“Something is happening at the bamboo forest. Who is challenging the Saintly Forest Ranking?” muttered a Saint in the Saintly Forest Courtyard after sensing what was happening in the bamboo forest.
“Looks like some overconfident fellow is challenging the ranking again,” said someone.
“I think I saw the second prince go over there earlier. He can’t be the challenger, right?” asked a different person.
“Come on. We’ll know after taking a look,” said someone.
Soon, dozens of Saints started heading toward the bamboo forest from different directions. They arrived just in time to see Xiang Shaoyun release his devilish energy and break through the bamboo forest with brute force. None of them recognized Xiang Shaoyun, but from the devilish energy, they immediately knew who he was.
“That’s devilish energy! Why is there a devil here?” exclaimed someone.
“Stop making a fuss out of nothing. That is Xiang Shaoyun, the overlord,” said someone.
“That’s right. He’s Xiang Shaoyun,” the second prince stepped out to ascertain Xiang Shaoyun’s identity.
Everyone’s expression changed upon hearing that. They had long heard of Xiang Shaoyun’s deeds. However, this was their first time seeing him in person. When they saw how easily he passed through the bamboo forest with his devilish energy, they felt that hearing of a person’s reputation really couldn’t compare with actually meeting a person. Just his imposing aura alone was something beyond many of his peers.
“It is said that Xiang Shaoyun is capable of killing Great Saints and has even fought Gods before. I wonder if he can enter the ranking,” said someone.
“There are only 1,000 spots on the ranking. Anyone capable of leaving a name on it is a king among Saints. Xiang Shaoyun is still a tad bit too tender for that,” said someone with contempt.
“Be patient, everyone. Let us wait and see,” said the second prince.
Sounds of discussion stopped as everyone focused on Xiang Shaoyun, who was standing before the Saintly Forest Stele. Xiang Shaoyun was looking at the 1,000 names on the stele with a burning look in his eyes. He could see the names of some legendary individuals that he had heard of many times before. They were the supreme legends remembered by the world.
As a well-read person, Xiang Shaoyun had once read about the deeds of these legends. They were the outstanding heroes of the past. One could see just how long this Saintly Forest Stele had existed from the age of the names on it.
Of course, there were also some names that were from the not-very-distant past, such as the Immortal Emperor, the True Martial Academy principal, and the Dusk Dynasty’s imperial uncle. These were current heroes whose names resounded throughout the world.
For example, that imperial uncle was a true martial addict. Hailing from the same generation as the current emperor, the previous emperor attached great importance to him. The previous emperor even intended to pass him the throne, but he did not care one bit about the throne and was only focused on his martial pursuits. Only then did the current emperor manage to ascend the throne. Eventually, the imperial uncle surpassed the current emperor and reached the God Realm, becoming one of the guardians of the Dusk Dynasty.
“Saintly Forest Ranking. Truly worthy of your fame,” muttered Xiang Shaoyun. “Out of respect for the elders whose names are on the ranking, I need to do my best as well.”
He then held his breath and started adjusting his condition. He started chanting the Desolation mantra and comprehending the great dao, pushing the prowess of his devil dao to the peak. Murderous intent, evil tendencies, berserk rage, and all sorts of sinister auras surfaced from his body. He transformed into a fiend, radiating an aura so evil the Saints present felt their hearts skipping a beat.
Although they believed that the lord guardian’s disciple wouldn’t be a devil, they couldn’t help but waver upon sensing Xiang Shaoyun’s aura. If even such a person wasn’t a devil, who could be a devil?
Fortunately, the evil aura faded away rapidly. Xiang Shaoyun regained his calm and slowly became one with the world. He blended into the world as though he was now part of it. When the crowd looked at him, he seemed to have ceased to exist.
“Human heaven unity! How did he enter this state so easily?” exclaimed Zhao Chen in alarm.
“Refrain from making a noise, Zhao Chen!” berated the second prince through voice transmission.
It wasn’t easy for anyone to enter the human heaven unity state. If this state was interrupted, it would be hard for one to enter it again. This was applicable even for all these Saints. All the Saints present looked envious. They had not imagined that Xiang Shaoyun would be able to enter the human heaven unity state right before the stele.
Since everyone knew that it wasn’t easy to enter the human heaven unity state, they made no noise and waited in silence, trying to see how long Xiang Shaoyun could last in that state. This time, Xiang Shaoyun did not last too long in that state. As a nine-colored radiance shone from his body, a majestic and magnificent radiance caused everyone’s heart to throb.
“Th-this is the fusion of nine powers! He’s really capable of this?”
“I thought his astral cultivation was crippled? Why is he still capable of releasing such pure energy?”
“He truly is worthy of being the direct disciple of a lord guardian. He must have consumed astral grass to recover. He is going to create a new legend and forge the strongest physique!”
“I heard Xiang Shaoyun’s not even 40 this year. A genius like this rarely appears from ancient times until now. Let’s see if he can really leave his name on the ranking.”
…
All the Saints had an expecting look. They wanted to see if Xiang Shaoyun could really enter the ranking. Xiang Shaoyun raised his fist and threw it out. He moved like a ferocious leopard and an imposing tiger. It was as though the stars were revolving around him as a desolate universe manifested around him. An imposing aura burst out of him and shot toward the stele.
Cosmos Dao Destroying Fist!
A boundlessly bright radiance erupted while an overbearing fist intent surged, flooding the world and threatening to punch through the blue dome of heaven. It was an extremely powerful attack, one that stunned everyone present. None of them had the confidence to resist such an attack. Perhaps only a Great Saint would stand a chance against it.
Several hidden auras in the Saintly Forest Courtyard stirred as several senses focused on Xiang Shaoyun’s position. These were all pseudo-Gods and Gods that were in charge of guarding the Saintly Forest Courtyard. They generally ignored the affairs of the world, but even these people were alarmed by Xiang Shaoyun.
It was clear just how remarkable Xiang Shaoyun’s punch was. After all, he was already a third-stage Devil Saint. His physical body alone was already incomparably powerful. Thus, it wasn’t surprising that he was now able to muster even more primal inception energy than before.
Boom!
