Chapter 3346: War God Temple
The so-called "War God Temple" refers to temples left behind by ancient powerhouses, inherited by later gods and refined into battle-oriented structures.
Like a suit of armor in the form of a temple.
It possesses the strongest defense and the strongest offense.
Very similar to the Ancestral God Temple of the Yaksha Clan, except that ordinary War God Temples are far less powerful than an Ancestral God Temple.
Of course, whether it's an Ancestral God Temple or a War God Temple, the key lies in the cultivation of the temple's master. The stronger the master's divine soul, the more power they can draw from the temple.
Half-Venerable flew out, driving the black temple across the void.
Around the temple, streaks of black lightning flashed, carrying terrifying killing intent.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was solemn, but he was not intimidated by the aura of a Great Unbound Infinite God Venerable. He met the attack head-on, forming a sword seal with his fingers, summoning a rain of sword qi that collided heavily with the temple.
"Boom!"
A large expanse of space collapsed.
Zhang Ruochen and the black temple both plunged into the Void World, where sword qi and formation beams intertwined.
Half-Venerable released his divine soul outward, waving his sleeve. From the temple surged a purple divine qi river.
Divine qi was a level only cultivatable by Great Unbound Infinite God Venerables; each strand could slay a god. Such a divine qi river charged into a divine formation tens of thousands of feet in diameter.
The divine formation spun rapidly, and from its center emerged gray, hazy clouds.
A towering, fierce-faced, imposing Death Clan God Venerable stepped out of the clouds, wielding a scythe-shaped war blade that tore through the sky.
The sword qi Zhang Ruochen had unleashed was shattered by the scythe.
The blade's edge grazed past him, and even a mere touch tore through his protective divine light, leaving a bloody gash on his shoulder.
Terrifying—like a true strike from a God King or God Venerable.
Seeing blood drip from Zhang Ruochen's shoulder, Half-Venerable breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "No matter how strong you are, you're still below the Infinite Realm. And I am now wielding Infinite-level power. Whether you are the famous Sword God or someone else, show your true strength!"
Zhang Ruochen could tell that Half-Venerable, piloting the War God Temple, now surpassed Xuan Yi's doppelganger in combat power.
Of course, that didn't mean Half-Venerable was the number one below the Infinite Realm. After all, if Xuan Yi had piloted the Heavenly Passage Temple, he could have easily crushed this War God Temple.
Just like when Blood Absolute War God sacrificed the divine remains of Blood Absolute Ancestor—who below the Infinite Realm could block that?
Every major faction's ancient gods had ultimate trump cards that could elevate their power to invincibility below the Infinite Realm. The question was whether they could bear the cost of losing those cards.
Xuan Yi lost the Heavenly Passage Temple, Half-Venerable lost the War God Temple, Blood Absolute War God lost the Ancestor Divine Remains, Jade Spirit God lost the Yaksha Ancestral God Temple—these were losses not just for them personally.
If some hidden Infinite Realm old schemer snatched them away, the forces behind them would be furious.
Zhang Ruochen did not use divine artifacts or esoterica. Instead, he relied on movement speed to evade, avoiding direct clashes with the War God Temple.
To all onlookers, Zhang Ruochen seemed to be walking a razor's edge; a single moment of slowness would see his divine body shattered by the divine formations within the War God Temple.
Unbeknownst to them, Zhang Ruochen and Half-Venerable's battlefield was drifting farther and farther from Xiong Guan Star.
Above the atmosphere of Xiong Guan Star, Mu Tuo War God stepped out of thin air.
He was the second-strongest in the Darkness Temple, second only to Wu Yue. His skeletal body was wrapped in black iron plates, putting immense pressure on all the Hell Realm gods present.
"This Ming Sword God is unexpectedly powerful. Yuan Ru Hai has used the War God Temple and still can't take him down. It seems I must step in to help!"
Mu Tuo War God's voice was dry, grating like metal scraping.
A Darkness Temple god said, "War God, be careful. This Ming Sword God might not be the real one. He's far too strong for a Great God. He could be an Infinite Realm old monster in disguise!"
"Even if he is an Infinite Realm old monster in disguise, so what? If he dares to oppose Hell Realm, he must pay the price."
Mu Tuo War God tore through space, crossing the void directly toward Zhang Ruochen and Half-Venerable's battlefield.
He had no intention of testing his own cultivation against Ming Sword God. After all, Half-Venerable had been severely wounded in an instant earlier—who would dare to challenge such power?
But before leaving for the North Marsh Great Wall, Jiusi Yitianhuang had left him a War God Temple, a hall refined by an ancient All Heavens, containing the power left by that All Heavens.
This War God Temple was meant for him to deal with God Kings and God Venerables, to protect the Darkness Temple's interests in the universe.
Given the power Ming Sword God had displayed and the threat he posed, it had reached the point where the War God Temple was necessary.
"Boom!"
Mu Tuo War God piloted a white temple, descending into the Void World.
The white temple was crystal-clear like jade, with a jade-carved divine serpent coiled around it. Auspicious clouds drifted around, radiating five-colored divine light.
It didn't seem like a temple belonging to a Darkness Temple god; it looked more like a celestial hall.
Under Mu Tuo War God's divine soul activation, the five-colored light enveloped Zhang Ruochen. Each beam was like a divine chain, making Zhang Ruochen feel as if he had fallen into a swamp.
Just lifting his arm felt like pressing down ten thousand divine mountains.
The jade-carved divine serpent came to life, its body covered in dense All Heavens divine patterns. It swung a claw, sending Zhang Ruochen flying three thousand miles away.
Zhang Ruochen's internal organs ached. Even his seventy-percent Infinite-level physical body could barely withstand it, feeling as if it might shatter.
But everything was within his expectations. The ultimate trump cards of Hell Realm's major factions had all been revealed. They were indeed powerful, capable of resisting attacks from Qiankun Infinite God Kings and God Venerables.
If they didn't have such strength, it would be abnormal, making Zhang Ruochen suspect they were feigning weakness.
"What a pity. I didn't bring the Sword God Temple, or else why would I fear the two of you?"
Zhang Ruochen deliberately sighed like this, then stepped on Divine Spirit Step, fleeing into the depths of the universe.
"Trying to escape? Not so easy!"
Mu Tuo War God activated the Space Teleportation Array beneath the War God Temple. Space trembled, ripples appeared, and the temple vanished.
When it reappeared, it had already intercepted Zhang Ruochen ahead.
Meanwhile, within the Yin Yang Eighteen Formations, Divine Maiden Shen Ba, and within the Hundred Sons Qilin Formation, the Second Elder of Array Destruction Palace, both slowly withdrew, pulling away from Xiong Guan Star. But they were pursued by the God King battle formations and found it hard to break free.
Hell Realm had completely seized the upper hand, and the gods above Xiong Guan Star finally relaxed.
The pressure from the four Heavenly Court ancient gods earlier had been considerable.
"On the battlefield, individual power is ultimately too insignificant to overturn heaven and earth." Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord chuckled lightly. "Blazing Sun Civilization gods, hear my command! Raise the Heavenly Banner, slay Li Hen Ancient God."
From within Xiong Guan Star, a power aura even more terrifying than the War God Temples of Half-Venerable and Mu Tuo War God emanated. A war banner flew out from the void, instantly activating the heaven and earth rules across the star domain.
The power left by a living All Heavens was clearly far more fearsome than that of a dead Great Unbound Infinite or ancient All Heavens.
"A mere Li Hen Ancient God, why waste the Heavenly Banner?" A melodious divine voice resounded through heaven and earth.
From Xiong Guan Star, three divine beams flew out.
Each beam contained an incredibly terrifying aura. As they flew, space trembled, and stars quaked.
They were three ancient powerhouses of the Bone Clan: Bai Changxu, Yun Zhonghu, and Hei Tao. Each had dominated a bone sea and was a giant among divine realm overlords.
"Three ancient gods, do not underestimate him. Li Hen Ancient God's cultivation is extraordinary," Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord warned.
"Leopard Lord and Ice Lord were both severely wounded by Li Hen Ancient God. For the three Bone Clan ancient gods to dare strike, they must have something to rely on."
Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord looked toward the source of the voice and saw that it was Divine Wind Ancient God of the Green Deer Divine Temple.
Divine Wind Ancient God had butterfly wings on his back and stood on cyan divine mist.
Within the mist floated a black coffin.
Seeing Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord look over, Divine Wind Ancient God nodded to him and said, "Today's events are somewhat strange. Although the four Heavenly Court ancient gods are strong, they shouldn't be strong enough to challenge the Hell Realm army. There must be something fishy. Now that the top powerhouses have all made their moves, Xiong Guan Star's interior is empty. We must guard against sneak attacks from Heavenly Court and Xinghuantian."
Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord was very confident. "Rest assured! With the four Divine Masters guarding, Xiong Guan Star is as solid as iron."
"Divine Wind Ancient God worries too much. We are still here!" said Tai Xu Great God Fu Chuan.
...
Two War God Temples, one ahead and one behind, suppressed Zhang Ruochen within a shattered space ten thousand miles wide.
A full thirty-four divine formations surrounded him on all sides.
The divine patterns left by Great Unbound Infinite and All Heavens were like god-slaying blades, shattering the divine realm world Zhang Ruochen had manifested into pieces.
The supreme sacred artifacts Zhang Ruochen released all turned into metal fragments, unable to withstand a single strike from the War God Temples.
"They've all been drawn out. The timing is about right. Xiong Guan Star and Hundred Clans Royal City should be making their move soon." Zhang Ruochen secretly took out the Heavenly Venerable Word Scroll and hid it in his sleeve, preparing to counterattack.
Hidden in the shadows, Feng Yan could no longer hold back.
"With the War God Temples' enhancement, Half-Venerable and Mu Tuo War God both have power nearly at the God King or God Venerable level. But Big Brother can't reveal his identity, can't use esoterica or divine artifacts. This is too unfair!"
Ignoring Chi Cha Luo's dissuasion, Feng Yan rushed out.
"Big... Sword God, take the sword!"
Feng Yan unleashed the Pure Yang Divine Sword.
The divine sword shot through the starry sky like a dazzling meteor flame.
The Pure Yang Divine Sword pierced through the divine formation's light barrier, flying toward Zhang Ruochen.
"So there are other Heavenly Court gods hiding in the shadows."
Half-Venerable stood outside the War God Temple, his eyes slanting toward Feng Yan. He raised his arm and struck out with a palm. From his palm, shockwaves rippled in circles.
Heaven and earth responded. A divine light handprint nearly ten thousand meters long materialized in the void, descending toward Feng Yan.
Its power was ferocious, intent on crushing him.
Feng Yan felt as if space from all directions was collapsing toward him. His body couldn't move, and the divine qi within him couldn't circulate.
Chi Cha Luo and Mandala Flower God both appeared, but far water couldn't quench the near fire.
Ji Fanxin stood hundreds of thousands of miles away, waving her fragrant sleeve. A rain of colorful petals appeared. The ten-thousand-meter divine light handprint instantly dissolved into wisps of mist, dispersing.
Her technique was so exquisite that Half-Venerable was secretly alarmed.
He observed with his divine eyes, able to see only Chi Cha Luo, Mandala Flower God, and Xiang Chunan, but couldn't find the caster's trace. His heart sank slightly.