Chapter 2205: Blood Absolute Makes His Move
Pulled by the force of the Sundial, Zhang Ruochen entered a peculiar space.
This space was not too large, quite like a cave without an entrance, surrounded by rough stone walls.
Zhang Ruochen had possessed the Sundial for a long time and often used it for cultivation, yet he had never known that such a space existed within it, nor had he imagined he could enter it.
Looking around, Zhang Ruochen found everything in this space extremely primitive and ancient. In the corners lay several rough stone tools, such as stone jars, stone knives, and stone axes, all with only approximate shapes, appearing irregular.
At the center was a long-extinguished fire pit, surrounded by scattered animal bones, most of which had already decayed.
Inevitably, Zhang Ruochen had the illusion that he had traveled through time and entered a cave where primitive people once lived.
"The Sundial appeared at the dawn of human civilization, passed down from ancient times. Everything here should be the most authentic depiction of that era," Zhang Ruochen speculated inwardly.
However, he did not understand why the Sundial had drawn him into its internal space at this moment.
Zhang Ruochen had carefully sensed before that, without any power to drive it, the Sundial was utterly silent, with no power fluctuations inside, and seemed to have no artifact spirit either.
According to what the Moon God had said back then, if the Sundial were intact, it should take another form, capable of unleashing terrifying power that could disrupt the time flow of an entire great world.
Logically, a time treasure like this should have an artifact spirit.
The reason he could not sense it was either that the artifact spirit had left the main body or that it had fallen into a deep slumber, sealing itself.
Zhang Ruochen guessed that it was highly likely that the Sundial had been damaged during the Middle Ages War and had entered a dormant state.
"Rustle."
Just as Zhang Ruochen was at a loss, the rough stone walls suddenly stirred.
Countless time imprint light spots, like fireflies, flew out. The surrounding stone walls instantly became smooth as jade, fully reflecting the scene outside.
At this moment, the Sundial was frantically devouring the River of Time that Xiu Chen Heavenly God had condensed using the formation.
Even with the Star Soul Divine Throne continuously injecting divine power, the time formation was still greatly suppressed, showing signs of being dismantled.
With the Sundial's help, Xue Hou and Underworld King had their pressure drastically reduced, gradually shifting from defense to offense.
Through the crystal-clear stone wall, Zhang Ruochen's gaze locked onto Chi Kongle, his heart aching, his eyes filled with pain.
"Xiu Chen, you must die."
Zhang Ruochen exuded a terrifying killing intent.
Immediately, he did his utmost to release his own power, simultaneously mobilizing all his time rules and channeling them into the crystal-clear stone wall.
Inside the Sundial, he did not know how to activate it, but he had to try.
Having finally had the chance to personally deal with Xiu Chen Heavenly God, he would not miss it.
The crystal-clear stone wall absorbed Zhang Ruochen's power and then released even greater force, devouring the River of Time at an accelerated pace.
Perhaps because it had absorbed enough time power, the Sundial underwent some peculiar changes.
What Zhang Ruochen could truly feel was that the space he was in was growing brighter, and the long-extinguished fire pit showed signs of rekindling.
On the stone walls, mysterious patterns emerged, flowing like streams, emitting a unique rhythm.
Seeing the Sundial display its divine might, Chi Kongle's gaze turned dark, no longer resembling the pure and lovely girl she once was, but like a demon.
"Xumi has already fallen. A broken artifact thinks it can deal with me? Back then, you destroyed my divine body; today, I will completely refine you."
Chi Kongle's eyes were sharp, exuding murderous intent.
If the Sundial had not destroyed her divine body back then, why would she have been reduced to seizing another's body?
No matter how good the body, how could it compare to her original form?
Chi Kongle formed hand seals, altering the formation's operational trajectory.
"Whoosh."
A crack appeared in the time formation, spewing out a powerful force that forcibly repelled Xue Hou and Underworld King.
Chi Kongle's goal was clear: to concentrate all power on refining the Sundial.
Xue Hou's eyes darkened. Without hesitation, she activated the twenty-four divine steles, striking at the time formation. She knew Zhang Ruochen was inside the Sundial, and if Chi Kongle succeeded in refining it, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Break for me."
Underworld King also went all out, manifesting his ninety-thousand-mile divine body and swinging his sword down.
Driven by divine power, the Stellar Divine Sword stretched tens of thousands of miles, its swing illuminating the heavens and earth.
"Boom."
The time formation shook violently but was not breached.
After all, the time formation was based on the vast "Sea of Time," powered by the immense divine energy of Xiu Chen Heavenly God's Star Soul Divine Throne, making it inexhaustible and indestructible, even for ancient gods.
Xue Hou's brow glowed, and a mirror wrapped in a sea of blood qi flew out—the Blood Sea Demon Mirror, as famous as the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror.
Of course, the current Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror was far inferior to the Blood Sea Demon Mirror.
The Blood Sea Demon Mirror was an extremely ancient and powerful supreme sacred artifact that had killed gods.
In the second gradient of the Endless Abyss, Xue Hou had smelted a large amount of divine blood and various precious divine materials into the Blood Sea Demon Mirror, greatly enhancing its rank.
The twenty-four divine steles formed a special formation, like twenty-four stars suspended in the sky, emitting an immensely vast aura.
The divine power released by the steles layered upon each other, all pouring into the Blood Sea Demon Mirror.
Instantly, over a million supreme inscription patterns appeared on the mirror's surface, and endless blood qi surged forth, turning into a vast sea of blood that covered the sky, enveloping the entire Sea of Time.
"Boom, rumble."
For a moment, the rules of heaven and earth trembled, as if the entire sky were about to collapse.
Inside the time formation, the Sundial, fully bound by the formation, slowed its absorption of time power and was instead wrapped by the River of Time.
As a result, the Sundial further awakened, emitting an ancient and distant aura.
A clear imprint of the River of Time appeared on the Sundial, reflecting a magnificent phantom of the River of Time in the void.
Incredibly, this phantom of the River of Time instantly cut the River of Time condensed by the formation into several segments.
At the same time, an object flew out from the space treasure on Zhang Ruochen's body and appeared outside.
It was a stone platform, ten zhang high and thirty-three zhang long, made of material almost identical to the Sundial.
This stone platform was the one that had carried the Sundial when it was discovered in the Phoenix Nest.
Although Zhang Ruochen knew the platform was extraordinary, he had never used it because he could not unravel its mystery.
As soon as it reunited with the Sundial, the stone platform manifested an anomaly: brilliant Buddha light bloomed, illuminating all directions.
For a moment, golden lotuses sprang from the ground, flowers bloomed in the void, creating a peaceful scene as if a divine Buddha had descended.
Indeed, a Buddha shadow emerged from the stone platform. Though its face was unclear, it exuded a solemn and majestic aura.
As the Buddha shadow appeared, ethereal chanting filled the air, like tidal waves, directly penetrating the soul, impossible to resist.
Seeing the Buddha shadow, Chi Kongle's gaze turned icy cold. "Xumi, you really are a persistent ghost. Since you're dead, die completely—don't leave even a shadow behind."
Chi Kongle recognized that the Buddha shadow was a remnant imprint of Xumi Saint Monk, etched into the stone platform for some special reason, now activated.
"Rustle."
Within Xiu Chen Heavenly God's divine temple, surging Shura battle qi erupted, like a mighty tide, connecting heaven and earth.
The next moment, a dark orb flew out from the temple, hovering above Chi Kongle's head.
As soon as the orb appeared, it released a terrifying pressure, nearly freezing the boundless space of the Sea of Time.
Outside the Sea of Time, Blood Absolute War God's eyes flickered with a strange light. "So, it forces Xiu Chen to use the Shura Great Yi Realm."
Many eons ago, Xiu Chen Heavenly God discovered a world born from primordial chaos in the universe and used great divine powers to collect and refine it.
Afterward, she invested countless heavenly treasures and expended much effort to further refine this world, gradually evolving it into the Shura Great Yi Realm.
The Shura Great Yi Realm contained vast Shura battle qi and specially cultivated Shura divine war souls, making it one of Xiu Chen Heavenly God's major trump cards.
Throughout her life, Xiu Chen Heavenly God had slain many gods. A small portion of her gains went into managing the Sea of Time, while most was used for the Shura Great Yi Realm.
In the divine war 100,000 years ago, Xiu Chen Heavenly God's divine body and divine source were destroyed, and even her divine soul was shattered.
It was only by relying on the Shura Great Yi Realm that she escaped disaster.
Her divine soul had slept in the Shura Great Yi Realm for 100,000 years before re-condensing and recovering.
If she had not just seized Chi Kongle's body, severely limiting her usable power, Underworld King, Xue Hou, and Zhang Ruochen would never have forced her to use this trump card.
"Roar."
With a earth-shattering roar, an eight-armed Shura clad in battle armor emerged from the Shura Great Yi Realm.
The eight-armed Shura was ten thousand zhang tall, surrounded by vast Shura battle qi, exuding a murderous aura, fierce and savage, as if born solely for slaughter.
It was the Shura divine war soul that Xiu Chen Heavenly God had cultivated using the divine souls and divine thoughts of many gods, extremely powerful and claimed to be immortal.
In that brutal divine war back then, even the starry river was shattered, and the Shura divine war soul was severely wounded, but it was not destroyed.
Six of the eight-armed Shura's hands held various weapons, all extraordinary—either supreme sacred artifacts or ancient divine relics.
Driven by Xiu Chen Heavenly God, the eight-armed Shura charged straight at Xumi Saint Monk's Buddha shadow.
At the same time, the Shura Great Yi Realm rapidly expanded, releasing immense power that surged in all directions.
"Bang."
The sea of blood covering the sky was the first to be hit, shaking violently before quickly collapsing.
Xue Hou's body trembled, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, involuntarily retreating.
Underworld King was also impacted. Even with the Stellar Divine Sword to block, he was injured, retreating thousands of miles.
"Since you refuse to leave, then stay."
Chi Kongle's cold voice rang out.
Instantly, the time formation extended rapidly, once again enveloping Xue Hou and Underworld King.
Since she had already used the Shura Great Yi Realm, there was no need to let any provocateurs go. If she could kill Xue Hou and Underworld King, the Shura divine war soul could also return to its peak state.
Trapped in the time formation again, Xue Hou and Underworld King's expressions changed slightly.
An ancient god like Xiu Chen Heavenly God, who had fought Xumi Saint Monk, was indeed formidable—no one knew how many trump cards she had.
On the other side, facing the eight-armed Shura's frenzied attacks, Xumi Saint Monk's Buddha shadow kept retreating, its Buddha light rapidly dimming.
This was, after all, only a shadow imprint of Xumi Saint Monk, not his true body, with limited power.
After enduring over a hundred attacks, the Buddha shadow finally sank back into the stone platform, reverting to a faint imprint.
Just as the eight-armed Shura reached for the Sundial and the stone platform, its movement suddenly halted.
The reason was that the swallow imprint on Chi Kongle's brow glowed, and a massive swallow phantom emerged from her body, enveloping her.
On the swallow's back stood a very faint shadow, identical to Chi Kongle, her face twisted in pain.
Seeing that shadow, Zhang Ruochen's gaze froze.
"Kongle hasn't been fully possessed yet. The swallow pendant—the swallow pendant is protecting Kongle. Yes, that must be it." Zhang Ruochen's emotions grew agitated.
The swallow pendant was a heirloom of the Saint Ming Zhang Clan, suspected to have been left by their ancestor, Immovable Bright King Great Venerable. It was mysterious and unfathomable. It was not impossible that it could temporarily protect Chi Kongle.
However, in just a moment, the swallow phantom and Chi Kongle's shadow vanished, re-entering her body.
Chi Kongle frowned slightly. She disliked being constrained by that strange power. Once she finished dealing with matters here, the first thing she would do was refine that strange power and fully control this body.
That ancient existence was indeed powerful, but only a remnant of its power remained—how could it be a match for her?
The Shura Great Yi Realm spun rapidly, absorbing the power of heaven and earth, and pressed down directly toward Xue Hou and Underworld King.
At the same time, the eight-armed Shura reached out again, grabbing for the Sundial and the stone platform.
Although Zhang Ruochen mobilized all his power, he could not resist, forced to watch helplessly as the eight-armed Shura's massive hand descended.
He had finally seen a glimmer of hope, knowing that Chi Kongle had not been fully possessed, yet he was powerless to change anything.
In the end, his cultivation was insufficient. Relying on external objects, he could not defeat Xiu Chen Heavenly God.
"Why hasn't the old man made his move yet? With his temper, he shouldn't be holding back," Underworld King thought to himself.
Just as he was thinking, a blood-colored war halberd flew through the air, carrying unmatched divine power, descending from the sky. The halberd exuded a terrifying blood fiend aura, like a peerless ferocious beast awakening, unstoppable.
"Boom."
The time formation could withstand the attacks of Xue Hou and Underworld King, but it could not block the blood-colored war halberd. In an instant, a tear was ripped open.
"Crack."
No matter how sturdy the White Bone Mountain was, the blood-colored war halberd pierced through it.
The tip of the war halberd embedded into the White Bone Mountain, releasing surging blood fiend divine power, striking at the Shura Great Yi Realm and the eight-armed Shura.
"Roar."
The eight-armed Shura let out a sky-shaking roar but was still forced back repeatedly by the blood fiend divine power, completely unable to resist.
The Shura Great Yi Realm was also blocked, suspended in midair, unable to press down.
Seeing this, Underworld King revealed a smile. As he had expected, at the critical moment, Blood Absolute War God would not stand idly by.
When the old man was young, he feared nothing, only that there were no opponents for him to fight.
An opponent like Xiu Chen Heavenly God—he had probably been longing for such a fight for a long time, hadn't he?
He just wondered if, given Xiu Chen Heavenly God's current state, the old man would find it worthwhile.
Chi Kongle looked into the distance, toward a mountain peak outside the Sea of Time, her gaze locking onto a tall, imposing figure standing there.
"Blood Absolute War God."
She had actually sensed Blood Absolute War God's presence long ago.
She had thought that, given Blood Absolute War God's status, he would be unlikely to intervene.
However, the final result surprised her. Blood Absolute War God had not allowed her to suppress the two new gods of the Undying Blood Clan.
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