The Living War Effigies of the Dead City

Xiao Chen roared up at the heavens, trapped within the fatal valley. His thick hair stood on end, dancing like black flames.

On the center of his forehead, the ancient, inscrutable demonic pattern — like a vertical eye — opened wide, causing the space before him to warp and collapse, carving out a pitch-black passage to an unknown destination. A wave of terrifying energy surged out from within.

Thick mist rolled back from the black space like crashing waves, drowning Xiao Chen. The hazy clouds surrounded him, actually blocking the dense attacks raining down from the sky.

The Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge had channeled the terrifying divine power stored within the sacred capital of Luoyang to this valley. The fearsome killing formation within could contend with the power of the Yellow Clay Altar. Yet not all the divine power could disperse the mist. Meanwhile, the half-ancestor sacred artifacts suspended around the peerless killing formation all moved in unison.

The Three-Infant Divine Lamp, the White Tiger Sacred Patterns, the Seven-Colored Malevolent Sword, the Sun Sacred Scripture — all struck, not at Xiao Chen, but at the open black space, trying to prevent whatever was coming.

So many sacred artifacts could annihilate space and tear the sky asunder — their power was unimaginable. Amid a thunderous roar, they moved together and forcibly closed the black space. The demonic pattern on Xiao Chen's forehead dimmed, and blood began to seep from it, his forehead stained red.

But the mist that had surged from within the black space did not dissipate. Encircling him like an impenetrable suit of armor, it shielded him from the devastating attacks.

The Yellow Clay Altar seemed sentient, sensing Xiao Chen's peril. It struck violently, as if the vast sea were overturned and the Starry River of Heaven were poured out. In an instant, the Xuanhuang primordial energies blazed to their zenith, temporarily routing the divine light shooting from the sacred capital of Luoyang and nearly shattering the peerless killing formation.

The Seven-Colored Malevolent Sword, the Three-Infant Divine Lamp, the Sun Sacred Scripture, and the other artifacts shot into the sky, evading the Xuanhuang qi as they divided and guarded the eight directions, stabilizing the ancient, tottering killing formation.

Mist swirled around Xiao Chen, blurring his outline and casting him as a demonic shadow. At this moment, the War Sword in his hand merged with him, condensing a terrifying strength. A blaze of sword-light, dazzling and immense, shot into the sky, shattering dozens of magical treasures.

Scraps of metal and jade fell from the sky. Many cried out in fury, lamenting the loss.

At that moment, the God-Slaying Demon-Exterminating Ancient Formation trembled violently. A mountain of blades and a sea of fire bore down on Xiao Chen.

Such was the power of the ancient killing formation, and this was only the beginning. With half-ancestor sacred artifacts guarding the formation gates and the sacred radiance of Luoyang replenishing its strength, it could endlessly evolve into ever more terrifying killing postures.

The sea of fire descended first — flames that could destroy gods, a sinister blood-red. They did not seem like dancing fire, but like surging blood, rushing toward Xiao Chen. Space itself seemed to be smelted.

That was how terrifying it was — no wonder it was called one of the five great killing formations of the World of Immortality.

Xiao Chen was in extreme danger. He swung the War Sword, sending up a thousand streaks of blazing sword-light, but it could not extinguish this god-killing sea of fire. The enemy host shouted, their voices shaking heaven and earth, while countless magical treasures rained down.

At the same time, a mountain of blades emerged within the flames, cleaving toward Xiao Chen. The immense blade-mountain erupted with unimaginably brilliant saber-light, sweeping away all physical forms.

Fortunately, this was a sealed killing formation — otherwise, thousands of li around would have been utterly destroyed.

The mountain of blades and the sea of fire lived up to their name! They complemented each other, joined together to slay gods and immortals; any who could not escape this formation were doomed to annihilation.

Xiao Chen felt no fear, only killing intent. The coalition of half-ancestor disciples had set this trap, forcing him to use all his strength to resist. He calmed his mind and summoned the stone drill from the broken stone man within his body. Gripping it, he hurled it with all his might.

The peerless stone artifact clashed against the mountain of blades and sea of fire!

The stone drill had once been held by Suiren. Xiao Chen had acquired it in the Southern Wastes of the World of Immortality. Beyond its terrifying destructive power, it also carried a trace of fire nature.

With no energy fluctuations, it traced a graceful arc through the sky and then slammed directly into the mountain of blades.

Rumbling!

Heaven and earth shook. The blade-mountain that had been spinning and unleashing killing light collapsed under a single blow, dissolving into specks of light in the sky. After piercing the great blade-mountain, the stone drill seemed to devour the flames, absorbing all the blood-red divine fire.

This result left everyone dumbfounded.

The stone drill did not stop there. Hu Ben, the third son of the White Tiger Saint Emperor, and Olito, the Sun God's Son, had suffered greatly from it before and were extremely wary — they retreated immediately.

The Chan Sect Golden Immortals, the daughter and personal disciples of the Three-Infant Grand Matriarch — all had sharp eyes and were equally alert, fleeing backwards in the first instant.

Just as they had expected, the stone drill was fearsome indeed! As it shot into the sky, it shattered several hundred magical treasures, then directly pierced through more than a hundred men. Many Sun Knights, Xiuzhen cultivators, and White Tiger clansmen were torn apart, blood mist filling the air.

And when the stone drill's power was finally exhausted, it suddenly exploded with a sky-full of sinister red fire, engulfing fifty or sixty people. Screams instantly rang out. It was a horrifying scene — dozens of demigods and over ten Deathless Longevity experts had their souls and bodies burn simultaneously, and in moments they were burned completely clean.

After a great swath of death and injury, the stone drill finally spent its power. Hu Ben, Ye Xiao, Olito, the Chan Sect Golden Immortal, and the others all reached out at once, trying to seize the stone drill.

But in the blink of an eye, the stone drill vanished into thin air, returning to the stone man within Xiao Chen's body. Their efforts were for nothing.

This display of overwhelming force momentarily cowed the crowd. But they quickly recovered and launched fierce attacks again.

The God-Slaying Demon-Exterminating Ancient Formation began to evolve once more. A purgatory realm took shape, bearing down on Xiao Chen.

Inside the purgatory, massive chains of death crisscrossed. Black mist surged, darkness covered everything, and evil souls drifted. Some magical treasures that cultivators had thrown near the area were instantly reduced to ash.

Xiao Chen used his spatial divine power to trap several demigods who had been sneaking up on him, then mercilessly pushed them toward the purgatory realm.

The result was horrific. Before they even got close, an unimaginable energy fluctuation rippled out, dragging them in. In an instant, they turned into ashes.

With such power, even a god entering that place would likely be annihilated body and soul.

Xiao Chen did not hesitate. Now was not the time for bravado. He hurled the stone ball, which he had already summoned.

The peerless stone artifact struck the purgatory, shaking the sky. The chains within the purgatory lashed in all directions, but under the stone ball's assault, all the chains snapped. Then the purgatory realm collapsed, the black mist dispersed, and the sky gradually cleared.

The stone ball did not return immediately. Its momentum unabated, it shot into the upper sky, piercing through the chests of over thirty men before vanishing into thin air.

Using the stone artifacts twice had drained Xiao Chen's strength; he could not summon them again for a short time.

And at this critical moment, the situation grew extremely dangerous. The Xuanhuang qi emitted by the Yellow Clay Altar and the divine light of Luoyang were intertwined, locked in an impasse. The Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge slowly descended. It was connected to the divine light of Luoyang; having gathered enough divine power, it suddenly burst forth with thousands of rainbow beams, reinforcing the peerless killing formation.

The seven or eight half-ancestor sacred artifacts in the sky were set free. No longer needing to press down together, they all shot toward Xiao Chen, intent on destruction.

At the moment of life and death, Xiao Chen's hair stood on end, dancing like black hellfire. The demonic pattern on his forehead bled and once again bloomed with radiance.

The space before him opened once more! A black world emerged.

He himself did not know how to use the power of the forehead pattern — it seemed to be forced out entirely.

The half-ancestor sacred artifacts struck at the same time, but at that instant, a massive phantom of a city appeared within the black space.

And within the great city, a towering black shadow stood silently, as if right before everyone's eyes.

Suddenly, he turned his head. Black mist swirled around him, obscuring his features. Only two beams of green light shot out from his eyes, seeming to make the temperature of this peerless killing formation plummet.

The wind of chaos stirred, and the burial shroud on his body rustled.

That was… the Dead City! That was Suiren…

Xiao Chen's heart trembled. The towering figure revealed through the black space was as lofty as a mountain, unattainable. But it quickly vanished.

The seven or eight sacred artifacts all had sentience. In that instant, they seemed to sense danger and froze in midair, not striking Xiao Chen.

Such was the awe — a mere silhouette from within the black space had cowed the half-ancestor sacred artifacts!

Outside the formation, the Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge seemed to sense something. With a thunderous crash, it broke into the formation. At this moment, the black space slowly expanded, and the phantom of the Dead City grew clearer.

Two beams of green light swept out from within the Dead City. The Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge shuddered violently, struck, and flew backward.

Then the two green lights within the black space vanished completely.

The Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge temporarily disconnected from the divine light of Luoyang. But the divine light of Luoyang continued to blaze on its own, not dissipating. However, without the bridge's guidance and transformation, the divine light and the Yellow Clay Altar no longer clashed. Instead, they merged like water and milk.

Endless radiance converged toward the Yellow Clay Altar, as if the fountain of life were flowing into parched desert, nourishing the unassuming clay platform.

The seven or eight sacred artifacts decisively retreated, shooting into the sky and hovering in the eight directions around the killing formation.

But the disciples of the White Tiger lineage, the Sun Church, the Chan Sect, and others did not give up. Instead, they grew even more frenzied, unwilling to let this carefully laid trap reverse. They desperately drove the killing formation.

At this moment, the Nine Heavens Ten Earths God-Slaying Demon-Exterminating Ancient Formation covered the entire valley. Its vast, overwhelming pressure was unfathomable, its killing aura surging into the highest heavens. Half-ancestor sacred artifacts were stationed at all eight gates of the formation, firmly sealing every opening of the peerless killing formation.

Xuanhuang qi swirled, continuously merging with the divine light of Luoyang. The Yellow Clay Altar was actually absorbing the power of the ancient sacred capital!

The host of enemies arrayed in the sky rained down countless magical treasures. They flew like locusts and stars, covering the sky. The beams of divine power from their techniques fell like raindrops, filling every inch of space with the power of death, constantly ready to break through the mist and claim Xiao Chen's life.

Xiao Chen, standing atop the Yellow Clay Altar, clearly perceived all this and saw changes that outsiders could barely understand. Before his eyes appeared a broken picture: this unassuming clay platform seemed to be forged from blood and earth.

No — perhaps it was not yellow clay, but flesh and blood.

If the power within the city of Luoyang belonged to an Ancestral God, then whose flesh and blood had cast this Yellow Clay Altar? It also seemed to belong to an Ancestral God…

From within the Yellow Clay Altar, the Eight Syllables of Origin resounded. All four corners of the sky trembled. Iridescent petals drifted down from an unknown source, filling heaven and earth as if a lament from the heavens shook the cosmos.

Finally, a blaze of intense light flashed. The divine light of Luoyang seemed to be drained dry, all of it pouring into the Yellow Clay Altar.

A stirring battle song of tragedy shook heaven and earth. The Eight Syllables of Origin sounded in unison. The Nine Heavens Ten Earths God-Slaying Demon-Exterminating Formation began to collapse!

At the same time, the demonic pattern on Xiao Chen's forehead grew brighter still. Blood flowed along the pattern. The Dead City seemed as if it were about to descend.

Rumbling.

The sound of gates pushing open came from the distant black space. The gates of the Dead City swung wide. Hundreds of Celestial Soldiers and Underworld Soldiers, as if summoned, appeared in the real world, gathering around the Yellow Clay Altar.

The Dead City had not truly descended — yet it had summoned the 'Living War Effigies'!

"Kill!"

Xiao Chen stood on the Yellow Clay Altar, raising the War Sword and pointing it at the sky. The hundreds of Celestial and Underworld Soldiers raised their rusty bronze ancient weapons. Letting out a cry that shook heaven and earth, they formed a battle formation and charged into the sky.

They were like a torrent of steel. Even the countless experts in the sky could not stop them. As the hundreds of ancient soldiers of the Dead City surged upward, blood rained from the sky, and corpses fell continuously.

It was like a meat grinder — no one could stand against them. The ancient soldiers killed for the sake of killing, slaughtered for the sake of slaughter. The sky ran red with blood.

The hundreds of ancient soldiers, united, were invincible!

Hu Ben, the Sun God's Son, Ye Xiao, and a Chan Sect Golden Immortal all turned tail and fled, not daring to face them head-on.

The situation had reversed so quickly that no one could believe their eyes. This was an invincible battle corps, slaying gods and immortals, sweeping all before them!

The Heaven-Overturning Seal crashed down like a mountain, covering all hundreds of ancient soldiers beneath it.

But then something that left everyone dumbfounded occurred!

That legendary treasure, capable of shaking heaven and earth, seemed to be no more than a pile of straw. The ancient soldiers raised their bronze weapons and struck into the air. The Heaven-Overturning Seal tumbled head over heels, knocked flying, crashing into distant mountains and shattering a whole range of peaks.

The Soul-Falling Bell also shot forward, ringing continuously. But it had no effect on the ancient soldiers. They seemed to have no souls, unaffected by any soul art. The ancient soldiers' weapons struck, nearly shattering the precious bell outright — its master, terrified, hastily fell back.

The Immortal-Binding Rope lashed out, only to be snapped inch by inch under the bronze war-glaive.

Xiuzhen magical treasures filled the air, but countless immortal swords were shattered by the bronze ancient soldiers. They could not even get close.

The situation had completely reversed!

Now Xiao Chen stood on the Yellow Clay Altar, War Sword in hand, without needing to lift a finger. The hundreds of Living War Effigies were unstoppable, with none able to block them.

All who tried to intervene were cut down. The ancient soldiers swept across the sky, peerless and unchallenged.

This seemed even more terrifying than the Sun Knights battle corps, which could shake a half-ancestor!

The divine light of Luoyang had been absorbed by the Yellow Clay Altar. The Nine Heavens Ten Earths God-Slaying Demon-Exterminating Ancient Formation collapsed. The Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge and the half-ancestor sacred artifacts had already shot into the sky and fled. The deadly trap was broken. The various sects, cut down by the Dead City's ancient soldiers until their flesh flew in bloody chunks, could no longer hold. The great advantage was gone for good. Everyone began to flee in chaos.

"Kill them for me…!"

Xiao Chen's forehead pattern throbbed and flared. He stood on the Yellow Clay Altar, War Sword in hand, charging to the very front. Leading the hundreds of Dead City's ancient soldiers, he pursued the broken coalition army. The army was utterly routed. Countless corpses fell from the sky.

A thousand-li pursuit. Corpses lay everywhere. Blood flowed into rivers.

This battle shook the world. A heavy stroke was added to the annals of cultivation history, becoming a bloody war of slaughter that later cultivators would pale to speak of.