James’ energy increased considerably.When True Energy is absorbed away from the body of someone who painstakingly cultivated it from scratch, not all of it would end up being absorbed and some vestiges of it will remain.James’ True Energy was absorbed by Tobias.However, there were still some dregs of True Energy that remained within his flesh and bones.These remaining dregs of True Energy within him were forced out of James' body.The nine waves of True Energies quickly concentrated together and coalesced into an extraordinary force.His energy continued to grow at a staggering pace.“Use yourself as the medium, use the world as your pillar, endurance is the key…”James’ comprehension of the Nine Scriptures of Ordeals grew deeper.At that moment, the pores throughout his whole body were unbound and energy from the heavens and earth flowed into his body through the pores, converting into his own True Energy.The nine True Energies increasingly became stronger and stronger.
“Grandpa, what on earth are you trying to do?”James could not understand.He could never figure out what Thomas was trying to accomplish.Thomas had always been secretive.He has kept James in the dark about many matters.Where exactly was his family?Why had they not appeared after it has been so long?“Let’s talk while seated.”Thomas waved his hand casually, and the dust that coated a large rock on the ground was swept away instantly.He sat down, took out a cigarette, and lit it. Then, he threw it to James.James caught it and sat down opposite him.Thomas lit another cigarette and said, “I’m doing all this so our family can prosper till the end of time.”James looked at Thomas as he waited for an explanation.Thomas continued. “My Boy, have you heard of dragons?”James nodded lightly and said, “Yeah. Isn’t the dragon the overseer of the Twelve Zodiacs? It’s a mythical creature, right?”Thomas shook his head gently and said, “Dragons aren’t simply mythical creatures
Thomas left.James looked absentmindedly in the direction Thomas had left in.It was becoming harder for him to decipher his grandfather's intent.His behavior was incredibly bizarre as of late.“Haah.”After a while, James let out a feeble sigh.He did not have the energy to also deal with matters involving Thomas.There were still many things he needed to cross off his list.His first priority would be to find Thea as soon as possible.Thomas had kidnapped him and left a gory scene behind to force Thea to unleash the power of the Spirit Turtle’s blood in her body.He knew that upon seeing the scene, Thea would be enraged and go berserk.Half a month had already passed, so he was unsure of what had happened to her.He had to find her immediately.“How strong did I get?”James did not leave just yet.For the past half month, he had been constantly practicing the Nine Scriptures of Ordeals’ cultivation method, and right now, he had no idea of the extent of his strength.
James ascended the first few steps of the Skyward Stairway with relative ease.However, he started having a challenging time upon reaching the fourth step.It felt like a mountain was tied to his feet.“Move!!!” James shouted in defiance.He lifted his leg abruptly and went past the fourth step.After climbing the Fourth Stair, he was sweating profusely.Sweat had soaked his whole body and seeped into his clothes.After climbing the fourth step, he proceeded carefully. He collected himself and allowed his True Energy to spread throughout his body to resist the pressure brought on by the fourth step.While James was ascending the Skyward Stairway, anyone passing by would simply see him sitting in a lotus position on the ground like an unmoving statue.The Skyward Stairway was imaginary and did not exist in reality.The ascension of the Skyward Stairway happened within one’s mind.He was the only one that perceived himself ascending the stairway. Others could not see it at all
One day later…A man slowly walked out of Capital Airport. He was dressed in ordinary and humble clothes, looking no different from a typical farmer.That man’s appearance was completely different from those around him.The man was James.James rushed directly to the Capital after mastering the True Nine Ordeals Energy.Half a month had passed since the battle in Malgudi.Although he met his grandfather, Thomas had never mentioned anything about the aftermath at Malguldi.After he passed out, he had no idea what had taken place there while he was away.He was clueless about the current situation in the Capital.Since he was anxious, he rushed back to the Capital without a minute to spare after recovering his strength.He hailed a taxi outside the airport.“Sun Dragon District, please.”The driver gave James a once over and noticed that his attire did not suggest that he was well off.The Sun Dragon District was full of courtyard houses, and it was populated by the wealthy.
“You’ve wasted so much of my time, f*cker. I’m not going to let you leave without paying me three hundred dollars first.”The driver was getting impatient.At that moment, he started getting sick of arguing with James and was tempted to simply let him go.However, the thought of having wasted so much time dealing with James and not getting any money out of it vexed him.So, he decided to teach James a lesson.He pulled out his phone and made a call.After a few minutes, a dozen taxis came and surrounded the car. Dozens of people got out of their vehicles.“Hey, man. I’m giving you one last chance. Give me the f*ckin’ money right now, or else…”James did not take the driver’s threats seriously.He looked at the time. Henry should be arriving soon.Sure enough, military vehicles appeared from the distance at that moment and were driving closer to them.When the military vehicles got close to the airport entrance, a man wearing a Red Flame robe with three stars on his shoulder
James soon arrived at the gate of the Cadens’ mansion.The guards at the gate saw the military vehicles and immediately approached them.As they were walking over, James had already gotten out of the car.“J-James…”The guard addressed him nervously.James’ appearance caused both guards to lose their composure.James asked bluntly, “Is Maxine home?”“Y-yes, she's home…”Before the guard could finish speaking, James had already barged into the Cadens’ mansion.Right then, Maxine was speaking with Zaiden, the head of the Sullivans, in the living room.“Mr. Sullivan, I’ve spoken about this at length. You should reconsider.”As Maxine said that, James walked into the living room.Seeing James, Maxine immediately stood up and gasped, “J-James.”James glanced at Zaiden, who was sitting on the couch and spoke in a steely tone. “This doesn’t concern you. You can leave for now.”Zaiden looked quietly at James. Then, he simply stood up and left.“J-James. You’re back?”James look
He had suspected that it was either Thea or Thomas all along.However, he had no conclusive evidence.It never occurred to him that Celestial Sect’s leader would really be his wife, Thea, the woman who had endured so much suffering in the past.“By the way, you said that Thea sent a letter of challenge to Tobias?”“Yeah.”“News of it has already spread in the ancient martial world. What’s going on? Weren’t you with Thea?” said Maxine.“There were some unexpected circumstances.”James briefly explained what had happened while he was recovering.“Grandpa felt that the Spirit Turtle’s blood in Thea’s body showed great promise. He wanted to force Thea to experience an Energy Deviation so that she’d fully utilize the Spirit Turtle’s blood. Has anything major happened in the ancient martial world since then? Do you know if there has been any internal discord within Celestial Sect?”Before Maxine could explain, Bennett interrupted their conversation and said, “Nothing has happened. T
The sky was a brilliant blue, accented by white clouds. Vast plains stretched out with rolling peaks, rivers, and seas crisscrossing the expansive land, while an aura of Spiritual Energy permeated everything. This was a new world, brimming with life and vitality, existing independently from the myriad realms.Countless cultivation resources awaited discovery here. Unending adventures beckoned the brave, and limitless opportunities awaited those with exceptional talent.This was the new world James had created, based on the Forty-Nine Daoisms and merged with his own Daoism, to resolve the Leere Tribulation and save countless beings across the myriad realms.In this world, there was no powerful Heavenly Path, no hierarchy of races, no strict rules or oppressions, and no fate governing everything. Instead, actions were judged by karma. Fortune and misfortune, as well as success and failure, were determined by karma.Though it adhered to the principle of survival of the fittest and res
“No wonder,” Lord Goyo finally understood after an extended contemplation.He distinctly remembered that back at the Yin’s Void, Jacopo, the incarnation of Waitara Path’s Soremsia, had abruptly ordered him to move all foundations out of the Dark World. In hindsight, everything now made sense. It was likely that Jacopo had foreseen all of this.Realizing this, Lord Goyo felt a chill run down his spine as cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Despite doubting Jacopo’s identity as an incarnation of Waitara Path’s Soremsia, he had followed his advice. Otherwise, the consequences would have been disastrous.Snapping back to reality, Lord Goyo looked down at the Yang governor and Gladwin from his elevated position.“You fool, do you realize your mistake?”The Yang governor and Gladwin looked up simultaneously, their faces full of fear.“Lord Goyo, I truly didn't notice this. I had no idea when the Dark World was separated.”“Lord Goyo, there is something fishy about this. If James has
At the peak of Mount One in the myriad realms, the Yang Governor, disguised as James, descended with Gladwin. Both looked deathly pale, as if they had just escaped a life-threatening disaster. They were filled with panic.They stopped simultaneously upon arriving beneath a massive platform in a grand dojo.“We need to sort this out first,” the Yang Governor glared fiercely at Gladwin. “Who's going to explain this later, you or me?”Gladwin swallowed nervously. “Of course, it should be you.”“Why should it be me?” the Yang Governor scoffed. “Haven't you always claimed to be Lord Goyo's top confidant and meddled in our alliance's affairs? Now you're chickening out when there's a major issue?”Gladwin's face twitched. “This has nothing to do with cowardice. It's your duty as the leader of the Path Guardian Alliance.”The Yang Governor laughed in exasperation. “You've always been the one gathering intelligence across the myriad realms, boasting that you're better than Yegor from Skyn
That was the first thing he asked after surviving a monumental battle. James patted his shoulder. "The twenty thousand men…" "As long as it's broken," Wyot interjected, staring into the emptiness. "It's a pity the Dark World is gone forever."James wanted to respond, but the other survivors gathered around them. After the battle and the aid of the path source, they had ascended to Path Emperors, becoming top powerhouses in the myriad realms.James nodded, then waved his hand, summoning a path pearl that gleamed with holy light. The light and aura it radiated were enough to make any living being kneel before it.Just as James was about to act, Wyot knelt on one knee, followed by his warriors.James frowned. "Wyot, brothers, you have the right to stand…""We will not be Deified until the Leere Tribulation is broken!" Wyot declared loudly, clasping his fists. His warriors did the same."We will not be Deified until the Leere Tribulation is broken!"Their voices were unified, echo
Then, the Formation of Perception shook violently. When he snapped out of it, he realized that the twenty thousand Doom Race warriors led by Xezal had almost all perished.Among the remaining ones, three were losing their bodies. Hastily, James tossed three path sources into the formation, but it did not stop their bodies from crumbling."Move them out, quickly," urged Zella. "They're under immense pressure inside."James waved his hand and broke the Formation of Perception.Xezal and his remaining warriors—just three of them—appeared in the void. They were tattered and covered in blood. Their hair was unkempt, and they were barely recognizable. These were heroes who had experienced hell.Though wobbling, they stood in battle stances. Their valiance and undying will moved James. He turned his hand and covered them with four path sources, then told them to sit and heal."That's the Doom Race for you. The fact that they survived this titanic battle says a lot about their talent," Z
"Fourth, I have left some treasures for the Yaneiri Clan. They should be enough to establish yourselves in the new world. Fifth, do not be Deified. Never, ever do that. You must keep the Yaneiri Clan safe."Wynton's body contorted, plunging him into further pain. Cracks spread across his skin. "You owe me, James! You owe my clan!" he roared for the last time in his life before crumbling into dust.The light strips that imprisoned him shattered as well, and purple flames lunged at James' light wall, the shockwaves splintering it into fragments before rampaging toward the inconsolable Zella.James flew to Zella, scooped her up, and they took off. The shockwaves from Wynton's self-destruction rapidly spread, obliterating the surrounding formations.But that wasn't the end. Once freed, the shockwave rippled across the Dark World, annihilating everything in its path. Countless universes met their demise.Meanwhile, James protected the remaining Doom Race warriors within the formation,
Wynton was hysterical, but James merely shrugged. “Wynton, they say the last act people do before they die is to be kind. I see none of that in you, and you lost to me.”“And so what?” Wynton roared. “You’re just luckier than me, James! You have a Yin governor as your wife, and she has your back all the time! You would never have come this far otherwise!”James smiled. “Keep going.”“I know you don’t want to owe me any favors.” Wynton glared at him angrily. “You gave me three free attacks to repay me for sparing you in the River of Time.“Now, I’ve given you your children’s past selves back, and you owe me once more. You’re waiting for my terms, aren’t you?”James looked resigned.“Wrong,” Wynton sneered. “I won’t ask for any promises, nor will I give you any chance to repay this debt. Now, you shall owe me a favor you can never repay!”James sensed something was wrong and was shocked. “Wynton!”Wynton, imprisoned, began to burn, flames flickering and licking his body. He roare
"That’s…" The sight of that token filled Wynton with shock. "Y-You’re working with the Shadowborns?""Will you give it to me?" James shot him a threatening look.Wynton shivered, taking a deep breath. Then, a flash of purple light burst forth, and a brilliantly shining mirror flew out from the top of his head.James released Wynton and grabbed the mirror. It resonated with the token, and both items shone blindingly, responding to each other.'It’s true,' James thought. 'The Shadowborn token the master gave me before he left can sense the Nothingness Path Mirror. But why?' Questions swirled in his mind."That mirror will do nothing for you," Wynton said. "I can’t control it, so you can’t either. The only one who can is the Yin governor."He looked at James. "And she’s cleaved in two. Unless you can merge them together, the mirror will not work. However, with just your wife’s half-self, finding Wuia’s current and future selves will be a nigh impossible task."James tucked the mirr
James remained silent. He couldn't muster a response. Now, he finally understood why the Leere Tribulation had been orchestrated and the role his wife played in it.He had initially thought that by destroying the past version of Wuia concealed within the River of Time, he could hurt Wuia. Even if he couldn't stop the Leere Tribulation, he could at least delay it.With more time, he planned to gather additional clues and eradicate all three versions of Wuia, permanently solving the problem. However, his conversation with Wynton had changed his plans.Wynton observed James standing in silence and smirked. "Of course, there's a way to do this."James furrowed his brow.Wynton, brimming with glee, continued, "Kill your wife and the Light Heavenly Path. If they vanish entirely, Wuia will never obtain the Void Spiral. Even if the Leere Tribulation materializes and he returns, his strength will be no greater than before his reincarnation. You'll have enough power to fight him."That was