Forging Immortality through the Dao Seed

It felt like a duel between masters, where a touch signified defeat.

It seemed as though influenced by some force,

the beast on the ground struggled to stand and began to retreat slowly, aiming to distance itself from the center of combat.

However,

a figure in a black robe suddenly appeared, blocking its path.

This was Zhang Jing.

He held the Three-Treasure Jade Ruyi in his hand. Upon appearing, he didn't even offer a greeting, and instead immediately started to beat down on the beast relentlessly.

He targeted the most severely wounded areas explicitly, capitalizing on the beast's weaknesses with a merciless intent!

Under the push of formidable world power, the Heavenly Three Treasures Ruyi suddenly became as heavy as a mountain, each blow making the beast's already severe injuries even more gruesome.

At that moment, even the beast, whose physical strength was comparable to that of immortal treasures, couldn't help but let out severely agonizing howls.

And perhaps it was an illusion,

but Zhang Jing thought he could detect a strong sense of grievance in the beast's wails.

Could this be possible?!

With each subsequent strike, he hit even harder than before, and the beast's howling grew louder and more piercing with each blow!

The two sounds echoed each other, setting a grim rhythm of sorts.

Meanwhile, not far away, upon Zhang Jing's appearance, the other beasts abruptly ceased their fighting and, with seeming understanding, charged toward Zhang Jing.

But by the time they arrived, Zhang Jing had already vanished without a trace, leaving only a smashed corpse that was slowly dissipating.

Without a target, the various beasts' eyes turned red with bloodlust again, and they resumed fighting.

"The God-Demon Tower has mechanisms to prevent exploitation of loopholes, but it's too rigid, unfortunately."

In the depths of the void,

Zhang Jing thought slyly, a faint smile spreading across his face.

Although he ultimately had to personally eliminate these beasts, the difficulty had indeed been significantly reduced.

Now, he was just a short time away from passing through the sixth layer.

Time trickled by.

Zhang Jing repeated the same tactics.

The second one, the third, the fourth… until the last beast was turned completely into a corpse, and the vast space of the sixth layer of the God-Demon Tower slowly returned to peace.

The sky began to shower copper coins, creating a pleasing clinking sound.

A grand voice resonated through heaven and earth, "Congratulations on passing through the sixth layer and being promoted to the rank of distinguished citizen. Would you like to continue the challenge?"

"No!"

Zhang Jing decisively refused.

While the process of passing through the sixth layer was relatively easy for him, it was after all with the help of some tricks. Facing the seventh layer, which was ten times more fearsome, he lack confidence and naturally did not want to waste the copper coins.

The goal of the trip had been reached anyway.

...

...

With a flash, he disappeared,

and suddenly beneath his feet, a sensation of softness spread, along with the faint scent of fresh grass.

A thought arose in Zhang Jing's mind.

The Devil God Ranking slowly unfurled before him.

[First: Bai Yuzi (Eighth Layer)]

[Second: Zuo Qingtian (Seventh Layer)]

[Third: Four-armed Rakshasa (Seventh Layer)]

[Fourth: Qingyun (Six/Seventh Layer)]

...

"Fourth—"

Zhang Jing said calmly, his expression neither sad nor happy as his figure disappeared in a flash.

...

...

Outside the God-Demon Tower,

a handsome man transformed from a Four-winged Dragon stood in silence, as if waiting for something.

Since the host did not leave, the many Harmonized Dao True Immortals who had come upon hearing news, all with their own agendas, were not in a rush to depart.

"Dao friend Cang, what are you waiting for?"

The bearded burly man beside him couldn't contain his curiosity and asked directly.

"If you have matters to attend to, why not leave first? It's my first time entering the Immortal City, and naturally, I'd like to see more," said the handsome man with a smile.

"In that case, I'll take my leave first," said the bearded man, a realization dawning on him, as he turned to leave.

But just as he took a step,

a diminutive Harmonized Dao being ran out excitedly and frantically from behind the gate of the God-Demon Tower, shouting at the top of his voice, "Unbelievable, something big has happened, someone has successfully passed through the sixth layer of the God-Demon Tower!"

At these words,

A sudden hush fell before the God-Demon Tower!

Thousands of gazes abruptly shifted away from the Four-winged Dragon and became fixated on the God-Demon Tower, their eyes simultaneously revealing an incredible light of disbelief.

Someone passed the sixth floor?

How is that possible!

Isn't that the domain of those three freaks? It is known that even the most powerful alliances of Immortal Island are reluctant to interfere with any actions of the top three on the Devil God Ranking.

Even if the others were hunting in their own territories, they dared not utter a word of complaint.

The reason is simple, the disparity in strength is too large, and numbers have lost their meaning.

And now, someone has actually crossed that threshold?

Under the shocking tide of this news, the recent joining of a powerful Feathering True Immortal to the Qiyuan Alliance seemed much less important.

Time slowly passed.

A tremendous storm, with the God-Demon Tower at its center, began to sweep rapidly through the vast areas of Bliss Immortal City and even the entire Bliss Fairy Island.

All because of a name that was not well known to the vast majority—Qingyun.

The fourth existence in Immortal City to successfully breach the sixth floor of the God-Demon Tower!

Suddenly, many beings on the island began to frantically probe for information about this mysterious existence called 'Qingyun.'

Unfortunately, they came up empty-handed.

The only information they knew was that this being had arrived at Immortal Island at the very beginning of its opening, with an initial Devil God Ranking of twenty-third.

It was very clear that this was a result of intentionally hiding his power.

As for the specific reasons, that remained unknown.

...

...

Qiyuan Alliance.

In a particular courtyard, a man in white stood with his hands behind his back, muttering to himself,

"If we could invite him to join... No! If he were to join, who would be the leader of the Qiyuan Alliance is yet to be said."

"But, who exactly is he to be able to hide so deeply? And why has he stopped hiding his strength now?"

"We need to find out, we must at least know who he is; otherwise, if we allow such an existence to remain hidden in the shadows—"

The man in white shivered.

At the same time.

Inner City, not far from Zhang Jing's residence, within a house.

The handsome man transformed from the Four-winged Dragon suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint surging from the depths of his pupil.

The figure he had encountered behind the gates of the God-Demon Tower continued to linger in his mind, persistently haunting him like a nightmare.

"There are nine God-Demon Towers in Immortal City, and which one Qingyun was at remains uncertain. However, intuition tells me that Zhang Jing might just be Qingyun!"

...

...

Immortal Fish Alliance.

"How is it, have you found those three Feathering stage friends?" the woman asked hopefully.

The man in purple and the man in white hung their heads in unison, silent.

Seeing this.

"I knew it," the woman said with a sigh, rubbing her forehead in resignation, "Forget it then, let's not search for now. You two have a more important task now, to find the one ranked fourth on the Devil God Ranking as soon as possible and see if there's any hope of him joining us."

"For added security, I will arrange for Heavenly Snake True Immortal to go with you later."

"Remember, if you encounter that person, you must be respectful!"

"Yes, boss!"

...

...

In the blink of an eye, another two days passed.

That night.

At midnight.

The gates to Bliss Ghost Market punctually appeared at the center of the courtyard.

After making some preparations, Zhang Jing quietly emerged into the thick of night.

He peeked around the Ghost Market gate, taking a glance inside, and only after ensuring there were few people coming and going did he confidently proceed.

Although one could hide their form within the Ghost Market, they were ultimately surrounded by Harmonized Dao True Immortals, and it wasn't impossible that someone possessed some odd Great Divine Power that could see through his black garb.

So for Zhang Jing, the mantra was always better safe than sorry.

Moreover, compared to the so-called alliances on Bliss Fairy Island and the multitude of Harmonized Dao Loose Cultivators, what Zhang Jing was truly wary of were the five major powers, including the Mysterious Pavilion.

They were so low-key that it made him feel uneasy.

After all, as the old saying goes: A barking dog never bites.

Tap-tap—

A series of subtle footsteps rang out on the empty street.

Zhang Jing hastened along the familiar cobblestone path, and in just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a nine-story pavilion slowly came into view.

Through the main entrance, one could faintly make out the figure of a plump and wealthy man standing behind the counter.