Chapter 3460: The Ancestor's Sword
With Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, activating the God-Defying Stele would affect the heaven and earth rules of an entire great world. One could imagine how astonishing its erosion of formation inscriptions would be.
Emperor Luoyan took a deep breath.
The entire airflow of Dingzu Mountain surged toward his body.
The power of the Great Luo Divine Seal grew even more formidable, causing the six Heavenly Pillar Peaks to shake violently.
Er Daren's eyes turned cold. He had not expected that it was Zhang Ruochen, a junior, who had changed the layout of Dingzu Mountain. His spiritual power erupted fully, and strands of flesh vines floated behind his head, emitting blazing electric light.
"Boom!"
Emperor Luoyan stepped forward, divine patterns spreading across his feet as he crushed a divine formation world with one stomp. Formation inscriptions scattered in all directions, only to be obliterated by the God-Defying Stele.
His gaze locked onto Heavenly Sound Divine Mother as he questioned, "Ten thousand years ago, were you involved in the tragedy of the Great Luo Divine Palace?"
Heavenly Sound Divine Mother remained expressionless, her gaze indifferent. "What meaning is there in asking this now?"
Zhang Ruochen could see that Emperor Luoyan's emotions were fluctuating violently and understood why.
If Emperor Luoyan were merely a cold-blooded Rakshasa Emperor without a passionate and emotional side, he would not have doted so much on Luo Sha and Luo Shengtian, would not have been so lenient toward Xue Jue War God, and would not have repeatedly helped Zhang Ruochen.
But this state of anger was certainly not right.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Ten thousand years ago, the Divine Mother had not yet stepped into the divine realm. The tragedy of the Great Luo Divine Palace might be related to Dingzu, or to Kui Liang Huang, but it should have little to do with the Divine Mother."
Emperor Luoyan glared at him furiously. "Do I need you to meddle in my family affairs?"
Wolf Ancestor said, "He's not exactly an outsider... Ahem, I'm just saying this. It's better for the Emperor to stay calm. First, eliminate these members of the Quantity Organization, then settle family matters—that is the wise course of action."
Although Emperor Luoyan's gaze remained fixed on Heavenly Sound Divine Mother, after hearing the advice from Zhang Ruochen and Wolf Ancestor, he finally calmed his emotions, understanding what was more important.
Zhang Ruochen said, "We must break the Six Harmonies Formation quickly. I need to rush to the Divine Prison immediately, or it will be too late."
Wolf Ancestor asked, "What do you mean by too late?"
"Since Dingzu is not here, he must have gone to the Divine Prison," Zhang Ruochen said.
Wolf Ancestor was puzzled. "Dingzu should be on the Starry Sky Battlefield. Why would he be in the Divine City?"
Zhang Ruochen countered, "Didn't the Emperor's failure to mobilize the Divine City's momentum with the Great Luo Divine Seal just now prove that Dingzu is definitely in the Divine City?"
Wolf Ancestor's heart sank heavily.
He had thought that Emperor Luoyan's return would be enough to crush the demons and monsters of Dingzu Mountain, securing the overall situation. But now, it seemed the situation in the Rakshasa Divine City was still far from optimistic.
Within the Divine City, Dingzu could use far too many methods, posing an even greater threat than Er Daren.
"Haha!"
Er Daren said, "You junior have come this far, truly impressive. But it's too late. Today, all of you will die."
"Just you? Have Kui Liang Huang come out, or I will cut you down in the Rakshasa Divine City today."
Emperor Luoyan's divine armor automatically detached, transforming into a pair of iron wings over ten zhang long. The iron wings, like two heavenly blades, spun rapidly and flew out, severing layers of defensive formation light screens.
This was both a defensive divine artifact and an offensive one.
The iron wings struck Er Daren, and dense talisman patterns appeared around him.
When the iron wings were still half a foot from Er Daren's body, their power was exhausted. However, the impact still knocked Er Daren back, and he slid backward into the City Lord's Hall, waving his sleeve to close the doors.
Emperor Luoyan's form flickered, appearing outside the hall doors.
Ignoring Heavenly Sound Divine Mother, Zongmu Shenzun, and Qi Lin outside the hall, he raised his hand, caught the returning iron wings, and struck the doors with a heavy blow.
"Crack!"
The two divine formations on the doors could not withstand it and exploded directly.
The doors, forged from the ultimate metal substance, shattered into seven fragments that fell into the hall, blasting the divine bodies of the three Quantity Envoys inside into three clouds of blood mist.
The divine energy wave from this door-breaking strike sent Heavenly Sound Divine Mother, who was closest to the doors, flying like a fallen leaf.
Zhang Ruochen hesitated briefly but ultimately used a space divine technique to restrain and pull Heavenly Sound Divine Mother to his side. Regardless, she was still Luo Sha's mother.
...
Divine Prison.
The gods of the Snow Sea Divine Kingdom faction had already begun their actions. Some erected sacrificial altars thousands of meters high, others activated divine talismans as large as heavenly gates, and some summoned Star Soul Divine Thrones from beyond the heavens.
Each employed their own methods to seal off the city district where the Divine Prison was located.
They had prepared thoroughly, mobilizing two Town Inscription Altars to suppress the divine formations within the Divine Prison.
"Zhang Ruochen, surrender. You are the Divine Envoy of Heavenly Mother, so we will only imprison you, not take your life. What we must suppress are Luo Sha and Luo Shengtian, these remnants of the Quantity Organization!" said the Snow Sea Crown Prince.
On the tower of the Divine Prison.
Luo Sha noticed that the Sword Bone Doppelganger's expression was quite grave and asked, "What's wrong?"
The Sword Bone Doppelganger glanced toward Dingzu Mountain, sensing that he had lost contact with his true self. He looked at Luo Sha and said gently, "It's nothing. Today, I will definitely take you away. No one can stop me."
"Clang!"
A piercing sword cry rang out.
The Sword Bone Doppelganger transformed into a brilliant sword light, flew out of the Divine Prison, and struck at the Snow Sea Crown Prince with one sword strike.
Too fast!
So fast that the Snow Sea Crown Prince could not react at all, as if his body were frozen, unable to dodge.
It was as if time had stopped, leaving him only to await death.
Beside him, Yue Gujun shifted his position, blocking the way.
The dagger in his hand thrust out, precisely colliding with the tip of the divine sword from the Sword Bone Doppelganger.
In an instant, earth-shattering sword power erupted from the point of contact between the two, sending the Snow Sea Crown Prince flying. His defensive divine light was pierced by the sword energy, leaving bloody holes all over his body.
Just the sword energy alone was this terrifying.
If struck directly by the sword, one could imagine the outcome.
The sword energy flew in all directions. Aside from Shi Zhi Shenzun, all other Rakshasa gods retreated behind formations, divine talismans, and sacrificial altars.
Even so, the formations were continuously breached, the divine talismans gradually dimmed, and the sacrificial altars were blasted with gaps.
This was the power of a God Venerable—how could it be easily blocked?
Yue Gujun, as the emperor of a Rakshasa divine kingdom, naturally had profound cultivation. But upon clashing with the divine sword, an overwhelming pressure immediately came crashing down.
This pressure came from both the mind and the body.
The opponent before him was hardly like a young Infinite Realm cultivator who had just broken through.
The momentum that struck the heart and shook the soul was even more terrifying than that of a Great Unbound Infinite.
Fortunately, Yue Gujun was battle-hardened and had a firm will; otherwise, he would have already fled.
Yue Gujun retreated quickly to neutralize the sword momentum of the Sword Bone Doppelganger. With each step he took, the ground collapsed over a large area, with cracks spreading for dozens of miles.
The formations underground were like tofu, utterly unable to withstand the power of a God Venerable.
"You are not Zhang Ruochen. Who are you?"
Yue Gujun refused to believe that a young Infinite Realm cultivator could nurture such momentum—like the eternal and unchanging heavens, like the myriad forms of the earth, carrying a hint of an Ancestor's charm.
Even Emperor Luoyan and Dingzu, who had long held high positions, could not compare.
"Crack!"
The sub-divine-level Supreme Sacred Artifact dagger in his hand developed cracks.
"Not good!"
Yue Gujun's expression changed drastically.
Behind him, a Gate of Destiny manifested.
From within the gate flew an ancient and heavy divine book.
"Boom!"
The dagger shattered into over a dozen fragments.
Some fragments landed on Yue Gujun, grazing his skin.
The defensive power of a God Venerable's skin was astonishing, no different from divine armor. The fragments of the sub-divine-level Supreme Sacred Artifact dagger could only leave white marks, unable to penetrate.
Countless white sword-shaped Sword Dao rules surged like a tide, merging with the divine sword.
Just as the divine sword was about to pierce Yue Gujun's brow.
The divine book rustled as it flipped open, and countless Time Imprint light points flew from its pages, blocking the path ahead.
The divine sword slowed down!
In that brief moment, Yue Gujun had already evaded far away.
After creating distance, with a thunderous sound, Yue Gujun pressed a palm to the ground, drawing out the divine energy from the underground divine veins, transforming it into tens of thousands of divine energy great dragons. His momentum surged rapidly.
All the divine energy great dragons flew toward the Yuegu Divine Book, making it even brighter.
"Rustle!"
The divine book hung in midair, flipping pages even faster. Not only did it release Time Imprint light points, but also astronomical phenomena, divine talismans, and divine abilities, drowning the Sword Bone Doppelganger.
The Yuegu Divine Book was the sole treasure left by the Rakshasa clan sage who founded the Yuegu Divine Kingdom, passed down through generations by each emperor.
Legend had it that the sage bearing the title "Yuegu" was an Ancestor.
Of course, this legend was only believed by cultivators of the Rakshasa clan.
After all, every race's cultivators would deify their ancestors. Whether in the Heavenly Court or the Hell Realm, tales of those touted as Ancestors who were not even Half-Ancestors were common.
But as the foremost treasure of the Yuegu Divine Kingdom, the Yuegu Divine Book was naturally extraordinary. With its power, Yue Gujun trapped the Sword Bone Doppelganger within layers of astronomical phenomena, divine talismans, and divine abilities.
There, clouds and mist churned, a chaotic blur.
Shi Zhi Shenzun laughed. "He is not Zhang Ruochen. He is the Sword Bone, the bone of the Sword Ancestor, wrapped in a layer of Zhang Ruochen's flesh and skin. This is an unexpected joy—we will obtain an Ancestor-level supreme treasure!"
"Crackle!"
Shi Zhi Shenzun held a thunder pearl, summoning dense purple tribulation divine lightning.
The sky turned into an ocean of lightning, and then bolts of lightning as thick as water buckets fell, slashing at the Sword Bone Doppelganger.
The voice of Mofa Divine King rang out, spreading across the Divine City: "Whoever disrupts the order of the Hell Realm, no matter how noble their status, deserves death. Members of the Quantity Organization should be killed without mercy!"
Mofa Divine King saw this as a perfect opportunity to strike. It would not only make the Snow Sea Divine Kingdom and Yue Gujun owe him a favor but also give him a chance to seize the Sword Bone and the divine sword.
He manifested his giant divine body, his arms becoming a thousand meters thick, extending dozens of miles. His palms were as large as clouds, filled with boundless deathly energy, pressing down toward the Sword Bone Doppelganger.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
...
At that moment, all the swords in the entire Rakshasa Divine City broke free from their owners' control and flew toward the Divine Prison.
A sword light containing Ancestor divine power split apart the astronomical phenomena, divine talismans, and divine abilities flying from the Yuegu Divine Book, and also severed the sky-filling purple tribulation divine lightning.
It was devastating, with no power in the world able to stop it.
"Pfft!"
The arm Mofa Divine King had extended was severed by the sword light.
Countless divine blood sprayed from the broken arm, staining the sky crimson.
On the streets below, rivers of blood formed, flowing swiftly.
Inside the Divine Prison.
"That was too cool! One sword strike broke the attacks of three Divine Kings and God Venerables. When will I ever be this strong?" Xue Tu trembled with excitement, then looked at the blood in the city, his eyes turning red.
That was all Divine King's divine blood!