Chapter 653: Immortal Descendant
From the slums of Songyang City on the First Layer, Zhang Yu had climbed to the Second Layer, joined the Ten Greats, and now stood on the highest stage for university students.
His ambitions had gradually evolved.
Initially, he had only wanted enough to eat, to survive, to live longer. But as his power grew and his wealth increased, he began to crave more.
He wanted to protect Bai Zhenzhen, rescue his classmate Zhao Tianxing, shelter Yu Xinghan, help Che Yufei make money, start a company, employ his fellow villagers, and recruit his classmates.
The stronger he became, the greater his desires grew.
“I… no longer just want to survive.”
“Surviving isn’t enough for me, not nearly enough.”
“Because I refuse to settle for less.”
“Because I’m dissatisfied with this world.”
“I want to join a sect, climb to even greater heights, and amass even more wealth…”
“And damn it, I want to change the world, even if it’s just a little, for a few people, in a few ways.”
As Kuang Tianqing charged forward once more, Zhang Yu poured every ounce of his spirit, every thought, every intention… completely into this battle.
Heavenly Sword qi surged upward to meet Kuang Tianqing’s attack.
The earth shattered, the shockwave propelling both warriors skyward.
In an instant, Zhang Yu and Kuang Tianqing had ascended from the ground to the heavens.
“Zhang Yu,” Kuang Tianqing sneered, “your aura has changed.”
“Has your ambition swelled with your power?”
“You… do you also seek to reshape the world?”
As their clash intensified, the sky erupted with explosions like miniature suns, each one bursting and dissipating in turn.
Watching Zhang Yu’s unwavering resolve, Kuang Tianqing mused inwardly, “In this world, the greater one’s power, the greater one’s influence over it.”
She sighed inwardly, “The greater the influence, the greater the wealth. And the greater the wealth, the greater the power.”
“As cultivators ascend step by step, as their strength grows, their desire to influence the world — to reshape it — only intensifies.”
“But who decides which direction that change should take? Who determines what is right and what is wrong?”
Kuang Tianqing said earnestly, “Who knows? Whether they’re Immortals or Foundation Establishment cultivators, whether their influence is vast or small, whether they change much or little, they all ultimately seek to dominate the environment, to defile this world.”
“Then they reshape it to suit their needs, to match their desires, forcing the world to satisfy their ambitions and fulfill their cravings.”
Zhang Yu felt Kuang Tianqing’s fighting spirit intensifying, her battle intent growing ever more fervent.
“Longevity, Dharma Realms, Sentient Heaven and Earth… all mere excuses for the powerful to indulge their selfish desires, to forcibly mold the world according to their will.”
“But what does it matter?”
“Am I not doing the same?”
Zhang Yu sighed inwardly. “Are my ideas truly superior to those of everyone in Kunxu? Are they more suited to this place? No. In the end, changing the world is just about imposing my own vision, satisfying my own interests.”
“In this moment, in this battle, the clash between Kuang Tianqing and me is the confrontation between the two University Students with the greatest ambitions and desires. We fight and kill to realize our grand aspirations, to fulfill our own selfish goals…”
They battled across the earth, then into the sky, and finally deep underground.
Magic Power was recklessly expended, magical artifacts were used without regard for repair costs, and Bionics were relentlessly worn down as their Golden Cores shattered repeatedly.
The two warriors fought with every ounce of their strength, relentlessly clashing again and again.
One minute, ten minutes, an hour… When they finally paused, a full ten hours had passed.
The sun in the sky had begun its descent, its fading rays casting long shadows across the battlefield. The sunset seemed to herald the imminent end of one of their lives, the exhaustion of their power.
After ten hours of relentless combat, having exhausted every technique and drained every reserve of strength, both fighters had gained an intimate understanding of their opponent’s capabilities.
They could sense their opponent’s power steadily waning, their condition deteriorating, growing increasingly “weak” and insufficient.
When this decline reached a critical threshold, both fighters simultaneously halted.
“All techniques have been exhausted, and our strength has reached its limit,” Zhang Yu said calmly. “Kuang Tianqing, it’s time to settle this.”
Kuang Tianqing nodded. “Even with our combined reserves, we’ve reached our limits. Zhang Yu… are you ready to admit defeat?”
Looking at Zhang Yu, Kuang Tianqing couldn’t help but feel surprised.
Having absorbed the power of countless academic overachievers from the Four Heavenly Demon Schools, Kuang Tianqing had believed her strength not only surpassed all other university students, but that her endurance and stamina were also unmatched.
Yet after ten hours of fierce combat, ten hours of relentless fighting, Zhang Yu showed no signs of faltering. It was as if an endless reservoir of inner strength and potential was constantly erupting from his body.
Zhang Yu, equally surprised, gazed at Kuang Tianqing. He hadn’t expected her to withstand his full arsenal of ultimate techniques for so long.
His Civil Engineering Sacred Body granted him enhanced defensive capabilities, allowing him to withstand injuries with greater resilience.
By periodically switching to Qi Meridian Everflow and leveraging the synergistic effects of his Dual Spirit Root, he could rapidly replenish his Magic Power.
Furthermore, the amplification from his Dual Spirit Root allowed Zhang Yu to grow stronger and more courageous with each passing moment of battle.
“It seems… I’ll have to resort to that final move after all.”
As Zhang Yu’s gaze flickered, he activated the power of the Immortal Descendant.
The Immortal Descendant originated from the Dao Seed within Dao Qiankun’s corpse.
After countless painstaking attempts and repeated submissions of modification blueprints to the artifact spirit, Zhang Yu had finally succeeded in replicating this Dao Seed.
The potential of this Dao Seed was unlike anything Zhang Yu had ever encountered.
“The Immortal Descendant represents a power derived from the Immortals.”
“And this power allows me to…”
As the Immortal Descendant’s power activated, Zhang Yu felt as if a new dimension had opened within his body — a space connected to another realm.
“A spatial pocket? A storage ring? Divine Might?”
Zhang Yu couldn’t grasp the true nature or limits of this ability.
All he knew was that at Level 1, the Immortal Descendant allowed him to manipulate space within the Kunxu World.
He could open a spatial pocket approximately 10 cubic meters in size and connect it to his body, transferring any matter that came into contact with him into that space.
“At least at Level 1, the Immortal Descendant can only transfer inanimate objects, and the contact area is limited to about 30 square centimeters.”
Zhang Yu understood that after opening the spatial rift, he would only have an opening of approximately 30 square centimeters for entry and exit.
This 30-square-centimeter portal could only manifest on his own body.
Throughout the fierce battle, Zhang Yu had refrained from using the power of his Immortal Descendant heritage. Partly, this was due to his confidence that he could secure victory even without resorting to this ability.
More importantly, Zhang Yu didn’t want anyone to discover his possession of such power. Therefore, in this final battle watched by countless eyes, he was reluctant to reveal his full capabilities.
However, as the battle reached its climax, Zhang Yu, determined to win and defeat his opponent, decided to use this power to enhance his chances of victory.
“If the Immortal Descendant heritage is used merely for storage, its impact on the outcome would be negligible.”
“But if used for defense, to shield me from injuries — even if only affecting an area of 30 square centimeters — it could tip the scales of victory.”
As Zhang Yu pondered, Kuang Tianqing had already moved.
At this critical moment, with both sides pushed to their limits, Kuang Tianqing understood there would be no more room for maneuvering. The outcome, all strategies, all desires… would be decided by the next strike.
With this strike, she would wager everything, risking her very life, all to obliterate Zhang Yu.
Death?
As long as Zhang Yu died before her, as long as she won this battle, death was a price she was willing to pay.
The power of her Golden Core coalesced, its terrifying aura surging. Under the astonished gazes of countless spectators, Kuang Tianqing was charging toward the Golden Core Realm with unprecedented momentum.
Ye Xingli exclaimed in surprise, “What is she doing? At this rate, her momentum will be too strong. She won’t have time to shatter her Golden Core and will completely enter the Golden Core Realm!”
Jiutian Liu’s heart stirred. “She’s aiming for an unprecedented proximity to the Golden Core Realm…”
Shattering the Golden Core required completing the process before fully entering the Golden Core Realm.
It was clear that the closer one approached the Golden Core Realm, the more devastating the power unleashed upon shattering the core.
However, the closer one got, the more difficult the shattering became. The slightest miscalculation could lead to a complete breakthrough, resulting in an uncertified Golden Core.
After countless training sessions, Kuang Tianqing had mastered controlling the Golden Core shattering process to eighty percent completion, sometimes even ninety percent.
But now, as Kuang Tianqing unleashed her full power and her aura surged to unprecedented heights, she instantly reached ninety percent completion in a single breath.
She didn’t stop, continuing to surge toward 91%, 95%… 99%!
This desperate sprint toward the Golden Core Realm allowed Kuang Tianqing to complete 99% of her breakthrough process in an instant. It seemed she would fully enter the Golden Core Realm and reach a new level in the next moment.
Was there still time to shatter her Golden Core?
Was there still time to halt her breakthrough?
Countless spectators watched, the same questions flooding their minds.
They seemed to see the moment Kuang Tianqing would be defeated due to her uncertified Golden Core.
Then Kuang Tianqing showed them, through her actions, that there was indeed plenty of time.
Because she had no intention of shattering her Golden Core.
She was going to self-detonate her Golden Core. She was going to self-detonate her physical body!
“Zhang Yu, how could I allow you to defile my world with your Dharma Realm? How could I allow you to harvest my world’s wealth with it?”
With a terrifying aura approaching the Golden Core Realm, Kuang Tianqing’s body erupted in a crimson mist, already disintegrating layer by layer under the Netherworld Disintegration Technique.
“I’m giving you this life!”
“In this battle, all I want is for you to die before me!”
The terrifying strike, the invincible strike, the strongest strike of Kuang Tianqing’s life, hurtled toward Zhang Yu.
By now, Kuang Tianqing’s body had lost all semblance of human form.
“Immortal Scum! Fall!”