Chapter 458: Battle

Speaking of which, that mysterious Bai Xiaosheng seems somewhat strange and sinister. He wanders the land, concealing his identity, and appears to have some unusual ideas about the Heavenly Court's Peach Banquet; otherwise, he wouldn't be inquiring about it.

"That fellow, in the eyes of the common people, is me—born with vast knowledge, knowing everything, a symbol of great wisdom. Is he bold enough to cause trouble at the Peach Banquet?" Xu Zhi's lips curled into a curious smile. "That Bai Xiaosheng is quite interesting."

That place is a gathering of the most powerful ancient beings in the world; even monstrous deities like Medusa, Ermin, and Dao Changsheng will be attending!

As for the Phoenix, she is too unconcerned with worldly affairs. She has been living in seclusion, undisturbed by mundane matters, constantly dedicating herself to the achievements of each era. Recently, she has been training her body, embarking on a third path: Martial Emperor.

It's important to note that the more powerful a body, the harder it is to train. Even for ordinary Witch Clan members who cultivate the Ancestral Witch True Body lineage, it's incredibly difficult to train another martial arts system; it's not incompatibility, but rather a tenfold increase in difficulty.

"If she really manages to achieve that, she'll be a monster. She'll become so resilient that virtually no one will be able to kill her." Xu Zhi's mouth twitched. "Our little Phoenix truly has no desires."

"It seems the world truly began to change with the appearance of the first grotesque deity..."

Xu Zhi found this interesting. After all, he wasn't omniscient or omnipotent. While he could monitor the actions of certain special figures in the sandbox, he couldn't monitor their thoughts. He had no idea what their plans or ideas were, unlike the Three Pillar Gods who could read the minds, behavioral logic, and memories of all beings to deduce the future.

At this moment, a group of lively young girls were playing chess at the table, filling the room with joy.

The leader, whose true form was a small hen, was named Lin Hongfeng; she was actually quite cunning and bellicose, skilled in joint locks. The cute, naive rabbit girl was Bai Xiaoshu, proficient in fist techniques. The lark girl, Mu Yuling, specialized in leg techniques. As for Luo Caiwei, or Xiao Wei, she was ironically the most powerful fighter among this group of demons, excelling in everything.

The reason was simple: her kind nature, characterized by hard work and a willingness to compromise, had led to her being brutally tormented and trained to exhaustion by Pan Xuexian. She could be said to be the most uniquely grotesque being in history.

"What's wrong?" Sheila suddenly asked.

Xu Zhi thought for a moment and, without concealment, recounted everything he had seen upon awakening.

"Bai Xiaosheng?" Sheila was startled. She had been present when Bai Xiaosheng was surrendered, and naturally knew one of the world's most astonishing secrets: that Hermes was actually an evolution of Bai Xiaosheng. She also knew that Bai Xiaosheng must be a grotesque being.

"That's very interesting, then. Could it be that the Peach Banquet is in danger?" The group of fairy maidens chattered excitedly, becoming a noisy flurry.

"It's fine, sisters, muscles make us strong!" Lin Hongfeng raised her fair, delicate arm high, which looked soft and gentle, completely devoid of any sense of violence.

"Right! Watch me punch them to death." Mu Yuling excitedly waved her cute little fists. "I'll smash their skulls in! I'll even knock their brains out!"

A group of seemingly delicate, frail girls cheered each other on, appearing to be joking and looking very cute. In reality, everything they said was true.

Xu Zhi, a metaphorical black line across his forehead, sat by, finding it quite amusing.

"By the way, could I see your demonic true forms?" Xu Zhi asked from his seat.

"Demonic true forms?" Lin Hongfeng thought for a moment, then laughed heartily and cheerfully, "Why be so formal! Of course you can. Actually, almost no one in the Three Realms knows that all the female Martial Emperors of our Martial God Palace are demons. It's a secret. No one knows we are Dual Heavenly Emperors—Heavenly Emperors in human form and Heavenly Emperors in true form. Anyone who has seen our true forms is already dead!"

*Whoosh!* Next, Xu Zhi saw their true forms: tiny, delicate little pets.

A cute little white rabbit, a cute little lark. Even the former giant hen, upon reaching the Heavenly Emperor realm, had condensed and compressed her body, becoming incredibly cute, much like Sheila's current slender maiden form; without an outburst, one couldn't tell.

Xu Zhi tried to squat down and picked up a small white rabbit. His feet sank heavily, and the ground instantly cracked.

"Am I heavy?" the little white rabbit blinked.

"Hey, aren't we cute? I want a hug too! So many stinky men outside want to hold us, and you've got an armful all at once." Lin Hongfeng let out a loud laugh. A cute, fluffy little phoenix instantly pounced forward, burrowing into Xu Zhi's arms as well. One in each hand, *bang*—the ground instantly cracked violently again under his feet!

The surrounding small animals were about to jump over. The next second, Lin Hongfeng cried out, "Hold on, everyone, I have something to say!"

This cute, fluffy little phoenix, after a moment of emotional build-up, rubbed adorably in his arms like a Pikachu, "Am I cute? Do you want to play something more exciting with me? I'll just take off my clothes, and we can be honest with each other..."

*Boom!!!* The next second, the cute hen in his arms swelled like a balloon, her incredibly exaggerated muscle lines rapidly bulging out, transforming her into a mountainous, muscular giant with a chicken head. Her goosebump-like muscles expanded and grew, becoming dense and numerous, as if the giant were clad in muscle armor.

As her body rapidly expanded, her formerly dense, beautiful red feathers quickly thinned out, making the fleshy, mountainous giant, sparsely dotted with feathers, appear exceptionally terrifying.

"Come on! Uncle, let's get intimate!" She laughed maniacally, her talons transforming into extremely thick, barbed claws, and her massive, thick chicken-wing hands delivered a fierce kick.

Xu Zhi slightly raised his hand. *Thump-thump-thump!!* Terrifying collisions erupted like a flurry of war drums, their fists raining down like a pear blossom storm.

"He actually caught it?" The cute little animals standing by were all wide-eyed and stunned.

The little animals silently reverted to their human forms. At this point, they no longer bothered to conceal themselves, directly releasing their true physiques. Their bodies swelled, transforming them into formidable, muscular maidens, over three meters tall and towering powerfully.

"I knew Big Sister, being so bellicose, would definitely seize the chance to fight. But a great demon of her level—even an ordinary Witch Clan Heavenly Emperor, even if they unleashed their Ancestral Witch True Body with three heads and six arms, wouldn't dare to confront her head-on. She'd be beaten to smithereens."

Everyone around held their breath, watching the battle nervously.

In reality, despite their antics, everyone was curious about Messiah's combat power. After all, he had once protected them through their initial weak period simply by relying on this Heavenly Emperor body. Now that he had awakened, they definitely needed an excuse for a fight.

After all, he was the most ancient and mysterious Emperor Messiah, Lord of Gardens and Fine Wine—the last person of the Wizarding Age and the first of the Potion Age, the most legendary ancient monarch at the transition of two eras. In known history, he had lived for nearly two thousand years and might even be Hermes' reincarnation.

"Haha! Big Sister is still quick to act!"

"Once Big Sister is done fighting, it'll be my turn! After all, it's a rare chance not to fear exposing our identities. We're all tired of fighting each other, so we can only play chess, cards, and exercise, doing tens of millions of push-ups and lifting a mountain or two every day just to get by."

"Big Sister is too devious, ambushing like that. He's the Wizarding Emperor, and while he appears to cultivate his body as well, being a dual cultivator, in close quarters like this, he'll be forced to endure it..."

Around him, there was excited chattering and lively exchanges, their eyes burning with fighting spirit.

Xu Zhi was somewhat speechless. These people had revealed their true nature: a bunch of muscle-bound fighting fanatics, just like those gym bros who constantly engage in "philosophy," comparing muscles, arm wrestling, lifting barbells, and slapping each other's backs while shedding blood and sweat together.

Before, Messiah had been strutting around everywhere, hoping for a "beating from society" but never getting one. Unexpectedly, he was now getting his "beating" here, albeit later than he had anticipated.

Xu Zhi mused, "After two and a half months of cultivation, progressing from First Tier to Seventh Tier Heavenly Emperor, is this truly my first battle, only just beginning now?"

He actually felt a hint of anticipation, beginning to gather energy within himself, and pondered seriously, "Before, I was always at the village head, blasting streams with War Qi Hammers. After I grew stronger, I had no place to practice and no suitable opponents. Now is a good chance to test myself. Her combat power is extremely exaggerated; I'll have to go all out."

He was actually looking forward to using this opportunity for a real combat test.

After all, no strong person reaches the pinnacle without experiencing combat. If he wanted to climb higher, he would have to...

*Whoosh!!* Messiah's body took a deep breath, tensing slightly. A mirror clone, residing in his Dantian, provided energy, acting as his primordial spirit.

Sorcery amplification. Nine Revolutions Profound Art. Genetic lock... Determination! The genes in his arm suddenly unlocked, and the immense regenerative power from the Nine Revolutions Profound Art began to burn his cells.

His punch suddenly accelerated.

"Hahahaha! I hope you can last—" *Thud!* The chicken-headed muscle giant was instantly sent flying backward, as if struck by a train. She let out a terrifying grunt, collapsed to the ground, began to convulse, and her eyelids flipped inside out.

The crowd, still chattering, suddenly went blank, stunned into silence.

Soon, a group of girls quickly ran over, grabbed her two chicken wings, and like dragging a dead chicken, swiftly carried Lin Hongfeng off the ground, then stuffed her back into the Dantian of her human form.

"What were we just talking about?"

"Playing cards."

"Right, right, right! We agreed to play cards. Loser lifts an iron mountain a thousand times per round!"

"Yes, continue body training and self-cultivation. Being aggressive and belligerent is not the essence of our Martial Dao Holy Land."

"Tomorrow morning, we're heading to the Heavenly Court. Don't be anxious over such a major event concerning the Three Realms; just keep a normal heart."

Xu Zhi stood in place, the surroundings empty, the room instantly deserted.