# Chapter 2825: The God-Defying Clan
"The God-Defying Clan!"
Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred violently as he heard this name once again.
The last time was when Kongzhi recognized the God-Defying Stele and shouted out these three words.
"What exactly is the God-Defying Clan?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Chi Yao said, "It's actually very normal that you haven't heard of the God-Defying Clan. Because this is an ancient clan that was completely erased by the gods ten thousand years ago, a topic forbidden even in the world of deities."
"Ten thousand years have passed. Apart from the older generation of gods, very few cultivators know that the God-Defying Clan ever existed. Even those who know dare not speak these three words."
In the mortal world, it only takes a few decades to erase all traces of a person's existence.
Even if that person was once widely renowned.
Cultivators have long lifespans, but ten thousand years is still too long. Great Saints have already died for several generations. Even the gods from ten thousand years ago, the vast majority have already exhausted their lifespans and died.
After all, most gods only have a lifespan of one Eon.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Why was it necessary to erase all traces of the God-Defying Clan's existence? Who wanted to erase all of this?"
"It was Hao Tian, it was the Four Dominant Worlds, it was the Destiny Temple, it was the Ten Clans of Hell, it was all the gods in heaven and earth. Only the collective will of the gods could make the God-Defying Clan, which shook heaven and earth ten thousand years ago, completely disappear. Even all the books about the God-Defying Clan were burned to ashes," Chi Yao said.
Zhang Ruochen's emotions could no longer be described as mere shock. He felt as if he was suffocating.
Even the Kunlun Realm of that time had not suffered such treatment.
This was even more ruthless than genocide!
Zhang Ruochen said, "What heinous crime did the God-Defying Clan commit to be treated like this?"
"The God-Defying Clan did not commit any heinous crime. In a certain sense, they actually saved the various realms of the Heavenly Court ten thousand years ago," Chi Yao said.
Zhang Ruochen became even more confused.
Chi Yao said, "Ten thousand years ago, the God-Defying Clan was actually called the Holy Clan, and they were the original inhabitants of the Holy Realm."
The Holy Realm was the former name of the Heavenly Court.
It was only changed to the Heavenly Court ten thousand years ago.
"Ten thousand years ago, a great calamity struck heaven and earth. All the major worlds in the universe were nearly destroyed, and all living beings of ten thousand clans almost died out. Among them, the Holy Realm, known as the heart of ten thousand worlds, suffered a devastating blow. A large number of gods fell, countless Saint realm cultivators died, divine mountains were destroyed, divine veins were ruined, and the Holy Clan suffered especially heavy casualties."
Zhang Ruochen had heard Haitang Popo tell this story before. She said that at that time, the Kunlun Realm had turned into a fireball, burning for three full months, nearly causing the realm to be destroyed.
Other major worlds needed no mention; they must have also suffered the refining flames.
At that time, Haitang Popo had speculated that all of this was a continuation of the war of the Twenty-Four Heavens from three hundred thousand years ago, an act of revenge from the opposing side.
Zhang Ruochen said, "All of this is somewhat similar to the legendary Great Destruction of the Universe."
"I think this was indeed a Great Destruction of the Universe. There was an unknown and mysterious force that wanted to destroy all living beings and begin the next cosmic era. However, some unexpected event occurred that we don't know about, and the Great Destruction stopped after three months. Including the Kunlun Realm, cultivators from all realms of the universe were given a chance to survive," Chi Yao said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "So, after that, the Kunlun Realm immediately activated the Sundial, entering the most frenzied great cultivation era of one day in heaven equaling one year on earth. But you just said that the Holy Clan only suffered heavy casualties and was not completely wiped out."
Chi Yao said, "After the three-month terror period passed, all major worlds suffered heavy losses. Even the gods fell into panic and fear, thinking that the end had already arrived."
"At the same time, the neutral and peace-seeking factions of the Hell Realm, as well as the various major forces within the Undying Blood Clan and the Rakshasa Clan, were also in turmoil. Not only did the tragic incidents of Life God Venerable and Auspicious God Venerable occur, but many other bloody cases also erupted at that time. In the end, the Ten Clans of Hell unified their will and officially launched a full-scale war, attacking the universe where the Holy Realm was located."
Zhang Ruochen had heard Haitang Popo say that three hundred thousand years ago, in the early stages of the war, the Darkness Temple, the Underworld Clan, the Ghost Clan, the Bone Clan, the Stone Clan, and the Shura Clan actively participated because they could grow through killing. Death and slaughter only made them stronger.
Later, the Death Clan and the Corpse Clan among the undead clans also joined the war successively.
Only the Undying Blood Clan and the Rakshasa Clan, which were completely living beings, and the Yama Clan led by Yan Huanyu, had various concerns and remained neutral or advocated for peace.
Chi Yao said, "For a long time, the Holy Realm had led all major worlds. With the Holy Realm destroyed, all major worlds were wounded and could not recover in a short time. When the Ten Clans of Hell attacked at this time, it was naturally unstoppable. Wherever they passed, one major world after another turned into death realms, and one life-bearing planet after another turned into Shura fields."
"This was a harvest, a harvest of the entire universe, harvesting all life."
"It was at this critical moment that the Great Elder of the Holy Clan stepped forward. Relying on the Holy Clan's influence since ancient times, holding a stone stele, he traveled through all realms, contacting gods from various worlds and some hidden gods, establishing the Heavenly Court, and building the Heavenly Palace."
"The gods originally recommended the Great Elder to be the Lord of the Heavenly Palace, but the Great Elder believed that his cultivation and qualifications were insufficient to command ten thousand realms and feared he would not be able to convince the masses."
"At the invitation of the Great Elder, Hao Tian, one of the Twenty-Four Heavens from three hundred thousand years ago, became the first Lord of the Heavenly Palace."
"Three hundred thousand years ago, only Hao Tian and the Sixth Patriarch among the Twenty-Four Heavens returned alive. Although it is said there was a third person, that person's identity remains a mystery to this day. After the Sixth Patriarch passed into Nirvana, only Hao Tian remained among the heavens of the world. Whether in influence or cultivation, Hao Tian was the undisputed number one under heaven. With the recommendation of the Holy Clan's Great Elder, no one dared to refuse him as the Lord of the Heavenly Palace."
"With the establishment of the Heavenly Court, the power of all realms was integrated. Finally, they were no longer scattered sand, and they stopped the Hell Realm's invasion and slaughter."
Zhang Ruochen's suffocation eased somewhat. He took a deep breath and said with emotion, "Hao Tian was certainly powerful, accepting the mission in a time of crisis, his might spreading across the four seas. But the Great Elder of the Holy Clan is even more admirable. He could turn the tide, yet also knew when to step back and recommend a worthy person. Such spirit, such breadth of mind, is not something ordinary people possess."
"But why was the Holy Clan called the God-Defying Clan?"
Chi Yao said, "Because the Heavenly Venerable of three hundred thousand years ago, the last Heavenly Venerable, was born from the Holy Clan and was called the God-Defying Heavenly Venerable. The Twenty-Four Heavens all went to do that matter under the leadership of the God-Defying Heavenly Venerable."
"The reason the Great Elder of the Holy Clan could convince the gods of all realms was not only because of the Holy Clan's influence but also because of the lingering prestige of the God-Defying Heavenly Venerable."
"The stone stele that the Great Elder carried when he went to lobby the gods of all realms was brought back by the Sixth Patriarch. It was given to the Sixth Patriarch by the God-Defying Heavenly Venerable before his death."
Chi Yao could not have seen the real Sixth Patriarch, nor could she have seen the Great Elder of the Holy Clan. The reason she could speak these words with such certainty was clearly because they were told by Yunshen Daozhu, Xumi Saint Monk, or the Dragon Lord.
How could the Great Elder of the Holy Clan have visited all realms without meeting these great figures of the Kunlun Realm?
Chi Yao said, "This stone stele was named the God-Defying Stele. Every god who agreed to establish the Heavenly Court would leave a character on the God-Defying Stele as a pledge, which could not be broken. The Heavenly Court was established with the God-Defying Stele as the token, and afterward, the Holy Clan changed its name to the God-Defying Clan."
Zhang Ruochen possessed a fragment of the God-Defying Stele and always felt that the significance of the God-Defying Stele was far more than just being the token for establishing the Heavenly Court, as Chi Yao had said.
Because three hundred thousand years ago, such a great event occurred. Of the Twenty-Four Heavens who went, only three returned. The only thing brought back was a stone stele.
And it was given to the Sixth Patriarch by the Heavenly Venerable at the moment of his death. This shows how important this stone stele was.
Zhang Ruochen even suspected that this stone stele did not originally belong to the God-Defying Heavenly Venerable but was obtained by him while doing that matter. What exactly did they go to do? Where did they go?
What significance did this stone stele have?
Moreover, when the gods left their written marks on the God-Defying Stele, was it really just an agreement to establish the Heavenly Court? Could there have been other agreements?
There was another point that puzzled Zhang Ruochen quite a bit. The fragment of the stele he possessed had several thousand characters in total, but only forty-two contained the aura of Profound Meaning.
Could the owners of these characters containing the aura of Profound Meaning have made some other agreement? Why were they so special?
Zhang Ruochen understood that everything Chi Yao knew came from hearing others tell it. She could not possibly understand these hidden secrets. To know the true secrets of the God-Defying Stele, he might have to go to the Kunlun Realm and ask his Grandmaster.
While Zhang Ruochen was lost in thought, Chi Yao continued, "The war between the Hell Realm and the Heavenly Court's ten thousand realms lasted for many years. No one knows how many gods fell, how many major worlds were destroyed. Both sides suffered heavy losses."
"For various reasons, the Hell Realm and the Heavenly Court proposed a ceasefire. Just as the ceasefire agreement was being signed, the God-Defying Clan was wiped out overnight. Afterward, whether it was the gods of the Heavenly Court's various realms or the Ten Clans of Hell, they all issued divine decrees, burning all texts related to the God-Defying Clan and forbidding any discussion about anything concerning the God-Defying Clan. Otherwise, they would surely die by divine punishment."
"Ten thousand years have passed. Apart from the older generation of gods, no one remembers that the God-Defying Clan ever existed. Even the name of the God-Defying Heavenly Venerable has been listed as taboo and cannot be mentioned."
Zhang Ruochen only felt an oppressive weight in his chest, making it hard to breathe. He said, "Could it be related to the ceasefire agreement? Was the condition for the Hell Realm to cease fire that the God-Defying Clan must be wiped out?"
Chi Yao gently shook her head and said, "No one knows exactly what happened back then. I'm afraid even the gods who know this secret are few and far between. But the fact that the God-Defying Clan was destroyed at this sensitive time when the ceasefire agreement was being signed cannot be just a coincidence."
"The gods ordering a ban on discussion only makes it more suspicious."
"Moreover, the root cause of everything was the God-Defying Heavenly Venerable. With the God-Defying Clan wiped out, everything temporarily calmed down, as if there was some causal relationship. The only thing hard to understand is the attitude of the gods of the Hell Realm."
"There is another possibility. There must also be problems within the Heavenly Court," Zhang Ruochen said, his chest feeling blocked and uncomfortable.
The more he learned about history, the more uncomfortable he felt.
Because in history, there were too many unequal treaties, each more absurd than the last, each more humiliating than the last. Those who truly wanted to do things were all beaten to death. Those with backbone and the courage to resist all had their spines broken.
And some people knelt on the ground, never able to stand up again.
"You say, if there wasn't a powerful and unknown force behind all this, how could the God-Defying Clan have ended up like this?" Chi Yao said.