# Chapter 2510: Sacrificing Oneself for the Dao
Every time a Monarch Sacred Artifact exploded, Xiao Hei's body would shudder, wishing he could peck Mo Yun Duan to death with his beak.
But there was nothing he could do. The power of the false god was too great, and the might of the "Lock God Diagram" was unparalleled. Monarch Sacred Artifacts of the one-yuan or two-yuan level simply could not withstand it.
Just as he was preparing to roll up the three Supreme Sacred Artifacts and flee, strange fluctuations emanated from the Void Space.
The source of the fluctuations came from Bai Qinger.
Beneath Bai Qinger's bloodstained robe, her skin radiated a blindingly pure light of origin, sacred to the extreme, like the first ray of light at the beginning of heaven and earth, creating all things and all living beings.
At this moment, she seemed to embody all the wonder and beauty of the world, causing every cultivator present to be stunned for a moment.
"Such pure origin light. Could it be that her Way of Origin... has entered the divine realm?" asked Granny Haitang.
Xue Lingxian shook his head. "It is origin light at the divine-entry level, but she has not yet cultivated to that realm. She has forcibly elevated herself to that level through a forbidden technique. The price paid must be considerable."
Origin light can both create all things and destroy all things.
Under the illumination of the origin light, the Void Space seemed to become non-void, filled with matter. Moreover, the matter grew increasingly abundant—yellow earth and blue stones gathered, mountains and deep valleys took shape.
"Is she trying to create a realm from nothingness, making herself the ruling deity?"
Zhang Ruochen found himself standing on solid ground.
The void power around them was dispelled by the origin light.
Mo Yun Duan sensed something was wrong with Bai Qinger and accelerated his attack on the Three Enclosures Twenty-Eight Mansions Grand Formation.
"Sacrificing... oneself... for the Dao..."
Bai Qinger uttered four words from her crimson lips.
The origin light grew even more blinding. Zhang Ruochen could not open his eyes and was pulled back rapidly by Granny Haitang and Xue Lingxian.
The last thing he saw was that all the matter created by the origin light was destroyed, like doomsday. Bai Qinger transformed into a white light and flew toward Mo Yun Duan.
"Boom, rumble..."
...
When Zhang Ruochen regained his vision, he had already appeared in the Real World.
Heaven and earth had suddenly become calm. There was no terrifying origin light or divine power fluctuations—only the bowl-sized white Ice King Star floating more than a billion miles away.
It took Zhang Ruochen a while to collect himself. He looked around and asked, "Where is Xiao Hei?"
"Scared this emperor to death! Luckily, I escaped quickly. I saved them—I saved all three Supreme Sacred Artifacts!"
Xiao Hei's feathers had turned to ash, and his entire body was charred black.
The three Supreme Sacred Artifacts flew around him in three directions, spinning continuously, their light surging.
Zhang Ruochen glared at him angrily. "Don't you value your life?"
"These are Supreme Sacred Artifacts—three of them! If this emperor hadn't been quick-eyed and swift-handed, after such a powerful impact, they would definitely have been lost in the Void Space," Xiao Hei argued.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Isn't it good to just stay alive?"
"Don't worry, this emperor is an undying bird." Xiao Hei waved his charred wings, speaking carelessly.
Xue Lingxian asked Granny Haitang, "Does Granny know about the forbidden technique of sacrificing oneself for the Dao?"
Granny Haitang was even older than Xue Lingxian.
Granny Haitang was now nothing but multicolored bones and white hair, her voice very dry and hoarse. "This is a forbidden technique that only an Origin Controller can perform. Legend says that if a cultivator below the divine realm uses it, they will lose ten thousand years of lifespan. If a god uses it, they will lose one hundred thousand years of lifespan."
"This demoness is ruthless enough. To avoid revealing her identity and implicating the Goddess Twelve Pavilions, she was willing to pay such a price," Xiao Hei said with a grin.
Zhang Ruochen pondered, then said, "She used this technique for more than just killing a god."
"What else could it be for?" Xiao Hei asked curiously.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Since it is a forbidden technique, it must push the Way of Origin to its extreme, reaching the divine-entry level. With this experience, given her talent, she might be able to comprehend the opportunity to enter the divine realm through the origin path."
"So what if she enters the divine realm through the origin path?" Xiao Hei pressed further.
Zhang Ruochen did not want to bother with him anymore. "How is Wuma Jiuxing's sword path entering the divine realm?"
Xiao Hei sucked in a breath of cold air, his expression turning serious. "The Way of Origin is one of the Nine Eternal Paths. Once it enters the divine realm..."
Xue Lingxian slashed open space with his sword and re-entered the Void Space.
Zhang Ruochen and Granny Haitang followed.
"Why are you in such a hurry to go back? What if Mo Yun Duan isn't dead yet? Shouldn't we discuss how to deal with Bai the demoness first?"
No one paid him any attention. Xiao Hei suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "Damn it! They must be going to snatch the 'Lock God Diagram,' the bronze chimes, the divine source... How did this emperor only just realize this?"
Xiao Hei charged into the Void Space, where faint traces of origin power and divine power fluctuations still remained.
The power of the void was too strong. In just that brief moment, everything seemed to be eroded and assimilated, making it difficult for anything to be preserved here.
Zhang Ruochen picked up a palm-sized piece of remnant flesh belonging to Mo Yun Duan. However, the divine blood inside had lost its divinity, and the divine soul, spiritual power, and divine thoughts had all been extinguished by the origin light.
Xue Lingxian and Granny Haitang also found some body fragments.
Xue Lingxian threw the fragments away and sighed. "She succeeded. A god has fallen. Another extraordinary woman."
"What about the divine source? Surely the divine source didn't shatter?"
Xiao Hei asked with concern, then followed up, "What about the 'Lock God Diagram'?"
Granny Haitang said, "In that situation, Mo Yun Duan had no time to self-destruct his divine source, nor could he make such a decision in such a short time. That woman from the Goddess Twelve Pavilions should still be alive and has taken the divine source and the 'Lock God Diagram.'"
"What? Should we chase her now? She just used a forbidden technique—she must be very weak right now." Xiao Hei was unwilling to let it go and made this suggestion.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "She left from the Void Space, leaving no trace behind. How can we chase her?"
"This demoness is too meticulous. She deliberately used us to severely wound Mo Yun Duan, and only when our side was heavily damaged did she unleash the forbidden technique, taking all the benefits for herself and successfully escaping. Zhang Ruochen, if you ever face her in the future, you must go all out. Don't show any mercy or be seduced by her beauty," Xiao Hei said earnestly.
Xiao Hei wanted to collect the divine corpse fragments, but Zhang Ruochen stopped him.
When a god falls and the "Lock God Diagram" is lost, one could easily guess that the Death God Temple would be furious and investigate thoroughly.
Carrying divine stone fragments could very well lead to being traced through divination.
Then the loss would outweigh the gain.
Returning to the Real World, Zhang Ruochen took out the quasi-emperor-grade sacred pill "Life-Death Great Return Pill" that the Undying Divine Temple had bestowed upon him and handed it to Granny Haitang.
Granny Haitang took the sacred pill, looked at it, then returned it to Zhang Ruochen, saying decisively, "Kunlun Realm cultivators do not consume healing pills from the Hell Realm."
She was not targeting Zhang Ruochen personally. It was simply that she had personally experienced that dark era at the end of the Middle Ages and bore a deep blood feud with the Hell Realm.
Zhang Ruochen could not understand this mentality, but he respected her wishes.
Blood vessels grew on Granny Haitang's multicolored bones, followed by muscles and skin, and soon her physical body was restored. Her injuries had not healed, but on the surface, she appeared fine.
"Give it to me."
Xue Lingxian did not stand on ceremony and held out his hand.
Zhang Ruochen wanted to say that their relationship was not that close, but since the other party was at least a top-tier existence below the divine realm, and his hand was already extended, refusing would be too embarrassing.
Zhang Ruochen took out his only Life-Death Great Return Pill—one he had been reluctant to consume himself, a quasi-emperor-grade sacred pill—and placed it in Xue Lingxian's hand, maintaining a smile on his face the entire time.
Xue Lingxian took it and swallowed it directly.
After taking it, the effect was immediate. His injuries rapidly healed, his blood qi continuously rose, and his mental state grew better and better.
Zhang Ruochen was about to take out the Celestial Pivot Needle to give to Granny Haitang when his expression suddenly changed drastically. He saw a figure walking silently toward them from a few dozen zhang away.
He looked like an ordinary mortal, strolling through the air.
That was precisely what made it so eerie.
How could a mortal walk through the air?
Even stranger, Zhang Ruochen could not clearly see his face. It was as if he were walking in another dimension. All he could see were two dragon horns on his head.
Xue Lingxian and Granny Haitang both bowed respectfully and said in unison, "Lord Dragon Lord!"
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen's mind roared, and his entire body trembled violently.
Dragon Lord...
Legend had it that during the Middle Ages, he was a towering figure of the Kunlun Realm, a supreme being comparable to Xumi Saint Monk. Even after a hundred thousand years, his reputation remained undiminished, enough to make gods tremble at the mention of his name.
Could it really be that Dragon Lord?
A mythical figure had appeared before him.
Xiao Hei's legs were shaking, wanting to flee, but his feet seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move.
There was no overwhelming divine might, no space-shaking footsteps—only a figure that could not be clearly seen, majestic yet ordinary, mysterious yet simple.
Zhang Ruochen understood many things. His heart was still pounding violently, but his expression remained calm. He bowed and asked, "Since Lord Dragon Lord was nearby, why did you not strike down that false god?"
Anyone could hear the tone of reproach in his voice.
"Good."
The Dragon Lord looked at Zhang Ruochen with an appreciative gaze. "Xiu Chen came by!"
Zhang Ruochen was startled. "Xiu Chen Heavenly God?"
"I used a divine thought to scare him off. He probably thought it was Ice King warning him and fled quickly. Unfortunately, before I can rescue Island Lord, I cannot make a move. Otherwise, he would already be dead."
The Dragon Lord continued, "His target was you—or more precisely, Zangjin Baihu. To kill you, he didn't need to act personally."
The gods of the Hell Realm all knew that to kill Zhang Ruochen, they must first eliminate Zangjin Baihu. The best way was to force Zangjin Baihu to use power exceeding what the Heavenly and Earthly Rules allowed, letting him die in the heavenly punishment, leaving no traces behind.
Zhang Ruochen certainly knew how deep the enmity between himself and Xiu Chen Heavenly God was. The influence of Xue Jue War God, Fulu Divine Venerable, and Luo Yan Great Emperor could make other gods set aside their grudges and stop targeting Zhang Ruochen.
But Xiu Chen Heavenly God and Ghost Lord were not among them.
The hatred was too deep!