Sage Monarch

It didn't take long for the sagelight to break down the blood of the infernal, absorb it, and add it to the Infernal Deity Spear, making it more true and real than ever.

Normally speaking, the True Real Step was integrally linked with the fourth step of the Great Sage level. But considering how many megamammoth particles Yang Qi had awakened, he had long since reached a level equivalent to the Eternal Sands Step. And with the blood of that infernal, he now had many of the marvelous aspects of the True Real Step.

Of course, he wasn’t truly in either of those cultivation levels, just similar to them in strength and certain abilities. When he actually reached that level, he would be so far beyond his current state that it was almost impossible to quantify.

At the moment, he already emanated something like a sagely aura. It was hard to say at what point he had begun to develop a sage aura and bits of sage energy. However, one thing was for certain; he was now in the Half Sage level.

The Half Sage level was more of a process, and passage into it was usually accomplished without fanfare. There was no tribulation; that only came with the breakthrough to the Great Sage level.

Of course, even though he was now a Half Sage, Yang Qi didn’t have his own true sage motes. But his aura had become sagely, and he had sage energy; now, his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth would be even more effective than before, and his Infernal Deity Spear had transformed on a fundamental level.

It now had wings. They weren’t like the Angel Wings, but rather, were golden, and inlaid with multicolored flame.

The spearhead was now serrated, making it look ghastly to the extreme. There were also entities visible within it, like emperors in the middle of various martial arts routines. The slightest swish of this new spear could slice apart heaven and earth. Even better, its power could now be turned into a sealing mark which could be used to force infernals into servitude.

WHOOSH!

Even as Yang Qi acquired these upgrades and aspects of enlightenment, the sixth step infernal caught up to him. However, when he noticed the sagely aura on Yang Qi, he stopped in his tracks and frowned.

“Half sage? You're not even a full Great Sage? How did you manage to stab me?” Then his eyes shifted to the Infernal Deity Spear in Yang Qi’s hand, and he suddenly took a step backward, a result of an instinctual fear that rose up in his heart.

“The Infernal Deity Spear?! That’s a weapon from the deities that we Infernalfolk worship. The energy art associated with it has long since been lost. Not even the top suzerains of hell can use it. Who are you? And how come you have that energy art?”

“I represent the infernal deities,” Yang Qi replied. “I wield the highest level of power possible, understand the ultimate meaning of death, and can travel to the deepest depths of hell. Considering that you recognize this as the Infernal Deity Spear, a paramount object of supreme power, how come you aren’t on your knees right now? Don’t tell me that you’re intentionally profaning the glory of the infernal deities?”

The infernal was initially shocked, but after a moment, burst out laughing. 

“Well, aren't I the lucky one?” he said. “I'm a noble infernal, but I happened to offend the wrong person in the Hell of Mahānata, and was sent to this border region to work with the despicable warmonger giant-devils. But now it seems my fortunes have turned. A puny human like you has fallen into my lap with the Infernal Deity Spear. I’ll force the energy art cultivation technique out of you, and then return to the Infernalfolk and acquire an even higher position than before. And you think I'm going to get on my knees in front of you? You really are an ignorant fool….”

Sighing, the infernal suddenly vanished.

A moment later, he was above Yang Qi, his webbed fingers splayed as he extended his hand downward, like the claws of an eagle descending onto a rabbit. Obviously, he intended to crush Yang Qi into nothing.

At the same time, Yang Qi thrust his spear up toward the infernal's palm, and simultaneously activated the God Legion Paradise’s Superlative Defense. In the blink of an eye, his level of power skyrocketed, and the sagely true energy that he had recently developed poured into the spear.

The spear stabbed smoothly into the infernal’s palm, instantly causing blood to spray out.

Howling in rage, the infernal blurred to the side and unleashed another attack. However, Yang Qi’s Superlative Defense held fast. The God Legion Paradise trembled, but didn’t fall. It was little surprise; the Infernalfolk used infernal power, but that only served to make the God Legion Paradise glow more brightly.

The attacks were actually benefiting Yang Qi. It was as if he were a block of iron, and this Heavenly Workings infernal was a hammer, beating away at it to remove the impurities and turn it into a divine weapon.

The ferocious techniques of the Infernalfolk couldn’t hurt Yang Qi at all.

And now that he was a Half Sage, his true energy seemed to contain some of the will of heaven on high, and as it grew, the Hand of the One God, the ultimate manifestation of the Fist of the Halls of Heaven, inched even closer to completion.

Suddenly, porcelain-colored light flared behind him, pure fire that turned into a god-spirit with an elephantine head and a human body, with the Infernal Deity Spear in its hands. As for Yang Qi, his hands were clenched into two Fists of the Halls of Heaven, attacks that could rip open heaven and earth, and caused an image of the halls of heaven to hover above his head.

At this point, Yang Qi began to speak in Godtongue: “Those in hell lift their heads to gaze toward the halls of heaven, and they are filled with boundless hope….” 

His fists flew forth with the power to destroy all evil creatures; ignoring all obstacles, they rocketed toward the infernal’s head.

“What?” The shocked infernal threw out his own fist to meet Yang Qi’s, and as soon as they made contact, he sent all of his true energy into Yang Qi in the hopes of destroying him in one shot.

However, it didn’t matter how terrifyingly powerful he was, that energy did no good against Yang Qi. Millions of holy trees appeared within the God Legion Paradise, and the power of godmammoths erupted from him. The halls of heaven grew clearer, as though they were actually appearing right there in the Hell of Mahānata.

The infernal’s energy flowed into Yang Qi without cease, in a perfect example of the dog trying to bite the hedgehog.

Smack!

The Infernal Deity Spear stabbed into the infernal, and more blood sprayed out of the wound. 

“Oh primeval infernal deities,” the infernal wailed, “why did you bestow your spear upon a puny human, and turn a blind eye to me, a descendant with your blood! Heavenly Workings Secret Magic!”

At this point, the infernal stopped relying only on its physical strength, but instead, drew on secret magics of the Great Sage level, causing manifestations of the workings of heaven to stream out. Heavenly workings were generally profound and enigmatic, but when they were combined with true energy, they could unleash godly laws and godly light.

A tempest of heavenly workings rumbled toward Yang Qi, pure magical law that battered the God Legion Paradise and ripped apart its Superlative Defense.

Despite that, Yang Qi seemed completely unfazed. Even as the immense power crushed down toward him, an immortal mote suddenly flew out, transforming into a dragon-snake that sped forth to repair the greyspace of the domain. In the blink of an eye, it was even stronger than before.

That immortal mote was the combination of numerous sage motes, which created a very pure immortal will. It was all that remained of the immortal armor the Crown Prince had worn, and had originally been beyond Yang Qi’s ability to work with. But now, it was the perfect time to utilize it. 

The immortal mote transformed into immortal energy, which then filled the God Legion Paradise.

As it happened, Yang Qi suddenly felt a boundless energy within heaven and earth, which was none other than sage will. He was truly heading toward the direction of becoming a sage.

A mighty wind kicked up around him, filled with what looked like enormous giant-spirits, and terrifying power.

“Eternal Godwind!” the infernal said, visibly shocked. Turning as if to flee, it said, “I can’t believe it's Eternal Godwind. What’s going on here? He's becoming a Great Sage? But even rising to the Great Sage level shouldn’t provoke a tribulation like that. Even when I reached the Heavenly Workings level, all I provoked was a Jambudvīpa Deluge….”

The screaming winds turned the area into a tempest that even the infernal couldn’t handle easily. In fact, the winds were so strong that its efforts to flee were foiled.

The Eternal Godwind was called eternal because it could transform anything it touched into wind, leaving behind nothing in its stead.

By drawing on the immortal mote, Yang Qi was initiating his breakthrough into the Great Sage level. Earth, water, fire, wind. He had already experienced the first three tribulations of Jambudvīpa Deluge, Night Queen Flame, and Amber Avalanche. The final tribulation, the Eternal Godwind, had finally appeared. Now, he had all four universal elements in his God Legion Paradise.

With this tribulation, he was finally going to step into the Great Sage level.