He was invincible from the beginning of the Heaven-Covering Era.

Above Tang Valley, the Fusang Divine Tree casts down a sky full of golden light, and the holy power of the sun flows slowly, as if it is opening up an ancient universe, evolving into three thousand worlds, with ever-changing phenomena.

"Miss, can you see what's happening in the starry sky?" Xiaoyu asked Dao Qingling, approaching her with a puzzled look.

Yi Qingwu, who was standing next to her, also quietly pricked up her ears. Her magic was currently sealed, so she couldn't see the specific situation in the starry sky.

Over the past year, her spirit has gradually been worn down. There's really nothing she can do. Not to mention that hateful demon lord, even Princess Qingling of this Divine Continent Dynasty is far stronger than her.

The Eight Forbidden Zones—she hasn't been able to break through that boundary in her cultivation so far; that realm is too difficult to enter.

Although she had also cultivated the combat power of the seventh level of forbidden techniques, the gap between the seventh and eighth levels of forbidden techniques was really too difficult to cross. Even if she possessed the seventh level of forbidden techniques, it was only a quantitative accumulation, while once she broke through to the eighth level of forbidden techniques, it would be a qualitative breakthrough.

There are quite a few old sect leaders on the ancient star Ziwei who have reached the seventh level of cultivation. When it is difficult to break through the Dao, they continuously cultivate various secret techniques and develop the hidden potential of the human body, and can eventually accumulate the combat power of the seventh level.

However, it's rare for even one person to possess the Eight Forbidden Techniques in an era. It's said that the Old King from over three thousand years ago possessed the Eight Forbidden Techniques and was a prodigy of his time. In this generation, it's said that only one rogue cultivator, Yin Tiande, seems to possess the Eight Forbidden Techniques, but he has rarely shown his skills, making it difficult to determine his true abilities.

Princess Qingling of the Divine Continent Dynasty was surprised to find that she already possessed the Eight Forbidden Battle Power in the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm. Even her pride as a Guanghan Spirit Body gradually faded away.

Moreover, it is said that in the Big Dipper, besides the Demon Lord and this Qingling Princess, there are others who also possess the power of the Eight Forbidden Battles, which has reshaped her worldview and left her unable to recover for a long time.

All of this information was told to her by Xiaoyu. It seemed that whenever the girl saw Xiaoyu's bewildered expression, a bright smile would appear on her face.

All she could say was that it truly lived up to its reputation as the legendary Burial Emperor Star, where even the legacy of Emperor Hengyu was said to reside. It was indeed extraordinary.

"There's nothing in the starry sky right now, not even a flash of lightning. I don't know what happened. I guess something extraordinary has happened again." Dao Qingling sensed the power fluctuations in the starry sky and felt that there was no trace of heavenly tribulation.

Xiaoyu sighed. Even the young lady didn't know, so they could only wait and see. Although they were a little worried, there was nothing they could do; they had no idea what had happened.

On that chaotic path, Zhou Qing's battle with the Emperor had reached its final stage.

In the boundless void, countless Great Dao deities sat cross-legged. Their figures were blurred and their appearances were indistinct, yet they exuded a majestic and ancient aura, as if various tangible Great Daos had descended, seemingly the origin of all paths.

Amidst the resounding heavenly sounds, the secret technique unleashed by the Emperor Venerable had its power reduced by fifty percent out of thin air, while the power of the secret technique unleashed by Zhou Qing increased two or three times.

In the clash of spells, the Emperor was clearly at a disadvantage, with a burst of blood occasionally erupting from his body, which he would then replenish by consuming his own essence. However, as this continued, his face grew paler and paler.

When he tries to engage in close combat as before, the other person enters a special state, and their close combat skills become similar to his, making it impossible for him to suppress the other person as before.

Although he possesses supreme-level combat skills, he is currently only at the Dao-Slaying Realm. His physical body is far inferior to that of an Emperor-level body. He cannot perform some sudden changes in his physique or execute high-difficulty combat techniques with his current body, and he cannot fully utilize the capabilities of supreme-level combat skills.

Zhou Qing, in the distance, continuously unleashed various secret techniques: the "Soldier" secret technique to control his body, the "Front" secret technique to attack his primordial spirit, the Flying Immortal Force to unleash attacks beyond the limits of the human body, and the Tribulation Crossing Immortal Melody, the Chaotic Ancient Sacred Technique, the Six-Character Mantra, and others, all used in alternation.

With the secret of the word "行", it is very difficult for the Emperor to get close to him. In the realm of Daoist duels, he has a great advantage, and even the Emperor has difficulty matching him in this aspect.

However, the Emperor, as expected of a second-generation Heavenly Venerable, possessed quite a few forbidden secret techniques. Even though the power of his secret techniques was weaker than Zhou Qing's, he managed to use skill to overcome force and dodge many fatal attacks.

Zhou Qing also wanted to say that it was fortunate that this was just the Heavenly Venerable returning to his youth, not the Heavenly Venerable suppressing his realm to the Dao-Slaying Realm. Otherwise, the difficulty would have increased dramatically, and Zhou Qing would not have dared to hone himself through such a brutal bloody battle. He would have used every means to strive for victory.

The young Celestial Venerable, the Celestial Venerable returning to his youth, the Celestial Venerable suppressing his realm to fight, even at the same realm, the combat power of these three situations is vastly different.

"Slay the Heavenly Dao!" Zhou Qing's voice resounded throughout the world, like the heavenly voice of the Great Dao, booming and echoing.

This is a forbidden secret technique within the Devouring Heaven Demon Art, which can dramatically increase his combat power.

This is the Path of Slaying Heaven, terrifying beyond measure. It comprehensively enhances offensive power, control power, and primordial spirit power, making a person extremely terrifying.

Moreover, this is an improvement on the foundation of the "All" secret technique. Although the two cannot be superimposed indefinitely, even a slight increase in power from one plus one is extremely useful to him.

A beam of celestial light shot out, showering down like a rain of light, as if a celestial being had descended from the heavens. All other lights dimmed, losing their luster in the glow of this radiant light.

The Emperor wielded his unparalleled fist technique, imbued with an invincible belief, determined to forcefully shatter the power of the Flying Immortal.

puff!

Even his powerful physical body exploded, shattering into pieces, blood splattering in the void, and white bone fragments standing bare.

Boom!

The Emperor's immense blood energy surged skyward, and his shattered body reformed, rapidly repairing itself. However, this recovery was not limitless; his injuries worsened, and each recovery consumed...

The amount of essence and blood also increases.

This attack took him by surprise; its power suddenly increased significantly, causing him to suffer a great loss.

Aside from some injuries sustained during the close-quarters combat, Zhou Qing has remained unharmed since the battle shifted to a duel of Daoist arts. He has been unleashing various forbidden secret techniques from a distance, each one terrifying to the extreme.

In fact, this wasn't just the case in this battle; it was the same in all previous battles. Aside from some injuries sustained in close combat, once the battle turned into a clash of Daoist techniques, he was no longer injured. No one could rival him in the power of his Daoist techniques.

The Emperor unleashed his extraordinary phenomenon and transformed into his divine form, raising his combat power to its peak. With an irresistible aura, he charged towards Zhou Qing, his divine light surging, his eyes gleaming, and his body pressing down on the heavens and earth, causing them to tremble.

This was a desperate gamble; hundreds of moves were combined into a single punch, crushing through the boundless chaotic energy and emitting a blinding light.

Zhou Qing's eyes were like still water. The Pure Land of the Gods unfolded, covering this world, and then contracted into a chaotic Pure Land with a radius of ten zhang. The power in every inch of the space was extremely strong.

A divine figure rose behind him and merged with him. One after another, the great gods of the void flew toward his physical body and sat cross-legged among his flesh and blood. His bones, flesh and blood, and internal organs were all glowing.

With a single kick, symbols of the Great Dao spread out, as if traversing through time, rushing towards the Emperor at a speed beyond reason. His punch contained many profound mysteries such as the Flying Immortal Power, the Solar Emperor Fist, the Heaven-Slaying Dao, and the Momentary Divine Fist.

boom!

The chaotic energy was vast and surging, as if the entire world had been turned upside down. The divine power was boundless and limitless, like a galaxy pouring down, vast and boundless, engulfing this place.

When the light faded, both of them remained motionless, as if the match had ended in a draw.

But before long, one of the figures suddenly burst apart, turning into a bolt of lightning that vanished into the world.

With a thunderous roar, Zhou Qing's blood and qi surged, and he continuously absorbed the vast ocean of chaotic energy, refining it into chaotic essence using the Devouring Heaven Demon Art. He quickly recovered to his peak condition.

After all, his injuries weren't serious to begin with, and he hadn't expected to win this battle with such injuries.

If it weren't for his greatly improved close-combat skills, he would have had a hard time escaping once the Emperor got close, and would have been subjected to constant and fierce attacks.

However, even when the Emperor got close to him, he could fight to a draw, which made it easy for him to break away, create distance, and then unleash all sorts of forbidden imperial techniques.

He sat down cross-legged on the spot, entered a state of enlightenment, sorted out the gains from the battle, and repeatedly rehearsed the process of the battle in his mind, reviewing it.

Some responses weren't handled very well in the rush of the moment, but now that he has enough time to think, he can continuously optimize his combat choices and consider the best way to respond to the same situation.

After each battle, it is necessary to rehearse the battle process again. This is essential and can help him improve his combat ability.

In addition, he gained a great deal this time: he mastered close combat techniques and came up with a method for close combat during the battle, which was quite amazing. Now that he has time, he will naturally refine it further.

Half a day later, he stood up, and suddenly lightning flashed and thunder roared, winds rose and clouds surged, and wisps of the Great Dao energy emanated from his body.

With a loud boom, strands of Dao principles swept past him, his blood surged, and his aura suddenly increased dramatically, as if he had been reborn.

The thunderous sound was deafening, the internal organs glowed, the body was crystal clear, the blood was like a surging river, the bones were resonating, and the internal energy was ever-changing.

His physical strength was directly enhanced here. His whole body was baptized, constantly making sounds, and his body overflowed with immortal light rain, which increased his physical strength slightly.

Originally a fighting style, the "Free and Unfettered Ultimate" technique has been perfected by him and transformed into a skill that can enhance both combat techniques and physical attributes.

Rather, it was because this was self-created and perfectly matched to him that, even though his physical body wasn't weak, it still improved slightly under this stimulation.

Chapter 197 The Road Ends

His body underwent a baptism, becoming stronger and more robust. Although he didn't have particularly exaggerated muscles on the surface, his physical strength was still significantly greater than before.

If he were to engage in close combat with the Great Emperor Wushi now, his physical strength would no longer be at a disadvantage; at the very least, it would be even. This was all thanks to the Free and Ultimate Intent he had comprehended today.

Although his method, created by someone only at the Dao-Slaying Realm, wasn't particularly profound—many combat or body-refining methods in history were stronger than his—it was the most suitable method for him, allowing him to forge his own path.

What kind of evolver is the strongest? One who tries to forge their own path!

For example, the great emperors of ancient times each created their own path. They may not have been the first in history, but it was the most suitable for them. Therefore, they were able to sweep across the heavens and the earth, living a lonely and invincible life.

Once he becomes an emperor, the Ultimate Freedom will become an imperial technique; once he becomes an immortal, the Ultimate Freedom will become an immortal technique. An infinitely bright future is the greatest advantage of creating one's own technique!

Zhou Qing turned his eyes to the depths of the ancient road, where mist flowed, obscuring what lay within. But Zhou Qing had a feeling that this road was nearing its end.

Starting from the era of the Azure Emperor, he fought his way up, and so many young emperors and ancient emperors could not stop his progress. But in reality, Zhou Qing did not know where he was going to go or when it would end.

However, he wasn't entirely without ideas. The four words "Dao Child Trial" that he saw at the beginning were clearly the name of this heavenly tribulation. In fact, their Zhou family also had something like the Divine Child Trial. As long as one could pass it, one could become the Zhou family's Divine Child.

He didn't experience any divine child trials when he was young; instead, he was directly designated as the Zhou family's number one divine child. However, he knew the basic logic of those divine child trials: they were meant to select the family's strongest potential cultivator in an era.

Although the name of this trial is different, the basic logic is definitely the same. However, Zhou Qing is not sure about the scope of this trial.

boom!

After walking a few steps, a figure emerged from the depths of the ancient road. Zhou Qing looked at his face and, although he had expected it, he was still taken aback.

As expected, he looked almost exactly like the Emperor, with only some minor differences. These differences were caused by different cultivation methods. Perhaps it was because the Emperor underwent more transformations in his second life that there were some subtle differences.

Spiritual practice is essentially a process of repeated transformations, or in other words, breaking free from the constraints of the body and continuously achieving leaps in one's level of life. Regardless of which path of spiritual practice one takes, the essence is to elevate one's own level of life.

During this process, one's appearance will also change, becoming more aesthetically pleasing.

Some people are not used to changing their appearance. Even if their cultivation level continues to improve, they will maintain their original appearance, and even keep the scars on their faces.

However, many people become more and more elegant and beautiful as their cultivation level increases. Ninety-nine percent of women will experience this. No matter how they looked as mortals, they will become more and more beautiful as their cultivation level increases.

Like the Heavenly Demon Granny

Female cultivators are truly a minority. Even though they are only halfway through their lifespan and have more than two thousand years to live, they prefer to present themselves with an aged appearance. I don't know why.

The battle between Zhou Qing and the first incarnation of the Emperor Venerable quickly broke out. This battle was too easy for Zhou Qing. Whether it was close combat or a clash of Dao techniques, Zhou Qing suppressed the first incarnation of the Emperor Venerable completely.

Even in the most risky and easily injured close combat, Zhou Qing could block or evade attacks time and time again. Even if the opponent fought desperately, dozens of blows would hardly make him splatter a single drop of blood.

The course of this battle was exactly the opposite of the previous one; Zhou Qing decisively suppressed the first incarnation of the Emperor, thus avenging a minor grudge.

During the battle, Zhou Qing sensed the Daoist intent emanating from the Emperor's first incarnation and gradually discovered some issues, which gave him a deeper understanding of the Emperor's second incarnation.

Simply put, the path that the Emperor severed in his second life was different from the path that he severed in his first life!

This also made Zhou Qing understand why the Emperor's first and second incarnations were different tribulations, because the Great Dao only operates naturally according to the rules and has no concept of the Heavenly Dao.

Although the second and first incarnations of the Emperor were the same person, their concepts of severing the Dao differed, and were judged by the Great Dao to be two different Dao traces, which is why a kind of lightning tribulation was left behind.

The Emperor Venerable in the Nine Heavenly Venerable Tribulations possesses the combat power of his first incarnation, while the Emperor Venerable in the Emperor Venerable Tribulations possesses the combat power of his second incarnation.

This is a very unique thing. Throughout the ages, only the Emperor has been so unique, leaving two kinds of Dao traces in the world. This made Zhou Qing think about it more deeply.

Historically, there have been many emperors and ancient rulers who lived to be reborn. Unless they spent their lives fighting and suffered too many hidden injuries, they were able to live to be reborn.

Among them, Emperor Venerable was not the only ancient emperor with the courage to start cultivating again. However, none of the others left behind two kinds of Dao traces, because even in their second life, when they severed their Dao, the path they took would not be any different from that in their first life.

Ultimately, once a person has severed their Dao and ascended to the position of Great Emperor or Ancient Sovereign step by step along that path, who would doubt their own Dao? Who wouldn't believe that their Dao is invincible? Even if they were to rebuild their Dao, they would still choose to walk the same path.

However, the Emperor had changed. The Dao he forged in his second life was clearly different from the Dao he forged in his first life; otherwise, the Great Dao would not have separated them into two Heavenly Tribulations.

That's very interesting. Don't underestimate the changes in the path of severing. Each change is equivalent to a person's belief changing.

The changes at the moment of severing one's path can reveal changes in one's beliefs, and vice versa. When a person's beliefs change, these changes will be evident at the moment of severing one's path.

If those supreme beings who instigated the Dark Turmoil in the forbidden zone were to walk the path of cultivation again, their path of severance would definitely be different from their first life. This is because their personalities have changed, they have seen more things, and some things that they thought were right when they were young may no longer be right when they reach the stage of ancient emperors.