Chapter 333: Chapter 323: Five Secrets of Emperor Achievement, Sacrificing Oneself to the Artifact

After dealing with the Ten Thousand Demon Holy Land, Hong Yuan visited every significant power within the Demon Clan, reaping bounteous rewards.

It wasn’t that no major powers wanted to resist him, but when he subtly demonstrated methods approaching an alternative Tao Achievement, these powers bowed their heads faster than fawning dogs.

After some time, Hong Yuan and Han Kui set their final target on the strongest force of the Demon Clan—the Demon Court!

A place shrouded in dark clouds, where no sunlight reached: the Abyssal Ocean.

Here lay the Demon Clan’s most mysterious and unfathomable stronghold, the Demon Court.

When Hong Yuan arrived, he was intercepted by Demon Saint Heavenly Talents of the Demon Clan, led by the Worm Roc Gu Jingshou.

"Dragon God Saint Lord, please halt your steps, or we will not be courteous," Gu Jingshou charged forward resolutely.

Hong Yuan lowered his gaze upon hearing this, glancing at the four ancient Heavenly Talents who had been unsealed from Divine Source Sky.

Each of them was imposing and full of vigor.

Some were as cold as eternal frost, others as fiery as the blazing sun...

Yet Hong Yuan scoffed, "Just you lot? You don’t even possess a hint of Tianli’s caliber, yet you dare to obstruct me!?"

As he finished speaking, Hong Yuan’s gaze sharpened, his entire being exuding a frigid aura.

Behind him, Tao Marks of the Great Moon surged, and a vision manifested.

A desolate universe, the Milky Way like a ribbon, Star Regions like chess pieces; stars emerged one after another, radiating the light of the Great Moon, coalescing into the Divine Appearance of the Great Moon Star Lord.

Wave upon wave of immense pressure, like tangible tides of starlight, continuously spread outward.

Seeing this, the faces of the four Heavenly Talents, unsealed from ancient times, changed drastically.

"How is this possible? The Great Moon Star Lord!?" one of the heroic-looking Green Phoenix female cultivators exclaimed shrilly.

The Great Moon and the Great Sun both represented supreme Great Taoism, possessing terrifying power and various unique abilities; harnessing the power of the sun, moon, and stars was a common feat for them.

She truly couldn’t believe Hong Yuan’s growth was so terrifying.

The few Demon Saint Heavenly Talents wavered, one by one stepping aside to clear a path.

However, the Worm Roc Gu Jingshou clenched his jaw, held his ground, and issued a challenge to Hong Yuan.

"Dragon God Saint Lord, I challenge you!"

"Heh."

Hong Yuan let out a cold laugh.

With a mere thought, numerous Tao Marks of the Great Moon swirled the starlight tides, forming a vast expanse of purple light that pressed down majestically towards Gu Jingshou.

Gu Jingshou felt as if his insides would rupture, his body trembling, yet he forcefully maintained the pride of his status as a Heavenly Talent who had been sealed in Divine Source Sky, preventing himself from losing composure.

He roared towards the heavens, striking out with a heavy fist at the vast purple light.

In a single exchange, his spine was bent, and his head drooped in dejection.

Had Hong Yuan not retracted his technique in time, Gu Jingshou would have undoubtedly died at his hands.

Killing was not the goal, merely a means. Hong Yuan was not bloodthirsty. He had come to the Demon Court to obtain research materials concerning "Tao Mark Contradiction."

"Crushing Gu Jingshou in a single blow, that was too easy."

"His status as the Son of Fortune grants Han Jiuming too much power; his essence might not be much better than ours."

"Heh, Gu Jingshou is a Worm Roc; his talent and aptitude are only slightly inferior to Tianli’s. This Han Jiuming definitely has the strength; don’t deceive yourselves."

The three Demon Saint Heavenly Talents who had moved aside watched this unfold, exchanging glances, each seeing the shock in the others’ eyes.

They had always believed that even if "Han Jiuming" had a head start, they would eventually catch up.

However, the outcome of this confrontation told them they had been sorely mistaken.

Destiny is Destiny not because one is chosen, but because one is willing to bear it!

"I... lost just like that?"

Gu Jingshou stared in disbelief at his own hands, which were mangled and broken.

He had considered defeat, but never had he imagined it would be so effortless.

"Your will is not yet firm enough. Go back," Hong Yuan stated calmly.

Sensing the various terrifying auras within the Abyssal Ocean, Hong Yuan dispelled any complacency in his heart and prepared himself seriously. These old monsters in here won’t be easy to deal with.

「...」

Within the Demon Court, amidst a pitch-black radiance and gusting storms, lay several islands.

As Hong Yuan and Han Kui stepped inside, an old, white-haired man with a dark turtle shell on his back appeared before them, intending to guide them.

"Great Moon, I am Dark Turtle. We are already aware of what you seek; that information is on Qingmu Island ahead," Old Dark Turtle said slowly, about to fly towards Qingmu Island.

Suddenly, his body stiffened for a moment; Hong Yuan had audaciously used the Myriad Silence Divine Power to probe the area.

"Your Information Tao Divine Power is not bad," Old Dark Turtle remarked, his tone peculiar, a somewhat sarcastic praise.

"Heh, you flatter me," Hong Yuan offered a faint smile and, with Han Kui, followed.

In truth, while outside, he had repeatedly used the Myriad Silence Realm Divine Power to probe, but most of his consciousness had been blocked, as if looking through a dense fog that obscured clear sight.

Once inside, he could observe much more clearly.

Nine immense life flames, vast as great suns, lay dormant!

Besides these nine, there were over twenty of the Demon Clan’s top Heavenly Talents, sealed by the Eternal Divine Origin Seal.

These, most likely, constituted the Demon Clan’s hidden reserves.

Once the Human Clan Era ended, they would all emerge one after another, becoming the central pillars of the Demon Clan!

The Demon Clan’s Demon Court has such contingency plans; the Human Race’s Heavenly Palace must surely have made sufficient countermeasures, Hong Yuan thought. Soon, they arrived at Qingmu Island.

On Qingmu Island, a dense forest of towering trees soared into the clouds. Deep within the forest, birds and beasts played ceaselessly, and clear streams flowed over ancient stones, creating an atmosphere of natural tranquility and mystery.

They came to a bamboo hut filled with Jade Simples, all of which were research materials on "Tao Mark Contradiction."

Just then, Old Dark Turtle secretly transmitted a message to Hong Yuan, revealing the Five Secrets of Emperor Achievement. "Great Moon," he conveyed, "the Human Race Destiny has emerged. It is time to inform you about the Five Secrets of Emperor Achievement.

"First: The Immortal Aperture Origin of a Saint must be capable of producing normal White Lychee Immortal Nuance. This refers to a normal Eight-Rotation Saint; those who have sealed their Immortal Aperture Origin are not counted.

"Second: A Saint’s primary cultivation path Tao Marks must reach a scale of at least 300,000. This means having passed three Ten Thousand Calamities.

"Third: A Saint’s attainment in their primary cultivation path must be at the Supreme Grandmaster level.

"Fourth: After fulfilling the first three conditions, a Saint must reach Black Heaven for their Immortal Aperture Origin to undergo a qualitative change and produce Yellow Apricot Immortal Nuance.

"Fifth: White Heaven is the ultimate land, containing the opportunity for achieving emperorship, or perhaps the eternal life mystery. One must pass through Black Heaven and enter White Heaven to grasp the Heaven Heart Imprint and attain the true status of Great Emperor."

Ahead, Han Kui had already begun to collect the Jade Simples, while Hong Yuan’s steps paused for an instant.

The Human Race Destiny has emerged... The Five Secrets of Emperor Achievement... "I understand," Hong Yuan replied expressionlessly, turning back toward Han Kui.

Meanwhile, as Old Dark Turtle watched Han Kui examining the Jade Simples, a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

To obtain an extraordinary Holy Artifact, how could one not make an extraordinary sacrifice? Forbidden Power is not so easily obtained. Using oneself as a sacrifice for an artifact, though cruel, is indeed an effective method to partially resolve the Tao Mark Contradiction issue. And the requirements for this self-sacrificial ritual are extremely stringent!