Chapter 4165: Ancestor Clash
Zhang Ruochen paced beneath the ginseng fruit tree, his expression thoughtful.
After a moment, he said, "I am different from you! You can attack Eternal Heavenly Kingdom without restraint because you have no worries behind you. But I am the Lord of the Heavenly Palace, and I must be responsible for the living beings of all the realms and heavens in the Heavenly Court Universe."
After thinking further, he added, "How about this: You go to Eternal Heavenly Kingdom to chastise the Eternal True Ruler. If that hidden Immortal makes a move, I will certainly not stand idly by."
Zhang Ruochen's words were absolutely sincere.
If that unknown Immortal did act, he would truly get involved, lending a hand to the Primordial Black Dragon and the Dark Venerable Lord.
After all, these two, as Ancestors, were important forces restraining the Divine Realm.
"By the way, there's also Corpse Nightmare, another unknown variable. We absolutely cannot let him profit from the conflict. With me holding the rear, it will be more secure," Zhang Ruochen said.
The Primordial Black Dragon had come to scheme, so how could he let Zhang Ruochen outmaneuver him?
He sneered, "Are you determined not to go to Eternal Heavenly Kingdom with us?"
"You are after the Desolate Moon; I have no such need. I deliberately gave the Desolate Moon to Eternal Heavenly Kingdom to prevent the two of you from growing too powerful." Zhang Ruochen thought this to himself, but said solemnly, "What I just said contains no falsehood. Please understand my difficulties here."
"Very well..."
Suddenly.
The Primordial Black Dragon's pupils burst with blinding light, and his body shot forward.
The rules and order within the space between him and Zhang Ruochen were shattered one after another. He struck out with a finger, aiming at Zhang Ruochen's heart.
Since ancient times, kings do not meet kings, and Ancestors do not meet Ancestors.
No one submits to another; everyone wants to probe the other's depth.
In an era where Ancestors meet, heaven and earth will be overturned. The moment the Primordial Black Dragon entered the Divine Wood Garden, their spiritual auras had already clashed.
After the negotiation broke down, the Primordial Black Dragon decisively struck. If he could wound the "Life-Death Heavenly Venerable" in one blow, a torrent of overwhelming power would follow, until the "Life-Death Heavenly Venerable" was suppressed.
Chastising Eternal Heavenly Kingdom was for the Desolate Moon.
But wasn't this Life-Death Heavenly Venerable also a Ancestor-level great medicine?
His value was certainly not lower than the Desolate Moon.
Moreover, within the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable's Divine Realm World lay the corpse of a Primordial Dragon, another object of the Primordial Black Dragon's desire.
The Primordial Black Dragon's finger transformed into a dragon claw, its tip extremely sharp, piercing through the defensive divine light Zhang Ruochen had condensed.
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."
With each step Zhang Ruochen retreated, that step's distance turned into a world of heaven and earth.
But the Primordial Black Dragon pursued closely, shattering the heaven-earth space Zhang Ruochen had manifested, eventually turning most of the Divine Wood Garden into a Primordial Chaos realm.
Zhang Ruochen found that behind him, there was no ground, no matter, only Primordial Divine Light.
So, he stopped and struck out with a palm.
"Whoosh!"
The black-and-white life-death imprint erupted from his palm, colliding with the dragon claw that was right before him.
The sharpest point of the claw struck the center of the black-and-white life-death imprint, stirring up endless ripples.
One after another, "卍" character imprints flew from the dragon claw's palm, completely destroying the black-and-white life-death imprint.
This was Zhang Ruochen's first true, solo, head-on clash with an Ancestor-level existence using his own power.
Outside the Divine Ancient Nest, when he fought Corpse Nightmare alongside the Heavenly Mother, the opponent was wary of the possibly still-living Great Venerable and Ling Yanzi, and hadn't gone all out.
As for Dragon Scale, even with the Primordial Dragon corpse, his combat power was still below the Ancestor level. Though he could withstand a few Ancestor strikes and break free from Ancestor suppression, there was still a clear gap compared to a true Ancestor.
Zhang Ruochen was well aware that relying solely on the black-and-white life-death imprint would never stop a true Ancestor.
Therefore, the moment he clashed with the Primordial Black Dragon, he stomped heavily, manifesting the Xuan and Huang two energies within the Primordial Chaos world.
Xuan energy rose, forming the Xuan Heaven. Huang energy descended, condensing into the Huang Earth. "Xuan Heaven Huang Earth, Xuanyuan Dharma Realm."
After the black-and-white life-death imprint shattered, the Xuanyuan Dharma Realm manifested, blocking the Primordial Black Dragon.
Immediately after, the Heavenly Punishment Divine Armor appeared on Zhang Ruochen, and the Xuan Huang Halberd appeared in his hand. Endless heavenly punishment lightning burst forth, making him resemble the ancestor of lightning.
"Whoosh!"
The Xuan Huang Halberd was like a swimming dragon, its power overwhelming armies, striking out with the momentum to sweep across the eight wastelands.
The Primordial Black Dragon, having missed his strike, knew he could not defeat his opponent in a short time. If they truly engaged in magical combat, the entire Heavenly Court would likely be shattered by them.
At that point, he would face a siege from all the gods of the Heavenly Court Universe.
This was absolutely not the outcome he wanted to see!
The Primordial Black Dragon explosively retreated, and the Primordial Chaos realm vanished. The two reappeared in the Divine Wood Garden.
Zhang Ruochen controlled his power with ease, holding the Xuan Huang Halberd as he stood beneath the ginseng fruit tree. All the heavenly punishment lightning he had released flowed back into his armor. His tiger-like eyes stared fixedly at the Primordial Black Dragon.
The Primordial Black Dragon acted as if nothing had happened, laughing, "Haha! Heavenly Venerable Haotian is truly formidable. Having just broken through to the Ancestor realm, you possess such combat power. I am impressed."
Even among Ancestors, there were differences in combat power.
A cultivator who had just entered the Ancestor realm was certainly inferior to a long-lived Immortal like the Primordial Black Dragon, who had once stood at the peak.
How could a cultivator who had just entered the Ancestor realm have the same strength as the Second Confucian Ancestor, who had cultivated at the Ancestor level for nearly ten million years?
But a cultivator who had just entered the Ancestor realm was still an Ancestor, with many countermeasures. Subduing them was no easy task; one had to be prepared to pay a price.
When one's cultivation reached the Ancestor level, they could no longer be regarded as a single living being, but more like a vast, immortal nation. A single thought was a soldier, a single drop of blood was a life. They could not be easily killed completely.
There were strength gaps between nations.
But the price a strong nation would pay to destroy a slightly weaker one might be unbearable. It might even lead to the nation's collapse and the ruler's death.
Nations did not easily start wars of annihilation, and the same was true for Ancestors.
Thus, magical combat between Ancestors was never a thrilling life-and-death duel, but a war of attrition testing endurance.
The Nether Ancestor had worn himself out in one war of attrition after another.
Zhang Ruochen did not deny the misunderstood identity of "Haotian." His eyes were cold as knives, and he said, "If I didn't have this combat power, wouldn't I have been wounded by you just now?"
After a pause, he added, "Your goal was probably not just to wound me, was it?"
"Absolutely not. I only wanted to test your true identity, so we could be at ease."
The Primordial Black Dragon knew the other party's anger was strong, so he took his leave, saying, "I hope Heavenly Venerable Haotian will keep his promise. If the Immortal of the Divine Realm makes a move, you must not stand by and watch us die."
Leaving the Ten Thousand Beast Divine Mountain, the Primordial Black Dragon met up with the Dark Venerable Lord on an ancient green stone path.
The Dark Venerable Lord, dressed in a Daoist robe, was chatting happily with three disciples of the Five Elements Temple. Seeing the Primordial Black Dragon arrive, he bowed and took his leave, then asked, "Did he believe it?"
"He is very shrewd. He didn't believe you had already gone to Eternal Heavenly Kingdom and is very wary of us," the Primordial Black Dragon said.
The Dark Venerable Lord asked, "How is his strength?"
"He is definitely a true Ancestor."
"If we join forces, is there a chance to suppress him silently?"
The Primordial Black Dragon thought for a moment, then said, "Unless we have perfect timing and location, and set up a trap he cannot see through. This is the Heavenly Court; we don't have the advantage of location first."
"Oh!"
The Dark Venerable Lord was surprised and said, "Is it really Xuanyuan Taihao?"
The Primordial Black Dragon nodded and said, "After Zhang Ruochen's death, Xuanyuan Taihao is the greatest talent of this era. I am not surprised he broke through to the Ancestor realm. As for Yan Wushen and Chi Yao wanting to make a mark, it depends on the support they get from the forces behind them. Relatively speaking, I am more optimistic about the Heavenly Mother and Fengdu Dadi, whose cultivation has already reached its peak."
As some of the few powerful beings in the world, how could they not see the potential of Yan Wushen and Chi Yao?
They had the foundation of an Ancestor and traces of a supreme layout. In this era, only the two of them could keep pace with Zhang Ruochen.
"If it is Xuanyuan Taihao, it will indeed be difficult to use him as a vanguard to attack Eternal Heavenly Kingdom." The Dark Venerable Lord smiled, thinking he had seen through everything. "Xuanyuan Taihao broke through to the Ancestor realm but returned as the remnant soul of the Life-Death Old Man. Clearly, he knows his own weaknesses."
"The myriad realms of the Heavenly Court are both the burden on his shoulders and his weakness," the Primordial Black Dragon said.
The Dark Venerable Lord nodded and said, "If he is Xuanyuan Taihao, he can only live or die with the Heavenly Court. If any realm in the Heavenly Court Universe is attacked, he must go to its rescue. But if he is the Life-Death Old Man, no one in the world would think the Life-Death Old Man would live or die with the Heavenly Court."
The Primordial Black Dragon said, "The Eternal True Ruler is bound by morality and justice, and isn't Xuanyuan Taihao the same? If he wants to break free from these bonds, it can only be an empty dream, unless he truly lets go."
The Dark Venerable Lord laughed and said, "He has weaknesses, and only we know about them. That is a good thing."
The Primordial Black Dragon said, "He said that if the Immortal of the Divine Realm makes a move while we are attacking Eternal Heavenly Kingdom, he will hold them back for a while. I think it is credible."
Zhang Ruochen's brief clash with the Primordial Black Dragon was at too high a level and did not alert the gods of the Five Elements Temple.
Zhen Yuan returned to the Divine Wood Garden and found the remnants of Primordial Ancestral Qi in this small world. He was both shocked and terrified.
An Ancestor duel, if even slightly careless, would wipe out the entire Five Elements Temple.
"No need to worry. The Primordial Black Dragon and the Dark Venerable Lord are not willing to destroy a cultivation plane like the Heavenly Court. They won't act recklessly."
Zhang Ruochen sat calmly in the thatched hut and asked, "How many Heaven-Earth Altars are being built in the Heavenly Court?"
Zhen Yuan stood outside the door and said, "According to the Eternal True Ruler's intention, the Heavenly Court needs to build one main altar at the former site of the Heavenly Man Academy. Additionally, one thousand altars will be built on each continent, totaling four thousand."
"The Eternal True Ruler really does value the Heavenly Court!"
Zhang Ruochen took out the Divine Refining Tower and summoned Xuanyuan Second and the Black-and-White Daoist from within. He instructed, "Once the four thousand and one altars are successfully built, the formations left by the sages of the Heavenly Court will become completely meaningless. The Heavenly Court will be breached from within."
"You two must go and destroy some of them. I will help you conceal the heavenly secrets. Be cautious; there may be strong experts of the Divine Realm lurking within the Heavenly Court."
Xuanyuan Second was fearless and said, "Every major world in the starry sky outside the Heavenly Court is building Heaven-Earth Altars. Should we destroy them all?"
"Not for now," Zhang Ruochen said.
The Black-and-White Daoist was even more excited than Xuanyuan Second, ready to make a big splash. He had never imagined he could one day act with impunity in the Heavenly Court.
He looked forward to the shocked expressions of the Heavenly Court's gods. With an Ancestor as their backing, they only needed to be slightly cautious, and there would be no danger.
"Remember, this is the Heavenly Court. While activating the Heaven-Earth Altars, you must not expand the battle fluctuations or cause innocent casualties. When you return after completing the mission, I will reward you," Zhang Ruochen said.
Xuanyuan Second and the Black-and-White Daoist accepted the order and left, descending the Ten Thousand Beast Divine Mountain.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen asked, "Zhen Yuan, what level has Well Daoist's cultivation reached now? Has he completely refined the Five Elements Earth?"
The Five Elements Earth was said to be the first type of soil formed at the dawn of creation, known as the "Mother of All Things." It was one of the Five Elements Temple's supreme treasures.
It was comparable to the Origin Mud used by Buddha Kasyapa to refine the Void Cauldron.
"Reporting to the Heavenly Venerable, the Temple Master's realm has half-stepped into the Heavenly Venerable level. Unfortunately, the Five Elements Temple has preserved too little Five Elements Earth, so the Temple Master has always struggled to truly enter the Heavenly Venerable realm," Zhen Yuan said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Five Elements Earth is scarce, and Origin Mud is hard to find, but there are still other substitutes. For example, White Pale Blood Earth, the Stone Clan's Stone God Star, and the Wind Clan's Five-Colored Mud."
Zhen Yuan said, "The Undying Blood Clan's ancestral land, White Pale Star, has long been devoured by an unknown being. As for the Stone Clan's Stone God Star, there are only a few left, and each one is a place where the Stone Clan lives and multiplies. If they are touched, Lady Shiji and Stone Heaven will surely fight the Temple Master to the death."
"White Pale Star!"
Zhang Ruochen uttered these three words, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
During his earlier clash with the Primordial Black Dragon, he had sensed the unique aura of White Pale Star.
Without a doubt, the unknown being that devoured White Pale Star was the Primordial Black Dragon.
On White Pale Star, there was not only a large amount of White Pale Blood Earth but also the remains of generations of gods from the Undying Blood Clan.
Zhen Yuan asked curiously, "Why would the Heavenly Venerable suddenly bring this up?"
Zhang Ruochen hinted, "I just deduced the heavenly secrets and discovered that the foundation stone of the Heavenly Court's main altar is a Stone God Star. You can tell this to Well Daoist and see if he dares to go."
In the days that followed, Zhang Ruochen stopped paying attention to external affairs. He spent his time comprehending the Dao of the Primordial Dragon while using the Earth Cauldron to refine the Half-Ancestor divine soul of Dragon Scale.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
No news had yet come from Eternal Heavenly Kingdom, but the entire universe was already in chaos.
The storm began in the Heavenly Court.
Xuanyuan Second and the Black-and-White Daoist moved stealthily through the various heavenly domains of the Heavenly Court. In just one month, they destroyed over ten Heaven-Earth Altars. After each destruction, they left divine inscriptions declaring their responsibility for the act.
Such high-profile arrogance, toughness, and dominance not only shocked the Heavenly Court but quickly spread throughout the entire universe.
Then, the situation spiraled out of control.
Heaven-Earth Altars in multiple major worlds of the Heavenly Court Universe were destroyed one after another, each time with inscriptions left by Xuanyuan Second or the Black-and-White Daoist, claiming responsibility.
Then, the same events occurred in the Hell Realm and the Sword Realm.
In an instant, the figures of Xuanyuan Second and the Black-and-White Daoist appeared everywhere, specifically opposing the Divine Realm. In just half a year, they not only destroyed thousands of Heaven-Earth Altars but also attacked multiple Doomsday Priests.
Their fame was unmatched at the time.