Chapter 3991: An Ancestor Cannot Be Defeated
The golden scepter in Zhang Ruochen's hand was found by Xue Tu in a cosmic secret realm. It was confirmed to be the lost first divine artifact of the Undying Blood Clan, a relic left behind by the ancestor Yin.
Of course, Xue Tu did not know this secret initially.
It was only after the Ancestor Blood Wings emerged, watered by the Ancestor's blood, that the golden scepter bloomed with radiance and released its divine artifact power.
...
With the golden scepter in hand and blood wings adorning his body, Zhang Ruochen was wrapped in Ancestor blood qi and Ancestor rules. Blood clouds churned above his head, making him look like an overlord-like sovereign confronting a demonic path ancestor.
Chan Bing led the Snow Domain Star Sea Divine Army, marching in orderly fashion into the blood clouds, standing within the sun "Illusory Star Sea."
They raised war instruments and beat war drums.
The divine army's battle intent and divine qi all merged with Zhang Ruochen.
The Snow Domain Star Sea Divine Army no longer numbered just eight hundred; it was now over two thousand one hundred.
Over the past fifty thousand years, aside from refining the successive Heavenly God corpses in the Chaotianque blood soil, Chan Bing had also collected undying corpses and undying bones from all over the universe to expand the new army.
Naturally, this included those undying bones Zhang Ruochen had obtained from the Bone God Temple back then.
It could be said that the Sword Realm had two divine armies.
This was the confidence Zhang Ruochen had to come to the Nether Prison to confront an ancestor—not an impulsive act driven by momentary anger.
It was precisely because Gai Mie knew the power of the Snow Domain Star Sea Divine Army that, when surrounded by Zhang Ruochen, Xu Tian, and Chan Bing back then, he had the thought that "there was no way out."
Di's eyes burned with ancestral flames as he looked at the petrified Great Demon God, an uncontrollable excitement surging in his heart. "The stone man's face has not been carved, the stone knife has not been assimilated, and the Ancestor Realm has not fully merged. Although he already possesses ancestor-level combat power, he is not yet a true ancestor."
Heavenly Mother, wearing the Houtu wedding dress, draped in the cloud-haze five-colored cape, donning the golden flower eight-treasure phoenix crown, with swaying pearl curtains hiding her immortal face, and a jade belt cinching her waist, sleeves fluttering.
Still with red hair and white clothes, but the aura of one about to self-destruct her divine source and perish together with the ancestor was completely gone. She looked like a stunning beauty about to be married.
She said, "Over the past fifty thousand years, we have been attacking this Ancestor Realm, precisely to prevent him from making his final transformation."
"The stone knife that the Heavenly Demon stabbed into his body gave him the opportunity to transform into the Stone Clan, but the stone knife is still destroying his ancestor body."
"Unless he can fully absorb the stone knife into his body, he will never be able to truly step into the ancestor realm."
Zhang Ruochen stared intently at the nine-headed stone man's legs, which had never left the ground. "I can sense that his stone body is connected to the entire great world. Breaking his legs should sever his connection to the Ancestor Realm, and his combat power will surely drop."
Heavenly Mother said, "It's useless. We've already tried. Once inside that demonic qi Ancestor Realm, you enter his home ground. Instead, our cultivation and combat power will be severely suppressed by the Ancestor rules and order."
"Combining the strength of Hao Tian, Lady Shiji, and myself, we can fight him outside. But once inside, we can only barely escape with our lives, unable even to self-destruct our divine sources."
"The terror of an ancestor is beyond imagination. Even this nine-headed stone man in front of us still falls short of a true ancestor."
Zhang Ruochen pondered, "This demonic qi Ancestor Realm should be the fusion of the Ancestor Realms of the Great Demon God and the Heavenly Demon, two demonic path ancestors, right? Can he fully control two completely different powers?"
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."
Muffled rumbling sounds continuously came from the fourth layer of the prison realm below, creating spatial fluctuations that left the upper three layers riddled with cracks.
The Eighteen Layers of Nether Purgatory were suspended above the fourth layer of the prison realm, blocking Hao Tian and Lady Shiji below.
Zhang Ruochen could hear the sound of ocean waves. Without a doubt, it was the Nether Sea controlling the Eighteen Layers of Nether Purgatory, resisting the two half-ancestors, buying time for the nine-headed stone man to escape the Nether Prison.
But the nine-headed stone man had clearly overlooked Heavenly Mother.
Heavenly Mother had been waiting in the first layer of the prison realm all along. To stop him from escaping, she had already prepared to self-destruct her divine source and perish together with him. However, the arrival of Zhang Ruochen and the others gave Heavenly Mother a second option.
"Catch the sword!"
Zhang Ruochen tossed the Abyssal Divine Sword to Heavenly Mother.
Heavenly Mother caught the hilt and immediately sensed the "God-Defying Stele" substance within the Abyssal Divine Sword, understanding Zhang Ruochen's intention.
The God-Defying Stele substance could break all rules, order, and inscriptions in the world. Wielding the Abyssal Divine Sword, Heavenly Mother would not be suppressed when entering that demonic qi great world.
Zhang Ruochen said, "With my current cultivation, I am not yet qualified to enter the Ancestor Realm with Heavenly Mother, but I have countless treasures. Heavenly Mother can take whatever she needs."
"He can't defeat an ancestor, but with the treasures on him, he can give Heavenly Mother the power to fight one." From within the Snow Domain Star Sea Divine Army came Chi Xingtian's voice.
Zhang Ruochen and Heavenly Mother both turned to stare at him.
Chi Xingtian felt a chill run down his spine.
He had spoken out of turn.
Heavenly Mother said, "Excellent. You even brought the Heavenly Demon's descendant. With his demon blood, I can now move that stone knife on the nine-headed stone man."
With a thought, Chi Xingtian was pulled over and appeared before Heavenly Mother.
"Draw your own blood!" Heavenly Mother said.
Facing the half-ancestor's pressure, Chi Xingtian's face turned pale. He muttered, "I really owe you people from Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm."
Though he complained, Chi Xingtian knew very well that Zhang Ruochen had brought him to the Nether Prison precisely to take control of the Ancestor Realm left by the Heavenly Demon.
When he made the decision to come, Chi Xingtian had already prepared to die in battle.
With the demon blood of the Heavenly Demon's descendant, Heavenly Mother's confidence grew. Holding the Abyssal Divine Sword and stepping on a blood river, she charged toward that demonic qi great world.
"Halfway!"
"Sixty percent! Can't let any more!"
"Seventy percent!"
Chi Xingtian manifested his giant divine body, standing beside Zhang Ruochen. Divine blood continuously flowed from his body, converging into the blood river beneath Heavenly Mother's feet.
He only stopped after releasing eighty percent of his divine blood, his body visibly shriveled, his vision darkening.
"Drink this jar of divine blood first, and take the divine medicine. Be ready to draw blood a second time!" Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Xingtian took the divine blood and divine medicine. Hearing the first half, he was quite moved. But hearing the second half, his head spun, and he nearly fell from midair.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen struck the golden scepter heavily in midair. "Everyone, hear my command! Assist Heavenly Mother in breaking the rules and order of the demonic qi great world!"
"Whoosh!"
Heavenly Mother had already swung her sword. The Abyssal Divine Sword transformed into tens of millions of miles long, blazing and scorching hot, like seven true stars linked together.
Countless substances in the upper three layers of the prison realm turned to ash in that instant.
The Heavenly River was effortlessly severed, and the sword body sank into the demonic qi sea of clouds, splitting the great world's atmosphere.
Within the demonic qi great world, countless Ancestor rules and order converged toward where the Abyssal Divine Sword descended. But these rules and order rapidly became void-like.
The nine-headed stone man knew he could not easily escape the Nether Prison, so he had been urgently refining the stone knife embedded in his chest.
The blade of the stone knife had been completely swallowed into his body, leaving only the hilt outside.
This stone knife was the final obstacle to his attaining perfect ancestor-level power. Once he fully absorbed and refined it, he could kill everyone present and once again unify the universe.
In fact, over the past fifty thousand years, he had been continuously refining the stone knife, breaking the power the Heavenly Demon had left within it, and his combat power had been steadily increasing.
In the early part of these fifty thousand years, Hao Tian, Heavenly Mother, and Lady Shiji had always held the absolute upper hand.
It was the existence of Ba Er, Jiusi Yitianhuang, and Gu Yanluo that made the three half-ancestors hesitant to go all out. Otherwise, the nine-headed stone man would have been destroyed fifty thousand years ago.
It was precisely this mutual restraint between the two sides that gave the nine-headed stone man time to refine the stone knife and the Ancestor Realm, growing to his current terrifying level.
The nine-headed stone man sat cross-legged like a mountain, gazing at the blazing giant sword in the sky. "Give me a few more hours, and that wedding dress of yours will be worn for me."
"Why need a few hours? To slay you, one hour is enough!"
Zhang Ruochen's voice sounded from beyond the heavens, like divine thunderclaps.
"Boom!"
The vast and boundless Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal imprinted itself above the demonic qi great world, pressing down on the entire Ancestor Realm.
As the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal rotated, the Ancestor qi and Ancestor rules within the demonic qi great world were continuously absorbed.
The eyes of the nine-headed stone man now had shallow traces, like carved lines.
"Your cultivation is far too lacking. Dying at this realm is truly a pity!"
The nine-headed stone man raised his arm, mobilizing Ancestor qi into the Heavenly River.
With a mere gesture, he controlled power capable of annihilating an entire star region.
The Mother of Weak Water stood atop the Heavenly River, like one of the nine-headed stone man's arms. The water split into five streams, forming a majestic hand seal that struck toward Zhang Ruochen, who stood at the center of the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal.
This was half-ancestor power, also infused with Ancestor qi.
"Fight!"
After shouting this word, Zhang Ruochen gripped the golden scepter with both hands. His body seemed cast in gold, majestic and sacred, and he struck downward heavily.
The Snow Domain Star Sea Divine Army's battle cries were unceasing. All their power converged toward the blood wings on Zhang Ruochen's back.
"Boom!"
The Heavenly River hand seal collapsed, turning into raindrops filling the sky.
The Mother of Weak Water was actually struck by the golden light erupting from the golden scepter, falling back into the demonic qi great world.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen absolutely possessed combat power to rival a half-ancestor.
Gai Mie stared at Zhang Ruochen standing above the demonic qi great world, glanced at Di, and thought to himself, "No wonder he was willing to humble himself and actively resolve the conflict."
Previously, Gai Mie had thought Di was being too modest or had ulterior motives.
"Let's move. If we don't, the Imperial Dust will surely settle accounts later."
Di struck out with the Demon Shrine, attacking another direction of the demonic qi great world.
Gai Mie summoned the Xiongxiao Demon God Temple, standing inside it, using the temple to ram the atmosphere of the demonic qi great world.
Inside the great world, the nine-headed stone man had already stood up. The eyes of his upper eight heads all shot out dazzling divine light, striking at the powerful enemies attacking from all sides.
"Break!"
Heavenly Mother shouted coldly.
The Abyssal Divine Sword slowly cut through the demonic qi great world, the sword body sinking bit by bit, descending toward the nine-headed stone man's head.
"Boom!"
The nine-headed stone man punched out, colliding with the Abyssal Divine Sword.
Rings of fist force blasted outward, sending Gai Mie, Zhang Ruochen, and Di, who were outside the demonic qi great world, flying back.
The Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal exploded directly. Three divine beings of the Snow Domain Star Sea Divine Army had their bodies collapse, bones shatter, turning into piles of blood and mud.
"Whoosh!"
Though Heavenly Mother also retreated, in an instant, she raised her sword and charged back in.
She dove downward, her gaze cold and fierce, holding the sword behind her. Every strand of white hair was like a soft sword, weaving through the heavens and earth of the demonic qi great world.
The Abyssal Divine Sword was extremely sharp.
She was even sharper than the Abyssal Divine Sword.
The nine-headed stone man clearly had not expected Heavenly Mother to dare enter the demonic qi great world alone. He stood still, staring at her.
Only when Heavenly Mother reached him did he throw a punch.
"Boom!"
The two forces collided.
Heavenly Mother's protective half-ancestor rules and half-ancestor order were like paper, shattered by the Ancestor rules.
She flew backward, landing ten thousand miles from the nine-headed stone man, then retreated several thousand more miles before stopping.
"Not heavily injured..."
Heavenly Mother looked down at the crimson wedding dress on her body. Even she found it hard to believe.
"If that's the case, what is there to fear?"
Heavenly Mother dragged the Abyssal Divine Sword, its tip cutting through the sand as she walked forward step by step. Behind her, countless demonic qi tornadoes formed, condensing into light projections of the strongest demonic path figures: Demon Ancestor, Great Demon God, Heavenly Demon, Ba Er, Gai Mie, Qiangshake, and others.
She had read countless volumes. She had comprehended the paths of all demonic path powerhouses.
"Ten Thousand Demons Paying Homage!"
Lifting the sword horizontally, she stirred up ten thousand layers of giant waves. All the light projections of the demonic path powerhouses flew out with the sword qi.
The nine-headed stone man showed a cautious expression toward this old opponent who seemed somewhat different now.
One of the nine heads, the Ten-Eyed Head, chanted a curse from its mouth. A ten-eyed light seal appeared before it, clashing with the sword strike Heavenly Mother had unleashed.
At that moment, Di, standing inside the Demon Shrine, pierced through the atmosphere dense with Ancestor rules and order, suppressing toward the nine-headed stone man's head.
"Great Demon God, long time no see. Do you still remember me, Gai Mie? Today, Gai Mie rebels!"
With Zhang Ruochen's help, Gai Mie broke into the demonic qi great world.
His demon blood boiled as he attacked the Great Demon God—something he had never dared to imagine in the past. It was precisely for this reason that Gai Mie was all the more excited now, every muscle on his body trembling.
The Xiongxiao Demon God Temple turned to the size of a star, crashing into the nine-headed stone man's Dharma Seal Head.
Taking this opportunity, Heavenly Mother broke through the Ten-Eyed Light Seal, getting closer and closer to the nine-headed stone man. Chi Xingtian's demon blood flowed behind her, moving to her arm, wrapping around her fingers.
Heavenly Mother leaped up, reaching the nine-headed stone man's chest, reaching out to grab the hilt of the Heavenly Demon's stone knife.
Whether he was an ancestor or not, today it was either fight or die.
"Roar!"
The nine-headed stone man's Buddha Head let out a lion's roar.
Golden Buddha light burst from his body, transforming into a golden lion Buddha shadow, ferocious and glaring, shaking Heavenly Mother until blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as she flew backward again.
The time light sea enveloping the Demon Shrine was scattered by this lion's roar.
The Demon Shrine, along with Di, was slapped into the ground by the nine-headed stone man's palm.
Gai Mie fared even worse. Even inside the Xiongxiao Demon God Temple, struck by the beam of light from the nine-headed stone man's eyes, he was reduced to a skeleton, blood qi scattered throughout the temple, difficult to reassemble in a short time.
"With just you people... you..."
Just as the nine-headed stone man roared this out, the Abyssal Divine Sword had already slashed into his neck.
The sword edge sank in slightly.
"Boom!"
The stone arm swung out, and the nine-headed stone man knocked the Abyssal Divine Sword away.
Just as he reached out, using spatial power to capture Heavenly Mother, she burst forth with bizarre speed, flying between his fingers, heading straight for his face.
The Houtu wedding dress became even more vivid.
"Chan Bing, lead the Snow Domain Star Sea Divine Army. Stop the Mother of Weak Water at all costs."
Zhang Ruochen had originally not wanted to take the risk of entering the demonic qi great world. With his current cultivation, his physical body and divine soul were only on par with Gai Mie's. A single hit from an ancestor could risk complete annihilation of both form and spirit.
But he had seen the battle situation clearly. The nine-headed stone man had endless wondrous techniques. With just Di and Gai Mie, they could not help Heavenly Mother hold him off.
Perhaps Di was holding back, but at this moment, Zhang Ruochen could not care about that anymore.
Chan Bing took the golden scepter, Luo Water flowing out from behind him. "Go fight with peace of mind. Even if the Snow Domain Star Sea Divine Army is wiped out, I will self-destruct my divine source and perish together with her. The Kongming Realm, White Clothes Valley, has never lacked blood and courage."
"Mother of Weak Water, do you still remember Luo Water? I have already refined it, including all the resentful spirits of the Weak Water Clan."
While Chan Bing attracted the Mother of Weak Water's attention, Zhang Ruochen, carrying Chi Xingtian, dove from another direction toward the demonic qi great world.
At this moment, countless figures involuntarily flashed through his mind, as if he were bidding farewell to each of them one by one. No previous fierce battle had ever given him the thought that this time he would surely die.
Chi Xingtian, on the other hand, had long emptied his mind, staring at the increasingly distant starry sky, as if falling step by step into an abyss.
(End of chapter)