Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 976 The Extraordinary Cry of the Emperor: A Battle of Artistic Conception!
Zhou Xun and the Crying Ghost Emperor flickered, instantly ascending to the heavens.
The sea of ​​clouds churned beneath my feet, far removed from the battlefield below.
The two faced each other from a distance, their auras held back yet subtly distorting the surrounding space.

The two deities, representing the human and the demon races, stood on opposite sides, witnessing this ultimate showdown that would determine the fate of both realms.

The lower-level cultivators and the ghost army further away had already received orders to retreat thousands of miles away like a tide, for fear of being affected by the aftermath of the terrifying war that was about to break out.

The Ghost Emperor's eyes, gleaming with a rare hint of appreciation, fell upon Zhou Xun.
"Zhou Xun, you are the most talented person I have ever seen in my long years. The shallow waters of the human world can never nurture a true dragon."

"If you are willing to submit to me, I can open the 'Netherworld Reincarnation Pool,' the core secret realm of the Ghost Realm, for you,"

"It will help you transform into the body of a supreme demon and enjoy endless lifespan."

"At that time, you will become the second emperor of the Ghost Realm, second only to me. This human realm will also be under your rule."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun merely gave a cold laugh:
“Tiyu, we both possess the combat power of the late Nascent Soul stage. There’s no need to make empty promises of recruitment; it only adds to our ridicule.”

Upon hearing this, the Crying Ghost Emperor sighed softly.
The voice carried a condescending indifference:

"Late Nascent Soul stage? That's merely the threshold for being qualified to stand before me."

"The power I wield has already reached another realm."

"Considering the difficulty of your cultivation, I will give you one last chance."

"If you submit, I may make an exception and promise to bring your designated million relatives and friends to the Ghost Realm, where they will be transformed into high-ranking ghosts and enjoy longevity and freedom."

Zhou Xun's sneer deepened:

“I, Zhou Xun, am a dignified human, standing tall and upright. How could I possibly stoop so low as to transform into the sinister, dark, and sunless bodies of you? It is utterly ridiculous!”

"presumptuous!"

The Demon Emperor was thoroughly enraged by the contempt in Zhou Xun's words.
"Since you are determined to die, I will grant your wish!"

When the Ghost Emperor was enraged, the world lost its color!

In an instant, endless ghostly energy surged out from him.
The sky darkened instantly, and the area within thousands of miles seemed to be forcibly torn apart from the human world, turning into a terrifying ghost realm filled with eerie atmosphere and the wailing of countless souls!
A chilling wind howled, and a biting cold swept in all directions, even swallowing up the light.

Immediately afterwards, the Crying Ghost Emperor slowly raised his right hand and gently pressed it down in the direction of Zhou Xun.

The sky suddenly cracked open, and a gigantic hand, ten thousand feet long and blotting out the sun, appeared out of thin air!

This hand was entirely formed from ghostly energy and countless twisted vengeful spirits.

The palm lines were clear as ravines, and the nails were sharp as mountain peaks, carrying a terrifying power that could crush everything and suppress all things, pressing down on Zhou Xun!

"The Netherworld Giant Palm! It's the same move that severely injured Fellow Daoist Ziyu back then!"

Liu Bai's expression changed drastically, and he cried out in alarm.
"Its power is several times greater than it was back then!"

Yun Ku Tianjun, Ji Wanren, Yanmo Tianjun, and others also turned pale, their eyes filled with horror.

They figured that if they were to face this earth-shattering palm strike, they probably wouldn't even have a chance to struggle and would be instantly annihilated!
They instinctively tried to fly backward, but were horrified to find that their bodies were stuck in a bottomless quagmire, every movement required tremendous effort, and the speed was so slow that it was despairing!

If things are like this in the peripheral areas, how much more so for Zhou Xun, who is located in the center?

Zhou Xun, who was at the core of the giant palm's suppression, merely snorted coldly:
"Pretend to be a ghost!"

He pointed his fingers forward like a sword.

"Thunder Sword, activate!"

The Xuan Ting Lei Sword hanging beside him let out a loud sword cry and instantly transformed into a thousand-foot-long purple lightning giant sword, soaring into the sky!

The giant sword, crackling with endless lightning, effortlessly slashed at the massive, descending netherworld palm!
"Tear-!"

A sharp sound, like cloth being torn, echoed in all directions!

That seemingly invincible giant hand of the underworld was easily split in two the moment it came into contact with the purple lightning sword!
Countless vengeful spirits wailed and vanished amidst the lightning, and the pure ghostly energy dissipated wildly as if it had encountered its nemesis.

With a deafening roar, the colossal hand suddenly disintegrated, turning into a sky full of black mist, which was completely purified and dispelled by the raging arcs of lightning!
The oppressive force that had enveloped the heavens and earth vanished instantly.
The suffocating ghostly realm was forcibly cleaved open by this sword, and the long-lost sunlight shone down again, illuminating Zhou Xun's tall figure standing with his sword in hand.

"The sword opens the gates of heaven..."

Liu Bai stared at the stunning sword strike, lost in thought and murmured to himself.

He recognized it as the highest form recorded in the "Heavenly Origin Sword Manual".
The human cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage felt a sudden lightness in their bodies as the terrifying suppressive force vanished.
They retreated hastily in horror, only stopping when they were thousands of miles away, still shaken.

Only then did they realize how ridiculous their previous idea of ​​being able to withstand the aftershocks was, and they truly realized that the strength of the two people fighting in the arena had long exceeded their imagination!
"Alright, I underestimated you!"

The ghostly flames flickered in the eyes of the Crying Ghost Emperor, but he did not show much surprise. Instead, he said in a calm tone:

"To be able to break through half of my power with such ease, you are indeed quite good. It is rare to see someone in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm displaying combat power comparable to that of the late stage."

The admiration in his eyes deepened, as if a high-ranking deity were commenting on a remarkable creation of the mortal realm:

"Never before has a human been able to interest me so much. Considering your talent, I hereby grant you the privilege of surrendering and submitting after the war!"

"Noisy!"

Zhou Xun didn't bother with any more words, let out a cold laugh, and pointed to the sky!
"Thunder Prison, suppress it!"

Rumble——!
High above, the sky, spanning tens of thousands of miles, was instantly covered by endless, pitch-black thunderclouds. Within the clouds, countless purple lightning bolts writhed wildly.
The next moment, nine thick, purple beams of light, each as thick as a mountain and formed purely from destructive lightning, tore through layers of space.

It crashed down on the Crying Ghost Emperor from nine different directions!

Before the lightning even arrived, the terrifying pressure had already completely locked and solidified the space!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom…!
The figure of the Crying Ghost Emperor was instantly swallowed up by the nine lightning pillars!
A series of terrifying explosions echoed through the heavens and earth, and blinding lightning transformed the area into a pure purple sea of ​​lightning.

All the Nascent Soul cultivators watching from afar paled and retreated hastily once again, their hearts filled with extreme horror!
If such an attack were to fall on any one of them, they would be certain to die!
The lightning raged for a full ten breaths before slowly dissipating.

The void was torn apart by the raging lightning, leaving countless black cracks that could not be healed for a long time.

Just then, a slightly dim black streak of light struggled to pierce through the shattered void.

In a flash, it appeared three thousand miles away and reformed into the figure of the Crying Ghost Emperor.

At this moment, he was no longer the composed and dignified man he once was.

His dark dragon robe was charred and torn in many places, and the twelve-tassel imperial crown on his head was tilted slightly, with one of the tassels even broken, making him look quite disheveled. Although he had not suffered any real serious injury, his dignity had undoubtedly been greatly damaged.

"Good! Good! Good!" The Crying Ghost Emperor exclaimed three times, but his voice was icy cold and filled with rage.

"I gave you a way out, but you refused and chose to seek your own death!"

"In that case, all the conditions I just mentioned are null and void! Today, I will obliterate your physical body, extract your soul, and refine it into the Netherworld Ghost Fire, where it will burn for ten thousand years!"

Zhou Xun didn't bother to respond. With a thought, the thunderclouds in the sky churned again, and another terrifying bolt of lightning, no less powerful than the previous one, crashed down!
Seeing this, the Crying Ghost Emperor snorted angrily and finally raised the ancient bronze lamp that had been floating in his hand.

Within the lamp, the pale green flame flickered slightly.
It shot into the sky, suddenly swelled up, and twisted and writh, transforming into a gigantic ghost face that blotted out the sky!

An astonishing scene unfolded: the mighty heavenly lightning, powerful enough to severely injure a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, was swiftly "devoured" and dissolved!
In the blink of an eye, the terrifying lightning pillar vanished without a trace.

Zhou Xun's gaze sharpened, and he threw out the Purple Jade Thunder Spear without hesitation!

It transformed into a vivid, lifelike purple thunder dragon with distinct scales, roaring as it charged toward the blue ghost face!
A dragon and a demon clashed.
At the same time, Zhou Xun's figure flickered.
He appeared out of thin air in front of the Crying Ghost Emperor's true form as if by teleportation!

There were no fancy moves, just a simple straight punch!
There was no spiritual light shining on his fist, but it contained a terrifying physical power that could shatter mountains and rivers and shake the stars!
The moment the punch was thrown, space shattered.
To Ti Yu's astonishment, it smashed onto his head.
"boom--"

A muffled sound!
The head of the Crying Ghost Emperor exploded like a watermelon!

Immediately afterwards, his neck, body... his entire Ghost Emperor's body was completely shattered by this pure power in a single punch, turning into a dense, swirling ghost mist!
However, the ghostly mist quickly condensed again a hundred miles away, revealing the figure of the Crying Ghost Emperor once more.

"How dare you ants harm my imperial body!"

The Crying Ghost Emperor's face was full of resentment and venom. Even the Purple Jade Heavenly Lord of yesteryear had never caused him such a miserable state!
At this moment, he put away his initial disdain and finally looked at him directly.
"You're courting death. I'll grant your wish."

"Next, I will show you the power of the next level. To die by this attack will be your honor!"

The Demon Emperor's Netherworld Body, thousands of feet tall, stood majestically between heaven and earth, its voice booming like thunder:

"You have every reason to be proud that you could force me to use this method. Now, I will show you what the real difference is!"

Having said that, he slowly raised his enormous right hand.

"Illusion, annihilate!"

As he finished speaking, a gigantic hand, ten thousand feet tall, condensed from the ghostly energy in the air.
Then Ti Yu gently tapped in the direction of Zhou Xun.

Simultaneously, the giant hand in the air extended a finger as thick as a mountain, pointing it towards Zhou Xun from afar!

This gesture, though seemingly slow, was actually so fast that it transcended the limitations of time and space.

Wherever his fingertips passed, space shattered like fragile glass, leaving a twisted and broken black trail. The destructive power locked onto Zhou Xun!
The moment his fingertip touched the paper, Zhou Xun's whole body stiffened abruptly!
His eyes instantly became dazed and unfocused, and a silly, extremely happy and satisfied smile even appeared on his face, as if he had sunk into the most beautiful dream in the world.

He returned to that familiar yet somewhat old home, where his mother, wearing an apron, brought out steaming hot food from the kitchen, muttering to herself:

"Zhou Xun, school's out! Go wash your hands and eat!"

Father sat on the sofa reading the newspaper...

All of this was so wonderful that he was immersed in it, unwilling to wake up. His face was filled with a genuine smile of happiness, and he was completely unresponsive to the giant, destructive finger in the outside world that was enough to annihilate him!
"Fellow Daoist Zhou!"

"Zhou Tianjun! Wake up!"

Liu Bai, Yun Kutianjun, Yanmo Tianjun, and others who were watching from afar were all horrified when they saw this!

They had no idea what had happened. Just a moment ago they were in the lead, but now Zhou Xun was standing there motionless as if he had lost his soul.
Liu Bai was the most anxious. He channeled all his magical power and infused his pure sword intent into his voice, unleashing a thunderous roar that shook the heavens:

"Zhou Xun! Wake up immediately!!" The shout was like a sword, piercing straight at Zhou Xun.

Yama, Yun Ku, Ji Wanren, and the others immediately realized what was happening and followed suit, channeling their magical power.
They tried to wake Zhou Xun from that strange state.

Several shouts from Nascent Soul Heavenly Lords converged together, like rolling thunder, pouring into Zhou Xun's ears!

On the other side, the demon race's Nascent Soul cultivators, who had been terrified, were initially stunned upon seeing this, then erupted in wildly joyful roars:

"The Emperor's divine might!"

"Kill him! Kill him quickly!"

"Haha! Human brat, you can't escape the Emperor's grasp after all!"

The sounds of wailing and howling rose and fell.

The colossal finger of destruction was already less than a thousand feet away from Zhou Xun!
The terrifying energy contained in his fingertips caused the spiritual light of the Thunder Shield on Zhou Xun's body to flicker violently and erratically!
At this critical moment!
The blissful bewilderment in Zhou Xun's eyes shattered abruptly, replaced by a glimmer of clarity!
Almost instinctively, he suddenly retreated backward, his speed no less than that of the giant finger that had come at him!

After narrowly managing to create some distance, Zhou Xun looked at the Crying Ghost Emperor with an unprecedentedly solemn expression.

"The artistic conception... it's actually the artistic conception of illusion!" He instantly realized.

"No wonder he was so confident, claiming that the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm was just the threshold! He has also mastered the power of intent, and it is an extremely strange and tricky illusory intent that directly targets the weaknesses of the mind! I was completely unaware and fell into his trap just now!"

Having grasped this point, Zhou Xun's fighting spirit intensified: "Excellent! What a Ghost Emperor! As expected of a race born from a True Immortal-level Soul-Eating Beast, he is indeed exceptionally gifted in the Dao of the Divine Soul!"

"Since that's the case, let's settle this with our artistic conception today and see whose 'Dao' is superior!"

During his retreat, Zhou Xun unhesitatingly summoned the Xuan Ting Thunder Sword.

He made hand seals with such speed that he left behind afterimages as the immense magical power within him and the indomitable and ever-renewing essence of the Thunder Grass Sword surged wildly into the sword!
The Xuan Ting Thunder Sword trembled violently, instantly splitting into seven hundred and twenty incredibly solid sword lights, each sword shadow wrapped with the sword intent of thunder grass.

"Sword shadows merge into one!"

Om-!
All the sword light then merged into one in a flash, and was completely absorbed into the sword body!
At this moment, the Xuan Ting Thunder Sword's radiance was completely contained, and its entire body became almost pure white.

"go with!"

Zhou Xun pointed his fingers like a sword and gently touched the tip of the enormous finger that was already pointing at him!
The three-foot-long thunder sword flew out silently.

Like a delicate blade of grass, it lightly pierced the tip of that giant finger, which was as large as a mountain.

(End of this chapter)