Chapter 4234: Doomsday Sacrifice
The chaotic thoughts and negative emotions in Zhang Ruochen's mind rapidly receded, restoring clarity, unwilling to let his Dao heart be affected. Otherwise, he would be completely drawn into the rhythm of the Time-Space Ancestor.
He had not yet been defeated!
Since he had been on guard in advance, he naturally had a way to deal with the self-detonation of the Ancestor Divine Source.
Although the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable's Ancestor Divine Source was powerful, it had been stripped away before the "Six Paths Destruction," and was not comparable to the Ancestor Divine Source of a consistently top-tier powerhouse.
"Hua!"
The Time Cauldron attached itself to his left leg.
As his left leg moved, countless Time Rules flowed like threads, their speed even surpassing the spread of the destructive storm from the Ancestor Divine Source's explosion.
The Space Cauldron attached itself to his right leg, its ancient runes flickering, like an immortal divine pillar supporting the universe.
As the Space Cauldron was activated, when the destructive storm spread to this point, its speed noticeably slowed.
At the same time, the destructive radiance spreading to Zhang Ruochen's heart was blocked by the Truth Cauldron.
Nine Cauldrons encircled his body, shaking the past and present, enough to be unafraid of an Ancestor's self-detonation.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the five people, including Chi Yao, whose bodies and souls were shattering. With one hand controlling Fate and the other controlling Origin, he enveloped them with a curtain of Fate and Origin light.
The entire process occurred within one hundred-thousandth of an instant after Jie Tian's self-detonation of his Divine Source.
In that one hundred-thousandth of an instant, Zhang Ruochen completely transcended the Time Rules, stood outside the order of heaven and earth, with all laws unable to touch him.
Just as he was about to wrap up the five powerhouses and escape the core area of the Ancestor Divine Source's self-detonation from the time dimension—
"Doomsday Sacrifice, all beings as offerings… only I remain…"
Vague Dao Heavenly Sounds came, and Zhang Ruochen looked toward the most dazzling place, his expression drastically changing.
He saw that at the center of the destructive storm, where the main altar was located, a sky-covering calamity light burst forth, blindingly bright to the extreme. Time and space were compressed and devoured.
This calamity light contained the power of sacrifice and the flavor of Eon Calamity, like a combination of the two.
But its power was countless times stronger than the Eon Calamity.
"Pa! Pa!"
The Fate and Origin light curtains enveloping the five powerhouses were instantly crushed by the sacrificial calamity light.
Chi Yao, Zangjin Baihu, Nutian Shenzun, Ling Yanzi, and Tunyun Modeng, whose bodies and souls were already shattered, immediately turned to ashes and vanished.
Even their Divine Sources dissipated into the world, completely fallen.
This sacrificial calamity light, arriving later but faster, was even more terrifying than the destructive storm of the Ancestor Divine Source's self-detonation. It was very much like the arrival of a Great Calamity, completely exceeding Zhang Ruochen's understanding of power.
Even the Seventy-Two Layer Tower was far inferior.
This was definitely not the power of an individual; neither the Time-Space Ancestor nor Ji Fanxin could possess it. This was the power of the origin of heaven and earth!
Watching familiar faces dissipate one after another, Zhang Ruochen's eyes changed rapidly—from shock, to fury, to pain, to confusion—then quickly rebuilt his confidence and battle might, his gaze becoming firm and resolute.
His entire state of mind was refined!
No time for grief!
"Hua!"
He raised both hands to form the Wuji circle, and his legs controlled the two forces of time and space to retreat backward.
At the same time, chains of spiritual power flew from behind and wrapped around Zhang Ruochen.
The power from Ji Fanxin pulled him away from the Sword Realm, out of the Wuding Divine Sea…
Time seemed to pass very slowly, yet also only a moment.
Scenes flashed before Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
The three hundred billion li vast Wuding Divine Sea was destroyed!
The Sword Realm, the Nether Kingdom, the Kunlun Realm, and other great worlds above the Wuding Divine Sea, along with countless islands and planets, all turned into fragments.
The living beings, birds, beasts, flowers, fish, and insects that had not had time to evacuate, along with green mountains and rivers, turned into blood energy and power within the sacrificial calamity light.
There were no cries, no pain, no tragic scenes…
Only a momentary flash of light, instant annihilation. Most people didn't even know what had happened.
"Hong long long!"
Centered on the main altar, time and space were collapsing and shattering.
Spreading outward at an unimaginably terrifying speed.
All material fragments, all energy, all rules converged toward the main altar. Some became offerings, driving the main altar to unleash even stronger power through the sacrificial incantations.
More of it surged from the spatial hole above the main altar toward the Divine Realm.
The outline of the Divine Realm's land became clearer and clearer, rapidly drawing closer, about to descend from the main altar's position into the real universe…
Or rather, using this as a breach to devour the entire universe.
"Peng! Peng! Peng…"
The gods of the Sword Realm who had withdrawn from the Wuding Divine Sea had already fled for a long time, far enough away, but they were still caught by this sacrificial calamity light.
The moment they turned back, they vaporized and disappeared into the blinding light.
"What is this power?"
Bore, Mu Lingxi, and Zhang Xingchen were caught, and without time to think, they were annihilated within the calamity light.
Nothing was left behind!
"Minor Calamity, the Minor Calamity of the Divine Realm's Immortal… ultimately, it could not be stopped…"
Xue Hou and the Ming Emperor stopped in their tracks before the surging sacrificial calamity light, their faces full of grief and helplessness, along with worry for Zhang Ruochen's situation.
Finally, both were swallowed by the calamity light.
"Are Imperial Dust and the Empress still alive? Is this a Great Calamity or a Minor Calamity?"
"In the era of doomsday, how can human power contend with heaven and earth?"
"The Divine Realm's Immortal has been laying plans in the Wuding Divine Sea for years, and today, they have finally triggered the world-destroying calamity light. The entire universe will be annihilated in the calamity light. Where can we flee to?"
Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, Han Xue, Kong Lanyou, Luo Ji, Ling Feiyu, Qing Jing, Ao Linglong, Zhang Chuanzong, Zhang Yuyan—over a hundred gods formed a formation, jointly activating divine weapons and war treasures, striking at the oncoming sacrificial calamity light.
Where the calamity light passed, divine weapons turned into droplets.
One after another, stunning figures turned into blood mist, becoming offerings on the altar of heaven and earth.
"Can't even escape? I don't believe it. You go first, I'll hold them off!"
Chi Xingtian roared, erupting with sky-reaching demonic energy from his body, unleashing billions of rules that converged into a torrent, sending the Eight-Winged Night Dragon toward the Heavenly Court Universe. Then he turned and released his Divine Realm World.
"Roar!"
This Divine Realm World was forged from the Ancestor Realms of the Great Demon God and the Heavenly Demon, enough to span heaven and earth.
But facing the instantly arriving sacrificial calamity light, Chi Xingtian's Divine Realm World scattered like sand in the wind. His armor melted, his bones burned through, and his Indestructible Infinite-level physical body shattered into fragments.
The Eight-Winged Night Dragon also could not escape, dying hundreds of billions of li away.
These various tragic and desperate scenes flashed before Zhang Ruochen's eyes, rapidly receding, swallowed along with the vast starry sea by the sacrificial calamity light.
He and Ji Fanxin moved very fast.
Faster than the spread of the sacrificial calamity light, transcending the rules of time, speed, and space. In an instant, they entered the Heavenly Court Universe.
Zhang Ruochen suddenly stopped, ignoring the injuries on his body, and turned to look back.
The vast and boundless universe, the once glorious and prosperous Sword Realm star region, had turned into a bright patch of light, occupying half his field of vision.
There, once over a thousand great worlds coexisted, millions and tens of millions of planets nurtured life, ten thousand clans stood side by side, flowers bloomed like brocade. There were his family and loved ones, his disciples and friends, and countless billions of cultivators who trusted and followed him.
Now, everyone was dead.
Not a single one had escaped.
Everything no longer existed, turned into offerings for this doomsday sacrifice, becoming nourishment for the Divine Realm's Immortal.
Not bloody, yet cruel and cold, striking straight at the heart.
Enough to make the strongest man in the world shed tears, piercing his heart with a thousand holes.
Zhang Ruochen's body had several holes, revealing the Ancestor Profound Bone. His robe was stained red with blood, flowing endlessly, pierced through by the sacrificial calamity light.
If not for his powerful cultivation and defenses, along with sufficient preparation, and Ji Fanxin's support outside the Wuding Divine Sea, his injuries would have been ten times worse.
Ji Fanxin was not worried about Zhang Ruochen's physical wounds; such injuries were nothing to an Ancestor. But she was worried about his emotions and state of mind. "Earlier, the Second Confucian Ancestor forcefully broke into the Heavenly Court, distracting me. Otherwise, Jie Tian wouldn't have succeeded in self-detonating his Divine Source so easily."
Lady Shiji stood behind Ji Fanxin, enveloped in Ancestor Divine Light. "Jie Tian's Ancestor Divine Source was definitely controlled by the Time-Space Ancestor's will. Stopping it would have been as hard as reaching the heavens. It's not the lady's fault."
Zhang Ruochen's face was frighteningly calm, the nine cauldrons on his body flashing with nine different lights. In an unprecedentedly low tone, he said, "No need to explain. No one is to blame. Even if it weren't Jie Tian, it would have been the Heavenly Demon, or Murong Zhuzai appearing there."
"From the start, when I entered the Wuding Divine Sea alone and had you stay outside to receive me, wasn't it because I knew this journey would be fraught with danger? Since I foresaw it in advance, the current result is nothing unacceptable."
The calmer Zhang Ruochen was, the more worried Ji Fanxin became. "You're half right. The current result was within our expectations. But the reason we took the initiative to attack the Wuding Divine Sea was precisely to avoid this worst-case scenario."
"Do you think this is the worst-case scenario?" Zhang Ruochen shook his head and headed straight north.
The sacrificial calamity light was surging toward the Heavenly Court Universe at countless times the speed of light.
Everything it passed—living beings, matter, energy, rules—was ignited.
Only the altar patterns remained.
In every great world, the number of altars left from ancient times numbered in the tens of millions. After the great worlds disappeared under the sacrificial calamity light, these dense altars were preserved, shooting out light pillars that connected to the Divine Realm.
It was precisely these altars being continuously activated and operated, unleashing sacrificial power, that allowed the sacrificial calamity light to spread infinitely, with layers of destructive energy never diminishing.
This was even more terrifying than the Life-Death Minor Calamity initiated by the Nether Ancestor back then!
The power source of the Life-Death Minor Calamity was the Life-Death Realm in Biluo Pass.
It had a unique nature and was relatively easy to stop.
But this doomsday sacrifice initiated by the Time-Space Ancestor, once started, every altar in the universe became a power source, endless and infinite.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Space is decaying, all Daos are being extinguished. In a short time, the star region centered on the Sword Realm has completely disappeared. In two days, the sacrificial calamity light will reach the Heavenly Court Universe, and then sweep through all realms."
"Within ten days, the entire universe will disappear, and all living beings and matter will cease to exist."
"Doomsday Sacrifice, all beings as offerings."
"What a grand sacrifice. They've been preparing for this moment since the ancient times! The Great Calamity was meant to restart the universe, but this… is meant to completely erase the universe, leaving only itself to survive."
Lady Shiji said, "So the essential purpose of the Divine Realm building the Heaven and Earth Altars was for this doomsday sacrifice? The so-called four main altars were completely a distraction to mislead us. The other three were never important. The only important one was the one on the Wuding Divine Sea."
"Perhaps there are two. There must be another one in the Divine Realm." Ji Fanxin's fingers moved, seeing a corner of the most core region of the Divine Realm.
Zhang Ruochen's wounds were rapidly healing. "To initiate the doomsday sacrifice, even with cultivation as high as the Time-Space Ancestor's, it cannot be done easily. The ultimate destructive energy of an Ancestor's Divine Source self-detonation must be used to ignite the main altar, and then, through the method of sacrifice nurturing sacrifice, activate the altars across the universe, completing this carefully planned Minor Calamity."
Lady Shiji said, "If what Imperial Dust says is true, that the Ancestor's self-detonation of the Divine Source was the key to triggering the main altar, why didn't the Time-Space Ancestor initiate the sacrifice earlier? Several thousand years ago, the main altar on the Wuding Divine Sea was already mostly built! Why wait until you fought your way to the foot of the main altar to start? Doesn't that add unnecessary risk?"
Ji Fanxin answered her doubt. "Because the Ancestor had to severely wound or even kill Imperial Dust and me. Otherwise, everything could have fallen apart. But he didn't expect Imperial Dust to enter the Wuding Divine Sea alone. He didn't expect Imperial Dust alone to break the formations of the entire star region and even repel the Dark Lord."
Lady Shiji understood instantly. "What the lady means by the Ancestor potentially falling apart is that the Ancestor's weakness was exposed? In the Divine Realm?"
Ji Fanxin nodded, battle fire igniting in her eyes. "This confrontation has only just begun."
After the doomsday sacrifice began, all energy and matter converged toward the Divine Realm.
As Ji Fanxin said, there must also be a main altar in the Divine Realm, used to absorb the harvested energy for the Time-Space Ancestor's enjoyment.
If the Time-Space Ancestor couldn't eliminate the two major threats of Zhang Ruochen and Ji Fanxin in advance, how could he have the chance to enjoy the harvested offering energy?
Lady Shiji laughed. "Imperial Dust and the lady were well-prepared and have extraordinary means. Neither was severely wounded. Hasn't the Ancestor's scheme failed? This miscalculation will doom him to complete defeat."
Ji Fanxin looked at Zhang Ruochen, seeing him silent with deep, dark eyes. "We probed the Ancestor's intentions and withdrew intact, but at the cost of the entire Sword Realm star region. This probing exchange can be considered a loss for both sides."
The more one cared, the more one lost.
From Lady Shiji's perspective, she didn't care at all about the lives of the Sword Realm star region's cultivators. No matter how many great worlds were destroyed, no matter how many planets turned to dust, she wouldn't have any emotional fluctuation. Naturally, she wouldn't think they had lost.
On the contrary, she felt that Zhang Ruochen had forced the Ancestor to reveal his intentions early in the Wuding Divine Sea, seizing the initiative in this confrontation—a victory.
Now, they only needed to join forces to attack the Divine Realm, destroy the main altar there, and the Time-Space Ancestor's lifelong plans would all come to nothing.
The doomsday sacrifice had already begun; of course, it couldn't be stopped.
Even if the entire universe were destroyed, it wouldn't be a big deal. At least the Divine Realm would still exist. In the Divine Realm, they, the Ancestors, could even get a share, absorbing some of the sacrificial energy to advance their cultivation.
Lady Shiji said, "This universe is destined for destruction. Time is running out! Lady, Imperial Dust, we can't wait any longer. Gather the gods of the universe and attack the Divine Realm. The initiative is in our hands now!"
Ji Fanxin looked at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen said, "You underestimate the Ancestor too much! In this confrontation, the Ancestor must have calculated countless times, considering every possibility. The current result is indeed not what he wanted, but I think it must be within the range of possibilities he calculated."
"I agree with Imperial Dust's view."
After repeated deliberation, Ji Fanxin added, "The reason the Ancestor chose to have Jie Tian self-detonate his Divine Source to deal with you, and chose to initiate the doomsday sacrifice at the Sword Realm, I think the most important purpose was still to attack the heart—to make your Dao heart collapse, causing you to lose your composure and make wrong decisions. At the same time, to drag me into the abyss of death!"
"Can one person's calculations be so deep? Up to now, it was all just to shatter Imperial Dust's Dao heart?" Lady Shiji felt a chill down her spine.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Otherwise, why would Fanxin say I have no chance of winning?"
Lady Shiji said, "Imperial Dust's Dao heart is firm and unaffected. This is probably completely beyond the Ancestor's expectations."
"Is that really so?"
Ji Fanxin understood Zhang Ruochen as well as the Ancestor did. Perhaps he could bear Jie Tian's death. Perhaps he could bear the fall of Chi Yao and Nutian Shenzun.
But having witnessed with his own eyes all the living beings of the Sword Realm turn to ashes, was he truly calm inside?
Zhang Ruochen did not directly answer Ji Fanxin. "Fanxin, the Ancestor made the first move and must have exposed secrets and trump cards. How much have you seen through?"
Ji Fanxin had been clashing with the Time-Space Ancestor in the realm of divine thoughts and rules. "From the moment the doomsday sacrifice began, the Divine Realm's heavenly secrets leaked. I… should have understood everything!"
"Let's talk about the Heavenly Court first. The Heavenly Demon is indeed the Ancestor's hidden piece. It was he who attacked Hao Tian."
In the Heavenly Court, Truth Divine Temple.
Hao Tian stood atop the Starry Sky Cliff, holding the Xuanhuang Halberd. A foot-long blade wound on his back had severed his spine, but his body did not bend.
His tiger-like eyes were bright, staring at the legendary, majestic demonic shadow opposite him.
It was this person who had severely wounded him with one strike.
This seemingly burly and unrestrained demonic overlord had once ended the turmoil and slaughter of the Chaos Era, suppressing even the Great Demon God into the Nether Prison. He was a ancient Ancestor whom Hao Tian had deeply admired in his youth.
Being able to fight him was Hao Tian's lifelong dream.
But at this moment, as the two faced off, Hao Tian looked at him not with battle intent or respect, but with pity.
After the death of Red Crow King, the Starry Sky Cliff naturally fell into the Heavenly Demon's hands.
On the Heavenly Demon's exposed, muscular chest was a huge blood-red rune.
Looking closely, one could see the rune had imprinted into his flesh and soul, even his sea of consciousness turning blood-red.
"Cough… cough…"
Meng Ge's flesh and blood reassembled, slowly climbing out of a palm-shaped giant pit, severely injured.
He couldn't understand the blood rune on the Heavenly Demon's chest, but he saw the stone knife in the Heavenly Demon's hand.
This stone knife, after Zhang Ruochen's death, had fallen into Lady Shiji's hands. After Lady Shiji was killed by the Seventy-Two Layer Tower, the stone knife was taken back by the Divine Realm.
Now, this stone knife, once belonging to the Heavenly Demon, had returned to his hands.
Everything was self-evident!
"So… so you've been using me all along, just for today?" Meng Ge's eyes were like a furious beast's. He roared, his long hair standing on end.
He couldn't accept that the person he had respected most since the Chaos Era had returned in this way.
Where was the old, open, and carefree Heavenly Demon?
In recent years, the Heavenly Demon had often hidden within Meng Ge's Divine Realm World.
To keep this secret, Meng Ge had deceived many people, all because of his absolute trust in the Heavenly Demon.
And Hao Tian, because he trusted Meng Ge, was severely wounded by the Heavenly Demon's blade, then dragged into the "Space-Time Heaven and Earth Map," trapped inside.
The Heavenly Demon said nothing, his Ancestor-level demonic aura locking onto Hao Tian.
"He is no longer the Heavenly Demon of old. He is just an Ancestor puppet of the Divine Realm's Immortal, without his own will or spirit."
Hao Tian added, "I am locked by his blade intent. As soon as I move, he will attack. In my current state, it's hard to end this quickly. You need to find the exit of the Space-Time Heaven and Earth Map…"
"Hong!"
The Heavenly Demon's vast blade intent transformed into thousands of ancient demon knights, charging in the dimension of will.
Each ancient demon knight possessed power close to that of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods, with fierce killing intent, swallowing heaven and earth.
In the dimension of will, Hao Tian erupted with dazzling clear light, manifesting silver-armored, gold-robed Heavenly Punishment Divine Generals.
These Heavenly Punishment Divine Generals were comparable in strength to the Nine War Gods of the Heavenly Palace, clashing with the surging ancient demon knights.
Meng Ge couldn't see the will-worlds of these two Ancestors, but he could feel the cold aura released by the blade and halberd. Even with his current cultivation, his soul trembled.
Clearly, Hao Tian's back injury had severely affected his combat power, otherwise, he wouldn't be so tightly restrained by the mentally incomplete Heavenly Demon.
He was healing.
Once healed, he was confident he could quickly defeat the Heavenly Demon.
"The Heavenly Demon attacked Hao Tian at this time for a reason. Could it be… the Ancestor-level decisive battle at the Wuding Divine Sea has already begun?"
Meng Ge realized the situation might be more critical than he had imagined.
If his mistake caused Imperial Dust to fall into a disadvantageous position in the confrontation with the Immortal, then he would have committed a grave sin, unforgivable even in death.
"Jie Tian can't be found!"
"Master is also missing. What do we do now?"
"The Doomsday Divine Bell of the Heavenly Palace has been ringing for an hour. Something huge has happened in the north. The Minor Calamity has come, and the Great Calamity may have also arrived!"
"Some say Imperial Dust self-detonated his Ancestor Divine Source to perish together with the Immortal. But why is the destructive radiance of the Divine Source self-detonation still spreading wildly, with no sign of stopping?"
"A God Venerable estimates that in four days, the destructive radiance will reach the Heavenly Court."
The entire Truth Divine Temple was in chaos. No one could remain calm. Even the gods were panicked.
The bell of the Heavenly Palace rang without end. Such a thing had never happened before, meaning the situation had deteriorated to the most critical point.
Heaven was about to fall, earth about to collapse.
Qingsi Xue flew to the peak of the Truth Divine Temple, her long divine voice spreading out. "Go to the Heavenly Palace first. The Twenty Heavens and the Realm Lords of all realms are flying over like a meteor shower. Pan Yuan Ancient God and the Dragon Lord must know what happened."
Chi Kongle stood by the Truth Divine Sea, gazing at the gradually brightening northern starry sky. A subtle feeling arose in her heart. Though still resolute, tears streaked down her cheeks. She murmured to herself, "Mother Empress has fallen. I can no longer sense her aura."
"Zhang Fanu seems to be dead too… all dead, all dead, right?" Yanshu Chanshi roared hoarsely.
This calamity had come so suddenly that no one could accept such a result.
"Impossible, how could this be?"
Zhang Hongchen bit her lips tightly, her face pale, shaking her head repeatedly. Then she turned into a bright sword light, rushing out of the Heavenly Court toward the northern universe.
"The Sword Realm! Over a thousand great worlds of the Sword Realm have turned to ashes just like that?"
"And Imperial Dust? Did he really perish together with the Immortal?"
"Empress! Master!"
Xiao Hei, A Le, Yan Ying'er, Zhang Gushen… countless streaks of light flew out of the Heavenly Court, heading toward the northern universe.
Their families and close friends were there.
If they were to die, they would die together.
As emotions ran wild and people rushed to the Heavenly Palace or headed toward the North Marsh Great Wall, Chan Bing searched everywhere in the Truth Divine Temple, moving quickly, not missing a single corner.
She was the only one in the Heavenly Court who knew that Hao Tian had returned.
With such a big event happening, Hao Tian did not appear to stabilize the situation and calm the people. Even Jie Tian and Meng Ge were missing.
Chan Bing had reason to believe that some accident had occurred in the Truth Divine Temple.
Juemiao Channü sensed Chan Bing's unusual behavior, caught up, and transmitted her voice, asking, "Ice Ancestor, what are you looking for?"
At this point, Chan Bing naturally no longer hid it from her.
She told her about Hao Tian's secret return.
Juemiao Channü frowned. "The three of them disappearing at the same time is too abnormal. This must be related to Meng Ge. Xiang Chunan!"
"Hua!"
Xiang Chunan was grabbed by Juemiao Channü from a distance and brought before her.
Under Xiang Chunan's lead, the three continuously jumped through space, searching the entire Truth Heaven Domain, not even sparing the Void World. Every place Meng Ge might appear was repeatedly probed with divine thoughts, meticulous and thorough.
If Imperial Dust had already fallen in the Wuding Divine Sea, they had to find Hao Tian. Only he could lead everyone to continue resisting.
In a doomsday crisis, only an Ancestor could carry the banner.
Finally, the three found the "Space-Time Heaven and Earth Map" floating in mid-air on the ancient ruins of the God-Sealing Platform.
After the battle with the Divine Realm, the Ghost Clan had lost the World Tree, only bringing out the Fengdu Ghost City.
It had become a ruined city, with broken walls everywhere, desolate graves and withered tombs, endless bones to clean up, and piles of beams and rubble.
After the upheaval in the northern starry sky, all the cultivators in the city who were preparing to rebuild the Fengdu Ghost City had stopped.
Separated by countless light-years, the entire starry sky was trembling.
From the direction of the destructive radiance came sounds crossing time and space, like dull thunder or the friction of metal—not loud, but shaking the soul.
The aura was too terrifying. One by one, the Ghost Clan gods stood frozen, like mortals facing an approaching tsunami.
"Ao!"
Amid this restless emotion, a dragon's roar came from the starry sky, resounding through the Fengdu Ghost City.
The Swastika Azure Dragon's massive body, like a divine mountain range, stretched across the sky above the Fengdu Ghost City.
Yan Wushen jumped down from the dragon's head, landing outside the Central Ghost Emperor's Mansion.
"Shua! Shua!"
Zhuque Huowu, Yang Yun Ghost Emperor, Zhou Qi Ghost Emperor, Hun Qi… one by one, the Ghost Clan's powerhouses descended, all shrouded in soul fire.
Yan Wushen swept his arrogant gaze over them, then made a move that the Ghost Clan gods could not understand.
He knelt on one knee before the mansion's gate and shouted, "The Divine Realm's Immortal has initiated the Minor Calamity. The doomsday sacrifice will soon reach the Hell Realm. Yan Wushen intends to break through to the Ancestor realm and lead the Ten Clans of Hell to fight for a sliver of hope. But my soul injuries cannot heal in a short time, and breaking through is not a matter of a day or night. I have come to the Fengdu Ghost City to borrow one thing from the Great Emperor."
"What thing?"
From within the Ghost Emperor's Mansion came Fengdu Dadi's deep voice.
Yan Wushen knelt on both knees, but his aura, comparable to an Ancestor, did not diminish at all. He said loudly, "The Great Emperor's soul!"
"Please, Great Emperor, grant this!"
"Peng!"
Yan Wushen heavily knocked his head against the ground.
If there had been any other possibility, with Yan Wushen's pride, he would never have knelt to anyone.
This kneeling was to claim Fengdu Dadi's life.
A series of angry shouts and rebukes rang out until Fengdu Dadi walked out of the Ghost Emperor's Mansion, and then the gods fell silent.
Fengdu Dadi stared at Yan Wushen kneeling below for a long time. "You, Yan Wushen, have talent that can be called the best in the Hell Realm over the past billion years. But before the battle to guard the Yama Clan's World Tree, I never thought highly of you. Before that, I saw no responsibility or sense of duty in you. You were a hundred thousand miles behind Zhang Ruochen."
Then Fengdu Dadi's tone softened. "I ask you, if you break through to the Ancestor realm, how will you fight for a chance for the Ten Clans of Hell?"
"This universe is destined for destruction, but the Divine Realm still exists. If we cannot stop the doomsday sacrifice, then we will change our home. Lead the cultivators of the ten clans to attack the Divine Realm. Even if we lose, we will shed every last drop of blood."
Yan Wushen knocked his head heavily again, his long hair wild, his words resounding. "Great Emperor, go! As long as Yan Wushen lives, the Hell Realm will endure. Your responsibility and duty—from now on, I will bear them!"