Chapter 711: Shattering the Firmament
Zhang Yu exclaimed in surprise, “Teacher, are we really going to act now? Isn’t it a bit too hasty?”
He hadn’t expected Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole to be so decisive, moving to strike immediately.
Beside him, Divine Monarch Greenwood grabbed Zhang Yu’s other hand, and together with Magnetic Pole, they surged toward the firmament. Greenwood explained, “The Righteous Qi Alliance’s plan to prevent the Heavenly Court’s descent is far too reckless. Every moment we delay risks irreversible damage.”
“We’ve already reached an agreement with the other great universities to shatter the firmament as quickly as possible and strike directly at the Righteous Qi Alliance’s headquarters.”
As the firmament loomed closer, Zhang Yu realized another reason for their urgency.
“Masters, are you doing this to protect me? By breaking through the firmament in secret, you’re reducing the chances of the World-Piercing Cone’s true nature being discovered.”
Moments later, the World-Piercing Cone in Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole’s hand crashed violently into the firmament between Kunxu’s Third and Fourth Layers.
Inside the World-Piercing Cone, Zhang Yu had already activated the power of Kunlun in the Palm and the Immortal Descendant, determined to shatter the spatial barrier before him.
But with this collision, Zhang Yu sensed something different, something vastly different.
If his previous attempt to breach the firmament had felt like a man charging against a mountain, this time it felt like a single person trying to topple an entire continent.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “This is different… completely different. The firmament this time contains far greater power and more advanced technology, filled with deeper mysteries.”
Boom!
Vital energy surged violently, and Magic Power flowed backward. Even with Zhang Yu’s formidable physique and extraordinary defensive capabilities, he felt his body sustain damage from the impact.
Knowing he couldn’t stop, Zhang Yu gritted his teeth, clasped his palms together, and thrust forward, slamming the spatial gateway represented by the Immortal Descendant against the firmament.
Amidst the thunderous roar, it sounded as if countless lightning bolts were simultaneously detonating across the sky.
Under the astonished gazes of countless cultivators, the firmament above the Grand Void cracked into a dense, spiderweb-like pattern. In the next instant, it shattered completely, revealing a massive hole leading to the Fourth Layer of Kunxu.
Simultaneously, divine light erupted from the campuses of the Ten Great Universities. Beams of radiant energy, each symbolizing the power of a Spirit Transformation cultivator, shot skyward and converged toward the Grand Void.
Divine Monarch Sinful Lotus, crossing the Spirit Realm, called out, “Magnetic Pole! How did you suddenly breach the firmament? When did you repair the World-Piercing Cone? You didn’t even mention it…”
Divine Monarch Nether Spring added, “Slow down, Magnetic Pole. Wait for us to regroup…”
Divine Monarch Great Devourer of Celestial Monsters University unfurled her mountain-like physical body, soaring into the sky with a tempestuous roar that stirred up violent winds and torrential rain.
“Wait for me!” Divine Monarch Great Devourer bellowed. “I’m going to the Fourth and Fifth Layers to plunder… to launch a preemptive strike against the Righteous Qi Alliance!”
Sensing her cumbersome physical body was far too slow compared to the other Spirit Transformation cultivators, Divine Monarch Great Devourer unleashed a dragon roar and sent her Primordial Spirit streaking toward the Grand Void like a bolt of lightning.
As the firmament between the Third and Fourth Layers shattered, the numerous Spirit Transformation Cultivators from the Ten Universities stirred into action, rushing to converge as if fearing they would miss the opportunity to assault the Fourth and Fifth Layers.
Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole, however, didn’t even glance back. Grabbing Zhang Yu by the arm, she and Divine Monarch Greenwood pierced through the Fourth Layer’s firmament and continued their ascent, shattering countless restrictions and formations along the way until they reached the firmament between the Fourth and Fifth Layers.
Zhang Yu watched as the entirety of the Fourth Layer’s landscape blurred past below. It was a world covered in concrete, metal, and countless buildings, devoid of any visible greenery. Only endless Immortal Dao structures filled the heavens and earth.
Within some of these Immortal Dao structures, Zhang Yu noticed grid-like compartments, each containing various living beings: Demon Beasts, monsterfolk, and humans…
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “The Fourth Layer… the location of the Ten Great Universities’ Research Institutes and doctoral programs.”
During their ascent, Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole asked, “Good disciple, can you still fight?”
Zhang Yu nodded. “No problem.”
In the next instant, the World-Piercing Cone struck the firmament again, unleashing an earth-shattering roar. Before the eyes of the Spirit Transformation Cultivators, a massive hole tore open in the sky.
As they gazed upon this sight, with the Fourth and Fifth Layers of Kunxu now fully revealed before them, their hearts surged with a mix of emotions: excitement, solemnity, anxiety, greed… Each cultivator felt something different.
Yet their subsequent actions were remarkably uniform. They all mobilized their full power and resources, preparing to storm the Fourth and Fifth Layers to reclaim everything their universities had left behind, fearing that any delay would allow other Spirit Transformation Cultivators to seize it first.
In particular, they often guarded more fiercely against Spirit Transformation Cultivators from their own universities, knowing that only those from their own schools would know exactly what treasures and resources remained in the Fourth and Fifth Layers.
In an instant, streams of divine light soared through the air as the Spirit Transformation Cultivators, their speeds and distances varying, surged into the realms of the Fifth and Fourth Layers.
As the Spirit Transformation Experts from the Ten Universities simultaneously moved, arriving one after another at the Fourth and Fifth Layers of Kunxu, the Righteous Qi Alliance had already responded.
Streams of divine light pierced the sky, countless great formations lit up across the land, and Spatial Barriers rose in layers. Countless points of light, representing various cultivators and magical artifacts, began to flicker like a legendary sea of stars.
In that moment, the Ten Universities Spirit Transformation Experts faced a world of enemies. Everywhere they looked, above and below, all they saw were foes and opponents.
An overwhelming wave of hostility surged toward them, threatening to shatter the entire Fourth and Fifth Layers into dust.
Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole stood in the Fifth Layer of Kunxu, her hands clasped behind her back, sensing the boundless hostility. She handed the damaged and twisted World-Piercing Cone to Zhang Yu, who stood beside her.
“Zhang Yu, take my World-Piercing Cone and return first. This will become a Spirit Transformation battlefield, and it’s not safe for you to remain here.”
With a wave of her hand, the fiery light of the Heavenly Sun Radiance God enveloped Zhang Yu’s body, escorting him downward in a controlled descent.
Meanwhile, Divine Monarch Sinful Lotus, arriving slightly later, also witnessed the scene. His gaze lingered briefly on the World-Piercing Cone clutched in Zhang Yu’s arms, noting its twisted, shattered form, now broken into several pieces. He paid it no further attention.
He approached Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole and Divine Monarch Greenwood, standing shoulder to shoulder with them.
“Magnetic Pole,” Divine Monarch Sinful Lotus remarked, “your actions today were remarkably decisive.”
Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole snorted coldly. “If we kept waiting for your endless debates, who knows when we’d reach a conclusion? We couldn’t just stand by and watch these traitors destroy the Fifth Layer.”
Simultaneously, under the protection of the Heavenly Sun Radiance God, Zhang Yu plummeted downward. Through his eyes, the Fifth and Fourth Layers of Kunxu receded rapidly, while streams of divine light representing Spirit Transformation power surged past him.
As these Spirit Transformation cultivators passed, each cast a cursory glance at the World-Piercing Cone in his arms.
Apparently having received word from Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole, none paid heed to the damaged magical artifact, already fractured during its breach of the firmament. Instead, they hurried toward the battlefield, fearing they might miss something crucial.
Zhang Yu descended to the Grand Void above Kunxu’s Third Layer and saw the Fourth and Fifth Layers of Kunxu’s sky ablaze with divine light. An earth-shattering battle between Spirit Transformation cultivators had erupted.
Simultaneously, vast numbers of cultivators began constructing formations and fortresses around the Grand Void, reinforcing the critical passage connecting the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Layers.
While the Spirit Transformation cultivators clashed, other cultivators from the various universities served as logistical support, maintaining stability within their respective sectors and continuously contributing resources and supplies to sustain the war effort.
Against this backdrop of countless cultivators soaring skyward, Zhang Yu slowly descended back into the Research Association on Kunxu’s Third Layer.
Without greeting anyone, Zhang Yu clutched the World-Piercing Cone and retreated to his Meditation Chamber.
“Yu Zi!” Bai Zhenzhen exclaimed, relieved to see him return. “You were just — “
Before she could finish, Zhang Yu, who had just sat down, suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood mist.
“Yu Zi? How did you sustain such severe injuries?”
During the two consecutive breaches of the firmament, Zhang Yu felt every inch of his flesh and blood being repeatedly crushed by the impact.
The backlash from shattering the firmament proved far more severe than he had anticipated.
“I thought with my greatly advanced cultivation, breaking through the firmament this time would be as easy as flipping my hand. But I never expected…”
Zhang Yu felt his ruptured internal organs, his bones riddled with hairline fractures, his meridians scarred and torn, and his vital energy and Magic Power surging violently within him.
He thought to himself, “If my body’s defensive capabilities hadn’t skyrocketed recently, I wouldn’t have been able to withstand these injuries, let alone break through two firmament layers in succession.”
At the same time, the Profound Cold Meridian activated at full force, freezing each part of Zhang Yu’s body one by one, inducing a state of self-healing.
Feeling his injuries rapidly healing under the meridian’s influence, Zhang Yu let out a slight sigh of relief.
But soon, his mind drifted back to the process of breaking through the firmament.
“The firmament of the Fourth and Fifth Layers were completely different from the Spatial Barriers I’d encountered before.”
A flicker of worry crossed Zhang Yu’s mind. “They contain Spatial Technology I don’t understand, which could have a significant impact on the upcoming Spirit Transformation War.”
With this thought, Zhang Yu resolved that once his injuries healed, he would immediately focus on enhancing his Immortal Sect Daoist Arts, pushing the Three Realms and Ten Directions Great Void Barrier to its maximum level of 40 as quickly as possible to prepare for any unforeseen variables.