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

Upon reaching the Step of Perseverance, Fang Qing felt his Dao heart and will were clad in an immortal armor, greatly enhancing his resistance to external temptations, pressures, fears, confusion, and other negative emotions, and making his belief in the path he followed unbreakable.

This is crucial for governing a large and complex alliance, dealing with even more brutal wars in the future, and even climbing higher steps to immortality.

The breakthroughs have not stopped.

His unwavering will gave him the courage to forge ahead on his spiritual path and face all difficulties and obstacles head-on.

This courage is not reckless bravery, but rather a fearlessness built upon clear understanding, unwavering belief, and formidable strength.

The war between the Alliance and the future world continues, sometimes expanding and sometimes contracting, with both sides constantly adjusting their tactics and deploying new forces.

The war is becoming increasingly brutal, and more and more powerful figures are falling, but at the same time, more and more powerful figures are being forged in the fires of blood.

As the leader of the alliance, Fang Qing needs to handle not only military matters, but also political, economic, diplomatic, and technological aspects.

This fearless spirit of ruling over all directions, shouldering the responsibility for all living beings, and facing all challenges and accusations is perfectly integrated with his Daoist heart, transforming into the strongest driving force for advancing to the next level.

"Boom!"

Above the steps of perseverance, another set of steps emerges, exuding a powerful aura of courage, fearlessness, and daring to challenge all authority and predetermined fate!
The Immortal Ladder, the fifth step—the Step of Fearlessness—is complete!
Stepping onto the Fearless Staircase, Fang Qing felt as if his soul had broken free from some invisible shackles, becoming more free and powerful.

Faced with the unknown and danger, there is no longer any hesitation or fear, only the determination and confidence to rise to the challenge.

This will play a crucial role in his future exploration of the path to immortality, in dealing with potential higher-level future enemies, and even in handling potential relationships with those ancient emperors.

The war continues, seemingly without end.

Ten years, a hundred years, or even longer may not seem like much in the long lifespan of a cultivator, but under such intense confrontation and consumption, it seems exceptionally long.

Fang Qing witnessed the rise and fall of countless geniuses, the clash and sparks of civilizations, and the brilliance and darkness of humanity.

As the leader of the alliance, he stood high above the clouds, yet he also delved into the dust, observing every detail of this catastrophe.

Endless observation, reflection, understanding, and practice...

The rise and fall of the alliance, the victories and defeats of war, the joys and sorrows of all living beings, the collision and evolution of the Great Dao—all of these things, like the richest nourishment, nurtured his wisdom, tempered his will, and gave him an increasingly profound and thorough understanding of cultivation, life, the universe, and even this catastrophe itself.

He gradually came to understand that this catastrophe might not just be a struggle for survival between two civilizations of different eras; it was more like a cosmic-level "trial" or "selection."

The invasion of the future world brought destruction, but also new laws, new energy, and new ways of thinking.

The resistance and integration within the Guardian Alliance are also giving rise to new powerful figures, new cultivation techniques, and new possibilities for civilization.

Between life and death lies both great terror and great opportunity.

He began to transcend simple victory and defeat and hatred, examining everything from a higher perspective. He saw the "Tao" within it—the Tao of birth and death, the Tao of rise and fall, the Tao of integration, and the Tao of evolution.

This transcendent perspective and profound understanding are like a key, unlocking the door to a higher level of enlightenment.

The new forces, new ideas, and new paths that emerged during the war, the collapse and rebirth of the old system, the brilliant light that burst forth in despair, and the hope that quietly sprouted after destruction all surged into his sea of ​​wisdom like a tide. They were embraced by his fearless heart and tempered by his unwavering will. In the end, they began to settle and brew into a profound and insightful understanding that revealed the fundamental truth.

He no longer saw the alliance merely as a tool to fight the future, but began to think about how to guide this clash and make it an opportunity to drive his own evolution and that of the heavens.

He encouraged Yang Qi and others to absorb the characteristics of future energy during battles and improve their cultivation techniques. He supported the Universal Array King's research on how to combine future technology with immortal array formations. He tacitly approved and even secretly promoted some radical and fusion experiments and explorations.

And his cultivation, through this macro-level control, micro-level observation, and ever-evolving understanding, continued to improve at a steady yet unwavering pace.

Although he spends most of his time in the central command, Fang Qing is not entirely inactive.

Whenever the future world sends out extremely powerful elite forces or terrifying beings that pose a great threat to the alliance's defenses, he will personally descend.

His moves are often simple and direct, yet they are filled with a despairing power.

On one occasion, the future world deployed three colossal "future giants," each as large as a star, covered in silver-white metal and biological tissue, and exuding an aura that even made the divine realm of Hong tremble, in an attempt to break through a key fortress of the Alliance in one fell swoop.

The fortress's defenses were crumbling, and countless cultivators were reduced to ashes by the terrifying firepower and energy blasts of the colossus.

At this critical moment, a gigantic hand, formed from chaotic energy and blotting out the sun, appeared out of thin air above the stars.

With a gentle clench of its giant hand, the three invincible future colossus warriors, along with the space surrounding them spanning tens of thousands of miles, were instantly molded into an indescribable chaotic origin, then vanished silently, as if they had never existed.

Only the slowly calming ripples in the space told the story of that devastating attack.

On another occasion, a "Future Judgment Squad" consisting of dozens of people wearing strange armor, whose auras were linked as one, and who seemed to be a single living entity, infiltrated the heart of the Alliance, attempting to destroy an important resource star field.

They operate covertly and are incredibly powerful, making them difficult for conventional forces to capture and eliminate.

As soon as they revealed their presence, a seemingly insignificant sword light silently swept across the void.

Wherever the sword light passed, those dozens of future adjudicators, no matter where they were, what they were doing, how advanced their armor was, or how strange their energy was, all froze, dimmed, and turned to ashes in the same instant.

All their essence was devoured by that sword light. The whole process was so fast that even the alarm couldn't be fully sounded.

The most shocking instance occurred during a massive battle, where the future world seemed to have used some higher-level power to summon a giant tentacle made of pure "Brahma Source Light Sand," which spanned several star systems and slammed down on the main force of the alliance.

The corrosive and decomposing power contained in those tentacles made the souls of countless cultivators tremble, as if the end of the world had arrived.

Just as the tentacle was about to fall, Fang Qing's figure had somehow appeared directly in front of it.

Faced with that destructive attack on the starry river, he simply raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers joined together, as if pinching a fallen leaf, and firmly clamped the very tip of the Brahma tentacles.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

The next second, starting from where his fingers were pinching, chaotic cracks spread rapidly to the entire giant tentacle at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Immediately afterwards, the entire tentacle shattered, turning into countless pure light sand energies, which Fang Qing then inhaled with a single breath, swallowing them all like a whale sucking in water.

He even smacked his lips, as if he were savoring something delicious.

With a single finger, the tentacles shattered, and the very source of the Brahma River was swallowed!
This scene not only completely shocked the Alliance cultivators, but also, through some unknown means, was deeply imprinted in the consciousness of the future world's high-level leaders.

Fang Qing, this name became the most feared and dreaded existence in the future world. They called him the "Lord of Devouring and Ending" and the "Chao Chaos Celestial Venerable," regarding him as the biggest variable and obstacle to advancing their plans.

From then on, the future world tried to avoid direct confrontation with Fang Qing on the battlefield, and instead adopted more strategies such as infiltration, division, attrition, and exploiting internal conflicts within the alliance.

Fang Qing was happy to have some free time, and could devote more energy to managing the overall situation, deepening his cultivation, and exploring the deeper secrets behind that catastrophe.

The war continued in this strange dynamic equilibrium. Both sides were accumulating strength, waiting for a decisive moment to arrive.

In the midst of this long, drawn-out standoff and brutal battle, a rumor, far older and more mysterious than any future invasion, began to circulate quietly among some of the oldest and most powerful individuals. Ultimately, it became an unbelievable reality: The Ancient Path to Divinity had descended!
On this day, in the depths of chaos, in that desolate region, which even powerful beings at the Hongshen Realm dared not easily venture into, and which was filled with chaotic storms and temporal turbulence, an earth-shattering change occurred.

The endless chaotic air currents were forcibly pushed aside by an indescribable, immense force, revealing an unimaginably vast void.

At the edge of that void, a road whose grandeur and antiquity defy description slowly extends from the depths of endless chaos and nothingness!

What a road that was!

It appears to be woven from countless ancient runes of chaotic, dark gold, and even indescribable colors. The road is incredibly wide, and even if the entire 33rd level Doushuai Heaven Immortal Realm were placed on it, it would be as insignificant as a speck of dust.

On both sides of the road, countless hazy phantoms could be vaguely seen rising and falling. These were the marks left by the strongest beings who had once traversed this road, or some incredible scenes recorded by the road itself.

There are towering giants waging war, divine birds with wings that blot out the stars soaring through the sky, ancient beasts that devour the universe roaring, and countless blurry figures, exuding an aura that chills the soul, wandering, fighting, or sleeping deep within the road...

The starting point of the road was shrouded in a thick, chaotic fog, obscuring the actual situation.

But emanating from that mist was an aura that made all the heavens and myriad paths tremble, and that stirred boundless longing and fear from the depths of every living being's soul.

That was the aura that led to the true realm of "gods," but it also contained an aura of endless crisis and death!

The Ancient Road to the Gods!

Legend has it that only those who have climbed the nine steps of the Immortal Ladder and possess great fortune, perseverance, and opportunity are qualified to sense its existence and witness its arrival at a specific point in time and space.

By embarking on the ancient road, one may find the path to immortality and the true realm of "gods"!
However, the ancient road is also fraught with danger, filled with ancient souls that have mutated, gone mad, and become unimaginably powerful due to the "immortal divinity" emanating from the ancient road itself, the lingering resentment of fallen gods and demons, and all sorts of incomprehensible and bizarre existences.

Once this was confirmed, the news spread like wildfire throughout every corner of the universe.

Whether it was the soldiers fighting on the front lines, the cultivators busy in the rear, or even those ancient beings sleeping in the dark, they all clearly sensed the vast, ancient, alluring, and dangerous aura deep within the chaos!
The entire heavens were in an uproar, shocked, panicked, and excited.

"The Ancient Road to the Divine Realm! It's the Ancient Road to the Divine Realm!"

"My God! The legend is true! It has really happened!"

"That is the path to godhood! But it is also... the path to death!"

"What should we do? If we get too close, we'll be sucked in! If we don't get close... who can resist this temptation?"

"The catastrophe has not yet subsided, and the ancient road has reappeared... What on earth is wrong with this world?"

Countless powerful individuals flocked to the edge of the chaotic void, which was still far from the ancient road to the gods, but whose outlines could already be barely seen.

They dared not approach any closer, for the force of attraction was like an invisible tide, making their minds waver, as if they could rush over at any moment.

Fang Qing, of course, also sensed it.

He was deep within the Alliance Hall deducing a new battle formation that combined the characteristics of future energy when that ancient and grand aura traveled across endless time and space, and he suddenly opened his eyes.

The chaotic, primordial light in his eyes surged violently, piercing through the many restrictions of the Alliance Leader's Hall and plunging into the depths of chaos.

"The Ancient Road to the Gods..."

Fang Qing moved and appeared at the edge of the chaotic void, at the forefront of the place where countless powerful figures gathered.

"It's the Alliance Leader!"

"Fang Tianzun has arrived!"

"The Alliance Leader has also sensed the Ancient Path to Divinity!"

Fang Qing's appearance immediately caused a huge commotion. Countless eyes were focused on him, filled with awe, anticipation, doubt, and many other emotions.

Fang Qing ignored the crowd, his gaze fixed on the magnificent, breathtaking ancient road in the distant chaos.

The closer the distance, the stronger the attraction became, as if countless voices were whispering and calling from the depths of his soul, tempting him to abandon everything, throw himself into it, and pursue that eternal immortality and transcendence.

At the same time, he also sensed more clearly the dangerous atmosphere permeating the ancient road.

It was a terrifying aura, a mixture of madness, resentment, greed, slaughter, and the corrosive power of some higher force.

Just as Fang Qing was concentrating on his observation, a sudden change occurred.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"

Several incredibly powerful figures, exuding a strong aura of the future, suddenly burst out from the chaos in another direction, heading straight for the Ancient Road to Divinity with an unwavering determination!

"They are from the future world!"

Someone exclaimed in surprise.

"They also want to embark on the ancient path to the divine realm?!"

"Wait! It seems they were... sent to scout ahead?"

Those figures all possessed powerful auras, at least equivalent to the peak of the Hongshen Realm, and might even have touched the Immortal Ladder.

But they were clearly unable to completely resist the allure of the ancient path. Their faces showed struggle and determination, yet their bodies were involuntarily drawn towards the chaotic mist at the entrance of the ancient path.

"For an eternal future!"

One of them let out a frenzied shout.

Just as they were about to be sucked into the mist, "Roar—!!!"

A roar filled with endless madness and resentment suddenly erupted from the depths of the ancient road's mist!
Immediately afterwards, a gigantic ghostly claw formed from pure black resentment and twisted divinity tore through the mist and, with a speed that transcended time and space, fiercely grabbed at those future powerhouses.

"No!"

The piercing screams abruptly ceased.

Those future powerhouses, along with the space around them, were instantly shattered by the ghostly claw.

Their bodies, energy, and even memories and will were reduced to nothingness by that terrifying power, leaving only a tiny bit of their most primal essence, which was rapidly devoured and absorbed by the ghostly claw.

The ghost claw even let out a satisfied groan before slowly retracting into the mist and disappearing.

Danger! Danger! Extreme danger! (End of Chapter)