Chapter 3953: Blazing Like the Midday Sun
Every sacred domain in the Heavenly Court measured thirty thousand li in both length and width, and only cultivators who had reached the Great Saint realm could occupy one as their territory.
At the boundaries of each sacred domain, atop every sacred mountain and within every cave dwelling, defensive formations were arranged.
Yet, facing the residual shockwaves of a Heavenly Venerable-level battle, these formations were utterly useless, turning to ash in an instant. Many cultivators who failed to retreat in time were directly reduced to red sand carried by the wind.
This was unavoidable. Had Zhang Ruochen shown even a trace of soft-heartedness, he would have paid an even greater price.
"Crackle!"
Lightning, like a great river, tore through heaven and earth, spanning north and south, flattening towering sacred mountains and majestic plateaus.
Blood from a Heavenly Venerable-level being splattered into rivers and gorges, drying up the waterways and mutating the ravines.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The sound of breaking wind rang out continuously.
Jing Daoren and the cultivators of the Five Elements Temple were the first to charge into the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal. Rows of Taoist temple buildings floated atop the Shaoyin "Divine Sea."
Following them, the Truth Temple flew into the Shaoyang "Divine Mountain," settling on its peak.
The gods brought by the Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord, along with the hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals led by Xuanyuan Lian, did not enter the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal.
Lacking protective artifacts like the Five Elements Temple and the Truth Temple, they could not withstand the yang-attributed power contained within Zhang Ruochen's divine Qi.
With the support of the cultivators from the Five Elements Temple and the Truth Temple, Zhang Ruochen seemed to carry a sentient being's divine diagram on his back, wielding inexhaustible power as he completely suppressed the mysterious sword cultivator.
The mysterious sword cultivator's injuries grew increasingly severe, and the wounds on his physical body could no longer heal.
He attempted to lead the battle toward Nanzhanbu Continent.
He did not believe that, faced with such massive casualties, Zhang Ruochen and the Heavenly Court cultivators could continue fighting.
With the Heavenly Punishment Divine Light and the Heavenly Order restrictions activated, he could not escape the Heavenly Court.
Since escape was impossible, his only chance to survive was to make the other side realize that killing a Heavenly Venerable-level being would cost them a price they could not bear.
"You're not getting away!"
Zhang Ruochen struck out with a palm, unleashing countless bolts of lightning from his palm center, disrupting space and forcing the mysterious sword cultivator, who had been about to cross space toward Nanzhanbu Continent, to retreat.
Then, Zhang Ruochen raised his hand to the sky, and a primordial world appeared in the heavens.
It was not like an illusion; it seemed as if a real primordial world had crossed time and space to descend into this era.
It was the primal power of the Earth Cauldron, manifesting into a primordial world.
The cauldron's body stood at the center of that world.
The mysterious sword cultivator knew well the might of the Nine Cauldrons. In the current Heavenly Court, aside from the Heavenly Punishment Divine Light and the Heavenly Order restrictions, the only thing that could kill him was the Nine Cauldrons.
He burst into extreme speed, heading toward the Heavenly Human Academy.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Zhang Ruochen pressed his hand downward, and the Earth Cauldron along with the primordial world descended together.
"Boom! Rumble!"
At the very center of the battlefield, this celestial domain, composed of thousands of sacred domains, was struck by the Earth Cauldron, and nearly all its terrain was obliterated.
Dust spread outward like gray waves.
The mysterious sword cultivator burst out from the thick dust, his body battered and broken, countless bones within him shattered. Yet his eyes remained sharp, his battle intent and killing intent even fiercer.
The resilience of a Heavenly Venerable-level being left all cultivators, including gods, in awe.
"Is this an undying body? Legend says that once one reaches the Indestructible Infinite realm, they are nearly impossible to kill!" murmured a god.
Jing Daoren said, "Nonsense! That's the Earth Cauldron! With its special power, how many Heavenly Venerables and Indestructible Infinites has it already refined and killed? If that strike had hit an Indestructible Infinite, they'd be reduced to particles. Even if they didn't die, they'd never recover their peak cultivation. But a Heavenly Venerable-level…"
With his own cultivation at the early stage of Indestructible Infinite, Jing Daoren naturally yearned for the realm of a Heavenly Venerable-level being.
Especially now, witnessing firsthand the near-immortal resilience of a Heavenly Venerable-level, he realized that even tearing apart the entire West Niuhe Continent might not be enough to suppress such a being.
No wonder back then, even with Hao Tian and Nutian Shenzun, and the combined strength of many top experts from the Heavenly Court and Hell, they could only dismember the Thunder Punishment Heavenly Venerable. It took another ten thousand years to completely annihilate him.
It seemed that even a Half-Ancestor would not find it easy to kill a Heavenly Venerable-level being.
"Shing!"
The Abyssal Ancient Sword dragged a bright tail hundreds of miles long, catching up to the mysterious sword cultivator and piercing into his already mangled body, nearly pinning him to the ground.
"Blazing Like the Midday Sun."
Zhang Ruochen would never allow the mysterious sword cultivator to return to the Heavenly Court. He clenched his fist.
From his fist glove came a Qilin roar that echoed through the universe.
The Qilin's phantom was even larger than the Heavenly Court continent, its form ferocious.
And Zhang Ruochen's dharma image phantom rode atop the Qilin's back, four pillars of lightning connecting the universe to the West Niuhe Continent, thundering through the nine heavens, its aura spanning past and present.
This punch was not the Immovable Wisdom King Fist, but a technique Zhang Ruochen had comprehended after condensing ten clusters of yang-attributed Dao light—a supremely yang and rigid fist art. Combined with the Qilin fist glove, its power was boundless.
Facing the "Blazing Like the Midday Sun" fist force, the mysterious sword cultivator tried to pull out the Abyssal Ancient Sword embedded in his body, only to find that the rules and order on his hand were being nullified and then erased by the sword's power.
"This is…"
"Boom!"
The fist force landed.
The mysterious sword cultivator was snapped in two at the waist by Zhang Ruochen, both halves of his remnant body charred black, as if struck by lightning and burned by fire.
At that moment, Qiangu Nüdi charged into the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal, bringing the Time Divine Temple with her.
The temple settled beneath the "Jade Tree Ink Moon."
The two halves of the mysterious sword cultivator's remnant body tried to flee into the sky, but Zhang Ruochen struck them down one after another with the Abyssal Ancient Sword, sending them crashing onto the lightning-covered ground.
Chan Bing, Xiu Chen Heavenly God, Qiangu Nüdi, and countless cultivators from the Time Divine Temple formed hand seals, releasing time rules and time imprint light points.
Soon, the ground beneath Zhang Ruochen's feet was covered in these light points.
The time essence gathered here had already exceeded fifty percent, continuously drawing time rules from heaven and earth, condensing into an increasingly massive jade tree.
The two halves of the mysterious sword cultivator's remnant body were pressed beneath the jade tree.
White root-like tendrils, formed from divine Qi, rules, order, and imprints, pulled the remnant bodies to the left and right, firmly binding them.
As the jade tree continued to grow, the gathered time power grew stronger, and the mysterious sword cultivator's resistance weakened. Finally, he was frozen within two blocks of "Absolute Self Time Divine Ice."
This jade tree was condensed based on the Dao resonance of the Taiyin "Jade Tree Ink Moon."
Coincidentally, the "Jade Tree Ink Moon" was originally derived from the Way of Time and the Way of Darkness. The two paths complemented each other.
Standing beneath the jade tree, Zhang Ruochen slowly raised his hands, palms upward.
The jade tree began to absorb strands of dark power from the mysterious sword cultivator's body, channeling them up along the trunk, gathering continuously.
It seemed as if a new ink moon was about to condense.
"Shing! Shing! Shing!"
Cultivators from the Five Elements Temple, the Truth Temple, and the Time Divine Temple flew down from the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal, gazing at the jade tree that reached into the clouds.
Only after seeing the two charred remnant halves suppressed beneath the jade tree did they finally believe that they had participated in suppressing a Heavenly Venerable-level being.
Even though they had only contributed a fraction of the power, their hearts still surged with excitement, their blood boiling.
This was an honor they could boast about for a lifetime!
Even their descendants could continue to boast about it.
Someone murmured, "A Heavenly Venerable-level being isn't so impressive after all!"
These words seemed to voice everyone's thoughts. After a moment of silence, laughter spread.
All the oppression and tension dissipated.
From now on, facing any enemy, no matter how powerful, or any crisis, no matter how perilous, they would have the confidence to handle it calmly.
They knew well that this honor and confidence were brought to them by Zhang Ruochen. Otherwise, they couldn't even withstand a single glance from a Heavenly Venerable-level being!
A god from the Time Divine Temple, still using the old title, said, "Great Elder, we are willing to follow you in continued battle, no matter the opponent."
"How about… going beyond the heavens to fight the Dark Anomalies?" suggested Xiang Chunan.
Although many cultivators present knew about the "Three Half-Ancestors battling the Dark Anomalies," they were still eager to try.
This battle had forged their courage, fully unleashing it.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God sneered coldly, thinking these Heavenly Court cultivators were simply seeking death. Did they really believe hiding in the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal would keep them safe?
If their cultivation wasn't strong enough, even a single shockwave could kill them.
Zhang Ruochen slowly raised his head, looking toward the heavens beyond.
The moment the mysterious sword cultivator was suppressed, black flames ignited within the Sword God Temple. Like a cultivator pushed to the brink, forced to use a secret art that burned blood and lifespan, the aura erupting from the Sword God Temple climbed steadily.
Space twisted violently, causing the positions of the Heavenly Court continent and the Yama Clan World Tree to shift, creating a flaw.
The Sword God Temple burst out from under the suppression of the Heavenly Punishment Divine Light, knocking aside dozens of divine artifacts, and vanished into the Void World.
At the same time, a thought resembling a voice entered the minds of all gods: "Before the Calamity of Quantities, there will surely be the calamity of an Ancestor. The Nether Prison will break, and the Heavenly Court and Hell will be destroyed."
Watching the Sword God Temple disappear, no one from the Heavenly Court or Hell dared to pursue it.
Leaving the Heavenly Court continent and the World Tree to chase an anomaly that even three Half-Ancestors couldn't hold back—what was that but seeking death? Even a Heavenly Venerable-level being would die if they pursued.
Within the Heavenly Court, inside the World Tree, all cultivators wore expressions of unwillingness and helplessness.
Such an opportunity to suppress a Dark Anomaly would never come again!
Yan Huanyu's divine voice resounded through the World Tree: "So-called Dark Calamity of Quantities is nothing more than this; it cannot withstand the power of all beings."
Xuanyuan Taizhen's divine voice spread across the sacred domains of the Heavenly Court: "Before this battle, who dared to believe we could win? But we won!"
The Truth Temple Master knew he was trying to boost morale, so he followed up: "The Dark Calamity of Quantities even had to use a self-damaging secret art to escape."
The Chixia Feixian Valley Master said, "The Dark Calamity clearly paid a heavy price, so heavy that it lacks the strength to retaliate. Otherwise, it would have stormed into the Heavenly Court universe to slaughter all realms."
Instantly, cultivators from all realms on the Heavenly Court continent and the Hell cultivators within the Yama Clan World Tree erupted into a frenzy of victory celebrations.
Yes!
Before this battle, in their eyes, the Dark Anomaly was the legendary "Calamity of Quantities," the "Immortal." It was the "Heaven" that decided all life and death—unconquerable, unworthy even of a gaze.
But the Dark Anomaly had been defeated, fleeing so pathetically, paying a tremendous price.
This showed that as long as they united, nothing was unconquerable.
Even an Ancestor must fall!
Even an Immortal must die!
But only the gods knew that things were not so simple.
The words the Dark Anomaly left upon departing were too thought-provoking. Its retreat might have deeper reasons.
Of course, the most important reason was undoubtedly that the battle on West Niuhe Continent had concluded. Luo Tongluo had been refined and killed, the mysterious sword cultivator suppressed, and the hope of breaking the Second Confucian Ancestor's Ancestor Realm seal had been dashed.
The Heavenly Court continent and the Yama Clan World Tree both began to retreat, maintaining a relatively safe distance.
Gods from all realms of the Heavenly Court returned to West Niuhe Continent one after another.
Some collected the blood of the mysterious sword cultivator; others used Five Elements divine powers to restore the destroyed terrain; some employed great life arts to revive the scorched earth; some summoned clouds and rain; others rebuilt their cultivation grounds.
As long as West Niuhe Continent remained, with the thick heavenly and earthly Qi of the Heavenly Court, many sacred domains that were not severely damaged could quickly recover.
This battle had claimed countless lives.
Xuanyuan Lian led a large group of Heavenly Palace officials to console the families of the fallen, distributing enormous resources as compensation.
Everything was moving in a positive direction!
Everyone believed that soon, they would recover and return to that prosperous, bustling golden age, with no more war flames reaching the Heavenly Court.
…
Half a month later.
The Truth Temple Master and the Chixia Feixian Valley Master, representing the Heavenly Palace, arrived at the Heavenly Human Academy.
The mysterious sword cultivator had been transferred to the Ninth Layer Celestial World, where the time jade tree suppressing him had grown to hundreds of thousands of feet tall, glowing with radiant light, continuously scattering rain of light.
Over the past half month, Zhang Ruochen and Chan Bing had used many methods to reinforce the time jade tree, ensuring nothing went wrong.
"Without the Imperial Dust's permission, no one may enter the Ninth Layer Celestial World."
The Truth Temple Master and the Chixia Feixian Valley Master were stopped at the boundary by Yuan Sheng.
Chan Bing had broken into the Heavenly Venerable-level not only because of her own deep accumulation but also because Zhang Ruochen had entrusted the Luo Water to her.
After refining and killing Luo Tongluo, Yuan Sheng's gains were not as great as Chan Bing's, but she still smoothly broke through to the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite.
With such cultivation, she naturally had no fear of the Truth Temple Master or the Chixia Feixian Valley Master, and her attitude was extremely firm.
The Truth Temple Master and the Chixia Feixian Valley Master exchanged glances, feeling awkward. At the same time, they realized the extraordinary weight Zhang Ruochen now carried.
A middle-stage Indestructible Infinite being was at his beck and call.
Only a Heavenly Venerable from the Heavenly Court or Hell had such authority.
Zhang Ruochen transmitted his voice: "The Temple Master and the Valley Master are not outsiders. Please, come in."
Soon, the Truth Temple Master and the Chixia Feixian Valley Master appeared beneath the time jade tree. Looking at Zhang Ruochen's upright back, both involuntarily felt the urge to bow.
Though the thought flashed by, it already startled them deeply.
This showed that the "momentum" Zhang Ruochen had cultivated by defeating the mysterious sword cultivator was nearing the point of breaking their mental defenses.
Zhang Ruochen was still young, and his momentum had just taken shape, unable to control it as freely as Hao Tian could.
"I thought it would be Xuanyuan Taizhen or the Chongming Ancestor who came," Zhang Ruochen said.
The Truth Temple Master had already fully composed herself, saying, "Does the Imperial Dust know the origin of that sword cultivator?"