Chapter 157: Strength Skyrocketing a Hundredfold

Chen Bei's ability was extremely bizarre and profoundly terrifying.

Jiang Ming had noticed long ago that as long as this guy took living beings into his inner world, his strength would increase. He had originally wanted to test whether Chen Bei could also acquire the memories of the living beings he absorbed, and surprisingly, he could.

Inconceivable.

Even Jiang Ming was shocked in his heart.

From this point alone, one could infer just how much more terrifying Chen Bei's true capability was.

However, he did not press him for details.

Not long after, Chen Bei frowned and said, "The spatial rift where the Golden Winged Avians are located is on the grasslands of the northern lands. Their numbers are massive, exceeding ten thousand, and the weakest among them are above the Grandmaster realm. Ever since they descended, they have been running amok and plundering everywhere. Because they can increase their strength to a certain extent by consuming humans, and there are too few living beings in the wasteland, they crossed over here."

Hesitating slightly, a look of puzzlement flickered across his face. "They used to live in a forest surrounded by heavy fog. One day, their entire ethnic group got lost within the mist, gradually forgetting their past memories until they could no longer recall them. It wasn't until today that a spatial rift suddenly appeared within their tribe, and sensing a large number of humans over here, they invaded in a frenzy of joy."

"I'm afraid the Golden Pikkus are in the exact same situation." Jiang Ming pondered, then looked at Luo Feng. "On the Myriad Realms Battlefield, do many races enjoy eating humans?"

"Humans eat food to fill their bellies, grow, provide energy, and even enhance their strength. The myriad races are no different. Eating is an instinct, and furthermore, the most primitive and simplest method to increase one's strength," Luo Feng said. "To many races, humans have tender skin and delicate meat, taste good, and contain pure energy and pristine souls, making them top-tier nourishing treasures. However, generally speaking, humanoid life forms do not eat humans. Strictly speaking, the Golden Pikkus and Golden Winged Avians are also humanoid life forms, but judged by human consciousness, they possess more beastly traits, which is why they resort to eating humans."

"On Blue Star, humans are dominant."

"The Myriad Realms Battlefield, however, is not."

Luo Feng stated the cruel reality.

In the universe, humanity was merely one race among many.

Everyone fell silent.

Shortly after, Jiang Ming stated his plan, which was to enter secluded cultivation here for a period of time to diligently elevate his cultivation realm. As for Chang'an? It was temporarily safe.

"I'm staying too!" Ye Bai was the first to speak. "Brother Jiang, help me comprehend the Dao of Immeasurability!"

"Alright!" Jiang Ming nodded, then said, "Next, I will progressively comprehend the True Intents of World, Yin and Yang, Five Elements, and so on, and naturally, I will also manifest the corresponding domain powers. Anyone who needs to comprehend them can cultivate around me, saving the trouble!"

"Brother Jiang, thank you very much!" Ye Bai and the others were overjoyed.

Jiang Ming leaped forward and arrived at an intact area of the Floating Temple. Here, palaces stood in rows, magnificent, breathtaking, and resplendent with grand majesty.

Choosing an empty spot at random, he sat down cross-legged, harmonized his mind with the void, and stimulated the power of the World Domain to radiate outward, directly blanketing a radius of several hundred meters.

He was going to comprehend the True Intent of the World.

Prior to this, he had already comprehended the power of the Space True Intent.

"The World Domain! With Brother Jiang's assistance, it will definitely save me a massive amount of time!" Zhou Tian was overjoyed and sat down cross-legged nearby.

The other few were also tempted and sat down in the surrounding area, preparing to try their luck at comprehension.

Jun Qiye, however, walked toward the lower section of the Floating Temple. There, the death aura was dense, and an extraordinarily terrifying accumulation of curse energy resided—a sacred ground for cultivation as far as he was concerned.

Everyone immersed themselves in cultivation.

Not long after, Jiang Ming comprehended the power of the World True Intent. In an instant, the Dao rhythm rolled backward, pouring into his body, cleansing his physique, refining the quality of his True Qi, and condensing his soul, elevating his power once more.

"Still too slow."

Jiang Ming frowned, then stimulated spatial power, distorting the void to create dense spatial rifts, and further suppressed them with his overwhelmingly powerful Martial Dao Domain, directly causing Chains of Order to manifest within the spatial rifts, crisscrossing and intertwining.

Every single chain contained heaven-shaking, earth-shattering power.

Carefully sorting through them to find the chains containing world power, using them as a reference for comprehension—this sight made the corners of Ye Bai's and the others' mouths twitch involuntarily.

"What a brilliant method!" Ye Bai exclaimed in admiration. "Utterly heaven-defying!"

"How many people could pull off a method like this?" Chen Bei shook his head and said, "Rending the void and suppressing all laws and Daos to directly manifest the power of order—yet even if one reaches this step, finding the corresponding Chain of Order is unimaginably difficult. After all, the chains all look the same and cannot be distinguished by appearance alone. Analyzing them one by one? It's like finding a needle in a haystack. Moreover, the Chains of Order are intertwined and entangled with one another, possessing each other within themselves. Without comprehending the corresponding domain power, trying to find the matching Chain of Order is like searching for a needle in the ocean. Difficult, difficult, difficult! The Dao is the most profound; only step by step can one ascend to the nine heavens."

Having said that, he closed his eyes.

This method seemed like a clever shortcut, but it was difficult beyond measure, and the required conditions were far too harsh.

Anyone other than an existence like Jiang Ming would find it completely unsuited for them. If one forcibly attempted comprehension, they would suffer the backlash of the order power, damaging the foundation of their mind and spirit.

Using his own domain as a guide and suppressing the backlash with his peerless strength to find the corresponding Chains of Order, Jiang Ming's comprehension progressed at a blistering pace.

As time passed, Jiang Ming's aura grew increasingly powerful and terrifying, to the point that Ran Xin, sitting nearby, could no longer withstand the aura naturally emanating from him and had to retreat further and further away time and time again.

On this day, Jiang Ming opened his eyes.

Within a radius of a thousand meters, not a single person remained.

As for Chen Bei and the others, it wasn't that they couldn't withstand it, but rather that it severely disrupted their cultivation.

At this moment, the space around him was distorted, surrounded by legal principles and vibrating with order, akin to a Son of the World descending upon the mortal realm, with all Daos resonating in harmony.

His aura had reached an absolute extreme of terror.

Jiang Ming stood up, and a tidal wave of force swept across the surroundings, collapsing the void and subverting yin and yang; it seemed as though this realm could no longer bear his majestic might.

"Space, World, Yin-Yang, Five Elements, Life-Death, Light-Darkness, Immeasurability, Extreme Point, Heaven-Opening—all of them have advanced a step further, comprehending their True Intents and driving them straight to perfection."

"Even the Samsara True Intent I comprehended has stepped into the state of perfected True Intent."

"In addition, Wind, Thunder, Wood, Illusion, Penetration, Shadow, and others have all been comprehended to their ultimate limits."

"My Martial Dao Domain..."

Jiang Ming flicked his consciousness, and his Martial Dao Domain manifested, shrouding the surroundings. In an instant, this region turned apocalyptic; mountains crumbled, the earth split apart, and the universe was turned upside down.

Space was suppressed, and order was subjugated.

Strong to the absolute extreme.

Most crucially, the merging of numerous True Intents made him tremble at his own strength.

"Dozen of times stronger than before, perhaps even reaching a hundredfold increase."

"If I were to face Emperor Pino now, I could shatter his Golden Domain to pieces with my own domain and suppress him in return."

"Then, slay him with a single sword, obliterate him with a single punch."

This was a qualitative leap, a ferocious explosion in combat prowess.

And this was humanity's true inherent advantage.

Even if their physical bodies were inferior, they could wield the infinite power of heaven and earth.

A single finger could stir up ripples across the galaxy.

Jiang Ming clenched his fist, and power surged like a rising tide.

He punched forward, whipping up a violent gale.

"This punch packs fifteen hundred Vajra-forces."

This was the strength that had unconsciously grown through the baptism of the heavenly and earthly Dao rhythms after comprehending numerous True Intents. Coupled with a twofold life gene level, his baseline punch could unleash three thousand Vajra-forces.

"Three thousand Vajra-forces is the limit of the mortal human body at the eighth revolution of physical refinement, the true limit."

Jiang Ming felt a slight trace of melancholy.

He had long since been aware of the details regarding the eight realms of physical refinement.

The limit of a mortal body, the peak of the eighth revolution, yielded a baseline of three thousand Vajra-forces.

The eighth revolution of physical refinement was about continuously excavating the potential of the physical body, eventually reaching the degree of severed-limb regeneration. Enhancing oneself in this realm was exceptionally difficult, requiring step-by-step polishing and incremental cultivation.

Yet Jiang Ming faced no such issues.

Back at the sixth revolution, he had already excavated his physical body to the limit of that realm; now, all he needed to do was break the shackles, and he could directly reach the peak condition.

"However, a mortal human body ultimately has its limits..."

This was the shackle of humanity.

Of course, Shi Lei's Supreme Bone, Ye Fan's Sacred Body, Chen Bei's Samsara Physique, and Fang Qinghan's Devouring Physique were not among them. They possessed special, powerful physiques among humans that could rival the absolute top-tier physiques of the myriad races.

Gazing intently, the system screen materialized before him, displaying his personal information once again.

Name: Jiang Ming
Qi Cultivation: Seventh Stage (Heaven-Man Realm, Yin-Yang Classic)
Physical Cultivation: Seventh Revolution (As-You-Will Realm, Dragon-Elephant Suppressing Heaven Technique, Universal Gene Law: 2x)
Divine Soul Cultivation: Seventh Tier (Soul Heart, Yin-Yang Refining Soul Scripture)
Techniques: Myriad Swords Return to One, Four Swords of诛仙 (Zhu Xian), Heaven-Opening Technique, Martial Dao Domain, Zhou Tian Stellar Body-Protecting Technique, Footsteps of the Gods, Inch Punch (23rd Layer), Yin-Yang Forbidden Law, God-Enslaving Art, Sword-Guiding Art, etc.
Talents: Hundredfold Comprehension, Nirvana Regeneration, Soul Dominator, Lord of Space, Fate's Favor, Infinite Genes, Immunity to All Poisons (Temporarily Solidified)
Quest: Slay ten alien emperors within nine years.

All seven realms comprehensively elevated, all reaching their peak.

Utterly magnificent.

"I wonder if the current me can contend against the Master, and that bizarre Octopus Emperor?"

Jiang Ming contemplated inwardly.

He had no absolute certainty.

The Master was too strong; even if he hadn't surpassed the eighth realm, he was likely an existence at the half-step ninth realm.

As for that Octopus Emperor, it was even more terrifying to the extreme.

Gazing intently, he looked toward the sky above Chang'an, where terrifying undulations still erupted from time to time.

The Master and the Octopus Emperor were still locked in battle.

Withdrawing his gaze, he reined his aura back into his body.

Chen Bei and the others then walked over.

"Congratulations, Brother Jiang, on your soaring strength!" Chen Bei was the first to arrive, his face radiant with joy. "By borrowing the Dao rhythm you emanated, I have already stepped into the threshold of the World Domain. With this power combined with my Samsara projection, my offensive power will multiply by at least several times."

"Congratulations, Brother Jiang." Ye Bai also arrived close by, his face full of delight as well. "The Immeasurability True Intent is mine!"

"I have comprehended the Extreme Point True Intent." Luo Feng also arrived, his gaze toward Jiang Ming brimming with gratitude. "Combined with my Heaven-Escaping Shuttle, piercing through surfaces with a single point and even shuttling through the void will multiply my combat prowess by at least tenfold."

"I have comprehended World, Yin-Yang, Light-Darkness, Samsara, and Life-Death." Wang Qiutong's words caused everyone to look at her sideways, filled with extreme shock. She, however, smiled and said, "Don't forget, I am an Innate Dao Physique, naturally attuned to the Dao. With Brother Jiang acting as our guide, comprehending this many domains seems only natural, right?"

"Natural my ass!" Bai Bing couldn't help chiming in. "I am a dual cultivator of soul and martial arts, both at the seventh tier, and I possess a special Ice Physique, yet I only comprehended Yin and Yang!"

Everyone had gained something, which made Jiang Ming very happy.

Exchanging jokes and laughter, they felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation.

Night fell, dotted with stars.

No matter what happened on the earth, the color of the sky never changed.

Lighting a bonfire, they spoke of bygone days.

A full year had passed since the aliens' descent on that fateful day, and quite a few alien beings had passed by this region, only to be successively slain by the group.

Even existences of the eighth realm.

"A year has passed..." Jiang Ming frowned. "Time really flies. Apart from Chen Bei, who else has stepped into the eighth realm?"

"Luo Feng was the second, and I am the third..." Ye Bai said, looking somewhat embarrassed. "The treasures of the Floating Temple we looted back then were basically consumed by me. However, my cultivation has broken through, and my Sacred Body has further improved. Even if I face Emperor Pino now, I am confident I can battle and kill him. Once my Sacred Body advances further and reaches the Great Accomplishment or even perfected realm, I am confident I can suppress all alien races in this world."

That was how confident and arrogant he was.

"Wanna test it out?" Jiang Ming clenched his fists and smiled at him. "My Immeasurability True Intent is now perfected, directly enhancing my physical strength tenfold."

Ye Bai raised his middle finger and added, "Jun Qiye has also broken through, and classmate Wang Qiutong should have broken through too, though she kept getting delayed by constantly comprehending various domains; classmate Zhou Tian is still half a step away!"

They each reported their respective statuses.

"What about Ye Hongyu?" Jiang Ming asked.

"The Haotian Sect suffered a devastating blow; she was worried, so she went back to take a look and still hasn't returned." Bai Bing sighed. "Her cultivation was somewhat lacking after all. We tried to persuade her back then, but after all, that was the place where she grew up."

Jiang Ming nodded.

Given Ye Hongyu's strength and intelligence, being careful should mean she wouldn't have any major issues.

"How is the world outside nowadays?" Jiang Ming asked again.

"Chaotic!" A figure materialized before them, rapidly solidifying. Though it wasn't teleportation, it was nearly indistinguishable from it—shrinking the earth into an inch, making the horizon close at hand. It was precisely his Footsteps of the Gods technique.

The newcomer was Ren Tianxing, who had arrived just in time to hear Jiang Ming's question and answered accordingly.

Over the past year, he had frequently hurried over from Chang'an and even traveled all across the world. Relying on the Space Domain he had comprehended from Jiang Ming, his speed was peerless and unmatched under heaven, allowing him to navigate everywhere with composure.

"The world is in turmoil, blood flows like rivers, and the misery is beyond extreme," Ren Tianxing sighed. "The territory of the Great Sui has fallen, and the dynasty has been overthrown; the territory of the Great Yuan is the same, with only Wudang Mountain barely holding out. Realized Master Zhang has comprehended the ultimate principles of Yin and Yang, along with the True Warrior Formation, turning Wudang Mountain into an iron barrel. Coupled with experts from all over gathering there, they can still hold on for a short time."

"The territory of the Great Wu is extremely chaotic. Located right at the absolute center of the nine realms, a full eight spatial rifts appeared there. Half a year ago, the entire territory was almost beaten down into an abyss."

"Later, a divine dragon and a black tortoise appeared."

"There was also an ancient antique rumored to have lived for four thousand years, along with figures known as Martial Invincible, God, Demon, and the like, who forcefully turned the tide of defeat."

"A few ruthless characters appeared in the Great Qin territory—Bai Qi, Han Xin, Xiang Yu, and others—who could pool the power of military formations for their own use, displaying extreme dominance, though they could barely manage a defense. In addition, there were Donghuang Taiyi, Xiaoyaoxiang, and others."

"The Great Song's Mysterious Heart Sect and the Yin-Moon Empire have joined forces, and coupled with Dugu Qiubai and others, they are still struggling bitterly in defense, having already lost the majority of their territory."

"The Great Desolation is also wretched; only Mount Shu is still holding on. The most dangerous time was when the sect was breached and the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda was destroyed, but out of it emerged a peerless powerhouse named Jiang Ming, who suppressed all enemies invincibly."

At this point, Ren Tianxing wore a peculiar expression. "When I heard the news back then, I thought it was you, but it turned out not to be. However, there seem to be news regarding Fang Qinghan over there. After the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda collapsed, the numerous demons and monsters suppressed inside escaped, but Mount Shu was completely incapable of suppressing them. Then a terrifying figure appeared, devouring all those demons and monsters clean. Even many alien beings were swallowed and slain. The Sword Saint of Mount Shu once claimed that the other party was no weaker than him, yet that Jiang Ming declared he was stronger than the Sword Saint."

"The Great Ming is also in a miserable state. Just as the dynasty was on the verge of destruction, Zhu Yuanzhang, the patriarch of the Zhu Imperial Family, walked out of the imperial mausoleum and, bringing a group of his former subordinates, forcefully blocked the attacks."

"The Great Li side is no better off either; that person from Emperor Wu City almost died a miserable death."

Though Ren Tianxing spoke very simply, it revealed the plight of the entire world, summing it up in a single word: miserable!

Just a few brief words, yet contained within them were the tragic deaths of hundreds of millions of common people, even reduced to being food.

At this moment, even the cold-hearted Chen Bei fell silent.

"If this keeps going on..." Wang Qiutong's tone was heavy.

"I will continue breaking through!" Jiang Ming was silent for a long time before finally making up his mind. "After the breakthrough, I will go hunting."

He took out the Five Elements Spirit Beads.

(End of Chapter)