

"Di Shitian must not have a specific cultivation method, so he directly evolved this realm into a concrete 'Soul Heart,' forming a suppressive divine ability!"

"Seventh stage!"

"True Meaning of the Soul!"

"It has actually been fully displayed before me!"

"Di Shitian, oh Di Shitian, I have to thank you!"

"Haha..."

Jiang Ming’s soul power vibrated, letting out a wild laugh. The next moment, the power of his own soul’s true meaning appeared in his sea of consciousness, spreading rapidly from weak to strong across the entire space. It also caused his soul power to undergo a rapid transformation; its quality rose by a level, and his soul power surged explosively.

"You broke through mid-battle? Impossible!" Di Shitian was shocked, even more panicked.

"I understood it, so I broke through!" Jiang Ming’s voice boomed. "This realm is the Soul Heart realm, which lies in comprehending the true meaning of the soul and condensing the Heart of the Soul Path, rather than just evolving a soul heart!"

The seventh stage of the Divine Soul cultivation, completed!

"Di Shitian, you are worthy of being someone who has lived for a millennium. Always insecure, you learned every martial art in the world, possessed infinite secret arts, and were terrifyingly powerful—even your soul had the foundation of the eighth stage. It’s a pity, you didn't cultivate systematically, otherwise, I might have really suffered a great setback today."

As Jiang Ming spoke, his Yin-Yang Dharma image turned slightly, and the powerful force of suppression made Di Shitian’s Yin Spirit unable to move. Having broken through, he now exerted absolute suppression. With a rotation, he ground the opponent’s Yin Spirit into nothingness.

"You cannot kill me! I am a God, I am the Master of the Heavenly Gate, an immortal who has lived forever! I have been an Emperor, a Sovereign of the Martial World..." Di Shitian roared. "Spare my life, and I will give you everything! My wealth that rivals a nation, infinite martial arts, even the Blood of Immortality! Spare my life... ah..."

Finally, with a scream, he vanished into thin air.

Jiang Ming had intended to let the Three-Legged Golden Crow appear to burn him once more to prevent any accidents, but at that moment, the system notification rang out.

Having slain an eighth-stage expert, he could bring the cultivation gained in the secret realm world out with him.

Now that it was completed, his cultivation had broken through.

His seventh talent had arrived.