Chapter 4048: Zhang Ruochen's Backup Plan
Ripples spread across the chest of the Nether Sea Spirit, whose body seemed both liquid and mist, dissolving the force of Zhang Ruochen's sword finger strike into nothingness.
This was an extraordinary level of cultivation, having reached the realm of true self and no-self, as if one with heaven and earth themselves.
No matter how high one's cultivation, one cannot punch through heaven and earth—such was the principle at play.
The Nether Sea Spirit watched as four divine artifact war weapons flew toward it. The divine sword pierced the void, the stone blade cleaved the heavens, the Earth Cauldron suppressed the origin, and the Hong Cauldron evolved a star sea. Each possessed astonishing destructive power.
"Divine artifact war weapons are merely tools; one's own cultivation is the foundation. I need no weapons—my hands are the strongest weapons of all."
It showed no sign of panic, responding calmly as it raised its arm and swung it down like a whip.
"Whoosh!"
A winding, meandering Nether River emerged along its arm, sweeping outward together with the arm, collecting all four divine artifact war weapons.
Even the Heavenly Demon Stone Blade sank into the Nether River, unable to break free.
The Nether Sea Spirit's eyes were sharp and proud, with myriad laws arising and perishing within its pupils. "You cultivate both the *Luo Shu* and the *He Tu* simultaneously, yet you haven't even perfected the Minor Derivation. How can you contend with me? First-rank Divine Paths, Wuji and Taiji—none are even one ten-thousandth as profound as the Nether Ancestor's Dao."
Its voice resounded across the star sea, causing countless stars to tremble.
...
"Whoosh!"
Ba'er executed the Heaven-Stepping Technique, his foot as large as a planet, carrying the surrounding space as he heavily stomped toward the canyon where Zhang Ruochen had fallen, intending to bury him underground.
Countless rules and demonic qi descended with his foot.
"Boom!"
Mountains collapsed, the earth sank, and ravines were buried.
This region of the Nether Kingdom underwent a dramatic transformation of terrain, with space compressed and twisted, enough to bury and kill any Heavenly God.
A bright beam of sword energy shot up from another region. Zhang Ruochen, with blood wings spread behind him, appeared tens of thousands of miles behind Ba'er.
Ba'er did not turn around. He immediately released twenty-one Demon God Stone Pillars from his divine realm world, piling them into a stone mountain. As if able to predict Zhang Ruochen's movement path, the stone mountain crashed into the void on the left.
"Boom!"
The Wu Cauldron materialized out of thin air, colliding heavily with the stone mountain. Energy ripples spread across the entire Nether Kingdom.
Ba'er's prediction was both correct and incorrect.
Zhang Ruochen's true body appeared within the winding Nether River, intending to first retrieve the Abyssal Ancient Divine Sword.
The Nether River manifested by the Nether Sea Spirit was woven from rules and order. By mere thought alone, the four divine artifact war weapons could not be retrieved.
"You're not fleeing, but instead trying to retrieve your war weapons? Wishful thinking."
The Nether Sea Spirit rode the wind, moving even faster than Zhang Ruochen by three parts, striking a palm at Zhang Ruochen's back.
The true body's palm strike contained eight hundred divine powers, enough to kill eight hundred gods.
Just as his fingertips were inches away from touching the hilt of the Abyssal Ancient Divine Sword, Zhang Ruochen had to abandon his attempt. He turned and threw a punch, colliding with the Nether Sea Spirit's palm.
Immovable Wisdom King Fist!
"Boom!"
One punch shattered all eight hundred divine powers.
But the Nether Sea Spirit's palm force was even more terrifying than eight hundred divine powers, its palm harder than a divine artifact.
Half-ancestor divine power descended like a violent storm. Zhang Ruochen was sent flying backward, all the way to beneath the twenty-seven Celestial Realm Worlds, plunging into the nine-layered chaotic divine light before stabilizing himself.
The Nether Sea Spirit let out a soft exclamation of surprise, only then noticing that the Abyssal Ancient Divine Sword had returned to Zhang Ruochen's hand.
Sword energy rained down, weaving through the nine-colored chaotic divine light.
Just moments ago, when it had struck its palm at Zhang Ruochen, space had shown signs of distortion.
While receiving its full-powered palm strike, Zhang Ruochen had still had the spare strength to distort space and seize the Abyssal Ancient Divine Sword. This exceeded the Nether Sea Spirit's expectations.
At the very least, in terms of spatial mastery, Zhang Ruochen was certainly not inferior to it.
"Zhang Ruochen, thank you for the cauldron! The Wu Cauldron, also known as the Jade Emperor Cauldron, was once the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable's strongest war weapon. When pushed to its limit, it can communicate with the ancient witch ancestor. I wonder if that's true or false?"
Ba'er stood at the edge of the Wu Cauldron's mouth, demonic qi and rules surging from beneath his feet, coalescing into eight demonic dragon iron chains that tightly bound the cauldron.
Earlier, he had been struck by the Sword Heart, suffering greatly, with severe damage to his divine soul.
After seizing the Wu Cauldron, Ba'er's resentment finally subsided. A smile spread across his face as he intended to provoke Zhang Ruochen, throwing him off balance.
Zhang Ruochen stood on a long bridge formed from nine-colored chaotic divine light, with twenty-seven Celestial Realm Worlds magnificent and grand behind him. He radiated a might no less than that of a half-ancestor. "Then you'd better hold onto it well. The Wu Cauldron only recognizes members of the Zhang family."
Ba'er stared intently at Zhang Ruochen's eyes, finding it hard to understand why he could remain so calm.
"The twenty-seven Celestial Realm Worlds left behind by the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable indeed contain extraordinary ancestral divine power. By borrowing the Sword Ancestor's Sword Heart, you can indeed unleash that ancestral divine power. But with your cultivation level, you simply cannot control the ancestral divine power of the twenty-seven Celestial Realm Worlds. You can't withstand that force. That forced attempt earlier must have caused you backlash, right?"
"Thank you for your concern, Supreme Pillar. For every thousand strikes I deal you, I only harm myself by five hundred."
Zhang Ruochen remained composed throughout, presenting an air of calm confidence to the Nether Sea Spirit and Ba'er, making them suspicious.
The Nether Sea Spirit was in no hurry to attack. While collecting the Heavenly Demon Stone Blade, Earth Cauldron, and Hong Cauldron from the Nether River, it also sent a divine soul thought clone to ride the Nether Sea back to the Nether Kingdom, preparing to take control of the eighty-thousand-tower formation there.
The Nether Sea Spirit was its true body.
The Nether Sea was also its true body.
Thus, the Nether Sea returning to the Nether Kingdom was far more than just a mere clone—its combat power was not much less than that of a half-ancestor.
Zhang Ruochen did not intercept the Nether Sea, nor was he capable of intercepting it. All his spiritual awareness was locked onto the Nether Sea Spirit and Ba'er. "Separating your spirit from the sea will be the most wrong decision you make today."
"Is that so? Because after the Nether Sea enters the Nether Kingdom, the gods of the Destiny Temple will be completely annihilated?"
The Nether Sea Spirit was not only profound in cultivation but also possessed a first-rate mind.
If Zhang Ruochen wanted to flee, even the combined efforts of the Nether Sea Spirit and Ba'er would find it difficult to keep him there.
Knowing this, the Nether Sea Spirit had to take control of the formation composed of eighty thousand towers within the Nether Kingdom, trapping the gods of the Destiny Temple inside.
Zhang Ruochen's lips curled into a smile. "Aren't you curious about who sent you the message? And what their purpose was?"
The news that Zhang Ruochen and Feng Tian had come to the North Marsh Great Wall had undoubtedly been delivered to the Nether Ancestor Faction by the God Realm.
The Nether Sea Spirit and Ba'er could not have failed to speculate about this.
What the God Realm's purpose was—Zhang Ruochen didn't need to mention it. The Nether Sea Spirit and Ba'er understood it better than anyone.
The Nether Sea Spirit had absolute confidence in its own strength. "As long as the Eternal True Ruler doesn't come, anyone from the God Realm who comes to the Nether Kingdom will die. No matter how many schemes and calculations they have, in the end, it will all be for nothing."
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand. "If you had said that before separating your spirit from the sea, I would have believed you. But now... it's hard to say."
Ba'er's smile faded. "Zhang Ruochen, you'd better worry about yourself first. Fighting two half-ancestors alone—how long can you last?"
"Who said I'm alone?"
Before the words had even faded, Zhang Ruochen took a step, shattering space, and in an instant appeared before the Nether Sea Spirit.
Who would have thought that, in such a predicament, he would still dare to take the initiative to attack?
The Abyssal Ancient Divine Sword traced heavy marks of time order, a sword strike that could sever an eon, carrying endless sword energy and time waves as it slashed toward the Nether Sea Spirit's head.
The Nether Sea Spirit neither dodged nor avoided. It struck out with a palm, its palm force collapsing the sword energy and time order marks.
When the palm and sword edge collided, a clanging sound like metal striking stone erupted.
The Nether Sea Spirit's body could be as soft as water mist or as indestructible as diamond.
Before the two could separate, Ba'er's true body had already reached Zhang Ruochen's side. He raised the Wu Cauldron's leg and smashed it down on Zhang Ruochen with the force of sweeping away a thousand armies.
Too fast to avoid.
Zhang Ruochen was sent flying once again. This time, large areas of his physical body were damaged, blood flowing profusely.
He was defeated in a single exchange.
Facing both Ba'er and the Nether Sea Spirit simultaneously—not to mention Zhang Ruochen, even if Heavenly Mother, Hao Tian, or Lady Shiji acted alone, it would be a crushing defeat.
Although Zhang Ruochen had been wounded, only Ba'er pressed the attack.
The Nether Sea Spirit only took half a step forward before stopping, its gaze fixed in the direction of the Eighteen Layers of Nether Purgatory.
The Eighteen Layers of Nether Purgatory had been clashing with the Twenty-Seven Celestial Realm Worlds all along. Both the Nether Sea Spirit and Zhang Ruochen had left part of their divine soul thoughts within these forty-five worlds, respectively mobilizing the power of the Nether Ancestor and the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable to duel.
Beneath the Eighteen Layers of Nether Purgatory, the frozen remnants of Xu Tian's body and the Blood Drop Sword were suppressed.
Within the Twenty-Seven Celestial Realm Worlds, the Dark Hand was suppressed.
Just as the Nether Sea Spirit's gaze turned in that direction, a golden radiance illuminated the starry sky where the Nether Purgatory and Celestial Realm Worlds were located.
"Woof!"
The sound was like a dog's bark, its sonic waves resounding throughout the cosmos.
The massive body of the Golden Lion Ancestor crashed through space, arriving beneath that starry sky, charging straight toward the Nether Sea Spirit.
The long hair on its neck shimmered like golden silk. Every time it stepped on the void, circles of golden water-like ripples appeared beneath its hooves.
That sonic wave shattered the ice beneath the Eighteen Layers of Nether Purgatory that had sealed Xu Tian and the Blood Drop Sword.
The Blood Drop Sword let out a long cry, turning into a beautiful arc as it flew into Chi Yao's hands.
Chi Yao stood on the Golden Lion Ancestor's back, sword in hand, staring down the Nether Sea Spirit.
As the Golden Lion Ancestor extended its claw to strike at the Nether Sea Spirit, Chi Yao swung her sword, cutting through the Nether River flowing around the Nether Sea Spirit. She collected the Earth Cauldron and Hong Cauldron into her divine realm world.
Only now did the Nether Sea Spirit finally understand why Zhang Ruochen had knowingly charged in to be severely wounded earlier, actively attacking it.
He was creating an opportunity for Chi Yao and the Golden Lion Ancestor.
An opportunity to rescue Xu Fengjin.
The Nether Sea Spirit knew well the strength of the Golden Lion Ancestor's power and dared not receive it with bare hands. It had no choice but to swing the Heavenly Demon Stone Blade.
The moment blade and claw touched, it immediately collapsed the space beneath its feet, voluntarily falling into the Void World to disperse the force of the Golden Lion Ancestor's claw strike.
On the other side, Xu Tian escaped. His shattered body reconstituted, his expression extremely fierce as he shouted, "Give me a divine medicine! I need to recover my injuries as quickly as possible!"
"There are divine medicines in the Celestial Realm Worlds. Go pick them yourself."
Zhang Ruochen and Ba'er each held a cauldron, engaged in close combat, cauldron clashing against cauldron.
Xu Tian was eager to recover his strength and take revenge. He turned into a streak of light and rushed into the Twenty-Seven Celestial Realm Worlds.
Moments later, Xu Tian emerged from the Celestial Realm Worlds, riding the hundreds of thousands of war swords left behind by the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, intending to go fight the Nether Sea Spirit and reclaim his dignity.
"Go to the Nether Kingdom! Don't let the Nether Sea Spirit's clone take control of the formation. The Sword Source Divine Tree and the Heavenly Mechanism Brush are suppressed in the Nether Sea," Zhang Ruochen said.
Xu Tian's eyes rolled slyly. He regained some rationality and immediately changed direction, his figure disappearing into the black mist-covered land of the Nether Kingdom.
Zhang Ruochen was certain that the Dark Remnant had come to the North Marsh Great Wall and was watching this battle.
But from beginning to end, Zhang Ruochen had never placed his hopes on Him.
When plotting with a tiger, the most important thing is not the plot itself, but preventing oneself from being eaten by the tiger.
What the Dark Remnant sought was the Dark Hand in Zhang Ruochen's possession, not people like the Nether Sea Spirit and Ba'er.
So, in essence, Zhang Ruochen was His prey.
Of course, if Zhang Ruochen was strong enough to severely wound the Nether Ancestor Faction, then as the Nether Ancestor Faction's mortal enemy, the Dark Remnant would naturally not mind joining in to help Zhang Ruochen wipe them out in one fell swoop.
What the Dark Remnant wanted to see even more was Zhang Ruochen and the Nether Ancestor Faction mutually destroying each other. Then, the initiative would be in His hands.
The Golden Lion Ancestor was Zhang Ruochen's true trump card, and rescuing Xu Tian would be the most important link in turning the battle around.
Now, Zhang Ruochen was only waiting for the Heavenly Court side to show up.
The trip to the North Marsh Great Wall was fraught with danger and of great importance, enough to influence the cosmic situation after the Jade Desolate Realm opened.
As a strategic ally, how could Zhang Ruochen not have communicated with Hao Tian?
Both the Sword Realm and the Hell Realm had sent powerful experts, so the Heavenly Court would naturally respond accordingly.
If the battle at the North Marsh Great Wall was fierce enough, it would continuously attract various forces here, reducing the pressure on the Heavenly Court, Sword Realm, Hell Realm, and Jade Desolate Realm.
"Where have the cultivators of the Heavenly Court gone? Why haven't they appeared yet?"
Zhang Ruochen was full of doubts, a foreboding feeling rising in his heart.
...
Pan Yuan Ancient God walked step by step along the North Marsh Great Wall, his body like a bronze-cast divine mountain, his arms like pillars, his eyes blazing with world-destroying divine flames.
Beside him walked Feng Yan, dressed in splendid divine robes, holding the Pure Yang Divine Sword, with sword-like brows and star-like eyes, exuding an air of nobility.
Beneath a beacon tower ahead, a thin, blue-clad figure sat cross-legged, both hands resting on a zither.
The zither music was melodious, as if recounting millennia of grudges and grievances, filled with endless sorrow and desolation.
As Pan Yuan Ancient God and Feng Yan drew closer, the zither music took a sharp turn, becoming piercing and intense. In the void, the sounds of real battle arose—countless armies marching, killing cries reaching the heavens.
It was only when Pan Yuan Ancient God stopped ten zhang away that the blue-clad, Confucian-robed old man pressed his hands down on the strings, and the zither music abruptly ceased.
Recognizing the blue-clad old man's face, Pan Yuan Ancient God narrowed his eyes, his eyelids twitching as he forcefully suppressed the earth-shattering shock in his heart. "I never thought you were still alive, and had aged to this extent."
Feng Yan, however, did not recognize who the old Confucian was. His gaze fixed on the Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord standing at the entrance of the beacon tower, many doubts rising in his heart.
The blue-clad old man wore a square scarf on his head, his face covered in wrinkles. He smiled. "In this world, how can one have both perfection? To gain cultivation, one must naturally sacrifice time."
Pan Yuan Ancient God observed the surrounding space warily. "Only a little over two hundred thousand years, and your spiritual power is now something I can't even see through. The peak of the ninety-third rank, or the ninety-fourth?"
"No need to be so tense. I haven't set up any formations. Let's just treat this as old friends catching up. Why don't we have a chat?"
The blue-clad old man picked up the zither and handed it to the Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord, then rolled up his sleeves and made a gesture of invitation.
On the ground opposite the bronze low table, a cushion was placed.
Pan Yuan Ancient God said, "Old friends catching up? You're deliberately waiting here to stop me from going to help Zhang Ruochen, aren't you? Both of you are cultivators from the Kunlun Realm, and he is even the heir of Xumi. Don't you show any consideration at all? They say you educate with virtue, cultivate the Dao with virtue, and illuminate the heart with virtue. This virtue of yours isn't cultivated very well, is it?"