The Battle for the Ancestral Artifacts

Tongtian—a name that made even the gods tremble. His four lethal swords were forged entirely from the blood of deities, refined through countless sacrifices.

At this moment, all four of Tongtian's dread swords appeared in the sky at once, descending in a simultaneous strike that chilled the hearts of every cultivator above. The four swords—Zhuxian, Luxian, Juexian, and Xianxian—each a thousand meters long, crashed down like four colossal mountains. Their unmatched sword-qi tore the very void to shreds.

"What the hell!"

"Tongtian has lost his mind!"

The most powerful cultivators fled at once, racing desperately away from that space. The might of these four swords shook heaven and earth; few could withstand them. To survive, one had to retreat.

But the majority lacked such strength. Even trying to escape the space enveloped by the four swords was impossible. They could only wait for death.

The overwhelming pressure caused many ordinary cultivators on the great草原 to collapse to the ground. The four swords in the sky shattered that entire region, as if trying to turn it into primordial chaos.

Yet, contrary to all expectations, the bloody catastrophe that would have dyed the heavens red never came. Tongtian's four swords did not strike the crowd. They were controlled with perfect precision, aimed solely at the ancestral palace of the Ancestral God Youchao, smashing it to pieces.

After three years of remaining unbreached, the celestial palace collapsed into rubble in that moment, rumbling as debris rained from the sky.

To show such disrespect to the relic of an Ancestral God—only Tongtian dared. Others, even those seeking treasures, would not act so wantonly.

No one dared to protest. Tongtian revered neither heaven nor earth; he honored only himself. In the distant past, he had directly challenged the Ancestral God Youchao, so this behavior was nothing unexpected.

The four swords rapidly shrank, weaving through the floating rubble and stone fragments to seize the Ancestral God's divine treasures.

Not everyone feared Tongtian. A colorful butterfly fluttered lightly into the ruins, undaunted by the four swords, as if dancing among a garden of flowers, moving at its own leisure through the debris. At the same time, the Seven-Treasure Wondrous Tree soared into the air and entered the ruins. Kong Xuan transformed into five divine lights and charged forward as well.

Many watched from the outside, but few dared to rush in. Those who entered the ruins were all legendary figures—unrestrained madmen who could spill blood for a thousand li. To charge in and contend with them now would be courting death.

Clearly, Tongtian already knew what supreme treasure was sealed in Youchao's palace. Without pausing for a moment, his four swords swept crosswise, reducing countless weapons and treasures that others would have considered divine artifacts to dust. With a crisp clang, Juexian Sword struck an object. It did not shatter it; instead, the dread sword itself trembled violently.

The other three swords immediately surrounded the object, trapping it in the center. The four swords seemed intent on guarding it and flying away with it.

It was a crude, simple stone dagger—barely recognizable as a dagger at first glance. Half a foot long, neither a knife nor a sword, it looked exactly like the rough stone tools used by ancient peoples in their uncivilized age.

Not a flicker of energy emanated from it. Even Tongtian, who knew what supreme treasure was sealed here, could not sense it. He had only located it through the four swords themselves.

The Seven-Treasure Wondrous Tree had been watching covetously. Seeing that Tongtian's four swords had found the stone dagger, it transformed into a streak of colored light and swept forward, trying to seize it.

The Four Slaying Swords shook violently, their chaotic sword-qi surging into the sky as they slashed toward the Seven-Treasure Wondrous Tree. The tree continuously brushed its multicolored light to block the sword-qi, advancing in a winding path.

Beside them, the Five-Colored Divine Light flared in unison as Kong Xuan charged. But the Luxian Sword quaked fiercely, shattering the Five-Colored Divine Light in an instant, nearly forcing Kong Xuan's human form to materialize.

On the other side, a colorful butterfly gently flapped its wings, pierced through the Zhuxian Sword's sword-qi, bypassed the Juexian Sword's blade-light, and actually forced its way through. This turn of events shocked all onlookers. What was the origin of this butterfly? To break through two of Tongtian's swords in succession—its strength was unfathomable.

In the distant sky, the three primordial savage beasts—Yazi, Suanni, and Pixiu—all revealed looks of shock. The bloodthirsty Yazi said, "Someone can actually contend with Tongtian..."

Suanni's eyes blazed with divine light. "If you knew his origins, you would not be surprised. That is Zhuang Zhou."

Zhuangzi had no self, no merit, no fame; he roamed freely between heaven and earth. Though he had attained the Dao relatively late, he was considered one of the most likely to reach the realm of Ancestral God. He had forgotten himself, forgotten everything, pursuing a state of unbound freedom and carefree detachment.

Though only half of his teachings had been passed down to the world, their influence on the cultivation world was immeasurable. His writings were vast and unconstrained, elegant in every form. Among the great thinkers of the late Zhou, none could surpass him. Zhuangzi was truly transcendent, achieving the state where things and self were both forgotten—the union of heaven and man.

In terms of spiritual cultivation, he was perhaps the closest to an Ancestral God in this world. He had already reached the spiritual level where "heaven and earth coexist with me, and all things are one with me."

On the草原 below, Xiao Chen's heart surged with emotion. If he had ever truly admired anyone, it was Zhuangzi. The system of cultivation thought that Zhuangzi had constructed was truly ahead of its time. Even if his physical power could not match Tongtian or others, his spiritual realm more than compensated, making him hardly weaker.

That Zhuangzi had also come shook every onlooker. After breaking through two of Tongtian's swords in succession, the butterfly of Zhuang Zhou gracefully retreated. He seemed uninterested in seizing the stone dagger. This puzzled everyone for a moment, but then they understood—this was the true Zhuangzi, always roaming freely between heaven and earth. He had not come for the Ancestral God's supreme treasure; he simply happened to be present and took this opportunity for a carefree excursion.

Unique and unparalleled, Zhuang Zhou came in the form of a butterfly. Ignoring the fierce battle in the arena, he drifted alone among the ruins, as if paying respects to the ancestral god's remnants.

Tongtian was not bothered by Zhuangzi's earlier advance. He knew that the other was not provoking him; it was simply in his nature to act as he pleased. Moreover, this was merely Zhuangzi's spirit projection, not his true body. Even if Tongtian used the Four Slaying Swords to attack now, he could not harm Zhuangzi's original form.

Zhuxian Sword and Juexian Sword trapped the stone dagger. Xianxian Sword and Luxian Sword soared into the sky, continuing to slash through the ruins. No one knew better than Tongtian that, long ago, he had challenged the Ancestral God Youchao. The Ancestral God had possessed two weapons that had left an indelible impression on him—a crude stone dagger and a not-quite-round stone ball.

Though roughly polished, even somewhat laughable, their power was unimaginable. Moreover, they could not be detected by divine sense, for they emitted not a single ripple of energy. If tossed into a pile of stones, they could not be distinguished from ordinary rocks.

Xianxian Sword and Luxian Sword shattered all obstacles, and in a secluded corner, a crisp clang rang out as a fist-sized, crude stone ball was struck free. The peerless Luxian Sword failed to leave even a scratch on its surface.

The two dread swords, stained with endless divine blood, trapped the stone ball and flew toward Zhuxian Sword and Juexian Sword.

But at that moment, a massive hand suddenly descended from beyond the heavens, blotting out the entire sky. It reached straight for the stone ball trapped by Luxian Sword and Xianxian Sword.

The pressure was unimaginable. The ruins in the sky violently trembled, constantly shattering—even the halls built by an Ancestral God could not withstand it. Another torrent of rubble rained down from the heavens.

Several powerful Fallen Angels in the distant sky revealed looks of shock. One of them said, "That seems to be one of the Western supremacies... Allah."

Allah, the true lord of Islam in the Western traditions, was undoubtedly one of the most famous supremacies in heaven and earth, one of the few peerless powerhouses who could contend with Tongtian and Primordial. Even he had been drawn by Youchao's supreme treasures—this showed the value of the stone dagger and stone ball in the eyes of figures at their level.

The giant hand shimmered with watery blue light, as if endless viscous liquid surged forward. Though Luxian Sword and Xianxian Sword emitted waves of chaotic sword-qi, they did not shatter the giant hand; all were dissolved by the blue light. Where they clashed, enormous lightning bolts tore through space, and the void continuously collapsed.

One could imagine how terrifying that place was. If they had not sealed their power to prevent it from leaking, even a single stray beam could have shattered countless onlookers in the surrounding area.

With a thunderous bang, Allah's giant hand stirred, completely crushing the ancestral god's remains. The last of the ruins tumbled down from the heights, and beneath the foundations were hidden over a dozen divine treasures, all falling through the void.

The onlookers who could fly erupted into a frenzy. They could not possibly contend for the two ancestral treasures, but now so many treasures were emerging—ones that Tongtian and Allah disdained. The crowd surged forward, and chaotic battle erupted.

Kong Xuan sighed helplessly. He knew that with Tongtian's four swords, the Seven-Treasure Wondrous Tree, and Allah present, he could not seize a single ancestral treasure. He too charged toward the dozen or so divine treasures.

At that moment, a shadow as vast as a mountain came crashing down at Kong Xuan. With a heavy thud, it struck him solidly and sent him flying. Kong Xuan was furious—distracted, he had been ambushed successfully. From within the Five-Colored Divine Light, he shot out two bolts of icy lightning, shouting, "Do you think the Heaven-Overturning Seal can do anything to me?!"

With a sweep, the Five-Colored Divine Light activated in unison, and the cultivators before him were instantly ground to pulp. Blood splattered across the sky, and bloody qi surged into the heavens. The cultivators fell into chaos—true slaughter had begun. Everyone who felt their cultivation was sufficient began to fight viciously for the treasures.

The primordial beasts Yazi, Suanni, and Pixiu directly engaged several Fallen Angels. Demonic clouds surged, black mist billowed, and they fought fiercely. Meanwhile, several enormous Winged Dragons also began a massive battle with over a dozen human cultivators, dragon roars shaking the heavens.

The ordinary cultivators on the ground stared in astonishment. This was the first time they had witnessed such a grand spectacle.

Xiao Chen watched quietly. Though he could also fly, he had no intention of joining the fray. He knew that the fearsome figures above were far beyond what he could currently contend with.

Just then, the Stone-Man within Xiao Chen's body trembled, and the stone drill seemed eager to leave his body. His heart pounded with shock—could it be that Tongtian and the others had missed some supreme treasure? Gazing at the endless rubble that had fallen to the ground, Xiao Chen strode forward...

In the sky, Allah fought against Luxian Sword and Xianxian Sword. The Seven-Treasure Wondrous Tree fought against Zhuxian Sword and Juexian Sword. They had completely sealed off that space to prevent it from affecting the earth below.

Chaotic light blazed. The struggle among the three supreme powerhouses was ferocious.

With a deafening boom, Zhuxian Sword and Juexian Sword directly punched a spatial tunnel, sending the Seven-Treasure Wondrous Tree to the outer realms, then turned to attack Allah. But the Seven-Treasure Wondrous Tree instantly tore through space, returning, and brushed a beam of colored light, trapping the four swords that had just reunited.

At the same time, Allah's other giant hand shattered space and struck from beyond the heavens. Together, they fought Tongtian.

A long cry rang out as a Celestial Horse galloped through the sky. A general clad in golden battle armor, radiating an ocean-like surge of energy, charged into the space sealed by the Seven-Colored Divine Light. He was like a heavenly blade, tearing his way in. Though he carried no weapon in his hands, his released killing intent had already solidified into thousands of blades and swords, hard-striking against Allah's left hand.

Cultivators who had not joined the battle watched from afar, drawing in cold breaths. This man looked exactly like the legendary Martial Saint, Sun Wu!

In the Mortal World, Guan Yu was enshrined in the Martial Saint Temple, but if one traced back to the true origins, the genuine Martial Saint was none other than Sun Wu. This man was the true Ancestor of Warfare—his combat power unmatched, his soul-strength heaven-defying.

With a single punch that shattered heaven and earth, he drove back Allah. Extending his gigantic hand, he reached into the Four Slaying Swords, trying to seize the stone dagger.

The Four Slaying Swords tore through the void, attempting to escape through space. But with the three supreme powerhouses all acting, even Tongtian could not withstand it. The spatial tunnel was severed, and they reappeared in the void.

"So even the Martial Saint cannot escape worldly desires..." A cold laugh came from within the Four Slaying Swords.

Sun Wu's body was wreathed in sky-piercing killing intent. He stood within the visible killing aura, appearing only as a hazy, towering silhouette. His voice was cold and indifferent: "Warfare is the way of life and death, the path of survival and annihilation—it cannot be ignored. I govern all weapons of the world. This stone weapon, I must take one."

"That weapon is not those weapons. Your reach is too long." Though Allah had not manifested his true form, only his two giant hands, his cold sneer echoed clearly across the sky.

Sun Wu sat astride the Celestial Horse, speaking with icy detachment: "This is an ancient treasure of our Eastern race. What difference is there between it and I? It is you who have overstepped."

With a heaven-shaking explosion, the void where the four supreme powerhouses stood erupted in a blinding radiance, then collapsed into primordial chaos! The four fought fiercely within the chaos.

The butterfly of Zhuang Zhou descended gracefully, passing through the crowds locked in desperate battle for treasures in the sky, far from the melee, heading straight for the rubble on the ground.

Inside Xiao Chen, the stone drill flew out, and from the debris it retrieved a broken arm half a thumb's length—an arm severed at the shoulder.