Chapter 4188: Face
Above the Seventy-Two Layer Tower, one of the ancestral shadows said, "This old fellow certainly knows how to pick his timing, greedy enough! With the second cauldron, his combat power should increase again."
"Is that really the case?"
Murong Zhuzai squinted his eyes, not entirely agreeing.
Was it too ugly a display, and would it offend many cultivators in the Hell Realm? Was this something an Ancestor would do?
Was this something Xuanyuan Taihao would do?
Could the true purpose be to help Corpse Nightmare save A Fuya?
Murong Zhuzai did not fully trust the "Life and Death Heavenly Venerable," nor did he believe he would wholeheartedly work for the Divine Realm. How could an Ancestor be so submissive, willingly following others' orders?
Jing Daoren returned to the Heavenly Court Universe, quietly appearing among the gods of the Paradise Realm, nodding and exchanging glances with some Divine Kings and Divine Venerables as if familiar.
Xutian was hidden within his Divine Realm World.
"This Heavenly Venerable is no pushover! Old Ghost Xu, what do you say?" Jing Daoren stroked his two mustache tufts, his wariness and reverence growing even more.
Accompanying an Ancestor was like accompanying a tiger; from now on, he must be cautious in words and deeds.
"What can I say? Living under someone else's roof, what can I say?" Xutian said coldly. "However, by seizing the Heaven Cauldron and the Victory Crown, this Life and Death Heavenly Venerable has certainly offended Zhang Ruochen and will bear immense karmic consequences."
Zhang Ruochen knew Feng Tian's temperament well. Pushing her to this point, self-destructing her Divine Source might be just a thought away.
Relying solely on the Ancestor's pressure was not enough to intimidate her battle intent and soul spirit.
Thus, he activated a divine ability, releasing the black and white life-and-death energies.
The two energies transformed into six ancestral dragons, charging into the six heavenly books flying around Feng Tian. Dragon roars clashed with the light of fate.
In an instant.
The six heavenly books, no longer under Feng Tian's control, reversed direction and pressed down toward her at the center.
How could Feng Tian be a match for Zhang Ruochen?
After only a few breaths, she was suppressed within the six heavenly books.
The six volumes merged into one, flying into Zhang Ruochen's hand.
Zhang Ruochen raised the Fate Heavenly Book high, his gaze fierce, intimidating the three Great Ones of the Undying Blood Clan rushing over. "Daring to act recklessly before an Ancestor—this is the consequence. In the Heavenly Court Universe, no matter who makes a mistake, they must pay the price. Even the Hall Master of the Destiny Temple is no exception."
Before the Ancestor's might, all gods bowed their heads.
Heaven and earth fell silent.
"This is too strong. Feng Caiyi couldn't even last a few rounds. What do we do? Do we fight or not?" the Blood Absolute Clan Leader transmitted to the Ice Emperor and the Undying War God.
The Undying War God glared back: "Fight my ass? Do you really think the three of us forming a battle formation can challenge an Ancestor?"
"Relax. Since the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable didn't go for the kill, Hall Master Feng won't be in danger. Clearly, he still fears the power of the Hell Realm and won't go too far. As long as the Heavenly Mother or Fengdu Dadi steps in, she should be rescued," the Ice Emperor said.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze sharpened, frightening the three Great Ones of the Undying Blood Clan into ceasing their telepathic communication.
The invisible ancestral pressure weighed down, making it hard for many gods to breathe.
From within the sea of fire, a deep voice rang out: "Heavenly Venerable, how about handing the three of them over to the Divine Realm for judgment?"
The massive corpse of the Blazing Sun Ancestor appeared outside the Paradise Realm, nearly the size of the Paradise Realm itself, its body ablaze with flames, illuminating the surrounding star domain.
One person standing as tall as a realm, having cultivated vast amounts of High-Level Matter, like a cosmic giant. This sight was overwhelmingly imposing, unmatched by other Half-Ancestors.
Additionally, there was the Hidden Corpse. The Hidden Corpse floated, standing on the left shoulder of the Blazing Sun Ancestor's corpse, with delicate features, pale and sickly skin, exuding an extremely noble and cold demeanor.
No one expected the Divine Realm to intervene at this moment. If they truly took away the three Great Ones of the Undying Blood Clan, the three would have little chance of survival.
More importantly, the Blazing Sun Ancestor's corpse was here, digging a massive pit for the "Life and Death Heavenly Venerable."
If the "Life and Death Heavenly Venerable" handed the three Great Ones over to the Divine Realm for judgment, the cultivators of the Hell Realm would not dare to resent the Divine Realm but would instead hold a grudge against him. This was undoubtedly killing two birds with one stone, seizing the opportunity to divide the Heavenly Court Universe and the Hell Realm.
Shang Tian looked at Zhang Ruochen, waiting for his decision.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Matters of the Heavenly Court Universe do not require outsiders to meddle. I have already said this to Murong Zhuzai. This is the second time I say it, and it will be the last."
The Blazing Sun Ancestor's corpse laughed: "We are by no means outsiders! It is because the Hidden Ancestor is quite interested in these three juniors that we two have come to the Paradise Realm to ask for this face from the Heavenly Venerable. This is also Murong Zhuzai's intention."
"Using Murong Zhuzai to pressure me?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Blazing Sun Ancestor's corpse said, "How dare I? The Divine Realm is helping the Heavenly Venerable clean up troubles, lest the Heavenly Venerable cannot handle them alone. Didn't the Heavenly Venerable say that the Hell Realm is too strong and the Heavenly Court Universe is weak?"
"It will be much better in the future!" Now everyone could tell that the Blazing Sun Ancestor's corpse was digging another pit for the "Life and Death Heavenly Venerable," and even bringing the Divine Realm into it.
Would the "Life and Death Heavenly Venerable" give this face or not?
"Boom!"
In the silence, thunder sounded. Numerous purple electric rivers converged, forming the towering figure of the Heavenly Duke. The situation suddenly became dangerous, the atmosphere strange.
If Zhang Ruochen continued to refuse, the suspicion of protecting them would be too obvious. Just as Shang Tian was about to send a telepathic reminder, he saw the coldness on Zhang Ruochen's face dissipate, and he smiled: "May I ask how you are called?"
The Blazing Sun Ancestor's corpse, neither humble nor arrogant, fearless, said: "Blazing Sun Clan, Wang Jingyang."
Wang Jingyang was born into the Blazing Sun Clan, but he did not want to be the Blazing Sun Ancestor; he wanted to be himself.
"I, this poor Daoist, will remember you!"
Zhang Ruochen pointed a finger at him, then broke through the air and flew away, leaving the Paradise Realm.
In the eyes of the gods, this game with the Divine Realm had ultimately been lost by the "Life and Death Heavenly Venerable," who had made compromises and concessions.
An Ancestor acting as Heavenly Venerable, casually suppressing Feng Caiyi with a smile.
The gods of the Heavenly Court had not yet emerged from the "Life and Death Heavenly Venerable's" unparalleled demeanor, and the excitement and morale in their hearts instantly crumbled.
They were brought back to reality.
It turned out that even an Ancestor had to bow before the Divine Realm. What were they, these gods, worth?
Wang Jingyang was not afraid of the "Life and Death Heavenly Venerable's" anger and threats, and laughed: "Thank you, Heavenly Venerable, for handing over the three of the Undying Blood Clan to the Divine Realm for judgment. I will surely satisfy the Heavenly Venerable."
So what if he was an Ancestor?
If obedient, he was the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable; if not, he would be the next Hongmeng Black Dragon.
The Undying War God, Ice Emperor, and Blood Absolute Clan Leader had never thought of placing their hopes of survival on others.
Their eyes were firm and resolute; they would never willingly fall into the hands of the Divine Realm. When it came to the point of no return, they would rather shatter jade than be a whole tile.
"I will hold them off. You two break through separately."
The Undying War God's muscles bulged, and a blood cloud condensed above his head.
His eyes were as fierce as a dragon or tiger, as if ready to devour.
"I've said it before, we should have scattered and hidden. You wouldn't listen. And now we haven't even encountered an Ancestor... Forget it, I'll hold them off. You two break through separately. I have the Ancestral Blood Wings; I can buy a sliver of hope with speed."
The Blood Absolute Clan Leader spread his Ancestral Blood Wings, erupting with the aura of an Ancestor.
The Hidden Corpse's eyes lit up. Clearly, the abundant power and active blood energy contained in the Ancestral Blood Wings greatly appealed to him.
"Get lost! These people from the Divine Realm are after you."
The Undying War God mobilized over fifty percent of the Blood God Heavenly Dao's Profound Meaning within his body, transforming into the "Blood God Overlord." His body crackled and popped, every inch of muscle showing a metallic luster, shooting straight into the sky like a beam of light.
The Blood God Heavenly Dao was the path of internal body refinement.
At this moment, his blood energy surged, every drop of blood in his body burning, releasing endless combat energy.
The moment he rushed out of the Paradise Realm, the Undying War God's body transformed into a giant divine form, rapidly growing to millions of miles tall, throwing a punch at the Blazing Sun Ancestor's corpse, Wang Jingyang.
"The Blood God Overlord can indeed boost your physical strength by a large margin, but comparing physical strength with an Ancestor—you are too naive!" Wang Jingyang shook his head.
The Undying War God said, "At least this body was cultivated by me, not obtained by seizing a corpse."
"Hmph!"
Wang Jingyang's eyes darkened, and he swung his palm.
His palm was even larger than the Undying War God's millions-of-miles-tall giant divine form. The two forces collided, shaking the starry sky, shattering space, blood energy and flames exploding like a nebula.
The Undying War God was sent stumbling backward, finally unable to hold on, and fell back to the Paradise Realm.
The Blood Absolute Clan Leader and the Ice Emperor did not leave. They soared up from below, using the Five Heavy Seas to catch the Undying War God, and the three regrouped.
The Blood Absolute Clan Leader's Five Heavy Seas were: the Sea of Fire, the Sea of Thunder, the Sea of Death Mist, the Dark Sea, and the Sea of Blood.
Among them, the Sea of Thunder merged with the Thunder Clan's Ancestral Realm, containing over fifty percent of the Thunder Dao's Profound Meaning.
The Sea of Death Mist contained over fifty percent of the Death Profound Meaning obtained from Feng Tian. The Sea of Blood contained over fifty percent of the Blood Sea Heavenly Dao's Profound Meaning from the Undying Divine Temple. Only the Sea of Fire and the Dark Sea contained less than fifty percent of the Profound Meaning.
The Blood Absolute Clan Leader had chosen the "Five Heavy Seas Divine Dao" over the "Indestructible Divine Dao" as his path to the Ancestor Realm. The first step was to gather over fifty percent of the Profound Meaning from five paths, becoming the overlord of five paths, and then integrating them.
When the five seas merged into one, the divine path would be complete.
At that time, even if he was not an Ancestor, he could fight one.
Most of the Dark Profound Meaning was held by major cultivators who primarily cultivated the Path of Darkness, like Jiusi Yitianhuang and Lady Shiji, so it was not within the Blood Absolute Clan Leader's consideration for now.
But he had already collected a considerable amount of Fire Dao Profound Meaning.
If he could obtain the Fire Dao Profound Meaning from A Fuya and Feng Tian, he would reach the fifty percent mark.
"You two..."
The Undying War God gritted his teeth in hatred.
The Blood Absolute Clan Leader said, "Do you think you can just walk away? What are you looking at? Fight! We leave together, or we die together."
"Form the Overlord Battle Formation! Fight!"
The Ice Emperor released over fifty percent of the Undying Heavenly Dao's Profound Meaning, transforming into the Undying Overlord. The Blood Sea Heavenly Dao, Blood God Heavenly Dao, and Undying Heavenly Dao—the three Heavenly Dao Profound Meanings of the Undying Blood Clan—intertwined, forming an Overlord Battle Formation. Together with the Five Heavy Seas, they attacked Wang Jingyang, who was blocking the sky.
With the blessing of the Profound Meaning and the formation, the condensed Undying Blood God Overlord Dharma Image was the same size as the Blazing Sun Ancestor's corpse, and its power was even greater.
"Come! It's time to reclaim the Ancestral Realm and the Thunder Dao Profound Meaning."
The Heavenly Duke and Wang Jingyang charged forward together.
Various rule orders, divine abilities, and techniques resounded across the cosmic starry sky outside the Paradise Realm.
"What a powerful Overlord combined attack formation! It can actually withstand the attacks of two Ancestor corpses." Xiang Chunan was amazed.
Feng Yan said, "It's barely holding on. They are already at a disadvantage. The most powerful Ancestor Hidden has not even made a move yet!"
Xiang Chuan transmitted in a low voice: "What do you think is going on with our Heavenly Venerable? He seemed very tough, but how could he be scared off by a Half-Ancestor-level Ancestor corpse?"
"The Heavenly Venerable naturally has his own helplessness."
Feng Yan looked around.
Xiang Chuan followed his gaze and asked, "What are you looking at?"
"Do you think the Divine Realm is targeting the three strongmen of the Undying Blood Clan for no reason?" Feng Yan said.
"Of course, it's for the Undying Bones, the Ancestral Blood Wings, and the Profound Mea..." Xiang Chuan suddenly thought of something and said, "Are you saying they want to force Big Brother to show himself? What do we do? With Big Brother's personality, he can't just watch the Blood Absolute Clan Leader be taken away by the Divine Realm."
"Don't worry!"
Feng Yan remained calm, his gaze fixed on Chi Yao, who was standing above the Twenty-Six Heavens.
He saw Chi Yao tilting her snow-white jade neck, her divine robe fluttering, staring into the outer heavens. Her gaze was locked with the Hidden Corpse.
Their auras and divine thoughts had already clashed, engaging in a battle of wits on some dimension.
The Hidden Corpse's voice entered Chi Yao's ears: "Holding me here is meaningless. The three of them can only barely hold on with the combined attack formation. Given time, they will surely lose. In the face of absolute power, any resistance is nothing but a deathbed struggle."
"Is that so? Very well, then let's see who truly has absolute power." Chi Yao disappeared from the Paradise Realm, and with her, the Twenty-Six Heavens World vanished.
The next moment, the Blood-Dropping Sword had already crossed space, landing above the Hidden Corpse's head, clashing with the Hidden Corpse's Ancestral Blood Wings.
The Hidden Corpse knew Chi Yao's strength and did not dare to be careless. His five fingers evolved into the Five Elements, the Five Elements into Five Realms, and a Five Realm hand seal struck upward, blooming like a lotus. Chi Yao also threw a punch, and the Twenty-Six Heavens World reappeared. This punch was not the Eternal Return.
It was a move from the Immovable Wisdom King Fist.
"Roar!"
The figure of Zangjin Baihu appeared within the Twenty-Six Heavens World, its golden divine radiance merging with Chi Yao's fist force. Their powers became indistinguishable.
This was the benefit of constantly switching paths since becoming a god!
"Boom!"
The collision of fist force and palm power shook the stars, causing the Paradise Realm to shift, and cracks appeared in the space of a large star domain.
After absorbing the material of White Cang Star, the Hidden Corpse's combat power had improved compared to before. Facing Chi Yao's full-force punch, he was only knocked back, quickly stabilizing his form.
He remained elegant and noble, calm and composed: "As expected of the Sword Realm Empress, as expected of the 'Thirty-Three Heavens,' as expected of a prehistoric relic. The three combined may one day have the chance to defy an Ancestor. But now, it's far from enough!"
"Woof!"
The Golden Lion Ancestor appeared behind the Hidden Corpse, raising its head and barking at him. "Half-Ancestor peak!"
The Hidden Corpse looked back, his expression finally changing.
No matter how strong he was, he could not fight two alone.
Zhang Ruochen walked through the starry sky, followed by Jing Daoren and Xutian.
Jing Daoren kept looking back, a sense of resentment in his heart. He felt that the "Life and Death Heavenly Venerable" was too cowardly, even inferior to Empress Chi Yao. He was good at beating women.
Too shameful!
It was not just his own face, but the face of the entire Cosmic Heavenly Court.
"Where is the Heavenly Mechanism Brush?"
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen spoke.
Xutian stared at him for a long time, his gaze gradually becoming wary.
Xutian had figured it out. This "Life and Death Heavenly Venerable" was not as upright as Hao Tian. When seizing the Heaven Cauldron, Victory Crown, and Fate Heavenly Book, he showed no regard for face at all.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Lend it to me for use."
Jing Daoren pushed Xutian from behind, reminding him that although this Daoist in front of them was cowardly, he struck hard. It was time to yield.
Xutian reluctantly took out the Heavenly Mechanism Brush.
Zhang Ruochen took the Heavenly Mechanism Brush, then took out the "Book of Life and Death," and wrote the four ancestral characters "Blazing Sun Ancestor" on it.
He looked into the distant starry sky.
Seeing that the Blazing Sun Ancestor's corpse was not dead, Zhang Ruochen then wrote the three ancestral characters "Wang Jingyang."
This time, it was much more difficult!
Every stroke felt like moving a great world.
The Heavenly Mechanism Brush grew heavier and heavier. When the last stroke fell, the "Book of Life and Death" erupted with terrifying death fluctuations, causing the life and death heaven and earth rules of the entire universe to tremble.
"Some things cannot be done openly, but they must be done. Killing like this expresses my attitude without hurting the Divine Realm's face. This is the way of getting along between Ancestors," Zhang Ruochen said.
Not hurting the Divine Realm's face?
Daoist, are you serious?
Xutian and Jing Daoren widened their eyes, their chests gradually relaxing, silently cursing him as an old yin strategist.