Chapter 255: The Dao of Deity Transformation Attained

[Bang!]

[The Outer Domain Heavenly Demon, its figure already on the verge of collapsing, was blown apart by your strike.]

['What did it just say?']

[You pulled back your right hand. The Outer Domain Heavenly Demon's final scream still echoed, lingering like a bizarre demonic wail.]

[However, the Outer Domain Heavenly Demon's final words were not spoken in the language of the Human Realm. It sounded like a tongue unique to its own kind, and you did not understand it.]

[When it first appeared, it had communicated with you in the language of the Human Realm.]

[But just before you blew it apart, it had clearly panicked.]

[That was why it blurted out its native tongue.]

[Though you did not understand it, you committed the demonic tones to memory. If you ever found an opportunity to study the language of Outer Domain Heavenly Demons, you might be able to translate it.]

[Just then.]

[Streaks of a twisted black aura rapidly surged toward you.]

[Your expression shifted slightly. Recalling the records concerning Outer Domain Heavenly Demons, you did not dodge.] [In truth, you could not have dodged even if you tried. The twisted black aura moved so fast that the moment you saw it, it had already touched you.]

[Hum—]

[The twisted black aura fused directly into your body. You clearly felt your divine soul origin grow significantly stronger.]

[This strengthening was not like the growth from a realm breakthrough. It was an enhancement at the foundational level, elevating your innate talent regarding the divine soul.]

[In the future, as your realm advanced, this strengthened portion of your divine soul origin would grow along with it.]

[Strengthening at the foundational level was extraordinarily rare, let alone for the divine soul. Even in the ancient era, this was a massive fortuitous encounter rarely seen in a thousand years.]

[In the recent era? Such a thing basically never happened. Whether for the human race or other species, talent regarding the divine soul was fixed from birth and could not be altered.]

[Your divine soul's strengthening, however, was a direct change to your innate foundation.]

['Just as expected. Outer Domain Heavenly Demons take advantage of a cultivator's tribulation, splitting off demonic thought incarnations to enter the Heart Demon Tribulation and the Annihilation Tribulation to hinder them.']

['If the cultivator fails the tribulation, their emotions, desires, resentment, unwillingness, and even their divine soul will all belong to the Outer Domain Heavenly Demon.']

['But if the cultivator successfully passes the tribulation and defeats the Outer Domain Heavenly Demon, that demonic thought incarnation will transform into the purest divine soul power for the cultivator to absorb.']

[A smile appeared on your face.] [The true realms of Outer Domain Heavenly Demons were all above the Deity Transformation Stage, and their main bodies roamed between greater worlds. For someone like you, who was not even at the Deity Transformation realm yet, a single one of their demonic thoughts was a supreme tonic.]

['An innate divine soul origin... I really struck it rich this time...']

[You were in an excellent mood. This was an advantage that could be inherited in reality, benefiting all your subsequent simulations.]

['Outer Domain Heavenly Demons can replicate everything, but they cannot replicate the talents I receive from my simulation settlements. Doesn't that mean these demons—which every other cultivator fears like tigers—are completely suppressed by me? If they come, they die...']

[You pondered, 'If a few more Outer Domain Heavenly Demons came and I defeated them, wouldn't my divine soul origin...']

[Your heart pounded with excitement, but you eventually shook your head.]

[While it was a nice thought, it was not very realistic.]

[First, after passing this tribulation, you would be a Heavenly Monarch at the Deity Transformation Stage. If you wanted to undergo this kind of heavenly tribulation again, you would have to wait until you cultivated to Deity Transformation Perfection and broke through to the Return to Void Realm.]

[That was far too distant for you.]

[Second, not every cultivator encountered an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon during their tribulation. Even in the ancient era, Outer Domain Heavenly Demons did not appear frequently.]

['However... if my body cultivation crosses into Rank 5, I'll also need to face the Annihilation Tribulation and the Heart Demon Tribulation...']

[You thought to yourself, 'I just don't know if I'll attract an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon when that time comes...'] ['Wait, Outer Domain Heavenly Demons vanished without a trace in the recent era. Why did one appear during my tribulation?']

[As your thoughts shifted, you realized something was wrong. A coincidence? Over the past one hundred thousand years, there had been at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, Nascent Soul True Monarchs who attempted to break through to Deity Transformation. Was it really just a coincidence that this happened to you?]

[If it was not a coincidence, it was orchestrated. But in the entire Human Realm, who could possibly influence an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon?]

...

[Outside the Human Realm, a massive entity resembling a cloud of black mist constantly emitted a bizarre, palpitating aura. Negative emotions gathered around it like mountains and seas. This was the main body of an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon.]

[Suddenly, this massive entity trembled violently. The majestic, bizarre aura it emitted plummeted by a fraction.]

[Upon failing to interfere with a tribulation, an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon would not just permanently lose that demonic thought; its main body would also suffer a certain degree of backlash.]

[This was a rule of the greater worlds. If an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon succeeded, everything the cultivator had would belong to it. If it failed, it had to pay the price.]

['One hundred thousand years! It has been one hundred thousand years, and you are still here!']

[The massive black mist sent out heaven-shaking divine soul fluctuations filled with grief and indignation as it rapidly fled from the Human Realm. "You're here, aren't you? Fine, I'll leave. I, Heavenly Demon Tuoqing, will leave..."]

[In the blink of an eye, the massive entity vanished into the endless void.]

... [Heavenly Sword Peak]

[Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword looked up at the sky. Around that pitch-black demonic eye of tribulation, a cold, sinister aura faintly gathered, as if some unknown entity was using it to spy on the person undergoing the tribulation.]

["An Outer Domain Heavenly Demon? An Outer Domain Heavenly Demon is interfering?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword's heart tightened. One could easily sense the difference between a normal Annihilation Tribulation and one tainted by an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon's interference.]

[The same principle applied to the Heart Demon Tribulation.]

[This was also why you were certain that since the recent era began, Outer Domain Heavenly Demons had not interfered with cultivators in the Human Realm.]

[The Annihilation Tribulation you were currently experiencing featured a demonic eye that seemed almost alive, which was precisely the hallmark of an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon's interference.]

[Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword's expression turned ugly. With an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon interfering, the chances of the cultivator surviving the Annihilation Tribulation were microscopic.]

[Heavenly Sword Peak's Origin Cave Dwelling could reduce the power of the Annihilation Tribulation and the Five Elements Thunder Tribulation, but against an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon? It fell short.]

[Fundamentally, Outer Domain Heavenly Demons were not a power belonging to the Human Realm's heaven and earth, but powerful living beings from outside the realm.]

...

[Extreme Dao Pavilion]

["An Outer Domain Heavenly Demon! Hahahaha, exactly as it should be!"]

[Heavenly Monarch Qingcang also sensed that bizarre, palpitating aura and immediately knew what it meant.]

[The fact that an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon was interfering with your Annihilation Tribulation had indeed exceeded Heavenly Monarch Qingcang's expectations, but it meant your chances of successfully passing were practically nonexistent.]

[A legendary Great Cultivator who had broken the limits of divine soul, physical body, and magical power? Faced with an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon that terrified countless geniuses in the ancient era, would you still have the ability to resist?]

[Heavenly Monarch Qingcang closely watched the tribulation at Heavenly Sword Peak, as if already visualizing the demonic eye scattering in the next moment to reveal the scene of your failure.]

...

[Western Desert, Mituo Hall]

[A trace of strangeness flickered across the Golden Body Buddha's expression. "An Outer Domain Heavenly Demon?"]

[The legacy of the Buddhist path was extremely unique. He had received the 'empowerment' of a certain Buddhist Heavenly Monarch from the ancient era, inheriting all of their memories and experiences. He knew that the environmental conditions of heaven and earth in the recent era could almost never attract an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon.]

[But before he could ponder the reason, his expression changed again. "He passed it? Even with an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon's interference, he still passed it?"]

[A look of disbelief finally surfaced on the Golden Body Buddha's face. The more one knew, the clearer one understood just how terrifying Outer Domain Heavenly Demons were.] [These powerful beings could form an independent arena within the cultivator's Annihilation Tribulation and replicate all of their methods.]

[In other words, to pass the tribulation, the cultivator had to defeat another version of themselves. This was simply too difficult. Outer Domain Heavenly Demons lived for incredibly long periods of time; even with identical methods, secret arts, and cultivation realms, their accumulated skills and experience were completely unmatched by a Nascent Soul True Monarch who had lived for barely a thousand years.]

...

[Heavenly Sword Peak]

[The demonic eye of tribulation suspended beneath the firmament slowly dissipated.]

[At the same time, black tribulation clouds rolled in, breeding terrifying bolts of heavenly thunder.]

["The Five Elements Thunder Tribulation? He passed the Annihilation Tribulation?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword held his breath.]

[If you had failed the Annihilation Tribulation, the demonic eye would have scattered, and no tribulation clouds would have gathered.]

[But right now, the surging clouds breeding the terrifying Five Elements Heavenly Thunder meant that you had reached the final trial of the Three Trials of Deity Transformation.]

['Truly worthy of being the Predestined Person designated by the Sword Lord!']

[Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword thought to himself. When he noticed the Outer Domain Heavenly Demon's interference, he had practically braced himself for your failure.] ...

[At the end of the Deep Sea, atop a massive island]

[A green-faced figure sensed the changes in the energy of heaven and earth from afar. When he realized the Five Elements Thunder Tribulation was brewing, his pupils sharply contracted.]

["Emissary, didn't you say an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon would interfere?"]

[Beneath the nearby deep sea, the massive Void Whale Master finally voiced his question.]

[Because the distance was far too great, even with their Deity Transformation level perception, they could not detect the bizarre, palpitating aura of the Outer Domain Heavenly Demon. However, the brewing Five Elements Thunder Tribulation explained everything.]

["Impossible. How could that True Monarch Golden Face survive the interference of an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon?"]

[The green-faced figure was in disbelief. Even within the Demon Abyss Realm, demons capable of withstanding an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon were incredibly rare, and every single one of them possessed the aptitude of a Venerable.]

[In the current Human Realm? Such a genius could still be born?]

["Could it be that the Sword Lord left behind some method back then..." the Void Whale Master suddenly said.]

["The Sword Lord?"]

[The green-faced figure was about to deny it, but upon recalling the information concerning the Sword Lord, he instantly fell silent.] [He had not lived through the era of the Sword Lord one hundred thousand years ago; not even the Venerable standing behind him had.]

[Yet, he had heard a thing or two about the legends of the Sword Lord. During the final battle, the Sword Lord had used a supreme sword light to sever the pathway between greater worlds.]

[In fact, the green-faced figure knew that the Sword Lord had not just severed the greater world pathway connecting to the Demon Abyss Realm, but also the arm of a certain Venerable.]

[Facing the Sword Lord's supreme sword light, the Venerables of the Demon Abyss Realm naturally could not just stand by and watch. One of them forcibly withstood the backlash of the two realms and reached out an arm to protect the pathway, only for it to be cleanly severed by the Sword Lord in a single strike.]

[To sever the arm of a Void Return Venerable while only at the Deity Transformation realm—such talent and aptitude had never appeared even in the Demon Abyss Realm. No matter how strong a Deity Transformation Stage cultivator was, they should not have any power to resist a Void Return Venerable, let alone sever their arm.]

[The green-faced figure's gaze darkened.]

[If it really was related to that astonishingly brilliant Sword Lord, it was not entirely impossible.]

[Raising his right hand, the green-faced figure summoned a Heavenly Demon Stone and sent it into the spatial rift behind him.]

[Since even the Outer Domain Heavenly Demon had failed, there was no use keeping this Heavenly Demon Stone in the Human Realm anymore. It might even leave behind traces of their presence.]

...

[Heavenly Sword Peak]

[You looked up at the sky. Rolling black tribulation clouds brewed as bolts of thunder surged.] ["The third trial of Deity Transformation, the Five Elements Thunder Tribulation!"]

[You felt the killing intent originating from heaven and earth. The unseen heavenly tribulation had locked onto you; no matter where you fled, you could not escape it.]

[Rumble—]

[A bolt of green thunder crashed down. As it passed through the Origin Cave Dwelling, its power was forcibly weakened by thirty percent before finally landing on your body.]

[Your physical body was at the Fourth-Tier Late Stage Peak. Bolstered by Surpassing Oneself by Half a Move, it exceeded the absolute limits of the Fourth-Tier Late Stage. This bolt of wood thunder naturally could not do anything to you.]

['What a waste.']

[Sensing the thunder's intensity, you had half a mind to leave the Origin Cave Dwelling and use the full-powered Five Elements Thunder Tribulation to temper your physical body's potential.]

[Heavenly thunder was not just a tribulation, but a fortuitous encounter. By tempering the physical body with heavenly thunder, there was hope of stimulating deeper potential and subsequently awakening a body cultivation divine ability.]

['I will leave the Origin Cave Dwelling first and let the Five Elements Heavenly Thunder temper my body as much as possible. If I cannot withstand it later, I will just hide back inside.']

[You immediately took a step forward, arriving outside the Origin Cave Dwelling.]

[You even voluntarily reined in your magical power, relying entirely on your physical body to resist the Five Elements Heavenly Thunder.]

[Rumble—] [Bolts of wood heavenly thunder constantly smashed down. As your body endured strike after strike, you did not suffer any severe injuries. Stimulated by the wood heavenly thunder, a potential deep within your physique began to slowly awaken.]

[After the wood heavenly thunder came the fire heavenly thunder.]

[The power of the fire heavenly thunder was clearly stronger than the wood heavenly thunder.]

[The Five Elements Thunder Tribulation was divided into metal heavenly thunder, wood heavenly thunder, water heavenly thunder, fire heavenly thunder, and earth heavenly thunder.]

[Each type of heavenly thunder had its own specialty. For example, water heavenly thunder excelled at penetration, while metal heavenly thunder possessed the most terrifying power.]

["Bring it on."]

[You stood quietly in the void, bathing in thousands of thunderbolts.]

[After the fire heavenly thunder came the earth heavenly thunder.]

[Struggling to hold on, you directly activated the body cultivation divine ability, Qi and Blood.]

[Your qi and blood became endless, continuously repairing the injuries on your physical body. At the same time, your physique gleamed with resplendent golden light; your indestructible golden nature had been pushed to its absolute limit.]

[After the earth heavenly thunder came the water heavenly thunder.]

[You directly channeled a bit of the True Dragon Transformation. While maintaining your human form, your physical strength surged, allowing you to endure the water heavenly thunder.] [Hum—]

[The metal heavenly thunder began to brew.]

[Among the Five Elements Thunder Tribulation, the metal heavenly thunder was the most dreadful. Its power was outrageously terrifying, capable of tearing through anything.]

[You directly utilized the Five Elements Thunder Stone. The Five Elements Thunder Stone did not lower the heavenly thunder's power; rather, it increased your resistance to it, thereby not hindering the heavenly thunder from tempering your physical body.]

...

[As bolt after bolt of heavenly thunder crashed down, the numerous Sword Cultivators watching from Heavenly Sword Peak felt their hearts pound with terror. The fact that you voluntarily left the Origin Cave Dwelling to bear the heavenly thunder's baptism with your bare body made their scalps tingle.]

["What a powerful physical body."]

[Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword realized you were using the heavenly thunder to temper your physical body and sighed in admiration.]

[Rumble—]

[Bolts of metal heavenly thunder hammered down, leaving streaks of lightning scars across your body as the residual thunder power continued to ravage your physique.]

[Fortunately, at the very last moment, you activated the body cultivation divine ability, Eruption, finally surviving the last bolt of metal heavenly thunder.]

["Phew—"] [You stood in the void as the rolling tribulation clouds beneath the firmament faded away.]

[An unseen, profound chime of the Great Dao rang out as a Dao rhythm originating from the origin of heaven and earth began to circulate.]

[You had finally reached the Deity Transformation Stage, joining the ranks of Heavenly Monarchs.]