Limitless Ascension: Strength Amid Adversity – Chapter 726

Some time passed, and a young man dressed in a deep purple robe, radiating confidence, rode on a holy beast with dragon head and lion body, zooming through the vast cosmos.

This guy is Xiang Jiba!

He was tasked by his Master to check out the situation in the Kunlun Realm, and if the feedback was positive, the Panlong Wusheng ruling the Holy Martial Realm might consider establishing diplomatic relations with Kunlun.

As he gazed at the magnificent starry sky, passing by a familiar desolate planet, sitting atop his holy beast, Xiang Jiba couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.

The first time he met Ye Junlin was in this very world. Back then, he was full of himself, thinking he was the cream of the crop, only to find out there were real prodigies out there!

Or rather, you could call them… monsters!

Years later, the two’s statuses were worlds apart, which made Xiang Jiba feel a surge of emotions.

“Compared to Daoist Ye, I seem quite ordinary now,” Xiang Jiba said with a bitter smile.

Although he was a prized disciple of Panlong Wusheng, which meant he had a stellar reputation elsewhere and was seen as a prime catch by countless female cultivators, when stacked against someone who could make it onto the supreme rankings, he was no more than a pearl next to the bright moon—totally out of his league!

“Roar~”

Suddenly, a black hole-like vortex appeared to Xiang Jiba’s left, and a starry giant beast resembling a crocodile, covered in metallic scales, lunged out, opening its massive jaws to bite him.

“Crap!”

Xiang Jiba was taken aback and jumped off the holy beast with all his might, but in its terror, the beast was devoured whole by those gaping jaws.

With a chilling sound of chewing, that holy beast was now a meal for the cosmic giant.

Xiang Jiba’s scalp went numb, and his hair stood on end as he stared in fear at this monstrous creature that had emerged from the black hole.

Those fierce and cruel eyes were locked onto him!

“This is a cosmic predator!”

Xiang Jiba’s expression darkened.

In this vast universe, aside from the periodic cosmic storms, there were also these fearsome and elusive cosmic predators!

Cosmic predators don’t belong to the demon race; they are unique beings with origins tracing back to mythical eras even older than ancient times!

They are all about slaughter, with no code of conduct, no one can tame them, and they grow rapidly, adapting to environments with ease. They’ve got a unique ability to traverse space, popping up wherever!

Any race is their potential prey!

Thus, they are universally recognized as enemies by all cosmic beings, and there have been waves of attempts to exterminate cosmic predators throughout history.

But each attempt ended in failure—total extinction was impossible!

The reason is simple: cosmic predators can self-reproduce, without needing the usual male-female mating. They only reproduce three times in their lifetimes, but each time they produce a horde of offspring. Perhaps it’s in their genes; even tossed into the most desolate places, these little ones can fend for themselves and grow fast without any training!

Coupled with their special ability to cross through the void, they have managed to swim through the cosmos, surviving even against universal hunts, keeping their lineage alive to this day.

Over time, both the Divine Court and the Nine Nether have had to accept the reality of their existence.

Fortunately, cosmic predators can only grow to the level of Ancient Saint; otherwise, it would mean catastrophe for the many beings of the universe!

In specific ancient celestial paths, cosmic predators generally do not appear, since the entire space of those paths is sealed off, preventing them from ambushing passing cultivators.

Sadly, Xiang Jiba, wanting to take a shortcut to quickly reach the Kunlun Realm, stepped outside the safe zone and fell right into the cosmic predator’s trap.

To make matters worse, this cosmic predator was already at its final growth stage, meaning it had reached the peak of Ancient Saint!

“Roar…”

The cosmic predator raised its massive, menacing crocodile head, its countless sharp teeth dripping with foul saliva.

Its whole body was covered in black metallic scales glistening with a cold sheen, its limbs powerful enough to crush a star to pieces!

Before it, Xiang Jiba was as insignificant as dust, and the hot breath from its maw felt like a raging storm!

Xiang Jiba wanted to escape, but escaping from a top-tier cosmic predator was nothing but a ridiculous joke!

“Am I really going to end up in this beast’s belly?”

Xiang Jiba felt so unwilling, filled with endless regret.

He hadn’t even truly realized his ambitions; he hadn’t yet reached the peak of his path, and now this was going to be how it all ended?

“Roar!”

The cosmic predator opened its vast jaws, ready to swallow this tiny figure whole.

“Damn beast, I’ll fight you to the death!”

With the determination crashing upon him like a tidal wave, Xiang Jiba knew it was a doomed effort, yet he gritted his teeth and raised a halberd, ready to fight back.

Just then.

A faint ripple appeared above him, and an invisible, mysterious force descended upon Xiang Jiba.

In an instant, his eyes turned pitch black, devoid of any whites, looking eerily terrifying.

Just as he swung his halberd in a desperate slash, an immense power far beyond his realm, surpassing even the Saint King’s strength, erupted forth.

Swish!

In the terrified gaze of the cosmic predator, that unmatched blade of light pierced through its skull, splitting its massive body in two, with torrents of blood floating in space—a spectacular scene indeed.

The top-tier cosmic predator that made countless Ancient Saints headache was just taken out in a single blow!

After swinging the halberd, Xiang Jiba’s eyes were dark, his head bowed as he hovered quietly, resembling a statue, giving off a chilling vibe.

A few seconds later, his eyes cleared, and when he looked up to see the bisected corpse before him, his immediate reaction was pure shock beyond measure!

“What… What just happened?!!”

Xiang Jiba exclaimed in disbelief.

He glanced at the halberd in his hand and checked his internal holy power reserves, finding nothing missing; this meant the cosmic predator hadn’t been killed by his power.

Strangely enough, he had no memory of how the cosmic predator met its demise!

He hadn’t even blinked an eye!

How did this monster get cleaved in two?

Xiang Jiba found it all very odd, but he was indeed out of danger, safe and sound.

“Could it be my Master in the Holy Martial Realm came to my aid?” After considering the situation, Xiang Jiba pondered this possibility.

Even though it sounded unbelievable that someone could reach across such vast distances, given the techniques of someone at the Saint Ancestor Realm, he, as a mere Celestial Saint, couldn’t begin to fathom it.

Thus, Xiang Jiba resolved to assume that it was his Master, Panlong Wusheng, who had slain the cosmic predator!

With that thought,

Xiang Jiba bowed directionally toward the Holy Martial Realm and said respectfully, “Thank you, Master, for saving me!”

After saying that, he hurried toward the Kunlun Realm.

What he didn’t know was that the force which managed to accomplish such a feat was not something even a Saint Ancestor Realm expert could pull off.

It would take someone far beyond the Saint Ancestor Realm to make such a move!

At that moment, Xiang Jiba had yet to realize that he had become host to a mysterious power that would accompany him to the Kunlun Realm…