# Chapter 4018: Intercepting Di
"What is this?"
The hundred formation flags in the starry sky were tightly interconnected, their inscriptions profound and mysterious. Even with Lady Shiji's and Qingtian's knowledge, they could not discern their origin.
This was an extremely terrifying realization, meaning these hundred formation flags possessed the power to suppress and kill them.
However, with Di's strength alone, he clearly could not fully activate the hundred flags.
Moreover, he was already severely wounded. Though possessing a supreme treasure, he could hardly unleash its power.
The hundred flags merged with the Illusory Annihilation Star Sea, converging into a magnificent scroll painting.
It could be foreseen that if Di could completely fuse the Hundred Flag Chaos Diagram with his Half-Ancestor Stone Body, his combat power would undoubtedly become invincible beneath the Immortal level. This was precisely why Di had been unwilling to break through the Dark Abyss defense line earlier!
Lady Shiji summoned the Darkness Cauldron to protect her body. Her beautiful eyes watched the Illusory Annihilation Star Sea rapidly receding, and her willow-leaf-like brows slightly furrowed.
Clearly, Di's strength and foundation far exceeded her expectations.
Even if she succeeded in ambushing and severely wounding him, with her and the Death Clan gods, they could not hope to keep him here.
Forcing the matter would inevitably come at a terrible cost.
The Illusory Annihilation Star Sea gradually disappeared at the edge of the starry sky. Countless stars and the hundred formation flags were rapidly converging.
Di reformed his stone body, towering like a star pillar, his divine voice echoing back melodiously: "I have remembered today's enmity! Lady Shiji, on the day we meet again, I will surely seize the cauldron and extinguish your soul."
Qingtian's expression was grave as he said, "Lady, are we truly letting him go like this? This old man dares to assert that Di's self-destruction of his stone body into the star sea just now has further aggravated his injuries."
"Let him go? In today's scheme, he is the most important piece. However, killing him here would cost your Death Clan the price of potential annihilation. The cost to the Dark Abyss defense line could be total collapse, subsequently exploited by the Twelve Ancient Clans."
Standing at a certain height, one must consider problems from an overall perspective.
For a tactical victory leading to a strategic total defeat—this account, Lady Shiji could still calculate clearly.
Lady Shiji said, "The Dark Abyss defense line is entrusted to you. Keep a close watch on the Twelve Ancient Clans."
As her words fell, her palm struck the Darkness Cauldron heavily.
"Boom!"
The cauldron's sound rang out. Dark force spread across the star sea, devouring all light and matter.
The cauldron's body, massive as a star, spun rapidly and crashed heavily toward Di in another part of the starry sky.
Di had originally thought that Lady Shiji would either rush to the Extreme North Star Domain to deal with the Dark Anomaly, or go to the White Clothes Valley to guard against the Dark Hand. Once she did either, he would return and break through the Heavenly South Life-Death Ruins to reclaim the Stone Head.
"She is not at all worried about White Clothes Valley? It seems Qishier Pin Lian's trip to White Clothes Valley will end badly."
Di thought of something. Without any further hesitation, he did not engage Lady Shiji in a direct confrontation. Instead, he fled along the Santu River toward the Heavenly Court Universe.
Since he could not discern the situation, it was better to stay as far away from the storm's center as possible.
Given time, in the future, he would fear no one beneath the Immortal level.
"Boom! Boom..."
The clash of half-ancestors shook the starry sky. Planets fell like rain.
All cultivators, regardless of their realm, were instantly annihilated the moment they were struck by the aftershocks of the battle.
The Third Master arrived beside Qingtian, his heart unable to calm for a long time. "To keep a half-ancestor here requires at least three half-ancestors to join forces and surround them. Lady Shiji is still being somewhat overconfident."
Qingtian shot him a cold glare. "Having participated in a half-ancestor-level battle and survived, you should cherish that fact."
The Seventh Master bowed and said, "Master, battle fluctuations have appeared at White Clothes Valley. Should we go to support?"
"No need."
Qingtian waved his hand. "Dispatch all surviving spiritual power cultivators. Prepare to face the army of the Twelve Ancient Clans."
...
The battle between Di and Lady Shiji threw the Yellow Spring Star River into chaos.
Throughout the fierce combat, main sections of the Santu River were shattered piece by piece. Even a dozen great worlds were destroyed.
All matter was absorbed by the two half-ancestors.
Cultivators on the Life-Death Realm Star received advance warnings and fled in all directions—some via teleportation, some through ancient god paths, some into the starry sky.
Complete chaos reigned!
After teleporting away the cultivators of the Divine Maiden Tower, Zhang Ruochen unhurriedly arrived at the Santu River's bank. He gazed at the increasingly turbulent waters and waited calmly.
Suddenly, space began to tremble. Cracks appeared in many places.
"Still!"
He spoke a single word. His spiritual power spread across billions of miles of starry sky. Dense talisman patterns materialized, embedded into the space.
These talisman patterns outnumbered the stars in the sky and were equally dazzling.
Such a great divine ability stunned the cultivators who had not yet managed to flee this star domain.
That young man standing by the Santu River was undoubtedly a Heavenly Lord, one of the most powerful existences in the current era. Only someone like him could remain calm and composed in the face of a star-domain-level battle between two half-ancestors.
Zhang Ruochen's white robes were like snow. His long hair swayed. His divine voice spread across the starry sky: "Ancestor Di, I have been waiting for you!"
Di, who was still battling Lady Shiji, felt his heart sink. He looked toward Zhang Ruochen standing at the center of the talisman patterns above the Life-Death Realm Star and said, "Imperial Dust, have not our grievances been settled?"
"Indeed, they have. But this time, Lady Shiji paid a great price to hire me," Zhang Ruochen said.
Di said, "I can offer a higher price. How about we join forces and suppress her? The Darkness Cauldron will be yours!"
"Agreed! Give me the Hundred Flag Chaos Diagram, and I will help you suppress Lady Shiji," Zhang Ruochen said.
Hearing the words "Hundred Flag Chaos Diagram," Di understood everything.
Zhang Ruochen had long seen through his framing scheme. There was no possibility of cooperation today.
"The Hundred Flag Chaos Diagram is here. Imperial Dust, catch it well!"
Di used his half-ancestor divine qi to activate the hundred formation flags, carrying a vast cosmic storm as he attacked Zhang Ruochen standing above the Life-Death Realm Star.
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly. His ancestral blood wings spread open. The starry sky above his head was covered by a sea of blood, boundless and limitless.
The Five-Colored Glazed Canopy flew out from the blood sea, transforming into a five-colored nebula that collided with the Hundred Flag Star Sea Storm.
Both forces encompassed hundreds of billions of miles of starry space, as if they were manipulating the universe itself in battle.
Rule divine patterns clashed. Order collided. Lightning intertwined. Formations and talisman patterns mutually annihilated.
Contrary to Di's expectations, Zhang Ruochen was not crushed by the hundred formation flags. The Five-Colored Glazed Canopy steadily blocked his power and cut off his escape route.
Zhang Ruochen was calm and composed, like a great emperor commanding the universe. The radiance of stars, suns, and moons dimmed before him. The rules of heaven and earth revolved around him.
Di found it hard to believe. "How is this possible? With your cultivation, how could you possibly block the full-force strike of the Hundred Flag Chaos Diagram?"
"Alone, I naturally cannot be a match for Ancestor Di. But those who follow the Dao have many allies; those who lose the Dao have few. Ancestor Di has lost the Dao, and the world unites to strike against him," Zhang Ruochen said, his divine voice resounding across the starry sky.
The four old clan emperors, Xiu Chen Heavenly God, and Wuwo Lamp appeared one after another, each exuding Indestructible Infinite-level auras. They released six different types of power to activate the Five-Colored Glazed Canopy.
With the Life-Death Realm Star at the center, tens of trillions of miles of starry sky boiled from the auras emanating from their bodies.
Zhang Ruochen stepped on the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram. Holding the Abyssal Ancient Sword, he flew out of the Five-Colored Glazed Canopy.
He advanced step by step, his battle intent boundless.
A series of nine-colored celestial worlds manifested above his head, interweaving with the blood sea.
It was as if the Ancestor had descended, or the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable had returned.
"I am here today. Ancestor Di shall not pass the Life-Death Realm Star. Receive my sword—one sword to sever an eon!"
Zhang Ruochen swung his sword. The sword qi cut through space like paper.
Di felt the surging and awe-inspiring ancestral aura emanating from Zhang Ruochen. At the same time, he was well aware of the power of the Sword Ancestor's Sword Heart. Seeing Zhang Ruochen swing his sword, he dared not engage directly and immediately retreated.
The Demon Shrine flew out.
At the same time, he swung his stone blade, raising his vigilance against Zhang Ruochen's strike to the highest level.
"Bang!"
The Demon Shrine blocked Zhang Ruochen's sword light. The stone blade was not even needed as a second layer of defense.
"This... the power of the Sword Heart has weakened?"
This thought flashed through Di's mind.
Zhang Ruochen was clearly dissatisfied with his own strike. "If the Sword Heart had not been borrowed by Void Heaven, you would definitely not have been able to block this strike."
Di, who was usually calm and composed, was irritated by Zhang Ruochen's words.
He had thought that Zhang Ruochen daring to charge out of the Five-Colored Glazed Canopy alone to deliver this strike meant it would be earth-shattering.
To focus entirely on defense, Di had no choice but to make a sacrifice, completely exposing his back to Lady Shiji.
Lady Shiji's true form appeared behind Di. Her palm descended. Tens of thousands of orders and dark rules surged into his body, destroying his half-ancestor stone body.
Seizing this opportunity, Zhang Ruochen advanced with his sword, merging man and sword into one. Like a beam of light, he thrust straight at Di's chest and abdomen.
Di raised his blade to block.
"Bang!"
The stone blade's body and the Abyssal Ancient Sword's tip clashed heavily, sending out ripples of energy.
The rules were too dense. The energy was too thick.
After this strike, the three directly entered a different-time-space battlefield.
The Demon Shrine's artifact spirit was powerful. It crashed into the different-time-space battlefield to save its master but was blocked by the Darkness Cauldron.
From Zhang Ruochen's Divine Realm World, the Heaven Cauldron, Earth Cauldron, Flood Cauldron, and Witch Cauldron flew out one after another, merging with the path of darkness. They suppressed the Demon Shrine, forcing it into a purely defensive position.
All were first-rank divine artifacts. The energies of time, darkness, fate, origin, and truth—all capable of destroying heaven and earth—clashed.
Di's entire body was immobilized. He fully released his rules and order, using his Dao methods to resist Lady Shiji and Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen wanted to withdraw his sword and change his technique, but Di's half-ancestor order, like countless divine chains, bound both him and his sword.
Either break through Di's Dao methods in one go and further wound him.
Or wait for Di to recover from his current weakness and break the pincer attack from him and Lady Shiji.
Ultimately, Lady Shiji's true body was the Darkness Cauldron, not this physical form. If Di were struck by the Darkness Cauldron, the result would be different.
Di knew very well that continuing this stalemate was extremely disadvantageous for him.
If the six great experts outside suppressed the Hundred Flag Chaos Diagram and entered this different-time-space battlefield, he might truly fall here today.
"Zhang Ruochen, Lady Shiji, you cannot suppress me in a short time. But White Clothes Valley is already in dire straits. If the Dark Venerable Lord's left hand breaks free, even if you suppress me, the gain will not outweigh the loss," Di said.
"Do not trouble yourself. A mere Qishier Pin Lian cannot break through White Clothes Valley."
Lady Shiji's long hair transformed into countless star rivers. Each star river stretched for tens of millions of miles, wrapping around Di's massive stone body and cutting into it bit by bit.
Di's voice became strained as he spoke. "What if... the Dark Venerable Lord's right hand is added?"
Zhang Ruochen showed a contemplative expression.
"The Dark Venerable Lord is an extraordinary figure, undying through the ages, with an eternal physical body. If she successfully fuses her remnant body, how could Fengdu Dadi be a match for even one of her moves?"
"To tell you the truth, although the Divine Realm released the Dark Venerable Lord's right hand, they also set up measures within it, causing her fusion of the remnant body to fail."
Di said, "Those who went to White Clothes Valley are not only Qishier Pin Lian but also that right hand, whose combat power is comparable to a half-ancestor."
Zhang Ruochen and Lady Shiji exchanged glances. It was difficult to judge the truth of Di's words, but genuine worry arose in their hearts.
Taking advantage of their distraction, Di let out a long roar. Time waves erupted from within his body.
When rules and order were dense enough, they could form a different time-space.
When time imprints and time rules were dense enough, one could enter the River of Time.
At this moment, Di used his unparalleled mastery of time to forcibly pull Zhang Ruochen and Lady Shiji onto the River of Time.
The River of Time was treacherous. One misstep could result in a massive loss of lifespan.
Forced into a dead end, Di became fearless. "Let us go to the future together. Leave this era to them. When we reach the future, the outcome of the Dark Abyss defense line will naturally be revealed."
Storm waves arose on the River of Time, carrying the power of heaven and earth as they surged toward the three.
How could Zhang Ruochen follow Di to the future? Not even a single day.
He glanced at the stone blade in Di's hand. A gleam flashed in his eyes. He took out the Heavenly Demon's Ancestor Divine Source.
As the Heavenly Demon Divine Source emitted light, the stone blade trembled violently. It broke free from Di's hand and flew toward Zhang Ruochen.
Seizing the stone blade, Zhang Ruochen moved like a fierce tiger pouncing on its prey. With unparalleled dominance, he slashed down from above.
"Whoosh!"
The Heavenly Demon's ancestral afterimage flashed behind him and vanished. The blade's radiance was unstoppable. It directly cut Di's already battered stone body in two.
Lady Shiji narrowly avoided this strike and shot Zhang Ruochen a resentful look.
Zhang Ruochen, however, paid no attention to Di or Lady Shiji. He turned and swung the blade horizontally toward the surging waves of the River of Time. His gaze was firm. He took a half-step back with his right foot and slashed out.
"Boom!"
The great wave formed by time rules and time imprints was actually split apart by his blade, surging to both sides.
But Zhang Ruochen's power was limited, while time was infinite.
As the power of this strike was exhausted, he was about to be swept into the future.
Twenty clusters of Dao light flew out from his Xuan Tai, spinning together with the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram on the River of Time.
"Whoosh!"
In the next instant, Zhang Ruochen escaped the River of Time. Holding the blade in one hand and the sword in the other, he returned to the different-time-space battlefield.
When Zhang Ruochen had blocked the great wave of the River of Time, Lady Shiji had already captured Di's two halves of his stone body and returned to the different-time-space battlefield first.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen return safely, a flicker of surprise passed through Lady Shiji's eyes.
She dared not imagine how powerful Zhang Ruochen would become if he broke through another realm.
"This place is left to you, Lady. I must immediately rush to the Dark Abyss defense line. You must keep your word!"
Zhang Ruochen slashed open space with his sword and, carrying the four cauldrons, strode out.