Chapter 4221: One Against Two
The power of the Calamity burned, flames spreading to the Colorless Realm, the highest layer of Lihentian.
Divine Martial Envoy "Wu Yan," with a graceful and ethereal bearing, stood atop the main altar, gazing down at the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom below. Her eyes took in the mist-shrouded floating islands stretching to the horizon.
The Calamity power flames surged like crimson giant waves from all directions toward the Heavenly Kingdom, filled with destructive force.
She closed her crimson lips and transmitted her thoughts as condensed sound: "All cultivators of the Heavenly Kingdom, hear my command—activate all defensive formations."
She had already reached the Half-Ancestor realm and was now the strongest being in the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom.
"Ha la!"
On the floating islands, cultivators shot out like hummingbirds leaving their nests, flying toward the borders of the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom.
Moments later, formation plates unfolded one after another at the sky's edge, their inscriptions layered like text on a page.
Wu Yan sensed something and lowered her gaze to the northeast direction of the main altar.
There.
An old man with disheveled white hair, carrying a deep, heavy divine sword on his shoulder, stepped unhurriedly through white layered clouds toward the main altar.
This old man was powerfully built, his back straight as a divine spear. His face and neck were densely covered with silver-white branch and leaf patterns. The sharp light in his eyes could pierce through space and realm barriers.
Wu Yan naturally knew who this was, but her eyes showed no fluctuation.
"Da da!"
One of the Doomsday Ritual Masters, Ghost Lord, hurriedly arrived at the top of the main altar. Seeing Wu Yan's calm and composed demeanor, he too steadied himself.
He shouted downward: "The Green Deer Divine King, a Half-Ancestor at the peak, was struck dead by the Seventy-Two Layer Tower in a single blow. The Divine Realm is invincible in this world. I advise Void Heaven not to bring ruin upon himself and withdraw quickly."
"A mere Ghost Lord dares to address me? Does the Divine Realm have no one left?"
Void Heaven grinned, raised his sword, and struck.
A condensed sword light, hundreds of thousands of miles long, tore through heaven and earth with majestic momentum, descending upon the star-sized main altar.
This was a peak Half-Ancestor strike, capable of splitting realms and severing star rivers.
"Boom!"
Space around the main altar churned violently as Ancestor-level formation inscriptions and talisman patterns appeared, blocking the fierce sword energy.
The main altar only shook slightly. The Divine Realm cultivators within it felt greatly relieved, their fear of the peak Half-Ancestor outside completely gone.
They were backed by the Divine Realm itself, where more than one Spiritual Power Ancestor had left their means on the main altar. Even a peak Half-Ancestor could only retreat in defeat.
Everything was within Void Heaven's expectations.
"Ancestor-level formation inscriptions and talisman patterns mean nothing. Even if the Ancestor's true body were here, this old man would dare to fight."
Void Heaven strode forward, each step accompanied by a strike of his divine sword, bold and unrestrained.
"Boom! Boom..."
Faster and faster.
Ghost Lord felt the main altar's vibrations growing stronger and said, "Lord Wu Yan, something is wrong. Logically, with the main altar activated and the pillar of heaven-earth energy connected to the Divine Realm, why hasn't Void Heaven's Divine Martial Mark been taken away?"
Wu Yan had already noticed this.
Her divine thought transmitted: "It's Imperial Dust! Imperial Dust used supreme divine power to alter his Divine Martial Mark."
"Truly extraordinary, the One of Past and Present."
Ghost Lord's mind flashed with the towering image of Zhang Ruochen "fixing the star river and building the World Tree." He shuddered slightly and said, "Can the main altar's defenses withstand Void Heaven's assault? He is said to have cultivated Sword Twenty-Six, and his Path of Nothingness specifically counters formation inscriptions and talisman patterns."
Wu Yan did not respond.
"Rumble!"
The heavenly punishment thunder descending from the Divine Realm drowned out all other sounds in the world.
At this moment, the Divine Realm's earth at the end of the light pillar hung directly above the main altar, the distance drawn extremely close, beginning to devour Lihentian from the Colorless Realm.
Void Heaven sneered arrogantly, using his body to withstand the Divine Realm's thunder punishment, weaving through the rain-like electric light and killing radiance. After striking more than a hundred sword blows, his battle intent and momentum peaked.
His body leaped up, both hands raising the sword, blood flowing like a divine river within him.
"Sword Twenty-Six, Sword Eternity!"
One sword strike split heaven and earth, tearing through time and space. The sky was filled with Ancestor-level formation inscriptions and talisman patterns churning like water, sinking inward.
Wu Yan had long been forming seals, gathering power for a long time, waiting precisely for Void Heaven's strongest and sharpest sword strike.
Elegant and agile, her ten jade-like fingers pushed the seal technique forward, overlapping with the Ancestor-level formation inscriptions and talisman patterns to block the momentum of Sword Twenty-Six.
"Senior Void Heaven, you are indeed the foremost sword cultivator in the universe since Sword Ancestor. But this is where your skill ends!"
Wu Yan's divine thought voice echoed through the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom.
"What... what is that?" Ghost Lord exclaimed.
Void Heaven merged with his sword, like a white rainbow piercing the sun, crashing into the sunken point of the Ancestor-level formation inscriptions and talisman patterns, forcing Wu Yan, standing atop the main altar, to step back half a pace.
At the same time.
The Sword Source Divine Tree manifested behind Void Heaven, as tall as the main altar, bright and resplendent, its branches and leaves scattering endless light rain.
Every particle of light rain was in the form of a sword.
On the trunk, the spiritual imprints left by three thousand Sword Gods of the ancient Sword Realm fell off one by one, transforming into figures holding swords.
Three thousand Sword Gods arrayed in formation, neat and orderly.
The divine tree struck the altar, light rain flying toward the Divine Realm.
The three thousand Sword Gods, full of spirit and energy, swung their swords together with Void Heaven.
Sword intent interwove, sword momentum condensed, aiming to break all defenses in the world and lift a corner of the universe.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the Second Confucian Ancestor's Dharma form, who was refining the two World Trees, and pondered.
Already at Spiritual Power level ninety-six, yet still so aggressive, seeking higher-level combat power by any means necessary—Zhang Ruochen simply did not believe he was only preparing for the future Great Calamity.
As Feng Tian had said, how could Yan Tingqiu, having reached such a realm, lack his own philosophy?
Ancestors became Ancestors not without great boldness or great ambition.
Their will must be independent; they would not be anyone's appendage.
Thinking this, between the Corpse Demon and the Second Confucian Ancestor, Zhang Ruochen chose to deal with the Corpse Demon first.
If he could finish off Corpse Yan, he might still have time to stop the Second Confucian Ancestor.
If not, it might not necessarily be a bad thing.
The Second Confucian Ancestor's threat was indeed greater than Corpse Yan's—not only was he deeply calculating and cunning, but after refining the two World Trees, his combat power would inevitably achieve a qualitative leap.
But perhaps, in this state, the Second Confucian Ancestor would no longer be the right-hand man of the Divine Realm's Immortal, but a counterbalance.
"Hua!"
Zhang Ruochen's form flickered, appearing in the void outside the Yama Clan's World Tree, colliding with Corpse Yan, who was charging toward Yama Heaven's Outer Heaven.
Like two stars filled with destructive energy colliding, they erupted with blazing force waves.
One could imagine what would happen if these layers of Ancestor-level force waves reached the Yama Clan's World Tree.
Yan Wushen propped up the Six Paths Reincarnation Realm, Chi Yao held up the Twenty-Six Layers of Heaven, and Feng Tian drove the Demon Ridge across. The three peak Half-Ancestor powerhouses together resisted the aftermath, yet were still sent flying.
Fengdu Dadi arrived, unleashing the Yellow Spring Seal, using supreme spatial divine power to pull the Yama Clan's World Tree back thousands of miles, thus averting a catastrophic disaster.
After the collision, Corpse Yan was knocked back hundreds of thousands of miles and roared angrily: "Zhang Ruochen, Lihentian is already burning, the Calamity power is endless, and my power is likewise endless. You cannot stop me!"
"Then I'll grant your wish—shall we fight in Lihentian?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Corpse Yan saw through Zhang Ruochen's concern that an Ancestor-level duel would destroy the Yama Clan's World Tree, and said, "Why not fight on the Yama Clan's World Tree?"
"Imperial Dust, let me assist you!"
The Darkness Cauldron flew out from an unknown location, intending to sever the connection between Corpse Yan and Lihentian.
The Darkness Venerable Lord was not trying to help Zhang Ruochen; he purely believed that only by pushing Corpse Yan to the brink would he self-detonate his Ancestor Divine Source, taking all cultivators in this starry sky with him.
Including Zhang Ruochen and the Second Confucian Ancestor.
Thus, the nine cauldrons held by Corpse Yan and Zhang Ruochen, along with the Calamity Yan Esoterica, would all become his spoils.
Conversely, if Zhang Ruochen dealt with Corpse Yan, would he not seize the Darkness Cauldron from him?
"A mere cauldron wants to stop me?" At this moment, Corpse Yan, having burned Calamity Yan matter and Calamity Demon Esoterica, absorbing vast amounts of Calamity power, had briefly elevated his combat power to the height of "Always One," comparable to the desperate state of Ksitigarbha King.
Of course, Ksitigarbha King in that state could only last half a day before dying.
But Corpse Yan had endless potential, with the true possibility of reaching Always One.
The prerequisite was to first refine the entire Yama Clan as human medicine to condense his flesh and soul.
Under Corpse Yan's urging, the Wu Cauldron released cyan mist, flying out golden characters, drawing endless Wu Dao rules from the vast star sea, surging into Lihentian to clash with the Darkness Cauldron.
Suddenly.
"I said, let's fight in Lihentian."
Zhang Ruochen's voice sounded in his ear, right beside him.
Corpse Yan was secretly shocked—how could Zhang Ruochen be so formidable, able to silently break through the Calamity Yan Esoterica and Calamity power tribulation clouds?
Without thinking, he struck out with a palm toward the sound.
Zhang Ruochen delivered a fist.
"Boom!"
Fist met palm, like a star domain exploding.
Corpse Yan, caught off guard, felt as if the entire universe was pressing down on him, his body uncontrollably falling toward Lihentian.
Zhang Ruochen gave him no chance to counter, raising his hand and grasping the void.
"Zheng!"
The Abyssal Divine Sword appeared in his hand, far heavier than a star.
He struck down with the sword intent of Sword Twenty-Six.
The sword slashed toward Corpse Yan from all dimensions—time, space, soul, rules, order. Zhang Ruochen's sword dao skill surpassed even Void Heaven's.
Corpse Yan had no way to avoid it; he could only endure.
The demon eye on his brow released over a dozen Ancestor-form tribulation thunders. These were both a dozen Ancestors of various forms and heavenly tribulations, their energy comparable to the Eon Calamity endured by Ancestors.
Zhang Ruochen showed no retreat, his physical body enduring the tribulation thunder as he swung his sword, clashing with Corpse Yan over a dozen times.
He cut through all Ancestor tribulation thunders.
Corpse Yan retreated over a dozen times, all the way to the depths of Lihentian, and roared furiously: "How can you be so foolish? Don't you know the Divine Realm is the greater enemy? You should help me—once I achieve the Dao, we can join forces to stand a chance against the Divine Realm."
Zhang Ruochen stood with his sword, the tribulation thunder on his skin dissipating, and said, "That's a good proposal. I, Zhang Ruochen, am certainly not a short-sighted man who only remembers grudges and ignores the situation. But you must first return the Mani Pearl, Hong Cauldron, and Wu Cauldron that you took from me."
Corpse Yan had long seen that the reason Zhang Ruochen abandoned Yan Tingqiu to attack him first was for the nine cauldrons.
Zhang Ruochen's most urgent need to resist the Seventy-Two Layer Tower was to obtain the nine cauldrons?
"Fine!"
Corpse Yan agreed immediately, then added: "As long as you protect my path and help me refine Lihentian, I will not only return the Hong Cauldron and Wu Cauldron to you but also give you the Zhou Cauldron as an apology gift. But it must wait until I break through to Always One, because..."
"Hua! Hua! Hua..."
Before Corpse Yan could finish, Zhang Ruochen released the forty-nine Daolight clusters, letting them orbit around him, forming an increasingly massive Chaos vortex.
Space fragments, tribulation clouds, heaven-earth rules—all energy in this void was drawn into it.
The Calamity power in Lihentian was also continuously absorbed by the vortex.
The absorption speed was faster than Corpse Yan's burning of Calamity Yan Esoterica.
Zhang Ruochen was interested in Calamity power, wanting to reverse-engineer the power of the Great Calamity to find a way to counter or resist it.
"You..."
Corpse Yan's eyes bulged with rage. How could Zhang Ruochen be so shameless, forcibly taking the Calamity power he had ignited by burning Calamity Yan matter and Calamity Yan Esoterica?
Zhang Ruochen's body was like the eye of heaven and earth, the heart of the universe—even the Esoterica could not compete with him.
Corpse Yan could no longer bear it. Holding the Hong Cauldron in one hand and the Zhou Cauldron in the other, he wove the power of Truth and Time together, using terrifying Ancestor-level force to smash through the Chaos vortex, attacking Zhang Ruochen's true body at the vortex's center.
This was a strike of peak combat power, delivered in fury.
Zhang Ruochen sat like an old monk in meditation, unperturbed, and said calmly: "The nine cauldrons are not meant to be used this way."
He spread his arms wide, blood energy surging, as the Heaven Cauldron and Earth Cauldron rose in the palms of his left and right hands.
The patterns on the two cauldrons fell off, as if imprinted, appearing on Zhang Ruochen's arms, overlapping with his skin.
Just as Corpse Yan attacked before him.
Zhang Ruochen slowly raised his head, his pupils reflecting the scene of a star sea universe.
Both fists struck out simultaneously—one was Fate, the other was Origin.
"Boom!"
The Heaven Cauldron and Earth Cauldron transformed into fist gloves and arm guards, striking out with his overwhelming fist force, directly sending the flying Corpse Yan, Hong Cauldron, and Zhou Cauldron scattering in three directions, flying backward.
Corpse Yan's chest was caved in, his body deformed.
Even the Calamity Yan Esoterica within him seemed to have been shattered.
Zhang Ruochen's right hand grasped the void, pulling the Hong Cauldron and Zhou Cauldron back, while simultaneously stripping strands of Calamity Demon Esoterica escaping from Corpse Yan's body.
With his other hand, two strands of divine flame shot from his fingertips.
"Crackle!"
Under the divine flame's burning, Corpse Yan's spiritual imprints and Ancestor divine thoughts within the Hong Cauldron and Zhou Cauldron were quickly refined.
Many of the universe's top cultivators were watching the battle in Lihentian, all deeply shaken.