Chapter 4156: Murong Duiji Has Arrived
On the Bone Clan territory, the Mysterious Capital Bone Sea. Tens of millions of miles of crimson earth, barren and lifeless.
At this moment, various killing lights filled the air. In the space, ghostly mist condensed into towering divine rivers that pierced the heavens. Occasionally, Buddha light could be seen exploding from the center of the battlefield.
"Boom rumble!"
A Heavenly Venerable-level clash, the fluctuations were powerful, and no one dared approach the battlefield. Even the stars above the Bone Sea were shaken down in countless numbers.
The Real World, Lihentian, and the Void World were shattered and intermingled.
The eight Doomsday Priests in the Bone Divine Temple, upon learning that the one being intercepted was Wuxing, were all shocked.
Some sent messages to Duiji Half-Ancestor.
Others entered Lihentian, rushing to the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom to summon reinforcements.
Not a single one dared to go to the Mysterious Capital Bone Sea to provide aid.
A confrontation of this level, even an Indestructible Infinite dared not meddle, let alone them.
Zhang Ruochen sat by a corpse lake not far from the battlefield. Before him was placed a wide table, and in his hand, he toyed with the bronze chime bells he had seized from Zhuo Yunzhen.
It was one of the sixty-five Extinction Bells. On the back of the bronze chime bell was imprinted the two characters "Gui Wei."
Zhang Ruochen had handed the Extinction Bell to the Fourth Confucian Ancestor before, and at that time, these two characters were not on the bell's body.
Gui Wei, ranked twentieth in the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, was presumably Zhuo Yunzhen's ranking among the Doomsday Priests.
"Sixty-five Extinction Bells, but a sexagenary cycle only has sixty years. How are the other five Doomsday Priests ranked?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Zhuo Yunzhen intended to stall for time, waiting for rescue, and did not want to offend the Daoist before him. He cooperatively replied, "The other five are the Great Priests. They are Long Lin, Di Zu, Qian Xi, Yuan Chen, and Hong Chen."
"Di Zu, Qian Xi, and Yuan Chen were once cultivators from the Heavenly Court Universe, Sword Realm, and Hell Realm respectively. Clearly, the Eternal True Ruler deliberately arranged it this way to better coordinate the three factions, working together to build the Heaven and Earth Altar."
"Long Lin is the leader of the Doomsday Priests! I saw him once on the day the Doomsday Priests were established. Only part of a dragon's body, scales, and claws appeared in the sky, but not its head or tail. He should be a strong expert from the Dragon Clan."
"As for Hong Chen, she is also quite mysterious. This junior has never seen her true face."
"Whoosh!"
In the starry sky, a rift tens of millions of miles long split open, as if heaven and earth were being torn apart, magnificent and awe-inspiring.
Countless talisman patterns, like a brilliant rain of light, flew out from the rift, surging toward the center of the battlefield in the Mysterious Capital Bone Sea.
A terrifying spiritual power came from the depths of the universe, locking onto Lianxi, Xuanyuan Second, and the Black and White Daoist.
No one knew how many deities witnessed this scene, also feeling the pressure of the spiritual power fluctuations on their souls.
Cultivators below the Divine Realm all knelt prostrate or collapsed on the ground.
Yan Wushen, hidden within the Void World, laughed, "That Erjia Heavenly King and the Black and White Daoist have some skill, actually forcing Murong Duiji to make a move to rescue them. It seems Wuxing has fallen into a desperate situation."
Chi Kunlun, his martial robe tight and his figure straight, said, "Rather, it should be said that old Daoist has remarkable skill. Erjia Heavenly King and the Black and White Daoist's previous cultivation achievements were far from being as powerful as they are now. They definitely weren't hiding their cultivation; rather, their cultivation was elevated by some secret method."
Yan Wushen nodded, "Throughout the universe, there aren't many figures who possess such means."
The Heavenly Machine Old Clan Emperor said, "Murong Duiji is no ordinary Half-Ancestor. It can be said that he is the only direct disciple of the Eternal True Ruler. Borrowing the Murong family's unique talisman inheritance, he is probably able to contend with a Quasi-Ancestor. I wonder if that old Daoist can withstand him?"
Yan Wushen said, "If even Murong Duiji can't stop him, then calling out the Divine Realm is a joke..."
"Deng!"
A bell sound, loud and prolonged, spread throughout the Santu River region.
The speed of the bell's propagation broke the boundaries of speed rules, able to cross space and time.
Yan Wushen rubbed his somewhat aching ears, the mockery in his eyes gone, replaced by caution. He said, "Interesting. It seems this is someone noteworthy. I'm looking forward to his confrontation with Murong Duiji!"
The bell sound just now was Zhang Ruochen striking the bronze chime bell with the Human Head Banner.
The sound waves, like water ripples, surged up into the nine heavens, dispersing the dark clouds above the Mysterious Capital Bone Sea and shattering all the talisman rain surging from the space rift.
Even the planets in the starry sky all exploded.
The sound waves traveled extremely far. Cultivators from the Bone Divine Temple, billions of miles away, could hear it.
Great sound is silent.
Zhuo Yunzhen, Mingye Divine Venerable, and Heqing Divine Venerable, standing beside Zhang Ruochen, heard nothing at all, as if they had fallen into a state of deafness.
But they could see the talisman rain in the sky annihilated. Duiji Half-Ancestor's talisman technique had been broken just like that?
The joy in Zhuo Yunzhen's eyes dissipated, replaced by shock and fear.
Zhang Ruochen held the bronze chime bell in one hand and the Human Head Banner in the other, like a night watchman.
The water of the nearby corpse lake boiled without cease.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Three streams of light flew over.
Lianxi, Xuanyuan Second, and the Black and White Daoist, having suppressed Wuxing into the Refining God Tower, arrived at the lakeside to rendezvous with Zhang Ruochen.
Xuanyuan Second held a Zen staff, his spirit high and his battle intent strong. He said, "Heavenly Venerable, why not go to the Bone Divine Temple now and wipe out those Doomsday Priests in one fell swoop?"
The Black and White Daoist had just witnessed with his own eyes the sound waves dispersing Murong Duiji's talisman technique. He now had a deeper understanding of his cheap adoptive father's strength. He said, "Slay all the Doomsday Priests and collect the complete Extinction Bells. Adoptive Father's combat power will surely reach a higher level."
Zhang Ruochen took the Refining God Tower from Lianxi and reminded, "Not all Doomsday Priests deserve to die. Why is your killing intent so strong?"
"Amitabha!"
Xuanyuan Second recited the Buddha's name and said, "Heavenly Venerable, rest assured. This poor monk is a Buddhist cultivator, compassionate at heart. I will definitely keep an eye on the Black and White Daoist, lest he confuse black and white and kill indiscriminately."
"Who are you calling confused about black and white?"
The Black and White Daoist's face was already as black as charcoal; now it was even darker.
Zhang Ruochen drew a talisman on each of their backs with his finger and said, "Go. If you encounter an opponent you cannot defeat, activate this talisman to escape."
The Black and White Daoist released the Soul Suppressing Platform, carrying him and Xuanyuan Second, crashing into space and disappearing from Zhang Ruochen's sight.
Lianxi was somewhat worried, "Won't this cause too much trouble? Corpse Nightmare hasn't agreed to help us yet. What if we provoke the Eternal True Ruler..."
"If we provoke him, then we provoke him."
Zhang Ruochen appeared very calm. His pupils manifested black and white life-and-death imprints as he gazed at the shattered void above.
At the end of that shattered void, infinitely far away, he saw a figure sitting on a donkey cart. He wore a white Confucian robe, looked to be around forty years old, holding a feather fan and wearing a silk headband. His spotless appearance stood in stark contrast to the dirty donkey cart.
He held a bamboo scroll in one hand and a writing brush in the other, drawing talisman patterns in the air.
Suddenly, crossing billions of miles of space, he sensed Zhang Ruochen's gaze.
He looked up, a thoughtful expression on his face, then waved his brush. The talisman pattern he had just drawn flew out.
"Who exactly are you? Yuan Chen, let's go to the Santu River region and join in the fun."
Murong Duiji gave an order to Yin Yuan Chen, who was driving the cart.
This talisman pattern, crossing space and flying toward Zhang Ruochen, was called the "Slash Talisman," also known as "Heaven and Earth Single Slash." It was a combination of martial arts and talisman patterns, executed with his ninety-fourth-level spiritual power. Its power could be imagined.
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly. Carrying the bronze chime bell, he stepped on invisible stairs as if walking straight up into the starry sky.
"Dang!"
The Human Head Banner fell once more, striking the chime bell. The bell vibrated without cease.
The sound waves layered upon each other, surging more and more urgently.
The Slash Talisman crossed the infinitely distant space, arriving above the Santu River region, and immediately transformed into the Heaven and Earth Single Slash.
The talisman patterns interwove into a divine blade that could cleave the heavens, its cold light gleaming. The distance between the blade's tip and its hilt was no less than a million miles.
But this awe-inspiring slash was shattered into pieces by the sound waves of the bronze chime bell.
In the Hell Realm, top experts hidden in the shadows were all searching for the figure who had struck the chime bell, but they failed.
They could only hear the bell sound and see the footprints in the void.
But they could not see the figure, nor sense any aura or heavenly mechanism.
In the darkness, voices whispered, "Who exactly is it, acting so high-profile yet hiding all their power? Is it Lady Shiji? She cultivates the Path of Darkness, and her concealment skills are unparalleled in the world."
"Lady Shiji joining forces with Xuanyuan Second and the Black and White Daoist to resist the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom? That seems unlikely!"
"Murong Duiji has already crossed space to come. With his cultivation level, he will surely force the bell-holder to reveal himself. Then, won't everyone know who it is?"
"Regardless, a figure with such courage and boldness is truly admirable. If he falls into danger, I will surely come to his rescue."
This storm, from Murong Huan being cursed to death, Zhuo Yunzhen being captured, to Wuxing being suppressed, and now even Murong Duiji making a move, had attracted worldwide attention, alarming many hidden Heavenly Venerable-level and Half-Ancestor figures in the universe.
They too were watching from the shadows.
"Boom!"
Above the Bone Divine Temple, the space cracked with dense fissures, then shattered.
The Soul Suppressing Platform, as large as a divine mountain, flew out from the shattered space.
The Black and White Daoist and Xuanyuan Second stood on the platform. One released a monstrous ghostly aura from within, shrouding millions of miles of heaven and earth in ghostly mist. The other chanted Buddhist sounds, and countless golden Sanskrit characters connected into chains, wrapping around the Bone Divine Temple.
With life-saving divine talismans on them, they were even more fearless.
"You go destroy the main altar foundation of the Ten Thousand Bone Cave. Leave these Doomsday Priests to me."
The Black and White Daoist was in high spirits. After Xuanyuan Second left, he directly drove the Soul Suppressing Platform to ram into the Bone Divine Temple.
"Boom!"
Several of the Bone Divine Temple's defensive divine formations shattered instantly, and the ground became broken and fragmented.
"Listen up, you Doomsday Priests inside! I've been putting up with you for hundreds of years. If you have the guts, come out and fight!"
"Other cultivators dare not speak of what the Eternal True Ruler's purpose is in building the Heaven and Earth Altar, but I dare. He wants to imitate the Nether Ancestor, using a Minor Calamity to harvest the entire universe."
"For the Divine Martial Mark? For all living beings in the world to cultivate martial arts? To resist the Great Calamity?"
"Whether you believe these words or not, I don't. If I don't believe, then I fight. As long as I still have a breath left, this Heaven and Earth Altar will not be built!"
The Black and White Daoist's divine voice resounded through heaven and earth, like a lone hero, his spirit soaring.
The Soul Suppressing Platform continued to ram forward, destroying all the defensive divine formations of the Bone Divine Temple.
"Tap tap!"
The Black and White Daoist was majestic and imposing. From his sleeves, he continuously scattered paper money as he walked step by step into the hall, alone facing the six Doomsday Priests still in the Bone Divine Temple.
Each piece of paper money was a talisman pattern, capable of fixing space and preventing the cultivators inside from escaping.
Xue Tu stood on a divine ship not far from the Bone Divine Temple, his tiger eyes wide open. He said, "This Black and White Ghost and Second Baldie definitely have a powerful backer and have obtained an incredible opportunity. Otherwise, they would never dare to be so tough."
With a bang, he slapped the railing heavily. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I wish I could take their place!"
Xue Tu was well aware that although he had the support of his senior brother and master, his foundation still had a gap compared to Yuanhui-level geniuses like Que and Yin Yuan Chen.
Now that he had reached Indestructible Infinite, the gap was gradually becoming apparent.
Que and Yin Yuan Chen had already broken through to the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite.
And he had only reached the initial stage of Indestructible Infinite with great difficulty.
Therefore, he valued opportunities greatly. Only great opportunities could allow him to catch up with the most top-tier geniuses of his generation. He didn't want to lose!
Above, space rotated, and the star sea shifted.
The sound of the donkey cart's wheels echoed through the universe, entering the ears of countless people.
One by one, stars were mobilized by the invisible spiritual power, like white stones on a chessboard, arranged according to some mysterious law.
Tens of thousands of stars were mobilized by Murong Duiji's spiritual power, converging toward this void.
The energy within these stars transformed into a vast ocean of talisman patterns, numbering in the billions.
Then, the entire bright and dazzling starry sky pressed down toward the Santu River region. One talisman ocean after another merged together, their power growing stronger and stronger, as if to grind away all life on this vast land.
Murong Duiji had not yet arrived, but his peerless Dao technique had come first.