Chapter 4134: The Sacrifice Begins
The moment he made his move, he went all out.
A ninety-fourth-level peak half-ancestor—the instant his spiritual power erupted from within his body, it felt as if the entire universe was trembling. The Indestructible Infinites present sensed their divine souls about to be shaken out of their physical shells. The divine Qi and rules within their bodies could not circulate.
"Swoosh—"
The Fourth Confucian Ancestor was like the sole "Sacred Great Sun" between heaven and earth. His majestic divine path fully bloomed, its radiance shining through the ages, dispersing the gray sea and intimidating the soul.
As the gray mist was driven away, Meng Huang'e's figure became clear a hundred zhang away.
She was dressed in red robes, as vivid as a winter plum blossom.
Her long sleeves were wide like clouds. With a gentle wave, the entire space shifted, wrapping up the incoming majestic divine Qi and spiritual power beam and pressing it back toward the Fourth Confucian Ancestor.
Too domineering!
Not only did she neutralize the attack of a ninety-fourth-level peak half-ancestor, but she also manipulated the attack, transforming it into her own power.
Although she wore Meng Huang'e's appearance, everyone present had only one thought in their minds: "She is the Nether Ancestor!"
"Swoosh!"
The Fourth Confucian Ancestor propped up a scroll painting in front of him.
The painting depicted the North Marsh Great Wall.
He had painted it when he went to the North Marsh Great Wall, gazing at it from the starry sky, moved by the sight.
The scroll fluttered in the wind. As space pressed in, a true, majestic, and enduring North Marsh Great Wall flew out from the paper, spanning heaven and earth.
The wall stood tall, exuding boundless ancient charm.
Each beacon tower resembled a war city.
Space was suppressed, and the beam formed by the intertwined majestic divine Qi and spiritual power was blocked.
"Boom!"
Both forces collapsed simultaneously, transforming into an energy storm.
With a tearing sound, the Confucian robe on the Fourth Confucian Ancestor split into four pieces, and his long hair scattered. His body, in a semi-chaotic state, was sent flying backward and disappeared into the gray mist.
His physical body had been destroyed in the earlier formation world, turning into a rain of blood.
But with his level of spiritual power, the physical body was no longer important. With a single thought, he could condense a flesh-and-blood body of decent strength.
Looking at Meng Huang'e's proud and unparalleled figure, Zhang Ruochen, Desolate Heaven, Shang Tian, and Meng Naihe were all deeply shaken. With a wave of her sleeve, she had made a peak half-ancestor so embarrassed and disgraced. Just how terrifying was her combat power?
Ancestor?
Impossible. Unacceptable.
Even a doppelganger should not reach the combat power level of an Ancestor.
If that were true, how could the Ancestors who had influenced countless later generations throughout history hold their heads high?
"Do you know the fate of traitors?"
Meng Huang'e stepped forward, one step at a time, a lotus blooming beneath each foot. Her gaze fell on Gandharva.
Gandharva summoned her black wooden staff, held it horizontally in front of her, and said calmly, "I never submitted, so how can you speak of betrayal?"
So what if it was an Ancestor? So what if it was the Nether Ancestor?
"Boom!"
The black wooden staff spun once in her hand and struck the ground heavily.
Gandharva's spirit and Qi instantly surged to their peak. Her body was as robust as that of any martial artist. Strands of white hair floated in the void like a silver heavenly river, and her gaze was sharp and unstoppable.
Beneath the black wooden staff, the gray earth cracked open rapidly.
Light radiated from the cracks, as dazzling as auroras.
It seemed a blue-green light source was hidden underground.
A divine formation wheel, ten thousand li in diameter, pushed open the gray soil and slowly rose from beneath the earth. Every inch of the divine wheel was woven with hundreds of millions of formation inscriptions.
"This is Love Mountain. This is my territory. Beneath Love Mountain, I have woven a Brahma Fire Return-to-Origin Formation! This formation is prepared for the Ancestor and also for myself. If it cannot burn the Ancestor, then it will burn me. That is better than falling into the Ancestor's hands, suffering endless torment, or becoming a puppet."
"Nether Ancestor, I have long wished to fight you!"
Gandharva pointed her left hand forward. The ten-thousand-li-diameter divine formation wheel began to spin. Magnificent Brahma Fire rose, filling every space within the formation.
It was like her burning heart.
Zhang Ruochen was secretly amazed: "No wonder Gandharva, in her youth, could befriend the Sixth Patriarch and Ksitigarbha King. Her talent is terrifyingly high. She has even comprehended the Brahma Fire of the Kashyapa Buddha."
"Throughout history, aside from the Kashyapa Buddha, only she has cultivated the Brahma Fire," said Desolate Heaven.
Shang Tian said, "This Brahma Fire Return-to-Origin Formation is even more terrifying than the Love Character Talisman. It seems Gandharva's greatest strength remains formations. For a peak spiritual power existence, on their own turf, they indeed have countless backup plans. Martial half-ancestors must retreat."
Meng Naihe smiled bitterly, knowing that the gap between himself and Gandharva had never narrowed.
In their youth, he was no match.
Now, he was even less so.
"Boom!"
As the Brahma Fire surged, Hao Tian, holding the Xuan Huang Halberd, had already severed several gray mist rivers and struck down toward Meng Huang'e's head.
Unlike the Fourth Confucian Ancestor and Gandharva, he was a martial half-ancestor, unafraid of close combat.
As long as he destroyed Meng Huang'e's physical body, the Nether Ancestor would lose the puppet bearing his power.
Meng Huang'e raised her palm to receive Hao Tian's full-force strike.
Her small palm, however, contained the entire Nether Sea, vast beyond billions of li. It gathered all the power of the Xuan Huang Halberd into the Nether Sea.
Her palm was a boundless world.
Hao Tian's expression shifted slightly. With one hand holding the halberd, he formed a hand seal with the other, preparing to unleash the "Life-Slaying Seal."
The lotus mark on Meng Huang'e's brow flickered.
The Nether Sea stirred, and an Ancestor-level force surged toward the Xuan Huang Halberd.
Before Hao Tian could unleash the Life-Slaying Seal, the force transmitted through the Xuan Huang Halberd shook his Qi and blood, making it impossible for him to stabilize his form. Blood dripped from his fingers gripping the halberd.
Such power was something he had never seen below the Ancestor level.
His vision blurred as a red figure flashed.
By the time Hao Tian unleashed the Life-Slaying Seal, Meng Huang'e's palm strike had already landed on his chest.
The palm strike clashed with the Heavenly Punishment Divine Armor. The armor dented slightly. Heavenly Punishment Divine Light burst forth. Hao Tian's five viscera and six organs were shattered, and his body flew backward like a meteor.
Meng Huang'e was as swift as a startling swan, pursuing him. After two exchanges, she had seized the Xuan Huang Halberd from Hao Tian's hands.
With a reverse swing of the halberd, she struck at Hao Tian's neck.
Her gaze was cold, her trajectory precise.
"Swoosh!"
A Brahma Fire barrier rose from the formation, blocking the Xuan Huang Halberd.
Then came a second, a third...
Dozens of Brahma Fire barriers blocked Meng Huang'e's attack, buying time for Hao Tian to retreat.
The previous moment had been extremely perilous. Even though Hao Tian had many protective trump cards, he could not guarantee that his head would not be severed.
Landing on the divine formation wheel, Hao Tian bent his legs, lowering his center of gravity.
"Xuan Huang Suppresses Thunder!"
He roared, clear light illuminating heaven and earth. Thunder rumbled within his body. Countless Xuan Huang-colored lightning surged outward, increasing his power and momentum by another notch.
The airflow crackled like thunder.
This was the manifestation of channeling Xuan Huang divine Qi to its extreme.
In this state, even with Hao Tian's powerful physical body, self-damage occurred.
One could say that the "Xuan Huang Suppresses Thunder" state was a life-or-death combat state, no longer caring whether it would damage one's own foundation.
Meng Huang'e fully released the Nether Sea, covering the Brahma Fire Return-to-Origin Formation, minimizing the formation's impact on her.
Then, she manifested the Eight Phases of the Nether Scripture. With a flicker, she appeared before Gandharva.
She held the Xuan Huang Halberd in one hand and the tin staff that once belonged to Ksitigarbha Treasure Pearl in the other. Her red robes fluttered like war banners in the wind. She intended to severely wound Gandharva first, rendering her combat-ineffective.
How could Gandharva have expected that, within her own formation, Meng Huang'e could move freely?
Seeing the Xuan Huang Halberd descending, she had no time to retreat. She could only mobilize her spiritual power to condense a mountain-stone shield seal to block it.
Such a hastily executed technique could not possibly stop Meng Huang'e.
"Crackle!"
Countless Xuan Huang lightning surged forward, blocking in front of Gandharva.
Hao Tian struck out with both palms simultaneously. One palm was "Ten Thousand Dragons Paying Homage," the other was "Heaven's End and Earth's Decay." They clashed with the Xuan Huang Halberd.
Energy ripples spread outward, causing the Brahma Fire Return-to-Origin Formation to shake violently.
One technique was the Dragon Clan's strongest divine ability; the other was a supreme technique created by Shang Tian. For Hao Tian, whose martial talent had reached its peak, these divine abilities were second nature, already fully integrated.
He blocked it!
A flicker of surprise passed through Meng Huang'e's eyes.
In that moment of surprise, the Heavenly Punishment Divine Light on Hao Tian's body combined with the Xuan Huang lightning, condensing into dozens of ancestral-dragon-shaped heavenly punishment lightning bolts that surged toward her.
"Bang! Bang! Bang..."
Fueled by boundless battle intent, Hao Tian's palms struck out continuously. Various divine abilities that shook the universe fell one after another.
There was the Sixth Patriarch's "Five Fingers Grasping the Universe," the Inverse God Heavenly Venerable's "Truth Without Bounds," the Star Huan Heavenly Venerable's "Thousand Stars Stringing Pearls"...
Gandharva mobilized the formation's power, summoning hundreds of Brahma Fire pillars that broke through the Nether Sea's suppression, attacking Meng Huang'e from various directions.
At the same time, behind Hao Tian and Gandharva, light mirrors of the Eight Phases of the Nether Scripture appeared.
The Nether River, the Nether Sea, the Nether City, the Nether Kingdom... all these scenes were identical to those manifested by Meng Huang'e, like looking into a mirror, front and back.
Hao Tian and Gandharva's hearts sank, thinking it was Meng Huang'e's doing.
If the Eight Phases of the Nether Scripture attacked from both front and back, they would definitely not be able to withstand it.
Soon, they realized it was not what they thought.
On the "Nether City" peak within the Eight Phases of the Nether Scripture behind them stood the Fourth Confucian Ancestor.
This was...
It was the Eight Phases of the Nether Scripture painted by the Fourth Confucian Ancestor.
The "Painted Eight Phases" flew out, colliding with the eight phases manifested by Meng Huang'e, like sixteen great worlds crashing into each other, stirring up chaotic winds.
"Not bad, you three peak half-ancestors do have some skill."
Meng Huang'e stood within the Nether Sea, her form constantly shifting, dispersing pillars of Brahma Fire while simultaneously dealing with Hao Tian's close-range attacks.
In an instant, her advantage was completely gone.
Outside the Brahma Fire Return-to-Origin Formation, on the shore of the gray sea.
Ksitigarbha Treasure Pearl sighed: "Is this the combat power of an Ancestor? A single doppelganger can contend with three peak half-ancestors? Is the gap between a peak half-ancestor and an Ancestor really this vast?"
"It is not an Ancestor's doppelganger; it is the Nether Ancestor's doppelganger," Desolate Heaven corrected.
He had heard Zhang Ruochen's analysis and knew that, throughout history, almost all cultivators who sought to prove the Ancestor path had the shadow of an Immortal behind them.
Thinking of the Eight Divisions Followers guarding the gray sea, Desolate Heaven seriously suspected that, in history, the Yama Clan's Ancestor "Yama," the Shura Clan's Ancestor "Ashura," the Ghost Clan's Ancestor "Yellow Spring Great Emperor"...
Behind all of them was the Nether Ancestor.
After all, how could an Immortal not know when a half-ancestor with Ancestor potential emerged in the universe?
For such a half-ancestor to break through and prove the Dao, only three scenarios were possible: First, all Immortals tacitly agreed, considering the threat insignificant.
Second, an Immortal sheltered and supported them.
Third, the Immortals were negligent, and a fish slipped through the net.
Like the fish that slipped through the net in this era—Ksitigarbha King!
The Immortals had been battling each other since the Chaotic Ancient Era. After several great wars, they were all in a state of injury. Moreover, they were wary of each other, unwilling to expose themselves, hiding in the shadows.
Zhang Ruochen carefully gazed at Meng Huang'e, sensing the countless connections between her and the Nether Sea. He said, "Although the Nether Ancestor has been in the Life and Death Realm for hundreds of thousands of years, his injuries are certainly not healed. Is it really possible for a single doppelganger to contend with three peak half-ancestors? I think not."
"It should be the Nether Sea. The Nether Sea is both one of the Eight Phases of the Nether Scripture and a quarter of the Nether Ancestor's Divine Realm World. The Nether Ancestor can use the Nether Sea to transmit Ancestor-level power across space."
...
"The exit of the gray sea has opened!"
Ksitigarbha King used Ancestor divine Qi to condense a golden path, suspended on the surface of the gray sea, leading directly to the outside world.
Once the gray mist approached this Ancestor path, it was purified by the golden light.
Ksitigarbha King removed his linen cicada robe and draped it over Ksitigarbha Treasure Pearl. He said, "The Om Mani Kasaya was passed from the Fourth Patriarch to the Fifth Patriarch, and from the Fifth Patriarch to Di Huang. Your master passes it to you. From now on, you are the master of the Di Huang Buddhist Sect."
"Master, you are an Ancestor. You are not afraid of the Nether Ancestor. This Di Huang Buddhist Sect still needs you to return and take charge! When the time comes, we will go to the Western Buddha Realm together. Those Buddhist cultivators of the Heavenly Court Universe will surely greet you respectfully. Who would dare not abdicate?" Ksitigarbha Treasure Pearl's eyes reddened.
Ksitigarbha King said, "For a long time in my life, I was obsessed with returning to the Western Buddha Realm, wanting to fight for orthodox doctrine. Therefore, I missed too much. Later, I learned to let go, and instead became enlightened. That was how I stepped into the Ancestor realm."
"Treasure Pearl, remember this! If you define the Buddha, you will never understand what a true Buddha is. What is true? What is false? True and false are all illusions and bubbles."
"Your master has always thought highly of you. It is not easy to ignore external slander, defamation, and doubt, to remain unperturbed by honor or disgrace. Your personality has both the Sixth Patriarch's freedom and optimism and the Fifth Patriarch's thunderous methods. But your state of mind still lacks the right heat. Cultivators all walk this path step by step. Do not forget your original intention. Through a thousand tempers and a hundred refinements, you will attain the ultimate."
"Di Ting, take them away!"
Everyone stood on Di Ting's back, traveling along the golden Ancestor path toward the outside.
Zhang Ruochen gazed toward the south of the gray sea, wanting to go to Biluo Pass, unwilling to flee like this. But the Book of Life and Death and the blood letters in his arms were heavy, constantly telling him that he had to make a choice now.
Hao Tian and the Fourth Confucian Ancestor chose to stay, meaning they intended to perish together with the Nether Ancestor.
With absolute resolve for a life-or-death battle, they would do the impossible, stopping the Minor Calamity.
Just like the Twenty Heavens of that year!
Zhang Ruochen finally understood the feelings of Hao Tian, the Sixth Patriarch, and Yan Huanyu when they fled with the God-Defying Stele back then. He finally understood why they had suffered for hundreds of thousands of years.
He also finally understood why Yan Huanyu had a smile on his face when he "burned the setting sun."
This was a release!
This was a delayed death by hundreds of thousands of years!
If they could stay, no one would want to leave.
Those who fled would, from then on, have to bear all responsibilities.
In that instant, Zhang Ruochen felt as if he had experienced millions of years, growing significantly. From now on, there was no longer any reliance; he could only rely on himself.
Silently, Zhang Ruochen took out the divine artifact "Soul-Shaking Drum" and placed it before him.
He raised the Forgetting Emotion Demon-Subduing Staff and struck heavily.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
The sound of the Soul-Shaking Drum echoed across the gray sea.
Ksitigarbha King stepped into the Brahma Fire Return-to-Origin Formation. A golden Bodhi shadow flew out from his body and collided with Meng Huang'e.
The Nether light on Meng Huang'e's body shattered. Her body retreated, and the tin staff and Xuan Huang Halberd flew out of her hands.
Her physical body was severely damaged. Her snow-white skin turned to fine sand, revealing white bones.
Even though she was at the Heavenly Venerable rank, she still could not withstand Ancestor-level power, suffering irreversible damage.
Zhang Ruochen swung the Forgetting Emotion Demon-Subduing Staff faster. The drumbeats grew louder and more urgent. He knew that Meng Huang'e would likely follow in Meng Huang Ni's footsteps.
In this great era, no matter how outstanding one's talent, no matter how stunning, death could come in an instant.
Meng Huang'e, her body broken, stared at Ksitigarbha King standing opposite her and the figures of Hao Tian, Gandharva, and the Fourth Confucian Ancestor behind him, each displaying their divine abilities.
Behind her, the Nether Sea churned, forming a tornado that pierced through space.
This was a spatial path opened with the water of the Nether Sea!
"The sacrifice has begun. No one can stop this anymore! Your cultivation is quite good—you are all Ancestor-grade medicinal herbs!"
An overlapping and vast voice came from the end of the spatial path.
"If you had fled separately, it would have been quite troublesome. It would have been difficult to keep all of you. Since you chose to stay and want to stop the Minor Calamity, I will grant you the highest respect."
The Nether Ancestor's true body appeared at the end of the path, seemingly humanoid, stepping on the water surface as he walked forward, his hands touching the water curtains on either side of the spatial path.
An even more terrifying Ancestor-level power was transmitted through the Nether Sea to Meng Huang'e.
Meng Huang'e screamed, and fierce Nether flames burned on the surface of her body.
"You think those juniors can escape? In my world, nothing escapes my control." This was shouted by Meng Huang'e.
"Now, let me show you the power of the Calamity—Entropy Flame!"
Meng Huang'e soared into the air, holding a cloud of fire in her hand, striking at Ksitigarbha King.
Ksitigarbha King had never seen such violent and raging flames. They contained the secrets of the origin of heaven and earth, as if they came from the beginning of the world and existed solely to destroy it.
"You go to Biluo Pass and stop the sacrifice. Leave this place to me!"
Ksitigarbha King mobilized the Brahma Fire in the formation wheel. Using the gentle and soft power of the Brahma Fire, he neutralized the Entropy Flame and brushed his palm across Meng Huang'e's body.
Meng Huang'e was sent flying, crashing into the passage formed by the Nether Sea's water.
An even larger area of her body turned to sand and was lost. Her flesh and blood were broken and incomplete, no longer showing any trace of beauty, only hideousness and terror.
Ksitigarbha King's gaze remained fixed on the Nether Ancestor at the end of the spatial passage. He walked in without hesitation, waving his hand to send the attacking Meng Huang'e flying again.
The Nether Ancestor's true body must be terrifying.
Only he could walk this path!
Because he was the Ancestor of this era, the backbone of this age.
When the Sixth Patriarch said back then, "You come to face the calamity, to save the suffering. The common people of the world are entrusted to you," it sounded laughable when he was young, like a boastful and self-righteous joke.
But at this moment, he wanted to tell the Sixth Patriarch: "The joke from back then, I am going to take it seriously now!"
Ksitigarbha King said, "May I ask the Sixteenth Day, has any Ancestor in ancient times ever self-destructed their divine source to kill you?"
"Not yet," said the Nether Ancestor.
Ksitigarbha King said, "Today, there will be! If you enter the gray sea, this humble monk will take you to hell with me."
The Nether Ancestor did not stop walking. He said, "I mean, no Ancestor has ever had the ability to self-destruct their divine source in front of me."
"Is that so? Then how did the Twenty Heavens of that year manage it? It seems that when faced with a cultivator who has truly made up their mind, you are also helpless."
This statement pointed out that the Nether Ancestor's injuries were not healed, and he might not be able to stop an Ancestor from self-destructing their divine source.
Ksitigarbha King strode forward in the spatial passage, one step covering a star domain. The golden light on his body grew brighter and brighter. The Brahma Fire Return-to-Origin Formation floating behind him traveled with him.
Gandharva gazed at Ksitigarbha King, who was walking deeper and deeper into the spatial passage, standing still for a long time. No one knew what was going through her mind.
Hao Tian and the Fourth Confucian Ancestor had already rushed toward Biluo Pass.
...
Er Juntian, clad in the Ten Thousand Star Burning Gold Armor and wielding the Heaven-Opening Battle Axe, stood majestically atop the gate of Biluo Pass. His body was like a towering divine mountain.
Before the gate, figures moved, war banners fluttered, and the cultivators of the Eight Divisions Followers were transporting "sacrifices," continuously driving the living beings from various planets into the sacrificial pits.
Living beings were like charcoal.
In the sacrificial pits, divine flames burned.
Biluo Pass and the Life and Death Realm were rapidly merging.
Within the Life and Death Realm, the power of life and death operated, forming a vortex over a billion li in diameter, absorbing the life Qi, souls, blood Qi, and lifespan of the living beings in the sacrificial pits.
As the Life-Death Lamp lit up in the Life and Death Realm, its light spread outward, and the vortex spun faster.
Gradually, the living beings in the sacrificial pits could no longer satisfy the death vortex.
Like a siphon, the vortex began to continuously absorb the life Qi, souls, blood Qi, and lifespan from the gray sea... and then, through the gray sea, it affected the Santu River, gradually spreading to the various planets, ruins realms, and great worlds of Tianhuang.
Soul Mother stood at the edge of the Life and Death Realm, glanced at Bore and Cihang Venerable, and said, "The Saha World and the Ultimate Bliss World have already merged with the Life and Death Realm. Now you know! The Nether Ancestor wanted to refine you into the world spirit of the Life and Death Realm, but now it seems Cihang Venerable is more suitable."
Cihang Venerable's gaze was clear, without fear. He said, "If I become the world spirit of the Life and Death Realm, the first thing I will do is stop this death vortex."
"Do you think your consciousness can still exist before becoming the world spirit? What we need is just your soul."
The Life-Death Lamp flickered at the center of the death vortex, its light spreading outward in rings.
A joyful expression suddenly appeared on Soul Mother's face. She said, "I can sense that the life and death Qi has already spread out, entering the Tianhuang universe. It has begun. The Minor Calamity has already begun. Now, we only await the Nether Ancestor's arrival to personally control the Life and Death Realm."
This was still the eve of the Minor Calamity!
The Life and Death Realm had no world spirit yet, and the Nether Ancestor had not yet arrived.
The energy of the death vortex was limited, far from enough to reap the living beings of the entire universe.
Cihang Venerable was neither sad nor happy. He said, "If I calculate the time, Erjia Heavenly King should have already arrived at the Life and Death Realm Star."
"Do you think he can send the news back to the Hell Realm in advance?" asked Soul Mother.
"I originally had no hope, but when I saw Mortal Dust and Saint Si Daochang, I suddenly became full of confidence," said Cihang Venerable.
Soul Mother smiled without a word.
Because she knew that Lady Shiji was on the Life and Death Realm Star. Any heavenly secrets or information transmitted from Tianhuang would be intercepted in advance.
Xuan Yuan Lian Er had gone to the Life and Death Realm Star. It was definitely a dead end.
...
Outside Biluo Pass.
Hao Tian, holding the halberd, stepped on the waves. The life and death Qi automatically parted as he approached.
"Er Juntian, today we will decide who is superior and also settle life and death. Do you dare to fight?"
The divine voice echoed for a long time.
"Since you have this intention, I will naturally oblige," said Er Juntian.