Chapter 4223: The Number of Heaven and Earth, the Battle to Mend the Heavens
Vast expanses of cosmic space shattered into pieces, presenting a scene of utter destruction.
Three Ancestors clashed in magical combat, annihilating all Heavenly and Earthly rules and energies within that realm, leaving only the Ancestral Rules and Ancestral Energies of the three.
"Boom!!"
As the three collided, the surrounding star domains seemed to boil.
Let alone ordinary deities, even peerless Half-Ancestors like Yan Wushen, Fengdu Dadi, Chi Yao, Feng Tian, and Nutian Shenzun retreated far away, fearing the residual waves might touch them.
Beings of the caliber of Jun Tian and Qinglu Divine King could perish in an instant. They had intended to form a battle formation and join the battlefield to aid Zhang Ruochen.
But they received Zhang Ruochen's telepathic message, ordering everyone to stay away from the battlefield. If Shi Yan self-destructed his Divine Source, Zhang Ruochen had no confidence in suppressing it, and the consequences would be severe.
"Fighting one against two, have they already exchanged over a thousand rounds?" Chan Bing's heart could not calm down. The once rising star had become an Emperor-Venerable Overlord whose every move influenced the entire universe!
Nutian Shenzun said, "It's hard to say. Time and Heavenly secrets within the Ancestral battlefield are chaotic. The scenes we see may not be real. What we perceive as a mere instant might be centuries of combat within the battlefield. Conversely, what we think is centuries might not even be the end of their first round!"
Feng Tian said, "Speculation is meaningless. This battle is perilous. We must prepare for the worst."
"The Dark Energy Storm is intensifying. Retreat again."
Yan Wushen, piloting the Six Paths Reincarnation Mirror, was the first to retreat deeper into the cosmic void. The Dark Energy Storm clearly originated from the Dark Lord and the Dark Cauldron.
The intensification of this force, sweeping across the star sea, was definitely not a good sign. It meant the Dark Lord was gaining the upper hand.
"Imperial Dust is in danger!"
At the center of the vortex of nineteen clusters of Dao Light, Zhang Ruochen, bearing six cauldrons and wielding the Abyssal Divine Sword, slashed out one sword strike after another, clashing head-on with the Myriad Forms Formless Seal unleashed by the Dark Lord.
"Formless and Faceless!"
"Formless and Lawless!"
"Formless and Colorless!"
The Dark Lord's divine abilities all originated from the Way of Myriad Forms Formless, a comprehensive manifestation of the Way of Space, serving both defense and offense.
Zhang Ruochen's battle intent was blazing. Divine diagrams swirled around him one after another, as if he were advancing alongside the six Witch Ancestors, his aura majestic. With each sword strike, he broke one seal, forcing the Dark Lord to retreat repeatedly, unable to let him get close.
With two cauldrons empowering him, Zhang Ruochen could shatter Shi Yan's defenses with two punches and wound him. Now, with six cauldrons, Zhang Ruochen was virtually invincible in close combat.
One foot trod on Space, the other on Time!
One hand grasped Fate, the other held Origin. Truth protected his heart, and Light guarded his head!
The power of an entire ancient era was bestowed upon him, reminiscent of the great battles between the Witch Ancestors of that age and the Primordial Beings and Immortals. His spirit and energy were vigorous, with an air of "If not me, then who?"
Shi Yan had been relentlessly pursuing from behind, believing Zhang Ruochen's back to be his greatest weakness, as no ancient cauldron was there to support it, and various divine abilities and curses were unleashed.
But his attacks could not enter the space-time where Zhang Ruochen's true body resided, thus naturally failing to break through the defenses.
The Dark Lord keenly sensed that Shi Yan's combat power was waning, while Zhang Ruochen grew stronger with each passing moment.
This colossal chaotic vortex was the battlefield of the three Ancestors.
Originally, the vortex contained only forty-nine clusters of Black Sun Dao Light. But after absorbing a vast amount of Quantities Force, Zhang Ruochen had actually manifested five new clusters of Dao Light. These five new clusters took the form of Calamity Clouds.
Within them, lightning and fire intertwined, extremely unstable!
These were not true Dao Lights, but possibilities deduced by Zhang Ruochen—a potential Number of Heaven and Earth!
The Dao Lights Zhang Ruochen had cultivated so far, combined with the Strange Domain within his Xuan Embryo, totaled fifty clusters, representing the "Great Derivation." The Number of Heaven and Earth, however, is fifty-five. Heaven and Earth are incomplete, requiring a "Mending of the Heavens."
Successfully mending the heavens would lead to the path of perfection, the realm of "Constancy and Unity"!
From the *River Diagram* and *Luo Writing*, Zhang Ruochen could deduce the Number of Heaven and Earth and knew his own Dao was incomplete. But there were many paths to "Mend the Heavens," and he was unclear which was optimal or which carried hidden dangers.
It was like building a house. The moment Zhang Ruochen reached the Ancestor Realm, the house was already constructed. But looking up, he saw many gaps and holes in the roof tiles, through which sunlight and rain would pour in.
To mend it, there were many methods. One could cover the roof with a large enough cloth, spread a layer of straw over the tiles, or climb up and add more tiles...
He knew the path, but the hardest part was where to get the cloth, straw, and tiles? What materials to use for refinement? Which method was better?
Quantities Force was the power of Heaven and Earth!
This was what Zhang Ruochen had found—straw born between Heaven and Earth. If he had enough, he could cover the roof and mend the heavens to attain the Dao!
Of course, these five newly condensed Dao Lights were only in a Calamity Cloud state, far from fully formed.
Unless he could seize all of Shi Yan's Quantities Nightmare Esoterica, absorb all the Quantities Force from Lihentian, and perhaps even refine the entirety of Lihentian itself, could he complete the Mending of the Heavens. This was the fastest method Zhang Ruochen could conceive to cultivate the Number of Heaven and Earth.
"Lord, have you forgotten? I have comprehended your Ancestral insights and have a deep understanding of Myriad Forms Formless. How can you block me with this method?" Zhang Ruochen declared boldly, breaking through all the Dark Lord's divine abilities, closing in, and delivering a heavy slash with his sword!
Facing Zhang Ruochen at his peak, the Dark Lord once again avoided his edge, merging with the Dark Cauldron to transform into a miniature black hole.
"Boom!!"
Cauldron and sword clashed, and with a resounding clang, the Dark Energy Storm spread outward.
The cultivators outside naturally had no idea that Zhang Ruochen, fighting one against two, was completely dominating.
Shi Yan seized this rare opportunity, manipulating the Witch Cauldron and leveraging the Witch Dao rules of Heaven and Earth to break through the independent space-time constructed by the Universe Cauldron and Eon Cauldron, striking directly at Zhang Ruochen's true body.
"Zhang Ruochen, how will you dodge this time?" Shi Yan roared, his voice transforming first into a soul attack, invading Zhang Ruochen's Sea of Consciousness!
At this critical, lightning-fast moment, all of Zhang Ruochen's power was clashing with the Dark Cauldron. He had to go all out. If he were distracted, he would surely face the Dark Lord's thunderous counterattack.
Just as the Witch Cauldron was about to pierce through Zhang Ruochen's physical body, Zhang Ruochen directly abandoned his sword, turned around, and unleashed over a dozen palm strikes in rapid succession. The power of Fate and Origin forced the Witch Cauldron to fly backward!
Finally, before the Dark Lord could pursue, Zhang Ruochen's palm pierced through Shi Yan's protective order, his five fingers gripping that old, withered head.
"Boom!" The head exploded!
"Pfft!" At the same time, the Dark Lord forcefully caught up and struck Zhang Ruochen's back with a palm.
The terrifying energy of the Myriad Forms Formless Seal shattered all of Zhang Ruochen's internal organs except his heart.
Just as the Dark Lord inwardly rejoiced, believing he could severely wound Zhang Ruochen to the point of crippling his combat power, the Strange Domain within the Xuan Embryo erupted with Primal Chaos energy capable of distorting the star sea. Matter surged forth, overwhelming the Myriad Forms Formless Seal that had entered his body!
"Hua!"
On Zhang Ruochen's back, where the Dark Lord had struck, dense characters appeared, which then transformed into the *Book of Life and Death*, resembling the opening of a Life-and-Death Gate. It reversed its momentum and suppressed the Dark Lord.
"No wonder he dared to take my palm head-on. His back was a deliberate opening."
"Formless and Shadowless!"
The Dark Lord was all too familiar with Zhang Ruochen's close-combat prowess. Now separated from the Dark Cauldron, he knew he could not contend with Zhang Ruochen, who wielded six cauldrons. Thus, he executed an escape technique, vanishing without a trace. Even the *Book of Life and Death* could not lock onto him. This... was the realm of Constancy and Unity, the essence of Myriad Forms Formless.
It might be insufficient for defeating an enemy, but it was more than enough for self-preservation.
Though he escaped, he could not take the Dark Cauldron with him, and it was seized by the *Book of Life and Death*.
The *Book of Life and Death* closed, arced through the air, and flew back above Zhang Ruochen's head.
Zhang Ruochen's blood-drenched palm opened. Within it, Brahma Fire burned, and the Mani Pearl floated quietly within the flames!
He was injured. His divine robe was torn, his mouth was smeared with blood, and his face was somewhat pale. But his eyes remained sharp. There was a hint of regret in his heart.
When he had crushed Shi Yan's head earlier, he had clearly used the Fate power contained in the Heaven Cauldron to break his Dao and lock onto his Divine Sea.
But he had only managed to seize the Mani Pearl, failing to take his Ancestral Divine Source, allowing him to escape.
This added far too many dangerous variables!
To break an Ancestor's Dao, the Heaven Cauldron alone was naturally insufficient. The main reason was that Zhang Ruochen had held the Mani Pearl for many years and knew it was refined by Buddha Ancestor Jiaye from the Six Desires of the human world. The Mani Pearl had long been tainted by Zhang Ruochen's own Six Desires.
Zhang Ruochen only needed to lock onto the Mani Pearl to accurately find Shi Yan's Divine Sea. Moreover, Shi Yan was already consumed by rage and eager for a quick victory, leaving his Dao-heart riddled with flaws!
If only the Dark Lord had given Zhang Ruochen one more breath of time, the outcome might have been entirely different. To trade injury for such a result was not what Zhang Ruochen wanted.
Fortunately, the Quantities Nightmare Esoterica was ignited with Brahma Fire. The Mani Pearl contained a vast amount of Shi Yan's Quantities Nightmare Esoterica. Now, the amount of Quantities Nightmare Esoterica Zhang Ruochen possessed was no less than Shi Yan's.
Zhang Ruochen did not immediately pursue the severely wounded Shi Yan. Instead, he stood still, healing his injuries while refining the Dark Cauldron and absorbing the Quantities Nightmare Esoterica.
Shi Yan fled into the distance, putting a star domain's worth of space between himself and Zhang Ruochen. His head regrew on his neck. The flames on his body dimmed considerably, and his power and aura plummeted sharply.
The Quantities Nightmare substance was nearly exhausted!
With half of his Quantities Nightmare Esoterica and the Mani Pearl taken, Shi Yan's hope of achieving Constancy and Unity was utterly shattered. A cold, ruthless gleam flickered in his eyes. For a moment, he was tempted to self-destruct his Divine Source and perish together with Zhang Ruochen.
But he quickly calmed down, warning himself not to let hatred cloud his mind. He had not yet reached the point of utter desperation.
The stronger Zhang Ruochen's combat power appeared, the more he would become a thorn in the side of the Divine Realm. Killing him was no longer so urgent in the eyes of the Divine Realm.
"Imperial Dust truly lives up to the title of 'Number One Through the Ages.' Once you absorb all the Quantities Force from Lihentian, I suspect even that Immortal of the Divine Realm will no longer be your match!" Shi Yan left these words behind and chose to flee decisively.
His body crashed into the void, disappearing into a cluster of brilliant Time Imprint light spots, vanishing into time!
An instant later, above Feng Tian's head, a cluster of Time Imprint light spots appeared. Shi Yan burst out from within, his five fingers spreading wide. Space collapsed inward from all directions. Shi Yan's greatest remaining trump card was the Witch Cauldron.
Therefore, he had to seize the Witch Ancestor power left by the Demon Ancestor on Feng Tian's body to recover his strength as quickly as possible.
In his calculations, Zhang Ruochen would likely form an alliance with Fanxin to face the Divine Realm. There was a high probability of both sides suffering heavy losses. If he recovered his strength and still had the Witch Cauldron, he might be able to reap the benefits and laugh last!
Moreover, capturing Feng Caiyi would give him a bargaining chip to make Zhang Ruochen hesitate. Feng Tian had stayed here precisely because she was prepared to face an Ancestor at any time.
Thus, the moment she sensed the temporal fluctuation, she activated her Death Esoterica armor to cover her body. The six volumes of the *Fate Heavenly Scripture* and the twelve Gates of Fate surrounding her propped up the collapsing space.
"It's Shi Yan's aura!"
Chi Yao, closest to Feng Tian, took a single step, crossing the void, and slashed out with the Blood-Drop Sword. A sword-energy blood curtain that split the star sea shot straight toward Shi Yan.
Nutian Shenzun and Fengdu Dadi also acted in succession, each employing their own methods. But distant water cannot quench a nearby fire. Since Shi Yan dared to attempt capturing Feng Tian even while retreating, he naturally had confidence that he would not be bogged down in a group battle of Half-Ancestors.
The *Fate Heavenly Scripture* and Gates of Fate that Feng Tian had erected could briefly protect her but could not break the Small World within Shi Yan's palm.
She was trapped within Shi Yan's right palm, his five fingers like the divine pillars of a heavenly prison.
Seeing the star-sea-splitting war sword descending, Shi Yan dared not ignore it. He cast a cold glance at Chi Yao. With a thought, nine bolts of calamity lightning, each comparable to Ancestral power, fell like a torrent, engulfing her.
"Roar!"
"Clang!"
A tiger's roar and a sword's cry emerged from the calamity lightning—one high and mighty, the other piercing!
Chi Yao withstood the nine bolts of calamity lightning, her long hair disheveled, threads of lightning and fire flowing over her body. Her eyes locked onto Shi Yan as she delivered a second diagonal slash.
"Boom!"
The Witch Cauldron flew out from behind Shi Yan, knocking Chi Yao away.
Shi Yan did not entangle himself with her. He turned around, intending once again to vanish into time.
"Pfft!"
The Abyssal Divine Sword flew out from the cluster of Time Imprint light spots in front of Shi Yan, striking his heart.
Shi Yan used the Witch Cauldron's rules to protect his body. The sword tip only penetrated an inch deep, but the impact force knocked him back. He could not stabilize his form. The delay caused by Chi Yao cost him the optimal time to escape.
"I gave you a chance to escape, yet you didn't cherish it!"
Zhang Ruochen caught up, his form bursting out from the cluster of Time Imprint light spots. His speed was so great that it left a trail of afterimages. He appeared before Shi Yan, his hand grasping the Abyssal Divine Sword.
"Chi!"
A force like a mountain-toppling, sea-overturning surge came from the sword body.
The Abyssal Divine Sword pierced through Shi Yan's heart, emerging from his back.
Having failed to seize the Ancestral Divine Source, Zhang Ruochen had genuinely intended to let Shi Yan escape earlier, not wanting to push him to a dead end.
But this old fellow, even as he fled, still harbored the delusion of capturing Feng Tian. He was practically courting death. If Zhang Ruochen spared his life under these circumstances, wouldn't that leave endless trouble?
"Hua!"
The Blazing Halberd pierced through Shi Yan's palm's Small World. Feng Tian broke free. With a wave of her hand, she imprinted the six volumes of the *Fate Heavenly Scripture* and the twelve Gates of Fate onto Shi Yan's body.
Each volume of the Heavenly Scripture was like a great world pressing down.
Each Gate of Fate suppressed Shi Yan's spiritual will.
"Hua!"
Nutian Shenzun struck out with both palms, sending beams of Divine Qi into the twelve Gates of Fate on Shi Yan's body, aiding Feng Tian.
Fengdu Dadi's Yellow Spring Seal and Chi Yao's Space-Time Chaos Lotus landed on Shi Yan one after another.
"Please, Master, take your leave!"
Yan Wushen, also fearing that a cornered Shi Yan would self-destruct his Ancestral Divine Source, bowed deeply before unleashing the Six Paths Reincarnation Seal, striking Shi Yan's body. Shi Yan's Ancestral body could no longer withstand it. It shattered into pieces, though he did not fall.
Shi Yan's physical fragments, soul shards, and even every drop of blood were fleeing. No one knew in which part his Divine Sea, Divine Source, and Ancestral Mark—representing the essence of his Ancestral cultivation—were hidden.
"Zhang Ruochen, stop here. Push me further, and we all die together!"
Shi Yan's voice echoed across the star sea!
Yan Wushen, Chi Yao, Feng Tian, Nutian Shenzun, and Fengdu Dadi chased after him in five different directions, encircling Shi Yan's physical fragments and soul shards. Allowing an Ancestor to escape with such deep-seated hatred would mean no one could sleep soundly ever again.
Zhang Ruochen finally obtained the Witch Cauldron, collecting ninety percent of the Quantities Nightmare Esoterica. He did not pursue Shi Yan.
Shi Yan's Quantities Nightmare substance was exhausted, and his cultivation and power were greatly diminished. Zhang Ruochen did not need to act personally. Yan Wushen and the others were more than enough to deal with him. Yan Wushen alone possessed Ancestor-level combat power.
If Zhang Ruochen acted personally, Shi Yan would likely self-destruct his Ancestral Divine Source, seeking mutual destruction.
But with these sub-Ancestor individuals attacking, Shi Yan would surely harbor the illusion of escaping alive. This would allow them to gradually weaken him, grinding down his scattered flesh and soul, like boiling a frog in warm water.
By the time he realized it, it would be too late!
While Zhang Ruochen dealt with Shi Yan, the Dark Lord called out to the Eternal True Arbiter: "Shi Yan is doomed to fall. One-on-one, I am no match for Zhang Ruochen. While he is still injured and has not fully refined the eight cauldrons, let us join forces. We still have a chance to strike down this brat today!"
"Boom!"
Thunderbolts, divine flames, profound waters, and solar baleful forces, each thousands of times thicker than a star, rose from the feet of the Eternal True Arbiter's massive Spiritual Power Dharma Form, spreading all the way to its head. It successfully refined the two World Trees into its legs.
The Eternal True Arbiter's true form manifested, suspended within the Spiritual Power Dharma Form, located at the heart's position. Zhang Ruochen felt this terrifying aura impacting his spirit and soul and looked over.
He saw the Spiritual Power Dharma Form take a deep breath. Instantly, the Heavenly and Earthly energies and rules surged wildly, draining a radius of dozens of light-years. Even many celestial bodies were sucked in.
"Zhang Ruochen, the true confrontation has only just begun!"
The Dark Lord's voice came from above Zhang Ruochen's head. Following that, layer upon layer of space superimposed upon each other, pressing down on him.
"Is that so? Then let's fight!"
Zhang Ruochen raised his hand and tore through the layers of space, revealing the Ancient Desolate Ruins City behind them. A hint of surprise flickered in his eyes!
"Boom!"
The Ancient Desolate Ruins City fell onto Zhang Ruochen, heavier than a star sea. This city had suppressed the Abyss of Darkness since ancient times.
It was the accumulated power of generation after generation of strong individuals in this universe since the ancient era!
Over the long river of time, the Twelve Ancient Clans had not been without Ancestors, but none could shake the Ancient Desolate Ruins City.
Who would have thought the Dark Lord could seize it and use it as a war weapon?
Zhang Ruochen was at the bottom of the city, holding it up with both hands. His body kept falling downward. Suddenly sensing something, he looked down!
The Eternal True Arbiter's massive Spiritual Power Dharma Form had appeared below, raising a palm billions of miles long. Within this palm flowed various destructive energies, each thread as thick as a star. Zhang Ruochen attempted to use the power of the Time Cauldron and Space Cauldron to escape across space-time.
But the Ancient Desolate Ruins City above suppressed space, while the Spiritual Power Dharma Form's palm below trapped time.
"Excellent! Let's see whose power is stronger!" Zhang Ruochen no longer held up the Ancient Desolate Ruins City, letting it fall onto him. He drew circles with both hands, forming a Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal, while the eight cauldrons flew to the eight directions of the diagram.
"Roar!"
Zhang Ruochen let out a long roar and punched downward.
"Boom!"
Standing in the starry sky, looking from afar.
The Ancient Desolate Ruins City and the Eternal True Arbiter's Spiritual Power Dharma Form's palm sandwiched Zhang Ruochen in the middle, colliding.
A storm of destructive energy swept across the three realms.
The Dark Lord released his divine sense and found Zhang Ruochen's aura to be faint and elusive. He muttered to himself, "Has he been shattered into Ancestral particles?"
Joined forces with the Eternal True Arbiter, they could even fight an Immortal. Naturally, he had reason to believe that their combined attack had severely wounded Zhang Ruochen to the point of crippling his combat power. Shattering him into Ancestral particles would surely damage his vitality. The next steps would be much easier!
"It's probably more troublesome!" The Eternal True Arbiter's gaze turned to the starry sky on the right.
There, Zhang Ruochen stood silently. He had not been reduced to Ancestral particles, but he had clearly suffered considerable injuries, not having escaped unscathed.
"Hua! Hua! Hua!"
One figure after another flew in from the distance, entering Zhang Ruochen's Dao Light Chaotic Vortex.
Chi Yao, Zangjin Baihu, Nutian Shenzun, and Jie Tian each stood within a cluster of Calamity Cloud Dao Light. Within the fifty-fifth cluster of Calamity Cloud Dao Light stood Mo Yin.
Among these five, Chi Yao, Mo Yin, and Zangjin Baihu had all exchanged Dao with Zhang Ruochen for cultivation, meaning their rules and Dao methods shared the same origin.
Nutian Shenzun and Jie Tian shared the same bloodline origin.
These five strong individuals of the same origin mended the heavens for Zhang Ruochen, propping up the Number of Heaven and Earth.
This was what Chi Yao had told Feng Tian earlier—that at a critical moment, she could assist Zhang Ruochen.
Because this strategy of mending the heavens had been secretly discussed by them long ago, originally intended to confront the Immortal.