Chapter 2404: The Yan Clan
In the Yama Clan, "Yan" is the number one surname, representing the noblest bloodline and possessing the most powerful inheritance.
However, within the Yan surname, there is a division known as the "Two Main Branches and Thirteen Divine Clans."
The so-called Two Main Branches refer to the Heaven Beyond Heaven Yan Clan and the Lihentian Yan Clan.
The Thirteen Divine Clans refer to the other thirteen Yan clans that have produced deities. Because they live and cultivate in different places, and their ancestral inheritances differ, they have become thirteen relatively independent forces.
Although their strength is far inferior to the Two Main Branches, they have the advantage of a large population, forming an important part of the Yan surname.
The Heaven Beyond Heaven Yan Clan, which governs the Yama Clan's Heaven Beyond Heaven, is the most powerful. In a sense, they are the representatives of the Yan surname. The vast majority of Yan Clan experts active in the Hell Realm come from here.
Yan Wushen, Yan Huangtu, Yan Zhexian, the Learning Ancient God, and even the successive clan leaders of the Yama Clan, all come from the Heaven Beyond Heaven Yan Clan.
However, in the past eon, there has been a saying of the "Three Main Branches" within the Yan Clan.
The reason for this saying is that one hundred thousand years ago, after the previous Yama Clan leader Yan Huanyu went missing, the vast majority of his lineage's clansmen stationed themselves in the Abyss of Darkness, attempting to rescue the Huanyu Clan Leader, who might be trapped deep within the Abyss of Darkness.
Thus, the Heaven Beyond Heaven Yan Clan split into two.
Over the past one hundred thousand years, this portion of the Yan Clan has gradually separated and become known as the "Dark Abyss Yan Clan."
Of course, the Dark Abyss Yan Clan and the Heaven Beyond Heaven Yan Clan share the same ancestry, bloodline, and deep connections. At least in the eyes of cultivators throughout the Hell Realm, they still belong to the same lineage.
Yan Wushen was born into the Dark Abyss Yan Clan.
Yan Chu was an old man who looked to be in his sixties or seventies, with an ordinary appearance. He wore a white headscarf and held a foot-long tobacco pipe in his hand, standing on a twenty-seven-zhang-tall giant warship, puffing out clouds of smoke.
He had lived for twenty-five thousand years and was one of the top experts below the deity level in the Dark Abyss Yan Clan.
In situations where deities cannot interfere in worldly affairs, Yan Chu could completely dominate the world and resolve all matters. For this reason, Wuqing Sect had sent him to ensure Yan Wushen's safety.
Even the Fortune and Blessing God Venerable had seen that Yan Wushen was in danger, so he arranged a marriage between him and Bore, using the power of the Destiny Temple to intimidate the Heaven Beyond Heaven Yan Clan, hoping that this eon-level genius, the future supreme powerhouse of the Hell Realm, would not die due to the lingering troubles of the previous generation's conflicts within the Yan Clan.
How could Wuqing Sect not see this?
After the Heaven Hunting Banquet ended, Yan Wushen had lost his last value, and it was time for him to die. In this generation of the Yama Clan, having Yan Huangtu alone was enough.
"Hoo!"
Yan Chu gazed at the rolling river and exhaled a smoke ring.
He was waiting for the Heaven Beyond Heaven Yan Clan to make a move.
The Heaven Beyond Heaven Yan Clan would likely not want to see Yan Wushen marry Bore, as that would mean Yan Wushen would have the backing of both the Fortune and Blessing God Venerable and the Nutian Shenzun.
Those who would kill Yan Wushen would definitely not be deities.
If a deity acted, it would break the unwritten rules established through tacit understanding, and the Hell Realm would no longer be as calm as it is now.
Every move a deity makes stirs up huge waves.
Conflicts among cultivators below the deity level, however, are like undercurrents beneath the water. Even if they clash violently, the surface remains calm.
Whether it is the Destiny Temple, the Darkness Temple, or the rulers of the ten clans, they all strive to maintain this calm. At least, before the destruction of the Heavenly Court's various realms, the Hell Realm cannot be turned upside down.
"What must come will come. Who will make the move? The Half-God God Yan Yu? The Dark Walker Yan Xuelai? Or Fu Xiangnu?" Yan Chu's thoughts were hazy, and figures appeared in his mind.
Each figure possessed a mysterious divine charm, representing a peerless expert.
Just then, Yan Chu sensed a powerful killing intent. He saw waves over ten zhang high rising from the blood-red river, surging toward the giant warship.
"Yan Wushen, aren't you going to fight me?"
...
"This battle will determine both victory and defeat, as well as life and death."
Zhang Ruochen's voice turned into waves of sound, surging forward.
Yan Chu's aged eyes suddenly narrowed, revealing an expression of disbelief. He muttered, "So that's it, so that's it. They are using Zhang Ruochen's hand to kill him openly. I should have thought of this earlier."
"Creak."
A cabin door on the giant warship opened, and Yan Wushen's towering figure stepped out, looking toward the blood mist filled with killing intent in the night sky.
He said, "Zhang Ruochen has never been a true lecher, yet on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, Yan Zhexian became pregnant with his child."
"A beauty trap?" Yan Chu asked.
Yan Wushen shook his head and said, "If a beauty trap could take down Zhang Ruochen, I wouldn't regard him as my lifelong greatest enemy. I am more inclined to believe that the Heaven Beyond Heaven Yan Clan has reached some agreement with Zhang Ruochen, promising him something. Zhang Ruochen needs their support to establish himself in the Hell Realm. In the Hell Realm, Zhang Ruochen's situation is even more difficult than mine."
Yan Chu said, "Since Zhang Ruochen is a blade for the Heaven Beyond Heaven Yan Clan, we don't need to bother with him. Let's go to the Fortune and Blessing Divine Palace first. Once you marry Bore, you will have the backing of both the Fortune and Blessing God Venerable and the Nutian Shenzun."
Yan Wushen shook his head and said, "Fighting Zhang Ruochen has always been an obsession in my heart. If I retreat without a fight today, that obsession will deepen. Not only will I fail to cultivate the Six Paths Reincarnation, but it will also affect my cultivation in the Thousand Questions Realm and the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm."
"Fight! Whether it's Zhang Ruochen or the Heaven Beyond Heaven Yan Clan, any enemy standing in my way will be cut down."
"Fight! I have trapped myself in the Saint King Realm for hundreds of years. How vast is my accumulated strength? Why should I fear Zhang Ruochen?"
"Fight! Zhang Ruochen comes with a purpose, and his battle intent is impure. He is already at a disadvantage."
"Fight! In today's battle, I will surely kill him. Only with a perfect Dao heart can I achieve the unity of the six paths."
With four consecutive "Fight" declarations, Yan Wushen's aura soared to its peak. The space around him seemed to freeze, and the world fell into utter silence.
Yan Wushen stood tall, his long hair flying in the wind. He smiled and shouted, "Well said! This battle should have come long ago! After you die, I will surely nurture Kunlun."
After returning from the Third Dark Star, Yan Wushen's cultivation had greatly improved.
But to say he could definitely defeat Zhang Ruochen, he had no confidence at all.
Facing a life-and-death battle, Zhang Ruochen had come fully armed with all his treasures. How could Yan Wushen not take it seriously?
By saying that sentence, he intended to disturb Zhang Ruochen's mind.
"After you die, I will surely nurture Kunlun." In other words, if I die, Kunlun will surely die.
Zhang Ruochen was completely unaffected by Yan Wushen's words and was not worried about Chi Kunlun's safety at all.
This battle between him and Yan Wushen was not a personal vendetta but an open and fair duel.
If the Yama Clan killed Yan Wushen's disciple Chi Kunlun because of this, they would be ridiculed by cultivators across the world and would also face fierce retaliation from the Blood Absolute Family.
The supreme clan valued their reputation more than their lives.
How could they do something so morally bankrupt?
"Enough nonsense. Fight."
Zhang Ruochen's feet condensed blood Qi into strange patterns, like tadpoles or earthworms, drawing in the rules of heaven and earth. The power of heaven and earth transformed into lightning, striking the giant warship from all directions.
Yan Wushen punched out, creating a black fist shadow larger than the giant warship, shattering all the incoming lightning and spreading it across the blood river.
The river surface flickered with electric light.
"Roar!"
On the giant warship, Buddha light burst forth.
Yan Wushen activated his Nine Zhang Six Golden Body and let out a Buddha's Angry Lion's Roar. The roar contained the true essence of the Six-Character Great Bright Mantra.
Om, Ma, Ni, Pad, Me, Hum.
The six characters merged into one sound.
On Yan Wushen's body surface, a golden lion shadow dozens of zhang long appeared. The sound waves of the lion's roar were golden, distorting space and vaporizing the river water.
Each character of the Six-Character Great Bright Mantra was comparable to a high-rank sacred art of the Hundred Shackles Realm, capable of purifying karmic obstacles, severing life and death, extinguishing wisdom, and cutting off lifespan.
When the six characters merged into the Lion's Roar, its power surpassed even a high-rank sacred art of the Thousand Questions Realm.
"Chop! Chop! Chop..."
Zhang Ruochen did not retreat. Instead, he turned into a streak of light, charging toward the golden sound waves. He swung the Abyssal Ancient Sword, breaking through layer after layer of ripples.
The sound waves that were not broken entered within ten zhang of Zhang Ruochen and were blocked by his Space True Domain.
The sound waves spun within the domain and then surged back in reverse.
"I heard you went to the Third Dark Star. Your cultivation has indeed improved greatly."
Zhang Ruochen flew above the giant warship. The Flame God Armor on his body burned fiercely, its light illuminating the night sky for thousands of miles. The vegetation on both sides of the river burned to ashes like paper.
He stomped down, and over twenty million flame divine patterns emerged on his leg, condensing into a thick divine cloud.
Yan Chu looked up at the sky, showing an expression of awe, and said, "Such powerful divine might."
It was already remarkable for a Great Saint to possess and control divine power.
Being able to control such a powerful force of divine power was even more astonishing. Yan Chu finally understood why Yan Wushen regarded this young man as his lifelong enemy.
Yan Wushen felt immense pressure. His expression was solemn as he leaped up from the giant warship, took out the Tongtian Ruyi, and slashed with the power of a supreme sacred artifact.
The Tongtian Ruyi originally belonged to Yan Huangtu, but since it had fallen into his hands, there was no need to return it.
"Whoosh!"
The Tongtian Ruyi grew to over ten zhang in length and collided with the divine cloud formed by the Blazing God Leg.
After a deafening roar, the power of the supreme sacred artifact and the divine fire scattered in all directions. Every clump of divine fire that fell created a pit several zhang wide in the ground.
In the pits, divine flames burned, lasting for a long time.
Yan Wushen fell into the dried-up blood river, creating a crater as large as a meteorite impact on the riverbed. Some divine fire clung to his hair, burning several strands to ashes.
With the current power of the Blazing God Leg, even with a supreme sacred artifact, Yan Wushen could not fully block it.
On the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, although Zhang Ruochen's Blazing God Leg had broken the fourth seal, he could only control over ten million flame divine patterns.
During the five days when the Sundial was activated, Zhang Ruochen spent five years refining another ten million flame divine patterns.
The power of the Blazing God Leg was naturally far greater than before.
It could be said that this battle had just begun, and Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen were already using their strongest moves. There was no probing attack.
"Thousand Hands, Thousand Bodies."
Yan Wushen split into a thousand figures, covering the ground. The mixed Hell Yama Qi, formed by the combination of extreme light and extreme darkness, covered the land for hundreds of miles, turning it into a sea of Qi.
In the sea of Qi, the figure of the Yama Ancestor appeared, stepping on the Yellow Spring and holding the Earth Book.
The Yama Ancestor swung his giant hand, slapping it toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen pulled out the Divine Dragon White Bone Whip wrapped around his waist and swung it. The whip crackled and popped, and a huge divine dragon rushed out from within, releasing terrifying divine might.
This white bone whip was refined from the spine of a divine dragon. Inside, the dragon soul remained undying, and divine power was preserved.
At the same time, a shadow rushed out from Zhang Ruochen's body.
It was not the Immovable Wisdom King.
The form of that shadow had twenty-four pairs of golden wings, clearly the form of the Blood Absolute Ancestor.
If one looked from a hundred miles away, the scene would be the Blood Absolute Ancestor holding a divine dragon, using the dragon as a whip, striking the Yama Ancestor. The image was extremely shocking.
"Boom, rumble."
The sound of heaven and earth shattering continued to spread.
Ten thousand miles away, a man and a woman stood under a large black umbrella.
They were the Half-God God Yan Yu and Fu Xiangnu, both top experts below the deity level in the Hell Realm, ranked high on the "Divine Reserve List" and the "Mortal World Peerless List."
The "Divine Reserve List" came from the Destiny Temple.
The "Mortal World Peerless List" was compiled by the Heavenly Palace.
Fu Xiangnu wore a blue crystal veil. Her jade-like arms were slender as she drew a crystal bow. On the bowstring, various rules of heaven and earth twisted together, condensing into a semi-transparent arrow.
The arrow's tip pointed at Yan Wushen, ten thousand miles away.
In terms of archery, Fu Xiangnu was the best below the deity level in the entire universe. Compared to her, the Great Senluo Emperor was like a child who had just learned to hold a bow.
Yan Yu's voice was warm, and he said, "Put it away for now."
Fu Xiangnu did not put away the arrow. Her voice was cold, and she said, "Do you think Zhang Ruochen can kill Yan Wushen? I heard that after Yan Wushen returned from the Third Dark Star, not only did his cultivation greatly improve, but his lifespan also increased against the heavens. Without a doubt, he obtained some kind of opportunity there."
Yan Yu said, "It's best if we are not the ones to kill Yan Wushen. The Yama Clan has no internal strife. The Heaven Beyond Heaven Yan Clan and the Dark Abyss Yan Clan are the closest family. No, to be precise, there is no such thing as the Dark Abyss Yan Clan."
"The Dark Heaven Mechanism Umbrella can indeed obscure all heavenly mechanisms, even deceiving deities. But it cannot deceive the human heart. If Yan Wushen dies from an arrow, everyone will know that the one who shot him is you."
"I don't know why Zhang Ruochen wants to kill Yan Wushen, but I can feel the killing intent on him, and he seems to want outsiders to think he represents us."
Fu Xiangnu said, "Opportunities are fleeting. If we don't kill him now, once the Fortune and Blessing God Venerable's divine thought arrives, there will be no more chances."
Yan Yu clasped his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering, and said calmly, "Give Zhang Ruochen a chance. I can see that his determination to kill is very firm."
Fu Xiangnu released her fingers, and the arrow on the bowstring disappeared on its own. She slung the crystal bow over her back, which was even longer than her slender, supple body.