3: Nine levels of the Heavenly Realm

"Let's begin."

Di Shenglong's hands formed seals, and a tiny golden slit suddenly cracked open at the center of his brow. A ray of golden light shot out from the slit, connecting to the Di Realm. In an instant, Di Shenglong erupted with a blinding light, dyeing the entire secret chamber in shades of gold and red.

Boom—

A vast torrent of energy, like an ocean, surged out from the Di Realm and poured into Di Shenglong's brow along the golden light. His body trembled violently, and countless fine cracks appeared on the surface of his skin, like porcelain about to shatter.

"Ah!"

Di Shenglong let out a suppressed low growl as blood began to seep from his seven orifices. His Ninth Level of the Divine Mansion Realm cultivation was mere child's play before this power; his Meridians were being torn apart inch by inch, and his Dantian was nearly shredded by the violent energy.

At the critical moment, passages of a mantra appeared in Di Shenglong's mind, turning into countless golden runes that merged into his entire body. These runes, like the most skillful craftsmen, quickly repaired the damaged Meridians while guiding the violent energy to flow in an orderly fashion.

The Eternal Purgatory Scripture began to operate! This was the supreme secret manual for Cultivating the Eternal God-Demon Body.

Enduring the intense pain, Di Shenglong followed the guidance of the secret method, channeling the incoming energy bit by bit into his Qi Dantian. His cultivation began to climb at an astonishing speed—

The Mystic Core shattered, Breakthrough to the Purple Mansion Realm!

First Level of the Purple Mansion Realm!

Second Level of the Purple Mansion Realm!

---Fifth Level of the Purple Mansion Realm!

Sixth Level of the Purple Mansion Realm!

---Communicating with the power of heaven and earth, Breakthrough to the Heaven-Reaching Realm!

Tongtian Realm First Level!

Heaven-Reaching Realm Third Layer!

---Ninth Level of the Heaven-Reaching Realm!

When his cultivation broke through to the Ninth Level of the Heaven-Reaching Realm, a sudden change occurred!

A torrent of energy ten times more powerful than before surged out. Di Shenglong let out a muffled groan as his entire body was blasted three feet off the ground, suspended in mid-air. His skin began to crack extensively, and blood instantly soaked his clothes.

"Too fast... the Physical Body can't take it..." Di Shenglong's consciousness began to blur, and alarm bells rang in his heart.

At this critical juncture, a golden light burst forth from the depths of the Di Realm. Within that light, a golden page could be vaguely seen floating—it was the projection of the body scripture!

Wherever the golden light passed, his damaged Physical Body healed at a visible rate. Even more miraculously, the newly grown flesh and blood shimmered with a faint golden-red luster, his bones became as translucent as jade, and his Meridians widened several times over.

"The Eternal God-Demon Body... is beginning its Awakening!"

Di Shenglong's spirit rallied, and he gritted his teeth to continue guiding the energy. With the intervention of the body scripture's power, the Fusion process began to stabilize. His cultivation finally settled at the Peak of the Ninth Level of the Heaven-Reaching Realm.

"I can only go this far." Di Shenglong decisively cut off the energy connection. "Any further is the Law Realm, which my current Physical Body cannot yet withstand. I must first Cultivate the Eternal God-Demon Body before continuing the Fusion."

Di Shenglong landed back on the ground, completely reborn. He slowly opened his eyes—his left eye had turned pure gold, brilliant like a scorching sun, while his right eye had become a deep blood-red, like a bottomless abyss.

Behind him, a pair of illusory wings slowly unfurled—the left wing was white as snow, emitting a holy aura, while the right wing was black as ink, entwined with a grim Devilish Qi.

"Is this... the Eternal God-Demon Body?"

Di Shenglong looked down at his hands, feeling two diametrically opposite yet perfectly fused powers flowing within him. The divine power was vibrant and full of creative force, while the devilish power was violent and rampant, containing the might of destruction.

With a thought, the phantom wings on his back retracted, and his eyes returned to normal. However, if one looked closely, two tiny glints of light—one gold and one red—still remained deep within his pupils.

"With a cultivation at the Ninth Level of the Heaven-Reaching Realm, plus the Eternal God-Demon Body, I can definitely walk unopposed in this Great Qi Dynasty. Even overthrowing the Great Qi Dynasty would be a simple matter."

Feeling the energy within him, Di Shenglong couldn't help but marvel—was this the power of the strong?

"Father, mother, ancestors of the Di Clan, I will surely lead the Family to glory!"

When he walked out of the room, he found that the sun was already high in the sky. Grand Elder Great Elder Di Chengyuan was pacing outside.

"Clan Chief, you..." Great Elder Di Chengyuan's voice trembled; he actually didn't dare to look directly at Di Shenglong, as if he were looking up at a deity.

Only then did Di Shenglong realize that although he had restrained his aura, the newly awakened Eternal God-Demon Body still naturally emitted a trace of pressure. To clansmen with lower cultivation, this pressure was as heavy as a mountain.

He further restrained his aura. "Grand Elder, what is it—"

"Clan Chief, just now... a phenomenon appeared above the ancestral grounds, alarming the entire city."

Di Shenglong looked up and saw that the clouds in the night sky were a strange golden-red color, as if stirred by a pair of invisible giant hands, forming a massive vortex. At the center of the vortex, a phantom of wings that blotted out the sky was vaguely visible.

"A heaven and earth phenomenon triggered by the Awakening of the Eternal God-Demon Body..." Di Shenglong understood. Not long after, the phenomenon dissipated.

"Clan Chief, your eyes..." Great Elder Di Chengyuan suddenly cried out in surprise.

Di Shenglong walked over to a nearby pool and found that his left eye had turned completely golden while his right eye was blood-red, and the phantom God-Demon wings behind him were unfurling uncontrollably. Clearly, his newly awakened Physique was not yet stable.

"It's fine." He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a moment. When he opened them again, his eyes had returned to normal.

Although he didn't know what had happened, Great Elder Di Chengyuan felt a terrifying pressure from the Clan Chief.

Ma Family.

Ma Tianxing stood with his hands behind his back, his blood-colored left eye staring fixedly at the golden-red vortex in the sky above the Di Clan's direction. Beside him, Ma Family Clan Chief Ma Cheng and over ten Ma Family Elders were as silent as cicadas in winter, none daring to disturb him.

"What on earth is that?" Ma Tianxing's voice was hoarse, tinged with a trace of undetectable fear. "Hmph, no matter what it is, Di Shenglong and the Di Clan are doomed."

A black-robed Elder stepped forward: "Family Head, Young Family Head, we have already reached an agreement with the people from the Black Fiend Alliance. The time of the banquet shall be the time of the Di Clan's destruction."

"Mm." Ma Tianxing turned abruptly, a murderous light glinting in his blood-red eye. "Pass down the order to launch the attack on the Beilu Spirit Mine at the scheduled time. As for Di Shenglong—" he sneered, "at the banquet, I will personally take his life!"

"Then the Luo Family, Yang Family, and Wang Family—" the black-robed Elder hesitated, "Luo Qingyue of the Luo Family paid a sudden visit today, saying she wants to attend the banquet in person."

Ma Tianxing frowned. "That girl from the Luo Family? What connection does she have with Di Shenglong?"

Ma Tianxing had received inside information that Luo Qingyue was highly regarded by the Sect Master of the Luotian Sect, who intended to take her as a Disciple. The Luotian Sect was a first-rate power within the Great Qi Dynasty, and its Sect Master possessed Heaven-Reaching Realm cultivation.

If Luo Qingyue were to stand up for Di Shenglong, with the Ma Family's current power, it would likely be like striking a stone with an egg.

"It's said she has taken an interest in Di Shenglong and wants a marriage alliance."

"Marriage alliance?" Ma Tianxing's face turned distorted. "At that time, I will invite the Young Alliance Leader of the Black Fiend Alliance."

He looked up at the sky. "The Di Clan must be destroyed. It's time for my Ma Family to take the position of the head of the Five Great Families. And as for the Yang Family and Wang Family—"

Grading for Cultivation Techniques, Martial Skills, Divine Weapons, Medicinal Pills, Formations, Heaven And Earth Treasures, Spiritual Veins, etc.: Mortal-Grade, Mystic-Grade, Heaven-Grade, Saint-Grade, Divine-Grade, Pseudo-Emperor Grade, Emperor-Grade (Each Rank is further divided into Low, Mid, High, and Top-quality).