Chapter 1449: Start the Challenge

In Xu Yang's eyes, the so-called Supreme God was nothing more than a self-deceiving illusion. By exposing the Supreme God's conspiracy to all beings within the Heavenly Eye Divine Path region, he would spiritually liberate them, allowing the inhabitants of the entire great world to return to their rightful developmental path, instead of continuing to be a tool arbitrarily controlled by the twelve Supreme Gods, as it was now.

"Haha, since you already have a complete plan, boss, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Long Kun roared impatiently. He transformed into a streak of light and rushed ahead towards the area enveloped by the temple's halo.

Xu Yang and the other two followed closely. Soon, they saw Long Kun suddenly stopped by a crimson halo. Unbeknownst to them, this halo was the protective power of the faith space belonging to the thousandth saint. This particular saint served as the temple's initial line of defense. He could be considered a guardian deity. Every invader had to first touch the domain barrier of this thousandth saint and engage in a challenge before proceeding.

Thus, being the thousandth saint was an arduous task, but he was ranked last among the thousand believers. He was stuck with this thankless job, essentially immersed in endless battles every day. If he were strong enough, he could rapidly improve his ranking after enduring one life-or-death trial after another. Of course, if his resilience wasn't sufficient, the newcomers who surpassed him would quickly slay him and usurp all the glory that was once his.

Long Kun, still exuding an arrogant and defiant aura, immediately unleashed a punch that shattered the crimson halo the moment he felt it impede his progress. The halo's color was not particularly deep, indicating that the saint's strength was not formidable. It could not withstand the explosive power of a single punch from a powerhouse like Long Kun.

In an instant, all barriers within the saint's domain space were torn apart, and the saint's true form, which had been concealed, was fully revealed: a colossal Ant-Man. His original form was likely an ant, but after bloodline mutation and subsequent cultivation, he not only developed his own intelligence but also grew to hundreds or even thousands of times his original size, possessing a massive, two-meter-tall, half-human, half-ant physique.

Although his appearance was extremely grotesque, no one dared to question his strength. At least, from the aura emanating from the saint, Xu Yang quickly deduced that this individual was almost comparable to a third-tier cultivation master from the main continent 300,000 years ago. This meant that this thousandth-ranked saint possessed the strength equivalent to an enforcement elder of a third-rate sect from that era. If this were 300,000 years ago, such strength would indeed be formidable; even Long Kun would have had to exert his full power to eliminate him.

However, the current Long Kun was no longer the same after experiencing a "Mayday Law" level enhancement. His strength was far beyond what this Ant-Man saint could contend with.

"Brother, it couldn't have been easy for you to reach this position," Long Kun said. "How about I give you a swift end in this battle, sparing you any further meaningless humiliation."

Having said this, Long Kun truly held nothing back. He continued to channel his energy into his right fist, simultaneously locking onto the Ant-Man's true form. The light of power generated by the condensed fist force intensified, becoming even more dazzling. The terrifying might unleashed the instant this power erupted was enough to instantly tear the Ant-Man warrior to shreds.

"What? Such terrifying power!" the Ant-Man warrior exclaimed, utterly perplexed. "How is it possible that I've encountered a powerhouse of this caliber? Within the Heavenly Eye Divine Path region, all cultivators stronger than me have already secured the 999 saint positions. There's no reason for a powerhouse of this level to have only just arrived at the temple. Could it be that he reached this stage after only a mere hundred years of cultivation?"

The Ant-Man warrior was utterly baffled, genuinely wanting to ask about Long Kun's developmental journey. However, Long Kun's story was far too intricate to be summarized in just a few words. Along the way, under Xu Yang's protection, he had overcome numerous difficulties. Yet, it was also a journey of "cheating to win," where he continuously enhanced his strength and received one opportunity after another that Xu Yang created for him. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Xu Yang had "fed" him his power. Even Long Kun himself would find it incredibly difficult to replicate such an experience. Why would he bother explaining all this to a defeated opponent who was about to fall to his punch?

"You don't need to think so much," Long Kun said. "Just try your best to withstand this blow of mine and accept your fate."

As Long Kun finished speaking, the terrifying power gathered in his fist instantly erupted, tearing the enemy apart. All the glory that had belonged to the thousandth saint was, at that moment, bestowed upon Long Kun.

Xu Yang observed the entire energy flow within Long Kun's body. At this moment, as the halo bestowed its power, indicating Long Kun had acquired the identity of the thousandth saint, Xu Yang unhesitatingly released a powerful source of energy. This completely protected Long Kun's original soul essence, ensuring that even if the Supreme God's arranged laws forcibly extracted some of his spiritual and faith power, it would not fundamentally affect Long Kun's true self.

Such a deceptive maneuver, however, could likely only be executed by Xu Yang. After all, this was the temple, a place where deceptions were carried out right under the Supreme God's watchful eye. Apart from Xu Yang, perhaps no one else on the continent possessed such capability.

Long Kun felt a profound sense of comfort throughout his body, finding the rhythm of the entire temple's aura perfectly attuned to him, which he greatly appreciated. Little did he know, this feeling of comfort was only possible because Xu Yang had already paved the way for him and cleared numerous obstacles. For a normal person, gaining the blessing of a saint's faith after victory, only to have a corresponding portion of their spiritual power extracted, would instantly cause an immense feeling of emptiness and corrosive pressure.

But Xu Yang personally intervened to protect Long Kun, helping him circumvent the pain of having a portion of his soul extracted by the Supreme God through a deceptive stratagem. Naturally, Long Kun did not experience the full process of "pain and pleasure." He simply enjoyed the pleasure without paying the price of pain. This was the greatest advantage he gained by following Xu Yang.