Chapter 3931: Demon Hall, Nether River
The Abyssal Divine Sword, having fused with the core of the Creation Star, was as heavy as a great realm, so heavy that even an ordinary Great God could not lift it.
This sword strike, needless to say, was incredibly domineering, absolutely capable of splitting open a star domain.
Although the Ancestor Divine Patterns and Ancestor Divine Qi were indestructibly firm, and even someone like Yu Zhuan, whose cultivation rivaled that of a Heavenly Venerable, could hardly injure Yellow Spring Great Emperor, they ultimately could not withstand the strange substance contained within the God-Defying Stele in the sword's body.
Amidst Yellow Spring Great Emperor's unwilling roar, the Abyssal Divine Sword split his Ancestor Body in two.
Gai Mie and Yu Zhuan each seized one half.
"Break his Dao and search for the Ancestor Divine Source."
The two immediately released their Divine Souls completely, searching within the two halves of Yellow Spring Great Emperor's corpse for his Divine Sea and Divine Source.
"Boom! Boom!"
The two halves of Yellow Spring Great Emperor's Ancestor Corpse suddenly exploded, turning into endless blood soil.
Gai Mie and Yu Zhuan were submerged beneath the blood soil.
By the time they rushed out of the blood soil, Yellow Spring Great Emperor, controlling the Life and Death Double Coffin and manipulating the Yellow Spring Seal, had already broken through the demon soil seal and escaped outside.
Zhang Ruochen followed closely behind Yellow Spring Great Emperor, holding the Emperor Talisman in one hand and the Abyssal Divine Sword in the other, pursuing him alone.
Yellow Spring Great Emperor's body became blurry, emitting four kinds of radiance—red, cyan, black, and yellow—like a cloud of mist, sometimes gathering and sometimes dispersing.
"Zhang Ruochen, the three of you have broken my Dao Body today, and thus a life-and-death enmity is forged." Yellow Spring Great Emperor was furious, his tone filled with killing intent.
When a ghost clan cultivator's cultivation reached a certain height, with rules interwoven throughout his body, he could indeed solidify his ghost body, like a living being's flesh-and-blood body, which would not disperse after death.
However, Yellow Spring Great Emperor had fallen for too long.
Zhang Ruochen guessed that Yellow Spring Great Emperor's Ancestor Ghost Body had already dispersed within the Life and Death Double Coffin, reverting to a state of soul mist. This was why he had been unable to walk out of the coffin before!
Seizing the Ancestor Realm of Fengdu Ghost City was most likely also for the purpose of condensing a solid Ancestor Body.
After failing to seize the Ancestor Realm, Yellow Spring Great Emperor came to Chaotian Que. The reason he hid beneath the blood soil was to use the special blood soil here to fuse with the soul mist and condense a solid Ancestor Body.
And he was already very close to success.
Unfortunately, the arrival of Zhang Ruochen and the other two disrupted all his plans.
The Ancestor Body he had condensed using the blood soil was broken by the Abyssal Divine Sword, and nine hundred years of effort were wasted in an instant.
"Great Emperor, you are too forgetful. Haven't we already forged a life-and-death enmity long ago?"
Ten thousand talisman patterns flickered beneath Zhang Ruochen's feet, his speed surging. He caught up to Yellow Spring Great Emperor and swung his sword straight down.
With the power of the Emperor Talisman empowering it, this sword strike possessed the ability to split heaven and earth.
Yellow Spring Great Emperor looked up to the sky, spat out a mouthful of Ancestor Divine Light, which clashed with the sword qi and talisman patterns, breaking Zhang Ruochen's all-out sword strike.
Behind him, Yu Zhuan and Gai Mie caught up.
"Zhang Ruochen, you little brat, if I were given another thousand years, I would surely have perfected my ghost body. How could the sword in your hand have broken my body?"
Yellow Spring Great Emperor spoke these words through gritted teeth, then his soul-mist body ignited, and he rushed toward the depths of Chaotian Que at even greater speed.
He was well aware that once he was surrounded by the three of them, he would surely die today.
They pursued for tens of thousands of li, reaching the end of the blood soil land.
Ahead, blood sea and nether qi intermingled, with red and black radiance shifting and flowing, as if they had arrived at the end of the world.
Yellow Spring Great Emperor, fleeing at the front, released his Divine Soul to probe, but his soul thoughts were devoured, turning into nothingness. No one knew what dangers lay hidden in the depths of the blood sea and nether qi.
Yellow Spring Great Emperor dared not go any further, stopping on a cliff at the edge of the blood soil land.
He turned to look at the three people approaching from three different directions. Ancestor Divine Light bloomed on his body, and the Yellow Spring Seal became ten thousand zhang tall, hovering above his head.
He said, "Unknown evil lies ahead, which successive ancestors have been suppressing. If you continue to press me, I will have no choice but to release it, triggering the great calamity of world destruction ahead of time."
Zhang Ruochen released his Spiritual Power and Heart of Truth to probe the strange space formed by the blood sea and nether qi behind Yellow Spring Great Emperor.
"The power of nothingness here is heavy, a hundred times stronger than the Void World. It is not a good place. Even with our cultivation, if we enter it, we cannot last long before our bodies begin to undergo voidification," he said.
Gai Mie said, "Let's kill Yellow Spring Great Emperor first! In my opinion, he is just putting on a bluff. In reality, he has no idea what the evil here is."
True to his reputation as the Supreme Pillar Great Demon Head, Gai Mie was bound by no taboos. He unleashed the great divine ability of the Reincarnation Demon Wheel and attacked Yellow Spring Great Emperor.
After his Ancestor Body, condensed from blood soil, was broken, Yellow Spring Great Emperor's combat power had greatly diminished. After clashing with Gai Mie in this strike, he nearly fell into the blood sea and nether qi behind him.
Yu Zhuan transformed into a beam of light, his form changing continuously. In a few moments, he arrived before Yellow Spring Great Emperor.
"Bang! Bang!"
In close combat, they exchanged seven strikes in a row. The Yellow Spring Seal was sent flying, falling a thousand li away.
Gai Mie immediately chased after the Yellow Spring Seal, showing great interest in this number one divine artifact.
Zhang Ruochen, holding the Selfless Lamp, stood on a hill in the blood soil land, watching coldly from the sidelines. He did not attack Yellow Spring Great Emperor, nor did he go to seize the Yellow Spring Seal.
He only used the power of fate to suppress Yellow Spring Great Emperor from self-detonating his Divine Source.
As long as Yellow Spring Great Emperor could neither escape nor self-detonate his Divine Source, Yu Zhuan's combat power alone would be enough to kill him. Zhang Ruochen saw no need to act.
Secondly, the Yellow Spring Seal was a supreme treasure. If Gai Mie took advantage of Yu Zhuan's battle to seize it, how could Yu Zhuan not hold a grudge?
This was precisely the result Zhang Ruochen wanted to see!
He absolutely could not allow these two to join forces.
Gai Mie, rushing toward the Yellow Spring Seal, stared intently at the blood-red dust blocking his view ahead. His speed gradually slowed, as if he had sensed something.
A gale wind blew!
The blood-red dust was blown away, revealing the outline of a magnificent hall.
In the dust, the hall was gray-black, square in shape, and one hundred and eight thousand zhang tall.
Gai Mie stopped a hundred li from the hall, gripping the Demon Ancestor Meridian Axe tightly in his hand. He sensed the aura of the Great Demon God emanating from that hall, an aura that had once made him extremely fearful in the chaotic ancient times.
Yes, this was the Xiongxiao Demon God Hall forged by the Great Demon God back then.
Calling it a demon hall, given its immense size, it was more like an endlessly deep demon city.
Around the Demon God Hall, chaotic space and profound secret patterns filled the air, and the power of order shuttled back and forth between heaven and earth.
The secret patterns and order here were even more terrifying than the killing formations left by the ancestors in the blood soil, making Gai Mie dare not approach easily.
What made Gai Mie's expression even more solemn was that not far from the Xiongxiao Demon God Hall stood a figure of an old man.
This old man, dressed in a gray-white robe, with flowing white hair, stood at the edge of the blood soil, gazing at the blood sea and nether qi ahead.
No one knew how long he had stood there, as if he had been standing there since ancient times, as eternal as heaven and earth.
Gai Mie released his Divine Soul to probe him, but when his soul reached within a hundred zhang of the old man, it was crushed by an invisible force. This indicated that the other party was not a dead thing like an ancient corpse, but a truly existing top-tier powerhouse.
Who was he?
Why was he here?
The Yellow Spring Seal was held in the old man's hand, and its artifact spirit could not break free from his palm.
A thousand li away, Yu Zhuan and Zhang Ruochen both noticed this strange phenomenon and were shocked.
Yu Zhuan attacked with all his strength, holding nothing back. Soon, he shattered Yellow Spring Great Emperor's soul-mist body again and used the Victory Crown to suppress him.
"Boom!"
A thousand li away, dust flew, and powerful divine power fluctuations spread out.
Gai Mie and the mysterious old man clashed, and the shockwaves from their battle reached Yu Zhuan and Zhang Ruochen. In the blood soil, countless ancient array patterns and killing radiance rose.
"Let's go!"
Zhang Ruochen and Yu Zhuan immediately rushed toward the Xiongxiao Demon God Hall.
They were very fast, arriving a hundred li from the Xiongxiao Demon God Hall in just a few breaths.
But to their shock, Gai Mie had been embedded into the wall of the Demon God Hall by the Demon Ancestor Meridian Axe. Demon blood gushed out like a spring, forming a small lake at the base of the wall.
The Demon Ancestor Meridian Axe had pierced through Gai Mie's chest, with numerous rules entwining around it.
No matter how Gai Mie roared and struggled, he could not break free from the rules on the Demon Ancestor Meridian Axe.
The white-haired old man stood by the blood lake below Gai Mie, his gaze indifferent, his pupils deep enough to devour the entire universe.
His eyes fixed on Yu Zhuan and Zhang Ruochen, a hundred li away.
Gai Mie's veins bulged all over his body, and he gritted his teeth and roared, "Be careful of this old bastard! He is skilled in curses. I fell victim to his trick just now."
Zhang Ruochen immediately took out the Mani Pearl, and calmly bowed to the old man. "Greetings, Old Clan Emperor!"
Zhang Ruochen knew that Feng Tian had been injured by a curse in Chaotian Que. How could he not carry the Mani Pearl? He could not rely solely on the power of the Bright Mirror Platform to withstand curses.
In the past nine hundred years, Nutian Shenzun had completely resolved the Withering Death Art.
The old man gave Zhang Ruochen a deep glance. "So you are the descendant of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable?"
"That's right," Zhang Ruochen said.
Yu Zhuan sensed the special aura of the Primordial Path Clan on the old man and still wore a smile. "So it's the Old Clan Emperor of the Primordial Path Clan. I didn't expect you to still be alive. Don't the Primordial Beings hate the Nether Ancestor to the bone? Why are you still cultivating curses?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "The curse power that attacked Gai Mie was not emitted by the Old Clan Emperor, but originated from the Nether River."
As he spoke these words, Zhang Ruochen swung his right arm, stirring up a spatial storm that surged toward the void where the blood sea and nether qi were located.
The blood sea was scattered, and the nether qi was lifted.
A winding and vast purple-black river appeared in the void, about one hundred and eight thousand zhang wide.
One end of the Nether River was suppressed beneath the Xiongxiao Demon God Hall, while the other end surged into the void shrouded by blood sea and nether qi, disappearing beyond Zhang Ruochen's field of vision, connecting to an unknown place.
It was like a trapped dragon, its tail pinned down by the Xiongxiao Demon God Hall, unable to escape.
Back then, Feng Tian had crossed the blood soil, arrived beneath the Demon Hall, and was heavily injured by the curse power at the Nether River.
At that time, the Old Clan Emperor of the Primordial Path Clan had not yet broken free, so it could not have been him who struck.
"Chen Ge, I sense the aura of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable!" In the Divine Realm World, Chi Yao's twenty layers of heavenly realms uncontrollably manifested on their own.
"The secret patterns and order around the Xiongxiao Demon God Hall were left by the Great Venerable back then. Although ten eons have passed, they have not been corroded much by the power of time, far stronger than the killing formations left by the ancient ancestors in the blood soil," Zhang Ruochen said.
At this moment, Yu Zhuan's voice sounded in Zhang Ruochen's ear. "The secret patterns and order here should have been left by the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable back then. If I'm not mistaken, the Xiongxiao Demon God Hall was also brought here by the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable ten eons ago to suppress this Nether River. The Six Paths Reincarnation Mirror might be inside the Demon Hall! Do you have any way to avoid the power of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable and enter the hall?"
Zhang Ruochen transmitted his voice. "The biggest problem now is not the power left by the Great Venerable back then, but this Old Clan Emperor of the Primordial Path Clan. This Old Clan Emperor gives me a very dangerous feeling, and his state is very abnormal."
"Also, this Nether River... I can't quite put it into words. The Nether River might contain power that can kill us. I think, since the Great Venerable brought the Xiongxiao Demon God Hall here back then to suppress the Nether River, we cannot easily move this hall. The consequences might be something we cannot bear."
"We have already suppressed Yellow Spring Great Emperor, and you have obtained the Ancestor Divine Source. The harvest is rich. I suggest we retreat immediately."
How could Yu Zhuan leave just like that?
His eyes were deep. "Brother Ruochen, you're not scared, are you? With our cultivation, what place in the world is unassailable? Don't you want to know if the Six Paths Reincarnation Mirror really exists? Is immortality truly just a delusion?"
Zhang Ruochen did not want to break the arrangements left by the Great Venerable back then and was not swayed by Yu Zhuan's provocation. "Don't you think someone deliberately lured us here? Perhaps the Six Paths Reincarnation Mirror doesn't even exist."
Yu Zhuan still needed Zhang Ruochen to break the secret patterns and order left by the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, so he was very patient. "Even if someone has set up a scheme, so what? We already have the power to break the situation. Even if there is some great evil hidden in the Nether River, what does it have to do with us? After this is done, I will give you Yellow Spring Great Emperor along with the Ancestor Divine Source, how about that?"
Zhang Ruochen remained silent, losing interest in continuing to meddle, ready to retreat at any moment.
The Old Clan Emperor of the Primordial Path Clan said, "You have quite the nerve, not retreating yet. It seems you have no regard for me at all."
Yu Zhuan transmitted to Zhang Ruochen, "See? Even if we retreat, this old bastard will definitely break the Xiongxiao Demon God Hall and release the Nether River. Otherwise, why would he be here? Otherwise, how could curse power have flown out of the Nether River to attack Gai Mie just now?"
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly and spoke up, "Junior has one question, and I ask the Old Clan Emperor to clarify. Ten eons ago, had the Old Clan Emperor already submitted to the Nether Ancestor, thus obtaining powerful cultivation?"
Zhang Ruochen only asked this tentatively, but he saw the Old Clan Emperor of the Primordial Path Clan suddenly let out a sinister laugh. Thick nether qi surged out from his body, condensing behind him into a Nether Ancestor projection.
This Nether Ancestor projection was like the Nether Ancestor's true body manifesting, emitting a terrifying Ancestor aura that made Zhang Ruochen's breath catch.
Feeling the Old Clan Emperor's terrifying might, even the confident Yu Zhuan's expression changed slightly. For a moment, a thought of retreat arose in his heart.
"Zhang Ruochen, the other eleven sealed Old Clan Emperors are all on you, aren't they? Since you don't want to leave, then don't!" The Old Clan Emperor's voice was as harsh as stone grinding.
"Who said I don't want to leave? Did I say that?"
Zhang Ruochen wanted to curse. Without hesitation, he rushed into the blood soil, intending to escape Chaotian Que.
The Old Clan Emperor of the Primordial Path Clan and the Nether Ancestor projection both stomped heavily.
"Boom!"
A terrifying thing happened. The entire blood soil land, like a liquid blood sea, boiled, then flipped upward, pressing down toward Zhang Ruochen like a sky-covering blanket.
The endless blood soil was filled with the formations and killing divine light left by the ancient ancestors.
Once enveloped by it, one could imagine what the outcome would be.