Shennong Daojun.

Chapter 585 Breakthrough, God Zhao Xing!

Lu Ming woke up in pain. He thought he was dead. When he opened his eyes, he saw a young man with a fierce expression and a face full of scars cutting his own flesh with a knife.

The knife didn't seem very sharp, making it difficult to cut, which allowed Lü Ming to hear the scraping sound of the knife cutting through the meat, tendons, and bones.

"What are you doing, sir?"

Du Yun sneered: "What am I going to do? Of course, I'm going to cut up your flesh and eat it."

"Oh, then you continue."

"???"

Du Yun was stunned for a moment.

Why isn't this guy playing by the rules?

He and Zhao Xing had originally planned to play the role of a pervert so that Lü Ming would be frightened, and then Zhao Xing would step in to gain Lü Ming's favor.

But this guy isn't afraid!

"Du Yun, stop."

Zhao Xing walked over from the edge of the square.

The voice of the soul that Liu Qingci could hear in the past.

Zhao Xing guessed that Lü Ming had seen through these little tricks.

"Did you hear everything?"

“Yes.” Lü Ming nodded. “You call him Du Yun, and he calls you Zhao Xing.”

"You healed me with his blood."

"What kind of move is this?" Du Yun was very surprised. He had returned to his original upright appearance and was no longer playing the role of a fierce demon.

“Divine Body Echo,” Lü Ming explained. “Even when I am unconscious, my divine body can still receive any sound within a certain range, including the voice of the mind, and even the gossip of the Fate Master.”

"When I wake up, I will know what sounds were heard during my coma."

A martial artist's divine body is very nourishing, and Du Yun's body is a super nourishing one.

Lu Ming's musician divine body also has its unique features, one of which is its ability to store sound.

“Now that you’ve heard it, you know your current predicament.” Zhao Xing looked at Lü Ming: “You’ve been made into the Nian beast’s meal.”

"Hmm, how would you like me to cooperate?"

"It's very simple. We want to understand the situation here and how to escape," Du Yun said impatiently.

How could he not be anxious? He was bleeding and cutting off his own flesh every day, castrating himself with a knife, for decades. Who could endure that?

If he stayed any longer, Du Yun felt he wouldn't even need to act anymore; he'd really become a psychopath!

"I don't know," Lü Ming shook his head.

"Don't know? How could I not know? Aren't you from the Nine Netherworld Palace?"

“You’re right. Of course I know how to get out of the original Nine Netherworld Dao Court, but it’s different now.” Lü Ming’s voice was tinged with sadness: “The Dao Lord is dead, the Dao Court has been destroyed, and it’s no longer the way I remember it.”

"So, in which area do you usually stay?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Yuyin Mountain."

"Yuyin Mountain?" Zhao Xing's expression changed drastically: "Yuyin Mountain, the Unknowable Mountain?"

"What unknowable mountain?" Lü Ming asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"The Feather Emperor climbed the mountain to create divine sounds, and the mountain grew with the sound, increasing by one level every day. After the Feather Sound Divine Rank of the Five Divine Sounds was created, that mountain was called Feather Sound Mountain."

"Later, the upper part of Yuyin Mountain disappeared, leaving only Liuyi Mountain visible," Zhao Xing explained. "Are you referring to this mountain?"

“Yes, the Dao Lord cut it off and left. But it doesn’t belong to the Unknowable Mountain,” Lü Ming corrected.

"It's here... "

When Zhao Xing first became the leader of the Ancient Hills, he opened up and sealed off mountains all over the Xuanling Starfield, collected essence and auspicious energy, and ranked the mountains.

They had once been to the Six-Winged Mountain in the territory of the demon race.

There is also a legend that in Tuoyuan Kingdom of Yang Cangtian, there was a true god named You Tianfu who proved the Dao of Heaven and Earth, and who invented the You Tianqin and Tianfu flute.

When Zhao Xing recounted the events at Six Wings Mountain, Lü Ming's expression turned somewhat strange: "Which era are you from? How could the story of Yuyin Mountain be spread so far as to be so outrageous?"

Absolutely wrong?

Zhao Xing was taken aback.

"What makes you say that?"

"Yuyin Mountain was taken away because one of the Eight Sound God Kings under the Dao Lord fought at the Tongtian Assembly and defeated the Tuoyuan Kingdom God King under the Dao Lord Yang Cang."

“Since the other side lost, they naturally have to cede Mount Yuyin.”

“You Tianfu is not from Tuoyuan Kingdom at all. He is a true god under the Dao Lord and also my grandmaster.”

"You actually thought my grandmaster was from Tuoyuan Kingdom, and even said he was a prince?" Lü Ming couldn't bear to continue.

Zhao Xing nodded. It seemed that history had changed beyond recognition over the years.

He had heard it in historical legends during the Wilderness Era, and who knows how much time had passed since then.

You Tianfu was the god who defeated Tuoyuan Kingdom, yet he was said to be born a prince of Tuoyuan Kingdom, which Lu Ming naturally found outrageous.

"Alright, let's get serious," Du Yun said. "Are there still people on Yuyin Mountain?"

"Yes, including my teacher, there are twenty-four people."

"What level?"

“They all have six divine kings and eight true divine generals, and the rest are all divine generals like me.”

"What?!" Du Yun and Zhao Xing both widened their eyes.

Such combat power is simply terrifying.

So even if the Nian beast is strong, it probably can't defeat them. What's going on?

"Don't you want to get out? And how did you get beaten up like this by the Nian beast? Don't the gods care about you?"

“You have misunderstood us.” Lü Ming shook his head: “It’s not that a higher cultivation level necessarily means a better fighting ability.”

"Grandmaster You Tianfu was an exception; he was skilled in both dance and warfare."

"Half of the people on Mount Yuyin have little fighting ability, and the remaining half, even if they are good at fighting, cannot fight."

"Why?" Du Yun was puzzled. They clearly had six divine kings and eight true divine generals, yet they were bullied by a Nian beast.

Lu Ming did not answer.

Zhao Xing stared at him and said, "Is it because of the Fengshan ceremony? You can't fight back against the Nian beast?"

Lu Ming looked at Zhao Xing with some surprise: "What era are you from? You don't understand the real history, yet you know about the Fengshan ceremony."

"What do you mean?" Du Yun was a little confused.

Zhao Xing pointed at Lü Ming and guessed, "They are the team prepared by the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds for the Fengshan ceremony. The first step is to offer sacrifices to Heaven. The Nian Beast is born from the origin of Heaven's timing. To fight the Nian Beast is equivalent to disrespecting Heaven. There must be some taboos involved."

"Oh... wait a minute." Du Yun frowned and said, "That's not right, I think the Nian beast was injured when it came back this time?"

If it couldn't fight back, then how was the Nian beast injured?

Lü Ming said, "Because I am not yet a fully qualified official priest of the Fengshan ceremony, but only a candidate, I don't need to pay attention to this taboo."

Zhao Xing organized his thoughts:

At the Tongtian Assembly, the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds won the Feather Sound Divine Mountain from other Lords.

This might be an object or place where heaven and earth prove the Dao?
Afterwards, the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds brought it back to the Dao Court and trained musicians and dancers in preparation for the Fengshan ceremony.

He doesn't need these people to charge into battle; musicians and dancers are not combat professions to begin with.

Just like the Jade Emperor of the Primordial Realm, who was not good at fighting, but could grow many life-saving and healing herbs.

Although Lu Ming and his group were highly skilled, half of them were not good at fighting, while the other half were. However, since they were preparing for the Fengshan ceremony, they had to show respect to Heaven and therefore could not attack the Nian beast.

Speaking of Lu Ming, he was the worst among them. However, because he was not a formal member, he was not subject to any restrictions, so he was able to fight back against the Nian Beast. But in the end, he was defeated and became its prey.

"So you don't even want to get out? You should know that the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds is dead, right?" Du Yun asked again. "You don't still believe that the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds can be resurrected."

The Lord of the Nine Netherworlds died in the war for the God Emperor, and was killed by the Emperor Luo.

To reverse this fact is simply wishful thinking; the only one capable of doing so is probably the Emperor himself.

Lu Ming was silent for a while: "We want to get out, at least I want to get out. But we can't get out."

“Once they leave the Dao Court, a true god is no longer a true god, and a god-king is no longer a god-king.”

"When the rules of the universe return to us, they will take our lives."

"You mean the Divine Tribulation?" Du Yun asked.

"More or less." Lü Ming nodded: "Even if I can get out, the life string can only be played twelve more times at most."

"What does this mean?" "It means that I can only live for a maximum of twelve more solar years, including the time I travel through time and space."

Only twelve solar years? What about everyone else? Will they die immediately if they go out?
Zhao Xinggang's initial thought was instantly extinguished.

On his panel, the progress of the [Fengchan Land] was already more than halfway complete. He thought that one day, he might be able to use this group of people to go to the Xuanhuang Realm and complete the Dao of Heaven and Earth!
However, among this group of people, the one with the longest lifespan was Lü Ming, while the others would be demoted or even die if they went out.

"It's a good thing that you still want to go out." Du Yun didn't think that much; all he wanted was to get out.

If Lü Ming doesn't even want to go out, then there's nothing more to say; saving him with blood is as good as not saving him at all.

“Since the Nian Beast can come and go, then as long as we defeat it, we can get out.” Du Yun clenched his fist. “Lu Ming, right? If you cooperate with us, including the two of us, what do you think our chances of winning are?”

Du Yun gave a general overview of his and Zhao Xing's abilities and combat prowess.

"zero."

"How could it be zero?" Du Yun frowned. "Did you not hear me clearly? Not to mention my brother, even for me, it would take the Nian beast some time to bite through my bones!"

Zhao Xing almost couldn't hold it in.

Lao Du, is this the kind of example you give?
“You don’t understand.” Lü Ming shook his head: “There are many Nian beasts, but not many call themselves Lord Nian beasts.”

"This one was once granted a title."

"Rewarded by the power of the Luo Emperor?"

"Ah."

Zhao Xing frowned slightly. He had originally thought that the Nian Beast was a peak Divine General, but it was not human and belonged to a special race, making it more powerful.

Just like the gods among humans, they are usually not as strong as demons or plant life.

Lu Ya is also at the peak of the Divine General level, but his combat power is significantly higher than that of the other Divine Generals of the Origin Heavenly Palace.

The Nian Beast was granted a title, which explains why Zhao Xing felt that the Nian Beast was invincible at times and could be defeated at others when he was in the Thousand Feathers Great World.

He has two states of feeling: only when he is physically present will he fear his own firecrackers and Yi Ren's spring charms.

“Once he transforms into his true form as the Polar Star, no one can do anything about it,” Lü Ming said.

"In his Nian Beast form, he does have weaknesses, but no one can stop his transformation into the Polar Star, because no one's innate destiny is stronger than his."

Zhao Xing thought of the imperial tablet of his ancestor.

The power of the God Emperor is indeed unimaginable. The Ancestral Emperor's Tablet within his body is merely an insignificant little device in the Divine Court, and it was even created by the Moon Goddess Palace Master from nothingness, not the real thing.

However, even the immeasurable true gods cannot see through it, and even the god-king cannot see through it unless he observes closely or spends a long time with the gods.

"It seems I need to reassess the strength of the Nian Beast." Zhao Xing's original plan was that once the three origins were gathered and he broke through to become a Free God, his strength would inevitably increase dramatically, and he would be able to contend with the Nian Beast.

Now, after hearing what Lü Ming said, he no longer has any confidence.

With the three fundamental sources of the Ministry of Agriculture gathered, and the breakthrough to godhood achieved, can he defeat the Nian Beast, which was sealed by the Emperor of Luo?
"It's over, does this mean we're completely stuck here?" Du Yun felt a sense of despair. Was he destined to be a dish for the rest of his life?
"No, what did you just say?" Zhao Xing asked Lü Ming again.

"Once he transforms into his true form as the North Star, no one can do anything about it."

"That's not it."

“He has weaknesses in his Nian Beast form, but no one can stop him from transforming into a Polar Star, because no one’s innate destiny is stronger than his,” Lü Ming said.

That’s it!

Zhao Xing pondered in silence.

What if there were an opportunity to drain the Nian beast's essence?
"The Heaven-Mending Technique, the Heaven-Swallowing Boundary Sea..." Zhao Xing thought quickly as he surveyed the harsh environment surrounding the Nine Netherworld Palace.

Is this considered an extreme environment like the wasteland?
He also wanted to ask Lü Ming about the Devouring Heaven Boundary Sea and the Heavenly Assembly.

Just then, an urging voice came from the lair in the square:

"Cook, is it ready yet? Do you want me to starve to death?!"

"Almost there, almost there!" Zhao Xing's expression changed instantly. He strode to the edge of the square, bowing and scraping, adopting a fawning demeanor.

Lu Ming couldn't help but take another look; this person had the potential to be a dance instructor.

Zhao Xing got a scolding, dealt with the Nian beast, and ran back to look at Lü Ming.

"Just bear with it."

“Come on.” Lü Ming nodded.

He knew very well that these two were not Nian's people, or at least not genuinely following him; they were merely submitting to his tyranny.

The Nian beast is inherently violent, and only those Nian beasts that have been granted titles have a slightly better temperament. These two are quite capable to have survived being devoured by the Nian beast.

As for why Lü Ming thinks this way?
You can tell by looking at the other person's experience in cutting their losses.

Half of his flesh and blood were removed, but he did not suffer much pain.

If one hadn't spent a long time trying to survive under the Nian beast, there would be no way to achieve such a smooth technique.

"All right."

Zhao Xing breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Lu Ming, who was half skeleton and half flesh, and Du Yun, whose body was peeled off even more completely.

"Du Yun will give you a drop of blood and then tell you how to recover faster."

Du Yun watched Zhao Xing leave, then, supporting himself on his skeletal body, hopped over to sit next to Lü Ming and nudged him with his elbow: "Brother Lü Ming, from today onwards, we are fellow Daoists."

"Fellow Daoist?" Lü Ming was both amused and exasperated.

Only those who share the same ideals can be considered fellow Daoists. They are both focused on escaping and have survived the jaws of the Nian beast, so in a sense they can indeed be considered fellow Daoists.

After the Nian beast finished its feast, it called Zhao Xing over to give it a massage.

In the words of the Nian beast, this is a reward.

Many people want to serve Lord Nian, but they don't have the chance yet!

Zhao Xing rubbed the Nine Origin Divine Thunder in his palm back and forth against the Nian Beast's back fur. The divine thunder that could kill General Xu Feng was just the right amount of force for the Nian Beast.

Seemingly having satisfied the Nian beast, it groaned and turned its belly upside down. Zhao Xing immediately swooped down and continued to strike it.

The Nian beast lazily said, "Cook, is that guy who can play the flute a troublemaker?"

Zhao Xing thought for a moment and said softly, "Lord Nian has keen insight. He was indeed dishonest and said some bad things to me."

"Hmph, I knew it." The Nian beast opened its eyes, its gaze fierce. "Its meat is far less delicious than Du Yun's. I think we shouldn't keep it; we should just eat it!"

"I'll listen to Lord Nian Beast." Zhao Xing first tried to appease him, then added, "I'm just worried that Lord Nian Beast might get tired of eating the same thing all the time."

"Hmm...that makes sense." The Nian Beast closed its eyes again. "Those old guys are hard to kill. If I can eat them and reach a higher level, that would be the best...Mmm, that feels so good."

Soon, the Nian beast fell asleep. Zhao Xing, while blowing air and generating electricity, watched the sleeping Nian beast, trying to find something.

Since it was an investiture, there must have been an investiture item, just like the imperial tablet of one's ancestor.

If it were removed, the Nian monster might be able to be subdued.

But Zhao Xing looked around for a long time and still couldn't find it.

"There is a huge gap between my current strength and that of the Nian Beast. It seems I can only wait until the Heavenly Origin is gathered before making any further moves."

"Once I become a true god, the panel might change." Zhao Xing pondered, leaving behind a clone to maintain it, before flying back.

Time passed, and twenty-one years after saving Lü Ming, the Nian Beast once again went to the Devouring Heaven Sea with Zhao Xing.

This time, Zhao Xing obtained three times the amount of the previous time.

"Om~"

As Zhao Xing absorbed the light clusters in the Devouring Heaven Sea, the Qi Sea and the Great Sun within his body expanded and became more solid.

When the progress reached its final stage, the orb of light was still more than half full.

Zhao Xing stopped.

"One more step forward, and you'll reach the third level of the Great Sun Qi Sea."

"Breaking through in the Devouring Heaven Sea, the Nian Beast probably won't be able to detect it."

"However, I'd better go a little further."

Zhao Xing went deeper until the location of the Nian beast became a dim spot of light.

Having chosen a relatively safe place, Zhao Xing arranged the Earth God Crystals from his inner world into a patch of ground, with the life essence of the Penglai God General floating beside it.

Then, the primordial light cluster floated overhead, forming the sky.

Then, Zhao Xing used the [World in the Palm] technique, opened the projection, and sent his thoughts into his inner world.

He needed to inform the tree son to see if the breakthrough would hinder his devouring of the Abyss of Time.

The tree son explained that breaking through would only temporarily hinder the progress of devouring, but after the breakthrough was completed, it would accelerate the progress of devouring the Abyss of Time.

Therefore, Zhao Xing no longer had any worries.

The three major cultivation techniques, "Hun Yuan Realm," "Extreme Continent," and "Great Sun Qi Sea," are advancing together, propelling us towards the divine level!

(End of this chapter)