The Golden Statue

The strike only left a faint white mark on Ji Ning’s chest, but the sheer impact force was tremendous, forcing him to involuntarily step backward. As he desperately clung to the grand formation, he instead used this force to violently tear at it. RIIIIIP! The rift in the formation was ripped even wider.

“This… this… how is this possible?” The golden-armored, one-armed man was stunned. “Wasn’t he said to have trained for less than a thousand years? Wasn’t he supposed to have just become a True God? How could his divine body be comparable to a top-grade innate spirit-treasure?”

A divine body comparable to a top-grade innate spirit-treasure… this was far beyond the ninth cycle of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art.

Throughout the Three Realms…

Only the Buddha Tathagata had achieved this. Tathagata’s Golden Body was comparable to a top-grade innate spirit-treasure. Even the occasional attacks from Daofather Blade and the Great Demon God Cixiu striking Tathagata’s body could not injure him! That was why Daofather Blade and the Great Demon God Cixiu wanted to suppress and capture Tathagata, rather than kill him.

And now, Ji Ning’s divine body had actually reached the same level.

“A native… and he actually, actually…” The golden-armored, one-armed man’s heart was shaken.

“That strike from the alien leader left only a faint white mark on Northmont’s divine body?” In the distance, Kuafu, Yuding, and even Fuxi were stunned. Their eyesight was extremely keen. The moment the golden-armored, one-armed man had swung that blade, they could sense the terrifying power it contained.

Furthermore, Tathagata had long ago stated that there were two alien leader-level powers within the ancient ruins. One was the golden-armored, one-armed man who used a blade; the other was the one with a tail.

Ji Ning, however, was very calm.

If this had been right after he had become a True God, he naturally wouldn’t have been able to block it. But nearly twenty years had passed since then!

World God Northrest himself had walked the Fiendgod path!

Moreover, he was a member of a powerful organization, the ‘Heavenly Palace of Azure’. In terms of strength, he stood at the very peak of World Gods! The difference between the most novice World God and a peak World God was vast… like the difference between a third-class True Immortal and a first-class True Immortal. As an ancient figure with a sect's heritage, tempered by countless ordeals, World God Northrest had been able to acquire a divine weapon like the Violet-Light Qiong Divine Sword, as well as the terrifying ‘Nameless Sword Art’. The other techniques he left for Ji Ning, while relatively inferior, were still things that ordinary World Gods would find difficult to obtain.

Body-protecting divine abilities!

Evasion divine abilities!

Forbidden techniques!

He had many of these. Techniques like ‘Heartforce Scouting’ and ‘Heartforce Soul-Lock’ Ji Ning had already mastered long ago. As for body-protecting divine abilities, the one World God Northrest had passed on to Ji Ning was called the Gold Statue.

The Gold Statue technique was a divine ability that World God Northrest himself had cultivated!

Of course, it wasn’t something Northrest had learned from the Heavenly Palace of Azure. Although he had studied some divine abilities and techniques there, during his travels through the endless Chaos, he had also gone through countless hardships and obtained the Upper and Middle chapters of this Gold Statue technique!

After acquiring this technique, World God Northrest had abandoned his previous body-protecting divine ability without a second thought and switched to cultivating this one instead.

The origins of the Gold Statue technique were extraordinary.

Within the endless Chaos, there existed an enormously vast world, far larger than the Three Realms. It could exist eternally, remaining stable even after ten, a hundred, or a thousand Chaos Cycles. At the center of this vast world was a floating island. Upon this floating island stood a towering golden statue.

The golden statue was one hundred and eight thousand zhang tall, radiating an awe-inspiring pressure so immense that even World Gods could not set foot on that floating island.

Finally, a supremely talented great power gazed upon this golden statue for an immeasurably long time and comprehended the Gold Statue technique! It was a peerless, top-tier great divine ability! It was divided into Upper, Middle, and Lower chapters.

The Upper chapter of the Gold Statue technique was its entry level. Once cultivated, it allowed one’s divine body to become comparable to a top-grade innate spirit-treasure. It could only be cultivated by True Gods.

The Middle chapter, once cultivated, allowed one’s divine body to become comparable to a top-grade Chaos treasure. It could only be cultivated by Elder Gods.

Although World God Northrest had only obtained the Upper and Middle chapters…

Still, this technique was extremely profound, and relatively easier to cultivate. With his strength, he had quickly mastered the Middle chapter, and his divine body had become comparable to a top-grade Chaos treasure.

Although he hadn’t obtained the Lower chapter, even if he had… mastering it would have been incredibly difficult.

“It’s a good thing I have the foundation of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art,” Ji Ning thought to himself as he cultivated this technique. He secretly sighed in admiration.

The Gold Statue technique didn’t require any special, rare materials. It only needed energy.

Divine power, immortal power, chaos energy, immortal pills… any form of energy could be absorbed! This was the mark of a truly profound divine ability. Because Ji Ning had already reached the ninth cycle of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, when he began cultivating the Gold Statue technique, he simply absorbed divine power continuously. His own rate of recovery and consumption were roughly equal.

It took him only twelve years to naturally reach that top-grade innate spirit-treasure level.

Cultivating the Gold Statue technique was a process that had to be done… gradually!

The Eight-Nine Arcane Art, in contrast, could be cultivated all at once.

But that method actually wasted too much energy and placed a greater burden on the divine body. That was why the creators of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art had only been able to reach the Empyrean God level before being unable to go any further. The divine body of a True God simply couldn’t withstand such a frenzied tempering. It had to be done slowly, with gradual permeation and refinement. Ji Ning had a high foundation, and when he began cultivating, he had estimated that it would take about ten years to succeed. As a result, he hadn’t used any Grand Empyrean Pills or similar items.

If he had, he estimated he could have succeeded in at most three years.

But after all, his Primaltwin was inside the Heaven-Gazing Taihao Tower, consuming Grand Empyrean Pills at a ferocious rate. Since ten years wasn’t that long, Ji Ning hadn’t been in a hurry.

“I didn’t expect this battle in the ancient ruins would force me to reveal my body-protecting divine ability,” Ji Ning mused to himself.

Cultivation techniques, body-protecting divine abilities, Heartforce scouting methods… many of Ji Ning’s techniques were things the Three Realms did not possess.

“Sword Immortal Northmont. It seems the entire Three Realms has underestimated you,” the golden-armored, one-armed man said coldly. “Without anyone noticing, you’ve trained your body-protecting divine ability to such a profound level.” How could he possibly know that Ji Ning’s body-protecting technique was one that even many World Gods would covet? It was the very same technique that World God Northrest himself had cultivated!

His voice echoed in Ji Ning’s ears.

At the same time, the golden-armored, one-armed man waved his hand, and a rope shot out, winding its way toward Ji Ning.

“Damn it,” Ji Ning thought, frowning.

The problem with having a powerful divine body was the susceptibility to being bound or suppressed! Even if the golden-armored, one-armed man struck him with another ten or eight blows, the impact would only help Ji Ning tear the formation apart. But now, that rope was a real problem.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

Ji Ning immediately released two of his hands. His other four arms continued to tear at the formation with all their might, while his remaining two hands each grasped a Northsea Sword.

His sword-light spun, transforming into a black hole-like vortex that sent the rope spinning off to one side.

“Hmph.” The golden-armored, one-armed man charged forward, manipulating the rope even as his blade-light descended.

Ji Ning focused completely on defense.

Although the golden-armored, one-armed man had a similar technique to the ‘Three Heads, Six Arms’, he had always maintained the form of a single arm. But his blade… its power was truly immense! Ji Ning’s sword-art was slightly inferior in terms of raw power.

“This alien is indeed an Elder God,” Ji Ning thought, feeling the pressure.

Though Ji Ning’s sword-art was inferior in power, it was faster! It was faster than the limits of the Heavenly Dao!

His two swords worked in concert, actually managing to block both the ‘Daofather of Blades’ blade and his rope.

“Northmont, hold on just a bit longer. This formation is about to be broken,” Fuxi sent a mental message to Ji Ning.

“Mm.”

Ji Ning, now ten thousand zhang tall, used four hands to desperately tear at the grand formation, while his other two hands focused entirely on defense.

“How is it that I feel this ‘Northmont’ is even more troublesome to deal with than the Buddha Tathagata? He’s just a native. He should only be a True God.” After exchanging blows for a short time, the Daofather of Blades also began to sense something. How could he know that Ji Ning could be considered a half-step World God? That he possessed a sword-art that surpassed the limits of the Heavenly Dao? And that, after nearly two thousand years within the Heaven-Gazing Taihao Tower, Ji Ning’s sword-art had already become much more perfect?

“Daofather of Blades, the formation is still being broken apart,” the Great Demon God Cixiu sent a mental message.

“Master, this Northmont’s body-protecting divine ability is formidable, no less than Tathagata’s. And his sword-art is too powerful… I cannot stop him,” the Daofather of Blades sent back.

“Are you certain?” the Great Demon God Cixiu asked urgently.

“My blade struck his body, but it only left a faint white mark,” the Daofather of Blades replied.

The Great Demon God Cixiu, who was furiously attacking Tathagata, felt a surge of frustration in his heart.

“How can this ‘Three Realms’ be like this? I am a dignified Elder God! I worked hard and suffered greatly to train my divine body to the point where it could compare to a top-grade innate spirit-treasure. Yet these natives… they are clearly just True Gods. That Tathagata having trained his divine body to that level is one thing. But that Northmont, who has trained for less than a thousand years, also has a divine body this powerful?” The Great Demon God Cixiu was very displeased.

Body-protecting divine abilities were extremely difficult to cultivate.

Otherwise, World God Northrest wouldn’t have immediately abandoned the techniques passed down by the Heavenly Palace of Azure and switched to cultivating the Gold Statue the moment he acquired it.

“Those with powerful body-protecting divine abilities are just a pain to deal with. I want to bind him… but Tathagata’s palm-arts are too strong; I simply cannot bind him. I can only wear down his divine power,” the Great Demon God Cixiu thought helplessly.

Only by draining the opponent’s divine power completely could he capture him!