Chapter 3557: Head Seven
The territory where the entrance to the Wujian World was located had already split into pieces, with spatial cracks everywhere.
Thick dust swirled in all directions, making it impossible to tell where the sky was or where the ground lay.
Fortunately, the ancient beings daring to participate in this battle were all top-tier experts, and they were positioned within the formation; otherwise, even the residual shockwaves alone would have reduced gods to ashes.
The aura of the Chaos Ancestor dissipated, leaving the crowd unable to calm their hearts for a long time.
The fading life fluctuations of Kong Yinxue caused the suspended hearts of many to settle, and the pressure suddenly eased. Not a few sighed, feeling that cultivation seemed to hold little meaning.
Even if one laughed proudly through several eras, even if one was invincible under heaven, what difference did it make?
Sooner or later, one would fall, turning into a handful of dust.
Born between heaven and earth, returning to heaven and earth, unable to break this cage...
Whether Kong Yinxue had done it intentionally or not, after the Chaos Ancestor fell, wrapped in a halo of light, the Udumbara flower descended toward the entrance of the Wujian World, precisely caught by Zhang Ruochen.
Jiusi Yitianhuang locked his gaze on the Udumbara flower, corpse qi spreading beneath his feet as he strode toward Zhang Ruochen.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
With the Chaos Ancestor gone, relying solely on Yun Hunxuan and the Chaos Clan's creatures to activate the Wujian Extinction Ancestral Formation could no longer suppress him.
Jiusi Yitianhuang shattered the ground within the formation piece by piece, closing in on Zhang Ruochen.
What he sought to seize was not just the Udumbara flower, but more importantly, the demon heart.
Upon discovering that Kong Yinxue had fallen deep within the Taigu Plain, he realized he had committed the most regrettable act of his life. Had he, just moments ago, harbored an unyielding belief in victory, an indomitable pride, and fought to the death, he could have certainly worn down the exhausted Kong Yinxue before his own demise.
That single bow of his head, coupled with the regret now surging within him, had already severely wounded his state of mind.
This wound to his heart would make his path to becoming an Ancestor exceedingly difficult.
Without reclaiming the demon heart, how could he cultivate the perfected Nine Lives Nine Deaths Yin-Yang Dao?
Without slaughtering Kong Yinxue's entire clan, how could his thoughts flow freely and his heart be mended?
How could Yun Hunxuan have imagined that Jiusi Yitianhuang had grown so formidable?
Feeling his fierce killing intent, Yun Hunxuan shouted sternly, "Great Elder, if you don't act now, that human junior will die!"
Yuan Sheng, holding a long spear, stood tall and heroic beside Yuan Suyin and Jie Zunzhe, saying, "Jiusi Yitianhuang is already this powerful. If he seizes the Udumbara flower, the consequences will be unimaginable. Zhang Ruochen entered the Wujian World for the sake of the Great Elder and the Realm Lord, both publicly and privately—we cannot stand by and watch him die."
Jie Zunzhe praised, "Suyin, your Yuandao Clan's Clan Emperor is truly loyal and righteous. No wonder Ruochen fell for her at first sight, unable to extricate himself."
The goodwill Yuan Sheng had barely developed toward Jie Zunzhe vanished instantly, feeling that this old fellow harbored ulterior motives and was definitely scheming something.
At least in her view, her relationship with Zhang Ruochen was merely one of acquaintances forged through battle, and Yuan Sheng had not sensed any emotion of love at first sight from Zhang Ruochen toward her.
In comparison, Zhang Ruochen was open and upright, responsible, and possessed the demeanor of a gentleman—far more trustworthy and worthy of association than Jie Zunzhe.
"Both the Chaos Ancestor and Kong Yinxue have fallen. Now, our greatest threat is no longer the Chaos Ridge, but Jiusi Yitianhuang. Clan Emperor, go to the Divine Tree Ship and keep an eye on Gai Mie!"
Leaving these words behind, Yuan Suyin charged into the Wujian Extinction Ancestral Formation, joining the Four Emperors in a combined assault on Jiusi Yitianhuang.
The five experts were all at the initial stage of Indestructible Infinite, and being in the lower realm, they had the support of heaven and earth's momentum, each possessing astonishing combat power. Five divine artifacts continuously smashed down.
A myriad of ancient divine abilities rained down like a torrent, whether purple heavenly flames or stars born out of thin air...
Yun Hunxuan, while presiding over the formation, also channeled divine power to summon the Chaos Mountain, pressing it down toward Jiusi Yitianhuang.
He was truly enraged. If not for Jiusi Yitianhuang's scheming, how could Kong Yinxue have escaped? How could the Ancestor have fallen?
Moreover, the Chaos Clan had also lost a Great Unbound Infinite, suffering heavy losses and a severe blow to their vitality.
"Clatter!"
Yuan Suyin raised her right hand to the sky, and countless rule divine patterns flew from her palm, pulling the Chaos River from hundreds of millions of miles away.
The Chaos River flew across the sky, emitting nine-colored radiance, like a ribbon spanning heaven and earth.
This "ribbon" coiled around Yuan Suyin's body. At this moment, she seemed like the incarnation of heaven and earth, her aura surging by a significant margin. She struck a hand seal and clashed head-on with Jiusi Yitianhuang, who was charging toward Zhang Ruochen. Her figure flew backward, landing back in the Wujian Extinction Ancestral Formation, her face pale.
But soon, she healed her injuries and said, "Don't fight him head-on. Use the formation to suppress him and divine artifacts for long-range attacks. Once the other Clan Emperors arrive, even if he has the power to overturn heaven and earth, he will end up like Kong Yinxue back then."
Jie Zunzhe wanted to fly into the formation, his foot already stepping forward, but thinking of his current weakened state, he had to calm down and muttered inwardly, "I'm a false god. If I rush in and get hit once, I'll be dead. Indestructible Infinite has truly reached indestructibility—even if their physical body and divine soul are shattered ten times, they won't fall. No need to worry too much. Right, this is the lower realm—Jiusi Yitianhuang can't defy heaven!"
Zhang Ruochen stood beneath the two peaks, ready to retreat into the Wujian World at any moment.
But as powerful auras came from the Three Rivers and Seven Ridges, Jiusi Yitianhuang, unable to break the formation, already showed signs of retreating.
Though Zhang Ruochen was at the center of the storm, he remained calm inside. If a Heavenly Venerable-level cultivation could sweep through the lower realm, the ancient clans would have long been slaughtered, and they wouldn't have become the number one forbidden land in the universe.
After all, Jiusi Yitianhuang's strength still fell short of the Chaos Ancestor's, and he couldn't easily crush those at the initial stage of Indestructible Infinite. Suppressing five experts alone was already a glorious achievement, enough to shock the world with a single battle.
At the same time, it left a deep impression on Zhang Ruochen.
Even at the same Indestructible Infinite level, the gap was enormous.
No wonder, after Fengdu Dadi was exiled, no one in the Hell Realm dared to challenge Haotian.
If not for the emergence of Tianmu and the watchful eyes of Lei Fa Tianzun, Haotian might have already led the Heavenly Court's gods into the Hell Realm.
Zhang Ruochen somewhat understood the delicate balance that Yinxue Tian had mentioned.
Just from this brief observation, Zhang Ruochen had already discerned the strengths and weaknesses of the ancient beings' combat power.
The physical bodies and divine souls of the ancient beings were indeed formidable. With Yuan Suyin's initial Indestructible Infinite cultivation, after a head-on clash with Jiusi Yitianhuang, she only suffered minor injuries, which healed in an instant.
Of course, this was aided by various external factors.
Yuan Suyin could borrow the power of the Chaos River and also use it to protect herself.
On the other hand, Jiusi Yitianhuang was suppressed by the ancestral formation and had to contend with four other experts. How much power that single strike carried was hard to say.
But the weakness of the ancient beings was also clear: the heaven and earth rules they could mobilize were very singular, and the esoterica they controlled was pitifully little.
Compared to the upper realm, the lower realm was ultimately a barren, impoverished land shrouded in darkness. Darkness devoured all paths of the world, with only the Three Rivers and Seven Ridges as exceptions.
Jiusi Yitianhuang, on the other hand, controlled a vast amount of esoterica, but it was locked down by the ancestral formation, rendering it ineffective.
If the battle had taken place in the upper realm, Zhang Ruochen believed that even with the five experts joining forces, they would have been defeated badly, and some might have fallen. Of course, if they had a combined attack formation to assist, that would be a different story.
"Jiusi Yitianhuang cultivating the Nine Lives Nine Deaths Yin-Yang Dao is actually a good thing. With him in charge, it won't be easy for the ancient clans to leave the Abyss of Darkness. Perhaps this was another consideration of Xuetian Laozu!"
Jiusi Yitianhuang retreated, giving up on capturing Zhang Ruochen.
Moments later, he had left the Wujian Ridge and stood in a wilderness millions of miles away, saying, "The ancient beings have ultimately declined. This era no longer belongs to you. If you step out of the Abyss of Darkness, you will only become the strange beasts and mounts of the upper realm cultivators—enslaved, penned, and devoured."
Though the Four Emperors and Yuan Suyin were furious, they did not strike.
Without the ancestral formation, they would surely not be Jiusi Yitianhuang's match.
From beyond the sky, a thunderous divine voice came like a bolt of lightning: "Is that so? Quite the bold claim. Do you really think the lower realm has no one?"
Dark red rays filled the horizon, like a heavy sea of blood spreading toward the territory of the Wujian Ridge.
"Whoosh!"
A heavy sword over three thousand meters long flew out from the sea of blood, splitting time and space as it slashed straight down.
Jiusi Yitianhuang pointed a finger, and a towering Nether City manifested above his head, clashing with the heavy sword.
"Boom!"
Jiusi Yitianhuang took a step back, the ground beneath him collapsing, dust flying into the air.
"It's the Touqi Sword Emperor of the Taichu Clan!"
The Chaos Clan's creatures were all excited.
In the tens of thousands of years since the Chaos Ancestor had gone into seclusion, the Touqi Sword Emperor was the most renowned expert in the lower realm.
Since the Touqi Sword Emperor had arrived, the Clan Emperors of the other clans would likely follow soon.
By then, Jiusi Yitianhuang would surely be unable to escape back to the Ancient Desolate Ruins City.
Yuan Suyin and the Four Emperors immediately rushed out of the Wujian Ridge, encircling Jiusi Yitianhuang from all directions.
"Shua!"
Jie Zunzhe teleported to Zhang Ruochen's side, grabbing his arm, and said, "Let's go quickly, or we won't be able to leave later."
Zhang Ruochen also sensed the danger. The moment the Touqi Sword Emperor had just struck, the Sword Dao Esoterica within his body nearly broke free and flew out. Moreover, within his sword bone, a series of sword cries echoed.
"Did you speak with the Great Elder?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Don't worry, she sent a message telling us to leave immediately."
Jie Zunzhe pulled Zhang Ruochen and dove deep into the ground, taking a detour after going very far, leaving the Wujian Ridge, that place of trouble.
The two dared not pause for a moment, heading straight for the Ancient Desolate Ruins City.
In less than half a day, they had arrived at the banks of the Guangyan River.
Chi Yao was already waiting on the other side of the river!
Since she knew Gai Mie was likely to break free from his seal, of course she wouldn't stay on the Divine Tree Ship. She had left first.
With her were actually Xiuchen Tianshen and Wuqing Zong, but Cang Jue was nowhere to be seen.
Chi Yao said, "Gai Mie ultimately escaped."
"How do you know?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Chi Yao said, "Before I left, I left a spiritual imprint in the divine prison. Half a day ago, that spiritual imprint was annihilated."
Zhang Ruochen looked at Xiuchen Tianshen and Wuqing Zong beside him and said, "How did you run into them?"
Xiuchen Tianshen was extremely aloof, saying, "That's a long story."
"Then don't tell it. Let's leave the lower realm quickly... hmm, first return to the Ancient Desolate Ruins City," Zhang Ruochen said.
Wuqing Zong reminded, "The one currently stationed in the Ancient Desolate Ruins City is Feng Tian. For our group to get past her, it won't be easy."
...
Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. I wish everyone a happy New Year in advance.
As per tradition, tomorrow at 8 PM, Xiaoyu will send out a batch of red envelopes to all readers on WeChat public account, still using Alipay's password red envelopes, to thank everyone for their continued support.
If you haven't added the public account yet, you can do so by searching "Feitianyu" on WeChat.
Additionally, there should be a live stream on Douyin soon to chat with everyone. After all, I've long said this year would end, but... well.
(End of chapter)