Mythical Era: My Evolution into a Celestial Beast

While Chen Chu's battle came to an end, tens of thousands of kilometers away, the earth-shattering clash between Zuo Mo and Heavenly King Zhenwu was still raging.

Standing over ten thousand meters tall, Zuo Mo's True Demon God Form was clad in black-and-gold armor. Wielding the Transformative Tyrant Halberd, every movement he made shattered the void, unleashing an earth-shaking might.

Around the mountainous Zuo Mo, over a million Purgatory soldiers and four demon kings spread out in a formation that covered dozens of kilometers, densely surrounding him like swarming ants.

Empowered by the array formed by these Purgatory legions, the demonic qi around Zuo Mo surged violently, his aura multiplying in intensity. Even when facing the True Martial Divine Stele, he could still meet it head-on.

Every time that black stele clashed with the mountain-like Tyrant Halberd, the explosive force would shatter space and vaporize tens of thousands of demons into a mist of blood. In just a brief exchange, over a million troops from the Purgatory army were already dead or maimed. The four demon kings had been severely wounded, coughing blood as their true forms cracked apart.

"Traitor, today I will put you to death!" Zhenwu roared in fury. His eyes blazed like furnaces, golden light pouring out as he lifted the ten-thousand-meter-tall stele once more and hurled it down.

Boom!

The stele suppressed heaven and earth, imbued with the power of a civilization's lineage. As it fell, space within a thousand kilometers collapsed, layers upon layers of destruction rippling outward in waves. Before that vast and invisible force even descended, the demons at the edges of the array surrounding Zuo Mo exploded into blood mist one after another.

"I am who I am. What betrayal is there?" With a low growl, Zuo Mo raised the halberd in both hands and surged into the sky amid a storm of dark red lightning. He struck upward against the descending black stele.

Boom!

As the principle of the human race's inheritance collided with the abyssal force, the entire world trembled madly. Countless streaks of dark red lightning intertwined with waves of black light, spreading across the sky.

Under the powerful backlash, more than a hundred thousand demonized aliens around Zuo Mo screamed in agony as they burst apart. Even the two demon kings anchoring the array exploded on the spot, their true forms torn asunder.

Watching the figure in the distance, one demon king at the peak of the mythical level grimly cried out, "Lord Cortes, the enemy is too powerful. We can't hold out much longer!"

Zuo Mo's gaze remained cold, his voice thundering across the skies. "You will hold the line regardless. Today, we must annihilate this human force, but rest assured. Prince Hamdanman of the Belvetan Empire and Prince Priest of the Freymund Empire are already besieging the human army. We only need to hold on a little longer. Once they arrive, we'll trap and eliminate this human."

Zuo Mo's words reignited the spirits of the surrounding true demons, even the four demon kings whose foundations had already been damaged. The battle erupted with renewed ferocity.

Having already taken half a step into the supreme level and touched the power of principles, Zhenwu's true form stood ten thousand meters tall, clad in golden armor. He resembled a dignified middle-aged man.

In his left hand, he supported the black stele, and in his right, he gripped a golden battle sword. Behind him, countless figures stood like heavenly warriors, and he bore a striking resemblance to the legendary Zhenwu Dadi.[1] Or rather, when Zhenwu had originally condensed his true form, he had based it on the Zhenwu Dadi, his aura supreme and boundless.

Yet by the time over a million demons had been slaughtered and the four demon kings shredded by the golden longsword, the so-called reinforcements still hadn't arrived.

Boom!

The black stele, ten thousand meters tall, descended from the heavens, collapsing the void as it crashed onto the Tyrant Halberd. The impact shattered the space beneath Zuo Mo's feet, forcing his massive body downward.

Amid the violent shockwaves, Zhenwu gazed solemnly at the young woman standing on Zuo Mo's shoulder, who carried four swords on her back. He suddenly asked in a low voice, "How did you know the Eternal Eye was in the hands of the Alliance of Gods?"

Dark red lightning flickered in Zuo Mo's demonic eyes as he answered, his voice deep and grim. "Tyretis told me. He said the Alliance of Gods possessed the Eternal Eye."

Zhenwu's brow furrowed. "Tyretis? He's stationed here at the Heavenly Feathered Battlefield. How would he know about the Alliance of Gods and the existence of the Eternal Eye?"

More than a decade ago, Xiao Tianyi returned after breaking through to the heavenly king level deep within the mythical world. He claimed to have acquired an ancient secret art; if one could refine the Eternal Eye, they would gain power to rival even a demon god.

That ancient relic was said to lie within the Alliance of Gods, held by the strongest among them, Divine King Tarodell. Because of the trust placed in Xiao Tianyi, the First Councilor Qian Tian had personally negotiated with the Alliance and brought back the Eternal Eye.

However, no one had expected what came next, and Xiao Tianyi's betrayal sent shockwaves through the human race.

Boom!

As they spoke, the two clashed once more. The golden battle sword collided with the Tyrant Halberd, while Zuo Mo's arms upheld the black stone tower, shielding against the void-shattering principle power of the True Martial Stele. The laws of heaven and earth within ten thousand kilometers trembled violently.

Amid the center of the raging shockwaves, Zuo Mo said in a low voice, "Tyretis has always been shrouded in mystery. He's different from the other demon gods. Not only is he immensely powerful, he also possesses vast knowledge. Back when I was exploring the depths of the Profound Azure Ruin, where I obtained the Heart of Azure Jade meant for carrying a human form and the secret art of Corpse Severance, I encountered his abyssal avatar. He was cultivating in the depths of the ruin and was quite surprised that I had managed to practice the Corpse Severance art. He told me that to truly master this art, one must sever themselves and split into three. He didn't try to subdue me at the time. Instead, he brought me to the Ancestral Purgatory Court, where I saw their slumbering Primordial Ancestor..."

At that point, Zuo Mo paused. After all, it was because of that visit that he chose the path of betrayal.

That Purgatory Primordial Ancestor was far too terrifying, so powerful that it defied human understanding. Its mere presence distorted space-time and conjured a real abyss. Before that entity, no human heavenly king or supreme powerhouse could hold a candle to it. Not even Tyretis, that mighty great demon god, could endure a single blow.

"He actually appeared in the depths of the Azure Ruin?" Zhenwu's suspicion only deepened.

The Profound Azure Ruin was an ancient site, located even deeper within the mythical world to the west of the Alliance of Gods. It was more than five million kilometers away from human territory. This ruin was steeped in mystery and had existed for who knows how many millennia. Space-time within was distorted and the territory vast.

Some human kings and even heavenly kings had ventured in. The Sky-Suppressing War King, Hong Zhantian, had once entered the ruins in seclusion, receiving a legacy that allowed him to clash head-on with a great demon king while still at the peak of the mythical level. Even the core of Mech No.1, the damaged heart of an ancient creature, originated from that ruin.

Normally, it made sense that an avatar of Tyretis, who was fighting the Heavenly Feathered Race, could appear there, as the two regions were separated diagonally by about eight million kilometers. Yet Zhenwu still felt something was off. He asked, "After you split into three, how long did it take you to rebuild your true form?"

Zuo Mo's voice was low. "It took me three months to rebuild my true form, and one year to stabilize my cultivation at the mythical level."

"Only three months? Zuo Shen didn't appear in the Alliance of Gods' region until three years later to establish the Holy Light Cult, and Xiao Tianyi only resurfaced five years after that. What was he doing during those five years?" Both Zhenwu and Zuo Mo grew increasingly solemn. Rather than clarifying what had happened back then, their confrontation only seemed to cast it in deeper confusion.

Suddenly, a terrifying murderous aura surged from Zuo Mo. His eyes turned dark red as he growled word by word, "Don't tell me... it was him who damaged Ranran's foundation."

By "him," Zuo Mo meant Xiao Tianyi in his human form. However, before Zhenwu could respond, a voice suddenly rang out from his massive shoulder as An Fuqing said, "If it was him, then why didn't he kill me when we met on the southern battlefield?"

When Zuo Jing had appeared at the southern battlefield, he had acted with great composure. After giving An Fuqing some guidance on her cultivation, he had been equally casual in his interaction with Chen Chu.

If he had truly harmed An Fuqing's mother and caused her early death, and was responsible for the death of his teacher and father-in-law, then he should have been heartless enough to kill on sight.

An Fuqing's words made both Heavenly King Zhenwu and Zuo Mo furrow their brow once again.That may be so, but if there was no issue, why was Xiao Tianyi so desperate to kill Zuo Mo?

Just then, a powerful demon god's will swept down from the sky above. Zuo Mo's eyes instantly turned cold, and a surge of dark, violent power erupted from within him.

Boom!

Endless darkness burst skyward, blotting out the heavens and transforming ten thousand kilometers into a hellish abyss. The earth shattered, and searing hellfire erupted into the sky. At the same time, a colossal abyssal claw descended slowly from the azure firmament, sealing off space-time.

"You're not getting away!" Zhenwu roared in fury, unleashing power so great that all of the surrounding space twisted and warped. His might now surpassed even that of a middle-stage demon god.

Boom!

With one strike from the True Martial Divine Stele, the world-darkening demon claw shattered, and the abyssal domain spanning ten thousand kilometers exploded violently. Within the chaotic current of the collapsing abyss, Heavenly King Zhenwu, clad in golden armor, stood with the stele supported on one hand, his expression dark.

Zuo Mo had already escaped.

"Hmph!You were fast this time." Zhenwu gave a cold snort, then turned into a beam of golden light and flew toward the orbital fleet. The aura radiating from his body continued to shake the heavens and the earth.

By the time he returned, the battlefield here had already been roughly cleared. Chen Chu, having returned to his human form, stood high above the battleship. His black hair streamed wildly behind him as he conversed with Heavenly King Xuanwu, Heavenly King Jiuyou, and the others.

When space twisted and Zhenwu appeared out of thin air, Chen Chu asked, "How did it go over there?"

"He escaped," Zhenwu replied grimly. "Xiao Tianyi's situation is more complicated than expected. Right now, we can't even fully trust him. We'll discuss the details after we return."

That troublesome?Chen Chu was a little surprised. Still, no matter how troublesome things got, if he turned out to be an enemy, they'd simply kill him the next time they met.

"By the way, didn't An Fuqing come back?" Chen Chu suddenly recalled that he had seen An Fuqing standing on Zuo Mo's shoulder earlier.

"No. She left with Zuo Mo. I think she wants to investigate the events of the past personally."

Chen Chu nodded slightly.

Across the entire region, large-scale battles were erupting everywhere. The situation was dire, so as soon as Zhenwu returned, there was no delay. The fleet immediately set off once more.

Their destination was a retreat coordinate located over eight hundred thousand kilometers away, on the border of the Eternal Divine Region. However, even with the orbital battleships cruising at their standard speed of ten times the speed of sound or even the max speed of thirty times the speed of sound, it would still take at least a full day to reach their destination.

King Zhenwu said in a solemn voice, "Chen Chu, you and I are the strongest here. I'll unfold the True Martial Domain to push the fleet at full speed. Security will be up to all of you. You'll guard the front. Xuanwu and Jiuyou will handle the rear."

"No problem, sir," Chen Chu replied with a respectful nod.

At Zhenwu's level, his comprehension of the laws was complete. He had already opened up a world within himself, nurturing principles. The phantoms of celestial soldiers seen during battle earlier were projections from that inner world.

However, his world differed from the elemental plane Chen Chu had developed. Zhenwu's world, born from his Dao, existed between illusion and reality and couldn't accommodate other living beings.

As for Chen Chu's planar world, the elemental forces within were too violent. Any lifeform below the mythical level would die upon entry, and as the plane continued to expand, its capacity to bear embryonic principles only made those four forces more dangerous.

Boom!

Centered on Zhenwu, a golden shockwave erupted. Wherever it passed, space distorted, forming a luminous membrane that enveloped hundreds of kilometers. With the World Force surrounding them, the speed of the thirteen orbital battleships soared dramatically. It was as if the constraints of space had vanished, allowing them to accelerate without limit.

Soon, the fleet's speed surpassed a hundred times the speed of sound, transforming into a rhombus-shaped streak of golden light that cut across heaven and earth. However, with this acceleration, Zhenwu's strength was being consumed at an astonishing rate.

Perhaps because the three pinnacle great demon kings had been repelled along with their legions, the fleet encountered no significant ambushes along the way. Every now and then, a demon king or even a great demon king would appear in the distance, but before Chen Chu and the others could take action, they would flee without hesitation.

1. Zhenwu Dadi (lit. True Martial Great Emperor or Truly Valiant Great Emperor) is a revered deity in Chinese religion, one of the higher-ranking deities in Taoism. He is revered as a powerful god, able to control the elements and capable of great magic. ☜