Advancing to the Void King Realm was not solely dependent on strength. Sometimes, luck played an equally crucial role.
Qian Tong's luck, evidently, was not on his side.
Though his strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Return of Void Realm Third Stage cultivator, and he had reaped great rewards within the Blood Prison, the Heavenly Might descended upon him during his advancement was terrifyingly powerful—beyond anything reasonable.
The fact that he had endured until now without perishing was proof enough of how formidable he was.
There was absolutely no way he could last until the end. Up above, the dark clouds had only dissipated by half, meaning the baptism of Heavenly Might had only progressed to its midpoint.
No one held out hope for him! Even Luo Hai withdrew his gaze with a sigh of regret, ceasing to watch.
Though Yang Kai had spoken lightly before, he too was secretly clenching his fists in worry for Elder Qian.
He had never encountered a scene like this and couldn't quite judge how things would unfold.
But he had confidence in Qian Tong—confidence in the thing he had given him!
Ordinary people could never comprehend how desperately the cultivators of Dark Star yearned for the Void King Realm. Suppressed and bound by the laws of heaven and earth, no one on Dark Star had managed to advance to the Void King Realm in tens of thousands of years. But the more elusive the realm, the more fiercely the warriors of Dark Star yearned for this supreme summit.
In terms of the will to walk the Dao, Qian Tong fell short of no one.
*Crack—*
Another terrifying surge of Heavenly Might descended, pouring into Qian Tong's body, simultaneously cleansing his meridians and bone marrow while tearing his flesh apart.
Within that maelstrom of chaotic energy, Qian Tong's already feeble life force was on the verge of annihilation!
Lin Yurou cried out in alarm, her beautiful face draining of color, a hand involuntarily covering her mouth.
Yang Xiuzhu, Chu Hanyi, Mo Yu, and the others all saw dramatic changes in their expressions!
"It's over, it's over! This time it's truly over." Elder Jiu shook his head and tutted, full of regret. "This man's fortune is lacking. Otherwise, there would have been an excellent chance he could have achieved the Void King Realm. What a pity... Hm? What's going on?"
Elder Jiu suddenly widened his eyes, staring straight ahead as though he had witnessed something utterly astonishing.
The other Void King Realm cultivators also wore looks of extreme surprise, crying out one after another.
"No way! How is this man's vitality skyrocketing?"
"Did he take some heaven-defying pill? What kind of pill could produce such an effect?"
"Nonsense! What pill could possibly revive a person on the brink of death with such vigor? Not even a Void King-grade pill could do that!"
"Strange... what exactly did he consume?"
The Void King Realm cultivators were bewildered, unable to understand why Qian Tong's life force, which had been on the verge of extinguishing, was suddenly blossoming like a dead tree bursting into spring growth, radiating astonishing brilliance.
That dense, overwhelming force of vitality—even disrupted by the violent energies of the advancement—could be felt with perfect clarity.
From the distance came Qian Tong's hearty laughter. His figure stood straight as a sword, proud and defiant upon the earth, his head raised to the heavens, spirit soaring: "This old man hasn't lived enough to die yet—how could I perish in a foreign land! You worthless heaven, show me everything you've got!"
Elder Jiu and the others twitched at the corners of their eyes, their gazes filled with shock.
This man actually dared to challenge the Heavenly Might of the advancement? Since ancient times, no one had ever done such a thing.
Did he not understand that the Heavenly Might triggered by an advancement at his level possessed a rudimentary intelligence?
Such provocation was practically digging his own grave!
Sure enough, the moment Qian Tong's words fell, the enormous dark clouds overhead began spinning rapidly, and within them came rolling waves of thunder that shook the very soul.
In the blink of an eye, a massive vortex formed directly above Qian Tong's head.
Then, from within the vortex, a thick beam of energy plummeted downward, slamming straight into Qian Tong!
Qian Tong's screams and roars erupted once more, his surging life force being eroded at a terrifying rate.
"That old madman!" Elder Jiu smacked his lips, unable to find words for what he was witnessing.
Luo Hai's eyes blazed with sharp light as he stared intently toward that direction, visibly moved.
It seemed as though the Heavenly Might was pouring down in one final torrent. With the descent of the energy pillar, the dark clouds overhead shrank and thinned at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In less than ten breaths, the sky opened up completely. The terrifying Heavenly Might vanished without a trace, and the rampant energies dissipated in the same instant.
In the distance, only Qian Tong's silhouette stood there, straight and motionless!
No one could tell whether he was alive or dead.
But a mysterious aura radiated outward from him, erupting with tremendous force, spreading across a hundred-li radius before gradually fading.
And then, in the next moment, that aura reversed course, flowing back in unison into Qian Tong's body.
It seemed as though something had fundamentally changed...
The Return of Void Realm experts furrowed their brows, unable to discern the deeper mystery, but the Void King Realm cultivators all raised their eyebrows in astonishment.