Swallowing the Stars, Hu Yanbo's Pre-Godhood

Chapter 240 The Struggle

Hu Yanbo's decisive rejection caused the two Chaos Realm Transcendent beings on either side to frown simultaneously, a hint of displeasure flashing in their eyes, but they said nothing more.

In their view, this newly promoted "Great Sage Xiao Feng" was obviously new to this realm and had not yet truly experienced the gap between strong people of the same level, especially the gap between him and someone like "Great Sage Wan Zhen". That's why he was so ignorant of his own limitations and refused to join forces, such a wise move.

"Fine, since he's so arrogant, let him be." The red-robed expert's divine sense turned slightly cold.

"Reality will teach him to recognize the gap." The figure in the shimmering water responded indifferently.

The two ignored Hu Yanbo and refocused their attention on the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Formations in the center and the increasingly turbulent volcano below.

As time went by, the restlessness of the Purgatory Volcano became more and more obvious.

Hu Yanbo remained seated cross-legged in mid-air, his eyes slightly closed, constantly deducing and perfecting his new secret method concept based on the profound mysteries of the two great branches of life and cause and effect in his mind.

Occasionally, a few mysterious patterns formed from pure divine power and will would quietly appear around him, flashing by in an instant. The complex structure and the faint Daoist charm contained within them made the few Chaos Realm peak guest elders who occasionally caught a glimpse of them feel their hearts pound and secretly feel awe.

-

On this day, a strange change suddenly occurred!

"boom-!!!"

A terrifying roar, seemingly emanating from the very core of the earth, caused the Infernal Volcano to tremble violently!

The dark red lava that had been flowing slowly suddenly became extremely violent, like billions of angry fire dragons gushing out from the countless cracks in the mountain!

The entire crater was completely engulfed by a blinding crimson light, and the immense essence of the earth's fire accumulated over tens of thousands of epochs, along with some ancient blood energy, erupted with a roar!

The crimson cloud in the sky spun wildly, unleashing countless bolts of crimson lightning that intertwined with the erupting lava.

Deep within the crater, at the core of the lava pool, several dazzling blood diamonds suddenly lit up and were then violently ejected by an indescribable burst of power!

The Crimson Blood Divine Essence has been born!

The first batch consisted of fifty births, like fifty burning crimson meteors shooting off in different directions!

"Let's do it!"

Almost at the same instant, the two figures who had been preparing to attack from the Chaos Realm moved!

The crimson-robed expert on the left was engulfed in a surge of blood flames, which transformed into a gigantic hand of fire that blotted out the sky and grabbed directly at the nearest divine marrow. Wherever the giant hand of fire passed, the space itself was scorched with black marks.

The watery figure on the right became incredibly hazy, as if it had transformed into a cold current that swept across the sky, silently engulfing more than ten other points of divine essence to the side.

The extreme cold clashed violently with the environment of the infernal volcano, erupting into continuous annihilation ripples that temporarily froze even the raging subterranean fires in their wake.

The two had already reached a consensus—not to confront the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Formations unless absolutely necessary.

The divine essence in the middle area and the more scattered pieces that flew into the distance were collected by the most powerful Wan Zhen Da Sheng, which can be considered as a default share.

As for the newly arrived Great Sage Xiao Feng?

How much he can snatch from the scraps depends on his own abilities.

However, the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Formations, who was located at the very center, merely raised his right hand, his five fingers pointing towards the void, and gently clenched it.

"Buzz—!!!"

The entire Purgatory Volcano region—the churning lava, the gushing fiery flames, the chaotic spatial rifts, and even the raging fire energy permeating the heavens and earth—seemed to be completely controlled by an invisible hand at this moment!

Countless intricate and mysterious natural patterns suddenly lit up from volcanic rock, from the depths of the earth's veins, and from all parts of the void, clearer and denser than ever before!

This was achieved by using unparalleled array formation cultivation to instantly activate and control all the natural array power that could be mobilized within the range of the Purgatory Volcano, weaving it into a terrifying net that covered the heavens and the earth!

The mighty flame palm of the Great Sage Tan Yan was about to strike the Divine Essence when, just before it touched the Divine Essence, it was forcibly blocked and deflected by layers of earth fire barriers and spatial folds that appeared out of thin air. The palm was as if it had sunk into an invisible quagmire, its speed was reduced sharply, and its power was also rapidly dispersed and dissipated.

The extremely cold current transformed from the Great Sage of the Netherworld crashed into a crimson barrier. The clash between ice and fire produced a deafening roar, firmly blocking the cold current's momentum and preventing it from advancing an inch.

What made the two of them even more furious was that the Crimson Blood Essence that had originally flown in different directions, including those within their predetermined range, seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, and their trajectories suddenly changed!

Like rivers flowing into the sea, all fifty points of Crimson Blood Divine Essence, whether flying to the left, right, center, or outwards, all changed direction at this moment, transforming into fifty streams of blood-red light, converging towards the outstretched palm of the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Arrays at an even faster speed!

They started later, but arrived first!

Not only did they stop others from robbing, but they also aimed to take everything in one fell swoop!

"Wan Zhen! You!"

"presumptuous!"

Tan Yan and You Shen roared almost simultaneously, their voices filled with shock and rage.

They never expected that the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Formations would be so domineering, wanting to monopolize all fifty points of Crimson Blood Divine Essence with a single move!

"Blood Prison Burns the Heavens!" Great Sage Tan Yan roared, and the blood flames around his body instantly turned from crimson to deep dark purple. An even more violent aura, as if it could burn the very essence of the soul, soared into the sky.

Instantly, countless phantom images of fiery beasts appeared, then merged into one, transforming into an incomparably ferocious dark purple fiery beast. The beast roared to the sky, its four hooves stomping on the void, actually tearing a gap in the layers of array power barrier!

It suddenly reached out with its claws and, with great difficulty, seized seven points of Crimson Blood Divine Essence from the edge of the fifty converging streams of light. The Flame Qilin then exploded, transforming into a ball of raging purple fire to protect the Divine Essence, fiercely resisting and pulling against the array's power.

"Mysterious Netherworld Soul Lock!" The voice of the Great Sage You Shen seemed to come from the Nine Netherworld Abyss, and the space in the area where he was located completely froze.

Cracks.

Chains of ice crystals formed, instantly becoming transparent and invisible, ignoring some of the array's power blocking them, and like the most cunning venomous snakes, they quickly coiled around the other six points of divine essence.

The extreme cold instantly penetrated, temporarily severing part of the Great Sage Array's pull on these few drops of divine essence, forcibly freezing them halfway and dragging them toward itself.

The two risked depleting their own essence and used their most powerful techniques, finally managing to forcibly extract a small portion of the divine essence of Tan Yan (seven points) and You Shen (six points) from the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Arrays' net of heaven and earth.

The Great Sage of Ten Thousand Formations frowned almost imperceptibly, seemingly slightly surprised that the two had managed to break through to this level, but he was not alarmed.

With a slight thought, he activated the array's power, accelerating the gathering of the remaining thirty-seven drops of divine essence.

However, just as he was about to completely close his five fingers, and the thirty-seven drops of divine essence were almost within reach, Hu Yanbo, who had been standing still as if ignored by everyone, finally moved.

He didn't unleash any earth-shattering power, nor did he employ any dazzling moves that tore through the void.

He simply raised his right hand calmly and pointed at the thirty-seven drops of crimson blood essence that were converging towards the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Arrays.

Fingertips, without light, without sound.

But in the darkness, the strings of cause and effect are gently plucked, and the rhythm of life is quietly interfered with.

"Buzz—"

A strange feeling swept through the minds of all the powerful individuals present.

It wasn't the roar of a collision of forces, but rather a deviation from something that seemed perfectly natural.

Among the thirty-seven streaks of blood-red light that flew by at breakneck speed, about twenty of them experienced extremely subtle but significant deviations in their flight trajectories, enough to alter the outcome.

They were not forcibly pulled by external forces, but rather seemed to have chosen a new direction on their own, like living fish skillfully avoiding the most densely bound nodes of the array force.

They even developed a subtle resonance and mutual assistance among themselves, forming a small tributary of escape that spread away from the control of the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Formations.

Even more strangely, the array power of the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Arrays, which was originally all-pervasive and precisely controlled, seemed to encounter slippery fish when it touched these deflected essences, or as if it hit empty air. Its efficiency was greatly reduced, and it was difficult to lock on and suppress them instantly.

"What?" Wan Zhen Da Sheng's face was no longer indifferent, his eyes sharp as knives, and he suddenly shot towards Hu Yanbo.

He could clearly sense that Xiao Feng, the Great Sage, had briefly interfered with the existence state and cause and effect of the divine essence itself at an extremely microscopic level, and had cleverly guided the spontaneous resistance instinct of the vast life essence within the divine essence.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Tan Yan and You Shen felt relieved of the pressure. With a roar, they used all their strength to pull back the divine essence they had intercepted, temporarily escaping the strongest coverage of the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Arrays' array power.

After making that seemingly effortless finger gesture, Hu Yanbo vanished from his spot.

The next moment, he appeared near the twenty-odd points of crimson blood essence that had "deflected" and scattered. With a flick of his hand, a gentle force swept over, and the twenty-odd points of essence silently disappeared into his sleeve.

The whole process was smooth and effortless, without any fierce confrontation, yet it achieved the effect of using minimal force to overcome great strength, forcefully snatching more than twenty points of Crimson Blood Divine Essence from the palm of the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Arrays who was about to close his hands!

The situation on the field instantly became delicate.

The four Chaos Realm Peak Guest Elders, who had previously retreated to the outermost perimeter due to the terrifying aftershocks and dared not overstep their bounds, were now shocked by this sudden and dramatic change.

"This, this is Great Sage Xiao Feng." One of the guest elders, covered in scales and exuding a powerful aura, couldn't help but transmit his voice.

"He actually managed to snatch more than twenty drops of divine essence from the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Formations?!"

Another guest elder, dressed in a star-patterned robe, stared intently at the figures in the distance: "Even the two Great Saints, Tan Yan and You Shen, risked their lives and used their most powerful abilities to only manage to intercept a few drops each. His move..."

"Then he took the largest portion from the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Formations."

Although their strength was insufficient to participate in the life-and-death battles between those who transcended, their eyesight and perception were first-rate.

Although the scene just now was ridiculously fast and the mystery within it was difficult to fully understand, the final result was crystal clear. The newly promoted Transcendent, who was originally considered to be at the bottom of the rankings and just there to make up the numbers, actually overtook the three veteran Transcendents and won the biggest piece of the pie in this competition in the most ingenious and shocking way!

Such methods, how can this be considered "ordinary transcendence"?

Several peak Chaos Realm guest elders exchanged horrified glances, and when they looked at the calm, suspended black armored figure in the distance, their eyes were filled with even greater awe and fear.

It wasn't just the Chaos Realm peak guest elders watching from the sidelines.

At this moment, the three Chaos Realm Transcendent beings in the center of the battlefield all turned their gazes to Hu Yanbo.

The Great Sage Tan Yan and the Great Sage You Shen had complex expressions in their eyes, a mixture of shock and realization.

They exerted all their strength and used their desperate abilities, but they were only able to barely manage to pry out a few drops from the vast array of formations.

With a seemingly casual flick of his finger and a flick of his wrist, Xiao Feng, the Great Sage, effortlessly took away more than twenty drops, nearly half of the total!

Such effortless skill is something that ordinary Chaos Realm Transcendence cultivators could never possess.

"No wonder he refused to join forces earlier." Great Sage Tan Yan sighed inwardly, his previous displeasure long since vanished.

The Great Sage You Shen remained silent, his body surrounded by a hazy, shimmering light that subtly rippled, revealing his inner turmoil.

He originally thought that this Great Sage Xiao Feng was just a newcomer who needed to hone his skills in actual combat, but now it seems that his application of the mysteries of the Great Dao is even better than the two of them.

Wan Zhen Da Sheng has completely abandoned his previous indifference and condescension.

He spoke slowly, each word carrying a heavy, mountain-like pressure that caused the surrounding space to tremble: "Interesting."

"Xiao Feng, right!"

"It seems I underestimated you."

Even the renowned Tan Yan Dasheng and his companion didn't think much of Wan Zhen, who had reached the Chaos Realm of Transcendence solely through his array formations.

If he breaks through to become a God-King in the future, he will be an extremely powerful one among God-Kings.

It's natural to look down on ordinary detachment.

In response to Wan Zhen Da Sheng's words, Hu Yanbo paused for a moment and then smiled.

"It's normal for you to underestimate me."

"After all, newcomers are bound to be looked down upon by others."

"It's a pity I overestimated you before."

"You're letting me down."

Upon hearing this, the four peak Chaos Realm guest elders on the periphery almost suffocated!

Tanyan and Youshen also involve pupil constriction.

Hu Yanbo's words were not arrogant.

In his eyes, the array formation mastery and power that this so-called "Great Sage of Ten Thousand Arrays," who was said to be among the top three in the Chaos Realm and personally taught by the Emperor, had just displayed was powerful, and he had taken advantage of the terrain to make a great show of it.

But—that's about it.

He had just extracted the essence, using only some basic interference and guidance techniques he had casually created after initially combining the mysteries of cause and effect and life.

They then broke the formation that made the opponent famous.

From his perspective of understanding the causes and effects and intervening in the essence of life, the so-called "transcending the top three in the chaotic realm" did not bring him the pressure he had expected.

The aura surrounding the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Formations suddenly plummeted to freezing point the instant Hu Yanbo finished speaking.

The massive array, which had been slowly operating, suddenly erupted with a blinding crimson light, and a terrifying killing intent, like a tangible tide, surged toward Huyan Bo like an overwhelming force!

"Good, very good." The voice of the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Formations was icy.

"It's been a long time since anyone dared to speak to me like that."