Chapter 3555: Nine Lives, Nine Deaths
Jie Venerable’s understanding of the *Bright King Sutra* and the path of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable had, in truth, long surpassed the Nineteenth Layer Heavenly Domain. However, the Ancestor Divine Source had never been cultivated by him personally, and a repulsion existed between the man and the source.
The higher the realm, the stronger this repulsion became.
This divine talisman was refined by Yunshen Daozhu to assist Jie Venerable. It could temporarily suppress the repulsion between man and source, allowing him to draw more ancestral power from within the Divine Source.
But the risk was immense. With the slightest misstep, his body would explode.
“Whoever dares to touch the one I love, I will fight, slay the undying, and slaughter the mortal realm. Yun Hunxuan, do you dare to oppose me?”
“Twenty-First Layer Heavenly Domain!”
Jie Venerable’s aura was formidable, his killing intent boiling over. Divine light radiated from his body, illuminating Wujian Ridge, making him resemble a golden iron man.
Nine-colored divine clouds connected heaven and earth, spreading for millions of miles.
That ancestral aura caused time and space to tremble, and the lower-realm living beings were all filled with terror.
The light beams Yun Hunxuan slashed out could no longer harm the heavenly domain above Jie Venerable’s head; they dissolved within the nine-colored divine radiance.
All power, once it approached Jie Venerable, would be annihilated.
Even more terrifying was that the aura on Jie Venerable’s body continued to strengthen. Ancestor Rule Divine Patterns radiated outward, as if about to condense into a Twenty-Second Layer Heavenly Domain.
“This… is this really a false god?”
“Could he be the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable himself?”
“This ancestral might is too terrifying. If it keeps growing, who can stand against him?”
The Chaos Clan beings and the Three Sovereigns all wore grave expressions, their hearts filled with deep worry.
Yun Hunxuan’s face no longer held any trace of contempt. Chaos divine energy flowed around him, time and space alternately expanding and annihilating. He leaped forward, charging to meet Jie Venerable, who was rushing toward Chaos Mountain.
As an Indestructible Infinite, he feared no opponent below the ancestral level.
Even if facing a Heavenly Venerable from the upper realm, he dared to fight.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
…
A series of clashes shook Chaos Mountain violently.
Yun Hunxuan was sent flying backward, his body crashing into the depths of the divine mountain.
An instant later, he burst out from the collapsing mountain interior. Though disheveled, his posture remained straight, his gaze like blazing torches. He said in a deep voice, “The heavenly domain you cultivated only has nineteen layers. The other two are merely illusory images condensed through external force. Once that external force fades, how can you still show off your might?”
“There’s no need for the ancestor to act. I, this emperor, am more than enough to suppress you.”
Yun Hunxuan summoned his Chaos Blade, holding it horizontally as he stood. Blade energy surged in all directions.
“Is that so? Then today, I will beat you to death, then self-detonate the Divine Source, making the entire Chaos Clan accompany me in death.”
“Twenty-Second Layer Heavenly Domain!”
The divine talisman on Jie Venerable’s chest burned. While condensing the Twenty-Second Layer Heavenly Domain, he forcibly descended onto Chaos Mountain, stomping a large section of the mountain into rubble.
Mobilizing the power of the Twenty-Second Layer Heavenly Domain pushed Jie Venerable to his limit. At any moment, he could suffer backlash and explode.
But things had already reached this point—how could he retreat?
If his battle intent weakened even slightly, today would end in a miserable outcome.
After Yun Hunxuan slashed out a blade strike, which Jie Venerable blocked with the Sword Pavilion, his heart sank. Seeing the Twenty-Second Layer Heavenly Domain above Jie Venerable’s head gradually taking shape, the pressure on him suddenly increased. He cast a glance toward the Chaos Ancestor.
“Something has changed in the Wujian World.”
The Chaos Ancestor’s voice came from that spatial rift eye.
At the same time, Yun Hunxuan received a message from the primordial beings guarding the Wujian World.
Yun Hunxuan was well aware of Yinxue Tian’s terror. His gaze swept over the Three Sovereigns, and he said, “Jiusi Yitianhuang has broken the Five-Clan Seal and entered the Wujian World. Kong Yinxue… Kong Yinxue is about to emerge! When that happens, disaster will befall everyone.”
These words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing all the primordial beings present to change expression drastically.
“Bang!”
The Chaos Ancestor’s divine energy dissipated, and Yuan Suyin fell from midair.
“All primordial beings, hear my command! Follow me to the Wujian World to suppress Kong Yinxue. Chaos Clan beings, activate the Wujian Extermination Ancestral Formation!” The thunderous divine voice echoed through space.
The next moment, the spatial rift eye vanished from Chaos Mountain.
The Chaos Ancestor’s vast aura moved toward the entrance of the Wujian World.
Earth Sovereign, Fire Sovereign, and Wood Sovereign followed closely.
At the same time, they sent out command seals, transmitting messages to the Three Rivers and Seven Ridges.
If Kong Yinxue had truly broken through to the Half-Ancestor realm, it would be a catastrophe for all the primordial beings of the lower realm.
Jie Venerable knew the Chaos Clan had no time to deal with him. He did not continue condensing the Twenty-Second Layer Heavenly Domain, but his aura remained unleashed as he continued to face off against Yun Hunxuan.
Yun Hunxuan also understood that this was not the time to seize the Mani Pearl. Once Kong Yinxue emerged, the entire Wujian Ridge would be turned upside down.
Yun Hunxuan withdrew his Chaos divine energy and then smiled slightly. “Grand Elder, this time, the Chaos Clan has offended you. But once Kong Yinxue emerges, how can your Primordial Path Clan escape unscathed? After all, you were involved back then. I ask the Grand Elder to set aside past grievances and join us in facing the current crisis.”
Yuan Suyin had been injured by the Chaos Ancestor, blood still flowing from her neck. Her face was pale, but her gaze was icy. “This is a great mistake the Chaos Clan made after being used by others. If all clans suffer as a result, you will be the sinners of the Twelve Primordial Clans!”
“The Grand Elder is right in whatever she says, but now is not the time to assign blame.”
Yun Hunxuan’s gaze fell on Jie Venerable, then shifted to the Mani Pearl. He smiled. “When Kong Yinxue emerges, she will surely seize the Udumbara Flower and the Mani Pearl. When that happens, no one will have a good outcome.”
Jie Venerable bristled and snorted coldly. “So, the Chaos Clan’s true purpose in targeting me was to seize the Mani Pearl?”
“In any case, whoever holds the Mani Pearl will be the target of Kong Yinxue’s hostility. I’ve said my piece. You two think it over carefully.”
Yun Hunxuan transformed into a pillar of chaotic energy and flew toward the entrance of the Wujian World.
Jie Venerable breathed a secret sigh of relief. He quickly removed the half-burned divine talisman and looked at the tattered talisman paper in his hand, his heart aching.
“What kind of Tai Shang is this? The talisman he refined is so useless. Thank goodness something happened in the Wujian World, or I’d really have died on Wujian Ridge today!”
Jie Venerable silently cursed Yunshen Daozhu, then put away the talisman paper. The twenty-one layers of heavenly domain above his head shrank back to nineteen.
Noticing Yuan Suyin’s gaze, Jie Venerable resumed his composed and transcendent demeanor. He looked at her with deep affection and said reproachfully, “Suyin, why were you so foolish? You should have handed me over to the Chaos Ancestor. Why did you choose to bear it alone? If you had died on Chaos Mountain, wouldn’t I have been guilty for the rest of my life? You were too selfish. You wanted me to spend eternity trapped in the pain of missing you, unable to bring you back.”
As he spoke, Jie Venerable’s voice grew choked, tears glistening in his eyes.
But being strong-willed, how could he let himself shed tears?
Jie Venerable looked up at the sky, blinking hard to hold back the tears. “I can explain…”
Yuan Suyin had already walked up to him and grasped his hand. “No need. It was my fault before. I believe you! You must have suffered a lot over the years, haven’t you?”
Jie Venerable shook his head with a bitter expression. “How can one achieve great things without enduring hardships? That calamity made me sleep for a hundred thousand years, but it also gave me more time to comprehend the path of the ancestor.”
Unable to break his habit of boasting in front of women, Jie Venerable flicked his sleeve and stroked his beard. “You saw it just now. If it came to a real fight, how could Yun Hunxuan be my match? I would beat him to death, then fight the Chaos Ancestor to the death to vent my hatred. That old bastard dared to hurt you. I, this venerable, will make sure he dies a miserable death sooner or later.”
Yuan Suyin said, “Alright, I know you care about my safety, but don’t push yourself like this again in the future. The Chaos Ancestor’s cultivation is too strong for us to handle. You should leave quickly, go to the Ancient Desolate Ruins City, and get out of the lower realm. With the Mani Pearl in your hands, neither the Chaos Ancestor nor Kong Yinxue will let you go.”
Jie Venerable grabbed her wrist. “No. If we go, we go together.”
“I am the Grand Elder of the Primordial Path Clan. As long as the Great Dark Mountain stands, the Chaos Ancestor wouldn’t dare to do anything to me,” Yuan Suyin said.
Jie Venerable shook his head. “The Chaos Ancestor’s lifespan is nearly exhausted. For the sake of survival, he is capable of any madness. If I hadn’t arrived in time just now, you really would have been blood-sacrificed. If you were gone from this world, I would be in pain for the rest of my life.”
Yuan Suyin smiled bitterly. “If I leave, what happens to the Primordial Path Clan?”
“Take the Primordial Path Clan with you. The upper realm is vast—there’s always a place to survive. Leave this matter to me! You… you have a man to rely on.”
Jie Venerable opened his arms and, taking advantage of the moment, embraced Yuan Suyin’s voluptuous jade-like body. Then he suddenly remembered that Zhang Ruochen seemed to have gone to the Wujian World, and immediately said, “When I came to Chaos Mountain, I sensed that Yuansheng had gone to the Wujian World. We can’t just leave like this. We have to go save her. I know you care about her deeply—she is the future of the Primordial Path Clan.”
A warmth and emotion that Yuan Suyin had not felt in a hundred thousand years rose in her heart. “I’ll listen to you. As long as the two of us are together, we can form a deterrent against them. With the Mani Pearl blocking, it won’t be so easy for the Chaos Ancestor to stop my divine fire from burning my body again!”
“Don’t ever say that again. Even if one of us must die, it will be me dying before you.”
Jie Venerable’s gaze was firm as he patted Yuan Suyin’s fragrant shoulder. But a strong sense of weakness still spread from within.
Those few clashes with Yun Hunxuan had drained him greatly.
…
The tens of millions of miles of nebula space that Jiusi Yitianhuang had propped up rapidly contracted, finally all merging into the central black hole.
The black hole’s diameter was only a few thousand miles, but the aura it released grew exponentially with each passing moment.
Zhang Ruochen’s divine soul was battered by the dark force. He felt as if a universe was being nurtured inside the black hole. Once that energy was unleashed, it would be enough to destroy all things in the world, and he himself would turn to dust.
Zhang Ruochen had witnessed the battle between Nutian Shenzun and Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable. In terms of aura alone, Jiusi Yitianhuang had definitely reached that level.
Kong Yinxue remained very calm, sitting on a giant rock. “No need to mind him.”
“It’s finished!”
Zhang Ruochen put down the brush and held up the white paper for her to appraise.
“Very mediocre. Far inferior to the one the Great Venerable painted for Ling Yanzi,” Kong Yinxue said.
Zhang Ruochen was speechless. He had given it his all, believing it was no worse than the works of gods specializing in the path of painting. “Ancestor, you want the Great Venerable to paint for you. So no matter who paints this picture, you won’t be satisfied.”
Kong Yinxue waved her hand. “That’s enough. Put it away. Remember to hang this painting in your Zhang Clan’s ancestral hall in the future.”
“Alright!”
Zhang Ruochen agreed readily, rolling up the white paper. Only then did he notice that Kong Yinxue had stood up, her gaze fixed on the direction behind him.
Zhang Ruochen turned around, activating his Truth Divine Eye to break through the Wujian force and then through Jiusi Yitianhuang’s layers of dark rules. In the center of the distant black hole, he saw a blurry black figure.
Jiusi Yitianhuang’s aura was extremely strong, and Zhang Ruochen felt a clear sense of oppression.
He could also sense that Jiusi Yitianhuang was secretly confronting Kong Yinxue with his aura.
But it did not last long. Jiusi Yitianhuang withdrew his aura and bowed to Kong Yinxue. “So the senior has already broken through to the Half-Ancestor realm!”
Kong Yinxue said indifferently, “I thought that by cultivating the Nine Lives Nine Deaths Yin-Yang Path, you could catch up to me. I didn’t expect you to still be so far behind. I heard your first life was the Great Demon God?”