Martial Ascent to Divinity-Chapter 704 - 683: Battle of the Trees

Zhou Leng dashed along the trunk, leaping upwards, reaching the summit of the mother tree, which unfolded before his eyes.

Under the impact of the Void God power, the giant crown of the mother tree bloomed like a flower.

The uneven crown of the mother tree was blasted into a concave basin, with a diameter of four or five kilometers.

At the center of the charred basin, the shattered corpse of the mother insect was scattered.

Its body slowly melted, exuding streams of black mucus seeping into the mother tree.

The one-armed Celestial Calamity Envoy leaned against the mother insect, slumped on the ground, his body covered in scars, barely an inch of intact skin.

In the wounds, glimmers of green poisonous light emanated.

Even the strong divine avatar, the wounds could not heal.

The Celestial Calamity Envoy raised his head, looking at Zhou Leng ahead.

Zhou Leng did not rush forward recklessly, walking leisurely as he observed the surroundings.

"Your Majesty the Celestial Calamity Envoy, after several days apart, meeting again is a great joy." Zhou Leng spoke as he approached.

"Your physique and cultivation technique... interesting."

The Celestial Calamity Envoy’s eyes were lively, his voice strong and full, his giant face exceptionally calm.

With a single glance, he could tell that Zhou Leng’s physical body far exceeded the limits of the Elementary Civilization.

He had already reached the level of genius in some aspects of High-Level Civilization.

"The scenery here is nice, no wonder you’re sitting here not leaving." Zhou Leng continued to walk forward.

"What did the mother tree tell you before it fell?"

Zhou Leng said, "How about we make a deal: you withdraw the power from Zhang Xinglie, and I let you go, what do you think?"

The Celestial Calamity Envoy replied calmly, "Gods do not bargain with mortals."

"Then think of another way, you’re a divine spirit, there must be a way." Zhou Leng said while walking.

"Mortals as bold as you are rare."

"I heard that gods like you, who cross worlds illegally, are noticed from above." Zhou Leng pointed upward.

The Celestial Calamity Envoy seemed unconcerned, not even bothering to reply.

In Zhou Leng’s hand, a World Instrument floated.

"If I were to send out a message about you through the World Instrument, what would happen?" Zhou Leng asked.

The Celestial Calamity Envoy remained indifferent, saying, "Not to mention whether you can use all the functions of the World Instrument, even if you did, it would take years for the message to spread."

"It seems you forgot, the Civilization Judge descended on Earth back then. We have a way to contact them."

"Oh, then go ahead and contact them."

The Celestial Calamity Envoy propped himself up with his left arm, leaning against the mother insect’s corpse, slowly standing up.

"Why bother, given the state we’re in?"

Zhou Leng stood three hundred meters away.

"Gods are not to be coerced."

The Celestial Calamity Envoy gently pushed against the mother insect’s corpse, standing upright.

Zhou Leng sighed, "Truly worthy of a divine spirit. By the way, why aren’t you using that divine technique of yours? For example, before gods, no enemy prevails."

Though Zhou Leng spoke lightly, his eyes were locked onto the Celestial Calamity Envoy’s eyes, his muscles taut, with the Great Sun Divine Skill slowly circulating within him.

The Celestial Calamity Envoy’s left arm pierced through the insect shell, inserting into the mother insect’s body, as if to absorb power.

The next instant, Zhou Leng stepped onto the tree crown, his body lunging forward, accelerating madly.

Mach seven, mach eight, nearly reaching mach nine.

The three hundred meters distance closed in the blink of an eye.

Between the two, a large map unfolded, a red road stretching across the mountains and rivers.

Zhou Leng swung his fist, breaking through in an instant.

This punch seemed to have gathered strength from miles away, striking in a flash.

A pale red phantom giant fist appeared twenty meters ahead of Zhou Leng, directly aiming at the face of the Celestial Calamity Envoy.

The Celestial Calamity Envoy pulled his left arm from the mother insect’s body, grabbed a piece of insect shell, holding it up with his left hand to block in front of him.

Boom!

His figure swayed, the majority of the punching power scattered by the insect shell explosion,

then Zhou Leng struck with both arms.

Sixteenth move of the East Wind Fist, Fierce Wind and Rain Advance.

The sky filled with fist shadows like torrential rain, falling toward the Celestial Calamity Envoy.

The peculiar fist force wove a great river between the two.

Countless wind and rain, crossing the river to fight.

The Celestial Calamity Envoy’s left hand turned into a residual shadow, using the insect shell to catch every fist shadow.

Not one missed.

The dense shockwaves scattered across the sky.

"Your East Wind Fist is quite impressive. How do you cultivate with the true energy of the stars? How do you always maintain enough true energy of the stars?"

The Celestial Calamity Envoy, astonishingly, chatted while intercepting.

Zhou Leng’s Heart and Mind Shadow had already passed a hundred, encountering ordinary enemies would offer a hundred techniques to choose from in an instant.

But in front of the Celestial Calamity Envoy, the Heart and Mind Shadow regressed to six choices.

Numerous techniques were completely deciphered by the Celestial Calamity Envoy’s power.

Without even making a move, the initiative was lost.

Zhou Leng attacked, the Celestial Calamity Envoy defended; at first glance, it looked like the attacker had the upper hand.

But Zhou Leng was exerting all his strength, while the Celestial Calamity Envoy effortlessly blocked him.

Even more so, the Celestial Calamity Envoy did not use any combat technique, only the most ordinary basic techniques.

And only one move.

Block.

Zhou Leng took a deep breath, switching his fist style midway, using "Building Power" to accumulate strength, using "Wind and Fire Spread Wide" to gather momentum.

Then, intending to use the "Mandated by Heaven" fist force, but with just a glance from the Celestial Calamity Envoy, the "Mandated by Heaven" was shattered, unable to be used again.

God is heaven’s mandate.

Unconvinced, Zhou Leng repeatedly used the "Mandated by Heaven" fist technique, each time it was broken.

The Celestial Calamity Envoy said, "Your understanding of the Martial Arts Will is too shallow. You haven’t even scratched the surface of the Tujun Star Stele’s content."

Zhou Leng couldn’t speak.

Because the Celestial Calamity Envoy just looked on quietly, forming a tremendous pressure, like a pitch-black mountain towering before his eyes.

In the domain of Martial Arts Will and Combat Awareness, an immense fear takes shape, as though a voice warns that even a fleeting distraction could lead to defeat.

Without reason, without cause, defeat is inevitable.

Where the Heart and Mind Shadow resides, it is as if the divine is present.

At this moment, Zhou Leng finally understands why so many demigods respect the Celestial Calamity Envoy so much.

The divine power is overwhelmingly strong.

The Celestial Calamity Envoy seems to sense Zhou Leng’s emotions, smiles slightly, and continues to mutter to himself.

"How is Zhang Xinglie doing these days?"

Zhou Leng remains silent.

"When the Two Realms Barrier weakens to a certain extent in a few days, I’ll go and see him. Thinking back, I was too merciful last time. Next time, I’ll sever his other arm and leg, strip him down to a human stick. When you meet again under such circumstances, your expressions will certainly be interesting."

In Zhou Leng’s eyes, flames burn.

The stored power within his body slowly diffuses, urging his body to gradually expand.

The body gradually grows larger.

As the Celestial Calamity Envoy defends with an insect shell, he comments: "Interesting, almost as interesting as Zhang Xinglie. Let me see, hmm? Did he actually give you the power of the Eye of the Ancient God? That’s my goal too. Undying Star Body? Good Qi Manipulation. Star Phoenix Rejuvenation Technique? Even in High-Level Civilizations, it’s considered a decent cultivation technique..."

The Celestial Calamity Envoy unconsciously switches to speaking the Divine Text.

He comments on each of Zhou Leng’s powers, almost seeing through all of Zhou Leng’s prowess.

For some unknown reason, every time he mentions a power, Zhou Leng feels as though that power is slowly weakening, even dissipating.

It’s unclear whether this is an illusion or a real weakening.

Enemy of the divine, abandoned by the heavens and earth.

Layer upon layer of fear and oppression falls on Zhou Leng’s heart, suppressing the Martial Arts Will.

After the Celestial Calamity Envoy finishes his commentary, Zhou Leng feels a tightness in his chest, and feels unwell all over.

The originally crystalline Martial Arts Will now bears a shadow.

This unimaginable oppression causes subtle wavering in Zhou Leng’s heart and mind.

Too powerful, too miraculous.

It’s a power that should not exist in the mortal realm.

Even Void Gods possess only visible, knowable power, but the Celestial Calamity Envoy’s power is invisible, unknowable.

Even Zhou Leng cannot ascertain if this power truly exists.

Invisible, unknowable, intangible.

Zhou Leng attacks with all his might, but his attempts are futile.

The Celestial Calamity Envoy seems able to foresee the near future; no matter what moves are used against him, he blocks them in advance with the insect shell.

That is the shell of the mother insect.

Even a demigod battling for a year might not peel away its surface.

As the battle continues, Zhou Leng seems to plunge into a quagmire.

Whether in physical sensation or spiritual feeling, it is the same.

Below, it’s as if demonic hands are dragging him.

The Celestial Calamity Envoy says: "Do you feel it? The divide between divine and mortal, forever unbridgeable."

Zhou Leng speaks no words, gritting his teeth, continuously using the East Wind Fist.

Constant accumulation, accumulation, and more accumulation.

Under the pressure of divine might, Zhou Leng is forced to rack his brain, continuously pondering.

Conscious thought, subconscious thought, every cell in his body is mobilizing power.

Within mere tens of seconds, a thousand moves pass.

Zhou Leng suddenly experiences a blackout.

A profound black mountain tinted with red mysteriously appears in his Will World.

On the profound black mountain sits a meditating Divine Spirit.

What kind, unknown.

What power, unknown.

All is unknown; even the authenticity of the profound black mountain and the Divine Spirit is uncertain.

The next moment, Zhou Leng recalls a name.

Summit of Aurora.

Translated into the Divine Text.

Endless Light, Forever Falling Summit.

At the instant this Divine Text name emerges in his mind, the Celestial Calamity Envoy’s eyes widen slightly.

"How did you come to know my name?"

The profound black mountain emits a terrifying divine might, Zhou Leng blacks out, his body staggers backward.

The Celestial Calamity Envoy discards the insect shell, steps forward, counterattacking.

He seems to have no specific technique, simply offering his left fist plainly.

Casually, like falling leaves.

As the right fist lands on Zhou Leng’s chest, the air condenses into a ring-shaped asteroid belt, surrounding the fist, gently rotating.

Boom!

The Celestial Calamity Envoy’s fist and the asteroid belt’s punch power solidly strike Zhou Leng’s chest.

Zhou Leng’s chest caves in, coughing blood, and he flies several hundred meters backward.

Zhou Leng’s body at this moment is akin to the weakest newly initiated demigod.

Yet, shattered by a single punch.

The Celestial Calamity Envoy watches Zhou Leng flying backward, lifts a foot to pursue, but halts, relaxes his force, and walks forward slowly.

"Mortals only awaken to their blasphemy when divine punishment descends."

"So, I don’t understand how you dare... hmm?"

For the first time, the Celestial Calamity Envoy displays an odd expression.

Having descended here for several years, encountered countless people and affairs, this was the first time he showed a look of surprise.

Zhou Leng stands up.

The caved-in chest has flattened out.

Chest and belly garments burst apart, revealing bruised skin, fading visibly.

That punch wasn’t an ordinary Grandmaster Fist Technique, but used the punch power of a Void God.

He believed that even if a newly initiated demigod were struck, or a lower demigod, it would inflict serious injury, possibly lifelong incurability.