# Chapter 4144: Overturning Heaven and Earth, Suppressing and Killing the Nether Ancestor
The Desolate Wilderness Universe was as empty and dark as the Heavenly Wilderness Universe, with sparse resources. The number of worlds and planets was less than one percent of the Heavenly Court Universe and the Hell Realm. Yet, it was still an astonishing number, teeming with countless living beings of myriad races.
The cultivators of the Desolate Wilderness Universe were primarily Buddhist practitioners.
On every planet, temples were scattered like stars in the sky, with incense burning in abundance.
On some vast worlds with expansive territories, magnificent Buddhist kingdoms had been built, forming their own ruling structures. In the deserts, beneath the snow-capped mountains, and along ancient roads, one could see dragon-like processions of ascetic monks everywhere, spinning prayer wheels, taking a step and making a prostration.
"Boom!"
On every planet, every world, the Buddhist cultivators all saw eerie Nether Light appearing in the sky, devouring the blue sky and white clouds.
Then, the sunlit world was shrouded by yin energy.
The space of heaven and earth trembled violently, surpassing any earthquake they had ever experienced.
Temples collapsed in droves, pagodas toppled, clay statues turned to dust. Cries of agony, pleas for mercy, prayers, and chanting resounded throughout the Desolate Wilderness Universe.
The formless and directionless power of space was something no one could resist.
Even as strong as the Heavenly Mother, she could not stabilize her form, pulled and dragged by an invisible force, her body like a fallen leaf in a hurricane.
Her divine soul and consciousness seemed to be twisted along with space, difficult to maintain clarity.
None knew how long passed before space finally stabilized, entering a strange starry sky realm.
The tributaries of the Santu River, planets, and great worlds of the Heavenly Wilderness Universe, like overlapping reflections of the world, were merging with the heaven and earth of this strange starry realm.
Some planets collided with each other; some river channels overlapped.
Kshitigarbha King stood steadily outside the River of Forgetfulness, his golden body indestructible, gazing at the incomparably magnificent scene before him. He sighed, pressed his palms together, and said, "Amitabha!"
This Buddhist chant was filled with helplessness.
The calamity had ultimately been drawn to the Desolate Wilderness Universe.
Yama Tai Shang had once traveled through the Desolate Wilderness Universe and understood the distribution of its heavenly rules and great worlds. Shocked, he said, "This is the Desolate Wilderness Universe! We have been pulled here by the Nether Ancestor using great divine power, along with all the matter of the Heavenly Wilderness Universe."
"How is this possible? Has space simply migrated like this?" Lady Shiji asked.
Yama Tai Shang said, "The methods of an Ancestor are not something we can fathom. Moreover, the Nether Ancestor is even more terrifying than an Ancestor. The entire heaven and earth is their hunting ground."
Everyone felt as if doused with cold water, their bodies icy cold. They had thought their own cultivation levels could rival those famous strong ones of history, that united they could pacify all disasters. Even if they fought to the death, the Nether Ancestor could be taken down.
But having truly witnessed the Nether Ancestor's terror, they realized their own insignificance.
If not for Kshitigarbha King being present, they would likely have been completely annihilated by the Nether Ancestor.
The Nether Ancestor's body slowly rotated, turning from an inverted position to an upright one. After steadying themselves, they pointed a finger outward.
"Whoosh!"
Before them in the cosmic void, the tributaries of the Santu River manifested, dense as blood vessels within a human body, crossing the Real World, the Void World, and Lihentian.
The spatial barriers of the three realms, after the blazing light, had become increasingly blurred.
"You insist on fighting to the death to stop me from launching the Life-Death Calamity. Fine, consider yourselves half a move ahead of me. But absorbing the fruits of life from heaven and earth does not necessarily require the Life-Death Calamity."
"The tributaries of the Santu River spread across all living habitats, like the roots of a great tree, omnipresent, continuously absorbing nutrients from heaven and earth for their own growth."
"Every tributary is a line more subtle than the meridians of the Heavenly Dao, together forming a 'River Map.' You blocked the Life-Death Calamity! Can you block this calamity?"
The Nether Ancestor waved their long sleeve, scattering Nether Light.
Endless Ancestor rules and Nether Qi flew out, following the tributaries of the Santu River, surging toward the entire Desolate Wilderness Universe.
The Santu River transformed into the Nether River.
The Dao technique of the "Nether River Scroll" was also one-eighth of the Nether Ancestor's power.
Compared to the Life-Death Calamity, using the Nether River Great Dao and the Santu River to harvest the fruits of life from the universe had many disadvantages.
First, one-eighth of their Dao technique power left their body, making it extremely easy to be broken apart.
Second, if the Life-Death Boundary were pushed to its extreme, the harvesting speed would be far beyond what the Nether River Great Dao could match, capable of spreading across the entire universe at the fastest speed.
The Nether Ancestor's initial plan was perfect!
Once the death vortex in the Life-Death Boundary began to spin, its speed would only increase.
Unfortunately, they encountered a group of cultivators unafraid of death. Not only were they blocked outside the River of Forgetfulness, but they also failed to obtain the Book of Life and Death.
Now, forced to use the Nether River Great Dao in the Desolate Wilderness Universe, they first harvested the fruits of life from the Desolate Wilderness Universe to heal their injuries. Once their strength greatly increased, they could kill Kshitigarbha King, reopen the Gray Sea, and restart the Life-Death Calamity.
In the Desolate Wilderness Universe, one planet after another became desolate. As the Nether Light passed, plants withered, and the ground was covered with shriveled corpses.
Even the great worlds guarded by divine monks could not resist. Under the Nether Light, in the flowing waters of the Nether River, the worlds became dead silent, lights dimmed, and life was extinguished.
All the blood qi, souls, life energy, lifespan... all kinds of fruits of life flowed along the Santu River toward the Nether Ancestor.
"Shallow waters make noise; deep pools are still. Sixteenth Day, launching a Minor Calamity so recklessly, compared to the profound and unfathomable Divine Realm, you have already fallen to a lower level. Have you forgotten the defeat of the Middle Ages?" Kshitigarbha King said.
The words "Divine Realm" indeed could shake the Nether Ancestor's heart.
Just as the Nether Ancestor's attention wavered toward Lihentian, crackling sounds like burning wood came from within Kshitigarbha King's body. His form rumbled as he crossed the sea of stars, closing the distance with the Nether Ancestor.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Every time Kshitigarbha King's form flickered in space, his Ancestor golden body grew by several zhang.
The flames on his body surged greatly.
Any cultivator in the starry sky could feel the death aura on Kshitigarbha King. The world-destroying fluctuations had not yet descended, but it already made their divine souls tremble.
"Kshitigarbha King is going to self-destruct his Ancestor Divine Source, burning himself together with the Nether Ancestor to seek a chance for the Desolate Wilderness Universe."
Lady Shiji's skin was already as white as cold jade, but now her face was even paler.
An Ancestor self-destructing—throughout history, there were only fragmented legends recorded.
This kind of destructive energy was unimaginable, absolutely capable of causing incalculable impact on the entire universe, on the myriad paths of the three realms, with unpredictable consequences.
If they did not leave now, all of them would surely be buried together.
But the Heavenly Mother, the Residual Lamp Master, Yama Tai Shang, and Wen Tianjun showed no intention of fleeing immediately. Instead, they simultaneously released divine qi and rules, unleashing divine abilities, or activating divine artifact war weapons.
Lady Shiji realized that the people around her had never planned to leave alive today.
They all knew that once Kshitigarbha King self-destructed his divine source, even if they stood hundreds of billions of li away, they would still die without a doubt.
But they also knew that for Kshitigarbha King to self-destruct his divine source before the Nether Ancestor was no easy task. So, they all stayed to lend Kshitigarbha King a hand.
They truly intended to die here!
The Nether Ancestor stared at Kshitigarbha King, who was continuously approaching, but did not retreat. They struck out with both palms.
With one hand, time imprints rained down like light, turning into star mist and clouds, trying to freeze the flowing time.
With the other hand, the eight phases of the Nether Book, each like a fully committed divine ability, landed on Kshitigarbha King.
"Boom rumble!"
Kshitigarbha King's Ancestor golden body was continuously shattered, becoming tattered and broken, but he still supported his body, moving forward slowly, like the ascetic monk of his youth who faced wind and frost, yellow sand, and scorching sun, yet remained unyielding, trudging forward with difficulty.
The long-unfamiliar burning and pain on his body were just like back then when he stepped on the hot gravel road—such a familiar feeling.
At that time, there were cicadas chirping, birds singing, the fragrance of flowers and wild fruits. Everything was full of vitality, with infinite longing for the future.
But now, around him were only planets that had become dead silent, worlds that had been destroyed, no longer with color, everything dim.
Kshitigarbha King wished so much that at this moment, he could see the Sixth Patriarch sitting on a large stone by the roadside. He would surely be barefoot, waving a palm-leaf fan, laughing heartily.
All the scenes before him disappeared, like a painting on paper, turning scorched black bit by bit, burning to ashes.
Only the Nether Ancestor remained, infinitely far away.
Too far!
Too far—self-destructing the divine source would certainly not kill them.
But Kshitigarbha King was not discouraged. As an ascetic monk, what he feared least was distance. What was most insignificant to him was hardship.
No matter how far the road, as long as he had a breath left, he would surely reach it.
Behind him, various divine abilities and divine artifacts attacked, but the Nether Ancestor remained motionless, their gaze always locked on Kshitigarbha King. No matter what powerful rule order they mobilized, they could not stop Kshitigarbha King's advancing steps.
The distance between them was closing.
The Nether Ancestor had never imagined that one day they would be forced back by a cultivator who had just entered the Ancestor realm. But now, it seemed they had no choice but to retreat. Just as this thought arose in their heart, they found themselves trapped by a circular spatial confinement. Looking up, they saw a layer of circular, heavy architecture appearing out of nowhere. Its diameter was unknown, as if it were as vast as the entire universe. No matter how they tried, they could not escape its enveloping range.
"Boom!"
This layer of circular architecture fell heavily, pressing down on the Nether Ancestor's head.
"Bang!"
The Nether Ancestor raised a palm, colliding with the circular architecture above.
They could not shatter it.
In that instant, space was compressed and dented.
The range of the dent extended all the way to the feet of the Residual Lamp Master and the Heavenly Mother, pulling them toward the center.
"Some unknown existence wants to suppress and kill the Nether Ancestor! Flee quickly!"
Lady Shiji's face changed drastically. She could no longer remain calm and fled at the fastest speed. Such a turn of events exceeded everyone's expectations. No one dared to stay any longer. They all unleashed divine abilities, breaking free from the pull of space, wanting only to escape as far as possible.
"Boom!"
The second layer of circular architecture fell, further denting space, but it still did not shatter.
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."
Layer upon layer of circular architecture stacked, pressing the Nether Ancestor down continuously.
Wen Tianjun looked back once, then his expression became extremely grave. A total of seventy-two layers of circular architecture pressed down on the Nether Ancestor's head, with countless Ancestor rules interweaving and flowing on them.
The Seventy-Two Layer Tower, which should have been preserved in the Sword Realm, had appeared here.
Who had completed its refinement?
Wen Tianjun had seen the Seventy-Two Layer Tower countless times, but he had never imagined it could unleash such power, pressing the Nether Ancestor to the point where they could only defend, unable to escape.
Yama Tai Shang said, "The refinement of the Seventy-Two Layer Tower had a share from the Nether Ancestor. They probably never imagined that one day they would die beneath this tower."
The Seventy-Two Layer Tower could be said to have been refined by the Space-Time Human Ancestor, the Nether Ancestor, the Sword Ancestor, the Heavenly Demon, and the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable in different eras, each completing one part. It could rival the Nine Cauldrons.
Such a heavy artifact, appearing in its complete form, was truly a significant moment in the history of the universe.
But the cultivators present felt no excitement in their hearts, only infinite fear.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Who was playing a great game to trap and kill the Nether Ancestor?
The obstacles on Kshitigarbha King's path grew fewer and fewer. Dragging his exhausted body, he finally reached the Nether Ancestor. His body was already covered with countless cracks, and the light was blinding to the extreme.
All consciousness faded, leaving only the single thought: "Self-destruct the divine source and kill the Nether Ancestor."
This thought was the strongest thought.
"Whoosh!"
Blinding light erupted beneath the Seventy-Two Layer Tower. There was no sound, but it tore everything apart.
Not only the Nether Ancestor, but even the Seventy-Two Layer Tower shattered into pieces, becoming fragments.
Space rapidly collapsed inward, spreading outward at an inconceivable speed. The entire universe seemed to contract and restart.
An Ancestor self-destructing their divine source—this had only existed in legends.
Now, the legend became reality.
The Desolate Wilderness Universe, the Hell Realm, the Heavenly Court Universe, Lihentian... the heavenly and earthly rules of all the myriad worlds seemed to boil.
The River of Time experienced a brief rupture.
Time in many places in the universe appeared frozen. Space was chaotic. The Yellow Spring Star River became bent. Several cracks appeared in the Heavenly Court Universe. The barriers between the Real World, the Void World, and Lihentian, the three realms, shattered further.
Everything was evolving toward the Primordial Chaos!
Inside the Life-Death Boundary, Zhang Ruochen stood at the center of the death vortex, having fully evolved the Five Elements. Forty clusters of black-and-white Dao light flickered within his body.
No longer like before, where the fortieth cluster of Dao light was dim.
There were no dim Dao lights. Truly achieving Minor Derivation Perfection, he stepped into the Half-Ancestor realm.
Previously, he had attempted to achieve Minor Derivation Perfection more than once, but each time, because he could not control the forty clusters of Dao light, he failed, and even nearly exploded to death—extremely perilous.
This time, reversing the Dao technique, returning to nothingness, though dangerous, allowed him to break through and rebuild, truly comprehending the true essence of "Wuji."
Wuji meant not only understanding from nothing to something but also from something to nothing.
Understanding both existence and non-existence allowed one to integrate and control Minor Derivation.
And in the future, even control Major Derivation!
Zhang Ruochen's consciousness was clearer than ever before. He had already seen the path from Minor Derivation to Major Derivation, with only Major Derivation itself still blurry. The number of Major Derivation was fifty—that was his Ancestor realm.
Soul Mother and Bore were respectively within the Saha World and the Paradise World, and these two worlds were wrapped by the yang pole and yin pole of Zhang Ruochen's Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram.
As the Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram rotated, the two of them also moved.
Zhang Ruochen continuously stripped the rule divine patterns and divine qi from Soul Mother, transporting them into Bore's body to aid her cultivation. With his current cultivation, below the Ancestor realm, he could create cultivators at any level.
If it could be said that an Ancestor was omnipotent, then in terms of helping cultivators train, Zhang Ruochen had already surpassed some Ancestors.
The Nether Ancestor could help Corpse Yan reach the Ancestor realm.
Zhang Ruochen felt that if his future cultivation advanced further, he could also help those Half-Ancestors who originally had Ancestor potential to take a few more steps forward.
Soul Mother, at the Half-Ancestor realm, was now like an energy pool, continuously providing divine qi for Bore to absorb.