Chapter 920: Purple Qi Fills the Sky, Fist Intent Pierces the Vast Expanse

"Outdated?"

Yun Jianli turned his head. Though frail and sickly, he now appeared vibrant and spirited. "My ancestor's cultivation method was the world's first Emperor's Throne cultivation art, called the Purple Heavens Azure Nether Skill! Before him, no one had ever achieved the Emperor's Throne realm! The greatest characteristic of this skill is its adaptability! Through generations, the men of my Yun family have continuously absorbed other cultivation methods and divine abilities as times changed. Today's Purple Heavens Azure Nether Skill is immeasurably more powerful than it was then!"

As he spoke of his family's inherited cultivation art, his words and demeanor exuded immense pride. "Throughout the generations, the men of my Yun family have been among the top cultivators of their respective realms in the Heavenly Court. If our Yun family descendants can cross the Divine Bridge realm, then each generation will produce an Emperor's Throne expert!"

His tone filled with confidence, he smiled faintly. "Even I rarely encounter a worthy opponent among my peers in the Heavenly Court! Celestial Venerable Yun's Purple Heavens Azure Nether Skill will never be outdated!"

Behind him, purple light suddenly ascended, transforming into a vast purple sky!

The sky was filled with brilliant stars, and a cerulean star river descended from above like a great waterfall. From the ground, a divine peak rose abruptly, piercing the heavens!

This divine peak appeared as if frozen in profound ice. Now, with spring warmth and melting snow, the peak was as clean as if washed, the long river like a silken ribbon, and the purple heavens vast as a battleground.

A divine bridge spanned the sky, and his primordial spirit stood upon it. The bridge hovered beneath the purple heavens and amidst the star river, flanked by verdant mountains. Leaving aside other aspects, this artistic conception alone was captivating.

A myriad-zhang peak pierces the purple heavens,Where the path ends, a divine bridge spans.Above, the azure netherworld and stars draw near,Below, the mundane world appears distant.

Qin Mu looked at the phenomena behind Yun Jianli, comparing them to the poem, and his admiration grew.

Celestial Venerable Yun's Purple Heavens Azure Nether Skill was indeed extraordinary and refined, truly worthy of being the first Emperor's Throne cultivation method of its time!

Each of the Nine Celestial Venerables in the early Dragon Han era achieved accomplishments beyond compare. Even the reclusive Celestial Venerable Yue possessed immeasurable mastery in spatial arts, and even the rising star, Emperor Kai, whose Sword Dao Thirty-three Heavens was unparalleled throughout history.

As the first being to achieve the Emperor's Throne, Celestial Venerable Yun's accomplishments were naturally extraordinary.

"Celestial Venerable Mu, while my ancestor's dying instructions highly praised you, he also expressed some reservations about you, the Dragon Han Hegemon Body."

Yun Jianli's aura surged to its peak. Although he appeared to be a frail, sickly youth, his presence at this moment was truly astonishing, and his pale complexion gained a hint of color. He declared, "His dying instructions stated that he refused to believe the cultivation method he created was inferior to the so-called Hegemon Body, and he hoped that future generations could vindicate him!"

His eyes welled up, and he chuckled softly. "Today, my ancestor's cultivation method will finally meet Celestial Venerable Mu. This is my ancestor's final wish! Celestial Venerable Mu..."

His voice was deafening. "Please forgive Jianli's impertinence; I will fight on behalf of my ancestor!"

Qin Mu stepped forward, appearing an instant later on the surface of the Jade Pool ten miles away. He said calmly, "When I traveled back to the early Dragon Han era, I met several Celestial Venerables, but unfortunately, I never had the chance to fight Celestial Venerable Yun. He was an extraordinary figure. I never imagined he would have such a wish. Yun Jianli, let me witness his achievements."

Tears streamed down Yun Jianli's face, yet an inexplicable heroic spirit swelled within him.

He suddenly leaped up, moving like a meteor, striking directly at Qin Mu with incredible speed. "If my ancestor's spirit watches from above, he will surely shed tears of excitement seeing this battle today!"

The bloodline of Celestial Venerable Yun, flowing within Yun Jianli, seemed to awaken at this moment. He no longer resembled a sickly young master; he appeared as a leader of humanity, the world's sole Human Emperor!

As the pioneer of the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure in the Divine Treasure system, as the first being in this world to achieve the Emperor's Throne, as one of the five founding elders of the Heavenly Alliance, and as the leader who guided humanity and other post-celestial beings during the Dragon Han era, Celestial Venerable Yun possessed immense pride and the capital to back it.

Even when he was forced to impersonate Qin Mu and Emperor Kai during humanity's crisis, and even though he felt he had let them down, he remained incredibly proud of his own accomplishments.

He was the most dazzling figure of humanity in that barbaric era!

He established the Empyrean Heavenly Court. He cunningly slew the seemingly invincible Ancient God Heavenly Emperor of the Dragon Han Heavenly Court, giving all sentient beings a chance to breathe.

He possessed unparalleled pride and confidence, a pride and confidence that passed down to his descendants, allowing them to inherit his spirit and will!

Yun Jianli's attack was as if, after hundreds of thousands of years, Celestial Venerable Yun himself had launched a strike at Qin Mu!

Empyrean Nine Heavens!

Qin Mu looked up as the Empyrean Nine Heavens surged towards him. This was Celestial Venerable Yun's divine ability, which appeared rather unrefined in his eyes, likely being an early manifestation of the Purple Heavens Azure Nether Skill. However, to other deities in the Heavenly Court, it would still be considered a rare and profound technique.

Earlier, Yun Jianli had stated that Celestial Venerable Yun's Purple Heavens Azure Nether Skill excelled at adaptability.

This cultivation method could advance with the times, and successive generations of the Yun family had integrated the Dao arts and divine abilities of each era into it.

However, Yun Jianli's use of the most primitive Empyrean Nine Heavens at this moment was likely to honor his ancestor.

Even for an extremely ancient divine ability, this move revealed many extraordinary and astonishing aspects.

Qin Mu could discern that Celestial Venerable Yun had already attempted to incorporate Heavenly Dao runes into this move, and these runes were structured using numerology. Of course, they were much cruder than the Heavenly Dao runes compiled by the Heavenly Court's Dao Sect in the present day, but in that era, it was an immense feat.

"So, during the Empyrean Heavenly Court era, Celestial Venerable Yun had already begun studying Heavenly Duke with Dao Ancestor. Dao Ancestor's assistance to the Heavenly Court in analyzing the Ancient God Grand Dao through numerology was actually a strategy laid out by Celestial Venerable Yun hundreds of thousands of years ago!"

Qin Mu's heart stirred. He cupped his palm, forming half of the character "卯" (mao), and used half a move of the Heavenly Seal divine ability to meet the strike head-on.

From Yun Jianli's move, he suddenly understood many things that had previously eluded him.

Dao Ancestor had always maintained an ambiguous stance, leaving it unclear which faction of the Heavenly Court he belonged to.

He was a member of the Heavenly Alliance, helping the Heavenly Court collect data on Ancient Gods and organize Ancient God Grand Dao runes. At the same time, he knew the true identity of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor and assisted him in many matters.

However, if all of this originated from a strategy he and Celestial Venerable Yun devised hundreds of thousands of years ago, then it could all be explained.

Yun Jianli's move was indeed immensely powerful, yet it was no match for Qin Mu's half-move of the Heavenly Seal divine ability; the Empyrean Nine Heavens shattered into pieces.

This was inevitable. Celestial Venerable Yun died at the end of the Dragon Han era, some four to five hundred thousand years ago.

Naturally, a divine ability from hundreds of thousands of years ago would be easily broken by a modern one.

Yun Jianli was not surprised by this. However, after the first Empyrean Nine Heavens came another Empyrean Nine Heavens. This time, his rendition of the move was no longer Celestial Venerable Yun's original divine ability.

Instead, it incorporated the latest and most complete Heavenly Dao researched by the Heavenly Court's Dao Sect. This Empyrean Nine Heavens resembled nine layers of Purple Heavens, nine celestial palaces, each presided over by an Emperor!

Furthermore, the scope of Yun Jianli's divine ability was reduced by countless times. Previously, his Empyrean Nine Heavens had covered several miles, appearing immensely powerful, but in reality, its force was dispersed.

While it could certainly terrify ordinary people, against a powerhouse like Qin Mu, it was more flash than substance.

Now, the move's coverage was only about ten feet in radius, its power highly concentrated and utterly terrifying, forcing Qin Mu to take it seriously!

Yun Jianli's previous divine ability was incomparable to his current one!

Qin Mu was visibly moved. Celestial Venerable Yun's Purple Heavens Azure Nether Skill truly embodied the concept of "change." Besides incorporating the research of the Heavenly Court's Dao Sect, this move also possessed characteristics of the cultivation methods and divine abilities from Emperor Kai's era.

The characteristic of divine abilities from Emperor Kai's era was not to pursue grandiosity in aura, but to exert every effort to control the power of the ability within a small area, aiming to break through defenses with a single point, minimize environmental destruction while harming enemies, and achieve maximum power with minimal loss!

Yun Jianli's move perfectly achieved this.

"The Yun family's divine abilities are indeed formidable."

Qin Mu's eyes gleamed brightly as the Hegemon Body Three Elixir Technique circulated, mobilizing the surging vital qi within him. "However, I am stronger!"

The martial spirit within him erupted, and he launched a punch. The immense power directly pierced through the Empyrean Nine Heavens!

The instant their fist-prints clashed, two massive waves from the Jade Pool behind them rose into the air and surged into the distance.

The towering waves even lifted the colossal divine turtles in the Jade Pool into the sky. These turtles carried divine mountains on their backs, upon which stood numerous palaces and treasuries, where many Jade Pool goddesses resided.

The divine turtles navigated the tumultuous waves, striving to steady themselves. The divine mountains on their backs swayed as if an earthquake had struck. Many goddesses emerged from their palaces to look, only to see two youthful figures darting between the great waves on the sea, clashing rapidly like lightning, yet their techniques and divine abilities were utterly terrifying!

Before the winding corridors and pavilions, Qi Jiuyi was startled awake by the two's powerful aura, snapping out of the enchantment Yun Chuxiu had cast upon him. He looked towards the two figures in the Jade Pool.

"Yun Jianli's abilities have grown even stronger than before."

Qi Jiuyi's expression changed slightly. He had fought Yun Jianli before and well knew his strength and terrifying nature.

Although this eldest son of the Yun family was sickly, he was exceptionally gifted. His cultivation was outstanding among the younger generation of the Heavenly Court, and his divine abilities were terrifyingly powerful.

During their last encounter, he lost in the very first move. Yun Jianli gave him time to rest, and then in their second exchange, he lost even more decisively. By the third time, he lost even faster.

Qi Jiuyi had studied under Empress Chi Xiayu of the Red Emperor and Empress Yin Chaoyue of the Black Emperor, mastering the ultimate techniques of two great emperors. Yet, he couldn't last a single move against Yun Jianli, and from then on, he was utterly convinced of Yun Jianli's superiority.

"I was defeated by Cult Master Qin in the lower realm, which revealed my weaknesses. I also learned the results of the Eternal Peace's reforms from Xu Shenghua. I thought I could stand shoulder to shoulder with Yun Jianli, but now it seems I'm still lacking. The most crucial part is entering the Dao."

Qi Jiuyi watched the two in the sea. At that moment, Yun Jianli suddenly pressed his palm onto the surface of the water. The sea vibrated, and the great waves subsided. The towering waves that had previously risen from the sea suddenly became incredibly calm, leaving only the divine turtles that had been riding the waves suspended in the air.

Those divine turtles, carrying divine mountains and islands on their backs, slowly propelled themselves through the sky with their limbs, preventing themselves from falling.

The sea surface below suddenly exploded, water shooting skyward. Immediately, flags made of seawater stood erect on the surface.

Various runes and patterns appeared on the flags, and these different patterns collectively formed the images of three hundred and sixty different true gods!

Previously, Yun Jianli's divine ability focused on precision; now, it focused on grandeur.

The flags of the three hundred and sixty true gods covered an area of a hundred miles, forming an immense battle formation.

"Yun Jianli's cultivation method has been perfected..." Qi Jiuyi felt somewhat disheartened.

With the formation complete, Yun Jianli suddenly retreated, evading Qin Mu's attack like a startled swan. The next moment, he collided with a massive flag, his figure vanishing within it.

A resonant voice emerged from the flag, and a majestic true god descended from its surface—it was Taiyi True God, one of the three hundred and sixty true gods!

This Taiyi True God had no discernible features, with no eyes, ears, nose, or mouth on his face, and no hair on his head. All four sides of his head were blank. He was also known as Northern Polestar Taiyi Emperor, or Emperor Taiyi, the Chief of All Stars.

Yun Jianli had transformed into Emperor Taiyi at this moment, as if Emperor Taiyi himself had descended. A purple star hung high behind him, and with every gesture, he unleashed boundless divine power, striking down at Qin Mu!

That divine ability carried the Dao rhyme of the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth, naturally formed and infinitely powerful.

Compared to him, Qin Mu appeared pitifully small and insignificant. Yet, the power of Qin Mu's strike was extraordinarily immense, actually managing to forcefully block Emperor Taiyi's divine ability.

The two, one large and one small, clashed on the sea surface, exchanging punches and kicks, shaking the heavens and shattering the earth.

Suddenly, Emperor Taiyi was struck by Qin Mu and disintegrated. His enormous body shattered piece by piece. Emperor Taiyi flew backward, his physical form constantly dissolving, and crashed with a boom into another flag.

The flag burst open, and water mist spread. From within the mist, another true god emerged: an ancient god with a bird's head and a human body, holding a scroll in one hand and a brush in the other. This was Wenchang True God, also known as Emperor Wenchang.

This ancient god's words carried the force of law.

The true might of Celestial Venerable Yun's cultivation method was finally revealed through Yun Jianli.