Chapter 3768: Number One Under Heaven
Zhang Ruochen sensed Hao Tian’s aura. That expanse of clear radiance illuminated the darkness of the endless universe, like a warm sun dispersing gloom, surging toward Wuding Divine Sea.
“He came to Wuding Divine Sea. What about Kunlun Realm?”
Zhang Ruochen was very worried that someone might take this opportunity to invade Kunlun Realm and interrupt Tai Shang’s healing process. Of course, anyone daring to do so would need immense resolve. After all, Tai Shang’s counterattack at the critical moment would take anyone down with him.
Had Hao Tian made such a major decision, personally rushing to Wuding Divine Sea, did it mean he was confident he could leave Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable behind?
Although Zhang Ruochen was fleeing toward the western shore of Wuding Divine Sea, he dared not enter the Hell Realm universe, fearing an ambush by Qinglu Divine King. Who knew what that old fellow was scheming?
Hao Tian’s arrival completely shattered Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable’s dream of merging with Wuding Divine Sea, destroying a million years of effort. If given another three thousand years, he could have calmly fused with Wuding Divine Sea. By then, not even Hao Tian, let alone a Half-Ancestor, would have fazed him.
“Lei Fa, let’s settle all grievances today!”
Hao Tian, clad in Xuan Huang armor, radiated heroic vigor. His eyes contained infinite wisdom and power. Like a Nine Heavens Divine Emperor, he directly crossed vast void space and descended above Wuding Divine Sea.
“This is Wuding Divine Sea. You, Xuan Yuan Tai Hao, cannot defeat me here!”
Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable held the Refining God Tower in his palm. The two thunder pearls in his pupils shone thousands of times brighter than stars. Murderous aura soared as he continued absorbing rivers surging from all directions, merging with his divine realm world. At the same time, he drew the lightning power of the vast heavens and earth, striking a palm at Hao Tian.
Mastering fifty percent of an esoterica made one the overlord of that path. But only a Half-Ancestor could perfectly utilize fifty percent esoterica. For fifty percent of an eternal path esoterica, one needed the realm of an Ancestor to comprehend and perfectly apply it. In other words, Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable had to reach the Half-Ancestor realm to become a true lightning overlord.
Just as mastering ten percent esoterica didn’t make one the main god of that path—one had to fully utilize it.
Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable, with two lifetimes of cultivation, had reached the pinnacle of understanding lightning path esoterica and lightning rules. Now, borrowing Wuding Divine Sea’s momentum, he could nearly perfectly utilize fifty percent lightning path esoterica, approaching a quasi-lightning overlord.
Facing a quasi-lightning overlord, Hao Tian stood firm like a mountain, as if no force in the world could make him retreat. The determination and confidence he displayed could sow deep self-doubt in his opponent’s soul.
Hao Tian struck out a palm, and clear radiance filled the sky, clashing head-on with Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable.
“Boom!”
Wuding Divine Sea was torn apart at the point of their clash. The seawater seemed to recede behind them. More precisely, the three realms were pierced through, as if an invisible sword had separated the Real World, Lihentian, and the Void World.
Retreating to a distance, Void Heaven shuddered inwardly. “I thought Lei Fa was truly invincible in Wuding Divine Sea, but I didn’t expect Hao Tian to be this strong, able to contend with him. He was undefeated at the same realm before. Can that undefeated myth continue even against a lightning overlord?”
“He also masters over fifty percent of Xuan Huang esoterica. What he lacks is cultivation time and the empowerment of heaven-earth momentum.”
After saying this, Nutian Shenzun stepped on the Nether River, with the Gate of Destiny above his head and a Buddha halo behind him, charging straight into the battlefield where Hao Tian and Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable clashed.
Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable’s invincibility in an era meant he possessed wisdom and insight ordinary people couldn’t match. Two lifetimes of cultivation gave him ample time to comprehend the lightning path, laying a solid foundation for utilizing over fifty percent lightning path esoterica. Hao Tian couldn’t compare.
As for Feng Tian, who mastered fifty percent death esoterica, her application of overlord-level esoterica was far inferior to theirs.
This clash with Hao Tian completely cut off all divine sea water flowing toward Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable, forever burying his chance to merge with Wuding Divine Sea.
“Xuan Yuan Tai Hao!”
Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable roared. The lightning mark on his brow and his two divine artifact eyes each shot out a lightning divine light capable of piercing a great world.
Hao Tian spread his left hand, and a palm-print heaven-earth diagram appeared in his palm. Palm lines turned into rivers, palm lines turned into mountains, as heavy as a real great world. In other words, a casual palm strike from him carried the terrifying power to destroy a great world.
The palm-print heaven-earth diagram blocked the three lightning divine lights shot by Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable. The next moment, Tai’a Divine Lightning broke through the clear radiance surrounding Hao Tian.
Hao Tian felt lightning flowing everywhere within his sight.
The majestic might of the Refining God Tower broke through the lightning, crashing straight toward his true body.
Facing the Number One Divine Artifact, who could take it lightly? Especially when this Number One Divine Artifact was activated by a Heavenly Venerable-level powerhouse.
The Xuan Yuan family naturally also had a Number One Divine Artifact. But when Hao Tian was invited by the Inverse God Clan’s Great Elder to leave the Xuan Yuan family and serve as Heavenly Palace Master, he didn’t take any war weapons from the Xuan Yuan family. Over a hundred thousand years, he had seized some divine artifacts, but none could withstand the Refining God Tower.
“Xuan Huang Halberd!”
A zhang-long war halberd appeared in Hao Tian’s right hand. This halberd, forged by imitating the Xuan Yuan family’s Number One Divine Artifact “Xuan Yuan Halberd,” hadn’t reached Number One Divine Artifact might, but its material was extraordinary, with the potential to evolve into one.
The Xuan Huang Halberd clashed with the descending Refining God Tower. Hao Tian’s figure rapidly plummeted downward.
The three lightning streams from Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable’s brow and eyes pursued him relentlessly, trying to break his defense. These three lightning streams had once severely injured Nutian Shenzun, Void Heaven, and Meng Ge, proving they couldn’t be touched.
“A powerful war weapon is certainly an advantage. But it can also affect combat performance, making you rely on it while forgetting that the source of power is ourselves. Unfortunately, the Refining God Tower isn’t a lightning-attribute Number One Divine Artifact.”
Hao Tian’s left hand’s palm-print heaven-earth seal transformed into the Heavenly Venerable divine ability “Life-Sealing Seal,” striking a heavy palm through the air toward Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable behind the Refining God Tower.
“Boom!”
Both figures exploded backward simultaneously.
“Whoosh!”
Hao Tian first stabilized the surging divine qi within him, ignoring space rules and order, appearing before Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable as if out of nowhere.
The Xuan Huang Halberd swept horizontally like a thousand-army sweep.
After two consecutive clashes without gaining any advantage, Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable’s inner invincible belief had faded, and his momentum subsequently weakened.
In this third exchange, Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable was knocked back by Hao Tian’s halberd strike. Although he calmly neutralized it without injury, the psychological damage was immense.
Two lifetimes of cultivation, borrowing Wuding Divine Sea’s momentum, and holding a war weapon advantage—yet he still couldn’t be undefeated below the Half-Ancestor realm? How strong was Hao Tian?
“Lei Fa!”
Nutian Shenzun’s shout rang out as his fist seal arrived first.
Knowing he had no chance of victory today, Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable had no choice but to abandon Wuding Divine Sea. Transforming into a waterfall of lightning, he rushed into Lihentian before the Immovable Wisdom King Fist could reach him.
Leaving Wuding Divine Sea would definitely reduce his combat power. This was a forced choice.
Hao Tian and Nutian Shenzun pursued almost simultaneously.
“He fled just like that? Doesn’t he care about Guixu anymore? Heh, then this day next year will surely be his death anniversary.”
Void Heaven, holding the Seven Star Divine Sword, charged into Lihentian.
Meng Ge also pursued.
Standing at a space rift on the edge of Wuding Divine Sea, Zhang Ruochen witnessed the brief battle. The surging emotions in his heart couldn’t calm for a long time.
Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable in Wuding Divine Sea had fought one against three, with figures like Nutian Shenzun, Void Heaven, and Meng Ge only able to contain him. But Hao Tian’s intervention could suppress his overlord momentum, forcing him to abandon Wuding Divine Sea and flee.
In terms of might and displayed strength, Zhang Ruochen felt Lady Shiji couldn’t compare to Hao Tian. Lady Shiji, borrowing the Six Directions Heavenly Venerable Cauldron, had survived to this era, but Zhang Ruochen felt she hadn’t fully preserved her Half-Ancestor realm cultivation. Or perhaps she was suppressed by this era’s heaven-earth rules, unable to unleash Half-Ancestor-level combat power.
In any case, in Zhang Ruochen’s view, Hao Tian was the undisputed number one under heaven in this era. No one could claim to surely defeat him, including Lady Shiji and Ba’er.
With Hao Tian, Nutian Shenzun, Void Heaven, and Meng Ge pursuing into Lihentian, Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable would find escape extremely difficult, even if he fled into the Formless Realm. Perhaps today would be the day the Formless Realm was trampled flat.
Zhang Ruochen wanted to rush to Lihentian but ultimately restrained the thought. This was a clash at the Indestructible Infinite peak, Heavenly Venerable level. As a Great Unbound Infinite himself, he shouldn’t meddle.
Zhang Ruochen stepped on space teleportation arrays, teleporting repeatedly toward Guixu. Feng Tian still hadn’t emerged from inside, meaning she must have encountered major trouble. The Lei Clan likely had extraordinary foundational power.
At the entrance to Guixu, Zhang Ruochen met an acquaintance.
After the Illusory Extinction Star Sea battle, Xuan Yi had fallen, and Yin Yuan Chen had disappeared since. Now, he walked from the east, stepping on divine clouds, standing on the crimson sea surface, gazing at Zhang Ruochen from afar.
Yin Yuan Chen’s expression was calm, dressed in plain robes. The coldness and sinister aura of a former assassin were gone, replaced by a simple, unadorned sincerity. Smiling, he spoke first, “Long time no see.”
Zhang Ruochen showed no emotion. “Why are you here?”
“I carry Lei Clan bloodline. Isn’t it normal for me to appear here?” Yin Yuan Chen said.
Xuan Yi was born into the Lei Clan, and Yin Yuan Chen, as Xuan Yi’s grandson, naturally carried Lei Clan blood.
“Whoosh!”
Jing Daoren descended from the sky, landing between Zhang Ruochen and Yin Yuan Chen, transmitting to Zhang Ruochen, “He came to Wuding Divine Sea with Hao Tian.”
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly. Hao Tian brought him? That made things even more interesting.
Seeming to read Zhang Ruochen’s doubt, Yin Yuan Chen said, “I came to Wuding Divine Sea to preserve a branch of the Lei Clan bloodline. This is the Heavenly Venerable’s will. Oh, and you don’t need to worry about Kunlun Realm’s situation. A supreme powerhouse from Kunlun Realm has returned. If anyone with ill intent goes to Kunlun Realm now, they will surely die without a burial place.”