omnipotent sage

“Congratulations to my Fellow Taoist for becoming the Omnipotent Sage!” Looking up at the huge figure towering above in the sky, the Nine-headed Fierce Beast Sage beamed with pride. He saluted Zhou Bao by cupping his fists together in front of his chest.

“I really appreciate you for taking good care of me, senior!” Zhou Bao smiled and returned his salute. His immense body began to shrink to normal size. He came up to the two Celestial Immortals and turned back to look at the severely devastated Immortal Realm. “However, the matter is not over yet. My becoming the Omnipotent Sage is something of a fluke. In other words, I am merely cannon fodder!”

“Hehe, we are all cannon fodder to the Dominators who think they are superior to us. The only difference is that as Celestial Immortals, we only need to be treated as cannon fodder once; if we survive, everything will be just fine, but if we fail, we have to bear the consequences!”

“Yes, that’s all we can do!” Zhou Bao said helplessly. He fixed his eyes once again on the Immortal Realm that was gradually recovering. “I wonder, what the hell did Cundi do back then to arouse such widespread indignation and discontent, that even after so many eras, the big shots still refuse to let him go!”

The two Sages shook their heads in unison. “Both of us became Celestial Immortals during this era, so we don’t know much about this ancient matter. We’ve completed our mission. Please forgive us for taking our leave first!”

Zhou Bao nodded his head. He understood that they did not want to get involved. They were far from fools and were very clear about the fact that the battle between Dominators, which had lasted for countless eras, was not something they could interfere in.

Zhou Bao wanted to withdraw from the battle as well, but he had no way out!

He was a variable, the Omnipotent Sage of this era. But it was not because of his strong willpower, his ample fate, or his kindheartedness that he was so successful. It was because he had evolved from Cundi’s Separated Hun, he had cultivated the Seven Wonderful Techniques and robbed Cundi of his name. He had become the Dominators’ trump card and the most suitable person to harm Cundi.

Therefore, the Dominator with the deepest hatred toward Cundi would not hesitate to support him at any cost. With his assistance, Zhou Bao had mastered the Four Immortal-killing Swords and the Six-spirit Dark Sword, crossed the Celestial Immortal Tribulation, and become the Omnipotent Sage. With the Dominator backing him, he accomplished all this smoothly. However, there was no such thing as a free lunch. He had to pay a huge price for getting such a great benefit.

He only had to do one thing: be the hatchet man and slay Cundi.

Why had the Dominators made him the hatchet man?

It was very simple. Restricted by their own rules, the Dominators were unable to act at will. Given Cundi’s current condition, it was by no means certain that they could kill him in one go. They could only find a hatchet man and give him their utmost to enhance his strength so that he would be qualified to fight against Cundi.

Even though Zhou Bao had earned himself the title “Omnipotent Sage”, he was still inferior to the ancient Dominator Cundi, both in strength and experience. Nonetheless, Cundi was in distress. As the old saying goes, even a tiger will be bullied by a dog when it’s in a difficult position. Even if Cundi was likened to a dragon and Zhou Bao a shrimp, the latter definitely had the ability to make him suffer.

Zhou Bao raised his hand, and the Tree of Seven Wonders appeared in it, with all its radiance restrained. He frowned slightly. The Tree of Seven Wonders was giving him a totally different feeling.

“Show yourself, Cundi. There is no point in playing tricks at this point!”

“You’re a cocky brat!” No sooner had the voice trailed off than a fist suddenly emerged from the void, slamming toward Zhou Bao’s face.

Zhou Bao wielded the Tree of Seven Wonders and a cluster of White Lotuses rose, forming into a shield in front of him.

“Boom!”

The fist shattered the shield and hit Zhou Bao in the face.

Zhou Bao flew backward as if he had been hit head-on by a mac truck.

“How dare you attack me using the Tree of Seven Wonders! I assume you must be tired of living!” There was a touch of sarcasm and anger in Cundi’s voice.

Cundi had reason to be angry. Zhou Bao was merely a fragment of his Separated Hun. And yet, Zhou Bao not only opposed him but also fought him using his greatest pride, the Tree of Seven Wonders. How could Cundi restrain his anger in this scenario?

“I won’t let you die so easily, brat. I will engrave your primordial spirit on the edge of the ninth layer of the vacuum and make you suffer an eternity!”

“That’s probably the reason why so many people want to kill you!” Zhou Bao stabilized himself and said indifferently, “Your breath really stinks!”

“You are digging your own grave!” Cundi finally appeared before him like a gust of chilly wind. He gathered all the surrounding power into his Tree of Seven Wonders and brandished it downward.

“Crack…!”

A sound similar to beads falling on a jade dish resounded throughout the world. Zhou Bao’s glittering Tree of Seven Wonders was crushed by the power Cundi’s Tree of Seven Wonders released.

Zhou Bao flew backward once again. He felt a sharp pain all over his body. He even felt like his spirit was going to be utterly destroyed from this blow. The blood inside his body was squeezed out under the great pressure, turning into a golden blood fog that spread in the void.

There was a huge gap between them in strength!

With just a single blow, Cundi had destroyed Zhou Bao’s newly-built confidence from becoming the Omnipotent Sage.

“Hmph, Omnipotent Sage! Even if you’ve earned this title, you only obtained the fate of this era. Even though you’ve placed your primordial spirit in the fourth layer of the vacuum, you are just a junior amidst all Celestial Immortals. Do you really believe you can fight against me?”

“Cough, cough, cough—!”

Zhou Bao was overcome by a terrible coughing fit. He was astounded by the fact that he was severely injured.

Before becoming a Celestial Immortal, he had been able to resurrect on site. Now that he had achieved the Karmic Rank of the Omnipotent Sage, he was capable of recovering instantly even if he was crushed to powder under someone else’ attacks.

However, one single blow from Cundi and all this no longer worked. Zhou Bao suffered serious injuries and could only recover very slowly.

Fortunately, he was a Celestial Immortal, the Omnipotent Sage to boot. He finally realized what had happened.

“You sealed time and caused it to stop elapsing!” Zhou Bao shot Cundi an incredulous look. “No, it’s not that simple. You sealed the essence of time!”

“You’re insightful, but it’s useless!” Cundi said coldly. Showing no emotion, he wielded the Tree of Seven Wonders once again and added, “Brat, even though you put your primordial spirit into the vacuum, your body will dissipate, and you will fall into a deep sleep after this attack, just like I did. But don’t worry, I promise you, I’ll never give you an opportunity to wake up. You’ll sleep forever!”

Cundi swung the Tree of Seven Wonders downward once again.

Zhou Bao took a deep breath. Just as the Tree of Seven Wonders was about to hit him, a huge black shadow emerged in front of him and charged at the Tree of Seven Wonders!

It was the Black Pearl!

It was his Supreme Fairy Weapon. When he became a Celestial Immortal, it had also undergone the Divine Tribulation and gained tremendous benefits. Even so, it still could not resist the attack from the Tree of Seven Wonders.

It turned into nothingness together with the Azure Big World inside it before it could buy Zhou Bao any time.

All that was left was a fragment!

The fragment of the Ancient Sacred City!

Nevertheless, it also came to the same end as the Black Pearl did after a millionth of a second!

But this span of time was enough.

Zou Bao disappeared almost instantaneously.

“What a cheap trick!” Cundi frowned slightly. His Tree of Seven Wonders swept across the surroundings and the space was torn open. Traversing in the countless spacetimes, Zhou Bao found himself exposed once again.

“F*ck!” Zhou Bao cursed. He saw Cundi with the Tree of Seven Wonders in his hand and had an idea.

Nothing was worth mentioning in front of absolute power; even tricks were like jokes.

The most horrible thing about Cundi’s Real Body was his method of attack. Simple as it was, with a wave of the hand, the Tree of Seven Wonders eliminated everything in its path.

Any resistance was futile and ridiculous under the light of the tree.

Zhou Bao possessed a Tree of Seven Wonders too. However, because he was so young and his success had been a fluke, it would take him several eras of practice if he wished to reach Cundi’s level. He was far behind Cundi in terms of strength!

He had no choice but to try his best to escape Cundi’s strike.

Nonetheless, this proved to be futile as well.

Zhou Bao was in a state of sheer despair as he noticed that the Tree of Seven Wonders was moving downward above his head. Surprisingly, out of nowhere, a giant golden staff broke the sealed spacetime and hit the Tree of Seven Wonders violently.

“Bang!”

Mighty as Cundi was, he failed to hit Zhou Bao and his Tree of Seven Wonders sunk as well after this blow. Furthermore, apparently, he was severely hurt.

His ruddy cheeks turned pale. Furiously, he roared, “Naughty ape, how dare you!”

“Hahaha…!” The giant staff disappeared now that its mission had been completed, leaving only roars of laughter echoing throughout the spacetime. “What do you think? I already did it!”

Before the voice died away, a giant golden ape appeared in the spacetime.

Cundi’s face darkened. “How dare you neglect the rules and fight me with your incarnation!”

“I am just a junior who has pinned my primordial spirit in the seventh layer of the vacuum. How dare I ignore the rules made by Dominators like you? I’ve finished with my attacks and my incarnation did not come for you!”

“Huh?” Cundi’s expression changed. He sneered and swung the Tree of Seven Wonders toward the incarnation with a sudden wave of his hand. “You want to help him? Can you do that?”

“That will depend on his luck!” The incarnation did not dodge the attack. As the Tree of Seven Wonders brushed across its body, a great deal of dazzling golden light enshrouded it. The light shone for an instant and then turned into an abstruse piece of Star Map. But that was all. The map vanished when the Tree of Seven Wonders shook gently.

“This ape evolved from my Separated Hun 300 eras ago, just like you did. I had high hopes for it, but unfortunately, I failed to occupy its body in the end. I wonder if you will be as lucky as it was!” After exterminating the incarnation, Cundi did not spring into action immediately. He sighed with emotion as if recalling something.

Over the countless eras as he was in a state of sleep, he had tried many times to make use of the loopholes in the Dominators’ rules and wake himself up, using a variety of methods. But alas, what really worked, and what was likely to bring him back to life, was the method he was adopting now. Unfortunately, even so, it was still impossible for him to completely escape the Dominators’ plots. He had suffered defeat on the verge of victory the first few times. What he regretted most was the giant golden ape who had appeared just now. It had been the first time he was able to create a powerful and perfect Celestial Immortal using this method. However, he failed at the last moment. He could not occupy the giant ape’s body and incurred violent resistance, just like the situation he was facing now. Finally, the ape had separated itself from him and he had once again fallen into a deep sleep.

He had learned his lesson. Using a living Real Body and his primordial spirit, he planned to suppress Zhou Bao and annihilate him. Only in this way would he have an opportunity to succeed in occupying Zhou Bao’s body.

Yes, occupy!

Although he appeared mighty and arrogant, he had bitterness buried deep within his heart. His body was indeed immeasurably powerful, and it enabled him to fight Dominators with all his strength. Yet it had long lost its vitality and its current state would not last long. His current condition could be likened not so much to resurrection as to the sudden movement of a corpse.

So he was eager to kill Zhou Bao and take over his body. After that, he planned to absorb all the essence of his body. This was the best and also the most reasonable solution.

Both he and Zhou Bao were very clear about this point.

But all this meant nothing to Zhou Bao because as Cundi’s Real Body made an appearance, he found himself simply unable to resist against him at all. He was completely at a disadvantage and couldn’t even fight back.

“I’d like to see who else dares to intervene in this matter!” Cundi looked at Zhou Bao, a sorry figure, with a mocking smile flashing across his face. “My body, though temporarily revived, can maintain this status for one hour. You are the ‘Omnipotent Sage’, can you survive my attacks for even three seconds?”

Zhou Bao panted heavily. He had to admit that what Cundi said was true. Even though he had earned the title “Omnipotent Sage”, he was not certain that he was still alive then. However, this was by no means unsolvable.

The solution lied in the incarnation of the giant ape.

When he saw that Cundi had easily destroyed the incarnation, Zhou Bao knew that it was not here to cause Cundi trouble. It was here for him.

He realized something when the Star Map appeared after the incarnation broke apart.

Nonetheless, it was far from enough.

If Zhou Bao had not had his previous experience; someone had secretly implanted a thought in his Sea of Consciousness, perhaps he would have been desperate now.

Now, however, he knew he still had a chance. Although the odds were slim, he still had a certain power to fight against Cundi. After all, he had gathered all the fate of this era.

“I was able to do it before, I can certainly do it now!” he thought. He took a deep breath and his mind entered into a state that was absent of joy or sorrow. He looked extremely calm. A clear picture of the Star Map that had appeared as the giant ape vanished showed itself in his spirit. A detached Qi Power began to ferment within his body.

“Hmm?!” Cundi was terror-stricken. He had not thought much of Zhou Bao before, but now, the Qi Power Zhou Bao was emanating suddenly sent a chill through him.

“Is it fist intent?”

Zhou Bao had abandoned the Tree of Seven Wonders and was focusing his attention on activating his Internal Qi and Real Essence.

When he earned himself the title “Omnipotent Sage”, his body, spirit, and Internal Qi had been tempered by the Celestial Immortal Tribulation. As a result, both their quantity and quality had been greatly enhanced.

This was surely a qualitative improvement because all three aspects had been improved by leaps and bounds. There was a striking difference between how he was before and how he was now.

After becoming the Omnipotent Sage, he had been fighting Cundi with his own Tree of Seven Wonders. This was the first time he fully activated his Real Essence and Internal Qi. These two things had already fused into one whole under the Divine Tribulation. The Divine Power of the Innate Deity, the Mysterious Divine Light of the Demonic Ape, and the Icy Divine Light had all condensed into a strand of black Real Essence, revolving inside his body. Under Zhou Bao’s operation, it began to expand at an amazing speed. Behind him, a black star was forming. The huge pressure it produced began to suppress Cundi.

Cundi’s expression changed. “Brat, it’s too late to gain insight now!” He wielded his Tree of Seven Wonders toward Zhou Bao, leaving Zhou Bao no opportunity to change his fate.

Unexpectedly, his Tree of Seven Wonders was blocked when it was just one meter away from Zhou Bao. An ochre barrier appeared out of nowhere and stopped it from moving forward.

Cundi’s expression changed drastically. “Zhen Yuanzi, do you want to oppose me as well?”

“Taoist Brother, you’re overacting. I have a special bond with this Fellow Taoist. I am here to settle all this today!” A deadpan voice came from the depths of the void.

“Great! So may I ask when will you finish doing that?” Cundi shouted furiously.

“30 minutes is enough!”

“Then I will wait!” Cundi said resentfully. He glared at Zhou Bao who was protected by the ochre barrier, adding, “Do you really think he can turn the tables after such a short period?” He struck the ochre barrier violently with his Tree of Seven Wonders again. The barrier shook but did not collapse.

“I meant what I said!” Zhen Yuanzi said. “With your current strength, you need that much time to break the barrier. If you just wait here quietly, I will withdraw it in 30 minutes. Why bother wasting your strength?”

“Hmph!” Cundi let out a cold snort and withdrew his Tree of Seven Wonders.

He had not yet returned to his heyday. Moreover, unlike the giant ape, Zhen Yuanzi was one of the Dominators. The two were on par even when he was in perfect condition. Everything proved that it was impossible for him to destroy Zhen Yuanzi’s barrier in his current state. Thus, he simply took his Tree of Seven Wonders back and fixed his eyes on Zhou Bao.

Zhou Bao was caught in a state of wonder.

The mystic psywave that his Sea of Consciousness had received contained extremely simple content; it was about the apperception of practicing the Extreme Realm of Force and Vacuum-shattering Way. The owner of the psywave transmitted everything he knew to him without reservation. But obviously, that was not enough. He had fallen into the traps of the Seven Wonderful Techniques over the years and he had attached more importance to these techniques than comprehending the Extreme Realm of Force. The result was that he was unable to understand the information.

Even with the stranger’s aid, he still could not comprehend the message in the psywave in such a short period. Luckily, the incarnation of the giant ape suddenly appeared, leaving behind a Star Map. He was suddenly enlightened.

The Star Map was somewhat similar to the fist intent he had created by simulating the universe when he was faced with a life-or-death crisis in his boyhood. He had a sudden flash of inspiration back then and it came suddenly but naturally. Not knowing where the impulse came from, he immediately abandoned everything he had learned. The only thing he did was activate his Real Essence and Internal Qi and gather them into his fists. As his spirit and thoughts became concentrated, his long-lost fist intent began to move outward in all directions. The ethereal simulated universe began to have weight. The galaxies, void, and Black Sun no longer existed. Everything was compressed into a black star.

Dark, dense, deep, and restrained!

The black star seemed to have condensed the whole universe into one point, a point in which the essence of the entire universe was contained. A terrifying Qi Power began to pervade the air.

“Damn!” The strange Qi Power penetrated the ochre barrier and gave Cundi a familiar feeling. It was this feeling that gave him the most unpleasant associations. He had been quite certain that he could occupy the giant ape’s body several eras ago. But the giant ape had given off a similar spirit at the most critical moment, causing him to fail on the verge of success.* “Will history repeat itself now?”* Cundi wondered in terror.

“Impossible! That is not going to happen!”

At the thought of this, Cundi had a ferocious look in his eyes and his Tree of Seven Wonders shone brightly. He hit the barrier violently.

This time, the barrier failed to block the Tree of Seven Wonders. The tree exploded as it emanated a dazzling light, and so did the ochre barrier.

Cundi’s phantom-like figure charged at Zhou Bao the moment the barrier collapsed. His palms became claws and came grasping at Zhou Bao’s midbrow with astounding speed. Black light flashed around his fingertips. It seemed that he planned to kill Zhou Bao in one go.

“Crushing Claw!”

A gloomy cold atmosphere shrouded the entire space. Zhou Bao, however, was powering himself up. His fist intent, which had just drifted in all directions, began to gather together.

“This time around, Zhen Yuanzi cannot save you. Even if his Real Body shows up!” Cundi’s expression became grim and ferocious.

“I don’t need anyone to save me now!” Zhou Bao sighed gently. He knew the moment of truth was right around the corner. Although he had failed to condense his fist intent, he perceived that powerful as Cundi’s Crushing Claw was, it was like a spent bullet after destroying the ochre barrier. After all, it was Zhen Yuanzi who had built it. Zhen Yuanzi had said that he would stop Cundi from harming Zhou Bao for 30 minutes, and surely he would work hard on this. Although Cundi destroyed the barrier, Zhou Bao believed that he must have paid a price for it.

Therefore, Zhou Bao believed that he still had the strength to put up the last fight.

“Boom!!!”

Zhou Bao’s fist smashed into the Crushing Claw head-on. As expected, he was knocked back. A devastating erosive force crept over his right fist in the blink of an eye, revealing his bone.

As a Celestial Immortal, his body was extremely tough, but it was still a miserable sight!

However, it was this blow that inspired his confidence. He knew that Cundi intended to kill him through this blow, but he managed to resist it.

Potent as it was, this blow was not fatal. The erosion of a hand was no big deal for a Celestial Immortal.

“Cundi, although I hate to say it, I have to say that you really miscalculated this time!” Zhou Bao swung his left fist toward Cundi’s face with great force.

Cundi’s expression changed sharply. He was very clear about the power of the Crushing Claw. Although Zhou Bao was the Omnipotent Sage, he should not have been able to withstand it. Nevertheless, things had gone contrary to his expectations. Zhou Bao not only blocked his attack but also had the strength to fight back. It was ridiculous beyond belief. However, he soon discovered that Zhou Bao was covered with a thin layer of yellow light.

“Earth Membrane, it’s the Earth Membrane! Zhen Yuanzi, how audacious you are!”

“Hmph, I told you that you cannot take action until the set time is over. Since you don’t want to wait, I have to resort to other measures!” Zhen Yuanzi sneered. “Cundi, although you are also a Dominator, you have been asleep for such a long time that you lost your confidence. You can’t wait another moment. You should go back to sleep, so as not to bring shame on us Dominators!”

“Shut up!” Zhen Yuanzi successfully triggered Cundi’s wrath with his sarcasm. At this point, Zhou Bao’s fist was already touching Cundi’s face.

“Bam!”

Zhou Bao flew backward more than 30 meters amidst a loud bang. Cundi, influenced by the impact of the collision, retreated several steps as well.

Zhou Bao growled. He regained his balance by contracting and stretching his body in mid-air. His fist intent was raging, and it emitted a pressure that permeated the air.

“Cundi, here comes another punch!” Zhou Bao roared. His fist intent had already materialized. As he swung the punch, the black star slammed into Cundi with great force.

Cundi looked terribly uneasy as he felt the power of this punch. But he did not retreat. Instead, his hands danced, and the power of the Crushing Claw formed a huge net in front of him that moved toward Zhou Bao’s fist intent.

As the fist and the net touched, the surrounding space was instantly smashed into fine powder. Zhou Bao’s fist left a hole in the net and hit Cundi in the face hard. At the same time, Cundi’s Crushing Claw targeted Zhou Bao. Flesh and blood flew in all directions. Because Zhou Bao had hit Cundi in the face, Cundi was in a daze. Although Zhou Bao was protected by the Earth Membrane, he was badly mutilated under Cundi’s Crushing Claw. The flesh and blood on the smaller parts of his body had been completely removed by the claw, leaving only ghastly bones.

Zhou Bao did not retreat. Instead, he took one step forward.

Zhou Bao had a ferocious look on his face; he bared his teeth. Cundi had a slight lapse of concentration after being hit by his fist. Void of flesh, Zhou Bao’s left hand suddenly grasped Cundi’s neck. Cundi’s Real Body was not that strong or tall. Zhou Bao, on the other hand, had a body that contained the bloodline of the Primordial Demonic Ape Zhuyan. With his tall and robust body, he easily caught hold of Cundi’s neck. He raised his left fist and bombarded Cundi in the head with punches raining down.

“Hit, hit, hit…!”

Zhou Bao struck Cundi in the head more than a thousand times. The Celestial Immortals hiding in the dark were dumbstruck as they witnessed this bizarre scene, never mind the two people concerned.

“Bastard, go to the hell!” Cundi finally came to his senses. He let out a roar and smashed Zhou Bao’s left hand by scratching it wildly. As soon as he shook off Zhou Bao’s hand, he retreated at high speed.

“I’m gonna kill you! I’m gonna kill you!” Cundi was clearly exasperated by what Zhou Bao had done. He pointed his finger at Zhou Bao and spouted roars of malicious screams.

“You can’t!” Zhou Bao said leisurely. His broken arm began to recover, and his flesh and blood regenerated. He looked at Cundi with a gleam of enlightenment in his eyes. “You are too impatient. If you had the Tree of Seven Wonders in your hand now, there is nothing I could do to harm you. It’s a pity you destroyed your Tree of Seven Wonders and chose the Crushing Claw to kill me. I have to admit that in terms of pure lethality, the Crushing Claw is probably more effective. But if you failed to kill me on your first strike, there’s no chance for you to achieve your aim. Hehe, you have lost the Tree of Seven Wonders that has both functions of defense and offense. If you want to get it back, you need at least the time it takes to burn three Incense Sticks. What’s worse is that a new Tree of Seven Wonders would have a different kind of power and it cannot be compared to the one you were accustomed to. So what are you fighting me with? Your old and broken body? If I’m not wrong, you can’t use this dead body much longer. That’s why you’re in such a hurry to occupy mine, right?”

Zhou Bao showed a strong sense of confidence through his words. By now, 30 minutes had passed. The ochre Earth Membrane around Zhou Bao also disappeared. However, his fist was much more potent. The black star was at least three times smaller than when it had first formed. Nonetheless, it was more compact and carried an air of instability.

The spirit of instability was not obvious at first, but as Zhou Bao moved closer and closer to Cundi step by step, the spirit began to spread in all directions. Cundi’s expression changed sharply the moment he sensed it.

“It’s the impulse of the vacuum!” He stared at Zhou Bao with a look of resolution in his eyes.

Unlike anyone else, he was well aware that the impulse of the vacuum was an omen of the Vacuum-crushing Realm. Such a sign would only appear when one’s strength had reached the verge of the Vacuum-crushing Realm. Without a doubt, Zhou Bao seemed to have comprehended something when they were fighting, and he was about to reach the Extreme Realm of Force and the Vacuum-crushing Realm. This was by no means good news for him. Once Zhou Bao gained insight into the Vacuum-crushing Realm, he would be deprived of any opportunity. This was his last chance.

“So, let’s bring an end to all this!”

Cundi’s body began to burn. The dim flame burned increasingly strong. “I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for so many eras, there’s no way I can let it slip away. Since everything has gotten to this point, let’s make it happen with a single blow!”

“Make it happen with a single blow?” Zhou Bao’s pupils contracted. Looking at Cundi’s burning body, he took a deep breath and slowly raised his right fist. “Deal!”

He threw his right fist outward!

At the same time, the black star exploded with great momentum. Cundi’s body was transformed into a sea of dim flames, moving toward Zhou Bao’s fist.

It was a duel between dark flames and the shattered black star!

The void was smashed into pieces!

At first, the void around the place where they collided collapsed. But the damaged area quickly expanded to somewhere far away that was invisible to the naked eye. The impact of this collision even shattered the boundary between the Immortal Realm and the Mortal Realm. Countless macro worlds were annihilated and untold civilizations perished in the collision.

Sigh after sigh rang out in the Extraterritorial Area. The clash between Zhou Bao and Cundi caused far more damage to this era than the Dharma Ending Tribulation had.

The Dharma Ending Tribulation had still left a legacy behind. Zhou Bao and Cundi exterminated legacies, civilizations, living creatures, and even the cause-and-effect transmigration.

However, for Celestial Immortals, the birth and death of an era were like flowers blossoming and falling. Although the damage the two caused was considerably more severe, they just thought it was somewhat pitiful.

And that was all.

Zhou Bao stood at the center of the damaged void in a sorry fashion. He was encircled by black flames from head to toe. The flames had destroyed the better part of his body. Apart from the left half of his skull and his left hand, only his skeleton remained. The parts below his waist were burnt to ashes by the black flames. Even so, he was still smiling, grinning from ear to ear. The black flames were about to stop burning. Though there were still flames on his body, they did not pose any great threat to him. He had finally withstood this attack.

Cundi suffered heavy losses. He had even sacrificed the body that he had kept hidden for numerous eras. He had still failed at the last minute.

Of course, Zhou Bao understood that Cundi had only fallen asleep again. Maybe in an era or maybe hundreds of eras later, he would wake up again. At that time, in that era, there might be another person, lucky or unlucky, following Zhou Bao’s footsteps in the fight against Cundi. “And what will I do then?” Zhou Bao wondered to himself.

His broken body was gradually restored. He seemed to recall something funny and grinned widely, thinking, “Maybe I will choose to help him like the ape and the Celestial Immortals did. The giant golden ape had been secretly helping me since we began fighting.”

“Perhaps it’s me who is going to help him by then?” Zhou Bao smiled gently as he looked about the disordered and broken void. With a lift of his finger, he restored the void to its previous condition. Even the shattered passageway between the Immortal Ream and the Mortal Realm was restored again. If it were not for the macro worlds, planets, and civilizations that had long since disappeared, no one would have noticed that a great war had just taken place.

Only then did Zhou Bao have the opportunity to carefully experience how mighty Celestial Immortals were, especially special Celestial Immortals like him.

“Is this how it feels to become a Celestial Immortal? Interesting. It seems that I am omnipotent, but also greatly restricted!” He closed his eyes and focused on thinking, feeling, and comprehending. Not knowing how long had passed, he finally opened his eyes. He murmured as if he had realized something, “Celestial Immortals are indeed the most powerful beings, but they suffer the most restrictions as well. The Vacuum-crushing Realm is merely the first step for Celestial Immortals. Ordinary practitioners can achieve the Celestial Immortal’s Way once they comprehend the essence of Vacuum-crushing. However, it’s a pity that they can only pin their primordial spirit in the second layer of the vacuum, at most. The road ahead of them is still very long!”

Zhou Bao lifted his foot and stepped into the void. As he took one more step, his figure disappeared from the void and reappeared in a mysterious place!

“Welcome to you, young Omnipotent Sage!”

As soon as he set foot in this place, several spiritual thoughts were passed onto him showing their owners’ welcome. Among them, there were two thoughts that he was very familiar with; one came from Zhen Yuanzi, and the other from the Netherworld Sage, who had achieved the Celestial Immortal’s Way before he did in this era.

“Paying respects to seniors!” With a smile on his face, Zhou Bao spread his divine thoughts outward as a way of greeting his seniors.

“Just ignore these old guys, they don’t have time to pay heed to you!” The Netherworld Sage appeared in front of Zhou Bao together with this friendly divine thought. “Again, it’s me who is going to pick you up this time. Congratulations on becoming the Omnipotent Sage!”

“Thank you for your continuous help, senior!” Zhou Bao bowed low in front of the Netherworld Sage.

“No need to exchange courtesies!” He looked at Zhou Bao with a weird smile. “You’ve placed your primordial spirit in the fourth layer of the vacuum, so I see you have more room for improvement in the future than me. It’s even possible for you to place your primordial spirit in the seventh layer but only if Cundi doesn’t revive again!”

Zhou Bao smiled bitterly. “To be honest, I’m just one of his Separated Huns. Although I have become a Celestial Immortal, I’m still far behind him in terms of real strength!”

“Of course. He is one of the ancient Dominators and you are merely a Sage who has newly achieved the Celestial Immortal’s Karmic Rank. How can you compare with him!” The Netherworld Sage added with a smile, “However, he is always the target of hatred for everyone; otherwise, he would not have been killed back then. He is the only one who has been killed among all the Dominators. And so many eras have passed, and yet he cannot regain his power. All this indicates the will of the majority of the Dominators. So, you don’t have to worry about it!”

“I have nothing to worry about. For me, the coming eras will be quiet and peaceful days. There will be no one causing me trouble or fighting against me. Looking idly in front of the courtyard the flower blossoms and falls. Haha, that is the life that immortals should live!”

He had an infinite lifespan and had managed to suppress his most troublesome opponent. There would be countless eras filled with wonderful things waiting for him. How could he restrain himself from being delighted?

At the thought of all this, Zhou Bao beamed widely and finally burst into roars of prolonged laughter!

“Congratulations to my Fellow Taoist for becoming the Omnipotent Sage!” Looking up at the huge figure towering above in the sky, the Nine-headed Fierce Beast Sage beamed with pride. He saluted Zhou Bao by cupping his fists together in front of his chest.

“I really appreciate you for taking good care of me, senior!” Zhou Bao smiled and returned his salute. His immense body began to shrink to normal size. He came up to the two Celestial Immortals and turned back to look at the severely devastated Immortal Realm. “However, the matter is not over yet. My becoming the Omnipotent Sage is something of a fluke. In other words, I am merely cannon fodder!”

“Hehe, we are all cannon fodder to the Dominators who think they are superior to us. The only difference is that as Celestial Immortals, we only need to be treated as cannon fodder once; if we survive, everything will be just fine, but if we fail, we have to bear the consequences!”

“Yes, that’s all we can do!” Zhou Bao said helplessly. He fixed his eyes once again on the Immortal Realm that was gradually recovering. “I wonder, what the hell did Cundi do back then to arouse such widespread indignation and discontent, that even after so many eras, the big shots still refuse to let him go!”

The two Sages shook their heads in unison. “Both of us became Celestial Immortals during this era, so we don’t know much about this ancient matter. We’ve completed our mission. Please forgive us for taking our leave first!”

Zhou Bao nodded his head. He understood that they did not want to get involved. They were far from fools and were very clear about the fact that the battle between Dominators, which had lasted for countless eras, was not something they could interfere in.

Zhou Bao wanted to withdraw from the battle as well, but he had no way out!

He was a variable, the Omnipotent Sage of this era. But it was not because of his strong willpower, his ample fate, or his kindheartedness that he was so successful. It was because he had evolved from Cundi’s Separated Hun, he had cultivated the Seven Wonderful Techniques and robbed Cundi of his name. He had become the Dominators’ trump card and the most suitable person to harm Cundi.

Therefore, the Dominator with the deepest hatred toward Cundi would not hesitate to support him at any cost. With his assistance, Zhou Bao had mastered the Four Immortal-killing Swords and the Six-spirit Dark Sword, crossed the Celestial Immortal Tribulation, and become the Omnipotent Sage. With the Dominator backing him, he accomplished all this smoothly. However, there was no such thing as a free lunch. He had to pay a huge price for getting such a great benefit.

He only had to do one thing: be the hatchet man and slay Cundi.

Why had the Dominators made him the hatchet man?

It was very simple. Restricted by their own rules, the Dominators were unable to act at will. Given Cundi’s current condition, it was by no means certain that they could kill him in one go. They could only find a hatchet man and give him their utmost to enhance his strength so that he would be qualified to fight against Cundi.

Even though Zhou Bao had earned himself the title “Omnipotent Sage”, he was still inferior to the ancient Dominator Cundi, both in strength and experience. Nonetheless, Cundi was in distress. As the old saying goes, even a tiger will be bullied by a dog when it’s in a difficult position. Even if Cundi was likened to a dragon and Zhou Bao a shrimp, the latter definitely had the ability to make him suffer.

Zhou Bao raised his hand, and the Tree of Seven Wonders appeared in it, with all its radiance restrained. He frowned slightly. The Tree of Seven Wonders was giving him a totally different feeling.

“Show yourself, Cundi. There is no point in playing tricks at this point!”

“You’re a cocky brat!” No sooner had the voice trailed off than a fist suddenly emerged from the void, slamming toward Zhou Bao’s face.

Zhou Bao wielded the Tree of Seven Wonders and a cluster of White Lotuses rose, forming into a shield in front of him.

“Boom!”

The fist shattered the shield and hit Zhou Bao in the face.

Zhou Bao flew backward as if he had been hit head-on by a mac truck.

“How dare you attack me using the Tree of Seven Wonders! I assume you must be tired of living!” There was a touch of sarcasm and anger in Cundi’s voice.

Cundi had reason to be angry. Zhou Bao was merely a fragment of his Separated Hun. And yet, Zhou Bao not only opposed him but also fought him using his greatest pride, the Tree of Seven Wonders. How could Cundi restrain his anger in this scenario?

“I won’t let you die so easily, brat. I will engrave your primordial spirit on the edge of the ninth layer of the vacuum and make you suffer an eternity!”

“That’s probably the reason why so many people want to kill you!” Zhou Bao stabilized himself and said indifferently, “Your breath really stinks!”

“You are digging your own grave!” Cundi finally appeared before him like a gust of chilly wind. He gathered all the surrounding power into his Tree of Seven Wonders and brandished it downward.

“Crack…!”

A sound similar to beads falling on a jade dish resounded throughout the world. Zhou Bao’s glittering Tree of Seven Wonders was crushed by the power Cundi’s Tree of Seven Wonders released.

Zhou Bao flew backward once again. He felt a sharp pain all over his body. He even felt like his spirit was going to be utterly destroyed from this blow. The blood inside his body was squeezed out under the great pressure, turning into a golden blood fog that spread in the void.

There was a huge gap between them in strength!

With just a single blow, Cundi had destroyed Zhou Bao’s newly-built confidence from becoming the Omnipotent Sage.

“Hmph, Omnipotent Sage! Even if you’ve earned this title, you only obtained the fate of this era. Even though you’ve placed your primordial spirit in the fourth layer of the vacuum, you are just a junior amidst all Celestial Immortals. Do you really believe you can fight against me?”

“Cough, cough, cough—!”

Zhou Bao was overcome by a terrible coughing fit. He was astounded by the fact that he was severely injured.

Before becoming a Celestial Immortal, he had been able to resurrect on site. Now that he had achieved the Karmic Rank of the Omnipotent Sage, he was capable of recovering instantly even if he was crushed to powder under someone else’ attacks.

However, one single blow from Cundi and all this no longer worked. Zhou Bao suffered serious injuries and could only recover very slowly.

Fortunately, he was a Celestial Immortal, the Omnipotent Sage to boot. He finally realized what had happened.

“You sealed time and caused it to stop elapsing!” Zhou Bao shot Cundi an incredulous look. “No, it’s not that simple. You sealed the essence of time!”

“You’re insightful, but it’s useless!” Cundi said coldly. Showing no emotion, he wielded the Tree of Seven Wonders once again and added, “Brat, even though you put your primordial spirit into the vacuum, your body will dissipate, and you will fall into a deep sleep after this attack, just like I did. But don’t worry, I promise you, I’ll never give you an opportunity to wake up. You’ll sleep forever!”

Cundi swung the Tree of Seven Wonders downward once again.

Zhou Bao took a deep breath. Just as the Tree of Seven Wonders was about to hit him, a huge black shadow emerged in front of him and charged at the Tree of Seven Wonders!

It was the Black Pearl!

It was his Supreme Fairy Weapon. When he became a Celestial Immortal, it had also undergone the Divine Tribulation and gained tremendous benefits. Even so, it still could not resist the attack from the Tree of Seven Wonders.

It turned into nothingness together with the Azure Big World inside it before it could buy Zhou Bao any time.

All that was left was a fragment!

The fragment of the Ancient Sacred City!

Nevertheless, it also came to the same end as the Black Pearl did after a millionth of a second!

But this span of time was enough.

Zou Bao disappeared almost instantaneously.

“What a cheap trick!” Cundi frowned slightly. His Tree of Seven Wonders swept across the surroundings and the space was torn open. Traversing in the countless spacetimes, Zhou Bao found himself exposed once again.

“F*ck!” Zhou Bao cursed. He saw Cundi with the Tree of Seven Wonders in his hand and had an idea.

Nothing was worth mentioning in front of absolute power; even tricks were like jokes.

The most horrible thing about Cundi’s Real Body was his method of attack. Simple as it was, with a wave of the hand, the Tree of Seven Wonders eliminated everything in its path.

Any resistance was futile and ridiculous under the light of the tree.

Zhou Bao possessed a Tree of Seven Wonders too. However, because he was so young and his success had been a fluke, it would take him several eras of practice if he wished to reach Cundi’s level. He was far behind Cundi in terms of strength!

He had no choice but to try his best to escape Cundi’s strike.

Nonetheless, this proved to be futile as well.

Zhou Bao was in a state of sheer despair as he noticed that the Tree of Seven Wonders was moving downward above his head. Surprisingly, out of nowhere, a giant golden staff broke the sealed spacetime and hit the Tree of Seven Wonders violently.

“Bang!”

Mighty as Cundi was, he failed to hit Zhou Bao and his Tree of Seven Wonders sunk as well after this blow. Furthermore, apparently, he was severely hurt.

His ruddy cheeks turned pale. Furiously, he roared, “Naughty ape, how dare you!”

“Hahaha…!” The giant staff disappeared now that its mission had been completed, leaving only roars of laughter echoing throughout the spacetime. “What do you think? I already did it!”

Before the voice died away, a giant golden ape appeared in the spacetime.

Cundi’s face darkened. “How dare you neglect the rules and fight me with your incarnation!”

“I am just a junior who has pinned my primordial spirit in the seventh layer of the vacuum. How dare I ignore the rules made by Dominators like you? I’ve finished with my attacks and my incarnation did not come for you!”

“Huh?” Cundi’s expression changed. He sneered and swung the Tree of Seven Wonders toward the incarnation with a sudden wave of his hand. “You want to help him? Can you do that?”

“That will depend on his luck!” The incarnation did not dodge the attack. As the Tree of Seven Wonders brushed across its body, a great deal of dazzling golden light enshrouded it. The light shone for an instant and then turned into an abstruse piece of Star Map. But that was all. The map vanished when the Tree of Seven Wonders shook gently.

“This ape evolved from my Separated Hun 300 eras ago, just like you did. I had high hopes for it, but unfortunately, I failed to occupy its body in the end. I wonder if you will be as lucky as it was!” After exterminating the incarnation, Cundi did not spring into action immediately. He sighed with emotion as if recalling something.

Over the countless eras as he was in a state of sleep, he had tried many times to make use of the loopholes in the Dominators’ rules and wake himself up, using a variety of methods. But alas, what really worked, and what was likely to bring him back to life, was the method he was adopting now. Unfortunately, even so, it was still impossible for him to completely escape the Dominators’ plots. He had suffered defeat on the verge of victory the first few times. What he regretted most was the giant golden ape who had appeared just now. It had been the first time he was able to create a powerful and perfect Celestial Immortal using this method. However, he failed at the last moment. He could not occupy the giant ape’s body and incurred violent resistance, just like the situation he was facing now. Finally, the ape had separated itself from him and he had once again fallen into a deep sleep.

He had learned his lesson. Using a living Real Body and his primordial spirit, he planned to suppress Zhou Bao and annihilate him. Only in this way would he have an opportunity to succeed in occupying Zhou Bao’s body.

Yes, occupy!

Although he appeared mighty and arrogant, he had bitterness buried deep within his heart. His body was indeed immeasurably powerful, and it enabled him to fight Dominators with all his strength. Yet it had long lost its vitality and its current state would not last long. His current condition could be likened not so much to resurrection as to the sudden movement of a corpse.

So he was eager to kill Zhou Bao and take over his body. After that, he planned to absorb all the essence of his body. This was the best and also the most reasonable solution.

Both he and Zhou Bao were very clear about this point.

But all this meant nothing to Zhou Bao because as Cundi’s Real Body made an appearance, he found himself simply unable to resist against him at all. He was completely at a disadvantage and couldn’t even fight back.

“I’d like to see who else dares to intervene in this matter!” Cundi looked at Zhou Bao, a sorry figure, with a mocking smile flashing across his face. “My body, though temporarily revived, can maintain this status for one hour. You are the ‘Omnipotent Sage’, can you survive my attacks for even three seconds?”

Zhou Bao panted heavily. He had to admit that what Cundi said was true. Even though he had earned the title “Omnipotent Sage”, he was not certain that he was still alive then. However, this was by no means unsolvable.

The solution lied in the incarnation of the giant ape.

When he saw that Cundi had easily destroyed the incarnation, Zhou Bao knew that it was not here to cause Cundi trouble. It was here for him.

He realized something when the Star Map appeared after the incarnation broke apart.

Nonetheless, it was far from enough.

If Zhou Bao had not had his previous experience; someone had secretly implanted a thought in his Sea of Consciousness, perhaps he would have been desperate now.

Now, however, he knew he still had a chance. Although the odds were slim, he still had a certain power to fight against Cundi. After all, he had gathered all the fate of this era.

“I was able to do it before, I can certainly do it now!” he thought. He took a deep breath and his mind entered into a state that was absent of joy or sorrow. He looked extremely calm. A clear picture of the Star Map that had appeared as the giant ape vanished showed itself in his spirit. A detached Qi Power began to ferment within his body.

“Hmm?!” Cundi was terror-stricken. He had not thought much of Zhou Bao before, but now, the Qi Power Zhou Bao was emanating suddenly sent a chill through him.

“Is it fist intent?”

Zhou Bao had abandoned the Tree of Seven Wonders and was focusing his attention on activating his Internal Qi and Real Essence.

When he earned himself the title “Omnipotent Sage”, his body, spirit, and Internal Qi had been tempered by the Celestial Immortal Tribulation. As a result, both their quantity and quality had been greatly enhanced.

This was surely a qualitative improvement because all three aspects had been improved by leaps and bounds. There was a striking difference between how he was before and how he was now.

After becoming the Omnipotent Sage, he had been fighting Cundi with his own Tree of Seven Wonders. This was the first time he fully activated his Real Essence and Internal Qi. These two things had already fused into one whole under the Divine Tribulation. The Divine Power of the Innate Deity, the Mysterious Divine Light of the Demonic Ape, and the Icy Divine Light had all condensed into a strand of black Real Essence, revolving inside his body. Under Zhou Bao’s operation, it began to expand at an amazing speed. Behind him, a black star was forming. The huge pressure it produced began to suppress Cundi.

Cundi’s expression changed. “Brat, it’s too late to gain insight now!” He wielded his Tree of Seven Wonders toward Zhou Bao, leaving Zhou Bao no opportunity to change his fate.

Unexpectedly, his Tree of Seven Wonders was blocked when it was just one meter away from Zhou Bao. An ochre barrier appeared out of nowhere and stopped it from moving forward.

Cundi’s expression changed drastically. “Zhen Yuanzi, do you want to oppose me as well?”

“Taoist Brother, you’re overacting. I have a special bond with this Fellow Taoist. I am here to settle all this today!” A deadpan voice came from the depths of the void.

“Great! So may I ask when will you finish doing that?” Cundi shouted furiously.

“30 minutes is enough!”

“Then I will wait!” Cundi said resentfully. He glared at Zhou Bao who was protected by the ochre barrier, adding, “Do you really think he can turn the tables after such a short period?” He struck the ochre barrier violently with his Tree of Seven Wonders again. The barrier shook but did not collapse.

“I meant what I said!” Zhen Yuanzi said. “With your current strength, you need that much time to break the barrier. If you just wait here quietly, I will withdraw it in 30 minutes. Why bother wasting your strength?”

“Hmph!” Cundi let out a cold snort and withdrew his Tree of Seven Wonders.

He had not yet returned to his heyday. Moreover, unlike the giant ape, Zhen Yuanzi was one of the Dominators. The two were on par even when he was in perfect condition. Everything proved that it was impossible for him to destroy Zhen Yuanzi’s barrier in his current state. Thus, he simply took his Tree of Seven Wonders back and fixed his eyes on Zhou Bao.

Zhou Bao was caught in a state of wonder.

The mystic psywave that his Sea of Consciousness had received contained extremely simple content; it was about the apperception of practicing the Extreme Realm of Force and Vacuum-shattering Way. The owner of the psywave transmitted everything he knew to him without reservation. But obviously, that was not enough. He had fallen into the traps of the Seven Wonderful Techniques over the years and he had attached more importance to these techniques than comprehending the Extreme Realm of Force. The result was that he was unable to understand the information.

Even with the stranger’s aid, he still could not comprehend the message in the psywave in such a short period. Luckily, the incarnation of the giant ape suddenly appeared, leaving behind a Star Map. He was suddenly enlightened.

The Star Map was somewhat similar to the fist intent he had created by simulating the universe when he was faced with a life-or-death crisis in his boyhood. He had a sudden flash of inspiration back then and it came suddenly but naturally. Not knowing where the impulse came from, he immediately abandoned everything he had learned. The only thing he did was activate his Real Essence and Internal Qi and gather them into his fists. As his spirit and thoughts became concentrated, his long-lost fist intent began to move outward in all directions. The ethereal simulated universe began to have weight. The galaxies, void, and Black Sun no longer existed. Everything was compressed into a black star.

Dark, dense, deep, and restrained!

The black star seemed to have condensed the whole universe into one point, a point in which the essence of the entire universe was contained. A terrifying Qi Power began to pervade the air.

“Damn!” The strange Qi Power penetrated the ochre barrier and gave Cundi a familiar feeling. It was this feeling that gave him the most unpleasant associations. He had been quite certain that he could occupy the giant ape’s body several eras ago. But the giant ape had given off a similar spirit at the most critical moment, causing him to fail on the verge of success.* “Will history repeat itself now?”* Cundi wondered in terror.

“Impossible! That is not going to happen!”

At the thought of this, Cundi had a ferocious look in his eyes and his Tree of Seven Wonders shone brightly. He hit the barrier violently.

This time, the barrier failed to block the Tree of Seven Wonders. The tree exploded as it emanated a dazzling light, and so did the ochre barrier.

Cundi’s phantom-like figure charged at Zhou Bao the moment the barrier collapsed. His palms became claws and came grasping at Zhou Bao’s midbrow with astounding speed. Black light flashed around his fingertips. It seemed that he planned to kill Zhou Bao in one go.

“Crushing Claw!”

A gloomy cold atmosphere shrouded the entire space. Zhou Bao, however, was powering himself up. His fist intent, which had just drifted in all directions, began to gather together.

“This time around, Zhen Yuanzi cannot save you. Even if his Real Body shows up!” Cundi’s expression became grim and ferocious.

“I don’t need anyone to save me now!” Zhou Bao sighed gently. He knew the moment of truth was right around the corner. Although he had failed to condense his fist intent, he perceived that powerful as Cundi’s Crushing Claw was, it was like a spent bullet after destroying the ochre barrier. After all, it was Zhen Yuanzi who had built it. Zhen Yuanzi had said that he would stop Cundi from harming Zhou Bao for 30 minutes, and surely he would work hard on this. Although Cundi destroyed the barrier, Zhou Bao believed that he must have paid a price for it.

Therefore, Zhou Bao believed that he still had the strength to put up the last fight.

“Boom!!!”

Zhou Bao’s fist smashed into the Crushing Claw head-on. As expected, he was knocked back. A devastating erosive force crept over his right fist in the blink of an eye, revealing his bone.

As a Celestial Immortal, his body was extremely tough, but it was still a miserable sight!

However, it was this blow that inspired his confidence. He knew that Cundi intended to kill him through this blow, but he managed to resist it.

Potent as it was, this blow was not fatal. The erosion of a hand was no big deal for a Celestial Immortal.

“Cundi, although I hate to say it, I have to say that you really miscalculated this time!” Zhou Bao swung his left fist toward Cundi’s face with great force.

Cundi’s expression changed sharply. He was very clear about the power of the Crushing Claw. Although Zhou Bao was the Omnipotent Sage, he should not have been able to withstand it. Nevertheless, things had gone contrary to his expectations. Zhou Bao not only blocked his attack but also had the strength to fight back. It was ridiculous beyond belief. However, he soon discovered that Zhou Bao was covered with a thin layer of yellow light.

“Earth Membrane, it’s the Earth Membrane! Zhen Yuanzi, how audacious you are!”

“Hmph, I told you that you cannot take action until the set time is over. Since you don’t want to wait, I have to resort to other measures!” Zhen Yuanzi sneered. “Cundi, although you are also a Dominator, you have been asleep for such a long time that you lost your confidence. You can’t wait another moment. You should go back to sleep, so as not to bring shame on us Dominators!”

“Shut up!” Zhen Yuanzi successfully triggered Cundi’s wrath with his sarcasm. At this point, Zhou Bao’s fist was already touching Cundi’s face.

“Bam!”

Zhou Bao flew backward more than 30 meters amidst a loud bang. Cundi, influenced by the impact of the collision, retreated several steps as well.

Zhou Bao growled. He regained his balance by contracting and stretching his body in mid-air. His fist intent was raging, and it emitted a pressure that permeated the air.

“Cundi, here comes another punch!” Zhou Bao roared. His fist intent had already materialized. As he swung the punch, the black star slammed into Cundi with great force.

Cundi looked terribly uneasy as he felt the power of this punch. But he did not retreat. Instead, his hands danced, and the power of the Crushing Claw formed a huge net in front of him that moved toward Zhou Bao’s fist intent.

As the fist and the net touched, the surrounding space was instantly smashed into fine powder. Zhou Bao’s fist left a hole in the net and hit Cundi in the face hard. At the same time, Cundi’s Crushing Claw targeted Zhou Bao. Flesh and blood flew in all directions. Because Zhou Bao had hit Cundi in the face, Cundi was in a daze. Although Zhou Bao was protected by the Earth Membrane, he was badly mutilated under Cundi’s Crushing Claw. The flesh and blood on the smaller parts of his body had been completely removed by the claw, leaving only ghastly bones.

Zhou Bao did not retreat. Instead, he took one step forward.

Zhou Bao had a ferocious look on his face; he bared his teeth. Cundi had a slight lapse of concentration after being hit by his fist. Void of flesh, Zhou Bao’s left hand suddenly grasped Cundi’s neck. Cundi’s Real Body was not that strong or tall. Zhou Bao, on the other hand, had a body that contained the bloodline of the Primordial Demonic Ape Zhuyan. With his tall and robust body, he easily caught hold of Cundi’s neck. He raised his left fist and bombarded Cundi in the head with punches raining down.

“Hit, hit, hit…!”

Zhou Bao struck Cundi in the head more than a thousand times. The Celestial Immortals hiding in the dark were dumbstruck as they witnessed this bizarre scene, never mind the two people concerned.

“Bastard, go to the hell!” Cundi finally came to his senses. He let out a roar and smashed Zhou Bao’s left hand by scratching it wildly. As soon as he shook off Zhou Bao’s hand, he retreated at high speed.

“I’m gonna kill you! I’m gonna kill you!” Cundi was clearly exasperated by what Zhou Bao had done. He pointed his finger at Zhou Bao and spouted roars of malicious screams.

“You can’t!” Zhou Bao said leisurely. His broken arm began to recover, and his flesh and blood regenerated. He looked at Cundi with a gleam of enlightenment in his eyes. “You are too impatient. If you had the Tree of Seven Wonders in your hand now, there is nothing I could do to harm you. It’s a pity you destroyed your Tree of Seven Wonders and chose the Crushing Claw to kill me. I have to admit that in terms of pure lethality, the Crushing Claw is probably more effective. But if you failed to kill me on your first strike, there’s no chance for you to achieve your aim. Hehe, you have lost the Tree of Seven Wonders that has both functions of defense and offense. If you want to get it back, you need at least the time it takes to burn three Incense Sticks. What’s worse is that a new Tree of Seven Wonders would have a different kind of power and it cannot be compared to the one you were accustomed to. So what are you fighting me with? Your old and broken body? If I’m not wrong, you can’t use this dead body much longer. That’s why you’re in such a hurry to occupy mine, right?”

Zhou Bao showed a strong sense of confidence through his words. By now, 30 minutes had passed. The ochre Earth Membrane around Zhou Bao also disappeared. However, his fist was much more potent. The black star was at least three times smaller than when it had first formed. Nonetheless, it was more compact and carried an air of instability.

The spirit of instability was not obvious at first, but as Zhou Bao moved closer and closer to Cundi step by step, the spirit began to spread in all directions. Cundi’s expression changed sharply the moment he sensed it.

“It’s the impulse of the vacuum!” He stared at Zhou Bao with a look of resolution in his eyes.

Unlike anyone else, he was well aware that the impulse of the vacuum was an omen of the Vacuum-crushing Realm. Such a sign would only appear when one’s strength had reached the verge of the Vacuum-crushing Realm. Without a doubt, Zhou Bao seemed to have comprehended something when they were fighting, and he was about to reach the Extreme Realm of Force and the Vacuum-crushing Realm. This was by no means good news for him. Once Zhou Bao gained insight into the Vacuum-crushing Realm, he would be deprived of any opportunity. This was his last chance.

“So, let’s bring an end to all this!”

Cundi’s body began to burn. The dim flame burned increasingly strong. “I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for so many eras, there’s no way I can let it slip away. Since everything has gotten to this point, let’s make it happen with a single blow!”

“Make it happen with a single blow?” Zhou Bao’s pupils contracted. Looking at Cundi’s burning body, he took a deep breath and slowly raised his right fist. “Deal!”

He threw his right fist outward!

At the same time, the black star exploded with great momentum. Cundi’s body was transformed into a sea of dim flames, moving toward Zhou Bao’s fist.

It was a duel between dark flames and the shattered black star!

The void was smashed into pieces!

At first, the void around the place where they collided collapsed. But the damaged area quickly expanded to somewhere far away that was invisible to the naked eye. The impact of this collision even shattered the boundary between the Immortal Realm and the Mortal Realm. Countless macro worlds were annihilated and untold civilizations perished in the collision.

Sigh after sigh rang out in the Extraterritorial Area. The clash between Zhou Bao and Cundi caused far more damage to this era than the Dharma Ending Tribulation had.

The Dharma Ending Tribulation had still left a legacy behind. Zhou Bao and Cundi exterminated legacies, civilizations, living creatures, and even the cause-and-effect transmigration.

However, for Celestial Immortals, the birth and death of an era were like flowers blossoming and falling. Although the damage the two caused was considerably more severe, they just thought it was somewhat pitiful.

And that was all.

Zhou Bao stood at the center of the damaged void in a sorry fashion. He was encircled by black flames from head to toe. The flames had destroyed the better part of his body. Apart from the left half of his skull and his left hand, only his skeleton remained. The parts below his waist were burnt to ashes by the black flames. Even so, he was still smiling, grinning from ear to ear. The black flames were about to stop burning. Though there were still flames on his body, they did not pose any great threat to him. He had finally withstood this attack.

Cundi suffered heavy losses. He had even sacrificed the body that he had kept hidden for numerous eras. He had still failed at the last minute.

Of course, Zhou Bao understood that Cundi had only fallen asleep again. Maybe in an era or maybe hundreds of eras later, he would wake up again. At that time, in that era, there might be another person, lucky or unlucky, following Zhou Bao’s footsteps in the fight against Cundi. “And what will I do then?” Zhou Bao wondered to himself.

His broken body was gradually restored. He seemed to recall something funny and grinned widely, thinking, “Maybe I will choose to help him like the ape and the Celestial Immortals did. The giant golden ape had been secretly helping me since we began fighting.”

“Perhaps it’s me who is going to help him by then?” Zhou Bao smiled gently as he looked about the disordered and broken void. With a lift of his finger, he restored the void to its previous condition. Even the shattered passageway between the Immortal Ream and the Mortal Realm was restored again. If it were not for the macro worlds, planets, and civilizations that had long since disappeared, no one would have noticed that a great war had just taken place.

Only then did Zhou Bao have the opportunity to carefully experience how mighty Celestial Immortals were, especially special Celestial Immortals like him.

“Is this how it feels to become a Celestial Immortal? Interesting. It seems that I am omnipotent, but also greatly restricted!” He closed his eyes and focused on thinking, feeling, and comprehending. Not knowing how long had passed, he finally opened his eyes. He murmured as if he had realized something, “Celestial Immortals are indeed the most powerful beings, but they suffer the most restrictions as well. The Vacuum-crushing Realm is merely the first step for Celestial Immortals. Ordinary practitioners can achieve the Celestial Immortal’s Way once they comprehend the essence of Vacuum-crushing. However, it’s a pity that they can only pin their primordial spirit in the second layer of the vacuum, at most. The road ahead of them is still very long!”

Zhou Bao lifted his foot and stepped into the void. As he took one more step, his figure disappeared from the void and reappeared in a mysterious place!

“Welcome to you, young Omnipotent Sage!”

As soon as he set foot in this place, several spiritual thoughts were passed onto him showing their owners’ welcome. Among them, there were two thoughts that he was very familiar with; one came from Zhen Yuanzi, and the other from the Netherworld Sage, who had achieved the Celestial Immortal’s Way before he did in this era.

“Paying respects to seniors!” With a smile on his face, Zhou Bao spread his divine thoughts outward as a way of greeting his seniors.

“Just ignore these old guys, they don’t have time to pay heed to you!” The Netherworld Sage appeared in front of Zhou Bao together with this friendly divine thought. “Again, it’s me who is going to pick you up this time. Congratulations on becoming the Omnipotent Sage!”

“Thank you for your continuous help, senior!” Zhou Bao bowed low in front of the Netherworld Sage.

“No need to exchange courtesies!” He looked at Zhou Bao with a weird smile. “You’ve placed your primordial spirit in the fourth layer of the vacuum, so I see you have more room for improvement in the future than me. It’s even possible for you to place your primordial spirit in the seventh layer but only if Cundi doesn’t revive again!”

Zhou Bao smiled bitterly. “To be honest, I’m just one of his Separated Huns. Although I have become a Celestial Immortal, I’m still far behind him in terms of real strength!”

“Of course. He is one of the ancient Dominators and you are merely a Sage who has newly achieved the Celestial Immortal’s Karmic Rank. How can you compare with him!” The Netherworld Sage added with a smile, “However, he is always the target of hatred for everyone; otherwise, he would not have been killed back then. He is the only one who has been killed among all the Dominators. And so many eras have passed, and yet he cannot regain his power. All this indicates the will of the majority of the Dominators. So, you don’t have to worry about it!”

“I have nothing to worry about. For me, the coming eras will be quiet and peaceful days. There will be no one causing me trouble or fighting against me. Looking idly in front of the courtyard the flower blossoms and falls. Haha, that is the life that immortals should live!”

He had an infinite lifespan and had managed to suppress his most troublesome opponent. There would be countless eras filled with wonderful things waiting for him. How could he restrain himself from being delighted?

At the thought of all this, Zhou Bao beamed widely and finally burst into roars of prolonged laughter!