Chapter 3850: Lighting Up the World Tree
At the Yama Heavenly Outer Heaven, in the Teaching Divine Hall.
The Ancient God of Learning stood outside the divine hall, withdrawing his gaze from the starry sky, his expression calm and unruffled. "Hao Tian and the Heavenly Mother actually have such tacit understanding. Delays will breed changes—we must make our move now!"
Three zhang to his right, the woman clad entirely in black robes and wearing a mask said, "The matter with the Five-Eyed Golden Insect has likely already gone awry."
The Ancient God of Learning cast his gaze toward the direction of the Supreme Azure Cloud Hall.
At the end of the sky, the hazy rosy clouds cast a layer of illusory and bizarre colors over the darkness.
Under the impact of layer upon layer of spiritual power tidal waves, the celestial mechanisms were in chaos, impossible to probe.
Such was the terror of a ninety-second-level peak spiritual power cultivator. Even while in seclusion, they could disrupt the celestial mechanisms of the surrounding region, constantly radiating their influence.
The masked woman removed her mask, revealing an exquisitely carved, jade-like face. Her skin shimmered with light, her ears were pointed like an elf's, and her eyes were like gems.
Strands of fiery red hair fell from beneath her black hood, adding a touch of vivid color to the dead, silent night.
If Zhang Ruochen were here, he would surely recognize her.
She was the thirty-eighth pillar, "Feima Wang," belonging to the Blood Jade Spirit Human Clan.
Speaking of which, it was Zhang Ruochen who had inadvertently awakened her.
Feima Wang said, "To suppress the Five-Eyed Golden Insect so silently, only that Tai Shang could have done it. Could this be a silent warning?"
A meaningful smile appeared on the Ancient God of Learning's face. "If that Tai Shang were to emerge from seclusion, he would first head to the Heavenly Venerable Hall. But no incident has occurred there."
"Although the celestial mechanisms of the Supreme Azure Cloud Hall are chaotic and unpredictable, traces of those mechanisms remain on Chunyu Fu Pavilion and Yan Huangtu. How could such a petty trick fool me? He is a seedling of an Ancestor, but still too green!"
Feima Wang's pupils turned blood-red as she peered across the void at Chunyu Fu Pavilion and Yan Huangtu. "Before this, I had no perception of it at all. Yan Jun, your divine soul is truly formidable."
The Ancient God of Learning said, "The other party's method of concealing celestial mechanisms is extremely clever. I only managed to see through it by relying on my divine soul, which surpasses his by several realms."
The only one in the current era universally acknowledged as a seedling of an Ancestor was Zhang Ruochen.
Feima Wang said, "The Five-Eyed Golden Insect's cultivation has recovered to the Indestructible Infinite level. Even if Zhang Ruochen is formidable, there's no way he could have subdued him so silently. Could it be... that the attack on the Shura Clan was a feint, and that Xu Fengjin and Zhang Ruochen came to the Yama Clan together?"
The Ancient God of Learning's gaze sharpened, then he shook his head. "If Xu Fengjin had come, I would not have been able to perceive the flaws in the celestial mechanisms. Interesting, very interesting. Hand over the formation of the Teaching Divine Hall to you. Activate it fully now and light up the World Tree."
Even with Feima Wang's profound state of mind, she was startled by this decision. "If the World Tree is lit up, won't everyone know that something has happened at the Yama Heavenly Outer Heaven?"
"Now that Zhang Ruochen is here, do you think we can still keep it hidden?"
The Ancient God of Learning continued, "Rest assured, none of the Heavens in the Hell Realm who could be our opponents can come. Activate the formation and light up the World Tree. In this formation duel with Zhang Ruochen, you absolutely cannot lose."
"Yan Zheng, activate the formation of the Heavenly Venerable Hall."
The divine sound traveled across the void.
The black-robed cultivator guarding the Heavenly Venerable Hall bowed in the direction of the Teaching Divine Hall and acknowledged the order.
Lighting up the World Tree would activate the Yama Clan's ancestral formation. Not only would the Yama Heavenly Outer Heaven be affected, but the power of every leaf world on the World Tree would converge.
At that moment, the entire Yama Clan—with its billions of cultivators, its ten-thousand-year foundation, and the World Tree itself—would merge into one, becoming an unparalleled, unique life form capable of sweeping away all cultivators in the universe.
Of course, ten thousand years ago, that very formation had been stopped by the Heavenly Court Great World under Hao Tian's command.
The reason Yan Jun wanted to seize control of the Yama Heavenly Outer Heaven was precisely to gather the entire Yama Clan's power, activate the ancestral formation, attack the Kunlun Realm, and break through the Nether Prison.
To achieve this, he was willing to pay any price.
Even if it meant sacrificing all the living beings of the Yama Clan.
However, fully activating the ancestral formation was no easy task.
The ancestral formation had four main formation platforms, located at the Teaching Divine Hall, the Supreme Azure Cloud Hall, the Heavenly Venerable Hall, and the Life-Death Line.
There were also one hundred and eighty sub-formation platforms, situated on the branches of the World Tree and within some leaf worlds, each guarded by gods.
Additionally, one had to possess the "Book of Life and Death."
"Swoosh!"
The divine mountain where the Teaching Divine Hall was located suddenly emitted a brilliant light. The rocks turned to jade, and the plants shimmered with fluorescence.
Soon, the entire mountain was covered in dense formation inscription patterns.
These patterns converged, forming a beam of light a thousand zhang in diameter that shot straight into the starry sky.
With the Teaching Divine Hall as the center, countless formation inscription patterns on the land of the Yama Heavenly Outer Heaven were activated and rapidly spread outward.
From the perspective of the universe, the Yama Heavenly Outer Heaven at the top of the World Tree instantly became several times more radiant. Divine splendor and strange colors spread downward along the World Tree, lighting up one leaf world after another.
Many gods in the Teaching Divine Hall who had not been subdued by Yan Jun were shocked, their hearts trembling.
"What is he trying to do? Is he going to lead the Yama Clan into battle?"
"Although the Tai Shang is in seclusion, the Heavenly Venerable is still present. How can the Yama Clan be dictated by him alone?"
"Once involved in a Heavenly Venerable-level conflict, it will be a severe drain on the World Tree and the entire Yama Clan. If anything goes wrong, it could lead to the clan's extinction."
"The ancestral formation must not be activated lightly."
...
These gods did not know the truth. They only knew that the Ancient God of Learning was an ancient powerhouse recognized by both the Tai Shang and the Heavenly Venerable.
Although they were very dissatisfied with the current Ancient God of Learning, they were helpless.
They only thought that the Ancient God of Learning was activating the ancestral formation to participate in this universe-shaking great war.
The Supreme Azure Cloud Hall, however, presented a different scene.
With Yan Zhexian vouching for them, the spiritual power gods of the Supreme Azure Cloud Hall already knew about the Yama Clan's current crisis. They had gathered beneath the eight pagodas by the Life God Lake, fully prepared and ready to strike.
An old man with an eighty-eighth-level spiritual power saw the pillar of light rising from the Teaching Divine Hall, his eyes turning fierce. "Xian'er was right. The ancient powerhouse who possessed the Ancient God of Learning indeed harbors ill intentions. Is the ancestral formation something to be activated lightly?"
This old man was the third disciple of the Yama Tai Shang and currently the strongest in the Supreme Azure Cloud Hall.
The first and second disciples had long fallen, a hundred thousand years ago.
Yan Zhexian said, "Third Grand Uncle, Yan Jun activating the ancestral formation is surely to kill the two clan elders guarding the Life-Death Line and seize the 'Book of Life and Death.' We cannot let him succeed."
"But whether he is truly Yan Jun is still just your speculation," said the third disciple of the Tai Shang.
Beside him, a clan elder with an eighty-fifth-level tribulation spiritual power said, "The formation of the Heavenly Venerable Hall has also been activated. We can wait no longer. Regardless of who they are or what they intend, activating the ancestral formation without notifying us or obtaining the consent of the Heavenly Venerable and the Tai Shang must be stopped."
Wu Yue stood atop the Yu Pagoda, holding a staff, ethereal like an immortal. Above her head hung a massive ink-black moon, devouring the light of heaven and earth.
She said, "I risked my life to stay and fight alongside you, yet you hesitate. Do you want to get everyone killed?"
"If you are all so timid, I'll go first."
"Boom!"
Her staff struck the pagoda's peak.
Spiritual power traveled along the seven-story Yu Pagoda, surging into the ground.
Immediately, layers of divine formations burst forth from the earth, overlapping beneath her feet.
Wu Yue swung her staff, striking toward the direction of the Teaching Divine Hall.
The divine formation beneath her feet shot out a beam of light, tearing through the sky, parting the clouds, and striking the thousand-zhang-thick pillar of formation inscription patterns rising from the Teaching Divine Hall.
"Third Grand Uncle!"
Yan Zhexian was anxious, angrier than ever before. "If you don't stop them now, they will surely use the ancestral formation's power to kill Emperor Dust first. Emperor Dust and Divine Lord Wu Yue risked their lives to stay for our sake."
The third disciple of the Tai Shang finally made up his mind and gave the order, "All gods, attack together to stop the ancestral formation from operating. Fight! Fight! How many years has it been since the Yama Heavenly Outer Heaven saw such a divine war? Today, countless clansmen will surely turn to ashes."
The third disciple of the Tai Shang had far more to consider than Yan Zhexian.
Once war broke out, countless thousands of miles of territory would be reduced to scorched earth, with countless casualties.
Therefore, after giving the order, he dispatched a group of gods to begin evacuating the clansmen in the territory between the Supreme Azure Cloud Hall and the Teaching Divine Hall.
Save as many as they could.
...
The Life-Death Line was the gateway to the Yama Clan's Ancestor Realm.
To the left grew dozens of Life God Trees, radiating divine light, towering into the clouds, and emitting divine power fluctuations at the True God level.
To the right stood dense rows of Death Blood Steles, filled with crosses, dim and deathly still, with rivers of corpses flowing, stretching into the gray mist.
The top five powerhouses of the Yama Clan were the "Tai Shang," "Ren Huan Heavenly Venerable," and "Baiyun Divine Ancestor," who had been tricked by the old drunkard into going to the Sword God Hall.
The other two were "Daiyue Zhenren" and "Wangqing Popo."
Daiyue Zhenren sat beneath a Life God Tree, with a Bagua imprint drawn on the ground.
He held a Dao ruler, tracing lines on the Bagua, constantly perfecting it.
Yan Wushen had once invited Zhang Ruochen to drink "Twelve Flowers in Bloom," hinting that the wine was a gift from Biluozi to an ancestor of the Yama Clan.
That ancestor was Daiyue Zhenren.
Wangqing Popo stood on the opposite side by the corpse river, taking out incense and candles to worship the rows of Death Blood Steles.
"Boom!"
Divine thunder approached from afar.
A purple-black bolt of lightning shot down from the clouds, landing on the ground and condensing into the divine body of the Ancient God of Learning.
Daiyue Zhenren and Wangqing Popo both set aside their tasks and stared at the Ancient God of Learning.
"Haha, it seems you two have been waiting for some time!" said the Ancient God of Learning.
Daiyue Zhenren said, "Speak. Who are you, and what do you intend?"
"That Tai Shang didn't tell you? Well, he traded his own son for a chance to break through to the ninety-third level of spiritual power. I suppose he didn't have the face to tell you the truth."
From within the Ancient God of Learning's body surged vast demonic qi. Within the demonic qi floated four war banners.
On the banners were imprints of the Heavenly Dragon, Human Ancestor, Divine Phoenix, and Ghost Emperor, symbolizing dominion over humans, ghosts, dragons, and phoenixes.
A great wind arose, with dragon roars and ghostly wails.
"The Four Clan Blood-Refined Demon Banners!"
"You are Yan Jun!"
Daiyue Zhenren and Wangqing Popo both changed color drastically and immediately activated the formations beneath them.
In the Life God Tree forest, Dao light shot into the sky, and three thousand torrents of formation rules surged forth together.
In the Death Blood Stele forest, all the crosses trembled, lifted off the ground, and flew toward Yan Jun.
"During the Chaos Era, I nearly slaughtered the four clans of humans, ghosts, dragons, and phoenixes, using their blood to refine these demon banners. What are you two, to think yourselves worthy of being my opponents?"
Yan Jun laughed loudly, in no hurry to strike, calmly waiting for them to activate their formations.
As the dense swarm of crosses flew before him, he wielded the Heavenly Dragon Demon Banner and swung it.
Demonic qi surged in tenfold waves, and ten thousand dragons roared forth.
"Boom! Rumble!"
Life God Trees were uprooted, sent flying, and turned to dust.
Death Blood Steles were torn from the ground, shattering into stone fragments in midair.
Daiyue Zhenren and Wangqing Popo were both sent flying by the demonic qi. All their divine abilities, formations, and war implements were useless against it. Their bodies were drenched in blood, their divine forms nearly shattered.
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