Shennong Daojun.

Chapter 569 The Guardian's Surprise
"Zhao Xing, take it off."

"Senior Hua Li, I have already picked it."

"No, there's still a sprig of ginseng stuck to your back."

"You've been discovered by your senior? I feel like I've completely taken control of this plant... Let me go!"

"do not move!"

"Go away."

Zhao Xing roared, and the world within his body shifted dramatically. Hua Li, the Goddess, was blasted away by a ball of dark purple light. She crashed into the boundless continent and stared at the sky in shock.

The impact of the vesicles was too great, completely exceeding expectations.

"True spirit is forbidden, the Great Dao is extinguished, the law is a curse on the body, golden hoop, shrink!"

Having no other choice, Hua Li Shen Jiang could only recite the incantation of the Great Dao Golden Hoop.

Zhao Xing, in the sky, felt a splitting headache, let out a scream, and then collapsed onto the boundless continent.

"Thump!" He fell to the ground at the feet of Hua Li Shen Jiang, his face contorted in pain.

"Senior Hua Li, please stop reading, I beg you!"

"what--"

"It hurts to death!"

Zhao Xing rolled on the ground in pain, covering his head with his hands, trying to break the Great Dao Golden Hoop.

Hua Li remained unmoved, chanting as she went to pluck the thorns from Zhao Xing's back.

"Roar!"

Unexpectedly, Zhao Xing let out a beastly roar and transformed into the Nine Ze God, sending Hua Li God flying with a single punch.

"Ugh……"

Hua Li sighed inwardly. In Zhao Xing's inner world, when Zhao Xing went berserk, even she could not control him.

Fortunately, the Great Dao Golden Hoop, forged by the God of Realm Luo, could even control Bowei, and Zhao Xing, after his transformation, still could not get rid of it.

Before long, under the tightening of the golden headband, it reverted to its original form, and this time the thorns behind Zhao Xing were successfully removed.

"loose!"

When Hua Li stopped chanting, Zhao Xing immediately stopped struggling, remained embedded in the ground, and kept panting heavily.

Hua Li Shen Jiang pressed Yan Zu into a vessel, separating it from its host. Yan Zu itself didn't have much offensive power.

After a while, Zhao Xing's breathing gradually stabilized, the ferocity in his eyes faded, and he sat up somewhat bewildered.

"Senior, how long did I hold on this time?"

“Your fusion with Yan Gu has reached a new level.” Hua Li Divine General squatted down and removed the Great Dao Golden Hoop from his head: “From my observation, you should have been normal for two years and one month, after which your mind began to be negatively affected.”

"I've improved since last time; I lasted longer."

"Only two years? Less than I expected."

"That's already quite impressive." Hua Li God General exclaimed, "The venom caused your mind to grow ferocity and murderous intent. You've managed to control it for so long, that's truly remarkable."

"How did you feel this time?" Hua Li asked, taking notes in a small notebook.

Zhao Xing tilted his head and recalled, "I thought you were trying to harm me, and I couldn't suppress my murderous intent at all, because the feeling of picking the thorn was like cutting off my own flesh to commit suicide."

"In addition, my temper has also become worse, probably due to the swelling of my power caused by the 'Yanzu'."

Even if I remove it now, I still harbor a sliver of desire to merge with the vine again.

Hua Li Shen recorded Zhao Xing's words one by one.

Finally, Zhao Xing asked Hua Li, "Have you made any new progress in your study of its life path diagram?"

Hua Li said, "This derivative species doesn't seem to exist in this world at all."

"No matter how you try to eliminate it, its negative impact on people will always remain."

"I tried to integrate it with other native species, and selected many kinds of relatively mild plant spirits."

"But eventually, they will all be covered up."

Hua Li will unfold several life path diagrams. The first one is the life path diagram of Yan Gu, with dark and chaotic lines. The seven diagrams that follow have gentler lines and present more stable life forms.

Then came the fusion of the diagrams, but it was discovered that no matter which diagram the 莁蔱 was fused with, it could quickly revert to its original form with almost no change.

Either it completely collapses and can't form the shape of a worm at all.

In this situation, it means that the research on Hua Li Shen Jiang has not made much progress at all.

The life structure of the 'Nymphoides' is unshakeable; this derivative species possesses a mysterious life origin structure.

It either exists or it doesn't exist; there's simply no room for change.

"It seems impossible to understand the structure of the '莁蔱' (a type of worm)." Zhao Xing wasn't too disappointed.

If the derivative species created by God King Yuheng could be easily deciphered by him and God General Huali, then they wouldn't need to exist anymore.

“I don’t have much time left.” Zhao Xing glanced at the Sun Star and immediately deduced that eleven years had passed in the outside world.

"Senior, I must go out and engage in real combat."

He was only given thirty years to test his skills against the God of War, and he also needed to allow time for practicing controlling the God of War in the outside world.

The fusion with the 莁蔱 is merely a means; the true goal is to control the 莁斗神 to defeat the other one.

"Put this on." Hua Li, the divine general, picked up the Great Dao Golden Hoop again. "I will recite it every two years to prevent you from falling into depravity."

"Okay." Zhao Xing nodded and put the Great Dao Golden Hoop on his head.

……

After emerging from his inner world, Zhao Xing immediately entered the Metal Giant Gem Space.

"Gulong~"

Countless gray tentacles clung to Zhao Xing and quickly merged into his limbs and bones.

They were even more powerful than those bred by the Flower God General. Zhao Xing immediately felt his soul power surge, as if no one in the world could rival him.

It even created the illusion that even a god-king could fight.

"This is absolutely outrageous."

Zhao Xing shook his head, shifting these distracting thoughts to a corner of his destiny palace.

This time, the entire body of the Divine Armor was fully attached to Zhao Xing, and Zhao Xing also gained control of the entire body of the Divine Armor God, no longer just one arm.

"Boom~"

The God of War activated, and the giant's feet were pulled out of the ground.

Zhao Xing challenged another metal giant to a duel.

"Black Death Fist!"

He crouched slightly, then slammed his right fist into the head of another giant. Black light flashed, and a whirlwind cut through the air.

However, the giant opposite him suddenly shrank to less than half its original height, causing Zhao Xing's punch to miss.

"Whoosh~"

After shrinking, the giant sprang up from its feet, like a dragon emerging from the sea, and appeared behind Zhao Xing as a streak of light.

He bent his index finger and gently tapped it on the back of Zhao Xing's knee.

"Pfft!"

Zhao Xing's control of the Divine Warrior was immediately sent sprawling face-first into the mud.

"Om~"

Finally, the giant suddenly grew larger, becoming twice the size of the War God controlled by Zhao Xing, and stepped on Zhao Xing's back.

"Bang!" The huge foot was incredibly heavy, like a mountain pressing down. Streams of light and flames covered Zhao Xing's entire body, and countless tiny blood-red lights were pushing downwards.

"You disappeared for a full eleven years. I thought you had figured out some way to beat the game, but I never expected you to be so easily defeated."

A boy appeared atop the metal giant's head, shaking his head repeatedly.

"Becoming a god is not easy. It's better to retreat now and at least save your life."

Seeing that Zhao Xing was unable to control the Divine Warrior to stand up, the consciousness also withdrew its foot and returned to its original position.

After Zhao Xing got up, he thought about it carefully for a moment, and then issued another challenge.

"Come again!"

He still started with the Black Death Fist, going straight and direct.

The consciousness pursed its lips and shrank again.

But at this moment, Zhao Xing also shrank.

"Oh!"

Black Death Fist missed again, because the consciousness reacted faster and took the initiative to control the God of War to unleash a martial technique.

swoosh~
Once again, Zhao Xing was circled behind him and knocked down by the same technique, eventually being pinned to the ground and unable to move by the gatekeeper.

"It's all in vain."

Seeing that Zhao Xing could not struggle, the consciousness returned to its original position.

Zhao Xing stood up and thought for a moment longer.

"Come again!"

He launched his third attack, again using the Martial God technique, 'Black Death Fist'.

"Oh!"

Squeak squeak squeak~~~
The metal giant controlled by the gatekeeper and Zhao Xing both took two steps back, their feet making a sharp scraping sound as they hit the ground.

"Ok?"

The gatekeeper couldn't help but raise his head, and the boy was somewhat surprised by the gem on his forehead.

Because on the third time, Zhao Xing followed his movements.

"Is this progress?"

Zhao Xing grinned, manipulated the leg bones of the God of War, activated the bacteria, and immediately unleashed his leg technique, kicking the opponent.

Flames suddenly erupted from his toes, as if the space itself were ablaze. The twisting and contorting of the surrounding mountains created an obstacle, making it difficult for his opponent to dodge in any direction, forcing him to either advance or retreat.

"Oh!"

Suddenly, the gatekeeper unleashed a burst of blue flames from his hands and gripped Zhao Xing's right leg with his ring.

Sieve, sieve, sieve~
Large amounts of snowflakes fell, extinguishing the flames, and a large amount of frost essence fell like snowflakes. Zhao Xing felt his lower body stiffen.

"Pfft!"

He was defeated once again.

This time, the gatekeeper did not offer any words of advice or mockery, but quietly waited for Zhao Xing to ponder.

"Come again."

Zhao Xing was quickly freed from the ice and stood up again.

"Okay, come on."

The gatekeeper looked on with a hint of anticipation.

Time passed quickly, and twenty-one years later it arrived.

At this moment, Zhao Xing emerged from his inner world, having fought against the gatekeeper for nearly ten years.

Over the course of ten years, every two years, Zhao Xing would break free from the fusion of the gemstone and emerge from the gemstone space to calm his mind.

But after only half a month of rest, he was back in the fight.

Over the course of ten years, Zhao Xing has fully mastered the 108,000 divine bones and can manipulate any combination of martial arts techniques.

In the following year, Zhao Xing rarely fell to the ground.

He usually takes two or three months to be knocked down once.

"Oh!"

After being knocked down once again, Zhao Xing returned to his original position and did not immediately challenge anyone again, but instead pondered.

"What's your name?"

The gatekeeper, however, took the initiative to ask Zhao Xing's name.

Twenty-one years have passed, and this is the first time he has asked Zhao Xing's name; he would never have bothered to ask before.

"Zhao Xing".

"Your learning talent is quite good." The gatekeeper nodded slightly. "You're much better than the last rogue who came to challenge you."

The previous one? A scoundrel? Could it be referring to Lao Qing?

Zhao Xing's expression was somewhat strange. He didn't know what Qing Yuzi had done to receive such a evaluation from the gatekeeper.

However, he had no time for idle chatter and instead focused on improving his proficiency.

"In the first few years, I mastered the Divine Battle God very quickly and made great progress in controlling the array diagrams, controlling the divine bones, and the fusion level of the Divine Battle God."

"However, the fusion of the 'Yanzu' still needs to be broken every two years or so."

The negative effects of such entanglement on the mind are unavoidable.

Zhao Xing's "Seven Luminaries Boundless Heaven" cannot go any further; it is already the limit that can be reached at present.

"Since it is only a Divine General-level Battle God, the martial arts attached to the divine bones are relatively simple and all the same moves. In fact, there is not much difference between me and the gatekeeper when we fight."

"The key lies in the level of integration of [莁蔱] and the degree of control over [混沌蘑菇]."

Controlling the Divine Warrior doesn't require Zhao Xing to comprehend the mysteries of martial arts, nor does it require him to continue practicing. By fusing with the Divine Warrior, it can be released naturally, like a natural innate secret technique.

Besides the [莁蔱], another plant life form, the [Chaos Magic Fungus], also determines the upper limit of the [莁斗神]'s combat power.

"Let me remind you of something." The phantom of the boy stared at Zhao Xing, who was deep in thought.

"In terms of the degree of integration with the 'Yan', you are already on par with me, the gatekeeper."

"Combat experience is still a long way off for me."

"The martial arts techniques attached to the more than 100,000 divine bones have countless combinations and attack patterns. In this respect, you can't possibly be inferior to me, who is the gatekeeper myself."

"You are far from mastering the Chaos Demon."

"Too much difference?" Zhao Xing looked up at the gatekeeper.

"Please give me some advice, senior."

"The Chaos Demonic Fungus is lurking within the body of the God of War. There are countless of them. You should be able to sense that even when you make a move, there are still many Chaos Demonic Lords in a dormant state throughout the God of War's body."

"The same move, but mine is stronger than yours. Why? Mainly because the Chaos Magic Fungus is activated, which allows it to gather more divine power to unleash."

"In my opinion, you can only unleash a maximum of nine times the amplification of a standard god general when controlling the War God."

"But the amplification factor I can unleash is... 1200 times!"

The number the boy said left Zhao Xing speechless.

1200 times, that's an absolutely despair-inducing increase in combat power.

Both of them were controlling the War God, but they could only make their bodies exert a 9-fold amplification, while their opponents could exert a 1200-fold amplification. How could they possibly fight like that?
"Don't rush," the gatekeeper smiled. "Just because I can unleash such a high amplification doesn't mean you'll have to reach my level to clear the level."

“When the God of War was born, I was born too. How can you compare to me? My master isn’t that demanding.”

"Therefore, in the battle nine years later, I will only be able to exert a hundredfold increase in combat power at most."

"Knock me down once, and you'll pass the test."

One hundred times. This number is still somewhat disheartening, considering that Zhao Xing can only unleash a 9-fold increase in combat power.

"Everything is difficult at the beginning. You were able to withstand the mental burden for two years. The next nine years will be the period of greatest progress for you, and you still have a chance to meet the requirements for passing the test."

"I understand." Zhao Xing cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you for the reminder, senior."

This break lasted a long time, and Zhao Xing did not launch a challenge.

After merging with the spirit, his soul began to explore every part of the spirit's body.

The body of the God of War is practically a miniature universe, and those individual points of light are Chaos Bacteria. Zhao Xing needs to discover more Chaos Bacteria in order to gather more power from this microcosm and defeat the gatekeeper.

"The Divine Warrior God created by God King Yuheng is simply incredibly profound."

Zhao Xing has devoted himself to the study for 21 years, but he still feels that he has only learned the basics.

The God-King Yuheng incorporated so much Dao and Dharma into his work that the more I looked at it, the more incredible it seemed, and I realized how little I knew about it.

"This body is only at the initial stage of the Divine General level. Out of 108,000 divine bones, there are only three divine bones of a Divine General."

"I can only achieve a nine-fold increase right now."

"Only by controlling the Chaos Magic Fungus can one improve."

"I cannot bring the Divine Warrior into my inner world for research. Now it all depends on my comprehension over these nine years."

Zhao Xing was completely immersed in his contemplation.

As the gatekeeper said, everything is difficult at the beginning.

After focusing his comprehension efforts on the Chaos Demonic Fungus, Zhao Xing entered a period of rapid advancement.

A year later, when Zhao Xing challenged the gatekeeper again, the gatekeeper commented that Zhao Xing was now able to control the Divine Warrior and unleash thirty times the power of a divine general.

By the end of the second year, the increase had reached forty-eight times.

By the end of the third year, it had reached sixty-four times.

……

Such a rapid rise also surprised the gatekeepers.

"I knew I wasn't wrong, his comprehension is truly astonishing."

"However, this person is also very strange. With such amazing comprehension, he cultivated the origin to become a free god and was already in the late stage of the divine weapon realm, yet he only has a very mediocre 'Earth Treasury Divine Body'? He hasn't even activated his divine treasure."

The spirit of the artifact had no idea that Zhao Xing, this "free god," was actually a disguise made by the ancestral emperor, Zhao Chaohu. He was essentially a "low-income" god, which made him appear rather mediocre.

“I even have the illusion that he never became a god at all,” the gatekeeper thought to himself. “Yet, with such an ordinary divine body and divine thoughts, he was able to cultivate a powerful soul technique, and his comprehension is so amazing.”

"Could it be that there's a flaw in my destiny from birth?"

The gatekeeper had also fought Zhao Xing for many years, engaging in all-round battles, which is why he found it strange.

However, he quickly overlooked this point, because no matter how you looked at it, Zhao Xing was the genuine God of Freedom.

"At least he's better than that scoundrel."

"I hope he can pass."

And so they waited, and soon thirty years of preparation time had passed.

Zhao Xing also finished his final training session and launched a real challenge against the gatekeeper.

(End of this chapter)