Chapter 4199: Planning the Whole Game
The Sea Stone Star Harbor had lost its wondrous region, its starlight dimmed, leaving only countless asteroids and cosmic dust drifting in space.
The Second Confucian Ancestor, wearing a tall hat and flowing robes, with an immortal air, walked across the vast, hazy cosmic dust, arriving at the location where the wondrous region once stood. He seemed to be contemplating, or perhaps investigating.
Wu Ying silently followed behind him.
At a certain moment, Wu Ying felt a stirring in his heart and glanced toward the direction of the Heavenly Court Universe.
The entire Heavenly Court was burning, shrouded by the Ancestral Talisman Flame, resembling a fireball, countless times brighter than any star.
Wu Ying said, "Teacher, the situation is somewhat unfavorable. Many of the powerful figures from the Hell Realm are actually hiding within the Heavenly Court Universe."
The Second Confucian Ancestor remained unperturbed and said calmly, "Isn't this perfectly normal? In terms of geographical position, the Heavenly Court Universe has been the center since ancient times, while the Hell Yellow Spring is merely a fringe area. In terms of the activity of Heaven and Earth rules and the density of Heaven and Earth Qi, the Heavenly Court Universe is also superior. How many of the Nine Great Witch Ancestors were born in the Yellow Spring Star River?"
"After the Sixteenth Day achieved enlightenment, with Chi Yao's covert support, the Yellow Spring Star River gradually grew stronger, giving rise to some Ancestors and great clans, along with powerful inheritances. But before the Middle Ages, the Yellow Spring Star Sea was still far inferior to the Heavenly Court Universe."
"Those evil ghosts and heretics of the Hell Realm, if they wanted to achieve anything, would naturally have to hide in the Heavenly Court Universe, relying on better Heavenly Earth resources to find ways to break through their cultivation realms."
"In the history of the Hell Realm, figures like Ancestor Yan Luo, Yellow Spring Great Emperor, and Life Ancestor were all quite remarkable individuals. Each built a World Tree, using the World Tree to absorb the Heaven and Earth rules and Qi from the universe, elevating the Yellow Spring Star River by a significant margin."
"Unfortunately, none of them managed to reach the level of the Witch Ancestor."
"If the three World Trees had been built by a single person, there might have been a slight chance."
Wu Ying glanced again toward the Heavenly Court Universe: "Kao Shi, Murong Dui Ji, and Hidden Corpse seem to be losing. The Western Buddha Realm and the Ten Thousand Ruins Realm also appear to have failed!"
"Losing is just losing!"
The Second Confucian Ancestor was very calm, saying, "In a game of chess, to win, the most important thing is to see who can see more broadly and stand at a higher position. If one focuses on local victories and losses without considering the overall situation, that is the true path to defeat."
"Wu Ying, you must remember that our opponent has always been only one: the Heavenly Dao."
"Struggling against Heaven—the joy is boundless."
"Struggling against humans is merely a necessity of the chessboard."
"It's not about having many pieces, but about each piece being useful. Finding useless pieces is inevitably the work of the Heavenly Dao. Playing against Heaven is extremely dangerous. To win even a single piece, one must know how to decisively abandon, even cut oneself off."
Wu Ying said, "Is Teacher referring to the Great Calamity that will come soon?"
The Second Confucian Ancestor's gaze was profound. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly said, "Back then, I ordered you to carry the Heavenly Demon's Ancestral Divine Source to deal with the Nine-Headed Stone Man, to resolve the Ancestral Calamity for the world. That Ancestral Divine Source wasn't taken by Xuan Yuan Hao Tian, was it?"
The Second Confucian Ancestor's tone remained gentle, without any intimidation, but Wu Ying's mind shook violently. He simply couldn't face the Second Confucian Ancestor's gaze.
Knowing that his reaction just now couldn't deceive the Second Confucian Ancestor's wise eyes, Wu Ying knelt and kowtowed: "Please, Teacher, grant me death!"
He dared not lift his head.
The Second Confucian Ancestor said, "Actually, when you returned to the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom to report back then, I already knew you weren't telling the truth. Do you know why I didn't perform a Soul Search on you?"
Wu Ying shook his head.
The Second Confucian Ancestor waved his sleeve, and a dark wooden chair appeared in the starry sky. After sitting down, he said, "Back then, was it you who passed the Space-Time Divine Martial Mark from the God Realm to Zhang Ruochen?"
Wu Ying nodded silently, his voice bitter: "Indeed, nothing can be hidden from Teacher."
"You shouldn't have concealed it!"
The Second Confucian Ancestor showed a serious expression, saying, "Xumi had great compassion and great vision. He was a figure among the younger generation of the Kunlun Realm who was quite admirable. Unfortunately, he was born in the wrong era, not meant to be born in this apocalyptic chaotic world. He was too idealistic, too merciful, and in the end, could only move himself. Not only did he fail to achieve his vision, but he also met a tragic end."
Wu Ying finally mustered the courage to refute the Second Confucian Ancestor, saying, "His death was not without value. At least he protected the Kunlun Realm for a hundred thousand years, and at least he nurtured Di Chen."
"Zhang Ruochen is indeed far stronger than Xumi!" The Second Confucian Ancestor nodded slightly, then added, "But in the end? In the end, he still died at the hands of the Nether Ancestor Faction. How many people sighed in regret? How many people's hopes were shattered? Including this old man."
Wu Ying stared blankly at the Second Confucian Ancestor.
He had long speculated, during his secret meetings with Zhang Ruochen, that the Second Confucian Ancestor had laid plans around Zhang Ruochen, acting as an invisible hand pushing Zhang Ruochen's growth.
This included the Sundial falling into Zhang Ruochen's hands, and the Ten Thousand Beast Treasure Mirror becoming entangled with Zhang Ruochen. There was likely a deep layer of cause and effect, a method of transference by the Second Confucian Ancestor.
The Second Confucian Ancestor sighed, "When Zhang Ruochen went to the past to cultivate the First-Rank Divine Path, this old man sensed his aura and escorted him for a stretch in the ancient era."
"He should have been the most suitable emperor to lead the world's cultivators against all heretics and the Great Calamity. Most importantly, he is a cultivator of the Kunlun Realm."
Wu Ying said, "So Teacher has a special feeling for the Kunlun Realm?"
"Falling leaves return to their roots; weary birds know to return."
The Second Confucian Ancestor looked at Wu Ying, saying, "You are the artifact spirit of the Sundial, born in Kunlun, so this old man has always been three parts more lenient with you."
Wu Ying's emotions were complex and hard to describe. He kowtowed three times in succession: "Student has failed Teacher's trust. Please punish me."
The Second Confucian Ancestor said, "Everything you did was within this old man's expectations. I was merely using your hand to do what this old man truly wanted to do but had some reservations about. Wasn't the Space-Time Divine Martial Mark something Xumi wanted to pass to Zhang Ruochen? But wasn't it also this old man's idea?"
"You wanted to rescue the Heavenly Demon and protect the Kunlun Realm. Didn't this old man have the same thought?"
"So, you don't need to feel guilty! When this old man treated you as a chess piece, I also felt no guilt."
"On the path of cultivation, if you cannot achieve integrity in your actions, then achieve integrity in your heart. As long as the final result is what you want, the process doesn't matter."
"Get up. You've already broken through to the Half-Ancestor realm; you're no longer a child. Even a Half-Ancestor must stand tall and upright before an Ancestor."
Wu Ying quickly gathered his turbulent emotions and stood up, asking, "Has Teacher broken through to the ninety-sixth level, and thus has no more worries, allowing you to speak your mind so openly? What Teacher has always been worried about—is it that Immortal who controls the Seventy-Two Layer Tower?"
The Second Confucian Ancestor's gaze was distant, and he remained silent for a long time.
Wu Ying's face changed, and he immediately said, "Student has spoken out of turn. Teacher may erase this memory from student's mind."
"Would you be willing to become the artifact spirit of the Seventy-Two Layer Tower?" the Second Confucian Ancestor suddenly asked.
Wu Ying thought briefly, then said, "Student himself achieved enlightenment as an artifact spirit. If I could become the artifact spirit of the Seventy-Two Layer Tower, it would be my greatest honor."
With the terrifying power of the Seventy-Two Layer Tower, even if the Great Calamity erupted in the future, it would never be destroyed.
Becoming its artifact spirit would give a great chance of surviving into the new era.
The Second Confucian Ancestor nodded with satisfaction, saying, "The former artifact spirit of the Seventy-Two Layer Tower was annihilated after Earth Treasury King self-destructed his Ancestral Divine Source. This opportunity is very rare, but you must also understand that Teacher has a deeper purpose."
Wu Ying had a guess in his heart, saying, "Student will only obey Teacher's orders! Whenever Teacher needs it, student will go through fire and water without hesitation, even if it's the God Realm..."
The Second Confucian Ancestor interrupted Wu Ying, saying, "This old man naturally believes you are a person of deep loyalty and righteousness; otherwise, you wouldn't have risked your life to fulfill Xumi's last wishes. But that's not enough. Your cultivation is still not strong enough. In Ancestor-level battles, the role you can play is too small. How about this: I will go to Murong Overlord's place and retrieve the Xuan Emperor Battle Soul for you."
"Everyone has their value. The greater the value, the more benefits one receives. And those who lose their value are not far from losing their lives."
The Second Confucian Ancestor's gaze turned toward the Heavenly Court, his pupils transforming into black and white, like two chess pieces.
With that, a thought of spiritual power crossed the vast space and landed on Murong Dui Ji.
Outside the Heavenly Palace, standing within the Heaven's Will World-Burning Divine Talisman, Murong Dui Ji shuddered all over, suddenly becoming like a different person.
His eyes were firm, but without a soul.
"You all dare to kill my God Realm cultivators? Today, I will show you what true Heaven's Will World-Burning truly means. To burn the world, first burn the body!"
The flames on Murong Dui Ji's body burned even more fiercely, and in an instant, his physical body turned to ashes.
Strands of Ancestral Talisman Flame, like streaks of light, surged toward his Divine Heart.
Whether it was the gods in the Heavenly Palace or the billions of cultivators on the four continents of the Heavenly Court, all felt an extremely terrifying dangerous aura. Their souls trembled, as if the world-ending Calamity of Quantities was about to descend.
"He wants to self-destruct his Divine Heart to trigger the strongest strike of the Heaven's Will World-Burning Divine Talisman!"
Feng Tian was the first to react. Shouting loudly, she struck out with the six volumes of the "Fate Heavenly Scripture" to stop Murong Dui Ji's spiritual thought.
Xu Tian, Undying War God, Blood Absolute Clan Leader, Bing Huang, Jing Daoren, Xuan Yuan Lian, and other powerful figures locked in fierce battle were all shocked by Murong Dui Ji's mad act. They released their spiritual power or Divine Souls, surging toward the Ancestral Grand Talisman in the sky.
They could only do their utmost to suppress Murong Dui Ji's will.
Otherwise, if he succeeded in self-destructing his Divine Heart, the two layers of destructive attacks—the self-destruction of his Divine Source and the Ancestral Grand Talisman—would fall. Not only would the cultivators in the Heavenly Palace be annihilated, but the entire Heavenly Court might not survive.
The severely injured Hidden Corpse and Weak Water Mother took the opportunity to flee.
"Murong Dui Ji is truly insane! Already at the ninety-fourth level, yet he would self-destruct his Divine Heart just because he couldn't conquer the Heavenly Palace? Doesn't he know how hard cultivation is?"
"Perhaps he had no choice. Think about the fate of Di Zu Shen Jun."
"The God Realm and the Heavenly Court have completely torn apart. If they lose this battle, the God Realm will lose everything, and the price paid will be too great. A loss like this is not something Di Zu Shen Jun could compare to."
The gods in the Heavenly Palace, some releasing spiritual power, some releasing Divine Soul thoughts, transformed into beams of light, like ten thousand arrows piercing the heart, crashing into the Ancestral Grand Talisman.
But it was too late!
The Heaven's Will power and Talisman Flame erupting from the Ancestral Grand Talisman were far stronger than before. Carrying the terrifying spiritual power storm of Murong Dui Ji's self-destructing Divine Heart, it shattered countless beams of light and rapidly descended toward the Heavenly Palace.
The gods in the Heavenly Palace were all shrouded in the shadow of death, their courage failing.
Facing this power, even the Heavenly Regulation Order could not withstand it, collapsing in an instant.
Even Xu Tian, Blood Absolute Clan Leader, and others not in the Heavenly Palace felt as if time had stopped, as if space was infinitely compressed, with death right before their eyes, impossible to escape.
Even if they fled, the power of the Ancestral Grand Talisman and Murong Dui Ji's self-destructing Divine Heart would still kill them.
Because they were too close.
The gods outside the Central Divine Hall, regardless of their cultivation level, were all pressed to the ground by the scorching Ancestral Grand Talisman.
"Chi!"
A streak of light pierced through space, appearing in the square outside the Central Divine Hall, transforming into a tall, peerless figure.
Zhang Ruochen raised his right hand and pressed it outward.
The black-and-white Life-Death Seal spread out in his palm, like a jade plate, rapidly expanding outward, colliding with the Ancestral Grand Talisman.
"Boom!"
The entire Heavenly Court, including the surrounding starry sky, shook violently.
Viewed from the universe, a bright Ancestral radiance erupted from the Heavenly Court. In an extremely short time, the brightness increased by more than ten thousand times.
This terrifying power, which could have swept through the myriad realms outside the Heavenly Court, was forcibly pressed into the Lihentian by a black-and-white Life-Death force.
The space at the Heavenly Court's location seemed to have a page turned, breaking the spatial boundary between the Real World and the Lihentian.
The terrifying destructive force surged wildly in the Lihentian, catching up to Hidden Corpse and Weak Water Mother, who had fled first, engulfing them.
"He actually self-destructed his Divine Source!"
Murong Overlord frowned, finding it hard to believe that Murong Dui Ji would make such an extreme decision. He couldn't help but secretly admire the Eternal True Ruler's decisiveness and ruthlessness.
"Ha!"
His figure disappeared into the Seventy-Two Layer Tower, then emerged from space moments later, appearing in front of Hidden Corpse and Weak Water Mother.
In the end, he only managed to save Hidden Corpse, who had hidden inside the Golden Staff.
Weak Water Mother was completely annihilated, leaving nothing behind.
All the destructive storms crashed into Murong Overlord's Ancestral Order Field, automatically dispersing to the left and right.
Hidden Corpse flew out of the Golden Staff. His Ancestral corpse body was damaged to the extreme, with most of his bones lost and only a third of his flesh and blood remaining. This was a loss of Ancestral matter and Ancestral blood Qi, while his Divine Soul injuries were even more severe.
His ten percent combat power was reduced to only five percent.
"Thank you, Overlord, for saving my life."
Hidden Corpse's bones and flesh quickly grew back, restoring him to his original form, but his injuries and depletion remained, leaving him extremely weak.
Murong Overlord's attention was not on Hidden Corpse. Instead, he looked across the distance at the source of the destructive storm, at the figure standing outside the Central Divine Hall, muttering, "He is so strong? And he has hidden his true strength so deeply."
The Life-Death Heavenly Venerable had managed to block two destructive forces from such close range and send them into the Lihentian, thereby saving the Heavenly Court.
Such cultivation and methods—Murong Overlord admitted that, with his current cultivation, he could not achieve this.
Seeing the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable appear, the various factions immediately began to assess his cultivation level.
Yan Wushen's gaze was deep and solemn, saying, "Murong Dui Ji plus the Heaven's Will World-Burning Divine Talisman, though not as strong as Qishier Pin Lian plus Lan Ai Tong Fen, the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable was able to block it and still save the Heavenly Court, showing he handled it quite calmly. Is this really the level of cultivation Hao Tian could have?"
Yan Wushen had personally come into contact with Ancestor-level power and had some understanding of Ancestor combat strength...
If the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable was Hao Tian, then he had only broken through to this realm thirty thousand years ago. Could his combat power and Dao techniques reach this level?
Corpse Pang, who had broken through to the Ancestor realm hundreds of thousands of years ago, probably didn't have such methods as the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable.
Corpse Pang pondered for a moment, then said, "Xuan Yuan Hao Tian absolutely could not have become this strong in just thirty thousand years."
"Could it be that he borrowed the power of the Heavenly Regulation Order and the Heavenly Punishment Esoterica? Or perhaps he set up Ancestor-level formations in the Heavenly Palace in advance?" Yan Wushen speculated.
Corpse Pang couldn't directly release his Ancestor Divine Soul to probe the Heavenly Palace, so he couldn't make an accurate judgment, saying, "That possibility cannot be ruled out."
"So strong! Is he really Hao Tian?" Heavenly Mother's voice came from within the carriage.
Luo Sha was in an excellent mood, laughing, "If you want to know the answer, why doesn't Heavenly Mother go and test him?"
After a moment's thought, she added, "No matter who he is, with such strong cultivation, he is an ally worth uniting with."
Heavenly Palace.
"Greetings to the Heavenly Venerable!" "Congratulations to the Heavenly Venerable on emerging from seclusion!"
"The Heavenly Venerable is eternal and peerless, revered by all heavens!"
The gods of the Heavenly Palace were all elated, bowing to Zhang Ruochen standing outside the Central Divine Hall, their joy evident.
Not only because the Heavenly Venerable's emergence had resolved the Heavenly Court's great calamity, but also because of the God Realm's disastrous defeat in this battle.
Although Zhang Ruochen stood in the center of the square, his gaze was fixed on the direction of the Sea Stone Star Harbor, crossing the vast and distant void, speaking to the Second Confucian Ancestor: "You lost!"
The moment the Second Confucian Ancestor used his means to make Murong Dui Ji self-destruct his Divine Heart, Zhang Ruochen sensed his location.
It was somewhat unexpected for Zhang Ruochen.
He had thought the Second Confucian Ancestor was hiding inside the Heavenly Court, waiting for the right moment to act.
After all, no matter whether this battle provoked by the God Realm could force him to appear, whether it was a win or a loss, there should have been follow-up measures. It shouldn't end like this.
But the Second Confucian Ancestor was in such a distant place—this was too unusual.
Zhang Ruochen had a bad feeling.
The Second Confucian Ancestor smiled, saying, "Dui Ji forcing you to act, making you expose so many secrets, and forcing so many hidden powerful figures into the open—that already demonstrates his value. In chess, losing a few pieces is very normal. As long as the ultimate goal is achieved."
"No!"
Zhang Ruochen muttered, pressing his two fingers together.
"Whoosh!"
The Hong Tian Arrow from the Demon Ancestor Ridge traced a beautiful arc and flew to his side.
After circling him once, the Hong Tian Arrow was accelerated to an incredible speed, shooting out, piercing through space, crossing the various tributaries of the Santu River, and spanning the star sea.
"Boom!"
Upon reaching the Yellow Spring Star River, the Hong Tian Arrow shot through the Star Sea Chess Formation set up by the Second Confucian Ancestor, piercing through the deception of Heaven's Will. Instantly, the true scene of the Hell Realm appeared in Zhang Ruochen's mind.
The Fate Divine Domain was breached by a divine army with jade talismans stuck to their foreheads. Corpses lay everywhere, blood flowing like a sea.
The entire World Tree had been moved to the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom.
The soldiers of this divine army were all unfamiliar faces, but each had powerful cultivation. Talismans combined their cultivation and might, forming a Black Dragon Talisman Beast above the army.
The commander of the Talisman Divine Army rode the skeleton of a Primordial Black Dragon, tall and handsome, exuding a terrifying aura that could swallow the heavens and devour the earth.
Fengdu Ghost City was breached by another divine army, and its World Tree was also taken.
Every soldier of this divine army rode a refined star as a mount, arranged like chess pieces. From a distance, they looked like neatly arranged pieces on a chessboard.
As the Heavenly Mechanism blockade of the Yellow Spring Star River was shot through, Yan Wushen, Corpse Pang, Heavenly Mother, and others immediately sensed the situation in the Hell Realm, their gazes fixed on the three armies that had descended like divine soldiers from heaven.
Everyone had been drawn to the Heavenly Court, expecting the Ancestor battle to erupt here, but the Second Confucian Ancestor's target was the three World Trees.
"Good, a true Confucian Ancestor! As soon as he emerged, he taught us all a lesson."
Yan Wushen laughed heartily, as if extremely pleased, but his eyes grew colder and colder.
"His other move was in the Hell Realm. The three World Trees seem very important. Fortunately, something seems to have gone wrong at the Yan Luo Heaven Beyond Heaven."
Zhang Ruochen's expression was unreadable, his voice calm, clearly having anticipated that defeating the Second Confucian Ancestor wouldn't be so easy. He looked again toward the Sea Stone Star Harbor, but the Second Confucian Ancestor was no longer there.
The World Tree at the Yan Luo Heaven Beyond Heaven was closest to the Heavenly Court Universe.
Fighting against the God Realm's third divine army was actually the Er Jun Tian.