Chapter 3996: Ancestor Divine Source
The realm of Indestructible Infinite Peak naturally amounts to little before an Ancestor, yet, looking across the universe, it is already a mountain reaching into the clouds, a boundless sea.
Such an existence, by self-detonating their Divine Source, is enough to cause great upheaval in the rules of heaven and earth. In particular, the Five Elements Rules that the Five Elements Temple Master primarily cultivated—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—became abnormally chaotic.
In a distant great world, the ocean burst into flames.
A rocky planet transformed into a metallic planet.
Lush ancient trees rapidly hardened, turning into stone trees.
...
In the starry sky outside the Heavenly Court, the Star Soul Divine Throne went dark.
Above the Five Elements Temple, gloomy clouds gathered, and blood-red Netherworld flower rain fell. The cultivators within the temple wept in mourning, all kowtowing and paying their respects.
Inside the temple, mourning bells tolled long, and crows cried in sorrow.
Zhen Yuan, with sorrowful eyes, stood beneath the ginseng fruit tree and deeply bowed toward the starry sky, silently reciting in his heart: "Master, your disciple will do everything in his power, in this chaotic era, to protect the Five Elements Temple with his life and continue the immortal faith of the Daoist lineage."
...
Southern Universe.
Chongming Ancestor stood on a dark star not far from the Nether Prison, surrounded by drifting green light rain, and said: "The Five Elements Temple Master indeed has backbone, but why go to such lengths? Hao Tian, Heavenly Mother, and others fought in the Nether Prison for fifty thousand years without self-detonating their Divine Sources to resolve the Ancestor calamity."
Si Bu Xiang stood behind Chongming Ancestor and said: "Such an act can only move himself. In the eyes of others, it is nothing but foolishness!"
From within the demon cloud, someone asked: "With the cultivation of Indestructible Infinite Peak, self-detonating the Divine Source—can it kill an Ancestor?"
Chongming Ancestor smiled faintly.
"How could that be? That is an Ancestor."
Si Bu Xiang added: "However, Hao Tian, Heavenly Mother, Di, and these Half-Ancestors managed to force the Great Demon God to flee in panic, which indeed suggests, as many have guessed, that the Great Demon God's condition is very weak. The Five Elements Temple Master's self-detonation of his Divine Source should be able to further wound him."
"If that's the case, then the Ancestor is not as terrifying as legend says; at least, he can be opposed in this era." A demon clan deity laughed.
"Hua—"
Above the dark star, space was torn open with a hundred-zhang-long rift.
A peacock, covered in auspicious light, flew out from within.
When it landed before the group of demon clan deities, it transformed into the graceful form of the Peacock Heavenly Empress, with fragrant breezes swirling, yet exuding an overbearing aura, displaying a momentum comparable to the Twenty Heavens.
Chongming Ancestor's pupils contracted, and he said calmly: "Heavenly Empress, do you have any advice?"
Other demon clan cultivators knew little, but Chongming Ancestor was aware that the Peacock Heavenly Empress had grown very close to Yan Wushen in recent years, becoming a bridge of communication between the Nether Ancestor Faction and him.
She no longer fully obeyed his commands.
Although displeased, Chongming Ancestor knew that with his current cultivation, he was far from being able to challenge the Nether Ancestor and had to endure.
At the very least, he needed to use the Nether Ancestor's power to raise his Spiritual Power to the ninety-fourth rank.
The Peacock Heavenly Empress said: "The Nether Ancestor has ordered that the Ancestor must act to help the Great Demon God escape."
"Is this the Nether Ancestor's intention, or Yan Wushen's?"
Chongming Ancestor used Spiritual Power to seal the heavenly secrets, so the other demon clan deities could not hear their conversation.
The Peacock Heavenly Empress said: "Yan Wushen is the Nether Ancestor's disciple; his decree is no different from the Nether Ancestor's."
Chongming Ancestor understood in his heart, let out a deep laugh, and released his aura, pressing down on the Peacock Heavenly Empress until her divine soul trembled, forcing her to retreat five steps.
"With your cultivation at the peak of Great Unbound Infinite, you still address me as Ancestor, and I am pleased. But I do not like the tone you used just now."
The Peacock Heavenly Empress, pale-faced, quickly bowed.
Chongming Ancestor walked toward her step by step and said: "Yan Wushen himself fled in panic, yet he wants me to go and clash with Hao Tian and Heavenly Mother? Do not be afraid; now that you have Yan Wushen and Gai Mie backing you, how would I dare touch you?"
"Go tell Yan Wushen that I must continue to stay hidden; until my Spiritual Power breaks through to the ninety-fourth rank, it is not suitable to reveal myself."
The Peacock Heavenly Empress stared at the ground, not daring to meet Chongming Ancestor's gaze, and said: "Yan Wushen also said that if the Ancestor is unwilling to help the Great Demon God, then please help Ming Hai escape. Ming Hai is part of the Nether Ancestor's Divine Realm World, and this is very important."
"Part of the Nether Ancestor's Divine Realm World..."
Chongming Ancestor revealed a meaningful smile, slightly raising his gaze toward the starry sky roiling with demonic energy.
...
The Five Elements Temple Master's self-detonation of his Divine Source also stirred emotions in Zhang Ruochen, making it hard to accept. The memory of their meeting at the Wang Mountain Ancestral Land remained vivid.
Although their bond was not deep, Zhang Ruochen held a certain respect for this elder.
During the most difficult times for the Kunlun Realm, among the Heavenly Court, only the Five Elements Temple and the Western Buddha Realm had offered the most help.
The reason for his emotion was that Zhang Ruochen recalled what his grandmaster had once said: the older generation of cultivators would eventually pass away one by one, and all they could do was hold on a little longer, paving a smoother path for the younger generation.
Perhaps one day, the older generation would truly die out, and he himself would become one of them.
After the most violent storm of the Divine Source self-detonation passed, Hao Tian, Heavenly Mother, and Di rushed toward the Nine-Headed Stone Man at top speed, not giving it a chance to catch its breath.
Zhang Ruochen had to suppress the three heads in the cauldron and the artifact spirit of the Blood Fiend Bell, so he remained by the Nether Prison, not joining the battlefield.
"Shua! Shua!"
Two sounds of breaking wind came from the entrance of the Nether Prison.
It was Jiusi Yitianhuang and Gu Yanluo.
These two old demons headed straight for the center of the battlefield, their purpose obvious.
Killing an Ancestor was no easy feat; they needed these demonic cultivators related to the Great Demon God to share in the spoils. For this reason, Zhang Ruochen did not intercept them.
Matters had their priorities; compared to the Ancestor calamity, the threats of Jiusi Yitianhuang and Gu Yanluo were nothing.
"Oh!"
After Zhang Ruochen saw the battlefield clearly, a strange expression appeared on his face.
The Nine-Headed Stone Man's Ancestor Stone Body had actually shattered into pieces!
Was the power of an Indestructible Infinite Peak cultivator's self-detonation of their Divine Source truly this terrifying?
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen sensed a faint, elusive aura in a place far from the battlefield. He glanced at the entrance of the Nether Prison but ultimately gave chase.
Zhang Ruochen displayed speed not inferior to a Heavenly Venerable-level cultivator, pursuing through the Void World.
After chasing for about half a quarter of an hour, he finally saw the other's shadow.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to use a Space Divine Ability, the shadow ahead suddenly stopped, turned around, and calmly met his gaze.
Zhang Ruochen stopped three Divine Spirit Steps away from him, carefully observing.
The cultivator before him appeared to be around thirty years old, tall and thin, like a refined scholar.
Zhang Ruochen spoke first: "You lured me here; it doesn't seem like you want to kill me."
Wu Ying said: "Do you think I want to kill you?"
"I can't think of another reason. After all, I have no connection with the Divine Realm."
Zhang Ruochen could naturally guess the other's identity. After all, the top experts of the universe all had names and faces, and he had seen most of them. The person before him matched none of the Heavenly Venerable-level cultivators he knew.
Who else could it be but the Divine Martial Envoy of the Divine Realm?
"No connection? Where did you obtain your Time-Space Divine Martial Mark?" Wu Ying said.
Zhang Ruochen's heart shook, but his expression remained unchanged: "What do you mean?"
All along, Zhang Ruochen had believed that the Time-Space Divine Martial Mark was given to him by Xumi Saint Monk, who had crossed time to a future node.
At that time, he was still a mortal and mistakenly thought the Time-Space Divine Martial Mark came from the Divine Realm.
But from what this Divine Martial Envoy said, it seemed not to be the case.
Wu Ying said: "Xumi placed great hopes in you, but he died too early. Do you truly believe you have survived to this day solely by luck?"
Zhang Ruochen naturally would not fully believe the other's words and tested him: "It seems you knew the Saint Monk! But how could a cultivator of the Divine Realm have dealings with a cultivator of the Kunlun Realm? Did the Saint Monk go to the Divine Realm, or did you go to the Kunlun Realm?"
"You need not ask more; I will not tell you any answers. I met you alone to give you something."
Wu Ying opened his right palm, and in the center floated a cluster of dark purple demonic flames.
At the center of the demonic flames was a fist-sized crystal. Even though Wu Ying had sealed it, the aura emanating from the crystal was still terrifyingly powerful, as if it contained the might of the entire universe.
"This is... the Ancestor Divine Source of the Heavenly Demon? Earlier, was it you who used the power within the Ancestor Divine Source to draw out the stone knife embedded in the Nine-Headed Stone Man's chest, causing its Ancestor Stone Body to split?"
Zhang Ruochen recalled that when the Five Elements Temple Master self-detonated his Divine Source, there had indeed been a special demonic aura present.
However, at that time, the entire star domain was shrouded in demonic energy, and with the Five Elements in chaos, everyone had overlooked this point.
"Hua!"
With a wave of his hand, Wu Ying sent the Ancestor Divine Source flying.
Zhang Ruochen caught the Divine Source, his mind filled with countless questions: "How did the Heavenly Demon's Ancestor Divine Source come into your hands? Why are you giving it to me? Who are you, really?"
"I am only responsible for preventing the Great Demon God from emerging and for giving you the Heavenly Demon's Ancestor Divine Source. For the rest, find the answers yourself."
Wu Ying smiled, stepped back, and his form instantly crossed millions of miles of space.
"Sir, please explain clearly before you leave!"
Zhang Ruochen would not let him go so easily.
With the two Eternal Paths of Time and Space, he had full confidence in pursuing a Heavenly Venerable-level cultivator.
"Hua!"
The Taiqing Cloud-Pushing Hand was unleashed, with palm prints stretching endlessly, crossing layers of space, and landing on Wu Ying.
This strike could send Wu Shi, another Divine Martial Envoy, flying. But Wu Ying, with a flick of his sleeve, shifted all the power aside.
"His Space mastery surpasses mine." Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
"For now, it's best you tell no one about obtaining the Heavenly Demon's Ancestor Divine Source."
After leaving these words, Wu Ying's body dispersed, turning into specks of Time Imprint light, like the River of Time, disappearing at the edge of Zhang Ruochen's vision.
Wu Wo Lamp flew out, clearly startled as well: "Zhang Ruochen, you, the Time-Space Controller, aren't quite up to par. That guy's Space mastery is stronger than yours, and his Time mastery leaves you in the dust by several streets."
"I think I know his origin!" Zhang Ruochen said.
Wu Wo Lamp asked curiously: "What origin?"
Zhang Ruochen did not answer but instead picked up the Heavenly Demon's Ancestor Divine Source, muttering to himself: "Could it be that after the Heavenly Demon suppressed the Great Demon God back then, he went to the Divine Realm and died there? What does giving me the Ancestor Divine Source mean?"
The appearance of the Divine Martial Envoy Wu Ying made Zhang Ruochen urgently want to understand something he had always overlooked.
After Xumi Saint Monk died, who damaged the Sundial?
Back on the River of Time, Zhang Ruochen had seen the Saint Monk use the Sundial to shatter Xiu Chen Heavenly God's main body, the Time Divine Jade, and the Sundial was still intact at that time.
In other words, the Sundial was not damaged in that battle.
But after that battle, when the Saint Monk dispersed his divine power and fell, why did the Sundial not fall into the hands of Qingtian, Feng Tian, and other Hell Realm deities?
What else happened in between?
When Wu Ying transformed into the River of Time and left, Zhang Ruochen distinctly sensed a trace of aura similar to the Sundial. So he speculated that Wu Ying was very likely the former artifact spirit of the Sundial.
In terms of perception alone, Zhang Ruochen was confident he could rival a Half-Ancestor and would never be mistaken.