Chapter 3861: Marching Forward Even in Death
The Twin Coffins of Life and Death hovered in the void outside Wuchang Ghost City, their ghostly aura spreading across the Santu River region, rising and falling within the space, exuding an unparalleled momentum.
The Yellow Spring Ghost Emperor's cultivation speed was astonishing. His current cultivation level could now rival Feng Tian's, far surpassing when he first emerged, leading many to suspect whether he truly was merely a remnant soul returning.
A deep, heavy voice came from within the coffin: "Compared to the Calamity of Quantities that has annihilated countless powerful civilizations throughout history, I have never been an enemy of this era! What I seek is merely the Ghost Clan. As the most powerful emperor in Ghost Clan history, I have the right to reclaim leadership of the Ghost Clan."
Feng Tian stood atop the city wall, her posture tall and straight, speaking coldly: "Do you want to lead the Ghost Clan, or do you want to devour the souls of Ghost Clan cultivators to rapidly increase your cultivation?"
"I am very curious—what exactly did you obtain in the Abyss of Darkness? In just ten thousand years, your cultivation has reached this level. Was it a trump card you left behind before your death? Did you already know this day would come, that your remnant soul could return?"
Silence fell for a long moment.
From within the Twin Coffins of Life and Death, the Yellow Spring Great Emperor's voice sounded: "I have my own secrets, and I need not explain them to anyone. At present, the most important matter for the Hell Realm is to stop the arrival of the Darkness. It was once dismembered and is very weak, currently vulnerable. I also do not wish for the Darkness to arrive so soon."
"That is all I have to say!"
The Twin Coffins of Life and Death shattered layers of space and vanished above the Santu River.
Confirming that the Twin Coffins of Life and Death had truly retreated, Feng Tian's gaze shifted to the Origin Divine Temple, and she issued a heavenly decree: "All gods of Wuchang Ghost City, hear my command—lead the cultivators in the city to evacuate at the fastest possible speed."
She intended to use the entire Wuchang Ghost City to suppress the Origin Divine Temple.
More precisely, to suppress the strange blood spring within the Origin Divine Temple, and absolutely prevent this blood from spreading outward.
Feng Tian believed that the "dismemberment" the Yellow Spring Great Emperor mentioned also included this strange blood.
Did this blood belong to It?
If so, Feng Tian had new plans.
Immediately after, Feng Tian issued a second heavenly decree: "All gods of the Middle Three Clans in the Santu River region, hear my command—hasten to Fengdu Ghost City, form a divine army, and prepare for a battle to the death."
Fengdu Ghost City was not only the foremost city of the Ghost Clan but also occupied a World Tree. If the gods of the Middle Three Clans gathered together to illuminate the World Tree, they might be able to face the endless Darkness.
When it came to battle, Feng Tian had never feared.
As for the enemy, no matter how strong, she would charge forward without hesitation.
Death...
She was death itself.
...
Yan Renhuan handed the Renzu Banner and Mani Pearl, which had been suppressing Yan Jun, to Zhang Ruochen. The blood within his body immediately began to burn at an even faster rate.
A curse affecting the spirit spread throughout his body, impossible to suppress.
"This is no place for you to meddle. Go, leave now!"
Yan Renhuan, now like a blurry humanoid mass of flesh and blood, enduring unimaginable pain, gritted his teeth and roared at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen held the Mani Pearl in one hand and raised the Renzu Banner with the other, sensing the determination and tragedy radiating from Yan Renhuan. Deeply moved, he found it difficult to take a step away.
No matter their differing philosophies, in times of crisis, this world never lacked those with great responsibility.
Void Heaven spoke softly: "Do you need help?"
"No need. You should leave too!"
Yan Renhuan held the Heavenly Dragon Banner in one hand and the Divine Phoenix Banner in the other, transforming into a blazing streak of light, flying toward the Darkness.
The war banners fluttered fiercely, accompanied by dragon and phoenix shadows.
Though alone, he seemed like a thousand troops and ten thousand horses.
Void Heaven felt a pang of bitterness in his heart and said, "Let's go. He is afflicted with the Burning Blood Curse and is already on the verge of death. Ending it in such a tragic manner is worthy of a Heavenly Venerable. At this moment, I actually admire him, Yan Renhuan."
An Indestructible Infinite cultivator self-destructing their Divine Source would undoubtedly possess unparalleled deterrent power, which even an Ancestor would not dare to ignore.
They needed to get far away quickly, or they would inevitably be caught in the blast.
"Something's wrong!"
Zhang Ruochen's hair stood on end, and a chill ran from head to toe.
He saw, deep within the Darkness, a pair of dark red eyes appearing.
Even from hundreds of billions of miles away, those two eyes occupied a fifth of Zhang Ruochen's field of vision. One could imagine how enormous its true body was.
Even more terrifying was the aura it emitted, countless times more powerful than the Abyssal Pool Evil Eye.
Zhang Ruochen felt a strange sensation, as if hundreds of billions of miles were but an inch away, and his divine soul was locked onto.
It was as if he had turned to stone, as if he were frozen in place. He couldn't even flee.
"It's over. Yan Renhuan's divine soul has been suppressed, and he can no longer self-destruct his Divine Source. In my opinion, he will instead become food for the Darkness."
Void Heaven used his supreme sword energy to sever the divine soul lock of those strange eyes, grabbing Zhang Ruochen to leave.
Zhang Ruochen looked into the distance and could see that Yan Renhuan, still a hundred billion miles away from those strange eyes, had already been locked in place by the light emanating from them.
Though Yan Renhuan roared continuously, he couldn't break free. Alone and helpless, he appeared especially tragic.
A dignified Heavenly Venerable, wanting to die a heroic death, yet unable to do so.
To end in such a manner, he would never accept it.
But what could he do?
Seeing that he couldn't pull Zhang Ruochen away, Void Heaven's expression turned strange. He saw that Zhang Ruochen's eyes were infinitely cold, and the Renzu Banner in his hand fluttered without wind, his battle intent soaring to the heavens.
"When the Darkness descends, no one can escape. You may flee for a time, but can you flee for a lifetime?"
Zhang Ruochen let out a long sigh, shook off Void Heaven's hand, activated the Imperial Talisman's talisman patterns to protect his body, resisting the soul-stealing power of those strange eyes, and stepped forward. He continued, "Right now, It is still very weak. But if It feeds on Renhuan Heavenly Venerable and gains enough strength, who in this world can stop It?"
"I want to help Renhuan Heavenly Venerable... Haha, this might be a foolish decision, but perhaps it is also our only chance—the only chance for this era!"
Yan Jun, pierced through on the Renzu Banner, was greatly shaken: "Zhang Ruochen, you'd better not go mad. The Darkness can devour the most powerful civilizations to nourish itself and never tires of food!"
Of course, Yan Jun was afraid. If Zhang Ruochen fled now, he might still have a sliver of hope.
But if Zhang Ruochen went, he would surely be dragged into utter destruction.
Zhang Ruochen directly activated the fifty percent Yan Luo Heavenly Dao Esoterica that Yan Renhuan had left in the Renzu Banner. The banner became dazzling and radiant, manifesting a boundless sea of blood.
Zhang Ruochen raised the war artifact, stepped on the sea of blood, protected by talisman light, and used his roaring voice to bolster his courage, charging toward Yan Renhuan, who was trapped by the light.
"Clang!"
A sword cry came from behind, approaching rapidly.
Zhang Ruochen looked to the side.
Void Heaven had already caught up to him, walking side by side. He snorted coldly: "If both of you are going to die a heroic death, and I just run away, won't I be laughed at by all the cultivators under heaven? Besides, with your cultivation, you think you can shake those strange evil eyes? Overestimating yourself."
Above Void Heaven's head, the Gate of Destiny manifested.
The old corpse ghost, hundreds of thousands of miles tall, holding a flaming war pillar, stepped out from the Gate of Destiny, running through the void, blocking Zhang Ruochen's front.
Zhang Ruochen leaped and landed on the old corpse ghost's shoulder.
Void Heaven's gaze grew increasingly sharp. The heat released by the Seven Star Divine Sword in his hand seemed capable of incinerating heaven and earth. He said, "The goal must be clear. I will cut off the light binding Yan Renhuan. Then, we will flank him left and right, helping him open a path, assisting him in approaching those strange evil eyes."
Void Heaven's speed suddenly increased, and endless sword energy appeared behind him.
Man and sword became one, sword intent reaching the heavens.
"Void Sword Dao—Interdependence of Void and Reality, Sword Emerges, Time and Space Extinguished!"
Void Heaven's white hair flew backward against the wind. In the dark space, he unleashed his self-created strongest sword move, combining Void, Truth, and Sword Dao to sever time and space.
The light entwining around Yan Renhuan was severed by the Void Sword, restoring his freedom.
Without any superfluous words.
Yan Renhuan flew straight toward those terrifying strange evil eyes, continuously unleashing divine abilities to erode the dark and strange aura in the space.
Void Heaven and Zhang Ruochen flanked him left and right, unleashing battle techniques to clear his path.
"Self-destructing a Divine Source? How could that be possible?"
Void Heaven vaguely sensed a strange divine thought coming from the depths of the Darkness, and his expression changed.
"Swish! Swish!"
From the two strange evil eyes, two beams of light shot out. They did not attack Yan Renhuan but targeted him and Zhang Ruochen.
Void Heaven, who had fought countless battles in his life, had never felt such a sense of crisis.
He launched the Seven Star Divine Sword, activating the sword intent of Sword Twenty-Three, striking toward the incoming beam.
The sword and the beam clashed, holding for only an instant.
"Boom!"
In Void Heaven's shocked gaze, the body of the Seven Star Divine Sword developed cracks, then exploded into countless fragments, flying toward him.
"Hurry and hide behind the old corpse ghost... no, hide inside the Nine Cauldrons..."
Void Heaven believed that even with his cultivation, he might not survive this strike, and Zhang Ruochen would surely die.
In this critical moment, he could still offer a reminder, which was already the utmost of his goodwill.
Void Heaven's entire body became ethereal, placing the Gate of Destiny in front of him.
There was no time to retreat. The fragments of the Seven Star Divine Sword and the beam had already struck the Gate of Destiny.
The Gate of Destiny could not withstand it at all and shattered in an instant.
Void Heaven, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Brush, was about to be struck by the beam when he was astonished to find that, at some point, twelve stone giants, each thousands of feet tall, had appeared before Zhang Ruochen in the distance.
These twelve stone giants held various bronze war weapons and struck forward in unison.
"Pfft!"
The next moment, Void Heaven was struck by the fragments of the Seven Star Divine Sword and the beam, his physical body exploding, leaving only some bones that flew in all directions, falling into a brief state of unconsciousness.
When he regained consciousness and recondensed his physical body, he saw Zhang Ruochen holding the Renzu Banner, completely unharmed, appearing before him.
This time, Void Heaven was truly severely injured, his face as pale as a corpse. He asked, "How are you unharmed? Were those twelve clan emperors of the Ancient Twelve Clans who blocked the strike for you?"
"Are you alright? Did your spirit get injured? Are you hallucinating? Heavenly Mother and Hao Tian have arrived. There's no need for us to fight here anymore. Let's go, quickly." Zhang Ruochen said with concern.
Void Heaven looked at Zhang Ruochen with a suspicious gaze, not believing that he had hallucinated.
...
The Wu Hall descended, its size not inferior to the strange evil eyes.
Heavenly Mother stood atop the Wu Hall, manifesting the shadow of the Seventy-Two Pillar Demon Gods above her head. Dressed in red, she appeared especially striking. She pointed a finger, and the finger light collided with the beam from the strange evil eyes, creating overwhelming ripples.
On the other side, clear, radiant light illuminated the darkness. Hao Tian stepped as if treading on the heavens, holding the Xuan Yuan Halberd, engaging in a magical duel with the other strange evil eye.
That's right, it was not Hao Tian's self-refined Xuan Huang Halberd, but the Xuan Yuan Halberd, the ancestral artifact of the Xuan Yuan Clan.
As Void Heaven and Zhang Ruochen fled beyond the Darkness, the void was suddenly torn open by another dark force, startling the two.
But it was not the Darkness pursuing them. Instead, the Xuan Ding had broken through the void and arrived.
The Xuan Ding did not stop but flew deep into the Darkness.
"Excellent! Lady Shiji has also arrived!" Zhang Ruochen said.
Void Heaven raised an eyebrow and asked, "Lady Shiji... is her beauty truly as peerless as the legends say? How does she compare to Moon God and Wu Yue?"
(End of this chapter)