Chapter 85: Defeating the Enemy

The young man in black held the Samsara Halberd, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.

He was still young, in the prime of his youth, and upon hearing the tales of Daoist Wang's domination over the undying kings, his heart instinctively filled with reverence for Wang Geng.

Thus, upon learning that Gu Wudi's body was fused with the Celestial Seed, a killing intent naturally arose within him.

"Today, I will eradicate the progeny of such traitorous lineage," the young man in black declared coldly.

Without hesitation, he swung his halberd once more.

"So, after all this, you're nothing but a naive child," Gu Wudi chuckled, shaking his head. "Go ask the adults in your family, is this really a matter you should meddle in?"

This attitude only served to incite the young man's anger further, his intent to kill intensified.

"Clang!"

The halberds collided, producing a clear metallic ring that reverberated through the void.

The silver halo of reincarnation laws entwined with a sky-blue glow, neither willing to yield.

Although the young man in black could improve his temperament, his strength was not to be underestimated.

Against him, Gu Wudi realized that this youth must be the heir to Supreme Hall, mastering the path of reincarnation at such a foundational level.

It seemed the Dao Seed within him was a perfect ancient seed related to reincarnation laws, coupled with a compatible weapon, this being was indeed invincible among his peers, with immeasurable potential once fully grown.

Even someone as formidable as Gu Wudi found it challenging to gain the upper hand against him.

"Clang!"

Both exchanged powerful halberd strikes once more, their hands cracked open, blood streaming down as they felt their arms go numb.

Suddenly, the young man in black opened his mouth, outwardly releasing a silver seed, which voraciously devoured the power of the void, rapidly taking root and sprouting.

It grew into a thick vine, blossoming to reveal six silver vortexes, rotating slowly.

A terrifying suction force ensued, devouring everything, including the power of the soul, seemingly dragging all towards the six paths of reincarnation.

Though Gu Wudi had prepared for this, simultaneously throwing out a cyan seed, he was still ensnared by the six silver vortexes.

His body froze, blood flow staggered, and even his spiritual power sustained significant loss, leaving him slightly disoriented.

Fortunately, the cyan seed also began to take root and sprout, entrenching itself and bearing fruit.

In the next moment, a vast world appeared above the six silver vortexes, stretching endlessly – magnificent structures, supreme civilizations of gods and demons...

All were vivid and awe-inspiring, the pressure escalating as the expansive world descended.

The young man in black found his feet gradually sinking, rooted a full foot underground, his expression changed subtly, veins bulging, as even the simplest movement became agony, as if he bore the weight of the ancient firmament upon him.

"Roar!"

He shouted, unleashing the power of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, causing it to spin rapidly, with the intention of disintegrating and crushing this vast world.

However, the effectiveness of the Six Paths of Reincarnation was limited by his cultivation level. Though he managed to shatter half of the world with the six silver swirling vortexes, the remaining half was beyond his reach, descending upon him oppressively.

"Puff!"

The young man in black jerked violently, coughing up blood as he staggered back several steps.

This attack left him defeated.

He couldn't believe it. Having just entered the second stage of cultivation and left his sect to experience the world, he assumed he could advance unchallenged. Yet, so soon into his journey, he was subdued by another cultivator of the same level.

Is the ancient primal world truly so full of hidden talents?

Unwilling to accept this, he thought of his lineage from the Supreme Hall, the peak of supreme powers. His ancestors, at the very least, ranked among the top three of their generation. How could he possibly be defeated by an unknown youth? Moreover, this youth had merged with the Wang family's lost celestial seed.

Thinking this, he gripped his reincarnation spear and charged again at Gu Wudi, fighting fiercely. Every strike was his strongest effort, heedless of the wounds and blood staining his skin.

Eventually, even Gu Wudi struggled to hold his spear, his arms trembling violently.

The opponent truly lived up to being a disciple of a supreme Six Paths of Reincarnation Immortal King, overpoweringly strong. Physically, they were evenly matched, but in the clash over dao seeds, Gu Wudi held the upper hand, his understanding of the great dao surpassing his adversary's.

"Puff!"

The young man in black was knocked back, stopping himself only after his spear gouged a large fissure in the ground.

Breathing heavily, heavily drained, he glared at Gu Wudi with an unpleasant expression, shouting, "Your name is not on the ancient tablet. Who exactly are you?"

"The ancient tablet? Trifling nonsense. My eyes are on the myriad worlds. Remember, my name is Gu Wudi."

"Trifling!" Hearing this, the young man in black was instantly angered. When something he valued was belittled by others, it naturally made him uncomfortable.

Judging from this exchange, he was clearly at a disadvantage. Combined with the thousand-round clash where he fell behind, the young man in black lost the will to fight on.

"You've lost."

Gu Wudi swept through the void with his chaotic spear, speaking coldly.

"This battle is far from over."

After speaking, the young man in black turned away without any desire to continue the fight. He was fully aware that if he persisted, defeat was inevitable for him. It was better to wait until he could advance his cultivation further and master the ultimate technique before challenging again.

Gu Wudi watched indifferently as he walked away, saying nothing further. It was only after the young man in black had completely disappeared that he raised his mighty halberd, pointing its sharp tip at an empty void.

"You've been watching for quite some time now. How much longer do you intend to remain hidden?"

As his voice faded away, ripples appeared in the void, and a boy clad in fiery red armor slowly stepped out, smiling as he cupped his hands in greeting. "From the Great Red Heaven Sect, Chi Li greets fellow Daoist Gu Wudi."

"Great Red Heaven Sect…" Gu Wudi murmured softly. It was an ancient sect founded by a former master of the Great Red Heaven, and while its current connection to the present Great Red Heaven Master from the Qiankun Sect was tenuous, it was established by a Great Red Heaven Master from several epochs ago.

Although not the top sect in Great Red Heaven, it was still an elite power with a quasi-immortal king within its ranks. Having a quasi-immortal king in the sect was a mark of immense strength, as not many sects could boast of ties to an immortal king.

Since its inception, the Great Red Heaven Sect had been striving to seize the position of Great Red Heaven Master. It had held the title for multiple terms, regarding the perfect fire seed, the Great Red Flame, as its heritage seed.

Unfortunately, the Great Red Flame was lost to the outside world and fell into the hands of the Qiankun Sect. It was given to a member of the so-called Twin Stars of Qiankun, who eventually ascended to become a Great Red Heaven Master.

Since then, the Great Red Heaven Sect had somewhat declined compared to its former glory, though it remained one of the elite sects in Great Red Heaven.

"You must have seen my battle with him just now. Why don't you just leave voluntarily?" Gu Wudi had no intention of fraternizing with him as the situation was inappropriate. This place was a portal leading to a perfect fire seed, an asset of immense importance to the Great Red Heaven Sect, whose strength had waned. As inheritor of the sect, Chi Li was not about to give in easily.

"What if I say I want to try?"

Chi Li spoke, the red armor he wore bursting into brilliant flames, making the air around becomes scorching hot.

"Then, by all means, try."

"Are you truly not going to step aside? After the battle with the young scion from the Supreme Hall, you've expended much energy. Do you really think you can contend with someone in the Dao Origin Realm like me?" Chi Li stated nonchalantly, trying to make Gu Wudi reconsider his resistance.

After all, he wasn't the only one here; other beings were also hiding in the shadows.

"Does it matter if you're in the Dao Origin Realm?"

With the halberd in hand, Gu Wudi stood like a war god, blocking the narrow path. Anyone wishing to enter or approach the Blue Moon Flame would have to overstep his body.

"Hmph! Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit. Friends from Scarlet Fire Sect and Southern Ming Valley, if you don't reveal yourselves now, then when?" Chi Li spoke, looking towards a seemingly empty area.

"As expected, we couldn't hide from Brother Chi Li."

Two young men emerged separately, one dressed in a red robe with fire patterns, the other in white flame armor. Each had a strong aura, at the Dao Beginning level, possessing an advantage in realm over Gu Wudi.

Surpassing an entire realm in Dao Seed techniques meant a more profound development of their potential, a deeper understanding of the Dao, and a superior physique and cultivation. It's a significant gap that's hard to bridge.

Especially when these three beings have extraordinary origins, not mere mediocre beings, at worst, descendants of true immortals, possessing powerful bloodline strength.

"There's one more, come out as well." Gu Wudi pointed his spear's tip towards a certain area.

"Oh? There's really someone there; we didn't even notice. Your concealment technique is quite brilliant for muddling through." Chi Li remarked in surprise.

The inheritors from Scarlet Fire Sect and Southern Ming Valley also looked, a faint killing intent flickering in their eyes.

In their view, Gu Wudi wasn't particularly frightening, at least not openly. The scariest are those lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment. Such people are most likely to strike a fatal blow when you least expect it, causing you to miss crucial opportunities.

Thus, their focus shifted from Gu Wudi to this hidden creature.

"You've misunderstood. I'm just curious about the competition of young geniuses, so I stayed to watch, nothing else." A young man stepped out of the void, holding an ancient mirror with an extraordinary aura.

It was thanks to this mirror that he could evade Chi Li and the others.

In terms of strength, the young man was far from matching them.

"Oh, is that so?"

Faced with questions from several powerful successors, cold sweat covered the young man as he immediately retreated a few steps, nodding to assure, "Naturally, since you don't believe me, I'll leave first to prove my innocence."

Saying this, he turned and left without hesitation.

The three young prodigies watched his retreating figure without interference. Though the ancient mirror appeared intriguing, the immediate priority was the Green Moon Flame.

Previously, a mortal woman had already entered the narrow path first; she must be communicating and integrating with the Green Moon Flame. They had to overcome the massive obstacle that was Gu Wudi quickly, or it would be troublesome if she beat them to it.

"Everyone, that mortal woman has been inside for quite some time. I'm afraid something might go wrong. I believe we should join forces to clear the obstacle sooner rather than later, without worrying about principles."

"Brother Chi Li speaks the truth. I agree as well. Let's remove the roadblock, and then let our own abilities decide the Green Moon Flame's fate."

The inheritor from Southern Ming Valley nodded in agreement.

Qingyue had been inside for a long time. Having passed several tests and earned the Green Moon Flame's approval, even as a mortal, she appeared extraordinary. They worried she might truly merge with the Green Moon Flame, so they decided to deal with Gu Wudi first.

It's said that for three successors from major forces at the Dao Origin realm to join hands against a Seed realm cultivator seems somewhat dishonorable; however, they could not afford any carelessness. Compared to losing the Azure Moon Flame, such dishonor was nothing.

"Friend, it's still not too late to step aside," Chi Li said one final time.

However, Gu Wudi remained domineering.

"All three of you should come at me together. I'll suppress you all at once. It'll save me the trouble of dealing with you one by one."

"Arrogant!" Chi Li's face turned icy, and he couldn't help but shout.

Following this, the three prodigies attacked simultaneously. As heirs of powerful forces, their fused Tao seeds were naturally formidable, and their strength was extraordinary; otherwise, they wouldn't have scared off the beings holding the ancient mirror.

However, none of the three possessed flawless Tao seeds, as the number of perfect ancient seeds is limited—not everyone can possess them. For instance, the Wang family, known for their immense power, only has three perfect Tao seeds.

Major forces with only a quasi-Immortal King to oversee them can barely have one or two perfect Tao seeds at most, especially given their high demand for such seeds and their intentional search for them. Otherwise, there would be even fewer, especially if their attitude were as nonchalant as the Wang family's Immortal King.

Within a sect, one or two perfect Tao seeds must be distributed among different levels, and most are claimed before others even get a chance. To receive one, one must have extraordinary luck.

The perfect Tao seeds refer to those innately nurtured, born from the rules of the great Dao itself—like the Chaos Purple Qi Seed, the Heavenly Dome Seed, and the Life Seed—unique and singular.

Only the Primordial Ancient World's Dao, which practices the Tao Seed method, can produce such innate seeds. In other worlds, as cultivation systems evolve, such items would disappear if the Primordial Ancient World's system radically changes.

The top-tier Tao seeds merged by these three today came from the transmissions of the strongest within their sects—created by quasi-Immortal Kings, True Immortals, and the like.

Although they can't compare to the unique ancient seeds born of the innate Dao, they can help cultivators blend with the greater universe and comprehend the rules of the Dao, earning the title of top-tier ancient seeds.

Gu Wudi, advancing to the Dao Origin realm through top-tier ancient seeds, was unfazed by them.

He had merged with the Heavenly Dome Seed, innately born and unique, known to be invincible. Along with his status as a Celestial Prince, even if he was a full realm behind others, he could still contend with them.

"Boom!"

A chaotic halberd unleashed its power, and a canopy of blue sky spread above the three.

The trio's different colored flames were instantly overshadowed, with the blue canopy rumbling down.

That peerless, invincible power turned the faces of the three Dao Origin realm beings pale.

In the previous battle, they had watched silently from the shadows.

The young man in black withstood thousands of clashes with Gu Wudi. Observing from afar, it didn't seem like much—only when truly facing him did the terror of such an invincible being become clear.