Chapter 3763: Thirty-Six Demon Pillars
Zhang Ruochen silently noted Jing Daoren's righteous intervention.
Regardless of Jing Daoren's motives, his appearance just now to block the Tai'e Divine Thunder struck by Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign had indeed helped Zhang Ruochen out of a major predicament. Even though this Tai'e Divine Thunder, struck by Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign in the midst of his battle against the powerful Nutian Shenzun, would not have been enough to kill Zhang Ruochen, it would certainly have wounded him.
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."
Zhang Ruochen moved along the edge of the Wuding Divine Sea. With each step he took, he channeled the power of the Universe Cauldron, blasting through the protective formations on the celestial bodies at the sea's edge, tearing open several cracks tens of thousands of miles long, leading straight into the void.
Each crack was terrifyingly wide enough to hold a planet.
The water of the divine sea poured like a waterfall, madly cascading into the void world.
However, compared to the vast Wuding Divine Sea, which stretched for a hundred billion miles, such cracks were still too narrow. Like a drainage opening a few meters long in a sea area spanning ten thousand miles, it would take countless millennia for the seawater to drain completely.
Using this method to break Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign's momentum in the Wuding Divine Sea and sharply reduce his dominance over the Way of Thunder was like trying to put out a cartload of burning firewood with a cup of water. Nutian Shenzun simply could not afford to wait that long.
Moreover, Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign's power enveloped the entire Wuding Divine Sea and the surrounding waters. Of the ten directional formations on the divine sea, eight remained unbroken, and they were rapidly converging, drawing closer to the Guixu.
Influenced by these two forces, the spatial tears Zhang Ruochen had torn open would soon close again.
In other words, relying solely on the Universe Cauldron, he could not break the momentum of the Wuding Divine Sea or fundamentally alter the laws of heaven and earth there.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God's voice came from the Sundial, saying, "To break the momentum of the Wuding Divine Sea, you must first accomplish at least two things. First, shatter the eight directional formations of the Thunder Clan converging on the Guixu. Second, destroy the sea's embankments. Only then can you use the power of the four cauldrons to break the unique laws of heaven and earth here and the momentum that has remained unchanged for eons in the Wuding Divine Sea."
"To write history and accomplish what the God-Defying Heavenly Sovereign failed to do back then is not so easy."
Before parting, Feng Tian had returned the Sundial to Zhang Ruochen.
Worried that Zhang Ruochen's narrow view of good and evil in the face of a clan-extermination war might affect the overall situation, she had Xiu Chen Heavenly God accompany him.
What Zhang Ruochen could not bring himself to do, Xiu Chen would do. What Zhang Ruochen was unwilling to do, Xiu Chen would do.
But clearly, Feng Tian had underestimated Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen indeed would not deliberately kill ordinary Thunder Clan members below the God realm, but neither would he be constrained by their existence. When divine war erupts, all things perish.
"The large celestial bodies surrounding the Wuding Divine Sea number at least in the millions, scattered across the void in all directions for trillions of miles. To destroy them all, even an Indestructible Infinite couldn't do it in a single day, could they?"
Zhang Ruochen knew well that many of these large celestial bodies harbored living beings and cultivators, and were equipped with formations.
"An Indestructible Infinite cannot, but you can! The power of the Earth Cauldron can surely envelop the Wuding Divine Sea and suppress the entire star domain," Xiu Chen Heavenly God said.
Zhang Ruochen had a clear understanding of his own strength and said, "If Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign weren't here in the Wuding Divine Sea, I might give it a try. As it stands, we must wait a little longer. If Void Heaven can succeed in a sneak attack and wound Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign, and if Feng Tian can quickly end the battle in the Guixu, those are the two most critical factors for victory today."
"Let's go. First, break the formations in the Wuding Divine Sea!"
A Space Teleportation Array appeared beneath Zhang Ruochen's feet. With a flash of light, he crossed over four hundred billion miles and entered the heart of the Wuding Divine Sea, arriving near one of the formation areas.
During the teleportation, Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign invoked the laws of heaven and earth, attempting to sever space and stop Zhang Ruochen.
But Zhang Ruochen, wielding the Universe Cauldron and a vast amount of Space Essence, broke through the Heavenly Sovereign's technique.
Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign, still engaged with Nutian Shenzun, had the leisure to send a divine thought of praise: "Good! The Zhang Clan of the Kunlun Realm truly has a worthy successor! But Zhang Ruochen, by rashly entering the heart of the Wuding Divine Sea, are you not afraid that today you will be unable to escape and will perish young?"
On the way to the Wuding Divine Sea, Nutian Shenzun had told Zhang Ruochen that after the Great Venerable disappeared, the mastermind behind the Zhang Clan's extermination in the Kunlun Realm was Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign, the number one under heaven at that time. This was the truth learned from Hao Tian!
In fact, many had long suspected Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign of being the mastermind behind the catastrophe a million years ago. After all, in that era, only he had the strength to annihilate an ancestral clan at its peak.
Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign clearly did not truly hope that the Zhang Clan of the Kunlun Realm would have a successor. Saying this was merely a reflection of his inner anxiety and murderous intent.
"Whoosh!"
Above Zhang Ruochen's head, bright and blinding lightning continuously gathered, then cascaded down like a waterfall.
The entire Wuding Divine Sea was under Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign's control. No matter how far apart they were, he could mobilize power, channel the might of heaven and earth, and kill with a single thought.
He diverted some of his power to deal with Zhang Ruochen, naturally worried that Zhang Ruochen would break the formation ahead.
A single formation area consisted of a hundred thousand formations, representing countless elite Thunder Clan cultivators. It was also a crucial force guarding the momentum of heaven and earth in the Wuding Divine Sea.
Jing Daoren leaped out once again, raising the Heaven Net Earth Trap to block the cascading lightning waterfall.
"This time, I've truly boarded your pirate ship. Void Old Ghost, if you don't make a move now, today's plan to annihilate the Thunder Clan will come to nothing."
After Jing Daoren shouted this, he clearly felt Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign's divine power rapidly withdrawing and returning to his main body.
Knowing the scheme had succeeded, Jing Daoren spun the Heaven Net Earth Trap, redirecting the lightning above it directly toward the nearby formation area.
In an instant, that formation area, with its hundred thousand formations, was completely annihilated.
The cultivators within the formations turned into ashes under the lightning, like sheets of paper.
The Thunder Clan God King presiding over the formation was captured by Zhang Ruochen into the Earth Cauldron and directly refined to death.
Faced with Jing Daoren and Zhang Ruochen, even Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign found himself unable to cover all bases. After all, these two were not minor characters he could eliminate with a single thought. Most critically, Xu Fengjin's hidden presence severely constrained him, making it impossible to act rashly.
"Is this your strategy? First, clip my wings, break the momentum of the Wuding Divine Sea, and then join forces to strike?"
Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign sneered coldly. After using the Refining God Tower to repel Nutian Shenzun, he immediately headed toward the Guixu, saying, "Once I enter the Guixu, I will become even stronger. First, I will kill Feng Caiyi, then deal with you one by one."
"Having already left the Guixu, do you think you can still go back?"
Nutian Shenzun, even at the cost of severely damaging his own vitality, would not give Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign the chance to kill them one by one. He pursued at top speed and shouted into the starry sky, "Are you still not making a move?"
Thirty-six spatial holes appeared on the sea surface ahead of Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign's path.
Thirty-six Demon God Stone Pillars flew out from within, forming a circular stone formation that hurtled toward him.
As if he had anticipated this, Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign remained unfazed. He directly collided with the stone formation formed by the thirty-six Demon God Stone Pillars using his physical body.
His entire body was wrapped in lightning. Amid the thunderous roar, the stone formation was shattered by his impact, and the Demon God Stone Pillars scattered chaotically.
Standing behind the stone formation, Meng Ge had a tall and imposing figure, wearing a metal demon crown on his head, exuding a mad and wild aura that seemed capable of devouring the starry river. But even he, the greatest demon lord below the Four Pillars of the Upper Chaos in the ancient era, felt a chill in his heart upon seeing the stone formation so easily broken by Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign.
Yet his face was as firm as if cast in iron, a completely different person from when he was with Xiang Chunan.
"Whoosh!"
He grabbed one of the Demon God Stone Pillars and took twelve steps forward. With each step, his demonic might grew, and the muscles on his arms swelled until they tore his robes.
The other thirty-five Demon God Stone Pillars, drawn by his demonic energy, flew behind him.
When he took the twelfth step, Meng Ge's momentum reached its peak, and he encountered Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign at close range.
He swung the Demon God Stone Pillar, pressing the space into a concave shape. The reason it did not tear space was that within the close-range domain of the Thunder Dao Overlord, space had become unbreakable unless one's power could overwhelm the entire Way of Thunder of heaven and earth.
Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign clenched his right fist, countless lightning currents flowing along his arm, and collided with the descending Demon God Stone Pillar.
"Boom!"
The two forces were evenly matched, and both Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign and Meng Ge seemed frozen in the void.
But Meng Ge was utterly shocked. The opponent had blocked his war weapon with just an arm—this was no mere difference in the same level.
"Boom!"
Before Meng Ge could react, Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign's other hand struck him like a ball of lightning.
Meng Ge was blasted away, breaking through space at the speed of light and plunging into the void world.
But Meng Ge's efforts were not in vain. His interception bought time for Nutian Shenzun.
The ninety-nine-zhang golden body, fierce and terrifying under the lightning, struck out a Buddha palm seal that reflected both heaven and earth. If this palm seal hit, even Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign, now the Thunder Dao Overlord, would be severely wounded. Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign lost his chance to leave and had to hastily counterattack.
A moment later, Meng Ge returned from the void, his demonic body now thousands of zhang tall, holding two Demon God Stone Pillars, stepping on the boundless Truth Realm Form of the universe, and shouting, "The Thunder Dao Overlord is indeed formidable! But as long as you are not a Half-Ancestor, you cannot be truly invincible."
Meng Ge showed no fear and joined the battle.
In the ancient era, Meng Ge had reached the peak of Indestructible Infinite, and his physical body rivaled that of a Heavenly Venerable-level martial cultivator.
He had awakened earlier than other demon gods, and his cultivation had almost fully recovered. The reason he could not unleash his peak combat power from the ancient era was that this era was not the ancient era, and the laws of heaven and earth still suppressed him to some extent.
With Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign completely pinned down, Zhang Ruochen and Jing Daoren immediately attacked the Guixu, unleashing a massacre.
Before long, two more formation areas were breached.
Corpses floated for ten thousand miles, blood staining the divine sea.
The remaining five formation areas had retreated outside the Guixu and merged into one, their power surging dramatically. They suppressed Xu Qiong, who was guarding outside the Guixu. Moreover, under the leadership of five Infinite-level cultivators, they quickly withdrew to the entrance of the Guixu, where five hundred thousand formations transformed into an impregnable fortress.
"Very interesting. Meng Ge actually made a move. I wonder if Xu Fengjin will try to assassinate him first?"
On the way to the Guixu, Jing Daoren was both excited and filled with worry, a very contradictory state.
Zhang Ruochen did not share his schadenfreude. He only knew that if the momentum of the Wuding Divine Sea was not broken soon, Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign would grow stronger the longer the battle dragged on. As the Thunder Dao Overlord, he could continuously draw the Way of Thunder rules from the universe. The more lightning rules converged on the Wuding Divine Sea, the stronger he would become.
"Don't worry. The longer this drags on, the more advantageous it is for us. Perhaps the Heavenly Courts of the Heavenly Court and Hell Realms will be forced to cooperate again. Once they arrive, no matter how strong Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign is, he will have to meet his end," Jing Daoren said.
"So that's how the Daoist Elder sees it."
Zhang Ruochen's worry did not diminish, and he said, "But I believe that the Heavenly Courts of the Heavenly Court and Hell Realms would rather see us and the Thunder Clan mutually destroy each other, or both perish. Because no one believes we can kill Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign, unless Nutian Shenzun, Meng Ge, or Void Heaven self-detonates their divine source to perish together with him. Conversely, if Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign self-detonates his divine source, no matter how many strong ones rush to the Wuding Divine Sea, they will all die."
Jing Daoren's heart sank, and he regretted his decision once again.
He felt that Zhang Ruochen's words made sense. He had miscalculated and been fooled by Xu Fengjin into sticking his neck out. If Nutian Shenzun and the others could not hold off Lei Fa Heavenly Sovereign, and he turned back, even an Indestructible Infinite like himself would likely be destroyed by the Overlord's power!
"We can't go to the Guixu. If we get trapped inside, we won't even be able to escape."
Jing Daoren stopped, unwilling to continue forward.
"It's fine. If the Daoist Elder fears death, then don't go. There's no shame in it, and no one will speak of it. But I must go. A true man does what he must and refrains from what he must not. Since the decision is made, even if an Ancestor stands ahead, I will charge forward without hesitation. Miao Li, are you willing to go with me?"
"Let's fight. I, this god, am no coward who fears death. The Indestructible Infinite dare not act, but I dare. When the younger generation discusses the heroes of the world, only then will there be a place for me."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God rushed out of the Sundial, revealing a beautiful and proud form, and was the first to unleash a surging River of Time, surging toward the formation fortress at the entrance of the Guixu.
(End of this chapter)