The Pure Yang Breakthrough

Just moments later.

Following Daofather Crimsonbright's command, the gathered Empyrean Gods, True Immortals, and army generals all assembled in the main hall.

“What?”

“Wage war?”

“The Seamless Gate has gained a Daofather Puppet. How can we possibly fight them?” When Daofather Crimsonbright announced the intention for a true decisive battle against the Seamless Gate alliance, a wave of shocked murmurs rippled through the hall. They were not afraid of death, but none were willing to throw their lives away for a hopeless cause.

Daofather Crimsonbright gazed down at them from his throne, then turned to look at the side entrance. “Ji Ning. Come out.”

The assembled Empyrean Gods, True Immortals, and generals were filled with confusion.

Ji Ning?

“What does he want Ji Ning for? After suffering his Dao-companion’s betrayal, I doubt Ji Ning has even recovered yet.”

“What can be the Daofather’s intent?”

“Is he placing his hopes on Ji Ning, who is on the verge of collapsing from despair?”

“Is this a joke?”

They felt indignation and pity for him. Many believed that this monstrous genius would likely never recover from such a devastating blow.

Footsteps rang out.

“Hm?” The moment they saw Ji Ning emerging, almost everyone was stunned.

“This… this…”

“Pure Yang!”

“Impossible!”

Every single immortal and demon in the hall was frozen in shock. They all knew the magnitude of the blow Ji Ning had suffered. In their private discussions, many believed he might be crushed by it. No one expected that at this critical moment, he would break through from Celestial Immortal to Pure Yang True Immortal!

Breaking through to Pure Yang was no simple matter. The Dao required a sudden, complete enlightenment to shatter its bottleneck, which was no trivial task. To make such a breakthrough in the sword Dao while reeling from such a mental blow seemed nearly impossible.

And yet—

The truth was right before their eyes. The profound, thick aura of his Pure Yang True Immortal ki was undeniable!

“Ji Ning has broken through to Pure Yang True Immortal. Commanding the Karmic Punishment Deity, he will be able to unleash far greater strength.” Daofather Crimsonbright sat high upon his throne, his voice booming. “I will place nine thousand Celestial Immortals and eight hundred and ten thousand Loose Immortals under his command, forming the most perfect Karmic Punishment Deity. He will lead it! The Karmic Punishment Deity under Ji Ning’s command, alongside Hongxue’s Seven Radiance Empyrean God, will face the Daofather Puppet.”

“Now, move swiftly to deploy your troops and prepare for the final battle! This battle… will shatter the Seamless Gate alliance and protect our realmverse.” Daofather Crimsonbright declared.

“Yes!”

All the immortals and demons snapped back to reality, their hearts ablaze with excitement, their eyes shining with light.

Just moments ago, they were like lost souls, utterly devoid of morale. Even Daofather Crimsonbright himself had been shrouded in a gloomy, lifeless aura. But now, seeing the hope of victory, every single one of them was filled with battle-fury and excitement. The hot blood in their veins surged once more.

“Incredible.”

“To break through under such a blow and become a Pure Yang True Immortal.”

“Remarkable.”

“This Ji Ning is truly astounding!”

Some immortals and demons who had previously harbored resentment toward Ji Ning now felt it melt away. All that remained was praise and admiration. A man who could turn the tide at the most critical moment of the war… was worthy of their respect.

…

The armies began to move.

Massive Yinglong dragons coiled in the sky, Pangu war formations were re-established, and even more Karmic Punishment Deities began to take shape.

Among them, the most awe-inspiring was Ji Ning’s ‘Northmyth Army’.

Now, aside from Ji Ning himself, the Northmyth Army boasted a full nine thousand Celestial Immortals and eight hundred and ten thousand Loose Immortals! This was the perfect, most complete state of the Karmic Punishment Formation. The power of Heaven and Earth that this sea of immortals could draw upon would reach an inconceivable level.

Even the creator of the formation, the ancient war-god ‘Xingtian’, had created this perfect form purely for the sake of perfection. Even Xingtian himself believed that using this most perfect Karmic Punishment Deity was a waste for Empyrean Gods and True Immortals, as they would never be able to fully mobilize its vast power.

“Form the formation.” Ji Ning gave the order.

The nine thousand Celestial Immortals dispersed around Ji Ning, like a cluster of stars surrounding their sun.

The eight hundred and ten thousand Loose Immortals were like countless grains of star-sand, densely packed. As the profound, miraculous formation began to activate, the vortex of Heaven-Earth energy above the Eight Dragon Cloud City became terrifyingly immense. It was the first time the ‘Karmic Punishment Formation’ had fully unleashed its ultimate power within the Crimsonbright Realmverse. With the number of immortals reaching the perfect count, the Heaven-Earth energy it summoned skyrocketed to a shocking level.

“Rumble~~”

The Heaven-Earth energy turned completely solid, forming into massive pillars of light. Countless pillars, tens of thousands of zhang long, twisted and tangled in the sky before furiously condensing. Gradually, bones, muscles, and skin began to coalesce. An unprecedented, colossal ‘Karmic Punishment Deity’ began to take shape.

“Such a powerful aura.”

“This is far too strong.”

“It feels almost like a True God or Daofather.”

The appearance of this most powerful Karmic Punishment Deity left the rest of the Crimsonbright Realmverse’s army in awe. Yet, they also understood that while the power contained within this deity was immense, it would be a waste if it couldn't be used. Even many Empyrean Gods and True Immortals couldn't fully control the simplified version of the Karmic Punishment Deity, let alone this supreme one.

“Whoosh.”

Commanding the supreme Karmic Punishment Deity, Ji Ning could feel its incredible power.

“Rise.” Ji Ning began to channel the power of this god. Using his Heartforce to direct his soul, and using his own Pure Yang ki as a lure, he poured all his effort into mobilizing the formation’s power. The deity’s power was steadily awakened, one percent… twenty percent… thirty percent… An unbelievable amount of might was being brought under Ji Ning’s control.

Only power that was controlled was one's own. Otherwise, it was a complete waste.

Ji Ning finally stopped.

“Ninety percent! I can barely feel ninety percent of the entire supreme Karmic Punishment Deity’s power.” Ji Ning himself was stunned. He could sense that even just ten percent of this supreme deity’s power far surpassed the total power of the deity formed by three thousand Celestial Immortals and three hundred thousand Loose Immortals.

It was fortunate that he had reached the fourth level of Heartforce.

If he were still at the third level, even with a perfected Heartforce soul technique, he would be lucky to control ten percent of the supreme deity’s might.

…

From the outside, no one knew exactly how much power Ji Ning had managed to control.

Even the ancient war-god ‘Xingtian’ himself would never have believed that an Empyrean God or True Immortal could come so close to fully mastering his ultimate creation.

“Excellent.” Daofather Crimsonbright’s voice boomed, his eyes blazing with battle-fury. “The time for the final decisive battle has come. Wipe out the Seamless Gate. Kill them all.”

“KILL!”

The killing intent soared to the heavens, driving countless immortals and demons into a frenzy.

“March out!” Daofather Crimsonbright pointed a finger toward the distant Seamless City.

With a thunderous roar, the entire army advanced, blotting out the sky and the sun, charging directly toward Seamless City.

In the vast, dark world.

“What?” The Godking on his ten-thousand-zhang throne was enraged. “He broke through? He actually broke through and became a Pure Yang True Immortal?”

“He broke through under such a blow?”

“His Heartforce soul technique was already perfected, and now he is a Pure Yang True Immortal. Commanding the supreme Karmic Punishment Deity… just Ji Ning’s deity alone will be a match for the three Devouring Mountain Demon Gods. I had long foreseen his threat, but we were only a single step away. A single step!” The Godking was filled with fury and regret.

…

Seamless City. Daofather Ink Bamboo swiftly gathered his Empyrean Gods, True Immortals, and many generals beneath him.

Daofather Ink Bamboo looked down upon them, his voice low. “You have all seen it. The armies of the Crimsonbright Realmverse are at our gates, challenging us. The reason they dare to come is because Ji Ning among them has broken through to become a Pure Yang True Immortal.”

“A Pure Yang True Immortal?”

“He became a Pure Yang? Wasn't his Dao-companion, Yu Wei, one of our people? To be betrayed by his Dao-companion and still break through to Pure Yang?”

The immortals and demons of the Seamless Gate were shocked and baffled.

The Great Sage Tuntun of the three Devouring Mountain Divine Demons squinted and said, “This Ji Ning is skilled at commanding the Karmic Punishment Deity. Even before, its power was extraordinary. Now that he has broken through to Pure Yang True Immortal, I’m afraid the deity under Ji Ning’s command alone will be a match for our Three-Eyed Fiendgod.”

“Indeed,” the Seventh Mistress of the Nine Clouds Cloud Fairies frowned. “Last time, because of that Seven Radiance Empyrean God, our army collapsed and was routed, leading to heavy casualties. Without our Daofather Puppet, our strength would be at a disadvantage. If Ji Ning and Hongxue use their Karmic Punishment Deity and Seven Radiance Empyrean God to occupy the Daofather Puppet, we might lose.”

“Mm.”

Daofather Ink Bamboo nodded from above. “Yes. The key to this battle lies in whether Ji Ning and Hongxue’s combined forces can contain our Daofather Puppet.”

“Even if they contain it, they still have that Divine Farmer’s Medicine. Their forces outnumber ours, and while we have the three Devouring Mountain Divine Demons, we might still lose.” Daofather Ink Bamboo turned to look at the Evergreen Sword Immortal. “Changqing, the key to this battle rests on your shoulders.”

“Rest assured, Daofather.”

A sharp gleam flashed in the Evergreen Sword Immortal’s eyes. His voice was cold and confident. “The Daofather Puppet’s power is unfathomable. Even a true Daofather would struggle to damage it. Moreover, this puppet I control is renowned for its agility. Those two will never be able to form a combined front; instead, I will pick them off one by one.”

“Indeed. A Daofather Puppet is not so easily dealt with.”

“They will surely fail to stop it.”

The Seamless Gate alliance would not admit defeat so easily.

Which side was truly stronger—the Daofather Puppet, or the Karmic Punishment Deity and Seven Radiance Empyrean God led by Ji Ning and Hongxue?

Neither side was absolutely certain.

“Changqing, you bear the most important mission of this war.” Daofather Ink Bamboo gazed at the Evergreen Sword Immortal. “Do not disappoint the Godking and me.”

“Daofather, you may set your heart at ease. I will bring you the heads of Ji Ning and Hongxue as tribute to you and the Godking.” The Evergreen Sword Immortal’s eyes practically burst with sword-light, brimming with absolute confidence.

“Mm.”

Daofather Ink Bamboo’s gaze swept across the hall. His voice was deep. “Then let us go forth and meet them in battle! In this decisive battle, we will shatter the Crimsonbright Realmverse and sweep them away.”

“Yes.” Every immortal and demon answered the call.

Soon.

Above Seamless City, countless White-Faced Flood Dragons, Bi’angs, Zhu Yans, and other fierce beasts appeared. There were also countless Heavenly God Puppets, the aura of the Three-Eyed Fiendgod, and other powerful figures. But the most dazzling of all was the enormous, gold-crimson behemoth hovering high in the sky. It looked like a colossal spider, radiating a pressure that was in no way inferior to that of a True God or Daofather!

For a moment, the two vast armies faced each other from a distance.

“Kill!” With a sky-shaking roar, the endless army of the Seamless Gate swept down from the heavens like a dark cloud, charging directly at the Crimsonbright Realmverse’s forces.