Chapter 140: It Seems I’ve Slightly Misjudged My Own Strength [Second Update, 9,000 Words—Please Vote and Subscribe]
"It seems this deity has underestimated you."
The Grand Archprelate of the Black Fiend stood upon a rolling bank of black clouds, looking down at Baili Feihong from above.
His expression was grave.
The cultivation and prowess Baili Feihong displayed during the brief clash just moments ago had filled him with utter astonishment.
Though Baili Feihong had risen to the Dragon-Subduing List as a blood-refiner, and had even slain Xue Ming in that capacity, his mastery of divine abilities and cultivation realms had never seemed as dazzling as his blood-refining arts.
Yet, at this very moment, the Grand Archprelate believed every single thing his own eyes were witnessing.
His mastery of divine abilities had reached the peak of the third stage.
The Grand Archprelate understood all too well that the *Demon-Suppressing Six Paths Scripture*, as the closely guarded secret manual of the Demon-Suppressing Division, possessed a profound foundation in divine abilities during the divine ability realm, second only to the World-Suppressing Dharma Form mentioned in the Dharma Form realm.
The one hundred and eight Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend divine abilities passed down by the major sects had all been completely collected by the Demon-Suppressing Division.
The Grand Archprelate could not see through how many divine abilities Baili Feihong had truly mastered.
However, judging by Baili Feihong's performance, his soul was immensely powerful, and the soul-secret arts he himself wielded might not necessarily be able to harm the other.
"I actually thought your invading army of the Black Heaven Cult would pose a mortal threat to me. It seems the crisis I foresaw through my divine ability of foreseeing the future did not stem from you."
Baili Feihong's figure rose steadily, quickly ascending to the same altitude as the Grand Archprelate.
He disliked looking up at others.
Though the two were a hundred miles apart, to mighty cultivators, this distance was nothing more than a hair's breadth.
"The Heaven-Dragon Instrument also has its moments of error. However, now that you are on the Heaven-Dragon Instrument's Dragon-Subduing List, you had better be careful lest the Taiyi Sect comes to harvest your martial fortune."
The Grand Archprelate said unhurriedly.
The death of seven saints and a vast multitude of apostles had failed to produce the slightest ripple of emotion in this former overlord of the evil path. Instead, he took it upon himself to caution Baili Feihong.
Taiyi Sect? Harvesting martial fortune?
A flurry of thoughts passed through Baili Feihong's mind, and he instantly realized that the Grand Archprelate was employing an open strategy.
By revealing certain secrets regarding the Heaven-Dragon Instrument, the other was trying to position Baili Feihong in direct opposition to the Taiyi Sect.
"I suppress the mountains and rivers with my blood. If they want this so-called martial fortune, they are welcome to take it."
If he were like ordinary people who required martial fortune to attain higher realms of martial arts, perhaps he would care. But with his Book of Skills, he had no need for any martial fortune to assist in his cultivation.
Such illusory and ethereal things were far less substantial than his Book of Skills.
"You are certainly broad-minded."
The Grand Archprelate smiled faintly.
"However, the Black Heaven Stele is a sacred artifact of the Black Heaven Cult. Even if I fail to seize it today, you will eventually have to surrender it."
"Is that so? The Black Heaven Stele is quite a fine treasure; I am certain the Demon-Suppressing Division will be most interested in it."
Baili Feihong replied with a calm smile.
The other was attempting to pressure him with the weight of the Black Heaven Cult, but behind him stood the Demon-Suppressing Division—when had he ever feared the forces of the major sects?
The Grand Archprelate's expression instantly darkened.
If the Black Heaven Stele were to fall into the hands of the Supreme Demon-Suppressing Headquarters, it would become a colossal headache.
The difficulty for the Black Heaven Cult to retrieve the Black Heaven Stele would multiply exponentially, and even if they poured out their entire sect in full force, it would be hard to secure it.
"That is the Black Heaven Stele, intimately tied to the secrets of the Demon Gods. Can you truly bear to give it away?"
The Grand Archprelate asked in a deep voice.
"Many people meet their end consumed by greed. To me, the Black Heaven Stele is nothing more than a troublesome burden. Rather than dreaming of the infinite benefits it might bring me, I would much rather cast the trouble aside."
Baili Feihong broke into a brilliant smile. "Using my vital blood fused with the 'Bean-Soldier Incarnation' divine ability, I have crafted a divine-ability golden automaton. I imagine that by now, carrying the container forged from the Earthly Fiend divine ability 'Pot-Heaven,' and bearing the Black Heaven Stele within it, it is already rapidly approaching the capital."
"You lunatic!"
The Grand Archprelate roared frantically.
He was driven to distraction, his state of mind completely shattered.
The winds and clouds shifted; the heavens were draped in a layer of black light that completely blotted out the sun.
The laws of the Black Heaven spread horizontally across the sky, usurping the sun and moon.
"Hmph!"
Baili Feihong responded with cold indifference. A torrential surge of blood qi pierced the firmament, shattering the void and tearing through the black sky, forcing his surroundings back beneath the blazing sun.
At that moment, the sky was cleaved in two.
One half was as pitch-black as ink, while the other remained a crystal-clear, brilliant blue.
"Come then, let me witness your Black Heaven Dharma Form."
Baili Feihong's expression turned stern.
A martial Dao Dharma Form—especially given that his opponent was an Archprelate of the Black Heaven Cult—was bound to be inextricably linked to the Black Heaven Demon God.
The intent emanating from the Black Heaven Stele earlier had almost caused Baili Feihong to lose himself within it.
He let his hands hang down.
His blood qi distorted the void, making him stand before the Grand Archprelate like a blazing sun.
"Hmph! I admit that you have walked to the absolute extreme of the divine ability realm, and you are indeed a genius among geniuses. But you are, after all, merely in the divine ability realm; it is impossible for you to truly comprehend the profound mysteries of a Dharma Form!"
The Grand Archprelate sneered.
Black light surged across his entire body.
If Baili Feihong was a blazing sun, then the Grand Archprelate at this moment was a dark sun.
Light and darkness collided violently.
The mysteries of a Dharma Form?
If he wished to step into the Dharma Form realm, it would take no more than a single thought.
Through his closed-door cultivation in the Devil's Sea, his progress had surpassed anyone else's imagination.
The Dharma Form—the Heaven-Model and Earth-Image—was far more than merely enlarging one's physical body. It involved merging with the laws of the realm, allowing one to borrow the power of heaven and earth and summon a trace of the profound mysteries of the heavenly laws.
However, the Grand Archprelate had not invoked the profound mysteries of the natural laws; his domain of blackness was merely the expansion of the Demon God's power into the mortal world.
He intended to drag Baili Feihong into the Dharma domain of his Heaven-Model and Earth-Image.
Yet, Baili Feihong's blood qi remained unyielding as a blade, slicing through his domain time and time again.
No matter how continuously the Grand Archprelate unleashed the power within his body to forge the Black Heaven Dharma domain, in the very next instant, his opponent stood as firm and unshakeable as the Heavenly Pillar Mountain, completely unfazed by the black domain.
The Grand Archprelate's heart sank.
He finally understood: the absolute core of this divine-ability master's might still lay within his blood-refining arts.
He walked the path of ancient body-refining martial arts.
Refining the physical body through blood was humanity's most primordial martial path—and the most formidable weapon against the Demon Gods.
Presently, everyone's utilization of vital essence, the execution of divine abilities, and even their grasp of laws were all methods of power learned from the Demon Gods.
"Your blood-refining art—has it reached the fifteenth layer? No, the sixteenth layer!"
The Grand Archprelate calmed himself. To have cultivated human blood qi to such a realm at this age made him nothing short of a freak.
"It seems my understanding of blood-refining is still somewhat lacking."
Though caught within the offensive radius of the Black Heaven Dharma domain, Baili Feihong remained as steadfast as a mountain.
He realized that his perception of the blood-refining realms might harbor certain deviations.
Simply releasing the power of fifteen-炼 (refinements) of blood was already enough to fend off the Grand Archprelate's onslaught.
And rightfully so; back when he was at twelve-refinements of blood, he had been able to slaughter Xue Ming, a top-tier divine-ability master.
Clearly, twelve-refinements of blood corresponded to the peak of the divine ability realm.
Thirteen-refinements of blood could already rival those who had just stepped into the Dharma Form realm.
Fourteen-refinements of blood attained the power of the mid-stage Dharma Form realm.
Fifteen-refinements of blood reached the power of the late-stage Dharma Form realm.
Upon entering the Dharma Form realm, the post-breakthrough amplification gave one advantages that surpassed blood-refining.
Sixteen-refinements of blood already rivaled entities at the peak of the Dharma Form realm.
Clearly, the widespread notion that achieving thirty-five refinements in blood-refining leads to sagehood was flawed.
No wonder the Demon-Suppressing Division's first blood-refiner to reach eighteen-refinements of blood, despite failing to attain sagehood, held a status second only to the Grand Commander within the organization.
Even a Martial Sage would grant that garrison blood general a measure of respect upon meeting him.
Blood-refining and vital-essence martial arts were two entirely distinct paths.
The Blood Origin Technique was a magnificent cultivation method, its greatest advantage being the continuous tempering of blood to extract ever-more potent blood qi.
Yet, the further one progressed, the more arduous it became.
Reaching eighteen-refinements of blood marked the absolute peak.
Baili Feihong had spent far too little time cultivating; he had merely relied on fragments of texts to guess at the progression of the blood-refining realms.
Only now did he realize that he seemed to have accomplished something extraordinary.
Using the Blood Origin Technique as his core, he had continuously deduced and advanced blood-refining arts.
From the Blood Origin Technique to the Blood-Refining Origin-Returning Technique, from there to the Myriad Things Origin-Returning Cauldron Technique, and finally fusing various martial arts into the ultimate Myriad Things Origin-Returning Cauldron art.
He had performed three successive deductions and upgrades upon the initial Blood Origin Technique.
This allowed his blood-qi cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds without interruption.
It had all been so effortless that he had almost forgotten the sheer difficulty inherent in blood-refining.
Among all martial paths, blood-refining was universally acknowledged as the hardest to cultivate.
Yet in Baili Feihong's case, it had somehow become the smoothest path of all.
"Impossible! How could anyone cultivate sixteen-refinements of blood in such a short span of time?!"
The Grand Archprelate cried out in disbelief. He had always assumed Baili Feihong had acquired Kunpeng blood, utilizing its aid to push his blood-refining cultivation to the thirteenth or even fourteenth refinement.
Once that threshold was reached, the potential of any Demonic God's vital blood would be entirely exhausted.
To continue advancing thereafter required relying on the arduous labor of circulating blood qi, tempering one's blood bit by bit to nourish it and force its continuous evolution toward a higher life form.
Yet, through the previous contact, he could clearly perceive that not a single trace of demonic aura lingered on Baili Feihong.
He had never consumed any so-called Kunpeng blood.
His blood remained unpolluted.
It was the purest human blood imaginable.
The blood qi hidden deep within human bloodlines possessed a potent restraining effect against fiends, demons, and even Demon Gods.
This was the collective will of ancient sages, who had shed their blood and laid down their lives to resist foreign races and preserve humanity.
Running through the long river of history, this will had been preserved within the human bloodline.
The Grand Archprelate's heart began to pound nervously.
His Dharma Form had yet to be fully unleashed.
Instead, the unique Dharma domain belonging to the Dharma Form realm was being suppressed and countered by his opponent's blood-qi force field.
"Nothing in this world is difficult for one who sets his mind to it. As long as one is diligent and focused enough, the word 'impossible' does not exist in my dictionary."
Baili Feihong declared with an overwhelming aura of dominance.
He sharply perceived the psychological fluctuations within the Grand Archprelate.
Inwardly, however, a smile touched his lips—this was precisely the effect he desired.
The Black Heaven Stele had been dispatched to the Imperial Capital's headquarters.
If he were the one actively spreading this news, the Black Heaven Cult might not necessarily believe it.
Such a rumor would hardly benefit Feiyuan Island.
However, if the news were to be leaked from the lips of the Grand Archprelate himself, the nature of the matter would change entirely.
Baili Feihong was not yet prepared to enter a full-scale conflict with the Black Heaven Cult.
Deep within the Great Yuan territory, another malevolent cult bore hostility toward him.
The Netherworld.
He firmly believed that the current Netherworld was undoubtedly far more powerful than the Black Heaven Cult.
Before resolving the prophecy concerning East-Beach City, he temporarily chose to abandon the notion of relentlessly hunting down the Grand Archprelate.
As a high-ranking figure of the Black Heaven Cult, the Grand Archprelate surely possessed hidden trump cards he had yet to deploy.
For instance, slaughtering millions to execute a sacrificial ritual.
Had the Black Heaven Demon God bestowed any favors upon the Grand Archprelate?
Even if he exhausted all his methods, he might not succeed in killing the Grand Archprelate.
Furthermore, was the Black Heaven talisman in his possession even stronger than those carried by the saints?
If it was a talisman crafted at the level of a Martial Sage, even Baili Feihong's ninth-stage divine ability, "Blood-Suppressing Mountains and Rivers," might fail to kill him.
The Grand Archprelate stared intently at Baili Feihong.
In the contest of momentum, he had already fallen into a disadvantageous position.
Unless he unleashed the Heaven-Model and Earth-Image to forcefully annihilate Baili Feihong.
But the probability of that succeeding was exceedingly low.
Having attained sixteen-refinements of blood, his blood-refining divine ability had unquestionably surpassed the third stage of divine abilities, shattering the inherent limits of a divine-ability master.
"You have been stalling me this entire time—were you trying to verify whether the Black Heaven Stele truly still exists within the Demon-Suppressing Tower?"
Baili Feihong had long since ordered all personnel of the Demon-Suppressing Division to completely evacuate the building.
"It was impossible to hide it from your Demon-Suppressing Divine Eyes. Even if you rush back now, it is already too late."
Regaining his composure, the Grand Archprelate flashed a faint smile as he looked at Baili Feihong.
The forces attacking the Demon-Suppressing Tower were far from mere apostles.
There were also five divine-ability masters.
Indeed, those very same five divine-ability masters who had stirred up monstrous waves across the sea.
"What a pity. I crafted thirty-six divine-ability golden automatons for Feiyuan Island, all centered around my vital blood, condensing permanently fixed divine abilities to form these automatons. Your Black Heaven Cult lackeys are about to face a thorough slaughter at their hands."
Baili Feihong said placidly.
"Impossible. Even with sixteen-refinements of blood, it is practically impossible to simultaneously forge thirty-seven divine-ability golden automatons without completely draining your vital blood."
The Grand Archprelate countered, shaking his head.
He had caught the mention of thirty-seven rather than thirty-six divine-ability golden automatons.
Baili Feihong smiled.
He knew that the seed of doubt had already been planted within the Grand Archprelate's mind.
Although it was an impromptu scheme, sending the Black Heaven Stele toward the Supreme Headquarters was indeed an excellent strategy.
However, the political situation within the Great Yuan was currently in turmoil; if the Black Heaven Stele truly arrived in the imperial capital, it would only be exploited by ambitious men.
The best course of action was to forge a counterfeit before leaving, openly and publicly carrying it into the Devil's Sea to conceal it there.
At that moment, a massive wave of combat fluctuations rippled from behind him.
Streaks of golden light pierced the clouds, and figures resembling the Heaven-Model and Earth-Image—the divine-ability golden automatons—stood tall across the four corners of Feiyuan Island.
Terrifying blood qi intertwined, forming a blood-qi force field of blood-suppressing mountains and rivers that enveloped the entire island.
Simultaneously, the blades of the golden automatons descended, executing apostles of the Primordial Embryo realm one by one, alongside the five divine-ability masters.
"Oh?"
Streaks of Black Heaven talismans tore through the firmament, plunging into the void and vanishing without a trace.
"Is this some kind of welfare benefit for Black Heaven Cult members? No, only apostles should be qualified to possess Black Heaven talismans."
Baili Feihong glanced back, his divine eyes piercing through the mist to land upon Feiyuan Island.
When he turned his gaze back, the Grand Archprelate had already fled.
The lingering remnants of the Dharma domain were slowly dissipating.
"Figures of the evil path, yet they cherish their lives above all."
Baili Feihong shook his head.
He had deliberately allowed the Grand Archprelate to escape.
Otherwise, he would have been forced to break through his current realm just to slay him.
Truth be told, his current realm felt quite suitable.
It allowed him to contend with Dharma Form powerhouses while simultaneously avoiding the attraction of pursuit from Martial Sages.
Should he step into the Dharma Form realm, Baili Feihong believed many Martial Sages would take a keen interest in him and make their moves.
Remaining in the divine ability realm was hitting the sweet spot.
With his current stock of skill points, he was not yet capable of leaping straight to the level of a Martial Sage in one go.
For Baili Feihong, breaking through realms prematurely held no real significance.
As long as he possessed sufficient skill points, he could become an Immortal in the very next second.
Thus, prematurely raising his realm was completely meaningless to him.
"The Southern Suppressing Naval Fleet is already prepared. When the enemy retreats, we advance; it is time to seize the strategic stronghold of the Devil's Strait."
Once the Black Heaven Cult's forces within the Devil's Strait were eradicated, the Southern Suppressing Naval Fleet would have the strength to counter the Fa-La Empire.
"When court politics stabilize, we will implement an immigration policy, relocating commoners from the remote regions of the Great Yuan into the Devil's Strait to occupy the lands left desolate by the millions slaughtered by the Black Heaven Cult. Only decades later can the Great Yuan truly be said to have genuinely mastered this territory."
Once the Devil's Strait was secured, he could turn his attention outward to dismantle the nation of Sakura; the external threats facing the Great Yuan Empire would then cease to exist.
With a century of peace and recuperation, national power would reach its true zenith.
Accompanied by the development of industry and science, the Great Yuan would usher in a true golden age in the truest sense of the word.
Yet Baili Feihong knew that this road would be fraught with countless hardships.
The sect powerhouses who had cultivated in seclusion for years were every single one of them roadblocks standing in the path of the Great Yuan Empire.
The Master of the Taiyi Sect, in particular, was a threat among threats.
"Thinking too far ahead gives me a headache. As expected, I was never cut out to be an official."
Baili Feihong shook his head.
For now, the sole task he needed to accomplish was to forge secure and stable living conditions for Feiyuan Island.
Capture the Devil's Strait, find a way to carry the real Black Heaven Stele upon his person, and bury a replica in the Devil's Sea to divert all attention.
With this thought in mind, Baili Feihong directed his gaze toward "Pot-Heaven," one of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Divine Abilities.
This was a spatial divine ability.
"The geocentric world is a naturally formed grotto-heaven blessed land, akin to a spatial pocket. If I can carry this grotto-heaven blessed land upon my person, the problem of the Black Heaven Stele will naturally be solved."
Yet how to transfer it was a problem that stumped Baili Feihong.
Furthermore, he had no understanding of artifact refining.
"If I could learn the methods of forging magical artifacts from the Divine Supervision Department, I wouldn't have this headache right now."
Mentioning the artifact-refining arts of the Divine Supervision Department brought a sense of regret to Baili Feihong.
Wanting to learn the sorcerer system of the Divine Supervision Department was an utter impossibility.
The Divine Supervision Department would never impart any knowledge to him because he was a Demon-Suppressing Officer.
"No wait, there is a ready-made alchemist right here on Feiyuan Island."
So-called artifact refining, in the eyes of an alchemist, was simply the creation of alchemical items.
Though he could not learn the knowledge of the Divine Supervision Department's sorcerers, he could learn the systematic skills of Western alchemists.
Once he became an alchemist, the subsequent steps would simply be a matter of dumping skill points to upgrade the skill.
Te-Fa-La was currently his subordinate; as the garrison commissioner, if he wished to learn alchemical knowledge, would the man dare refuse to teach him?
Besides, the Demon-Suppressing Division's library pavilion was entirely open to Te-Fa-La.
Aside from conducting experiments in his basement, that fellow spent most of his time hiding in the library reading books.
Hardly anyone else in the entire Demon-Suppressing Division enjoyed such special privileges.
"It is feasible."
"Once I grasp the essence of alchemy, I can weave divine abilities directly into that alchemical essence."
"My mind may not be nimble enough, but the Book of Skills can expend skill points to deduce and deepen knowledge."
Moreover, studying alchemy would allow him to catch a glimpse of the fundamental operating rules of this world.
It would provide immense breadth and vision for his future cultivation.
Once an idea formed, action must be taken immediately.
At the same time, Baili Feihong had not forgotten his spoils of war.
The seven Black Dragon Iron Galleons.
These seven naval warships utilized a unique application fusing martial arts with advanced technological principles.
They were even more formidable than the most advanced warships of the Southern Suppressing Naval Fleet.
They were rare treasures that could not be bought even with mountains of wealth.
Standing aboard one of the Black Dragon Iron Galleons, his spiritual sense enveloped all seven vessels, taking direct control of their cores. Channeling his vital essence, he activated their specialized rune-inscribed cores, and the ships shot forward like arrows loosed from a bowstring, flying across the sea surface as they returned toward Feiyuan Island.