Chapter 2580: War of the Gods, Arrival of a God Venerable
Outside the Sword South Realm, within the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain.
A peerless war of the gods erupted, darkness illuminated by divine light, divine radiance surging across billions of miles of space.
Every wisp of energy was a divine energy river stretching thousands of miles.
Although the battlefield of the gods was hundreds of thousands of miles from the Sword South Realm, separated by thick chaotic zones, the living beings within the Sword South Realm still felt terrifying auras, all prostrating themselves on the ground.
The Heavenly Realm placed great importance on the Origin Divine Temple, and thus, despite being severely undermanned, still went all out.
The eight gods dispatched were all powerful beings who had survived Eon Calamities, titans who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years and intimidated countless realms.
They had believed they could easily suppress one of Yin-Yang Divine Teacher, Xiu Chen Heavenly God, or Yu Ling God. Yet, after prolonged battle, they still could not breach the Fate Divine Altar of Yin-Yang Divine Teacher.
The Fate Divine Altar was extremely majestic. Besides the central altar hall, thirty-six colossal divine statues stood around its perimeter.
Yin-Yang Divine Teacher hovered at the center of the altar hall, his hands held up as if supporting something. Divine blood continuously surged from his body, flowing like a network of veins into the colossal statues.
"Boom, rumble."
The thirty-six colossal divine statues, each a thousand miles tall, formed various hand seals, blocking the attacks of the eight divine realm titans from the Heavenly Realm faction.
Yu Ling God stood below the altar hall, watching Yin-Yang Divine Teacher's body rapidly wither, her expression filled with worry.
Although the Fate Divine Altar was powerful, it was only because Yin-Yang Divine Teacher continuously burned his divine blood that it could withstand the attacks of the Heavenly Realm gods. She knew he was buying time.
But this couldn't continue; Yin-Yang Divine Teacher had little divine blood left.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God coldly watched Yin-Yang Divine Teacher, secretly laughing to himself. Once his divine blood was exhausted, he would inevitably fall into a severe weakened state. If he were to fall in this starry sky at that point, it would be a heavy blow to the Destiny Temple.
From the start, they should have listened to him, ignored the Heavenly Realm faction's gods, and directly attacked the Sword South Realm to enter the Origin Divine Temple. Fighting the Heavenly Realm gods inside the temple would have been far better than stubbornly clashing here.
The price to pay would have been the destruction of the Sword South Realm and the possible death of all those Saint Realm juniors in the Origin Divine Temple.
That was all.
A cunning glint flashed in Xiu Chen Heavenly God's eyes. He stared at Yu Ling God and said, with a worried tone, "The Dark Great Triangle Star Domain is remote. We don't know when the gods of the Hell Realm will arrive. This can't go on."
Yu Ling God said, "If you have a plan, just say it directly."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God said, "I think you and I shouldn't stay in the Fate Divine Altar any longer. We should take the initiative to charge out and head for the Sword South Realm. That way, the Heavenly Realm faction's gods will surely pursue us, greatly reducing the pressure on the Divine Teacher."
Yu Ling God had long wanted to go to the Origin Divine Temple. Hearing Xiu Chen Heavenly God's proposal, she naturally agreed immediately.
...
The gods of the Heavenly Realm were even more anxious.
This was, after all, on the territory of the Hell Realm. If they couldn't achieve a quick victory and a large number of Hell Realm gods arrived, the consequences would be disastrous.
But they were also wary, unwilling to easily enter the Origin Divine Temple, which was why they were locked in a stalemate with Yin-Yang Divine Teacher, Xiu Chen Heavenly God, and Yu Ling God.
Unexpectedly, Yin-Yang Divine Teacher was extremely formidable, holding them off alone for so long.
Jia Tianxia's face darkened. "Zhou Hai Lord God, you go to the Origin Divine Temple immediately. Leave this to us."
Zhou Hai Lord God was a powerful being of the Radiant Divine Temple, belonging to the ranks of Lord Gods. He wore a pristine divine armor and stood atop a Three-Legged Golden Crow. The light emitted by the Three-Legged Golden Crow beneath him alone was comparable to a star, scorching and dazzling.
His own radiance was even more intense than the Three-Legged Golden Crow's.
Zhou Hai Lord God said, "We already have arrangements inside the Origin Divine Temple. It's better to wait for confirmed news from within before breaking in."
Jia Tianxia was about to speak again when a rough laugh came from beside him: "Xiu Chen and Yu Ling God can't hold back anymore and have rushed out of the Fate Divine Altar. Which one do you think we should suppress?"
The speaker was the Nine-Headed Dragon God of the Western Dragon Clan of the Heavenly Realm.
Although all eight titans of the Heavenly Realm faction had arrived, Xiu Chen Heavenly God and Yu Ling God were also titan-level beings. While suppressing the Fate Divine Altar, they only had the strength left to suppress one of them.
After all, suppressing a god was far more difficult than defeating one.
Zhou Hai Lord God said, "Suppress Xiu Chen! Xiu Chen was born in the Shura Clan, a god of the Ten Clans, and holds a higher status in the Hell Realm. Moreover, it must be injured. Suppressing it should be easier."
Jia Tianxia, Zhou Hai Lord God, and the Nine-Headed Dragon God acted simultaneously, attacking Xiu Chen Heavenly God, who was trying to break into the Sword South Realm.
The Lord of the Soul Realm took out a Sky-Piercing Bag, blew a breath into it, and the bag swelled to the size of a planet.
Three hundred billion soul soldiers surged out from within, turning into a dark cloud tens of thousands of miles wide that enveloped Yu Ling God, pinning her down and preventing her from aiding Xiu Chen Heavenly God.
"Xiu Chen, where do you think you're going? Take my 'Shura Hell Diagram'."
Jia Tianxia unleashed the supreme treasure of the Blood Battle Temple. A scroll flew out, transforming into a vast and majestic Shura continent.
On the continent, blood energy filled the air. Rivers flowed with nothing but blood, and mountains were piled high with white bones, trapping Xiu Chen Heavenly God inside.
"Damn it, this was my treasure back then." Xiu Chen Heavenly God roared angrily.
Jia Tianxia flew into the 'Shura Hell Diagram' and laughed heartily, "Don't mention things from a hundred thousand years ago!"
"Junior, you're asking for death."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God pushed out both palms. All the time imprints in the world converged, forming an ocean of time that surged towards Jia Tianxia.
"A hundred thousand years ago, I wouldn't have dared to refute those words. But now... Heh."
Knowing the strange nature of time power, Jia Tianxia didn't clash head-on with Xiu Chen Heavenly God. He decisively retreated a thousand miles and mobilized the mountains and rivers within the 'Shura Hell Diagram' to block the ocean of time.
Jia Tianxia's "Heh" made Xiu Chen Heavenly God extremely frustrated.
A hundred thousand years ago, who would have dared to speak to him in such a tone?
Even gods had to respectfully address him as "Heavenly God Lord."
"Xiu Chen, take my halberd."
Zhou Hai Lord God, standing on the Golden Crow, descended from above Xiu Chen Heavenly God's head. The ancient three-pronged halberd in his hand released divine lightning that filled the sky, turning the entire heavens purple.
Another junior daring to call him by his name! Xiu Chen Heavenly God was furious. He charged straight upward, unleashing a time secret art.
A strange thing happened. Time actually stopped.
"Boom!"
Zhou Hai Lord God was struck eight times in a row by Xiu Chen's Shura God Battle Soul, the "Eight-Armed Shura," and was sent flying. The divine lightning on his body was almost pierced through.
"This old monster Xiu Chen, a hundred thousand years ago, his body and divine source were shattered by Xumi, leaving only his divine soul, yet he's still this powerful." Zhou Hai Lord God thought to himself, alarmed.
"Xiu Chen, taste my Chaos Divine Fire."
The Nine-Headed Dragon God reverted to his true form. From his nine dragon heads, he spewed nine different types of flames.
The nine flames merged together, transforming into Chaos Divine Fire.
This Chaos Divine Fire, cultivated by the Nine-Headed Dragon God, had a temperature higher than the core of a star, incomparable to naturally occurring chaotic flames.
Surrounded by the three titans, Xiu Chen Heavenly God could only barely hold on, relying on the mysterious and bizarre Way of Time to keep the three titans at bay.
He was extremely frustrated, feeling that everything was different from what he had planned.
According to his plan, if he and Yu Ling God broke out together, the Heavenly Realm faction's gods would surely choose the weaker one to deal with, which should have been Yu Ling God.
Could it be that he, Xiu Chen Heavenly God, was considered inferior to Yu Ling God in the eyes of other gods?
The more he thought about it, the more sorrowful he became.
As time passed, Xiu Chen Heavenly God gradually weakened. The protective ocean of time was reduced to just over ten miles long, and the Eight-Armed Shura was burned to ashes by the Chaos Divine Fire spewed by the Nine-Headed Dragon God.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God roared, "Don't push me too far!"
"So what if we do? You don't even have a divine source. You can't even use the threat of self-destructing your divine source. Who else would we bully if not you?" Jia Tianxia's voice was filled with disdain.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God gritted his teeth. "You're forcing my hand."
"Forcing you? So what? Do you still think you're the Heavenly God of a hundred thousand years ago? Don't disgrace the title 'Heavenly God'!" Zhou Hai Lord God said.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God let out a long roar towards the sky, and his divine light surged violently.
"Clatter!"
A long river of time flew out from within his body, roaring and surging like a celestial river, striking first against the Nine-Headed Dragon God, who was spewing Chaos Divine Fire.
The Nine-Headed Dragon God felt his lifespan drastically reduced by tens of thousands of years. His entire body felt weak, as if he were gravely ill.
"Not good. This long river of time is nurtured within Xiu Chen's divine soul. Once touched, it will cost half an Eon's lifespan." After warning the others, the Nine-Headed Dragon God immediately took a divine pill and swallowed it to quickly recover his combat power.
"Half an Eon's lifespan?"
Zhou Hai Lord God's expression changed drastically. He raised a shield imbued with the power of light.
But it was useless. The long river of time passed through the shield and struck him, washing away nearly thirty thousand years of his lifespan. The radiance emanating from his divine body rapidly dimmed.
The Three-Legged Golden Crow beneath him let out a mournful cry and fell onto the continent of the 'Shura Hell Diagram', turning a hundred thousand miles of mountains and rivers into a sea of fire.
When the long river of time flew towards Jia Tianxia, its power had weakened further. Jia Tianxia shattered it with a single blow.
After using this technique, Xiu Chen's divine soul became weak, even somewhat transparent. He said, unwillingly, "If it were a hundred thousand years ago, using this move would have drained your lifespans to death."
The Nine-Headed Dragon God recovered some combat power after swallowing the divine pill, but the loss of half an Eon's lifespan could not be recovered. This could very well mean he would be unable to survive the next Eon Calamity.
"Today, I will devour your divine soul to make up for my lost lifespan."
The Nine-Headed Dragon God spread his dragon wings, summoning a sea of Chaos Divine Fire, and charged towards Xiu Chen Heavenly God, burning and refining his ocean of time until it grew thinner and thinner.
"What's happening?"
Suddenly, Jia Tianxia felt an ominous premonition and looked up.
In the blood-misted sky, a pair of eyes as huge as stars appeared. One was scorching and bright, the other cold and faint, like a sun and a moon suspended in the universe.
At the same time, two enormous hands appeared in the universe.
These two hands slowly rolled up the 'Shura Hell Diagram', which was spread out like a world.
"Jia Tianxia, what's going on? Are you retracting the diagram?" Zhou Hai Lord God said.
Not only was Xiu Chen Heavenly God inside the world of the 'Shura Hell Diagram', but Jia Tianxia, Zhou Hai Lord God, and the Nine-Headed Dragon God were also inside to suppress him.
Looking around, the entire Shura continent was being rolled up.
The boundless earth was turning over, mountains and rivers folding.
"It's not me. A spiritual power grandmaster has arrived!"
Jia Tianxia desperately mobilized his divine power, trying to seize control of the 'Shura Hell Diagram'.
Zhou Hai Lord God struck out with his trident, attacking the sun-moon eyes hanging in the sky.
But it was useless.
The 'Shura Hell Diagram' was completely rolled up.
The sun-moon eyes, the cosmic hands, and the world-sized 'Shura Hell Diagram' all shrank simultaneously into a certain point in the darkness. From that spot, a scholar who looked about thirty years old walked out.
This scholar had a fair, beardless face, wore a green cloth robe, and had a wooden hairpin stuck in his hair, giving him a frail appearance.
His pupils were shaped like the sun and moon.
In his right hand, he held the 'Shura Hell Diagram'. With a flick of his finger, he plucked Xiu Chen Heavenly God out of the diagram. Then, as if writing, he quickly drew one divine pattern after another to suppress the three titans within the diagram.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God looked at this scholar, a hint of surprise on his face. "You're the first to arrive. I thought it would be the Death God Venerable. You came from Tiannan, and you're this fast?"
The scholar smiled. "My master calculated some things in advance and left a time pouch before going to the Yu Huang Realm. So, I had already set off before the Heavenly Realm faction's gods arrived here."
Hearing the name of the master of the Tiannan Life-Death Ruins, a rare look of respect appeared in Xiu Chen Heavenly God's eyes.
The scholar before him was only the seventh disciple of that master, yet his cultivation was already this formidable. It showed what a terrifying behemoth the Tiannan Life-Death Ruins was.
"As expected of Seventh Lord. With one move, he suppressed three titans." Yu Ling God flew over.
The scholar, called "Seventh Lord," nodded to her and said modestly, "That's because they were all inside the 'Shura Hell Diagram' and didn't know I had arrived. Also, Xiu Chen Heavenly God's long river of time had already weakened them. If it were a direct confrontation, I wouldn't be able to easily defeat even Jia Tianxia alone."
The other five titans of the Heavenly Realm faction stopped their attacks and retreated to the position of the Space Teleportation Array.
Seventh Lord squinted his eyes, a trace of worry appearing. "Such a strong spatial fluctuation. The truly formidable figure of the Heavenly Realm faction has arrived."
The distant Space Teleportation Array activated again.
After violent spatial fluctuations, two figures appeared within the array.
Seventh Lord's expression changed. "It's Xuan Yi True God and Blade Venerable."
The arrival of a God Venerable-level figure made Xiu Chen Heavenly God and Yu Ling God gasp in shock, wanting nothing more than to flee this place immediately.
Blade Venerable was the number one expert of the Blade God Realm, the fourth-ranked great world in the Western Universe, known as the "Number One Blade in the Universe."
Xuan Yi True God was not as powerful as Blade Venerable and was much younger, but he was an Eon-level genius who had lived for two Eons. No one dared to underestimate him.
In his era, even an outstanding figure like Yin-Yang Divine Teacher was completely suppressed by him.
It was for this reason that he won the heart of Princess Shen Ba, the daughter of the Kunlun Realm's number one expert, Ten Calamities Wen Tianjun, and married her, taking her to the Heavenly Realm.
Legend has it that after Ten Calamities Wen Tianjun stained the starry sky with his blood, the "Divine Communication Temple," one of the three great temples of the Kunlun Realm established by him, was taken over by Xuan Yi True God, who used his status as the Heavenly Lord's son-in-law to seize the opportunity, inheriting everything the Heavenly Lord once possessed.
With the aid of countless treasures from the Divine Communication Temple and another hundred thousand years of cultivation, no one knew how powerful his cultivation had become.
Back then, when the Hell Realm wanted to cut down the new Worldly Root, the Peach Tree, of the Kunlun Realm, it was he who schemed behind the scenes, secretly aiding the Hell Realm in their endeavor, trying to prevent the Kunlun Realm's rise.
Unfortunately, fearing exposure, he dared not go in person, only sending a doppelganger to oversee the situation in the void space near the Kunlun Realm.
In the end, due to Zhang Ruochen and the Moon God, his plans fell through.