Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin: I Set Taboos in the Heavens

Upon advancement, Fang Qing directly reached the third stage of the Legendary Realm, the Void Realm.

But that wasn't the end of it. Fang Qing went straight for the fourth transformation, the Five Elements Transformation.

For other cultivators, it takes a lot of time and energy to collect, refine, and comprehend the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth in the world, and to master their mutual generation and restraint and their infinite transformations before they can step into this realm.

But for Fang Qing, who had already cultivated the Great Five Elements Technique to an extremely high level, this step was a natural progression, and could even be described as a "return".

"Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth! The five elements revolve endlessly!"

Fang Qing let out a low shout, and five-colored light shot into the sky from his body, transforming into five pillars of light that reached the heavens and the earth, each corresponding to one of the five elements.

Between the pillars of light, true energy circulated, generating and restraining each other, evolving into endless changes. All sorts of incredible extreme changes of the five elements naturally manifested in his every move.

In just a few breaths, the five elements became complete.

His mastery of the Five Elements has reached a level far surpassing that of ordinary legendary fourth-stage cultivators.

Just as Fang Qing's Five Elements transformation reached perfection, and his body was enveloped in five-colored pillars of light that pierced the sky, undergoing endless transformations of mutual generation and restraint, the long-brewing tribulation clouds above the heavens suddenly unleashed the fourth wave of calamity.

It is no longer a single thunderbolt or inner demon, but the divine light that annihilates the five elements.

Five thick beams of light, each a different color but all containing the same aura of ultimate destruction and annihilation, descended from the depths of the tribulation clouds.

These five divine lights were like five poisonous dragons, connected head to tail, forming a terrifying Five Elements Annihilation Array that completely enveloped Fang Qing and the surrounding hundred-zhang space.

Within the great formation, the Five Elements Laws were distorted and reversed, heading towards extreme opposition and self-destruction, aiming to completely shatter the balance of the Five Elements that he had just comprehended, and to decompose, assimilate, and return his physical body, true energy, and even his soul to nothingness.

This is the most brutal test for cultivators who have mastered the Five Elements Transformation.

Faced with the Five Elements Annihilation Formation, which was powerful enough to annihilate even a legendary fourth-stage cultivator, Fang Qing simply smiled calmly.

Far from being afraid, he took a step forward and embraced the universe with his hands.

"The Five Elements are annihilated? Trying to manipulate the Five Elements in front of me is like showing off your skills before an expert."

With a slight thought, the five pillars of light around him suddenly shone brightly. Instead of being affected by the distortion power of the great formation, they acted like five stabilizing needles, drawing in and controlling the five beams of destructive light.

When the "Great Five Elements Technique" is used to its fullest extent, his understanding of the essence of the Five Elements far surpasses the crude path of destruction evolved by this calamity.

Under the guidance of Fang Qing's Five Elements Light Pillar, the five violent beams of annihilation light were forcibly incorporated into his own Five Elements Cycle System, much like a gentle stream.

The destructive power was rapidly decomposed and transformed into pure energy that nourished the five elements and solidified their foundation.

The terrifying Five Elements Annihilation Formation collapsed before it could fully unleash its power, instead becoming another great tonic for Fang Qing to consolidate his "Five Elements Transformation" realm!

In the blink of an eye, the fourth wave of calamity vanished.

After Fang Qing's Five Elements foundation was tempered by the Heavenly Tribulation, it became more harmonious and flawless, and the Five Elements Daoist charm became more and more intense. It was as if he could create a small Five Elements world with every move he made.

The fifth transformation: the transformation of Yin and Yang!
When the five elements are in perfect balance, yin and yang naturally arise.

When the five elements of true qi in Fang Qing's body circulated to their extreme, they naturally differentiated and merged, evolving into the extremely yang and strong yang qi and the extremely yin and soft yin qi.

Yin and Yang are not independent, but rather they are intertwined with the Qi of the Five Elements, transforming and promoting each other.

There is yin within yang, and yang within yin. Under the harmony of yin and yang, the five elements reach a more harmonious and fundamental state.

When the five elements are in perfect balance, yin and yang naturally arise.

When the five elements of true qi within Fang Qing's body circulated to their extreme, evolving into the supremely yang and strong solar qi and the supremely yin and soft yin qi, and when they merged and transformed into each other, the yin-yang balance between heaven and earth seemed to be suddenly broken, bringing about a new calamity.

The entire sky suddenly split in two, one half becoming a dazzling, pure yang realm, and the other half becoming a pitch-black abyss of pure yin.

Two extremely opposing yet co-originating forces, like two invisible millstones, sandwiched Fang Qing's area in the middle, and began to grind and tear it apart in reverse.

This is not simply a matter of extremes, but rather it directly affects the newly formed Yin and Yang energies within the cultivator's body, as well as the Five Elements foundation closely connected to them.

The pure yang energy will completely evaporate and burn away the yin energy within him, while the pure yin energy will freeze and annihilate the yang energy within him.

Even more deadly is that this rebellious force is also trying to reverse the yin and yang attributes of his Five Elements True Qi.

Once the Yin and Yang within the body become unbalanced and the Five Elements become disordered, at best one's cultivation will be completely ruined, and at worst one's body will explode and die on the spot, with the soul torn to pieces by the chaotic flow of Yin and Yang.

However, facing this Yin-Yang Reversal Tribulation specifically designed for the "Yin-Yang Transformation," a tribulation capable of causing countless geniuses to perish, Fang Qing's expression remained calm, even carrying a hint of insightful understanding of its essence.

"Yin and Yang are the pivot of heaven and earth, the fundamental principles governing all things. They generate and restrain each other, and are opposites yet unified. How can it be a simple matter of either/or?"

He did not forcibly resist the two opposing forces of Yin and Yang. Instead, he deliberately relinquished some control over the Yin and Yang energies within his body, allowing them to be disturbed by the pure Yang and pure Yin energies from the outside world.

Just as the Yin and Yang energies within his body were about to spiral out of control and the foundation of the Five Elements began to tremble slightly.

"Yin and Yang rotate, and the Five Elements are the foundation."

Fang Qing let out a low shout. His disturbed Yin and Yang energies did not collapse. Instead, under the harmonization of his powerful mental will, the Yang energy transformed into Yin and the Yin energy transformed into Yang.

He took everything.

Although Fang Qing displayed the profoundness of the Great Five Elements Technique, he had already dealt with the Lord of Yin and Yang, so how could he not be familiar with Yin and Yang?

The heavenly tribulation here was nothing more than easy prey for him.

In just a moment, the fifth wave of calamity was safely overcome.

From the initial breakthrough to the continuous leaps through the Blood Transformation, Soul Transformation, Void Transformation, Five Elements Transformation, and Yin-Yang Transformation, reaching the legendary fifth transformation, the entire process was completed in one go!
quick! too fast!
It was faster than anyone could comprehend, faster than a myth.

For ordinary cultivators, the journey from the ninth level of the Life-Seizing Realm to the Legendary Realm requires a long period of preparation and involves life-and-death trials, with a relatively low success rate.

Each improvement requires years or even decades of hard work and accumulation, as well as a tremendous opportunity.

For someone like Fang Qing to break through five legendary barriers in quick succession, under the watchful eyes of many and the pressure of powerful enemies, as easily as eating and drinking, is simply unheard of and unseen.

This can no longer be described as "genius," it's downright "monster"!
The whole place was dead silent.

Everyone was frozen in place, dumbfounded, their minds blank, unable to think.

Even Yang Qi and his passionate brothers and friends behind him gaped, forgetting their anger and fear, only feeling unparalleled shock and ecstasy.

The crown prince's expression finally changed completely.

From initial curiosity and scrutiny, to the slight surprise when Fang Qing broke through to the first transformation, the solemnity during the second transformation, the slight emotion during the third transformation, the pupil contraction during the fourth transformation, until the completion of the fifth transformation, Yin-Yang Transformation.

The prince's expression gradually changed from one of complete control and condescension to disbelief, suspicion, and finally to deep apprehension and a hint of... horror that even he himself was unwilling to admit.

In a mere moment, the legend has undergone five transformations! What does that even mean?
This is something that could never be done by an "ordinary" genius.

Even as the crown prince, he possessed great fortune and extraordinary encounters, and was supported by a mysterious force. It took him several years to cultivate from the first to the fifth level of the legendary transformation.

This child must possess an earth-shattering secret; he is very likely the reincarnation of some ancient powerful being, or even an even more terrifying being, otherwise there is no way to explain it!
"This child... must not be allowed to live! He must be nipped in the bud before he fully matures!"

The Crown Prince's murderous intent surged, instantly overwhelming all other thoughts.

No rules, no influence, no elders' attitudes—none of that matters anymore.

Fang Qing's potential and threat have reached a point where he must eliminate him immediately at all costs.

"You wretched creature! How dare you play tricks on me! Die!" The Crown Prince could no longer restrain himself and, disregarding his status and the occasion, attacked fiercely.

He no longer merely released pressure; he took direct action.

He took a step forward, his vital energy surged, and his right hand spread out five fingers, transforming into a chaotic giant hand that blotted out the sky.

A terrifying scene of endless stars rising and falling, and the world cycling, appeared in his palm. Carrying the ultimate meaning of crushing all things and returning to chaos, he slammed down on Fang Qing, who had just broken through and whose aura was not yet fully stable.

The power of this palm strike far surpassed the pressure it exerted on Yang Qi before. It was a killing move that truly contained a portion of the Crown Prince's true power, enough to easily kill any cultivator below the fifth level of the Legendary Realm, and even severely injure a powerful cultivator at the sixth or seventh level of the Legendary Realm.

"Crown Prince! How dare you!"

"stop!"

"presumptuous!"

Almost at the same instant the Crown Prince made his move, several angry shouts rang out like thunder.

On the high platform, several powerful and terrifying auras suddenly erupted, like several blazing suns rising in the sky.

The first thing to be hit was a five-colored divine light that pierced through the heavens and earth.

The Five Elements Venerable's hair and beard bristled, his eyes wide with rage. He had been waiting for this moment, but seeing that the Crown Prince actually dared to disregard the rules and brazenly kill a disciple who had just broken through, he could no longer hold back and made his move.

A giant, five-colored hand, formed entirely from the laws of the five elements, struck first and crashed violently into the prince's chaotic giant palm!

"Five Elements Venerable! How dare you obstruct me?!"

The prince roared, his palm strike becoming even stronger.

"What is there to be afraid of! Your Highness, you have gone too far!"

Another aged yet powerful voice rang out, and a sword aura as dazzling as the Milky Way appeared out of nowhere, slashing towards the side of the chaotic giant hand.

It was another legendary elder who was on good terms with the Five Elements Venerable who made the move.

"On the arena, life and death are determined by fate! The ownership of the spoils will be decided by public opinion! Crown Prince, you have used your power to oppress others, forcibly seized the spoils, and even attempted to stifle the future pillars of the academy. Do you really think my Heavenly Rank Academy has no one to rely on?!"

Another majestic voice rang out, and an invisible barrier containing endless spatial folding power instantly enveloped Fang Qing's head for defense. It was an iron-faced elder in charge of the academy's punishments.

"enough!"

Finally, a voice, seemingly descending from the heavens, imbued with supreme majesty yet as calm as a deep pool, resounded in the deepest recesses of everyone's soul.

The sound wasn't particularly loud, but it instantly calmed the boiling chaotic energy, freezing the Five Elements Giant Hand, the Milky Way Sword Qi, the spatial barrier, and even the Crown Prince's chaotic giant palm in mid-air, as if a pause button had been pressed.

A blurry phantom, seemingly formed from countless starlight, appeared in the highest sky above the central battlefield.

The phantom's face was obscured, but a pair of eyes that seemed to see into the past and future calmly gazed down.

The Supreme Leader of the Celestial Academy!
The leader's gaze swept over the Crown Prince, over Fang Qing, and over the entire room before he finally spoke slowly, his voice carrying an unquestionable power of judgment.

"Crown Prince, withdraw your power. This matter ends here. The Thousand Illusion World Pearl belongs to Yang Qi; it is a prize from the arena. Your avatar must not continue to coerce him."

The leader's will is the ultimate will of the Celestial Academy.

Even the crown prince wouldn't dare openly defy the supreme leader.

The Crown Prince's chaotic giant hand slowly dissipated. He stared intently at the leader's phantom, then looked at Fang Qing, who was being protected by several elders. His eyes were filled with resentment, anger, and overwhelming killing intent.

But he knew that with leaders and several legendary elders clearly expressing their support today, it was impossible for him to take action now.

"Good! Good! Good!"

The Crown Prince uttered three "good"s in quick succession, his voice icy and chilling. "Since the leader has spoken, I will naturally obey. However, Fang Qing, Yang Qi, and you bunch of reckless fools... we have a long road ahead of us!"

He glared at Fang Qing, Yang Qi, and the others with resentment before turning to leave.

However, in the instant he turned around...

Fang Qing, who had been maintaining his stable cultivation level, suddenly looked at the Crown Prince.

Five-colored light and the flow of yin and yang energies swirled in his eyes, his aura completely stabilized at the peak of the fifth transformation of the legendary realm. He looked at the back of the prince's avatar, a cold smile curving his lips.

"You should stay here, you little incarnation."

Before he could finish speaking, Fang Qing made a move.

He didn't use any fancy moves; he simply pointed his fingers like a sword and slashed at the back of the prince's avatar from afar.

This seemingly simple strike incorporates the mysteries of the Five Elements Transformation, the enigma of Yin and Yang Transformation, the speed of the Void Transformation, the precision of the Soul Transformation, and the power of the Blood Transformation, along with some miscellaneous secret techniques, such as increasing combat power by dozens of times.

A hazy, condensed sword aura, imbued with the five elements, manifesting yin and yang, and with spatial ripples emanating from its edges, disregarded distance and seemed to appear directly behind the prince's avatar.

"you dare?!"

The prince, in his transformed form, turned back in shock and anger, hastily gathering chaotic primordial energy to defend himself.

But how could the Crown Prince's incarnation, which didn't carry much power, possibly withstand Fang Qing's sword strike?
"laugh--!"

The hazy sword energy sliced ​​through the hastily prepared chaotic defenses like a hot knife through butter, passing right through the prince's avatar's chest.

The figure of the prince froze abruptly, his face still showing shock, anger, and disbelief.

He looked down at the rapidly expanding energy crack on his chest that was annihilating the very essence of his avatar, then looked up and stared intently at Fang Qing. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately no sound came out.

The next moment, under the gaze of countless horrified eyes, the Crown Prince's incomparable and awe-inspiring avatar shattered like a weathered sand sculpture, eventually turning into countless specks of light and completely dissipating into the air.

Only his final gaze, filled with endless resentment and murderous intent, seemed to be imprinted in the void.

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence once again.

Fang Qing actually... destroyed the Crown Prince's avatar with a single sword strike.

Although it is only an incarnation, it is the incarnation of the Crown Prince, representing the Crown Prince's dignity and face.

Fang Qing's actions were tantamount to slapping the Crown Prince hard in the face in public, pushing the enmity between the two sides into an abyss of irreconcilable enmity.

Fang Qing slowly withdrew her finger, as if she had done something insignificant.

He turned around, looked at Yang Qi and the group of brothers and sisters behind him who were still in shock, and a gentle smile appeared on his face: "It's alright now."

Then he looked towards the high platform, and solemnly bowed in the direction of the Five Elements Venerables, the elders who had come to his aid, and the illusory figure of the leader:
"Thank you, Master, Elders, and Leader, for upholding justice!"

The Five Elements Venerable stroked his beard and laughed heartily, his eyes filled with satisfaction and pride.

The other elders also nodded slightly.

The leader's phantom looked deeply at Fang Qing, his gaze seemingly containing endless meaning. Finally, the phantom slowly dissipated, leaving only a sentence that echoed between heaven and earth.

"The competition continues. That's it for today; no one is to cause further trouble." (End of Chapter)