Invincible Divine Destiny Selection System Chapter 2042: 2042: Heavenly Gourd

A man of middle age, draped in a vibrant, multi-colored robe, stepped out from the gourd. He radiated an aura of profound nobility.

This appearance was the very image of the Heavenly Power that had originally refined him.

Despite being an Artifact Spirit, the middle-aged man possessed a cultivation that was terrifyingly potent. As a peak Heavenly Emperor, his raw strength far exceeded that of a standard Martial Emperor.

While he had not yet grasped the will of the heavens, he made up for it with his status as a Divine Artifact, placing him among the most formidable beings under the sky.

“Who are you!”

The middle-aged man was struck with pure shock as he watched Chu Yuan relentlessly consume everything within the Heavenly Tomb. He had never witnessed anyone act with such madness.

The malice and curses permeating the Heavenly Tomb were things even the heavens themselves preferred to shun.

He knew he could not afford any lapse in vigilance.

“An Artifact Spirit of a Divine Artifact? Very good.”

Chu Yuan paid no heed to the man’s startled cry.

Appearing eternal and invincible, an overwhelming pressure twisted the surrounding space and lit up the world. The Emperor’s massive hand reached out, grasping fiercely toward him.

“You dare!”

Though he did not represent the celestial realm itself, his immense power gave the middle-aged man a sense of deep-seated pride.

He manifested a colorful hand of his own, clashing violently against Chu Yuan.

Boom! To the middle-aged man's horror, his power was utterly crushed the moment it emerged by an even more dominant force.

With a simple flick of his wrist, Chu Yuan demolished all opposition.

“How can he... be this powerful!”

The middle-aged man fought desperately to hold his ground against Chu Yuan.

He gazed at the magnificent figure of Chu Yuan with intense dread, finding himself completely locked in place.

This terrifying display was akin to facing a true Celestial God; even with his strength, he could only shudder in the presence of such a being.

The vast expanse of the empire's will began to swallow the middle-aged man, leaving him with no path of retreat.

“I cannot face him directly. If I stay, I will be defeated—he is rising to become the supreme Celestial God!”

Shifting into a streak of brilliant divine light, the middle-aged man attempted to flee, illuminating the firmament as he pushed the gourd’s power to its limit.

Being the Artifact Spirit, his connection to the gourd was absolute.

However, as the gourd tried to tear through the boundaries of the Eternal Kingdom, a powerful suction held him fast, preventing any escape.

“Destructive Heavenly Force!”

The middle-aged man uncapped the gourd, releasing a prismatic river of incredible sharpness. It was a force capable of shredding the celestial heavens themselves.

Any ordinary emperor would have been riddled with holes by such an attack.

The Tower of Eternity flared with its most radiant light, anchoring and suppressing the kingdom.

Chu Yuan, wielding a hand like that of a god, exerted the most tyrannical power.

He stood his ground firmly. Even under the assault of the colorful river, he remained unshakable, blocking every possible exit.

“Transmutative Heavenly Force!”

The middle-aged man was fighting for his life.

When triggered, the Transmutative Force became a shimmering mist that could foster the growth of worlds. However, if it encountered an enemy world, its properties flipped, dissolving the realms of others into nothingness.

Once dissolved, that energy would be converted and siphoned back into the gourd.

This was an exceptionally versatile Artifact with myriad functions.

“To transmute the heavens and nurture the heavens.”

Chu Yuan instantly understood the gourd's purpose.

The divine power of the empire began to swallow it. As the mist touched the Eternal Kingdom, Chu Yuan’s will forced it to be absorbed directly.

By refining and absorbing this transmutative mist, Chu Yuan turned it back into a nurturing essence for his own realm.

“You... you...”

Stunned that Chu Yuan could manipulate his own power, the middle-aged man shouted, “You can actually refine my transmutative mist! Just who are you!”

Chu Yuan looked down upon him with absolute dominance.

With a move of his celestial will, he grabbed the massive gourd as it drifted in a sea of energy. He held it firmly in his palm, making escape impossible.

The gourd shook violently, emitting bursts of divine light.

The middle-aged man tried repeatedly to force the gourd away, but every attempt ended in failure, and panic began to set in.

“Do not push me to the brink!”

The middle-aged man held back his ultimate trump card: the self-destruction of the gourd. By detonating a Supreme Divine Artifact, he could take his enemy down with him.

But the price would be his own total erasure.

Chu Yuan’s divine radiance bathed the gourd. As his hand descended, it suppressed the internal formations, stripping the middle-aged man of the ability to self-destruct.

An irresistible force of attraction dragged the gourd down, pulling it into the Eternal Kingdom.

While the spirit possessed Divine Artifacts, so did Chu Yuan.

In terms of sheer power, Chu Yuan was on an entirely different level.

“It is over!”

The moment he was pulled into Chu Yuan’s kingdom, the middle-aged man knew his fate was sealed. Like a lamb entering a tiger's lair, he was suppressed, with no hope of ever leaving.

“I will give you a single chance: cease your resistance and merge your strength with my empire. I will allow your consciousness to remain and make you a part of my domain. If you remain stubborn or ungrateful, I will wipe your consciousness away and keep only the Supreme Divine Artifact.”

Chu Yuan’s voice was heavy with authority, leaving no room for argument.

After all, this man had the power of a peak Heavenly Emperor and was a natural Artifact Spirit. Keeping him intact would be a significant boon to the empire's strength.

However, Chu Yuan was not a man of mercy.

Defiance would be met only with death.

“I...”

The middle-aged man wavered for just a second. Sensing a sudden spike in destructive intent, he cried out, “I submit! I yield! I am prepared to follow your orders. I can see that you are destined to become the greatest Celestial God!”

A clever man knows when to bow to the inevitable.

The middle-aged man was certainly such a person.

The Heavenly Power who had created him was long dead. Upon reflection, serving someone as great as Chu Yuan was no disgrace if it meant his survival.

“Emperor, I am called Hu. The Celestial Power who gave me life fell during the great celestial war.”

Hu spoke with newfound respect.

“Tell me of your capabilities.”

As Chu Yuan continued to swallow the Heavenly Tomb, he questioned the spirit about his powers.

“This is the Gourd of the Celestial Heavens, often called the Sky Gourd. My previous master was a disciple of the Celestial King. He forged his own celestial path, housing his entire Celestial Realm within this Sky Gourd. A perfectly preserved celestial world still exists inside, where my master eventually died fighting for the Celestial King.”

Hu provided a detailed explanation.

“A whole celestial world.”

Chu Yuan nodded.

This was similar to the celestial paths found within the Eternal Path.

One method involved internalizing the world within one's own body.

The other involved placing that world inside an artifact.

Because the world was protected within the artifact, it remained remarkably pristine, making it a massive prize for the empire.

Chu Yuan had no plans to rip the world out of Hu.

There was no point.

The gourd was now property of the empire, which meant the world inside it was as well.

Since everything belonged to the empire, there was no need to separate them.

“With this world inside the gourd, I can perform many feats: I can radiate celestial light, emit life-giving breaths, or reverse them into transmutative destruction. I can also use a heavenly devouring force or act as a defensive shield for the world as a divine artifact.”

Hu listed his various powers in great detail.