The Death of the Half-Ancestors

Xiao Chen's bones emitted a series of cracking sounds. His four limbs had fully petrified, merging with the broken stone man. At this moment, every movement he made felt as though he possessed infinite power.

The four War Swords erupted with sky-piercing sword light on their own, swirling around him. Xiao Chen felt an overwhelming pressure. He grasped one sword and slashed forward with all his might.

When the furious sword was drawn, mountains and rivers lost their color. The brilliant sword radiance was like a river of stars spilling backward. Even within the sinister grounds of the Dead City, a destructive energy erupted, sweeping toward the White Tiger Saint Emperor's waist.

"Roar!"

The White Tiger Saint Emperor let out a long howl. Ten thousand auspicious rays shimmered around him as White Tiger sacred patterns emerged, like ancient curses or an incomprehensible heavenly script. They solidified in the sky, then descended like a canopy.

However, the War Sword swung today unleashed a torrent of sword light that was irresistible, shattering everything in its path. The White Tiger sacred patterns hanging in the sky were severed one by one, falling like withered flowers. The sword radiance, vast as the roaring waves of the four seas, swept the White Tiger Saint Emperor away.

The White Tiger Saint Emperor's expression was blank. He steadied himself in the air above the Dead City and fiercely pressed his right hand down. The enormous palm descended like a small mountain, causing the very sky to tremble.

"Chi!"

Sword energy shot into the sky. Xiao Chen stood on the Yellow-Clay Altar, like a peerless swordsman, and thrust his sword diagonally upward. The blinding light pierced a bloody hole straight through the giant palm, which withdrew swiftly, barely avoiding being severed.

United with the stone man, Xiao Chen possessed inexhaustible power. He felt he could pluck stars and seize the moon, could shake the heavens. Never before had he been so strong.

Kill! Kill! Kill!

At this point, there was no need for words. The final battle was inevitable.

Perhaps Xiao Chen did not need to strike personally; the destructive forces would find the Half-Ancestors on their own. But he needed to vent. The ancient song echoed in his ears, making his heart tremble. Since the broken stone man had awakened and granted him boundless power, if he could not personally engage in a great battle now, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

The other Half-Ancestors did not seem surprised. It appeared that nothing the one who controlled the Yellow-Clay Altar did was worthy of astonishment. They attacked simultaneously. The combined strike of many Half-Ancestors was truly capable of destroying heaven and earth, sweeping toward Xiao Chen.

The Yellow-Clay Altar trembled, shrouded in Xuanhuang energy. At the same time, the nine ancient lamps floating around him shone brightly, filling the sky with resplendent light that made all attacks seem like illusions, blocked outside.

The scene was astonishing. The nine lamps were so miraculous that they could fully defend against Half-Ancestor attacks.

However, it was obvious that Zhunti, Primordial, Tongtian, and the others had not yet used their full power. Their true target was the Demon Well. Seven or eight Half-Ancestors jointly controlled the Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge and blasted it into the well again.

"Danger holds opportunity! Use the power of the abyss and the Death Bridge to open a path to the Primordial Celestial Realm!" the Sun Holy God bellowed.

For them, the approach of death also came with a bright road, drawing them like moths to a flame as they violently struck at the Abyss of Evil.

"Dong!"

The death knell echoed through the Nine Provinces. A pillar of dark light from the Demon Well suddenly swept across the sky above the Dead City. A Half-Ancestor from the Cultivation World screamed as he was caught in the dark light, torn apart in an instant, then vanished into the bottomless abyss.

Destruction had begun.

The end of the false gods had arrived. The second tolling of the bell caused no harm to the Half-Ancestors in the Dead City, but a Half-Ancestor hiding far overseas was instantly summoned. As he emerged from the spatial passage, his body and soul were annihilated, turning into specks of light that faded from the world.

Born in the hearts of mortals, perished in the void!

At the same time, the Four Worlds were collapsing. No matter where one hid, it was useless. The illusory was destined to shatter.

Countless ages ago, the illusory world had expanded, grievously wounding the real world. Many mountains and rivers of the Nine Provinces had been taken into the Four Worlds, and countless people had followed them into foreign lands.

In the Dead City, Xiao Chen’s heart surged with emotion, his blood boiling with fervor. The hope of his ancestors flowed in his veins. The Yellow-Clay Altar beneath his feet shimmered with a soft light. He looked up and let out a long cry. The ancient divine script on his forehead pulsed with power, and the entire Dead City trembled.

He summoned the departed spirits. A hundred thousand spectral soldiers unfurled their banners, black mist surging into the sky. They engulfed the area around the Demon Well, surrounding and isolating the many Half-Ancestors. Within their ranks were powerful war souls that rivaled Half-Ancestors, tearing heaven and earth, their cries shaking the nine heavens. The great battle erupted.

What was terrifying was that these deathly armies never diminished in combat power. Even when shattered by Half-Ancestors, they reformed instantly within the Dead City and charged into the sky again. They were one with the city.

At that moment, a giant hand, over a hundred meters long and shimmering with chaotic light, descended with unstoppable force. In an instant, it obliterated a mass of spectral soldiers.

A horrifying result followed: those soldiers truly turned to ash, never to reform.

It was a giant hand reaching down from beyond the heavens, far more dreadful than the methods of Half-Ancestors. It descended casually, and no power could resist it.

Above the Demon Well, only Xiao Chen remained unscathed. Everything else turned to dust and fell. The giant hand from that distant beyond the heavens seized the Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge and pressed it down into the Demon Well.

"Boom!"

It even sealed the ancient stone bridge into the Demon Well. At the same time, the spiritual fluctuations rolling down from beyond the heavens seemed intent on destroying this world, making all living beings tremble.

"Chi!"

A divine light shot from beyond the cosmos, severing the giant hand. Another powerful spiritual fluctuation descended from beyond the heavens.

The giant hand did not spurt blood; it was merely a projection. Yet it possessed such terrifying power, a truly shocking sight.

The palm shadow vanished, and the two spiritual pressures that oppressed the Nine Provinces also faded away.

In the distant heavens, two indistinct masses of light faced each other.

"Shennong, you have broken the covenant by intervening," one said.

Shennong's light flickered, like an ancient lamp. "On the Demon Plain that day, you took away millions of soldier souls. This battle has long been inevitable."

"All beneath the Ancestral Gods are ants. I took the soldier souls to repair Suiren's Heaven-Earth Furnace and complete a heavenly blood calamity. This is a great merit."

"What is this calamity? You cannot even explain it yourself. Everything is decided by your whim. I only see you intimidating the Four Worlds. Suiren used his own life essence to create the Heaven-Earth Furnace to benefit billions of people. What are you doing? To re-refine it with millions of soldier souls? Will it benefit the ants in your eyes? It will only become a great weapon of slaughter. Our paths differ. The ants in your eyes are the people I protect, weightier than Mount Tai in my heart."

"Back then, the mountains and rivers of the mortal world were separated and coexisted with the illusory. Fuxi, Nuwa, Suiren, and you all traveled through the Four Worlds to protect them, yet you could not keep them safe. Instead, Otherworld Ancestral Gods took control of three worlds. In the end, you died or were wounded for those ants—a pity, a lament."

Shennong's manifestation, though not bright, possessed a majestic aura like a mountain. "Who in this world can ever escape death? Even Ancestral Gods have their end. Since I am called an Ancestral God, I must do my utmost to protect my people. To die in my duty is to die worthily, without shame."

"If an Ancestral God has feelings, he is no Ancestral God. You are merely an ancestor of the human race. The battle between your reality and my illusion has already begun, and you have already lost. The outcome is predetermined. The Four Worlds will be destroyed. If an Otherworld Ancestral God who has not yet left should intervene at this moment, your death is certain."

"Are you so certain?" An aged voice suddenly rang out in the heavens. Stars trembled as a ten-thousand-zhang Ancestral Dragon flew over, also transforming into a mass of light standing in the void. "Since my generation took command of the dragon clan, we have remained neutral as bystanders. I have been remiss. Now that the battle between reality and illusion has begun again, I should do my part."

"You destroyed your own broken body, pretending to enter the Primordial Celestial Realm, and waited all this time for this day?" From the light mass, the voice emerged like a voice from an ancient well. "An Otherworld Ancestral God has never left and will descend. Shennong, the Ancestral Dragon of the previous generation—you are merely borrowing shells to return. Today, you shall be destroyed. From now on, there will be no Ancestral Gods beneath me."

At that moment, another mass of light flew over. "Let them be destroyed!" The great heavenly voice shook the entire cosmos.

The land of the Nine Provinces trembled, all due to the Dead City. But the people would never know that far beyond the heavens, events of far greater consequence were unfolding. Not a single person knew that their human Ancestral Gods were fighting a desperate battle, one that seemed destined to end in tragedy.

Within the Dead City, a hundred thousand heroic spirits battled the Half-Ancestors, their killing intent piercing the heavens.

The Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge had been pressed into the Demon Well by the earlier giant hand. The Half-Ancestors moved together and seemed truly on the verge of opening a path to the Primordial Celestial Realm. A golden avenue was faintly visible.

But as the death knell tolled, another two Half-Ancestors were reduced to ashes. Even Lord Tongtian nearly fell into the Demon Well.

The army of the Dead City filled the sky, countless in number. Around Xiao Chen were several hundred celestial soldiers and underworld soldiers, fighting alongside him. Countless war souls surrounded the many Half-Ancestors.

The Yellow-Clay Altar, formed from the flesh and blood of Ancestral Gods, seemed to have a special connection with the Demon Well, greatly affected by it. Yet it still ensured Xiao Chen could roam among the Half-Ancestors without being harmed.

The nine ancient lamps, like nine indestructible souls, surrounded him, displaying unimaginable defensive power that none could breach.

The battle reached its climax. The Half-Ancestors, though surrounded and isolated, still fought recklessly, determined to open a path to the Primordial Celestial Realm.

At that moment, listening to the ancient song, Xiao Chen felt that something momentous was about to happen beyond the heavens. A deep sorrow filled his heart. The Yellow-Clay Altar had long sensed it, trembling violently.

Flowers of light fell from the sky, as if heaven itself wept for someone.

Xiao Chen surged upward, one sword strike sending the Three-Infant Grand Matriarch flying. His petrified limbs burst with brilliant light, completely enveloping his head and torso.

In an instant, he executed the Eight Aspect Worlds technique. Eight illusory worlds overlapped, appearing in the sky, trapping the Sun Holy God within.

United with the broken stone man, Xiao Chen's combat power had surged to a terrifying level, and even his Eight Aspect Worlds were vastly different than before. They had actually managed to imprison a Half-Ancestor.

Heavenly and earthly aspects merged, chaotic energy burst forth, crushing down on the Sun Holy God. An ancient scripture flipped rapidly, sweeping out endless destructive divine light, shattering the chaos.

But at that moment, the Yellow-Clay Altar trembled, and the great heavenly sounds resounded through the eight worlds one by one: Om, Ga, Ah, Hou, Me, Duo, Zao, Dao!

Every aspect had its own heavenly sound, every aspect possessed unimaginable and terrifying power. The Sun Holy God, despite his peerless divine abilities, could not display them.

Tens of millions of rays of light surrounded him, transforming into blazing beams that shook the entire Dead City. But the broken stone man, combined with the Yellow-Clay Altar, exerted a terrifying pressure that drove him to near despair.

"Bang!"

The Sun Holy God's physical body actually split apart within the Eight Aspect Worlds. The eight sounds resonated within the eight worlds, shattering his flesh.

"Ah!" The Sun Holy God's scream startled all the Half-Ancestors.

From afar, the Sun God's child Olituo and the Sun Knights watched clearly, but they were powerless, their teeth nearly ground to dust.

"I don't believe today is my end!" The Sun Holy God's divine power was truly omnipotent. After his body shattered, it actually reformed within the Eight Aspect Worlds.

But it was all in vain. The power of the stone man and the Yellow-Clay Altar was boundless. The eight sounds and eight aspects resonated together. With a booming crash, his body and soul were shattered once again.

Though he could still reform a few more times, it was clear he could not survive. His soul grew dimmer with each cycle, destined to be extinguished.

The slaying of a Half-Ancestor was truly taking place. Xiao Chen vibrated the Eight Aspect Worlds in resonance with the Eight Sounds. The Sun Holy God was on the verge of utter annihilation.

"White Tiger Saint Emperor, you are next."

Xiao Chen ignored the dying Sun Holy God and charged forward with a War Sword. At that moment, the White Tiger Saint Emperor was fighting through the indestructible army of the Dead City, trying to reach the Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge and open a path to the Primordial Celestial Realm.

But the deathly army was not easy to deal with. Among them were real Half-Ancestors who had fallen here long ago. Though dead, their lingering combat power was still immense.

Trapped within the Eight Aspect Worlds, the White Tiger Saint Emperor let out a long howl. Countless curses emerged in the sky, and at the same time, dozens of meteors streaked down from beyond the sky, trying to destroy everything here.

But most of the meteors were swept away by the dark light from the Demon Well and vanished. Only a few dozen crashed into the space above the Eight Aspect Worlds. The eight overlapping spaces seemed infinite, absorbing all of them. With a series of booming explosions, the dozens of meteors turned to dust and disappeared completely.

Such was the boundless power of the Eight Aspect Worlds, guided by the petrified body.

"White Tiger, today I send you to your end!" Within the Eight Aspect Worlds, eight weapons floated: the Stone Drill, the Stone Ball, the Dark-Iron Seal, the Golden Divine Halberd, and four War Swords, each presiding over one of the eight directions.

It seemed as if eight Xiao Chens stood within the Eight Aspect Worlds, each holding a great killing weapon, surrounding the White Tiger Saint Emperor.

The War Swords trembled, their sky-piercing radiance dimming the stars and moon, turning heaven and earth to tragedy. Sword energy swept through the void.

The White Tiger Saint Emperor roared, unleashing his boundless divine abilities. The White Tiger's illusory realm, dreamlike, both real and false, diverted a portion of the sword energy. At the same time, he used a space-sealing technique to try to shatter the Eight Aspect Worlds.

But it was all futile. The Eight Aspect Worlds were unbreakable, having reached an inconceivable level after Xiao Chen merged with the stone man.

The trembling sword light of the four swords was not entirely diverted by the White Tiger's illusory realm. Dozens of sword beams shot out, instantly causing the White Tiger to scream in agony, dozens of bloody holes appearing across his body.

At the same time, the Golden Divine Halberd and the Dark-Iron Seal also trembled. Even more terrifyingly, the Stone Drill and the Stone Ball struck together. The White Tiger Saint Emperor was immediately shattered by the eight apocalyptic weapons. Though he reformed, his soul force was visibly weakening.

His true body, trapped and surrounded by the eight ancient weapons within the Eight Aspect Worlds, was not far from death.

From afar, Hu Ben and many experts of the Tiger clan watched, their eyes nearly spitting fire. But there was nothing they could do. Xiao Chen at this moment was invincible, for he had been entrusted with a mission. Anyone who approached would meet only death.

At a far more distant horizon, Xing Tian, Chiyou, Da Yu, Hou Yi, the Buddha, Laozi, and other Half-Ancestors who truly existed in this world watched in silence.

"I should make my move. I can use this to destroy this illusory body and summon my demonic body sealed in the Nine Provinces." With that, Chiyou rushed toward the Dead City.

"Don't get near the Demon Well. Preserve your divine consciousness," Xing Tian called after him.

In an instant, Chiyou appeared in the Dead City. With a great roar that shook the ten directions, he charged at a Half-Ancestor of the Cultivation World.

Da Yu said to Laozi, "Brother Dao, is it not time to sever those three bodies?"

Laozi nodded, his voice very calm. "One Qi transforms into Three Purities. Today, I borrow the Dead City to sever the illusory Three Purities and restore my original self."

At the same time, the Buddha also said, "The illusory evil body of Jieyin is also to be dissolved here today."

Beside him, Xing Tian nodded and said nothing.

At that moment, the Nine Provinces trembled. Not only cultivators but even ordinary people felt the terrifying fluctuations, knowing that something of cataclysmic importance was unfolding. The distant sky around the Dead City was filled with cultivators.

The death knell tolled. Another Half-Ancestor fell in the Dead City.

Xiao Chen fought with bloodshot eyes. He personally drove a War Sword through the White Tiger Saint Emperor's chest, plunging him into the same deathly limbo as the Sun Holy God, on the verge of falling. Then he turned toward the Three-Infant Grand Matriarch.

"Old hag, I have come to send you on your way!"

Petrified, Xiao Chen could contend with Half-Ancestors. He threw a punch that shook mountains and rivers, dimmed the sun and moon. It was an unstoppable fist, shaking the heavens in all directions.

The Three-Infant Grand Matriarch spat out a divine sword to strike him, but the moment it touched the stone fist, the multicolored divine sword shattered, scattering like petals in the sky.

"Dang!"

Xiao Chen exchanged a heavy blow with her, then followed with a strike of the Hand of the Supreme Being, forcing her to cry out in pain. A divine lamp atop her head blazed with endless light, sweeping toward Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen's eyes shot cold lightning. His body moved like a flood dragon, tearing through space. He executed the Reverse Dragon Seven Steps, striking with the Hand of the Supreme Being, shattering the boundless divine light, and charged forward again.

At the same time, the nine ancient lamps floating outside the Eight Aspect Worlds seemed to resonate. One of them rushed toward the complex battlefield above the Demon Well and fixed itself there, drawing out the endless dark light hidden within the abyss, forcing the Half-Ancestors who had approached to halt.

Then, the remaining eight ancient lamps flew into the Eight Aspect Worlds, one lamp guarding each aspect, trapping the Three-Infant Grand Matriarch. The divine lamp on her head lost all its radiance.

Xiao Chen fought with fierce, open movements. The Reverse Dragon Seven Steps shattered the void beneath his feet. His Hand of the Supreme Being struck out repeatedly, engaging in an intense battle with the Three-Infant Grand Matriarch.

"Bang!"

A stone palm struck her on the chin, sending her staggering back more than ten paces. She felt deeply humiliated, but at this critical juncture of life and death, she could not afford such concerns. She spat out five-colored radiance, enveloping Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen was fearless. The Reverse Dragon Seven Steps trampled heaven and earth, his fierce power scattering the five-colored radiance completely.

Trapped here, the Three-Infant Grand Matriarch found her profound divine abilities useless. Forced into close-quarters combat, she was at a severe disadvantage. With an angry cry, she split into three, manifesting three Grand Matriarchs, just as her name implied—three nascent souls equal to three true bodies, far more than mere avatars.

By now, both sides had red eyes, fighting to the death with sheer combat power.

Figures separated and merged. Within a few hundred exchanges, Xiao Chen executed the reverse of the Reverse Dragon Seven Steps. "Bang!" He stamped hard on one of her true bodies, shattering its chest bones. It coughed blood and screamed in pain. The other two bodies shouted and attacked together.