RUMBLE—!!!
A dull, heavy impact, accompanied by vibrations powerful enough to shatter eardrums, once again thundered through the Underground Palace.
It was the second strike from the Night Patrol God’s mace.
This strike was more than twice as powerful as the last. A suffocating, deathly light swirled upon the pitch-black Iron Mace, and each blow was like rubbing salt in the wounds of this broken world.
The Dark Gold gate, once thought indestructible and inscribed with Ancient Divine Patterns, now buckled inward in a shocking arc before everyone’s eyes.
The dozen or so prodigies from the major Counties standing at the very front, trying to hold the gate with their bodies, didn’t even have time to scream before their organs were pulverized by the immense, penetrating divine might.
Blood mixed with bits of gore splattered across the gate, staining the once-solemn runes crimson.
Despair, like a layer of cold ash, instantly settled over the face of everyone in the Underground Palace.
Every person here was a top elite from the Thirty-Six Prefectures of Qingzhou.
They possessed Cultivations at Qi Cultivation Perfection, their bodies surging with Spiritual Qi like rushing rivers. In their own territories, they were the chosen ones, the center of all attention.
But now, facing this Foundation Establishment Divine Spirit who had crossed the vast chasm between realms, they finally understood the cruel truth of cultivation.
The gap between Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment was not one that could be bridged by mere numbers.
It was a leap in the very essence of life, the difference between Mortal Iron and a Divine Weapon.
No matter how they combined their strength or intertwined their Spiritual Power, they were utterly fragile. Before the might of a divine office—one capable of mobilizing the regional Heaven and Earth Laws and acting with heaven’s authority—they were like ants waving their pincers at a colossal wheel.
"So this is Foundation Establishment... It’s... it’s impossible to win..."
"Even if all of us work together, I fear we can’t fight back."
A Cultivator collapsed to the ground, the Upper Grade Spirit Sword in his hand having already shattered under the immense pressure. His eyes were vacant as he let out a broken whisper.
Chu Bai stood atop the altar. Though his expression remained stern, the web of his hand had split open, and blood trickled slowly down his arm.
He understood the situation better than anyone.
’Even for an anomaly like me, with a Microscopic-level Cultivation Technique and having refined an Earth Treasure, my Qi and blood are still churning violently after taking that blow head-on.’
’The might of Foundation Establishment is truly beyond what a person can withstand. Even if I used all my trump cards, I’d only be able to endure three attacks in this cramped Underground Palace.’
’When a Cultivator reaches this level, they forge a Dao Foundation. A Divine Spirit, on the other hand, is empowered by a Decree.’
’A Qi Cultivation Cultivator should never fight one. The gap between the levels is just too immense...’
Chu Bai calmly calculated his options. He could save himself, relying on his Body Technique to escape the moment the gate broke. But in this collapsing world, leaving the core of the Earth Vein was no different from suicide.
Where else was there to go?
"Lord Envoy..."
The clay Land God knelt at the edge of the altar. His once-solid Divine Body was again showing spiderweb-like cracks. He sighed, his voice filled with sorrow and helplessness. "The Commanding Officer has been gone for far too long. This Underground Palace Array is powerful, but it is ultimately a masterless object."
"Under the Mad God’s furious assault, it can only hold for a few more minutes at best. After that, the gate will be breached, and at that time... all of your lives will be forfeit."
"Only power on the Foundation Establishment Level can fight an opponent of the same level."
Chu Bai stared intently at the empty White Jade Throne, and a flash of inspiration suddenly struck him.
Naturally, no one present could reach the Foundation Establishment Realm.
But that didn’t necessarily mean they lacked access to that level of power.
"Sir, the Mountain God may be dead, but his body remains, does it not?"
Chu Bai’s voice suddenly shattered the dead silence in the Underground Palace, sounding particularly jarring in the desperate atmosphere.
The clay Land God started, then nodded. "Indeed. The Commanding Officer’s Divine Body long ago fused with the Lingma Mountain Main Vein. This Stone Palace is the last shell he left to this world."
"In that case, if a ’spirit’ were to take control, could this Divine Body be reawakened?" Chu Bai’s eyes were sharp as lightning.
The Land God was shocked at first, then his expression turned sorrowful. "Lord Envoy, that is a Foundation Establishment Level Divine Body!"
"Though its Spirituality is gone and it’s no longer protected by Divine Dao Authority, the divine might still contained within it is enough to instantly crush any Qi Cultivation Cultivator into a bloody paste! Besides, moving the entire Underground Palace to fight the Wandering God would require an unbelievably vast amount of Spiritual Qi... Who could possibly supply that?"
Chu Bai spun around, his gaze falling upon the thousand-plus despairing Cultivators behind him.
In that instant, his gaze became unusually fervent and domineering.
"It’s worth a try!"
Chu Bai strode to the center of the altar and flung his arms wide. His voice, like a great bell, echoed through every corridor of the Underground Palace:
"Everyone! Our survival hangs in the balance, right here and now! Outside is the Wandering God’s Iron Mace—to face it is certain death! But inside, there is a sliver of hope! I ask you all, do you dare risk everything with me for this one chance?"
The thousand-plus Cultivators raised their heads in unison, their spirits shaken and roused by his wild aura.
"Daoist Chu, just tell us what to do! Anything is better than being slaughtered like pigs here!" Xia Xing was the first to stand up. Though his face was caked with blood and grime, a fierce light ignited in his eyes.
"The Mountain God’s body remains! I intend to use myself as a conduit to wield its divine office! But this Divine Body is immense and requires a vast amount of Spiritual Qi to power!"
Chu Bai pointed to the White Jade Throne, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
"I will be the core, and you will be the fuel! As long as you all pour every last bit of your Spiritual Power into this altar’s Array, without holding anything back, I can forcibly activate the Mountain God’s Dharma Body and fight that Mad God!"

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