Breaking Out

Two days later. Gaofeng had gathered some minor resources from Steadfast the last couple of days, including anything that was indicated by the Divine Myriad Changes as a green light at the size of a fist or larger. These items had included a variety of minor pills, some magical tools, as well as a good amount of a high-quality blood-refinement pill.

Now, Gaofeng found himself at the point where he had been banished by Shen Hai, and along with him was some of the core personnel of the Pale Merchant Guild as well as the Ming Xie and his sister. The only obstruction in their path to enter the wider continent was the massive barrier created by a Holy Monk of the Holy Temple. A Holy Monk was granted their title when they reached the peak of the Transcendence realm, and thus this barrier carried the defensive power of an expert of the Transcendence realm. However, because of the long time which had passed between its creation and the current day, even with each generation Temple Master sustaining it, the barrier would naturally deteriorate over time.

At the present moment the barrier could still be considered to carry the might of the higher stages of the Transcendence realm, but it couldn't entirely reach the peak. It had been formed by utilizing a complex formation which made it capable of retaining its might far longer than a barrier put up at will, and it had continuously absorbed the surrounding qi to maintain itself, making the qi density around the barrier relatively low.

Gaofeng's plan to leave this place was simple. Destroy the barrier using pure force. That was the kind of domineering plan Gaofeng preferred, and it would give him a true opportunity to test himself.

"Please back away, I don't want to accidentally hurt any of you when I destroy the barrier" Gaofeng stated with absolute confidence. At hearing this proclamation, the old couple looked at eachother with questioning eyes. Did they hear him correctly? He said that he would destroy the barrier?

The destruction of the barrier of the ninth valley was absolutely inconceivable to anyone that was born within the valley, as no matter how much they had tried, no-one had ever been able to even shake this barrier. The strongest Dao Transformation experts had long ago worked together to attempt to break through the barrier, but even such a combined force couldn't put a dent into the barrier. So how would Gaofeng be able to do so? The only way they could think of was if he had some sort of heaven-defying treasure that could create an opening for them, but that didn't match with his statement of destroying the barrier.

When the others had retreated a suitable distance, Gaofeng began his furious assault. At first he didn't even activate a single technique, only using his physical strength in blow after blow. For each strike, the power he struck out with increased by a small amount. This increase was simply due to Gaofeng acclimating with his new bloodline and body, and becoming better at controlling his power over time.

After forty strikes, the power he outputted was almost thirty percent stronger than the initial strike, but it still didn't end there as it continued rising by a little for each subsequent strike. When his power had reached about a 50% increase in power, the subsequent strikes didn't improve in strength and he had found his temporary power ceiling.

The barrier had already begun shaking after the initial strikes, but it still remained sturdy as it diffused Gaofeng's strikes by distributing the impact on a large area. This essentially made Gaofeng have to break through the entirety of the barrier all at once without having the option to simply create a hole in one part of the barrier.

Since Gaofeng wanted to test out the Primordial Destructive Yin-Yang Dao, he began infusing it in the following strikes. This Dao directly increased his strength by manyfold, and the barrier was no longer just shaking. Rather, cracks had begun forming on the barrier. And with each continuous strike, the cracks increased in length.

The cracks continued expanding until Gaofeng decided to also activate the innate Space-rendering ability of the Primordial Yin-Yang Beast bloodline. It was something he could utilize passively without having to expend energy, but he had actually purposefully retracted it to see if he could break through the barriers without having to use such a method which was almost specifically created to tear through anything in its way.

Gaofeng felt that he had already gained confirmation that he would be able to tear apart the barrier by purely utilizing the Primordial Destruction Dao, but he couldn't be bothered to spend the time necessary. He would rather get it over with by activating the innate spacial rendering talent he had obtained.

The moment his claw touched the barrier, the space rendering completely destroyed the laws that had formed within the barrier which let it operate, and instantly made the entire formation useless. Since the barrier no longer could operate, naturally there was no obstruction in their path.

Seeing the barrier shatter due to the pure might of Gaofeng, his companions' jaws literally dropped. They couldn't even comprehend the kind of strength which was needed to even shake the barrier, much less destroy it with ease. Was this young master not an ancient old fogie instead? His companions mused to themselves while considering the ramifications of this. It seemed like their future was much brighter than they initially believed, and so they were all overjoyed by this turn of events.

Following such a great expert was a matter of great honor, and they would naturally do their utmost to please him and get his full support in return. Once this group arrived outside the barrier, a furious aura assaulted them all. However, this aura was quickly neutralized by Gaofeng, who activated his bloodline to the utmost to release his own fierce and dominating aura which even the heaven's revered. How could Shen Hai, a cultivator at the peak of the Dao Transformation realm, possibly stand up to Gaofeng whose might had already reached the middle of the Transcendence realm?

Shen Hai's aura was crushed, and Shen Hai himself began bleeding from his eyes due to the immense pressure the Primordial beast that was Gaofeng exerted upon his body. This was akin to directly facing the Primordial Yin-Yang Beast itself, and the suppression wouldn't even leave Shen Hai with a single opportunity to rebel.

Shen Hai had been flying to arrive at the barrier quickly when he first noticed the disturbances, but when he got dominated in such a fashion, he fell to the ground a distance away from Gaofeng. Gaofeng's companions also noticed the tyrannical and brutal aura coming from Gaofeng, but it wasn't directed at them. Although it still made them tremble in fear, they weren't forced into submission like Shen Hai had been.

When Shen Hai noticed Gaofeng's face, he was truly shocked, "Y..you…How could this be?" Gaofeng didn't give him a direct answer, instead giving Shen Hai a demonic smile. When Gaofeng's lips pulled up, four long fangs were clearly visible. Shen Hai shuddered at the sight, and he instinctively felt that if these fangs bit into him, he would already be dead.

Gaofeng simply stated after revealing his fangs, "Submit to me, Shangsheng Gaofeng, and support me in becoming the next Clan leader of the Shangsheng clan. If you preform your dutifully, you will be rewarded, but if you don't…" Gaofeng trailed off, leaving Shen Hai to imagine the consequences of possibly rebelling against Gaofeng.

Human cultivators weren't like mindless spirits like the Yin Specter, and thus they couldn't be enslaved as easily either. Perhaps Gaofeng would be successful, but the result would likely be a robotic killing machine with no ability for critical thinking. That was not the kind of subordinate Gaofeng needed, as he would rather have his subordinates operate independently without needing incessant micromanaging.

Feeling the immense pressure nearly crushing him to death, Shen Hai had no choice but to spit out a reluctant, "I…submit. My Lord." This statement made Gaofeng smile once again. This time his smile was even wider than the first time. The Holy Temple would be a nice chess piece to him. They might not have the strongest martial powers, but one couldn't underestimate their heritage and the resources that were available to them. It would also serve as a nice spot for Gaofeng to cultivate in seclusion without having to worry about the responsibility and schemes of the Shangsheng family.