Chapter 4049: The Fourth Confucian Ancestor
"Virtue is the name for both inner and outer conduct. In the heart, it is virtue; when put into action, it is conduct. How does the Primordial God know that what I am doing now is not adhering to virtue?" asked the old man in the green Confucian robe.
"Then I would be happy to hear the details."
The Primordial God Pan Yuan sensed that this region of heaven and earth had elements that did not conform to the rules. Knowing it would be difficult to leave just like that, he walked over openly and sat down on the meditation cushion.
His body was robust, like a mountain or a great peak, more than ten times the size of the Confucian-robed elder opposite him, giving off a very oppressive aura.
The old man in the green Confucian robe spoke slowly: "I came to the North Marsh Great Wall precisely to annihilate the evil followers of the Nether Ancestor faction."
"Perhaps the Primordial God does not know that a change has occurred in Tiannan. Qingcang's third disciple offered the Thunder Duke to the Nether Sea Spirit. The Nether Sea Spirit intends to use the North Marsh Great Wall to forge a new Half-Ancestor body for itself, nourishing its soul with the dead spirits of the Santu River."
"If the Thunder Duke returns at full strength and seizes the Sword Realm of the Wuding Divine Sea, he will inevitably bear the brunt of the attack. Following that, it will be difficult for the Heavenly Court Universe and the Hell Realm to escape unscathed, will it not?"
When the Primordial God Pan Yuan brought up the word "virtue," Feng Yan already had a guess in his heart.
Throughout history, the only person who cultivated the Dao with virtue and spread virtue throughout the world was the Fourth Confucian Ancestor, who had disappeared over two hundred thousand years ago.
Everyone in the world believed he had fallen. Who would have thought he would appear alive right before their eyes?
In what capacity was the Fourth Confucian Ancestor appearing here? Which side did he represent?
And why was the Divine Ancestor Lord traveling with him?
Feng Yan said: "Forgive my bluntness, Senior, but in this era, heroes rise from all sides. Even if the Thunder Duke returns at his peak, he cannot harm the Sword Realm, let alone threaten the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm. The only ones truly capable of ruling the world are the Primordial Ancestors. Beings like Corpse Nightmare and the Eternal True Ruler are such existences. However, the Divine Realm and the Nether Ancestor faction are opponents, and the two Primordial Ancestors will inevitably check each other..."
At this point, Feng Yan stopped, as if he had suddenly understood something. An extremely complex expression appeared in his eyes. "Senior, are you under the banner of the Divine Realm?"
Who else but the Divine Realm would dare to utter such bold words as "annihilate the Nether Ancestor faction"?
The old man in the green Confucian robe looked deeply at Feng Yan and said: "The head of the Feng Clan is young and accomplished. He discusses Half-Ancestors and Primordial Ancestors without changing his expression, understands the great affairs of the world, and knows the universe. He can be called a dragon among men, with limitless potential."
Although it sounded like praise, Feng Yan detected another meaning.
The other party was clearly saying that he was young and arrogant, lacking reverence for Half-Ancestors and Primordial Ancestors, and had shallow insight.
Feng Yan bowed respectfully and said with neither humility nor arrogance: "Thank you for the praise, Confucian Ancestor! Your junior is dull-witted. If the Confucian Ancestor has any guidance, please speak plainly."
The old man in the green Confucian robe did not deny the address. He stroked his beard and nodded, smiling: "I have old ties with the ancestors of the Feng Clan. I sincerely believe that the Feng Clan has worthy successors. To have reached the peak of the Great Unbound Infinite at such a young age, even with the help of the Sundial, but without exceeding eight hundred thousand years of age, is truly remarkable."
"You are right. If an era has a Primordial Ancestor, then that Primordial Ancestor is the sole ruler. Living beings below the Primordial Ancestor have no right to speak. It is like the Great Demon God in the chaotic ancient times, who decided life and death with a single word—the life and death of everyone."
"But if an era has two Primordial Ancestors, or more, it becomes difficult for any one of them to decide life and death with a single word. Half-Ancestors then have value to them!"
"Once Half-Ancestors have value, Heavenly Venerable-level beings have value to Half-Ancestors. And so on, every god, every cultivator, has value."
"With value, one can live."
Feng Yan said: "Is the Confucian Ancestor speaking of the Way of Balance? Is he telling this junior about the value the Thunder Duke possesses?"
"The child can be taught."
Then, the old man in the green Confucian robe continued: "When one's Spiritual Power reaches the ninety-fourth level, they can be called a Half-Ancestor. However, the ninety-fourth level also has distinctions: initial, middle, late, and peak stages. Naturally, martial Half-Ancestors also have such differences."
Without any warning, the old man in the green Confucian robe pointed his right index finger.
In front of his fingertip, a writing brush appeared.
The brush flew like an arrow from a bowstring, straight towards the center of the Primordial God Pan Yuan's brow.
The Primordial God Pan Yuan's pupils contracted violently. In front of his brow, the power of order roared and trembled, like a cosmic big bang, releasing terrifying energy.
"Boom!"
A colorful nebula appeared in front of the Primordial God Pan Yuan's brow, vast and boundless, densely packed with rules.
The brush, flying at the speed of light, entered the nebula. Its speed did not change, but it would take several days, or even months, to reach the Primordial God Pan Yuan's brow.
Within the space of a square inch, a nebula's distance separated them.
The old man in the green Confucian robe seemed to have expected this. He smiled and said: "Do you see? This is the realm of an initial-stage Half-Ancestor! Congratulations, Primordial God, on stepping into this realm. Your lifespan can now reach fifteen Eons."
The Primordial God Pan Yuan waved his hand, shattering the brush condensed from Spiritual Power, and said: "What is there to congratulate? Someone like me, who only broke through to Half-Ancestor at the end of my lifespan due to the loosening of the world's rules, can only live three more Eons at most. There is no hope of becoming a Primordial Ancestor. In any other era, there would not be the slightest possibility of breaking through to Half-Ancestor. On the other hand, you, Sir, have far exceeded my expectations."
The Primordial God Pan Yuan revealed a look of eagerness to try.
Feng Yan had no idea that the Primordial God Pan Yuan had broken through to Half-Ancestor. Naturally, he was overjoyed and excited.
If this news were to spread, the entire Pangu Realm, the entire Eastern Universe, would celebrate.
Half-Ancestor—just having the character 'Ancestor' in the title makes it incomparable to the Heavenly Venerable rank.
The old man in the green Confucian robe said: "We are all the same kind of people. Although we are half-step to being called Ancestors, we can never hope to reach the Primordial Ancestor realm."
"Is that so? For you, isn't there still a chance? If you cultivate the method of immortality, you will have plenty of time to accumulate and comprehend." The Primordial God Pan Yuan probed with these words, wanting to learn more.
The old man in the green Confucian robe gently shook his head and said: "Since the Primordial God has reached the Half-Ancestor realm, you should be able to see your own upper limit. Once the upper limit is set, no matter how much time you have, you will only be marking time. The Quasi-Ancestor realm is something we can only look up to, never reach."
The peak of the Half-Ancestor realm is the "Quasi-Ancestor" realm. One can be invincible under the Primordial Ancestor and can even exchange blows with a Primordial Ancestor.
Affected by the Heavenly Demon Stone Knife, the combat power of the Nine-Headed Stone Man had actually regressed to the Quasi-Ancestor level.
Of course, if he had been able to retrieve the Blood Fiend Bell back then, even while still suppressed by the stone knife, with the Thousand Spirit Blood Fiend, he could still have defeated those who besieged him at the time: Heavenly Mother, Hao Tian, Zhang Ruochen, Void Heaven, Di, Gai Mie, Chi Xingtian, and the five Heavenly Venerable-level old clan emperors.
Just as Heavenly Mother, after obtaining the Houtu Wedding Gown, had the confidence to contend with the Nine-Headed Stone Man.
And with the aid of specific treasures, the Nine-Headed Stone Man could unleash his original Primordial Ancestor-level combat power.
After the Nine-Headed Stone Man died, the Nether Sea Spirit was undoubtedly the number one powerhouse under the Primordial Ancestor. At least, before the appearance of the Residual Lamp Master, no one was its match.
However, even the Nether Sea Spirit was only at the late Half-Ancestor stage. It was only by relying on the Nether Sea and the Eighteen Layers of Nether Refinement World that its combat power was elevated to the Quasi-Ancestor level. In other words, it borrowed the power of the Nether Ancestor.
Of course, sixty thousand years had passed, and everyone had progressed.
Hao Tian, Heavenly Mother, Nutian Shenzun, Lady Shiji, Qishier Pin Lian, Zhang Ruochen...
Even Baal had stepped into a new realm of cultivation by refining three pieces of the Nine-Headed Stone Man's residual body.
Those who do not advance fall back. Those who stand still are destined to be annihilated in the torrent of the great era.
The old man in the green Confucian robe said: "Wind and thunder over eighty thousand towers, corpses and ghosts forge the Nether City. How could the Thunder Duke, one of the four great powerhouses under the Nether Ancestor, be an ordinary person? If he recovers to his peak, he will be a Quasi-Ancestor. If the Nether Ancestor intends to cultivate another Primordial Ancestor, he will be the second Corpse Nightmare. How can such a hidden danger be taken lightly?"
The Primordial God Pan Yuan stared into his eyes and said: "Since that is the case, why did you, Sir, intercept me here? Do you want to watch Zhang Ruochen and the Nether Ancestor faction cripple each other, and then reap the benefits?"
The old man in the green Confucian robe shook his head and sighed: "Whether the Primordial God believes it or not, I regard Zhang Ruochen as a nephew. He is the heir of Xumi, a heroic junior who saved the Kunlun Realm from danger and weakness. But the time to act has not yet come."
"What do you mean, the time has not yet come?"
The Primordial God Pan Yuan did not believe his words at all.
The old man in the green Confucian robe said: "Are the Nether Sea Spirit and Baal not both old schemers? Do you think they cannot guess that someone is watching from the shadows?"
"What if they do?" asked the Primordial God Pan Yuan.
The old man in the green Confucian robe said: "If they guess, they will lure them out and wipe them all out in one fell swoop. If, by relying on the Eighteen Layers of Nether Refinement World, the Nether Sea Spirit can exert Quasi-Ancestor-level combat power, then by relying on the Nether Kingdom's eighty thousand towers, what level can its combat power reach? If you and I join forces, I fear we will be buried there as well."
Feng Yan found it hard to believe. "Bury a Half-Ancestor? Or bury two Half-Ancestors?"
The old man in the green Confucian robe did not ignore Feng Yan because he was young. He said: "That is the Nether Kingdom of the Nether Ancestor, the eighty thousand towers forged by the Life Ancestor and the Thunder Duke, the heavenly net and earthly snare laid down by the Primordial Ancestor Corpse Nightmare. Not to mention us, even if a Primordial Ancestor's true body goes there, they may not come out well."
"The Nether Sea Spirit deliberately separated its sea and spirit to show weakness and lure us into the trap. If I had not stopped you, you... the consequences would be unimaginable."
Feng Yan said: "Imperial Dust is my sworn elder brother. He is in danger. Even if I know it means death, I must go. Besides, if the Nether Kingdom is truly so dangerous, and the Nether Sea Spirit is truly so invincible, why would the Confucian Ancestor dare to utter the bold claim of annihilating the Nether Ancestor faction?"
The Primordial God Pan Yuan, and even the Divine Ancestor Lord, also showed confused expressions.
The old man in the green Confucian robe said: "In the world today, Corpse Nightmare is indeed a Primordial Ancestor with heaven-reaching means, beyond our reach. But the Eternal True Ruler is also a Primordial Ancestor, who has seen a thread of heavenly opportunity in the darkness, a variable."
"What heavenly opportunity? What variable?" asked the Primordial God Pan Yuan.
The old man in the green Confucian robe said solemnly: "The heavenly opportunity cannot be spoken, but the variable lies in Zhang Ruochen and Feng Caiyi. Before I left, the True Ruler said that before the variable occurs, no matter how critical the situation, we must absolutely not act. Once we act, we will change the heavenly opportunity, and everyone will die in the Nether Kingdom."
"Variable? Heavenly opportunity?"
Due to his wariness of the Divine Realm and the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom, Feng Yan had no good feelings towards this Confucian Ancestor before him. Naturally, he did not believe his words.
Feng Yan said: "Acting to help leads to death. Not acting allows survival. Does Senior Pan Yuan believe this ridiculous statement? I only believe that unity of purpose can break metal. The Eternal Heavenly Kingdom has always liked to stand on a moral high ground to judge the world, but only they know their true purpose."
"Who knows if the 'variable' he speaks of is waiting for Imperial Dust to self-destruct his Divine Source? That kind of variable is definitely not what we want."
The Primordial God Pan Yuan was clearly also skeptical of the old man in the green Confucian robe's words. He stood up from the meditation cushion, having already made a decision in his heart: if the other party released his Spiritual Power, he would counterattack with the force of a thunderbolt.
The old man in the green Confucian robe seemed to see through his thoughts and said: "I will definitely stop you from going to the Nether Kingdom now. If you and I fight, it will not change the battle situation over there. Why not trust me once? Sit down, and let's talk about the true purpose of the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom. Isn't that what the head of the Feng Clan wants to know?"
...
The Thunder Duke was awakened by the Teng Ancestor.
After escaping from the Demon Ancestor Ridge, the Teng Ancestor entered the Thunder Altar, using the Altar's formations to resist the attacks of the Void Kun War God and Xiu Chen Heavenly God.
The Thunder Duke walked out from underground. Streaks of lightning appeared in the sky, like ten thousand rivers flowing endlessly, with the sound of thunder rising and falling.
All the lightning attacked Feng Tian.
Because on Feng Tian's body, he sensed the aura of the Thunder Clan's Primordial Ancestor Realm.
He had to seize the Thunder Clan's Primordial Ancestor Realm and refine it into his body to quickly restore his Half-Ancestor-level physical strength. Previously, in the Thunder Clan, he could not refine the Thunder Clan's Primordial Ancestor Realm because, at that time, there was still a Thunder Punishment Heavenly Venerable above him.
Thunder Punishment Heavenly Venerable was domineering and would not allow the Thunder Duke's cultivation to reach a level he could not control.
The Thunder Duke had a dragon body and a human head, with four arms. His head was the size of a mountain, with only a few strands of hair on it, each like a lightning whip stretching across the void.
Compared to when he was in the Tiannan Life-and-Death Ruins, the Thunder Duke's appearance had changed considerably.
The biggest change was that the places where his flesh had rotted were now filled with burial gold matter.
The corpse-fiend aura on his body was also concealed by the burial gold and lightning power.
"Feng Caiyi, this is very bad! Baal is heading towards Zhang Ruochen! Zhang Ruochen cannot fight two at once. I am going to help him. Leave this place to you."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God, riding the Sundial, flew towards the North Marsh Great Wall.
Since Xiu Chen Heavenly God had fled, the Void Kun War God dared not engage the Thunder Duke any longer. He led the demon clan cultivators who had submitted to him and immediately retreated, wanting to stay far away from the battlefield.
"Giggle!"
The Teng Ancestor's sinister laughter sounded from underground.
The Void Kun War God immediately spread his wings and flew high.
Just as his golden chicken feet left the ground, the Teng Ancestor's snake head burst through the surface, thick with bloody aura, and shot a beam of deathly energy from its mouth.
After the Void Kun War God dodged the beam, he let out a "cock-a-doodle-doo" cry and swung his claws, knocking off several snake scales from the top of the Teng Ancestor's head.
The battle between the chicken and the snake was triggered instantly.
The Teng Ancestor had been severely wounded by Xiu Chen Heavenly God earlier, and his combat power was greatly diminished. For a time, he fell into a disadvantage.
On the other side, Blood Butcher led several gods from the Destiny Temple and secretly sneaked back to the Wind Pavilion.
Since they could not escape the Nether Kingdom, they naturally had to find a safe place to preserve their lives. Otherwise, even the residual waves of an Indestructible Infinite-level clash would be hard to withstand. Not to mention that Heavenly Venerable-level and Half-Ancestor-level beings were fighting to the death.
Zhang Ruochen had said to Feng Tian earlier that if things became untenable, they could withdraw into the Wind Pavilion.
Blood Butcher had absolute faith in Zhang Ruochen's words.
After the previous great battle, the open ground outside the Wind Pavilion had turned into a scorched wasteland, filled with all kinds of chaotic forces. Even gods below the Infinite Realm could be injured by the lingering destructive energy.
"Eh? That is..."
As soon as Blood Butcher arrived outside the Wind Pavilion, he saw a familiar figure standing at the entrance, scaring him so much that his hair stood on end. It was even more terrifying than seeing the Nether Sea Spirit.
But in the blink of an eye, that figure disappeared.
It was like an illusion.
(End of this chapter)