The Purgatory Calamity
Chapter 710 - 672 Zhu Ji_1

Chapter 710: Chapter 672 Zhu Ji_1

In the darkness, within the vastness of the Filth Alien Power that was like the sea.

Pang Jian’s true body remained motionless.

He still carried the "Universe Box," and had divine artifacts "Ghost Firefly" and "Five Thunders Bombardment" in hand, but he had lost control over his own body.

Just as before, when he had bound Qi Xu’s illusory soul with the Soul Secret Techniques, making Qi Xu serve him.

Now, he was being treated in the same manner by Yan Lie.

Within the dantian, inside the bones, deep within the viscera, in the Sea of Consciousness, existed minute red glows the size of rice grains.

He had carefully counted them, there were thirty-six in total.

Each red glow was like a "realm" sign from the Outer Star River in the divine heavens, yet they were the fervent Flame Realm controlled by the Fire God, Yan Lie.

Thirty-six flame stars were condensed by Yan Lie with his incredible techniques and generated within Pang Jian’s body.

In those heavens and earth, there were creatures moving about, profound and mysterious laws of flame, mortal kingdoms, and the cycle of life, aging, sickness, and death.

They were complete worlds, all dominated by flames, symbolic of Yan Lie’s status as a High God.

They were the territories ruled by Yan Lie and also the source of his power.

In reality, they existed outside the heavens, echoed with Yan Lie, and they should have been Yan Lie’s strongest support during combat.

However, within Purgatory, within Pang Jian’s bones, viscera, and Sea of Consciousness, they were but illusions.

Yan Lie couldn’t communicate with them within Purgatory.

The manifestations inside Pang Jian’s body were merely the images of the Great Tao that Yan Lie had created based on them as models.

As a High God, Yan Lie’s comprehension of the Tao of Fire he had studied was far beyond what Pang Jian could compare with.

With nearly miraculous techniques and just a drop of his Divine Blood, He was able to manipulate thirty-six flame heavens and earth under His rule to drag Pang Jian back to the Sixth Realm.

"A High God, such ability is truly awe-inspiring."

Amid the burning flames, Pang Jian, having lost control of his body, studied each flame heaven and earth within him.

He was comprehending the power of Yan Lie.

The deeper he delved, the more closely he examined them, the more he was astonished.

A glimpse into the leopard’s spot provides insight into the beast.

Under the oppression of Yan Lie’s divine technique, Pang Jian could already imagine the exaggerated and terrifying power that this High God possessed in the Outer Star River.

The thirty-six worlds under His dominion harbored many low-rank gods like Qi Xu.

Plus, there were over a dozen middle-level gods.

This congregation of divine spirits and the overwhelming Flame Force of the worlds could all be mobilized by Him when necessary.

He could gather many powers to His divine body through the Divine Court and some special pathways.

Such was Yan Lie, with all His power revealed in Purgatory, who could contend?

It was precisely because Pang Jian understood how terrifying the Divine Power available to Yan Lie was that he realized that Yan Lie in Purgatory would never be able to restore His full strength as a High God!

Dying once meant dying once; the Divine Power belonging to Yan Lie was exhausted.

He sought to return to His peak, to become once again a High God at full capacity, He had to gather the vast missing Flame Force through many star heavens and earths like the Fire Domain.

Even if He fused all the fire sources in Purgatory into His divine body, it would be hard for Him to recover like this.

For Him, this world was still too small.

Only by returning to the Boundless Starry Sky, only by searching for multiple flaming stars to capture resources, plundering volcanoes, draining millions of magma pools, and taking the flames of those Flame Realm heavens and earth could He once again become a High God at His peak.

However, relying only on His High God’s comprehension of the Tao and His divine techniques, along with a small portion of His Divine Power, Yan Lie had already constrained Pang Jian.

To free himself from His influence, Pang Jian needed Taoist principles of an equivalent level.

Youkui was merely a middle-level god of the Ghost Clan, and his comprehension of the Soul Secret Techniques was at the level of a middle-level god as well.

What he had garnered across seven continents included the paths of powerful demons in Purgatory, encompassing Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Thunderbolt, and Cold Ice, but those demon paths and divine skills were still only of a low-rank god.

If he were to continuously battle day in and day out, gradually enhancing and transforming, he indeed had the hope of elevating these low and middle-level godly Taoist Rules and Regulations to the level of a High God.

But that would require a long period of time to accumulate.

The readymade, immediately applicable option that could contend with Yan Lie’s path, after much thought, was only the Tao of the Thunder God.

As a High God, the Thunder God had established the Thunder Divine Court, ruling over all the thunder gods and aiming to charge at the Sovereign position using the Thunder Divine Court as a foundation.

As a High God, the Thunder God was certainly above Yan Lie, and His path could resist Yan Lie’s.

Realizing this, Pang Jian refocused his attention on himself, perceiving the thunderous secrets dissipated within his body, and devotedly comprehended the Great Tao Truth fully understood by the Thunder God.

At that moment, he also saw the green-black Demon Heaven above the seven Fragment Lands in the dantian.

In the Demon Heaven, were branded the numerous truths of the Demon Tao, including the "Original Demon Fusion Spell" shared by the Original Demon and the Source Demon, along with the true meanings of many Great Demon Gods.

The Original Demon, placed with high hopes by numerous Great Demon Gods, was also an aspirant to the Sovereign position.

He and His understanding of the Demon Tao were likely also above the paths comprehended by Yan Lie, offering another option to unravel Yan Lie’s divine technique.

Thus, Pang Jian divided his focus, and turned to examine the marks of the Demon Tao within the green-black Demon Heaven.

When Qi Xu sensed the presence of Yan Lie on him and sped toward him, he no longer thought about the conflicts of the Fifth Realm and wholeheartedly sought a way to break the seals within his body.

...

"Huff! Huff-huff!"

In the dark world, the Black Dragon King gasped deeply.

Wide meteor fire rivers stretched across the Black Dragon King’s darkness, burning His dragon body, searing His dragon soul, and preventing Him from breaking free.

The Black Dragon King was trapped, like a dragon beached on a scorching swamp, unable to leap outside the bounds set by Yan Lie.

In the eyes of onlookers, Yan Lie merely had to flick strands of fire sparks to create a world of raging flames that imprisoned both the Black Dragon King and that dark realm.

At times, beams of fiery lightning would suddenly appear in the darkness.

This was usually accompanied by a painful roar from the Black Dragon King.

As the sole God Spirit to descend into Purgatory with His True Body, Yan Lie hadn’t yet regained the power of His heyday, yet He still effortlessly suppressed all Human Race True Gods.

Including the Demon God.

"Hiss!"

A hundred zhang in front of Yan Lie’s chest, a ball of orange flame suddenly extinguished.

The flames He released, be it a spark or a meteor, once ignited, almost never ceased.

As long as Yan Lie lived, His Divine Power and Flame Force would sustain any flame He unleashed, ensuring their continuous burn.

The ball of orange flame was meant to deal with Zhu Ji, to exhaust Him with constant challenges.

Before Pu Zhaotian, Zhu Ji, known as the foremost among Human True Gods, after invoking "Divine Dharma Aspect", enclosed the orange flame in the palm of His hand, staunchly snuffing it out.

Yan Lie was astonished and scrutinized Zhu Ji seriously once more, asking, "What Great Tao Law did you use to ascend to True God?"

He hadn’t been too interested in the ascension methods of Human True Gods before.

In His eyes, there were no Human True Gods worthy of His attention, including Pu Zhaotian, who merged with "Heaven Forbidden", and both Zhu Ji and the Ghost Mother.

To Him, they were but youngsters who had not broken free from the shackles of Purgatory, not soared in the Outer Star River, lacking the accumulation needed for breakthrough—why should He give them a second glance?

Regardless of their Great Tao Divine Skills, low-rank Gods remain low-rank Gods, doomed to perish in Purgatory. Why care?

Yan Lie, if placed in the Boundless Starry Sky, could compete with High Gods like Zimo and He Motian.

High Gods like Zimo and He Motian would also have to pay a painful price to try and kill Him.

With a Sovereign’s protection in the vast recesses of the starry sky, who would dare lay a finger on Yan Lie?

The flames kindled by Yan Lie—who would dare to extinguish them, and how many could?

Although His renown was widespread, He seldom showed His true capabilities and not many knew His real might. Yet Zhu Ji extinguished a flame ignited by Yan Lie.

This caused Yan Lie to take serious notice.

"Didn’t the Sovereign you follow tell you why He only imprisoned me, only banished me to the Sixth Realm?" Zhu Ji asked, surprised in return.

"Divine Dharma Aspect" maintained its stout form, looking at the bulky and rigid Zhu Ji, with no particularly dominant aura.

He lacked Pu Zhaotian’s dominance, wasn’t as mysterious as the Ghost Mother, nor did he have the fearsome reputation of Su Wenrou.

In the public eye, his existence as a True God was known, recognized as the strongest among them.

Yet, not many knew precisely where Zhu Ji’s strength lay.

The vast majority did not understand why he was unanimously acknowledged by many True Gods as the first in combat prowess.

If even the strongest in the Immortal Realm were clueless about Zhu Ji, lacking the most basic understanding, what about the Alien Tribes?

What about God Spirits like Yan Lie from beyond the skies?

"First imprison you, then use you as bait to lure Li Wang and the Ghost Mother together, wasn’t it to deceive more Human Race True Gods into entering?" Yan Lie said, dumbfounded.

Zhu Ji shook His head but offered no explanation.

His unremarkable face remained as usual, expressionless, seemingly indifferent to everything.

Suddenly, He also withdrew the "Divine Dharma Aspect."

Empty-handed, without summoning any significant artifacts, He strode towards Yan Lie.

"Huff!"

Yan Lie snapped His fingers gently.

Beams of fire sparks abruptly transformed into flaming meteors, thousand-zhang long and as wide as rivers.

The miracle that he used against the Black Dragon King, preventing Hei from breaking out to this day, fiercely materialized in the void between Zhu Ji and Himself.

Zhu Ji, with a tranquil expression, swung His fists among tens of Flaming Meteors, hurtling towards the weaving light rivers.

An unshakable resolve of all Gods, a strength capable of breaking all things, dwelled within Zhu Ji’s punches, enveloping the vast Filth Alien Power of the Fifth Realm.

"Bang! Bang-bang!"

Zhu Ji, small as a mayfly, yet unsettled the grand atmosphere of heaven and earth, shattering the Flaming Meteors one by one.

Those thousand-zhang long, hundreds of zhang wide, continuously stretching Flaming Meteors, all infused with endless Flame Force by Yan Lie, branded with the fire laws He comprehended.

All were ultimately defeated, dispersing into billions of sparkling fire rains, splashing into the void of the Fifth Realm.

...