Chapter 4

Chapter 2: The Nine Transformations of Gods and Demons

Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

At the age of three, Tuo Ba Ye was already incredibly robust, resembling a child of five or six years old.

From birth, he had been practicing the method obtained from the Divine Punishment Jade Talisman—the Way of the Divine Talisman. After three years, he had just barely entered the initial stage, and his strength had already reached the innate realm.

In the Divine Martial Continent, cultivators are divided into postnatal warriors, innate martial gods, and then the Qi Refinement stage, which is considered the threshold of cultivation. Postnatal warriors who join the army can become squad leaders, platoon leaders, or battalion commanders, possessing a certain status and strength. Once one becomes an innate martial god, they instantly rise to the top, and joining the army can directly make them a general, with a lofty status. If one can enter the Qi Refinement stage, they are seen as deities by ordinary people, capable of flying through the air and traversing the earth, with no limits to their abilities.

Tuo Ba Ye's grandfather, Tuo Ba Xiong, was a nine-star innate martial god, one of the top warriors of the Warring States era.

When Tuo Ba Ye was just a month old, Tuo Ba Xiong returned to the Southern Wilderness to guard it.

Tuo Ba Ye's father, Tuo Ba Jie, was also quite powerful, a five-star innate martial god. The family having two martial gods made countless people envious and resentful.

Children on the Divine Martial Continent only begin cultivation at the age of six.

Tuo Ba Ye was always quiet and practiced in silence. He had a method to conceal his aura, so no one knew that his cultivation had already advanced to the one-star innate martial god stage.

Even the geniuses of some cultivation families and sects were not much better than him.

If this were to be known, it would likely shock the entire nation, and even spread across the Divine Martial Continent.

"Xiao Ye, where are you? Xiao Ye..." Tuo Ba Ye's mother, Xia Yu Xuan, was looking for him.

Xia Yu Xuan was gentle and graceful, a beauty of the Warring States era, yet she was somehow charmed by the rough Tuo Ba Jie and brought home.

Tuo Ba Ye was hiding behind a rock formation, practicing the Way of the Divine Talisman.

The Way of the Divine Talisman primarily cultivates divine consciousness, using it to gather the elemental energy of heaven and earth, infusing it into the body to form elemental power.

The Way of the Divine Talisman was different from other cultivation methods, even from those Tuo Ba Ye knew in his previous life.

In his previous life, the cultivation methods he knew involved directly practicing techniques to draw elemental energy into the body to form elemental power.

The Way of the Divine Talisman was extremely difficult to master, and Tuo Ba Ye spent nearly three years cultivating a single thread of divine consciousness.

After entering the initial stage, gathering the elemental energy of heaven and earth became much easier. In less than a month, his cultivation advanced rapidly, directly crossing the postnatal warrior stage and reaching the innate martial god stage.

Moreover, Tuo Ba Ye discovered a problem: the elemental energy he gathered was 50% absorbed by the divine root, 40% by the Divine Punishment Jade Talisman, and only 10% by himself, forming elemental power.

Otherwise, with the speed at which he absorbed elemental energy, his cultivation would far exceed the one-star innate martial god stage.

"Mother, I'm here." Tuo Ba Ye ended his cultivation.

In his previous life, he only had a childhood sweetheart and no other family, so he now cherished the warmth of family.

"Xiao Ye, why are you hiding again? Your father is coming back soon, let's go to welcome him." Xia Yu Xuan was reluctant to scold Tuo Ba Ye.

"Mother, let's go quickly." Tuo Ba Ye did not mention his hidden cultivation, as Xia Yu Xuan thought he was just playing hide-and-seek.

"Walk slowly!" Xia Yu Xuan followed Tuo Ba Ye closely, afraid he might fall.

Tuo Ba Ye felt a warm sweetness in his heart, appreciating the feeling of having a family.

Tuo Ba Jie returned hurriedly, his face pale and his eyes lifeless.

"Father, you're back!"

Even when Tuo Ba Ye greeted him, Tuo Ba Jie did not notice, his mind heavy with thoughts.

"Jie, what's wrong?" Xia Yu Xuan knew Tuo Ba Jie well.

Usually, Tuo Ba Jie was very steady, having inherited most of the old man's skills. Seeing him now, it was clear something major had happened.

Tuo Ba Ye, with the memories of his previous life, also saw the problem and did not act like a child, throwing tantrums.

"Let's go inside and talk."

Tuo Ba Jie picked up Tuo Ba Ye and held Xia Yu Xuan's delicate hand, quickly entering the house.

"Jie, what's really going on?" Xia Yu Xuan was extremely anxious.

"Father is in trouble. He led the army to pursue the barbarian tribes deep into the Southern Wilderness, and the army disappeared without a trace. Father is also missing. It's been three months, and the Southern Wilderness has determined that Father has already sacrificed himself." Tuo Ba Jie's eyes were bloodshot.

Xia Yu Xuan almost fainted: "How could this happen?"

"Ah! The Tuo Ba family will be in turmoil. My strength is not enough to control the situation." Tuo Ba Jie sighed, "If I had known, I would have focused on cultivation to improve my strength."

"Jie, you must stay calm. Our family of three depends on you." Xia Yu Xuan, being a woman, placed all her hopes on Tuo Ba Jie.

Hearing about his grandfather's disappearance, Tuo Ba Ye's eyes turned red, and tears streamed down his face.

Although Tuo Ba Xiong was often in the Southern Wilderness, he loved Tuo Ba Ye greatly. Even when he couldn't return, he would send many small items collected from the Southern Wilderness, specifically for Tuo Ba Ye.

Tuo Ba Ye was deeply moved, and tears involuntarily flowed.

He was very clear about the situation of the Tuo Ba family. Externally, the other four major families were eyeing them, and internally, the collateral branches were vying for power.

While Tuo Ba Xiong was alive, he was the strongest in the Tuo Ba family, able to maintain control.

Tuo Ba Jie's cultivation was also quite good, but there were still two powerful figures in the collateral branches who were stronger than him.

Once news of Tuo Ba Xiong's disappearance spread, the collateral branches would likely not let Tuo Ba Jie inherit the position of family head.

The head of the Tuo Ba family was also the general of the Warring States.

Being the head of the family meant having control over the military. With military power, one could hold the reins of power and rule the family.

Tuo Ba Jie quickly calmed down: "Yu Xuan, stay home and take care of Xiao Ye. I'll go out and see if Father's old subordinates can help me."

"Jie, be careful." Xia Yu Xuan was very worried, her eyes brimming with tears.

The struggle for power within the family was brutal, often resulting in bloodshed, not to be taken lightly.

The fate of the losers was dire, and Xia Yu Xuan didn't even dare to think about it.

Tuo Ba Ye knew he had to become strong to help his father and support the entire family.

Controlling the Tuo Ba family was just the beginning; they still had to face the various schemes of the other four major families.

That night, Tuo Ba Ye secretly entered Tuo Ba Jie and Tuo Ba Xiong's training room to test his strength.

He was very clear about his elemental power cultivation, which had just entered the one-star innate martial god stage.

However, he had not yet tested his physical strength.

Specializing in physical strength cultivation could also slay gods and destroy immortals, different from cultivating elemental power.

The physical strength system was relatively simple, divided into nine levels of divine strength, with the first level being the initial manifestation of divine strength.

Some cultivators are born with divine strength, and shortly after birth, their strength reaches the initial manifestation stage.

Before Tuo Ba Ye was born, his body was modified by the Divine Punishment Jade Talisman and the divine root, making him born with divine strength. The reason it took a day for him to be born was due to the modification of his physical strength.

Tuo Ba Ye was born with divine strength but had not yet cultivated his physical strength.

Born with divine strength is extremely rare, especially in the Divine Martial Continent, a third-grade cultivation world. He did not want to be too shocking.

Cultivating physical strength would inevitably show astonishing strength, and it would eventually leak out.

Being overly showy brought no benefits.

Tuo Ba Ye, with the memories of his previous life, always maintained a low profile.

Whether it was being born with divine strength or reaching the one-star innate martial god stage at the age of three, either would shock the Divine Martial Continent if known.

Tuo Ba Ye only hoped to gain more time, so that when he revealed his strength, it would not be as shocking as it would be now.

After entering the training room, Tuo Ba Ye first tried to lift a ten-thousand-pound divine iron, which he lifted easily.

Divine iron is extremely heavy, and a ten-thousand-pound piece is only the size of an adult's head. Divine iron is extremely precious, and only a few families in the Warring States could use it to cultivate physical strength.

Lifting ten thousand pounds with both hands is the initial stage of divine strength. Tuo Ba Ye lifting ten thousand pounds with one hand indicated that his strength was beyond the initial stage.

Tuo Ba Ye did not rashly try to lift a twenty-thousand-pound piece but gradually increased the weight, adding two thousand pounds each time.

At twelve thousand pounds, he lifted it easily with one hand.

At fourteen thousand pounds, there was no problem.

At eighteen thousand pounds, he felt some difficulty.

"Continue! Roar!"

In the end, Tuo Ba Ye lifted a twenty-thousand-pound piece with one hand, reaching his limit.

Lifting twenty thousand pounds with one hand means over forty thousand pounds with both hands.

This is the intermediate stage of the initial manifestation of divine strength. Over sixty thousand pounds with both hands is the advanced stage.

The initial stage can easily defeat postnatal warriors, the intermediate stage is comparable to innate martial gods, and the advanced stage is comparable to Qi Refinement cultivators.

Tuo Ba Ye's elemental power cultivation and physical strength cultivation both reached the innate martial god level, with his physical strength being even stronger. His overall strength was likely not inferior to Tuo Ba Jie's.

It should be noted that he was only three years old, had not yet started cultivating physical strength, and his elemental power was just beginning.

"To help Father support the Tuo Ba family, I must temper my physical strength. Unfortunately, the Divine Punishment Jade Talisman only records the Way of the Divine Talisman and the Way of Talismans, not any physical cultivation methods. I will have to use the physical cultivation methods from my previous life."

In his previous life, Tuo Ba Ye collected many cultivation methods, including physical cultivation methods, which were much better than those passed down by the Tuo Ba family.

In his previous life, Tuo Ba Ye obtained a physical cultivation method called the Nine Transformations of Gods and Demons.

The Nine Transformations of Gods and Demons is the best physical cultivation method in the Milky Way, widely known, but few can cultivate it, and almost none succeed.

The conditions for cultivating the Nine Transformations of Gods and Demons are very strict, requiring one to be born with divine strength. Even with divine strength, the success rate is extremely low.

Since he was going to cultivate a physical method, he naturally chose the best.

After returning to his room, Tuo Ba Ye began to cultivate the first transformation of the Nine Transformations of Gods and Demons.

The first transformation of the Nine Transformations of Gods and Demons aims to transform the body into a divine and demonic form, a task so difficult that countless geniuses with divine strength are stuck at the first transformation, unable to succeed.

Tuo Ba Ye, though inexperienced, knew the difficulty of cultivating the Nine Transformations of Gods and Demons but still chose to cultivate it, determined to succeed or die trying.

To become a superior person, one must have the courage and decisiveness to take action.

The next morning, the sky was still gray and not fully bright.

Tuo Ba Ye was still cultivating the Nine Transformations of Gods and Demons, suffering immensely, his teeth grinding with a hiss, but he was still gritting his teeth and persevering.

"Tuo Ba Jie, come out!" Outside, a noisy voice called out.

"Second Uncle, Third Uncle, why are you here?" Tuo Ba Jie's voice quickly responded.

Tuo Ba Ye had to end his cultivation, knowing that the collateral branches of the Tuo Ba family had arrived.

Whether they could get through this crisis was of great significance to Tuo Ba Ye's family.