Chapter 25: Defeating an Enemy Across a Realm, the Peerless Champion Beneath the Martial Ancestor Stage!

Inside the Phantom Demon Tower.

As soon as Li Wudao stepped inside, he felt his body tighten, and he was transported into an isolated, sealed space. Moments later, a voice heavy with the weight of ages echoed around him.

"True Disciple 'Li Wudao', identity verification passed. If you find yourself unable to continue during the battle, you may shout to concede..."

"Do you choose to begin the challenge?"

The Tower Spirit recited the rules as per custom.

"I challenge." Li Wudao nodded.

A moment later, ripples surged through the space. A hundred paces ahead, a pulsing black shadow appeared. The shadow rapidly thickened, coalescing like a great mass of dark clouds, gradually taking the form of a jackal, solidifying at a speed visible to the naked eye. In a heartbeat, the "jackal" stood fully before Li Wudao, baring its fangs and lunging with ferocious intensity.

Li Wudao remained unmoved, throwing a casual punch. When he had first awakened the Pure Yang Sacred Body, he had possessed the strength of a thousand jun, with a single punch weighing thirty thousand catties. Now, with his recent breakthrough, a full-force blow was at least seventy to eighty thousand catties—truly terrifying. Among those of the same cultivation level, his physical strength was practically unrivaled. The creature before him was not even a true demon beast, merely a common savage beast, equivalent to an early-stage Body Tempering realm human warrior; it posed no threat to him whatsoever.

*Crack—*

His fist shattered the jackal's skull instantly. The black shadow was dispersed, vanishing into nothingness in the blink of an eye. Li Wudao was slightly surprised; the impact sensation of the beasts conjured by the formation was remarkably realistic. For that brief instant, he had almost heard the sound of bone splintering.

"Black Shadow Wolf defeated. Time elapsed: one breath."

"Do you wish to continue the challenge?" the Tower Spirit asked.

"Yes."

As his words fell, Li Wudao felt a flash before his eyes. It was as if he had been moved to a new space, one even more spacious than the last. The second floor held a black bear, which was decimated by a single punch from Li Wudao the moment it appeared.

"Violent Bear defeated. Time elapsed: one breath..."

The third floor finally held something other than a common beast: a massive tiger demon, a full size larger than an ordinary tiger, with a truly intimidating presence. Unfortunately, the Mottled Scale Tiger, equivalent to a late-stage Body Tempering warrior, suffered the same fate, dying within a single breath after being pulverized by a punch.

Soon, Li Wudao had cleared seven floors, all within a single breath each. It was a clean sweep, executed with effortless ease. Indeed, this seventh floor was the final achievement of Qiu Zishi and Wang Zhao. Had they been waiting outside and witnessed this, they would likely have suffered sleepless nights, their martial hearts shattered. They had exhausted every technique and battled for a long time to achieve a difficult victory, only for Li Wudao to obliterate them with a single punch? What a crushing realization that would be!

Li Wudao calmly arrived at the eighth floor. This time, he used about twenty percent of his strength to shatter a centipede comparable to a late-stage Blood Moving realm warrior, turning it directly into a mist of black smoke. In reality, that centipede would have been reduced to a meat patty.

"As expected of the Sacred Body, it is too powerful... It should be hard to find an opponent within the Blood Moving realm."

After several trials, Li Wudao gained a clearer understanding of his own strength. The power of the Pure Yang Sacred Body exceeded even his own expectations. With his current physical strength, those in the Blood Moving realm were like chicks before him, entirely within his grasp.

"Next floor." Li Wudao had lost interest in the Blood Moving realm; it was dull.

"Next floor..."

He continued the challenge like an emotionless machine, clearing every floor in a single breath. Finally, he reached the eleventh floor. The strength of the demon beasts on this level underwent a qualitative change; they were now Tier 3 demon beasts, equivalent to True Essence realm warriors.

Li Wudao threw another punch, but this time it did not kill; it merely sent the beast flying thirty meters back. It was a Three-Eyed Lion, seven or eight meters long and burly. After being knocked over, it struggled to its feet. Li Wudao was surprised; he had used seventy percent of his power—at least forty to fifty thousand catties of force—and yet it had not died? The defensive power of a Tier 3 demon beast was indeed extraordinary.

"Try taking another punch!"

Li Wudao clenched his fist, stepped forward, and unleashed his second blow. This time, he used his full strength.

*Whoosh—*

The force of the punch was like thunder, heavy and ferocious. It struck the demon lion's skull, its tyrannical power instantly unleashed. In the next heartbeat, the Three-Eyed Lion was reduced to dust, turning into black smoke and dissipating.

"Hmph, my punch carries sixty to seventy thousand catties of force; what could you possibly use to resist that..." Li Wudao curled his lips. The early True Essence realm was nothing more than this.

He did not stop, continuing his challenge. The twelfth floor corresponded to the mid-True Essence realm. It took Li Wudao fifteen punches and thirty-five breaths to resolve.

"My body is starting to feel a bit fatigued..."

By the thirteenth floor, he no longer used his fists, drawing the Longyuan Sword instead. Starting from the previous floor, his physical body had reached a bottleneck; even if he could win, it was a waste of time.

"Just right to test the sword technique I've been practicing lately."

Holding the long sword, Li Wudao’s temperament changed instantly. He transformed into a cold-faced monarch, his entire being suffused with a chilling aura of slaughter.

*Clang!*

Light and shadow streaked past. With a single strike, the ten-meter-long giant python was cleaved in two, vanishing in an instant.

"Hiss, is this sword technique that powerful? Or is the Longyuan Sword simply too sharp?" Li Wudao gasped, caught off guard. He was curious about the grade of the "Geng Metal Sword Canon" the old man had given him. He had always felt something was off; it couldn't simply be a Heaven-grade sword technique.

Li Wudao did not delay and chose to continue. He felt he still had strength in reserve and was eager to see where his limits lay.

The fifteenth floor corresponded to the peak of the True Essence realm. This was a Three-Tailed Demon Fox, a full major realm above Li Wudao. From this floor on, he felt a hint of pressure; the aura of the beast surged significantly compared to the previous one. Most importantly, the demon fox was ghostly and ethereal, making it difficult to land a hit. Fortunately, having mastered the sword technique to the proficiency level, he managed a difficult kill after twelve strikes.

"Shadow Moon Fox defeated. Time elapsed: seventy-five breaths. Do you wish to continue?"

The Tower Spirit’s voice rang out. Li Wudao chose to leave. The sixteenth floor featured a Martial Master-level demon beast. Its strength would be world-shaking, far beyond what the True Essence realm could challenge. Although he still possessed the Pure Yang Sword Intent, which could boost his combat power, there was no need to continue. He had already surpassed Jiang Churan’s record.

Furthermore, he had gained a general understanding of his current strength: he was invincible within the True Essence realm. At the peak of the Blood Moving realm, he had crossed a major realm to defeat a beast equivalent to a peak True Essence warrior. He was effectively the strongest individual below the Martial Master realm!

Li Wudao was satisfied with his performance; he hadn't lost to the young Empress after all. However, he was also aware that this was largely due to his acquisition of the Pure Yang Sacred Body. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to surpass Jiang Churan. If she had also awakened the ancient Azure Phoenix bloodline, the outcome would have been truly uncertain.

Outside the Phantom Demon Tower, Li Wudao walked out calmly, a faint smile on his lips. Qiu Zishi and Wang Zhao, who were waiting, walked over quickly.

"Brother Li, it's been less than a quarter of an hour. Why have you come out so soon?" The two looked at him in surprise, noting his pristine robes and steady breathing, which filled them with an ominous feeling.

"Brother Li, you... surely you didn't give up halfway, did you?"

"I wonder which floor Brother Li reached? Was it... the fifth?"

They hesitated, both harboring the same thought. In such a short time, it was unlikely he had cleared the sixth floor; he must have felt outmatched and given up. They knew that clearing the sixth floor had taken them a full quarter-hour, leaving them disheveled and barely victorious. Even with Li Wudao’s high talent, clearing that floor should have required considerable effort; surely he couldn't be this spotless?

"Do you want the truth or a lie?" Seeing their strange expressions, Li Wudao couldn't help but tease them.

"The truth, of course," Qiu Zishi replied.

Li Wudao smiled faintly. "Not much, just the fifteenth floor. It was passable."

"How many? The fifteenth floor?! Brother Li, that joke is not funny at all..." Wang Zhao froze for a moment, his mouth twitching.

"In this amount of time, I wouldn't even believe you cleared the seventh floor, let alone the fifteenth. That is simply preposterous." Qiu Zishi shook his head with a bitter smile, clearly taking it as a joke. One had to understand that each floor of the Phantom Demon Tower corresponded to a minor cultivation realm. If Li Wudao had defeated a beast equivalent to a peak True Essence warrior in such a short time, he would need combat power comparable to a Martial Master. At his age, that was impossible—simply impossible! He had never even heard of such a thing; it was a fairy tale.

"You see, I told you the truth, but you don't believe me." Li Wudao spread his hands, the smile on his lips deepening. With that, he thought of something and walked toward the Profound Sky Ranking. He was faintly expectant, wondering if his performance would earn him a spot on the list, and what his ranking would be.