Chapter 4242: Only Cease When All Ancestors Are Slain
The shattered heavens, the turbulent spacetime.
The Divine Realm, Lihentian, the Void World, and the universe of the Real World were connected in many places due to the collapse of space.
There was no longer a boundary between reality and illusion; light and darkness blurred into one.
This was an Ancestor war, an epic confrontation involving more than ten Ancestors, where even gods were mere soldiers, deciding the future of the entire universe and the prosperity or decline of this epoch.
The power radiating from the Civilization Ring grew weaker and weaker, the operation of the Heavenly Dao Origin slowed down, and the various Ancestors used the Six Paths Reincarnation Mirror to suppress it firmly.
Civilization Fire could burn through divine artifacts and annihilate Ancestor rules, but it was helpless against the Six Paths Reincarnation Mirror.
Without a doubt, the Human Ancestor, who wielded the Civilization Ring, had fallen in the future.
This was the fundamental reason for the weakening of the Civilization Ring's power!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh..."
Lin Ke, Yan Wushen, Hao Tian, and Heavenly Mother, with divine seas beneath their feet and clear radiance and demonic clouds above their heads, each struck out with an Ancestor Divine River formed from divine qi, rules, and order from their palms, refining the spiritual aura of the Human Ancestor within the Civilization Ring.
Only by erasing it could the Heavenly Dao Origin regain its freedom.
That vast expanse of billions of miles of void was occupied by four completely different types of Ancestor might. Energy scattered, Dao light was dazzling, and no cultivator below the Ancestor realm could approach.
In the starry sky, countless cultivators watched this scene from afar.
Some rejoiced, some grieved, some embraced and wept, some roared with satisfaction.
"Since the Human Ancestor is dead, Imperial Dust must not be coming back either!" someone sighed, their heart filled with sorrow.
Pan Yuan Ancient God looked at the shattered and chaotic vast universe, murmuring to himself in melancholy: "Fighting to this point, is it a loss or a win?"
Jing Daoren, his body like a five-colored gem, was quite optimistic: "Naturally, it's a win! Because we prevented the Doomsday Sacrifice, and the Heavenly Dao Origin is about to regain its freedom. Once reincarnation is established and the Great Calamity is resolved, the universe will surely have a new atmosphere, and the future is promising."
"It's not over yet!"
The Undying War God, clad in tattered divine armor, stood proudly in the void with his massive Half-Ancestor body, gazing into the distance at the black hole formed after the collapse of the main altar of the Divine Realm.
A being with a human body and a tiger head stood there, manifesting myriad Dao scenes around him. His aura was overwhelmingly powerful, and with each breath, he created tides of heavenly and earthly rules.
White Jade Divine Emperor!
An existence that had lived and been immortal for countless eons, second only in combat power to the Human Ancestor, Ji Fanxin, and Imperial Dust.
To contain him, beneath the Heavenly Beginning Unending End Mountain, the Heavenly Court's Punishment Divine Army had been almost completely annihilated.
What was he waiting for? To make his move after the four Ancestors had refined the Human Ancestor's spiritual aura from the Civilization Ring?
White Jade Divine Emperor communicated with the Dark Lord through divine thoughts.
"You're waiting for me to make the first move, using me to contain the four Ancestors, especially that foreign guest. Then, you'll seize the Heavenly Dao Origin in the chaos and escape," White Jade Divine Emperor stated bluntly, directly pointing out the Dark Lord's intentions.
"So, you're thinking the same way?" the Dark Lord said.
White Jade Divine Emperor said: "That foreign guest's combat power is quite formidable. If we keep waiting until they completely refine the Civilization Ring and gain control of the Heavenly Dao Origin, we won't have a chance!"
"And so?"
The Dark Lord remained unmoved, showing great composure.
White Jade Divine Emperor said: "Let's attack together. The Heavenly Dao Origin is yours, and the Civilization Ring is mine."
The Dark Lord was silent, pondering how trustworthy White Jade Divine Emperor's words were.
Gaining the Heavenly Dao Origin would make achieving Heavenly Beginning Unending End possible. How could a mere artifact compare?
White Jade Divine Emperor saw through the Dark Lord's concerns: "If we wait any longer, we'll completely miss our opportunity! How about we seize it first and talk later?"
"Very well."
White Jade Divine Emperor made the first move, striding forward. As he rushed towards the Heavenly Dao Origin, a massive white tiger phantom, as large as a great world, manifested, its aura swallowing the star river, its claws shaking the void.
With one claw strike, he attacked Hao Tian, who was the most severely injured. To seize the Heavenly Dao Origin, one must first find a breakthrough.
White Jade Divine Emperor had fought fiercely with Hao Tian for a long time and knew him well, confident that he could kill him in a short time.
"Boom!"
The shadow of the tiger claw, tens of millions of miles long, shattered all stellar matter, causing hundreds of billions of miles of heaven and earth to collapse.
Hao Tian's gaze never changed from beginning to end. He had long made up his mind and was waiting for White Jade Divine Emperor to make his move.
Withdrawing the divine river formed from divine qi, rules, and order that he was striking towards the Civilization Ring, Hao Tian turned around with a resolute expression, his gaze meeting White Jade Divine Emperor's.
But then he saw Lin Ke, holding a halberd, flying out first.
Carrying ten thousand divine lamps on his back, Lin Ke had already pierced through the shadow of the tiger claw, sending White Jade Divine Emperor flying back to the other end of the star sea.
"Eternal Divine Path, nothing more than this. Origin Eight Techniques, just an empty form. If Bai Ze were still alive, it would never be this pathetic!"
Lin Ke stood proudly with his halberd. With a thought, heaven and earth moved, and blade light filled the universe.
Blades formed from converging rules surged towards White Jade Divine Emperor like tidal waves and starry mist.
About ten trillion miles away.
A change occurred.
Dark currents, like countless pairs of sharp claws, overflowed from the Void World, engulfing the Ancient Desolate Ruins City.
Instantly, the Ancestor rules that the Dark Lord had hidden within the substance of the Ancient Desolate Ruins City were activated. City districts cracked open, and from the fissures, brilliant light burst forth.
"Roar!"
The suppressed remains of Emperor Xuan let out a furious roar, shaking the entire Ancient Desolate Ruins City.
He spat out a breath of Xuanhuang Qi, his arms shattering the city walls and the ground.
Lady Shiji sensed the Dark Lord's terrifying aura in the Void World and immediately ordered: "Can't hold it any longer! The Dark Lord has left many means in the Ancient Desolate Ruins City to release Emperor Xuan's remains and create chaos. Leave quickly, escape this place."
Lady Shiji herself was on the verge of falling from her realm. If she forcibly suppressed an Ancestor, the consequences would be unpredictable.
Moreover, the Dark Lord, a top-tier Ancestor at the Consistent Unity realm, was determined to release Emperor Xuan's remains, even if it meant tearing apart the Ancient Desolate Ruins City himself.
It was clear that if this move failed, he would act personally.
"Shua! Shua! Shua..."
One by one, beings at the All Heavens level withdrew their divine artifact war weapons suppressing Emperor Xuan's remains and fled the Ancient Desolate Ruins City at top speed.
The Undying War God fled to the city gate, then suddenly stopped, shaking his head with a bitter smile: "Since we know the Dark Lord's purpose, we absolutely cannot let Emperor Xuan's remains be unleashed. Imperial Dust paid with his life to create a favorable situation for the world; how can we let it be ruined in our hands?"
"You all go. Someone has to stop this."
"This old man has cultivated all his life, enduring countless hardships to step into the long-dreamed-of Half-Ancestor realm. Pursuing this realm was indeed for living longer and for greater power. But how long is long enough? How strong is strong enough?"
"If lifespan and power cannot realize their due value, then there is no meaning in pursuing them."
The Undying War God, turning his back on all cultivators, walked resolutely into the depths of the Ancient Desolate Ruins City.
Pan Yuan Ancient God was moved, feeling ashamed in his heart. He wanted to turn back and fight alongside the Undying War God, but Jing Daoren pulled him back.
"He's clearly planning to self-destruct his Half-Ancestor divine source and sacrifice himself for righteousness. If you go now, you'll just be throwing your life away. Wait a bit longer. If Emperor Xuan's remains aren't killed, we can still make our move. No one in this battle today plans to go back alive," Jing Daoren said.
Although Lady Shiji was an Ancestor, transcending all living beings, she still cast an admiring glance at the Undying War God's back before transforming into a beam of light with Demon Butterfly Princess and fleeing far away.
Soon.
A blood-red light rose in that starry region, even swallowing the dark qi released by the Dark Lord.
The entire Ancient Desolate Ruins City, under the combined assault of the Dark Lord, Emperor Xuan's remains, and the Undying War God, shattered into pieces, with fragments of the city flying to all corners of the universe.
No one had expected that the magnificent divine city left over from ancient times would be destroyed in this way.
The destructive storm from the self-detonation of the Half-Ancestor divine source swept across an extremely vast expanse of heaven and earth.
Blood-red rain fell across the world.
The still-living gods of the Undying Blood Clan all lost their composure as they watched from afar.
It had seemed like the dust had settled and victory was in sight, but because White Jade Divine Emperor and the Dark Lord coveted the Heavenly Dao Origin, the Ancestor war had been reignited.
Blood Butcher gritted his teeth and said angrily: "Damn it! I thought the Human Ancestor had coerced them into opposing the universe's living beings. But these Ancestors, who have lived for endless ages, never cared about the universe's survival at all—they only care about their own interests. Don't they know the Great Calamity could descend at any moment?"
"What, did you actually hope they would join us in fighting the Great Calamity?" Luo Sha said.
Blood Butcher said forcefully: "When the Great Calamity comes, everyone dies. Even if the law of the strong preying on the weak and survival of the fittest is an unchanging rule, at least they should understand that killing the goose that lays the golden eggs is self-destruction. Even this emperor understands this truth—how can the Ancestors not?"
In the distant destructive storm, Xuanhuang Qi emerged.
Emperor Xuan's remains had not died in the storm caused by the Undying War God's self-detonation. He was trying to recondense Ancestor substance to rebuild his body. The Ancestor's life fire and spiritual will were so strong as to be despairing.
"The War God is dead, but we are still here."
Ice Emperor, Void Heaven, Feng Tian, and Chan Bing headed into the destructive storm. Although they were severely injured and might fall at any moment if they continued fighting, as Half-Ancestors and the top existences of the Hell Realm, they had to rise to the challenge.
And before them, led by Pan Yuan Ancient God and Jing Daoren, several Half-Ancestors had already launched their attacks.
When blood boils. When killing intent is ignited. What fear is there of an Ancestor?
In another direction in deep space, countless trillions of miles away, Chi Yao and the corpse of Truth Emperor were both trying every means to reshape the River of Time, wanting to go to the future where Zhang Ruochen and the Human Ancestor had gone.
They were unwilling to accept it.
They could not accept the fact that Zhang Ruochen and the Human Ancestor had perished together in the Great Calamity.
They had to go there in person, just in case, just in case they could still be saved!
After the Entropy Calamity, if cultivators went to the future, that segment of the future would collapse, and that timeline and the River of Time would disappear.
The cultivators of the present would then walk another path, towards a timeline that had not collapsed.
Chi Yao and the corpse of Truth Emperor stopped fighting. Each used their own methods, continuously opening up the River of Time, using divine thoughts to probe into the future.
But they could not find any trace of Zhang Ruochen or the Human Ancestor.
They could only watch as the River of Time collapsed again and again.
Bore, Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, Chi Xingtian, Eight-Winged Yecha Dragon, and other gods of the Sword Realm starry domain stood within Chi Yao's Celestial World.
They could understand the emotions in Empress Chi Yao's heart, and they too could not accept this result, still holding onto illusions.
Hadn't Imperial Dust died before? Every time, he escaped death.
He was the Heavenly Dao Great Emperor, the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao. How could he die just like that?
If they could find the correct timeline, perhaps they could bring him back.
Bore sensed something and turned to look at the vast cosmic void.
She found that all the stars in the universe were rapidly dimming. Her expression changed, and she said: "Empress, the timeline is collapsing again and again. The Great Calamity seems to have arrived early."
Chi Yao finally stopped. Her fingers trembled as she used absolute rationality to calm the surging emotions within her like tidal waves.
"The Great Calamity does seem to be showing its first signs. We must establish reincarnation as soon as possible."
"But a huge change has occurred at the Heavenly Dao Origin. White Jade Divine Emperor and the Dark Lord have made their move, and the Ancestor war has erupted again, stirring up new troubles."
"The Great Emperor is not coming back, Empress. We need to head to the Ancestor battlefield first. With your leadership, we can contend with the Ancestors."
Chi Yao's captivating eyes gradually became calm, and in that calmness, ripples arose. Suddenly, she said: "I sense it. It's his celestial aura. He's back!"
"Who?"
Several voices urgently asked in unison.
Chi Yao turned around and looked at the void above the head of Truth Emperor's corpse. A River of Time that had already collapsed was being propped up again by the Nine Cauldrons.
They saw a great hand seal, like a nine-colored divine cloud, arriving from the future.
Truth Emperor's corpse's expression changed. Sensing Zhang Ruochen's domineering aura, he immediately raised his Star Sea Universe Realm Form, releasing Ancestor rules to evolve divine abilities and formation seals to defend.
But it was completely useless.
"Boom!"
The hand seal descended, crushing the Star Sea Realm Form.
All Ancestor-level divine abilities and formation seals bloomed like fireworks in the void, unable to affect the hand seal in the slightest.
Zhang Ruochen's majestic figure, following the divine cloud hand seal, appeared before Truth Emperor's corpse, crushing its head into a mist of blood.
The Celestial Pen, which had been embedded in Truth Emperor's corpse's brow, fell into his hand.
"Zhang Ruochen, why are you back? Where is the Human Ancestor? Where is the Human Ancestor?"
The headless corpse of Truth Emperor roared, igniting the ancestral blood within its body. Its combat power surged, and its arms struck out with a Heaven-Piercing Seal Technique.
"Rip!"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was cold, stern, ruthless, and majestic. Using the pen as a sword, he traced an arc of light so brilliant it was extreme, cleaving the torch-like corpse of Truth Emperor in two.
One sword shattered the Ancestor's Dao!
Even the divine sea within its body was torn apart by the power of the Celestial and the sharpness of the pen's tip.
The Ancestor divine source within Truth Emperor's corpse, which was about to self-destruct, was frozen in a time crystal and taken by Zhang Ruochen with a reach of his hand.
"Since this emperor has returned alive, today I will pacify the chaos of the universe and only cease when all Ancestors are slain."
"Leave the rest to you!"
Zhang Ruochen, holding the pen in one hand and the divine source in the other, stepped through spacetime with one foot and vanished from the sight of the gods.
"Leave it to us."
"We respectfully see off the Great Emperor!"
The gods behind Chi Yao were all invigorated, bowing and kowtowing in unison.
He was back!
Imperial Dust was not dead; he had returned!
Having lost its Ancestor divine source, Truth Emperor's corpse tried to go to the future through the River of Time but was shattered by the war weapons and divine abilities struck by the gods, turning into a cloud of Ancestor blood qi.
Zhang Ruochen flew over the heads of Feng Tian, Void Heaven, Ice Emperor, and Chan Bing, arriving at the center of the destructive storm caused by the Undying War God's self-detonation before Pan Yuan Ancient God and Jing Daoren, locking onto the soul of Emperor Xuan's remains with his divine thought.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's stern and heroic figure, Void Heaven was dumbfounded, his emotions complex: "Is this truly immortal and indestructible? Even the Human Ancestor was no match for him?"
Ice Emperor and Chan Bing could hardly hide the joy in their eyes, as if seeing light in the darkness.
Had the long night truly passed?
Feng Tian stopped in her tracks, gazing for a long time. She had thought this trip would end like the Undying War God, dying in the void. Her heart was calm, resolute, and cold. But he was back!
Returning with a peerless heroic bearing that transcended the Ancestor realm.
How could this feel real?
"Zhang Ruochen, where is the Human Ancestor?"
Emperor Xuan's remains waved its arms, burning the Ancestor substance of the Heavenly Beginning Unending End level within its body. Countless time divine dragons soared into the sky, trying to break free from Zhang Ruochen's divine thought lock.
"The Human Ancestor is dead. You need not hold onto any more illusions."
"Emperor Xuan crossed the River of Time to descend into the Jade Desolation Realm for the sake of the living beings of our era, to participate in the Ancestor war back then. His remains should not be occupied by vile spirits like you."
Zhang Ruochen's voice contained the power to suppress souls.
Each word transformed into a mysterious soul-suppressing seal, imprinting onto the Ancestor soul of Emperor Xuan's remains.
Then, the seals burned like rounds of divine suns.
"Zhang Ruochen, if you want to refine and kill this lord's soul consciousness, you must bear the tragic consequences of mutual destruction! Killing all Ancestors—do you have that strength?"
Emperor Xuan's remains had not yet fully solidified its form.
In the sea of fire from the burning Ancestor substance, rivers of Xuanhuang Qi flowed, converging towards the Ancestor divine source.
The soul of Emperor Xuan's remains harbored an unparalleled killing intent, wanting to kill Zhang Ruochen to avenge the Human Ancestor.
"You don't know your place! Your spirit is inferior even to that of Lord Murong, and you dare speak of mutual destruction to this emperor?"
Zhang Ruochen, with disheveled hair and a cold gaze, spoke this sentence contemptuously before leaving this blazing destructive storm zone, heading towards the starry region shrouded in dark qi.
His heart was devoid of any fluctuation, as cold as a piece of deep, gloomy iron.
"Boom!"
The Nine Cauldrons flew over one after another, following Zhang Ruochen's step, dispersing the spiritual will of Emperor Xuan's remains.
Among them, the Earth Cauldron became infinitely large.
Each cauldron body transformed into a primordial world, with the cauldron mouth facing downward, taking in the entire starry region containing all the matter and soul of Emperor Xuan's remains.
Wielding the Nine Cauldrons, commanding the myriad races of the universe.
With such might, even the lofty Ancestors had to submit.
The Nine Cauldrons chased after Zhang Ruochen.
"So powerful! Is this still the Consistent Unity realm? Can the lady defeat him?"
Demon Butterfly Princess's heart trembled, her soul also trembling. She was overwhelmed by the Ancestor might emanating from Zhang Ruochen, unable to control her mind, feeling like a mayfly facing the blue sky. Even a Half-Ancestor felt this way.
Lady Shiji seemed to be deep in thought: "I think the lady has already made her decision. The two of them should not become enemies, right?"
This was the result Demon Butterfly Princess most wanted to see. Whoever would be willing to be an enemy of the current Imperial Dust must be insane!
Lin Ke, White Jade Divine Emperor, Yan Wushen, Heavenly Mother, Hao Tian, and the Dark Lord—six Ancestors fought together, the battlefield spanning trillions and trillions of miles.
Rules were constantly being born and destroyed.
Dao techniques and divine abilities spread to the universe of the Real World. Stars fell like rain, great worlds burned, and even important world positions like the Heavenly Court and the Santu River basin suffered severe damage, with countless living beings turning to ash.
Sensing the aura of Zhang Ruochen's return, White Jade Divine Emperor and the Dark Lord simultaneously burned the blood in their bodies, using self-damaging methods to push their combat power to the extreme.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
The Dark Lord seized the opportunity, using the Myriad Forms Formless Seal to shatter the Ancestor bodies of Hao Tian and Heavenly Mother into mist, successfully seizing the Heavenly Dao Origin and the Civilization Ring.
He was excited and immediately fled far away.
His hands were condensed from matter, rules, and order at the Heavenly Beginning Unending End level, immune to the Civilization Fire emanating from the Civilization Ring.
"Still trying to escape?"
Zhang Ruochen was still a light-year away, but his voice was already rolling in.
Three words, like thousands of troops and horses galloping, with unparalleled momentum.
Having achieved his goal, the Dark Lord did not want to clash head-on with Zhang Ruochen and immediately fled into the Void World.
"Imperial Dust, this lord has no intention of being your enemy. I seek only to break through to Heavenly Beginning Unending End. The Great Calamity is approaching. For the sake of all living beings, you should quickly establish reincarnation. Perhaps it can truly be resolved and this epoch extended."
With the spatial attainment of Myriad Forms Formless and the continuous burning of ancestral blood in his body, the speed rules and space rules of heaven and earth were all broken, and the Dark Lord entered his own Space Speed Domain.
In the starry region, there were many beings intimately connected to Zhang Ruochen.
But the Dark Lord did not capture them as hostages, because he found that Zhang Ruochen at this moment was terrifyingly cold, completely unlike someone who would be bound by personal emotions. This was complete transcendence!
His humanity was disappearing.
Replacing it was divinity, the ruthlessness of the Heavenly Dao.
He feared that even if he took all of Zhang Ruochen's family as hostages, it would not change Zhang Ruochen's will to kill him.
The Dark Lord speculated that after the Human Ancestor fell, the Civilization Ring's restraint on the Heavenly Dao Origin weakened, and the power of the Heavenly Dao Origin was flowing towards Zhang Ruochen. The current Zhang Ruochen... was too terrifying!
"Do you think that by seizing the Heavenly Dao Origin, you can break through to Heavenly Beginning Unending End? Have you not considered why the Human Ancestor captured the Heavenly Dao Origin for so many years but did not directly refine it? Is the Heavenly Dao Origin something that the likes of you can refine?"
Zhang Ruochen's voice suddenly became close.
The Dark Lord was greatly alarmed. How could Zhang Ruochen be so fast?
He spun around abruptly, striking out with both palms.
From each palm flew a Myriad Forms Formless Seal, as vast as heaven and earth, infinitely mysterious, with all things and forms perishing within.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen stepped on the Universe Cauldron with one foot and the Cosmos Cauldron with the other. The River of Time and the Eternal Divine Sea coexisted. With one step, he could cross a star sea, and with a wave of his hand, he struck out a palm.
Seven Cauldrons flew together, crushing the two Myriad Forms Formless Seals, sending the Dark Lord's Ancestor body flying with countless cracks, his body shooting out like a meteor.
"Impossible! You changed the past and must suffer the backlash of time and causality. How can you still be this strong?"
The Dark Lord even began to burn his lifespan, losing confidence in fighting Zhang Ruochen and fleeing at an even faster speed.
At the same time, he refined the Civilization Ring, absorbing the Civilization Fire, trying to use the power of the Heavenly Dao Origin for himself.
Only by obtaining the power of the Heavenly Dao Origin could he contend with the current Zhang Ruochen.
"Imperial Dust, forcing a Consistent Unity Ancestor into a dead end will ultimately lead to mutual destruction. Is this the result you want? In fact, even if this lord breaks through to Heavenly Beginning Unending End, I will not threaten you. We can coexist peacefully without conflict," the Dark Lord said.
"Let you go? This emperor might agree, but the dead living beings will not."
"Today, I will only cease when all Ancestors are slain!"
Zhang Ruochen raised his hand above his head, and instantly, countless palm lines appeared beneath the Dark Lord's feet, like the veins of the universe, extending endlessly along his escape route.
No matter how he fled, he was always within the palm lines.