Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin: I Set Taboos in the Heavens

"In that case, please."

Facing the wrathful Emperor's condescending gaze and questioning, imbued with the ancient imperial might, Fang Qing remained calm, merely making a gesture of invitation, displaying an air of composure that allowed him to face any formidable foe.

A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the Emperor of Blazing Wrath, which were burning with golden flames, before turning into a hint of anger at being "offended" and a cold mockery.

He did not expect that after he displayed such power and revealed his origins, this "newly promoted" Celestial Venerable Fang not only did not show the due respect or retreat, but actually adopted a posture of confrontation.

"Good, good, good!"

The Emperor of Blazing Wrath uttered three "good"s in succession, his voice like the clanging of metal, filled with burning rage.

"Since you are so ignorant and arrogant, I will show you what true power is and what the real gap is! So that you won't be so narrow-minded as to think that you can covet the position of Alliance Leader just because you defeated a few mediocre people!"

He casually raised a hand covered by a crimson-gold imperial robe and slapped it down at Fang Qing with a nonchalant gesture!
"Flames will engulf the world!"

With his icy voice, his hand instantly transformed into a falling crimson-gold sun.

Endless imperial flames erupted from his palm, transforming into a sea of ​​fire covering tens of thousands of miles, descending upon Fang Qing.

This flame contains the sacrificial intent of some ancient fire god. The flame changes shape, sometimes transforming into divine flame script, sometimes into a flame totem, carrying a domineering will to burn away civilization and return to chaos.

The temperature is so high that it can instantly vaporize stars and even scorch a cultivator's soul and laws.

This palm strike, seemingly casual, was far more powerful than the full-force attack of the previous Sword Burial Ancestor and others, demonstrating the unfathomable depth of this ancient emperor.

Many of the ancestors watching the battle in the temple turned pale. Just being swept by the aftershocks made them feel a burning pain in their souls and their blood boiling, as if they were about to be set on fire.

They were horrified; this was the true method of an ancient being.

However, facing this world-burning palm strike, Fang Qing's eyes showed no fear, but rather a hint of understanding and a faint disappointment.

The ultimate technique of the ancient fire god? Flames that burn the world?

If it were when he had just entered the Hongshen Realm, he might have found it troublesome.

At this moment, however, he possessed the power of the Primordial Chaos God, and the chaotic inner world within his body had begun to take shape as a universe. Furthermore, he had devoured and refined the origins of seventy-two special physiques, including "Eternal Ones," "Killers," and "Heavenly Medicine Masters," as well as the essence of various laws such as Burial Sword, Extreme Cold, Fire Cloud, and Evil Thought.

The number of divine-level qigong techniques he has memorized, deduced, and integrated in his mind is more than a dozen.

The speed secrets of the "Chaotic Heavenly Roc Free and Unfettered Great Art", the defensive concepts of the "Mysterious Turtle Carrying the Heavens Immortal Divine Art", the life purification of the "Chaotic World Tree Purification and Longevity Technique", the time and space mysteries of the "Time and Space Ancestral Dragon Roaming Scripture", the thunderous destruction of the "Heavenly Thunder Tribulation Control True Art", the illusion and concealment of the "Myriad Transformations Formless Mirage Treasure Mirror"...

These profound concepts of divine power, which point directly to the origin of the Great Dao, can all be groundbreaking if cultivated to a high level.

Fang Qing drew on the strengths of many and integrated their essence into his own Chaos Saint King system.

While this "Flame Burns the World" is indeed an ancient fire god's ultimate technique with unparalleled power, it still falls short in terms of the level of "Dao" compared to the divine-level qigong that Fang Qing had witnessed, which truly touched the origin of chaos.

"Perfect timing! I can borrow your Emperor Flame to temper my Chaos and complete the Law of Fire!"

Fang Qing's mind raced. Facing the inferno, he didn't retreat but advanced, even opening his arms as if to embrace the flames of destruction.

"Chaos returns to nothingness, all fires converge! Devour!"

The primordial divine power within his body circulated wildly, causing the chaotic inner world to rumble and tremble.

In an instant, a blurry, chaotic domain centered on Fang Qing, constantly evolving with the phantoms of earth, fire, water, wind, sun, moon, and stars, suddenly expanded.

Within the domain, chaotic energy surged like a dragon, and dark gold devouring runes flickered like stars. The world-burning sea of ​​fire rushed into this chaotic domain and was immediately suppressed and guided from all sides.

Chaos is the source that encompasses and evolves all things.

Fire is also one of the basic elements that evolved from chaos.

The raging imperial flames were systematically broken down into the purest fire elemental energy and fragments of fire laws under the erosion and differentiation of the chaotic domain.

A portion of it was directly assimilated and absorbed by the chaotic energy, merging into the fire elemental laws of the inner world.

The other part was devoured by those dark gold devouring runes like sharks smelling blood, and transformed into pure chaotic energy to nourish Fang Qing himself.

From a distance, it seemed as if the earth-shattering crimson sea of ​​fire, upon contact with the chaotic domain surrounding Fang Qing, was like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun, rapidly melting and shrinking until not a drop remained, all of it being "eaten" by Fang Qing.

Fang Qing himself was not injured at all. On the contrary, his aura became even more intense after absorbing the abundant fire essence, and faint crimson-gold flame runes flashed under his skin.

"what?!"

The contempt and mockery on the face of the Emperor of Blazing Wrath froze instantly, replaced by incredulous astonishment!

His palm strike, "Flames Burn the World," though not at full power, was enough to severely injure or even kill an ordinary peak Hongshen Realm cultivator.

It was absorbed so easily and mysteriously by the other party?! Not even a ripple was made?

How can this be?

His Emperor Flame contains the true meaning of the ancient fire god and carries the majesty of the emperor. How could it be so easily devoured?
"There's definitely something to it!"

The golden flames in the eyes of the Emperor of Blazing Wrath suddenly intensified, and true rage began to rise. "It seems I underestimated you! But from now on, you won't have such good fortune again!"

"Rage rages across the heavens, burning all laws!"

He no longer held back, his figure suddenly growing taller, as if he had transformed into a towering fire emperor. His hands formed countless ancient and complex imperial seals, and the color of the imperial flames around him grew deeper and deeper, gradually turning from crimson gold to a dark red, as if solidified magma and blood were mixed together, radiating an even more terrifying high temperature and aura of destruction!
"Worship the Fire God! Civilization of Fire! The Chaotic Fire Seed! Sacred Fire Burns the Body! Heavenly Fire Divination!"

A series of grand shouts resounded throughout the temple. The Great Emperor of Wrathful Blaze, like the embodiment of fire, unleashed his earth-shattering fire-based divine powers upon Fang Qing without reservation, like a torrential downpour.

The scene on the arena suddenly changed.

Thick pillars of flame shot into the sky, intertwining to form a magnificent corridor of fire. The walls of the corridor were adorned with ancient murals depicting the worship of the fire god by our ancestors, radiating a devout and fervent power of faith. This power, combined with the flames, created a unique spiritual burning sensation.

Countless fire runes danced in the air, constructing magnificent phantoms of fire palaces and fire temples, as if a complete fire civilization was born, evolved, and flourished in an instant.

The power of this civilization is added to the flames, making each wisp of flame seem to possess the weight and order of civilization, thus multiplying its destructive power.

A dark red phantom, seemingly from the primordial fire at the beginning of chaos, appeared, emanating a terrifying aura that burned the very essence of all things. Wherever it passed, even space itself was burned through, revealing the raging chaotic currents behind it.

Even more bizarrely, a sacred fire, formless and intangible, ignited directly within Fang Qing's divine body and soul, attempting to burn him to ashes from the inside out.

Furthermore, mysterious celestial fire hexagram patterns manifested in the void, triggering the unseen rules of fire, forming a blockade and curse, restricting Fang Qing's actions and supernatural powers.

Each of these supernatural powers is terrifying, containing the profound understanding and supreme power of the Great Emperor of Wrathful Blaze's billions of years of study on the Great Dao of Fire.

Its power, layer upon layer, has reached an astonishing level.

Inside the temple, many of the weaker Hongshen Realm elders, merely watching, felt their souls being roasted over a fire. Their Dao foundations trembled, and they retreated, their faces pale, their eyes filled with terror. They had no doubt that if they were in that situation, they would be annihilated in an instant, leaving not even ashes!
However, Fang Qing, who was at the center of this world-destroying fiery inferno, seemed to have transformed into an indestructible chaotic divine stone.

The chaotic domain surrounding him trembled and contracted violently under the bombardment of such violent, diverse, and high-level fire magic.

With the help of the Myriad Realms King Map, Fang Qing frantically absorbed the weakened and dispersed flame energy and law fragments.

Within the inner world, the area where the Fire Element Law resided shone brightly, with countless fire runes frantically generating, recombining, and perfecting themselves.

At the same time, other elements such as water, earth, metal, and wood also operate spontaneously, forming a cycle of mutual generation and restraint, which helps to digest and balance this excessively large fire energy.

Fang Qing's soul merged with a trace of the ancient and boundless primordial chaos, becoming incomparably resilient and clear, like a lighthouse in a storm. No matter how fierce the spiritual impact and faith burning of the external fiery civilization were, he remained unmoved and steadfast in his original heart.

This is an unprecedented ordeal!

The raging flames of the Great Emperor of Wrath were like the highest-level divine fire for forging weapons and the divine hammer for tempering his body, soul, inner world, and understanding of the Great Dao of Fire to Fang Qing.

The greater the pressure, the more rigorous the tempering, and the greater the reward!
Fang Qing could feel that under the extreme high temperature and burning, the impurities in his divine body were further refined, and the structure became more compact and perfect, faintly transforming into some kind of immortal substance.

Under the "irrigation" of massive fire-elemental energy and the violent impact of laws, his chaotic inner world not only rapidly expanded and perfected its fire-elemental region, but also made its spatial structure and law network more stable and resilient, greatly enhancing its resilience and evolution speed.

His understanding of "fire" has soared at an unprecedented rate.

The various fire-based divine abilities unleashed by the Great Emperor of Blazing Wrath were like a living encyclopedia of fire, unfolding before him without reservation.

The mysteries of the true meaning of sacrifice, the fire of civilization, and the seeds of chaos were rapidly analyzed, absorbed, and integrated into his own Great Dao system by his chaotic wisdom and the power of devouring origin.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

The Emperor, consumed by rage, grew increasingly alarmed and enraged with each battle!
He discovered that his fierce attacks were like a stone thrown into the sea; although his opponent appeared to be teetering on the brink of collapse and his domain was constantly trembling, there was no sign of him breaking down.

On the contrary, the opponent's aura, under such a terrifying attack, not only did not weaken, but instead grew stronger, more profound, and more complete at a slow but steady pace.

This is an extremely bizarre and mind-blowing phenomenon.

"Die!"

The Emperor of Blazing Wrath was utterly enraged, feeling that his dignity as an ancient emperor had been severely challenged!

He pushed his cultivation to its current limit, even going so far as to invoke the power of "rules" he had gained from climbing several levels of the Immortal Ladder, a power that was at a higher level.

"Emperor's Wrath - Burning the Realm!"

He clasped his hands together, then suddenly pulled them apart! Between his palms, a tiny yet indescribably brilliant "Origin of Flame," seemingly condensed from countless worlds of flames and burning with the essence of the Emperor's Way, suddenly appeared!

The moment that flame appeared, the temperature of the entire Heavenly Dao Operation Temple instantly soared to an unbelievable level.

Countless ancestors were horrified to discover that the protective divine light on their bodies had begun to burn automatically, and even the space around them began to melt and collapse on a large scale, turning into liquid flames.

This flame contains the strongest power that the Emperor of Blazing Wrath can mobilize at this moment, as well as a trace of the true meaning of destruction that touches upon the rules of immortality!

"go with!"

The Emperor of Blazing Fury hurled the origin of the flames fiercely at Fang Qing!

The origin of the flame silently swept across space, and everything in its path turned into nothingness.

It locked onto Fang Qing, with a killing intent in its heart!
At that very moment, deep within Fang Qing's soul, the primordial chaos divine power, the origin of the inner world, the essence of seventy-two constitutions, and countless divine-level qi cultivation insights—all of which had already reached their peak due to the continuous extreme pressure and the frantic absorption of massive amounts of high-level energy and laws—were now boiling over.

Everything seemed to be forcibly squeezed to a critical point by this origin of flame!

"boom!!!"

It wasn't an external explosion, but rather an invisible shackle within Fang Qing's body that shattered with a deafening roar!

A brand new, transcendent power beyond the realm of the Divine Realm, imbued with a nascent, fearless, and seemingly invincible force capable of confronting all destruction and the unknown, surged forth from the deepest recesses of his soul like a dormant volcano erupting completely.

In an instant, Fang Qing felt that his perspective, perception, and existence itself had undergone earth-shattering changes.

He seemed to have broken free from some kind of inherent constraint and seen a higher, more real world.

An indescribable courage welled up from the bottom of my heart. It was not the courage of a common man, but a kind of fearlessness and great courage that came from understanding the essence of power, knowing the direction to move forward, and daring to face all difficulties, obstacles, and destruction.

This courage is not an emotion, but an inner quality and state of being that naturally arises after a leap in the level of life!

At the same time, the primordial flames that rushed towards him, powerful enough to incinerate the world, were no longer seen as an unstoppable, world-destroying force in his eyes.

Its trajectory, its core energy composition, the fire path rules it contains, and the weakness of that trace of immortal destruction truth all became clearer than ever before.

"So that's how it is. This is the first step of the Immortal Ladder—the Step of Courage!"

A sudden realization flashed through Fang Qing's mind like lightning.

He already knew that once a cultivator reached complete perfection in the Hongshen Realm and comprehended the Hongmeng Dao to the point of touching the origin, they would be able to sense the nine-tiered Heavenly Ladder leading to immortality.

Climbing the ladder to heaven, each level you ascend is a solid step towards immortality, a small realm known as "half-step immortality".

And this first level is the Step of Courage!

Only those who possess the great courage to face the ultimate Dao, to be fearless of life and death and reincarnation, and to dare to challenge all established rules and powerful beings can step onto this first step and complete the first key sublimation of their understanding of life form and Dao realm!
At this moment, under the life-or-death pressure of the ultimate destructive strike of the Emperor of Blazing Wrath, which contained a trace of immortal rules, and on the basis of having absorbed a massive amount of top-level energy and laws and accumulated to an unbelievably powerful level, Fang Qing finally stepped onto the first level of the immortal ladder—the Step of Courage.

He is no longer simply at the peak of the Hongshen Realm, but a being on the verge of immortality!
Although it is only the first step, its life essence, level of power, perception and application of rules have all undergone a qualitative leap.

"break!"

Facing the origin of the flame that was now right in front of him, Fang Qing stretched out a finger and gently touched the core of the flame!
The origin of the flame, powerful enough to incinerate the world, trembled violently under Fang Qing's finger, which contained the courage of a newborn immortal and precisely targeted its weak point in the rules. Then, the internal energy structure and balance of rules were instantly destroyed!

"boom!!!"

The long-awaited explosion finally happened!
Most of the destructive energy cancels out and annihilates each other in the internal disorder of rules and structural collapse!
Only a small portion of the out-of-control turbulent flames swept outwards, which were easily smoothed and absorbed by the chaotic domain around Fang Qing, which had become more solid and carried a hint of immortality.

"What?!!"

The Emperor of Blazing Wrath stared wide-eyed, his face filled with utter horror, bewilderment, and disbelief.

His strongest attack was so easily countered by his opponent?!
Moreover, the aura emanating from the other party was the aura of the Immortal Ladder!
He actually broke through during the battle and ascended to the Steps of Courage?!

How is this possible?! (End of Chapter)