The Ancient Lamps of the Nine Provinces

The Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge was said to open a path to the Primordial Celestial Realm. It had once belonged to the Green Lotus Celestial Maiden, and after her fall, it was claimed by a Half-Ancestor of that age—though few knew into whose hands it had ultimately passed.

This bridge was extraordinary, unfathomable even to Half-Ancestors. Its surface was covered in ancient, weathered scars—gouges left by divine weapons such as sabers, swords, and lances—marks that no Half-Ancestor could have made. This only deepened the veil of mystery around it.

A strange fluctuation sealed this space, and Xiao Chen could not escape. He could clearly see every mark on the bridge, even the lotus engraving that was the fallen body of the Green Lotus Celestial Maiden, so lifelike it seemed to have grown there.

If that truly was the Celestial Maiden's original form, then this bridge was even more terrifying than imagined.

Three War Swords soared through the air, hacking toward Xiao Chen with a chill, murderous light that pierced the heavens.

This was a deadly formation indeed. The Half-Ancestors could not prevail against the Yellow-Clay Altar, so they sought to use the Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge and the War Swords—artifacts of immense origin—to destroy it.

Xiao Chen drew his own War Sword from Keke's Paradise Lost to meet the three attacking blades. At the same time, Keke opened Paradise Lost, struggling to stabilize the Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge.

Clang!

The deafening collision sent Xiao Chen's War Sword flying, snatched away by a strange force. Keke managed to fix one end of the bridge with Paradise Lost, but an overwhelming power suddenly erupted from the stone bridge, shaking her loose and breaking Paradise Lost's hold.

In that first exchange, the stone bridge and War Swords had already displayed such terrifying strength, bringing great peril to both Xiao Chen and Keke.

When the four War Swords struck together at Keke and Xiao Chen, the Yellow-Clay Altar hidden within his acupoint space finally stirred. It flew out on its own, meeting the four blades and pressing down toward the Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge.

A world-shaking impact!

The Yellow-Clay Altar forced the Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge to the ground!

But it did not completely subdue the stone bridge. The bridge trembled violently, and the four War Swords upon it blazed with sword-light that tore open several black holes, threatening to swallow Xiao Chen and Keke above.

An ancient Eternal Lamp appeared, its soft light enveloping Xiao Chen and the little beast. The aura of destruction could not approach. Glimmering motes of light scattered across the darkening sky.

Clearly, a Half-Ancestor was manipulating events from the shadows. But even a Half-Ancestor could not truly command the War Swords; they could only rouse the swords' energy through the Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge's fluctuations.

Chaos!

The Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge suddenly shook violently, its soul-piercing power sealing off this entire space. It even seemed about to hurl the Yellow-Clay Altar away.

The four War Swords became even fiercer, their sweeping sword-qi constantly battering the light of the Eternal Lamp.

Just then, the Yellow-Clay Altar rose up instead of suppressing the bridge. It flew beneath Xiao Chen's feet, bearing him and Keke as it hovered in the void.

Now Xiao Chen slowly calmed down. He soothed Keke and sat with her on the Yellow-Clay Altar, watching everything with cold eyes. The Eternal Lamp hung a foot from his left shoulder, its gentle light a bright spot in the dimming sky.

This space was now completely sealed off from the outside, a world unto itself.

As the Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge quaked, a primeval aura exploded across the dark void. Primordial mountains rose in the sky; sword-peaks scraped the clouds; a blood-red land churned with chaotic killing energy.

The boundless ancient land exuded a desolate atmosphere, and the colossal mountain peaks radiated chaotic sword-qi. This place had become a furnace of heaven and earth.

Half-Ancestors were making their move!

The Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge spanned the heavens, as if trying to suppress Xiao Chen and the Yellow-Clay Altar. Four swords, each like a mountain, hung upside down, pointing directly at Xiao Chen and Keke. Their brilliant sword-light surged like the Yellow River in flood, rolling toward them.

The scene was apocalyptic, dreamlike and surreal.

Faced with such a spectacle, such terrifying power, Xiao Chen remained calm and indifferent. He trusted that the Yellow-Clay Altar could withstand it all. At this point, it was no longer a contest of personal strength; no fewer than three Half-Ancestors had joined forces to destroy the Yellow-Clay Altar.

All he could rely on now were this altar and the Eternal Lamp. If they failed to hold against the War Swords and the Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge, he would be annihilated in body and soul.

Misty Xuanhuang energy spread out, the Yellow-Clay Altar sat motionless, and a hazy aura diffused outward, resisting the pressure of the War Swords and the stone bridge and the terrible destructive force.

The primordial mountains in the sky crumbled; the stone bridge and the swords trembled continuously; the blood-red ancient land split apart. All of this was being destroyed by the surge of Xuanhuang qi.

Vaguely, Xiao Chen saw four blurry figures in the distant void, using their great power to control the Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge, directing the War Swords to sweep across the eight directions.

But none of this could harm Xiao Chen. The Eternal Lamp's gentle light enveloped him, and Keke felt so comfortable she nearly fell asleep curled beside him.

The Yellow-Clay Altar trembled with the Eight Syllables of Origin. Xuanhuang qi swirled, and the four figures in the distance were struck as if by lightning. Though they used the stone bridge and other weapons to confront the altar, they had clearly suffered backlash.

At the same time, a sinister scene unfolded: blood mist gathered around the Yellow-Clay Altar, shattered landscapes appeared, and countless figures surged across the vast land in battle.

It was a scene of carnage: a million corpses, blood flowing for a thousand li, the land torn apart.

This was destruction, this was slaughter. Heroes fell beneath the Yellow-Clay Altar.

Boom!

A great roar, as if the world itself had shattered. The scene of flowing blood and scattered corpses vanished. All images faded into nothingness.

Sunlight poured down. The bright clear world re-appeared. The Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge and the War Swords fell from the sky. Keke, quick as lightning, swept out seven-colored divine light and opened Paradise Lost, taking all four War Swords into it.

The Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge crashed to the earth, slamming into the Peony Garden and sending up a tower of soil. The little beast had wanted to take the bridge as well, but it could not be wholly contained within Paradise Lost.

This bridge contained unimaginable power; even the energy fluctuations it released had threatened the Yellow-Clay Altar. That alone showed how terrifying it was. The four swords, however, seemed masterless—anyone could take them, but none could truly command them.

Thus, the Half-Ancestors' attempt to use the stone bridge to test the Yellow-Clay Altar ended in failure, their loss outweighing their gain.

Several figures sighed in the distant sky and vanished in the blink of an eye.

The Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge soared back into the sky, tearing across the heavens—unstoppable.

In the Moonlit Garden, the onlookers stared in shock at Xiao Chen in the sky.

Keke proudly played with the four War Swords, swinging them with such ferocity that she became a blur of motion in the air.

Xiao Chen gazed into the distance, silent. The Half-Ancestors had retreated like this—they must have been quite frustrated, he thought.

As soon as he calmed down, he looked for Hai Yunxue, but she had disappeared without a trace. At that same moment, a strange fluctuation rippled through the entire city of Luoyang—imperceptible to anyone who was not a cultivator.

There is a power here that can contend with the primordial village? Xiao Chen was startled.

It was no accident, he realized, that Fuxi, Nuwa, and Xuanyuan had all risen from this region.

The Eternal Lamp suddenly shot into the sky, circled once over Luoyang, and then plunged toward the earth. This unexpected turn caught Xiao Chen off guard. The lamp vanished before his eyes, sinking beneath the city.

At the same time, the ground trembled slightly—even ordinary people felt it. Panic spread as everyone thought it was an earthquake, but the shaking lasted only a few seconds before it stopped.

Whether because the Yellow-Clay Altar's aura had drawn it out or because the lamp was connected to Xiao Chen, he could clearly see beneath the city of Luoyang: an ancient lamp had been lit.

Yes—his lamp had ignited another!

There was no giant city like the primeval village underground. He saw only a single ancient lamp, its flame flickering. As the light grew brighter, Xiao Chen gradually made out the ruins of an underground city, with only this one Eternal Lamp preserved.

In that instant, his own lamp flew back and hovered beside his left shoulder.

The void shattered, and two figures emerged: Tianwai Tian and Renwai Ren. They saw Xiao Chen and exclaimed in surprise, "It's you… No wonder!"

Before Xiao Chen could ask anything, his body moved involuntarily. The Yellow-Clay Altar carried him as it tore through space. He glimpsed the stars of the universe as they traveled.

Almost instantly, he emerged into a vast, flourishing landscape—a scene of southern beauty. This was… Xiao Chen was astonished. In the blink of an eye, he had reached the south. It felt familiar, like the Yangzhou region.

The lamp at his shoulder traced a long tail of light across the sky, circled once, and dove into the earth below. Even in the air, he felt the ground tremble slightly, and then saw through the earth that another lamp had been lit among the underground ruins.

Ripples spread out, and his own lamp flew back.

What was happening? Xiao Chen was deeply puzzled.

Before he could think further, the Yellow-Clay Altar carried him once again, tearing through space. Little Keke was utterly curious, showing no fear at all; she treated this like a pleasant journey.

With a flash of light, Xiao Chen appeared in another sky. Looking down, he saw layered mountain shadows and crisscrossing fields. This was Qingzhou.

Unsurprisingly, the lamp flew out again, dove into the earth of Qingzhou, and lit another lamp. Its flickering flame reflected in Xiao Chen's eyes.

Three lamps had now been lit beneath the Nine Provinces. He did not know what consequences this would bring. It seemed none of this was guided by him; the Yellow-Clay Altar was taking him across the lands.

Matters having reached this point, Xiao Chen realized he might be lighting up all of the Nine Provinces.

Indeed, in the time that followed, the Yellow-Clay Altar bore him across the ancient lands: Jizhou, Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Yuzhou, Youzhou, and Yongzhou.

Traveling through the Nine Provinces, he lit eight ancient lamps beneath the earth. His final stop was his home village, which lay in Yongzhou. The lamp beside his left shoulder plunged back into the earth, into that shadowy ancient city, illuminating its indistinct ruins.

Then, nine beams of light shot up from the Nine Provinces. On that day, the lands of the Nine Provinces blazed with light, and the radiance lasted a long time before slowly fading.

In that moment, everyone sensed that the spiritual energy of the Nine Provinces seemed to have grown much richer.

Was the seal on the Nine Provinces being undone?

What did the nine ancient lamps represent?

Xiao Chen's heart was full of questions.

And on that very day, a deep, resonant bell tolled across the Nine Provinces.

Had the death knell of the Half-Ancestors finally sounded?