Chapter 3851: Yan Lord, Come Fight
At the Shura Star Pillar Realm.
Void Heaven stood by the Shura War Soul Sea, gazing into the starry sky at the radiant Yama Outer Heaven and the slowly brightening World Tree, muttering to himself: "Is it really necessary to make such a big commotion just to light up the World Tree? Yan Renhuan, your time as Heavenly Venerable is over!"
The reason Yan Renhuan could sit in the position of Heavenly Venerable was not only because Fengdu Dadi had been exiled and Hell Realm had no one to take charge, but more importantly, due to the Yama Clan's transcendent status. It was precisely because the Yama Clan had so many powerful experts and profound foundations that since the time of Ancestor Yama, almost no one had been able to break through Yama Outer Heaven and threaten them, instilling a deep and unfathomable sense of awe in all cultivators under heaven. This was the most important reason Yan Renhuan had secured his position as Heavenly Venerable!
With the celestial mechanism in chaos, Void Heaven could not discern exactly what was happening within the Yama Clan, but the fact that the ancestral formation had been activated so easily made him extremely disappointed in Yan Renhuan's abilities. The ancestral formation was the strongest means and also the final trump card. The gods of both Heavenly Court and Hell Realm could clearly see the World Tree. What kind of upheaval could the Heavenly Venerable and Tai Shang not suppress? Did they need to use the final trump card?
Regardless of the truth, the prestige of the Yama Clan as the "Supreme Clan" had already been severely damaged. Void Heaven naturally would not miss this perfect opportunity. His body gradually turned into nothingness and disappeared over the misty, vast surface of the Shura War Soul Sea.
...
Every Life Divine Tree was priceless, capable of helping gods heal injuries and extend their lifespans. However, over the endless years, the dozens of Life Divine Trees that had been cultivated had all been destroyed. Not only the cultivators of the Yama Clan, but even gods from other clans would surely feel heart-wrenching pain at this sight. A billion years of effort, destroyed in an instant.
On the other side, beneath the Death Blood Stele, at least a third of the Yama Clan's ancestors were buried. But now, the cemetery had been leveled to the ground, and the essence, spirit, and energy of the successive generations of ancestors gathered here had all been scattered.
Daiyue True Person and Wangqing Old Woman flew out from the ruins, their eyes filled with devastation, their hearts complex. It felt as if overnight, the entire world had changed! The foundation of a clan, the ancestral land of a clan, had been destroyed like this. They were both sinners!
Daiyue True Person held a Dao Ruler in his hand, divine blood flowing from his wounds while also burning, making him look like a human torch. "So the Yan Lord really is a cultivator of the Yama Clan. What benefit does all this destruction bring you? Even if you obtain a ruined Yama Outer Heaven, what meaning does it hold?" Wangqing Old Woman said.
Xue Zhi Gushen, surrounded by demonic clouds, said, "Who said I want Yama Outer Heaven? Open the Ancestor Realm and hand over the Book of Life and Death. This Lord can give you a chance to submit and serve."
Daiyue True Person showed no fear of the demonic might emanating from Xue Zhi Gushen. "How can a lord who casually destroys a clan's foundation inspire submission? You are unworthy!"
"You had only one chance, and you did not cherish it." Xue Zhi Gushen spat out a tide of demonic qi from his mouth, countless rules flowing within it, thunder and fire intertwined, charging straight at Daiyue True Person.
Daiyue True Person glanced at Wangqing Old Woman, who nodded gently. They had already made up their minds to die, fully aware that only by self-destructing their divine source could they severely wound the Yan Lord. But the gap in cultivation was too great; if they tried to self-destruct their divine source, the Yan Lord's divine soul would suppress them. Only if one person attracted the Yan Lord's attention while the other self-destructed with absolute resolve could it possibly succeed. Even so, Yama Outer Heaven would be largely destroyed. The only consolation was that the ancestral formation was being activated and could withstand the aftermath of the self-destruction.
"Boom!"
Daiyue True Person could not block the demonic qi from the Yan Lord even with all his strength. His divine body flew out and was torn into pieces by the demonic qi mid-air, turning into a rain of blood.
"Trying to self-destruct your divine source in front of this Lord? During the Chaos Era, how many gods from the Human Clan, Dragon Clan, Ghost Clan, and Phoenix Clan tried this move without success? And you think you can?" Xue Zhi Gushen grabbed Wangqing Old Woman by the neck, lifting her into the air, binding her with strands of demonic qi. "You are a descendant of my lineage, with thick divine blood and strong soul power. Excellent. This Lord just happens to need you as a great tonic!"
Daiyue True Person, having recondensed his divine body, was covered in countless cracks, unable to refine the demonic qi from his flesh and blood. The pain in his body was secondary; the hatred, resentment, and helplessness in his heart were the most agonizing. "Tai Shang, how could you be so foolish! You invited a wolf into the house, bringing disaster upon the entire clan!" Daiyue True Person roared in fury, his hair disheveled.
He simultaneously channeled divine qi toward his divine source and charged at the Yan Lord at maximum speed. If the Yan Lord was so ruthless that he would devour Wangqing Old Woman to restore his cultivation, then once he controlled Yama Outer Heaven, the entire Yama Clan would likely become nothing more than medicinal ingredients for his cultivation. Kill—he had to kill, even at the cost of his life.
But Daiyue True Person's divine qi was blocked, and before he could reach within a hundred zhang of Xue Zhi Gushen, he was stopped by demonic dao rules, unable to advance another step. His body, already covered in countless cracks, glowed like red-hot divine iron, ready to explode at any moment.
"Below the Indestructible Infinite, who has the right to approach this Lord?"
"Crack!"
The Yan Lord snapped Wangqing Old Woman's neck, his mouth rapidly expanding into a bloody maw, sprouting sharp fangs like thorns.
Suddenly, the Yan Lord sensed something and glanced sideways. He saw a bright sword light coming from the deep, dark night, breaking through layers of demonic qi and rules. It only slowed down when it entered within a hundred zhang of him. Within ten zhang, the sword light came to a complete stop.
It was an exceptionally outstanding young man, holding the Abyssal Ancient Sword, with thousands of sword-shaped sword qi behind him. These sword-shaped sword qi were constantly being crushed by the demonic qi. A flicker of surprise passed through the Yan Lord's eyes, then turned into a cold smile: "Sword Twenty!"
Among the four banners, the Phoenix Banner fluttered without wind, emitting a piercing phoenix cry. The cry shattered the eardrums of countless cultivators in Yama Outer Heaven, causing them to collapse. The Phoenix Banner fell toward Zhang Ruochen, dispersing the thousands of sword qi. But a sudden change occurred. Zhang Ruochen, who had been standing ten zhang away, crossed space in an instant as the Phoenix Banner descended and struck a sword at the Yan Lord's head.
The Yan Lord had long heard that Zhang Ruochen cultivated the Eighteen-Zhang Invincible Battle Method and could slay any enemy of the same realm in close combat. But with such a huge gap in cultivation, Zhang Ruochen could still break through his rule field and cross a distance of ten zhang, completely exceeding the Yan Lord's expectations. Facing Zhang Ruochen's One-Word Sword Dao, the Yan Lord dared not underestimate it. He held Wangqing Old Woman in one hand and formed the "Life and Death Seal" with the other, meeting the attack.
"Boom!"
Sword and seal clashed. The ground beneath the Yan Lord's feet sank.
"Borrow my Yama Ancestor Qi, a single Dao Ruler to cleave heaven and earth." Daiyue True Person seized this perfect opportunity, opening the Life and Death Line of Sky, drawing the Ancestor Qi from the Ancestor Realm into the Dao Ruler, and sweeping it toward the Yan Lord.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The four demonic banners flew out and planted themselves in the ground, blocking the Dao Ruler. Having to divert power to suppress Wangqing Old Woman and bind one hand greatly affected close combat. The Yan Lord stared intently at Zhang Ruochen above, his gaze cold and fierce. He threw Wangqing Old Woman heavily away and used both hands, palms blazing with demonic flames, to strike the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
"Bang! Bang!"
The Abyssal Ancient Sword could not withstand the Yan Lord's palm force. It cracked and then shattered into a dozen pieces. But Zhang Ruochen showed no panic; everything was going according to his plan. Just as the Yan Lord shattered the Abyssal Ancient Sword and was smugly preparing to capture Zhang Ruochen in one fell swoop, he suddenly showed a look of terror and retreated at an unprecedented speed.
"Boom!"
A massive black hand, carrying the Myriad Forms Formless Seal, struck the spot where the Yan Lord had just stood, shattering a large area of space into formless nothingness.
This was Zhang Ruochen's first confrontation with the Yan Lord, and he knew the Yan Lord would underestimate him due to his age and cultivation level. Therefore, he did not use the Nine Cauldrons or the Demon Ancestor Meridian Axe, but instead used the Abyssal Ancient Sword, which had not reached the divine artifact rank. By making the opponent even more contemptuous, his scheme had a chance to succeed. The black hand was hidden within the inner world of the Abyssal Ancient Sword. Zhang Ruochen had intended to reforge the Abyssal Ancient Sword, so he had protected the artifact spirit in advance, sacrificing the sword to create an opportunity to ambush and severely wound the Yan Lord. Unfortunately, the Yan Lord, as a master of ten thousand battles, had a powerful divine soul and was highly vigilant, so the ambush failed.
Zhang Ruochen felt a sense of regret but at least had rescued Wangqing Old Woman, so it was not a complete loss. Wangqing Old Woman had already regrouped with Daiyue True Person, standing outside the Life and Death Line of Sky, enveloped in Ancestor Qi, staring at the spirited young man confronting the Yan Lord in the distance.
"Thank you, Emperor Chen, for saving us. The Yama Clan is deeply grateful. If we survive today, we will surely repay you handsomely in the future." The two were severely injured and were using the Ancestor Qi to heal.
The Yan Lord stared intently at the black hand, quickly regaining his composure. "What a fine Emperor Chen! I didn't expect someone so young to have such deep schemes. This Lord nearly capsized in a ditch. Was the one who went to the Heavenly Venerable Hall your Sword Bone Doppelganger?"
The Yan Lord had already sensed Zhang Ruochen's aura at the Heavenly Venerable Hall, with a thick sword intent. Therefore, Zhang Ruochen's true body appearing at the Life and Death Line of Sky caught him off guard.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the Yan Lord, who resembled Xue Zhi Gushen, and said, "Destroying Yama Outer Heaven benefits no one. How about we fight outside the heavens?"
The Yan Lord was first surprised, not expecting Zhang Ruochen to have such boldness and courage. Then he shook his head. "You want to lure this Lord out of Yama Outer Heaven. Do you think I would fall for such a trick?"
"Do you think you can still control Yama Outer Heaven today? Fight outside the heavens, and you might still have a chance to escape. Otherwise, once the ancestral formation is fully activated, you will have no way to heaven and no door to earth." Zhang Ruochen exuded confidence from head to toe, even facing a legendary demon god of ancient fame.
Zhang Ruochen continued, "Although Feima Wang is strong, she cannot outmatch the gods of Tai Shang Qingyun Hall in formation dao. Mi Tian War God has led the Infinite Realm experts of the Yama Clan to the Heavenly Venerable Hall to support my Sword Bone Doppelganger. Suppressing that Great Unbound Infinite is only a matter of time. Second Uncle Yan has already dispatched experts to the various Leaf Worlds to take control of the sub-formation platforms. Your time is running out!"
The Yan Lord's face gradually turned cold and grim, because everything Zhang Ruochen said was true. Daiyue True Person and Wangqing Old Woman, who had been prepared to sacrifice themselves, were greatly invigorated by Zhang Ruochen's words. They understood that in such a favorable situation, Zhang Ruochen's proposal to fight the Yan Lord outside the heavens was entirely for the sake of Yama Outer Heaven. Destruction was easy; rebuilding was hard. Killing a cultivator was like crushing an ant, but raising a cultivator required immense effort and resources. Though it was their first meeting, this young man had already won them over. It was a charisma that made even old-generation cultivators like them admire!
Daiyue True Person said, "Fighting outside the heavens is too dangerous. Let's fight here in Yama Outer Heaven. The two of us can use the formation and Ancestor Qi to assist Emperor Chen." Outside the heavens, Daiyue True Person and Wangqing Old Woman would struggle to help Zhang Ruochen. Zhang Ruochen fighting the Yan Lord alone was too dangerous. As old-generation gods of the Supreme Clan, they had their pride and would not let Zhang Ruochen bear all the burden, even at a terrible cost. This was, after all, the Yama Clan's own affair!
"Yan Lord, come fight." Wangqing Old Woman said.
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