Chapter 146: The Five Elements Primordial Qi Grand Immortal-Catching Hand!

"Fall back, quickly fall back!"

Ancestor Zhuge roared with all his might, then lunged forward himself, hoping to buy some time for the younger generation to retreat.

However, it was too late. The moment the violent and overpowering Foundation Establishment spiritual pressure of Heiyu erupted, the surrounding mortals felt their minds shatter. They spat out mouthfuls of blood and collapsed to the ground, unable to move. The grandmaster elders fared slightly better, but they were still pinned down by this formidable aura, drained of all strength and gripped only by the urge to prostrate themselves in worship.

They were simply beings from entirely different realms.

"Monster! Taste my blade!"

The only person on the scene still capable of movement was the top expert of the third grandmaster realm, Ancestor Zhuge. With his protective battle aura cloaking him like a god of war, he condensed a long blade of pure energy in his hand. With a single flash, he slashed fiercely at Heiyu's shoulder. Yet, the blade was instantly shattered into pieces, leaving behind only a faint red scratch on the monster's skin.

"So this is the modern internal martial artist's cultivation method that Bingyan mentioned? A bit of a trick to it. Go on, continue."

Heiyu glanced at the wound on his shoulder. After a flash of dark light, the skin was restored to its original state. He then sneered at Ancestor Zhuge with a savage and wild grin.

Ancestor Zhuge was terrified, stumbling back a few steps in panic. Even a massive boulder would have been split cleanly in two by his energy blade, yet it had only managed to carve a minuscule scratch onto this monster. He had a premonition that the moment this monster struck again, it would mean his certain death, for the two sides were simply not on the same order of magnitude. Judging from the monster's words and actions, this was clearly some old undead creature that had lived for hundreds of years, and it was merely familiarizing itself with modern methods of attack.

The creature was simply playing with them like an old cat toying with a mouse. Once it grew accustomed to the methods, a devastating storm of disaster would follow!

"What, you don't want to make a move? Then I, the True Person, shall!"

Seeing Ancestor Zhuge hesitate, Heiyu let out a cold snort, and his figure instantly vanished from where he stood.

Oh no!

Ancestor Zhuge's heart leaped, and his first reaction was to violently retreat. But Heiyu was even faster. A streak of pitch-black claw shadow flashed by, instantly tearing through the protective battle aura that ordinary people viewed as indestructible, before brutally ripping off Ancestor Zhuge's left arm.

Ancestor Zhuge was sent flying, crashing heavily into the ground. His white battle aura could no longer be condensed. Not only was his entire left arm severed, but three deep claw marks that exposed the bone were also left carved across his chest. If the claw shadow had been just a fraction faster, he would have been split in two long ago.

Crunch, crunch!

"The meat is a bit old, but the taste isn't bad."

Heiyu tossed the severed arm into his mouth, tore off a massive chunk of flesh, chewed, swallowed, and then offered his evaluation.

This attitude of treating human beings like cattle and sheep for food drove everyone to the ultimate depths of despair. Even their strongest ancestor was not a match for a single strike from the monster; what could they do? Death was inevitable no matter what, and it would be the most miserable kind of death.

"The Heavens wish to destroy the Zhuge family..."

Zhuge Qian looked up and let out a long sigh, seemingly resigning himself to his fate.

"Yes, exactly like this. Fear makes flesh taste all the better, and the soul becomes even more delicious. Since that's the case, I, the True Person, won't stand on ceremony."

Heiyu chuckled softly, preparing to use the same trick again by releasing his corpse qi to enjoy a grand feast.

Boom!

Just then, a five-colored pillar of light suddenly erupted from the Divine Medicine Mountain, soaring straight into the sky and churning the wind and clouds. A terrifying spiritual pressure swept across all directions, as if demanding the submission of all things.

"It's Mr. Jiang! He is finally coming out of seclusion!"

Zhuge Qian shouted at the top of his lungs, weeping tears of joy. The sensation of suddenly finding hope amidst absolute despair was simply too overwhelming.

"This is the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator—the enemy Bingyan spoke of? Ah, this is the most delicious food of all, a supreme tonic!"

Heiyu stared at the five-colored pillar of light not far away, his eyes blazing with intense brilliance. Although this unfamiliar spiritual pressure vaguely gave him a sense of unease, it excited him far more. The flesh and soul of a cultivator, nourished by spiritual energy and magical power, were countless times better than these mortal bodies. Devouring just one of them would surpass a thousand ordinary people!

Especially since this Foundation Establishment cultivator was clearly still in seclusion, right at his weakest moment!

Whoosh!

Laughing maniacally, Heiyu transformed into a dark shadow and surged toward the direction of the treasury. After all, the two-legged sheep here couldn't run anywhere anyway.

The survivors of the Zhuge family let out long sighs of relief. Ancestor Zhuge struggled to his feet, his face completely drained of color, and said forcedly, "Hurry and retreat. This is no longer something we can meddle in. Let us hope Mr. Jiang can hold off this monster, otherwise the mortal realm will be plunged into utter devastation."

"The Changhen Law Body has finally been condensed!"

Inside the secret chamber of the treasury, Jiang An, who had been in seclusion for two and a half months, slowly withdrew his technique. He opened his hands and gazed at his crystal-clear palms, which looked even more flawless and breathtaking than the finest jade in the world.

Day and night, he had refined pills and practiced his techniques. First, relying on the potent power of medicinal pills, he had advanced into the Foundation Establishment stage, and then he immediately began cultivating the Changhen Law Body.

He had first stripped away the branches and ends of the Zidu Spirit Tree, keeping only the trunk because the trunk was where the essence lay. He chopped the trunk open and caught sight of the deep purple core within, finally putting his worries to rest. This was indeed a mature, usable material of the first stage.

Every three thousand years represented a stage for the Zidu Spirit Tree. At three thousand years, the tree core was deep purple; at six thousand years, flecks of gold would appear within the purple; and by nine thousand years, it reached full maturity—a resplendent purple-gold!

A purple-gold Zidu Spirit Tree was rare even in the Immortal Realm, let alone the mortal realm. Being able to find a three-thousand-year-old mature specimen was already a matter of destiny, so Jiang An was thoroughly satisfied as he began absorbing its vast life force to lay his foundation before condensing the Changhen Law Body.

For someone practicing this cultivation method for the first time, it would take at least five years or more to succeed. However, Jiang An was a man of great might and was undergoing his second reincarnation; he had surged forward at breakneck speed, basically completing it in a mere month, and today, he had achieved complete success.

Though heaven and earth endure, they eventually pass away, but this hatred stretches on without end—the Changhen Law Body did not cause self-hatred, but rather inflicted eternal, everlasting despair upon one's enemies.

Sensing the terrifying power lurking within his body like slumbering magma and surging like an angry ocean, Jiang An was just about to test the innate physical divine powers of the Changhen Law Body when an uninvited guest arrived.

The protective barriers of the treasury flickered incessantly; clearly, someone was trying to break through them with brute force!

Jiang An furrowed his brow and then released his divine sense.

Just as he had guessed, after advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage, the Earth seal within his sea of consciousness had indeed loosened, leaving cracks that allowed him to project his divine sense outward. The range of his divine sense was an astonishing twenty to thirty miles! One must know that top experts of the third grandmaster realm could typically only project their divine sense a dozen or twenty meters. It was quite literally a difference as vast as heaven and earth.

"To think it's a Foundation Establishment demonic corpse. Very well, Jiang shall use you to test his divine power!"

In the span of a breath, Jiang An understood the situation outside. He abruptly stood up, flicked his sleeve, and a surge of immense force whistled outward.

Outside the treasury, Heiyu, who had nearly shattered the barriers through brute force, grew increasingly excited, eager only to exterminate and devour the Foundation Establishment cultivator inside. At that moment, the treasury doors exploded into a shower of debris, and before he could react, an overwhelming force slammed straight into him, sending him flying into the distance like a punching bag.

Bang!

Heiyu leaped out of a human-shaped crater, an expression of utter disbelief on his face. He was a corpse cultivator blessed with immense strength and an incomparably tough physical body; how could he possibly be sent flying with a single blow?

Looking toward the entrance of the treasury, Jiang An strolled out leisurely. There was not a trace of aura leaking from him; he was so restrained that he looked more like a refined and gentle young nobleman. His gaze locked onto Heiyu, and he smiled faintly, "Mere monster, can you withstand a palm strike from Jiang?"

The Five Elements One-Qi Great Immortal-Seizing Hand!

This was the physical divine power derived from the Changhen Law Body. Jiang An stood motionless, merely raising his right hand slightly and grabbing through the air toward Heiyu.

Something miraculous happened. Heiyu felt the surrounding air tighten instantly, binding him as securely as a ring of steel. Despite his immense strength, he was utterly unable to move. At the same time, a thunderous roar erupted. Directly in front of Heiyu, a colossal, earthy-yellow hand thrust upward from the ground. Composed of soil and stone, it was extremely rough yet bore distinct lines of palm prints. Each finger was roughly as thick as a large truck, giving some indication of just how massive the entire hand was. When it lifted, it blocked out the sky, magnificent and awe-inspiring.

This simply did not look like power belonging to the mortal realm!

Everyone who witnessed this scene was struck dumb with shock, completely losing the ability to think. Meanwhile, Heiyu fell into boundless terror, watching helplessly as the hand stretched out like a dark cloud and then closed its five fingers. Before that giant hand, his diminutive figure looked like nothing more than a mosquito.

"No!"

The giant hand gently clenched. There was no sound save for a final roar of defiance, and Heiyu was instantly reduced to fine dust. Even his soul was obliterated. Under that single palm strike, he wasn't even qualified to enter the cycle of reincarnation.

Swish, swish.

After the single strike, the light of the giant hand flickered and lost its spiritual resonance, collapsing into a pile of earth and stone that piled up into a mound over ten meters high.

Jiang An dusted off his hands, appearing quite satisfied with the power of his divine power. Under a single palm strike, a Foundation Establishment cultivator was certainly not a match for even a single exchange; they were fit only to be instantly killed! Afterward, he turned his head slightly, his gaze piercing through space to instantly land on a single person.

In the place where the Zidu Spirit Tree had originally stood, Bingyan felt as though he had plunged into an ice cellar!