Fate-Defying Demon Emperor

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: The Secret of the Character 斗 (Dou)

The Qin Family’s treasure vault contained numerous treasures, far surpassing the Lu Family’s vault in both quantity and quality.

At this moment, Su Han’s spiritual power spread out, taking inventory of the many treasures and swiftly taking those he needed.

WHOOSH!

With a grasping motion, he retrieved the corpses of the three Qin Family elders. These were his spoils of war and also a key resource for his breakthrough to the Heavenly Human Realm.

After removing their Storage Rings, Su Han employed the Devouring Heaven Demonic Art, devouring and refining the bodies of the three elders.

Unfortunately, while the Devouring Heaven Demonic Art could elevate him through minor realms, it could not break the shackles of a Great Realm.

However, after devouring the corpses of the three elders, Su Han had reached the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Divine Sea Realm, leaving him only a single step away from the Heavenly Human Realm.

There are eighteen seals in the Ghostly Face Mask. Last time, when I broke through to the Divine Sea Realm, I unlocked one. Not only did its might increase, but it also granted me the Character Technique of Motion. If I break through to the Heavenly Human Realm this time, perhaps I can unlock the second seal. Maybe then I’ll obtain another Secret Technique. Moreover, there is an abundance of Spirit Gold here, which I can absorb and refine to cultivate the Great Luo Golden Body. With that kind of strength, I will certainly stand a fighting chance when I face Qin Xiong again!

Su Han’s eyes were bright and his mind was clear, his plan forming a series of perfectly interlinked steps.

This time he had attacked the Qin Family with the main purpose of drawing out the Empress. Therefore, he only killed the three elders and did not engage in a life-or-death struggle with Qin Xiong.

The Qin Family’s treasure vault had also been his target from the start. After all, a breakthrough required a massive amount of resources, and he didn’t have time to collect them slowly. His previous success with the Lu Family’s vault had inspired him to set his sights on the Qin Family’s treasury.

Now, half of his revenge plan had succeeded. The other half depended on the results of this breakthrough.

Time to begin!

Taking a deep breath, Su Han cleared his mind of all distractions, concentrated, and began his attempt to break through to the Heavenly Human Realm.

Surrounding him were the cultivation resources he had found in the Qin Family’s treasure vault that suited him: Spirit Stones, Spiritual Medicine, and Elixirs, all of which Su Han required.

BOOM!

Su Han activated the Devouring Heaven Demonic Art, and his entire being instantly became like a bottomless black hole, rapidly absorbing the energy of these treasures.

Soon, the rich energy completely engulfed his figure.

As time passed, Su Han’s aura grew stronger and stronger, seeming to push past its limits and soar to the heavens.

Meanwhile, as Su Han cultivated in seclusion, Qin Xiong had yet to discover that his own backyard was on fire. Along with five Shadow Guards, he searched tirelessly throughout the Imperial Capital, scouring every possible place where Su Han could be hiding.

「Seven days later.」

Both the inside and outside of the Imperial Capital had been thoroughly searched. Only the Imperial Palace and the Qin Residence remained unchecked.

Could he have hidden inside the palace?

Qin Xiong frowned slightly, suspecting that Su Han was within the palace. After all, Su Han was once the Ninth Prince and had lived in the palace for many years, making him familiar with its every corner.

Furthermore, the palace was a place where all sorts of characters mingled. If Su Han truly wanted to hide, ordinary people would find it incredibly difficult to locate him.

As a result, Qin Xiong once again entered the palace to seek out the Empress. Soon after, the Empress ordered a thorough investigation of the palace.

While Qin Xiong and the Empress focused their attention on the palace, Su Han, within the Qin Family’s treasure vault, finally achieved his breakthrough.

Brilliant golden light shone, illuminating the entire vault. Within that golden radiance, Su Han’s figure stood like a golden-armored War God, majestic and inviolable.

Su Han’s dark hair hung loose over his shoulders, his long clothes billowed, and his sharply defined eyes sparkled with a piercing gleam like thunderbolts, compelling others to look away.

His body radiated a bright golden light, and a terrifying torrent of Qi-Blood roared from within him like a tidal wave, making the very void hum.

Su Han’s Sacred Body was different from the Dragon Phoenix Saint Body. Its primary characteristic was its exuberant, golden Qi-Blood, which possessed an extremely Yang and utterly sacred quality.

At this moment, Su Han gently clenched his fist. Feeling the Qi-Blood surging within him like a roaring river, he felt as if he could shatter a mountain with a single punch.

Beyond the strength of his Sacred Body, Su Han also successfully broke through to the First Layer of the Heavenly Human Realm. His spiritual power and Demonic Qi were gradually merging, allowing him to draw upon a vast amount of the world’s Spiritual Energy with his every move.

A typical martial artist at the First Layer of the Heavenly Human Realm could only draw Spiritual Energy from a hundred-meter radius, but Su Han could draw from two hundred meters—twice as much as his peers.

With my current strength, if I were to face the Qin Family’s Great Elder again, I could kill him without even using the Heaven and Earth Slash!

Feeling the powerful force within his body, Su Han’s eyes lit up with joy.

Time to test the Ghostly Face Mask!

Having familiarized himself with his new state, Su Han quickly took out the Ghostly Face Mask and placed it on his face.

A torrent of Devouring Heaven Demonic Qi surged from the mask, instantly spreading through his limbs and bones. Immediately, Su Han’s aura soared once again.

Heavenly Human Realm Second Layer!

Heavenly Human Realm Third Layer!

Heavenly Human Realm Fourth Layer!

The second seal within the Ghostly Face Mask had been unlocked, releasing an even greater abundance of Devouring Heaven Demonic Qi. This boost allowed Su Han to break through three successive layers.

With this, Su Han’s strength while wearing the Ghostly Face Mask would be terrifying.

Not only that, but unlocking the second seal also granted Su Han another secret technique.

DING!

A stream of familiar information emerged within Su Han’s sea of consciousness.

Character Secret of Combat: One of the Nine Secrets, foremost in offensive power. It can evolve various Divine Killing Techniques, undergoing a thousand changes and transformations to become the very foundation of all combat methods!

Su Han’s guess had been correct. Unlocking the second seal of the Ghostly Face Mask had brought him a second Secret Technique: the Character Secret of Combat.

”Cannon Fist!”

Su Han clenched his right fist. Without invoking his Sacred Body or using Demonic Qi, he threw a simple punch.

BOOM!

The air exploded as waves of force surged outward, shaking the entire treasure vault.

The power of my Cannon Fist has tripled!

Feeling the power of his punch, Su Han’s eyes showed surprise and delight.

The Character Secret of Combat was not merely a single martial technique, but a sacred method of battle that seemed to form the basis for various others.

There are countless martial techniques in the world, but they all stem from the same fundamental principles. The Character Secret of Combat was the foundation that unified them all.

By mastering the Character Secret of Combat, the power of any offensive martial technique he used would be significantly enhanced, and his cultivation of them would also be far more efficient.

The Character Technique of Motion represents ultimate speed, and the Character Secret of Combat represents supreme offensive power. I wonder how powerful the other Seven Secrets will be!

Filled with anticipation, Su Han continued his practice until he gained an initial mastery of the Character Secret of Combat.

Next up is cultivating the Great Luo Golden Body!

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Su Han continued to cultivate and further enhance himself.

His Sacred Body, with its extremely strong golden Qi-Blood, was already powerful. However, the Great Luo Golden Body was described as Vajra Indestructible—formidable and unparalleled—and Su Han had no intention of missing out on it.

The Qin Family’s treasure vault held an abundance of Spirit Gold, which made it the perfect place for Su Han to cultivate.

Reaching out, Su Han grabbed a chunk of Spirit Gold in his left hand. Following the refinement method for the Great Luo Golden Body, he began to absorb the Golden Spirit Energy from the metal, focusing it all into a single bone for refinement.

It took over a hundred pieces of Spirit Gold for Su Han to refine just the first bone of his hand. Although the process was arduous, he instantly felt its extraordinary quality.

This single Great Luo Golden Bone was golden throughout and embossed with mysterious Divine Patterns. When Su Han threw a punch with that hand, he felt its might was several times stronger than before.

If one Great Luo Golden Bone possesses such power, what about several more?

His anticipation for the Great Luo Golden Body growing ever stronger, Su Han took more Spirit Gold and continued the refinement process.

This time, I will reach my strongest state. Then, I will go and settle all my debts and grudges in one fell swoop!