Chapter 25: The Golden Statue Divine Power

This blade left only a white mark on Ji Ning's chest skin, but the impact force it carried was astonishing, forcing Ji Ning to involuntarily step back. Because he was gripping the great formation with all his might, he instead used this force to tear violently—crack!—the rift in the formation tore 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 rival a top-grade先天法宝?"

A divine body rivaling a top-grade先天法宝—this far surpassed the ninth level of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art.

Looking across the Three Realms...

Only the Buddha Tathagata had achieved this. Tathagata's golden body rivaled a top-grade先天法宝. The occasional attacks of Blade Zun and the Great Demon God Cixiu landing on Tathagata could not harm him! So Blade Zun and Cixiu wanted to suppress and capture Tathagata!

Now Ji Ning's divine body had also reached this level.

"A native, actually, actually..." The golden-armored one-armed man was shaken inwardly.

"That strike from the alien leader just now only left a white mark on Beiming's divine body?" In the distance, Kuafu, Yuding, and even Fuxi were astonished. Their eyesight was extremely keen; from the moment the golden-armored one-armed man swung that blade, they could sense the terrifying power it contained.

Moreover, Tathagata had long said that in the ancient ruins there were two alien leaders—one was the golden-armored one-armed man who used a blade, and the other had a tail.

...

Ji Ning, however, was calm.

If it had been right after he became a True God, he naturally could not have blocked it. But now nearly twenty years had passed!

Northrest World God himself followed the divine demon path!

Moreover, he was a member of the powerful force 'Heavenly Cang Palace'! In terms of strength, he stood at the peak of World Gods! The difference between the most inexperienced World God and a peak World God was enormous... like the difference between a third-class and first-class True Immortal. As an ancient one with sect inheritance who had undergone countless trials, Northrest World God had obtained divine weapons like the Violetjade Sword and fearsome sword arts like the 'Nameless Sword Art'. The other techniques he left for Ji Ning, though relatively inferior, were still hard for ordinary World Gods to find.

Protective divine abilities!

Escape techniques!

Forbidden arts!

There were many of this kind. Ji Ning had long learned heartforce probing, heartforce soul-locking, and the like. As for protective divine abilities, the one Northrest World God passed on to Ji Ning was a technique called 'Golden Statue'.

The 'Golden Statue' divine ability was one that Northrest World God himself cultivated!

Of course, it wasn't something Northrest World God learned from Heavenly Cang Palace. Although he had learned some divine abilities and techniques there, while roaming the endless chaos he had endured hardships to obtain the upper and middle parts of this 'Golden Statue' technique!

After obtaining this technique, Northrest World God unhesitatingly abandoned his previous protective divine ability and switched to cultivating this one.

The origin of the 'Golden Statue' divine ability was extraordinary.

In the endless chaos, there was an immensely vast world, far larger than the Three Realms and capable of eternal existence. Even after ten, a hundred, or a thousand chaos cycles, it remained stable. At the center of this vast world was a floating island, and on that floating island stood a majestic golden statue.

The golden statue, a hundred and eight thousand zhang tall, radiated boundless pressure. Even World Gods could not ascend that floating island under this pressure.

Finally, a supremely talented great being observed the golden statue for endless ages and comprehended the 'Golden Statue' divine ability—a top-tier ultimate divine ability! It was divided into upper, middle, and lower parts.

The upper part of the 'Golden Statue' divine ability was the entry level. Cultivating it allowed the divine body to rival a top-grade先天法宝, and only True Gods could cultivate it.

The middle part, when cultivated, allowed the divine body to rival a top-grade chaos treasure, and only Ancestral Gods could cultivate it.

Northrest World God had only obtained the upper and middle parts.

But this technique was still very profound, and cultivation was relatively easier. With his strength, he quickly mastered the middle part, making his divine body rival a top-grade chaos treasure.

Although he hadn't obtained the lower part, even if he had, mastering it would have been extremely difficult.

"Fortunately, I had the foundation of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art." Ji Ning sighed inwardly as he cultivated this technique.

The Golden Statue divine ability required no special items, only energy.

Divine power, dharma power, chaos power, elixirs... any power could be absorbed! Such was the power of a profound divine ability. Because Ji Ning had already reached the ninth level of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, when cultivating the 'Golden Statue' technique, he only needed to constantly absorb divine power, with his recovery and consumption balanced.

In just twelve years, Ji Ning's divine body naturally reached the top-grade先天法宝 level.

Cultivating the 'Golden Statue' technique had to be done gradually!

The Eight-Nine Arcane Art, by contrast, could be cultivated in one go.

But that actually wasted too much energy and placed a greater burden on the divine body. That was why the Eight-Nine Arcane Art could only be created up to the Celestial Immortal level. A True God's divine body simply couldn't withstand the frenzied refinement; it had to be done slowly and gradually, with penetration and refinement. Ji Ning's foundation was high, and when he cultivated, he estimated it would take about ten years to master it, so he didn't use Great Luo Immortal Pills or the like.

If he had used them, he could have mastered it in about three years at best.

But since his second soul was in the 'Skysight Grand Peace Tower' and consuming Great Luo Immortal Pills was costly, and ten years wasn't long, Ji Ning wasn't in a hurry.

"I didn't expect this battle in the ancient ruins would force me to reveal my protective divine ability." Ji Ning sighed inwardly.

Cultivation techniques, protective divine abilities, heartforce probing techniques... many of Ji Ning's techniques were unknown in the Three Realms.

...

"Beiming Sword Immortal, it seems the entire Three Realms has underestimated you." The one-armed golden-armored man said coldly, "Without anyone noticing, you've cultivated your protective divine ability to such a profound level." He had no idea that Ji Ning's protective divine ability was coveted by many World Gods, and that Northrest World God himself had cultivated this very technique.

His voice echoed in Ji Ning's ears.

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

"Damn it." Ji Ning frowned.

Those with powerful divine bodies feared binding and suppression! Even if the one-armed golden-armored man struck ten or eight more times, the impact force would instead help Ji Ning tear the formation. But now the rope was a problem.

Whoosh, whoosh.

Ji Ning immediately released two hands, while his other four arms continued to tear with all their might. Two more hands each gripped a Northmoon sword.

The sword light turned, like a black hole vortex, sending the rope aside.

"Hmph." The golden-armored one-armed man charged forward, manipulating the rope while his blade light descended.

Ji Ning defended with all his might.

The golden-armored one-armed man actually had a technique similar to Three Heads and Six Arms, but he always kept only one arm. Yet his blade... its power was indeed great! Ji Ning's sword, in terms of power, was slightly inferior.

"This alien is indeed an Ancestral God." Ji Ning felt the pressure.

Although Ji Ning's sword was slightly weaker in power, it was faster—faster than the limits of the Heavenly Dao!

The two swords worked together, actually managing to block 'Blade Zun's' blade and rope.

"Beiming, hold on a little longer. This formation is about to break." Fuxi sent a voice transmission to Ji Ning.

"Mm."

Ji Ning, a hundred thousand zhang tall, tore at the great formation with four hands while defending with the other two.

"How is it that this Beiming feels even more troublesome than the Buddha Tathagata? He's just a native, should only be a True God." Blade Zun, after exchanging blows for a while, also sensed this. How could he know that Ji Ning was actually a half-step Ancestral God? With sword arts surpassing the limits of the Heavenly Dao, and nearly two thousand years in the Skysight Grand Peace Tower, Ji Ning's sword arts had become even more perfect.

"Blade, why is the formation still being broken?" The Great Demon God Cixiu transmitted.

"Master, this Beiming's protective divine ability is formidable, no less than Tathagata's! And his sword arts are too powerful... I can't stop him." Blade Zun replied.

"Are you sure?" Cixiu was anxious.

"My blade struck his body, leaving only a white mark." Blade Zun answered.

...

The Great Demon God Cixiu, who was furiously attacking Tathagata, was growing irritable.

"How can the Three Realms be like this? I, an Ancestral God, struggled bitterly to cultivate my divine body to rival a top-grade先天法宝. Yet these natives, clearly True Gods—this Tathagata's divine body reaching the top-grade先天法宝 level is one thing, but that Beiming, who has trained for less than a thousand years, also has such a strong divine body." Cixiu was displeased.

Protective divine abilities were very hard to cultivate.

Otherwise, Northrest World God would not have immediately abandoned the techniques passed down by Heavenly Cang Palace and switched to the 'Golden Statue' technique upon obtaining it.

"Those with powerful protective divine abilities are troublesome. To bind him... this Tathagata's palm techniques are also formidable; I simply cannot bind him. I can only drain his divine power." Cixiu was helpless.

Only by draining the opponent's divine power could he capture him.