Chapter 4044: Ancestor Formation
The Wind Pavilion was also located beneath the Demon Ancestor Ridge, on the other side of the mountain range.
Standing within the Divine Realm World of the Void Kun War God, Zhang Ruochen could easily peer through the world barrier and see the massive, towering Netherworld buildings outside.
A thick, oppressive aura of Fate Power rushed toward him.
More than ten percent of the Fate Essence was gathered here, and the Fate Rules squeezed out all other Heavenly and Earthly Rules, forming an independent and peculiar region.
"What a formidable formation, like the roots of a great tree, with inscription patterns intertwining and deeply embedded into the Netherworld Kingdom."
Zhang Ruochen had initially intended to take the entire Wind Pavilion away, but now he had to abandon that idea.
Human power has its limits.
Even against a Half-Ancestor, Zhang Ruochen was confident he could contend. But facing the Netherworld Kingdom, he felt suppressed at every turn, unable to charge recklessly or act as he pleased.
The Ancestor-level methods left by Corpse Nightmare were like divine locks of Heaven and Earth, impossible to analyze or break.
This sense of crisis made Zhang Ruochen realize that before entering the Wind Pavilion, he had to leave some contingency plans.
"Swoosh!"
A gap opened in the defensive formation light barrier of the Wind Pavilion.
Teng Zu, clad in a black robe, stood behind the gap, a long, scaly, rotting tail suspended beneath him, exuding a sinister and dangerous aura.
"Greetings, Teng Zu."
The Third Elder and the Four Unlike bowed in unison.
The Void Kun War God said, "By the Ancestor's command, we have come to visit the Seventh Elder of Tiannan. I request Teng Zu's convenience."
Within the black robe, only a pair of crimson eyes were visible. After scanning the three, Teng Zu silently vanished into the gray mist.
"Teng Zu's combat power is at least at the mid-stage Indestructible Infinite level, and with control over the Wind Pavilion's formation, he is a very dangerous figure." The Void Kun War God communicated with Zhang Ruochen through divine thought.
Entering the Wind Pavilion, Zhang Ruochen soon saw the gods of the Destiny Temple imprisoned within.
They were sealed inside numerous Gates of Destiny, hundreds of them, with faint figures visible behind the gates.
These Gates of Destiny were all woven from rules and order.
The Third Elder walked quickly, searching for the Gate of Destiny that sealed the Seventh Elder.
The Void Kun War God glanced at the Four Unlike standing nearby and asked, "Why has the Houtu War God come to the Wind Pavilion?"
The Four Unlike resembled a deer, a donkey, a horse, and an ox.
It was like four things yet unlike any of them.
Suddenly, it let out an eerie laugh.
As the laughter echoed, the doors of the Wind Pavilion slammed shut with a bang.
"Swoosh!"
Countless formation inscription patterns appeared on the floor, walls, pillars, ceiling... every direction. Ancient divine formation plates began to operate within the space.
Even the Void Kun War God, with his early-stage Indestructible Infinite cultivation, felt suppressed by the powerful formation, finding it extremely difficult to even lift his arm.
It was as if ten thousand divine mountains pressed down on every inch of his body.
"I came here, naturally, to kill you, the traitor, and Zhang Ruochen hidden in your Divine Realm World."
The one who spoke was not the Four Unlike.
Chongming Ancestor, holding a divine staff, stepped out from the Four Unlike's Divine Realm World. His powerful spiritual power radiated outward, merging with the formation within the Wind Pavilion.
No matter how calm the Void Kun War God tried to be, his mind was now in turmoil.
He never expected that, despite his caution, he had been exposed long ago.
Nor did he imagine that Chongming Ancestor knew Zhang Ruochen was hiding in his Divine Realm World.
Deliberately letting them enter the Wind Pavilion was a counter-ploy to use the formation here to suppress them.
"Ancestor, what are you saying? I don't quite understand," the Void Kun War God said, worried that Chongming Ancestor was bluffing. He absolutely could not admit it.
"Not understanding is fine. Dead people... dead chickens don't need to understand that much."
Chongming Ancestor slammed his divine staff heavily against the ground.
"Hiss!"
Countless dazzling beams of power shot straight toward the Void Kun War God.
Each beam was like a divine blade or a godly edge, cutting through divine qi, severing rules, and tearing apart the divine abilities the Void Kun War God unleashed.
It was easy to imagine that once these beams closed in, even if the Void Kun War God possessed an Indestructible Divine Body, he would be torn to pieces.
The Void Kun War God quickly retreated, but his vision blurred.
Zhang Ruochen was already standing before him, raising his palm. In an instant, space twisted and changed, and all the incoming beams scattered away in front of his palm.
With a casual motion, he neutralized Chongming Ancestor's demonic light divine art.
The Void Kun War God breathed a sigh of relief. He had panicked earlier and lost his composure.
With the Imperial Dust here, there was no need to fear Chongming Ancestor.
"Haha!"
Seeing Zhang Ruochen actually appear, Chongming Ancestor laughed loudly: "I didn't expect you to really come! You didn't take the path of life but sought death instead. What a pleasant surprise."
Zhang Ruochen held one hand behind his back, exuding great composure, and said, "Ancestor, you are getting a bit carried away."
"Good demeanor, but it's just forced calm. With your current cultivation, you should be able to see that the formation in the Wind Pavilion is the work of the Ancestor Corpse Nightmare. Even with your God-Defying Stele, you cannot break it in a short time. And in that short time, I can severely injure you to the point of losing combat capability."
"Do you know why the gods of the Destiny Temple are only imprisoned here? It's to wait for you, to fish for the big catch!"
Chongming Ancestor did not want to kill Zhang Ruochen; with his cultivation, he simply couldn't. Even if Zhang Ruochen surrendered and let him attack for a hundred thousand years, he wouldn't succeed.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I thought I was cautious all the way and left no flaws. The news that Feng Tian and I came to the North Marsh Great Wall must have been secretly told to you by someone, right?"
"Are you stalling for time?" Chongming Ancestor asked.
Seeing that he didn't deny it, Zhang Ruochen knew his guess was correct and continued, "I want to tell you that shortly after Feng Tian arrived at the North Marsh Great Wall, she was attacked, which shows our whereabouts were leaked. How could I not be wary of that?"
"Furthermore, sixty thousand years ago, when Wen Tianjun was ambushed by you in the Demon God Realm, the Void Kun War God, as a high-ranking member, knew nothing of the truth. At that moment, I knew that either the Void Kun War God had betrayed me or he had already been exposed."
Chongming Ancestor's smile gradually faded. "If you are truly prescient, why are you now trapped in the Wind Pavilion, with your life and death no longer in your own hands?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Do you know the fatal mistake you made?"
"What mistake?"
"You are too greedy."
Zhang Ruochen continued, "You shouldn't have entered the Wind Pavilion! If you hadn't entered and controlled the formation from outside, with the power left by Corpse Nightmare, it would indeed have been very troublesome. Once the Nether Sea Spirit returns, I might really not have been able to escape."
"You wanted to keep me here while also taking the opportunity to devour the Seventh Elder, so you took the risk to enter the Wind Pavilion. But you were too greedy, and your strength couldn't support such greed."
"If you had chosen either one, you would have had at least a seventy percent chance of success. But doing both at once doomed you to failure."
Chongming Ancestor's will was firm and unaffected.
But the Four Unlike beside him was shaken, quickly retreating to create distance, extremely wary of Zhang Ruochen, fearing he might not be suppressed. If a Heavenly Venerable-level battle broke out, how could he, a Great Unbound Infinite, survive the aftermath?
The Void Kun War God had no fear, full of confidence in Zhang Ruochen, and laughed, "The Imperial Dust's calculations are flawless. Old fool, how could you be his match? If you surrender, Lord Imperial Dust might spare your life and take you as a mount."
Chongming Ancestor sneered, "As long as I am here, inside or outside the pavilion makes no difference. Moreover, Teng Zu is outside. This is a pincer attack from both sides. No matter how earth-shattering your abilities, today you are just a turtle in a jar."
"Boom!"
He raised his divine staff, and layers of bright, complex formation plates descended from the top of the Wind Pavilion, like shackles, one after another.
These formations were all left by Corpse Nightmare, containing Ancestor power, comparable to divine abilities unleashed by an Ancestor.
Some formations contained a universe with billions of stars; others held an Ancestral Dragon, exuding Ancestor aura, flying in a cycle; still others featured the Bridge of Helplessness, covered in Red Crow Trees.
Ancestor power was terrifying; a single strike could kill a Half-Ancestor like Wen Tianjun.
"Bang!"
The Void Kun War God was not at the center of the formation, but when the formation descended, his Indestructible Bones shattered, and he was crushed to the ground like mud, lying prostrate.
Zhang Ruochen exerted force with both arms, slowly raising them, releasing endless Space Power.
"Rumble!"
All the formations shook violently.
Even the Wind Pavilion trembled slightly.
"This brat has grown this strong? Teng Zu, lend me a hand."
Chongming Ancestor refused to believe that the formation left by a contemporary Ancestor couldn't suppress Zhang Ruochen.
Holding the staff with both hands, he pushed his spiritual power to the limit.
The Four Unlike behind him was struck by this spiritual power, its head splitting with pain, its divine soul pierced through. It flew backward, rolling on the ground and screaming.
"Crack!"
The divine staff broke through the ground, sinking three inches into the earth.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen suppressed by the formation, standing still and unable to move, Chongming Ancestor finally smiled again.
Being able to pin Zhang Ruochen in place meant the formation was so powerful that even he couldn't approach.
Letting go, Chongming Ancestor looked toward the Third Elder's location.
At that moment, the Third Elder's body was ablaze with divine flames. Using a shuttle-shaped divine artifact, he continuously attacked the Gate of Destiny sealing the Seventh Elder.
"Old Seventh, I told you not to associate with those from Hell Realm, but you wouldn't listen. Why did you have to come to the North Marsh Great Wall? Those people couldn't protect Second Senior Brother, nor could they protect Master. They're all fake, all bought off by Zhang Ruochen's favors. Every single one of them deserves to die."
The Third Elder, hearing Zhang Ruochen's earlier conversation with Chongming Ancestor, was burning with anxiety.
That old bastard Chongming Ancestor was too hateful, wanting to devour the Seventh Elder.
If Old Seventh died, Tiannan would be completely finished.
All of Master's efforts would be destroyed.
Even at the cost of his life, he had to rescue the Seventh Elder today.
"Do you think you can break this Gate of Destiny?"
Chongming Ancestor knew time was tight; the Nether Sea Spirit would return soon. He had to devour Tiannan's Old Seventh before then.
Afterward, everything could be blamed on Zhang Ruochen and the Void Kun War God.
Seeing Chongming Ancestor closing in, the Third Elder summoned an inexplicable courage. He rushed forward, channeling all his spiritual power back into his divine heart.
His bloodshot eyes were filled with unprecedented determination.
"Master is dead, Senior Brother is gone, Second Senior Brother is dead too. Since everyone has to die, let's reunite underground..."
"Self-destructing your divine heart? A mantis trying to stop a chariot, utterly ridiculous."
Chongming Ancestor waved his sleeve, and the Third Elder, who had rushed before him, rapidly turned to ash.
Nothing remained but a divine heart covered in cracks.
After collecting this heart, Chongming Ancestor's lips elongated, and his head grew countless feathers, transforming into a bird's head.
With a peck of his sharp beak, the heart entered his stomach.
The Seventh Elder stood behind the Gate of Destiny, watching all this. His ten fingers clenched tightly, his teeth nearly ground to dust. He pounded the light barrier with all his might but couldn't break through.
He seemed to be roaring something, but no one could hear.
Chongming Ancestor arrived at the Gate of Destiny and pointed a finger.
The Gate of Destiny twisted like a vortex, and the Seventh Elder was thrown out, losing his balance and stumbling to fall at Chongming Ancestor's feet.
His spiritual power was sealed, making him no different from a mortal.
Chongming Ancestor sneered mockingly, "Qingcang was considered a regional overlord, able to contend with this Ancestor in this era. But as a member of the Death Clan, he lacked a spirit of decisive slaughter. If he had spared no cost to kill Zhang Ruochen earlier, how could he have ended up so tragically? This shows that when doing things, one must be thorough. When weeding, one must pull out the roots, or endless troubles will follow."
Chongming Ancestor grabbed the Seventh Elder by the neck and lifted him.
Looking at the Seventh Elder's fierce eyes, he felt a surge of pleasure, as if the life and death of all beings in the world were under his control, with a single thought determining life or death.
"Tiannan's Third Elder sent the Thunder Lord, hoping to use the Nether Ancestor Faction's power to kill Zhang Ruochen. That was his dying wish, and this old man will fulfill it for him. What about you? What is your dying wish?" Chongming Ancestor asked with a smile.
The Seventh Elder said nothing, staring at him with intense killing intent.
His heart pounded like a war drum, slowly tearing apart the seal Chongming Ancestor had placed earlier.
Chongming Ancestor wasn't worried he could cause any trouble. "Since you have no last words, this old man will send you on your way! I hope the spiritual power and the Light of Death Time Tree you inherited from Qingcang can help me break through to the ninety-fourth level of the Half-Ancestor realm."
"Boom!"
The Wind Pavilion shook violently.
A wave of overwhelming power erupted from the center of the hall, surging in all directions.
Chongming Ancestor's face changed drastically. He immediately released his spiritual power, forming a formation shield to block the incoming power tide.
He retreated more than ten steps before neutralizing the impact.
"Tap, tap."
Zhang Ruochen, holding the Abyssal Divine Sword, walked toward him step by step.
The formation inscription patterns clung to him like countless spider webs, but he cut through them with his sword, his steps unhindered.
"I told you, your strength can't support your greed. Why didn't you believe me?" Zhang Ruochen said lightly.
"This is impossible. How could you break the formation left by an Ancestor? I am inside, and Teng Zu is outside."
Although Chongming Ancestor had focused his mind on devouring the Seventh Elder, with his spiritual power, even if he were billions of miles away, he could still control the formation here to some extent.
So he didn't think his distraction had caused the failure.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The formation left by the Ancestor is indeed formidable, but unfortunately, the one controlling it is not the Ancestor. You are only at the ninety-third level. Do you think that by relying on the Ancestor's external power, you can contend with me?"
At that moment, Chongming Ancestor heard Teng Zu's screams from outside the Wind Pavilion.
"You have Teng Zu outside, I have Xiu Chen outside. Did you really think Xiu Chen Heavenly God wasn't a formidable opponent?" Zhang Ruochen said.
(Chapter End)