Zhou Leng found himself bound inside a large cauldron, unable to move, with wood burning below.

He struggled desperately, but his hands were already bleeding from the restraints, to no avail.

As the water temperature rose, his body finally couldn’t withstand it.

Ah...

His body instinctively screamed in agony.

Zhou Leng could endure this pain, but his body could not.

Until the water boiled.

His vision alternated between darkness and light.

In front of him, dancers swirled gracefully, singers softly sang, musicians played their instruments.

He seemed to be in a high place, slightly better off than before.

Turning his head, he found himself fixed to a large copper pillar.

At that moment, a woman spoke softly from an even higher place, "Great King, next is the punishment of roasting..."

Zhou Leng was expressionless, cursing the Gate of Purgatory in his heart.

Flames rose, and the copper pillar quickly heated up.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle...

The smell of burnt roasted meat slowly spread.

Unimaginable pain flooded his entire body, causing involuntary convulsions...

His vision alternated between darkness and light again.

"Madam, today we’re going to stab this little brat to death, stab until dead."

"Yes!"

Zhou Leng: ???

Then, a grim palace maid held an iron needle, stabbing it into his body one by one...

Zhou Leng finally understood that this was not the Gate of Desperate Death, but the Gate of Torment.

Next, Zhou Leng tasted every possible way of human death.

At first, he could bear them, but the pain and fatigue kept accumulating.

A hundred deaths, easily.

A thousand deaths, it began to feel uncomfortable.

Three thousand deaths, he managed to endure.

But, starting from three thousand deaths, what he felt was no longer physical pain, but all the suffering related to himself.

As an infant, the pain of his parents, the pain of other family members, the pain of everyone nearby...

As a treacherous minister, the pain of his family, the pain of those he harmed, the pain of the people...

During the roasting punishment, he felt the pain of the entire race, the entire country...

Death and pain continuously bombarded his heart and Martial Arts Will.

After enduring three thousand eight hundred deaths, his Martial Arts Will finally reached its limit and fell unconscious.

After a long time, Zhou Leng opened his eyes, feeling something was amiss, looked down and saw his right hand trembling slightly.

The pain was so intense, it actually caused bodily changes.

Fortunately, his body was strong enough, otherwise, severe illness would have occurred.

Taking medicine, he began cultivation, slowly alleviating the dual pain of the mind and body.

After calming down, he took out the Star Refining Furnace.

He watched it quietly for a long while, sighed lightly, and slowly started alchemy.

He refined a new Little Star Pill and left the Fierce Beast world.

On the Demon Brain glasses, a wealth of information appeared.

There was an invitation from Principal Lu of Eighth Middle School.

There were continuous notifications from the Giant Race.

There were various urgent matters.

There was news from other Martial Saints.

Especially An Tianzhi, endlessly inquiring about various Martial Arts knowledge.

An Tianzhi was very cooperative during the great purge, though he loved to ask about everything.

Zhou Leng first replied to Principal Lu before slowly responding to everyone else.

When he arrived at the Ancient River Research Bureau, he had replied to most.

Outside the Ancient River Research Bureau, many giants emerged from several Great Demon Spirit houses.

"We pay respects to the Frost Giant King!" The giants greeted.

As soon as Zhou Leng heard, he knew the giants had bestowed him a new title.

Frost Giant King, essentially the pinnacle status within the current Giant Race, on a par in name with the highest-ranking Demigod King Giant.

"I’ve seen the news about the Boundless Ancient Road matter?"

"Yes."

"What are the new updates?"

"Apart from the Celestial Calamity God paying attention, there’s hardly any useful information. The only useful news is that this Boundless Ancient Road is a grand event with many realms participating, the strength gathered is immensely powerful. Some Celestial Region-level talents are said to participate."

"Celestial Region-level talents? How strong are they?"

"We know only that the universe’s life is vast and infinite, talents are broadly divided into Divine Son, Deep Field-level talents, and Celestial Region-level talents, beyond that we’re unclear." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"About how strong?" Zhou Leng had heard about them but didn’t know details.

"We don’t know much either, like the so-called World Son, Luck Son are only planetary-level talents. Beyond that are galaxy-level talents, like the Giant Race’s Great Axe Galaxy, your Human Milky Way Galaxy. Above that is something like galactic clusters..."

"But at that level, we consider them talents, but to High-Level Civilizations, they are merely slightly outstanding cultivators. At least reaching Divine Son level is considered a true talent..."

"Divine Son, not Void God Son, but True God Son, moreover among True God Sons, the most exceptional, fully nurtured by the True God..."

"Basically, our Ten Realms added up over tens of thousands of years might not produce a single Divine Son-level talent."

Another giant said, "Not tens of thousands of years, from birth to destruction, might never produce a Divine Son-level talent."

Zhou Leng chatted with them further, asking, "How is Mountain and River Origin?"

"He... was stimulated and thus focused intensely on cultivation. Lately, he’s been relentlessly training at the Giant Trial Ground, repeatedly earning ancestral blessings, his strength growing immensely, reportedly able to ascend to Demigod status before the Boundless Ancient Road."

Zhou Leng was silent for a moment, nodded, and said, "He always had the talent of a Demigod."

"Compared to you, he’s still lacking a bit."

"Not necessarily, back then I was far inferior to him. He’s simply too young, initially the same level as Elder Song." Zhou Leng replied.

Among so many half-blood giants, truly rational and capable of cultivating Martial Arts, only Mountain and River Origin.

One person combining the essence of two races, with enough time, nearly another Blood of Tyranny.

"You are too humble. By the way, before entering the Boundless Ancient Road, would you and your wife like to participate in the Giant Trials to strengthen further?"

"Both can participate?"

"Your wife, as Frost Giant Queen, naturally can partake in various Giant Trials."

Since the giant dragon’s power significantly increased, the Giant Race took to heart the recruitment of Zhou Leng, they mustn’t be overshadowed by the dragon.

"Alright!"

The giants laughed happily.

Zhou Leng made some preparations, took Xu Qingjin, and together with the giants, arrived at the Giant Royal Court.

The Giant Royal Court welcomed Zhou Leng ceremoniously and held an investiture ceremony, officially bestowing Zhou Leng as Frost Giant King and Xu Qingjin as Frost Giant Queen, afterward providing abundant stipends and vast territories.

Subsequently, the two began participating in Giant Trials from basic levels, step by step completing trials of the entire Giant Race.

Xu Qingjin formally gained the power of the Giant Body during the fifth trial and activated the power of the Mother Tree.

The benefits she previously gained from the Mother Tree have yet to be fully absorbed, occasionally receiving the radiant juice of the Mother Worm, each little bit sufficient for months.

To lay a solid foundation, Zhou Leng suggested she continue sharpening at the Innate level, once roots are solid and deep, then advance to Grandmaster.

As the number of Giant Trials endured increased, and the inheritance rewards or ancestral blessings obtained were all top-grade, Zhou Leng’s power grew steadily, rapidly accumulating to the peak of Lower Demigod.

Layer upon layer of blessings intensified Zhou Leng’s Giant Body, leading to ascension.

Eventually authenticated by the Giant Race, Zhou Leng’s new Body of Wonders was in truth a "Divine Aura Giant Body," a powerful high-level giant, just slightly inferior to the Starry Giant.

Three days after completing all Giant Trials, the Boundless Ancient Road officially opened.

Countless giants gathered in front of the Giant Royal Court, including the Mountain River Celestial Peak and Mountain and River Origin father and son, a family with two Demigods.