Slaughter of the Half-Ancestors

Xiao Chen's Inverse Dragon Seven Steps crushed the chest of one of the Three-Infant Grand Matriarch's true bodies, forcing her to spit out a mouthful of blood. Her long hair scattered wildly, like a vengeful spirit, and her flowing white locks swept toward Xiao Chen's neck like sharp demonic blades.

"Clang!"

They struck his palm blade, sending off a spray of sparks. The white hair coiled back, then lashed forward like silver serpents to entangle his throat. At the same time, her other two true bodies launched their assault. One rushed up from below like a flying demon, trying to grip his legs and tear him apart; the other was upside-down in the air, diving down with claws hooked like steel talons, gleaming coldly as they aimed for his skull.

Forced into close combat, the Three-Infant Grand Matriarch had already smelted several of her life-bound magical treasures into her arms, drawing on their power in battle.

She had forged seven Asura Heaven-Grasping Claws from Nether Yin Divine Iron. Six of those claws were hidden in her six palms, while the seventh materialized as an independent shadow, sending gusts of eerie wind and tearing out streaks of dark light at Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen countered with the Hand of the Supreme Being and stepped out with Inverse Dragon Seven Steps. "Clang! Clang! Clang!" A deafening roar shook the heavens. The seventh claw was the first to break—after he stamped seven times upon it, it shattered into pieces that scattered through the air like dark rain.

Then a sharp "crack" rang out. Xiao Chen moved like a divine dragon, swift as lightning. In the instant he leaped upward, his hands darted out and snapped the left arm of the already badly wounded true body.

"Ah!" A scream tore from her throat.

The Three-Infant Grand Matriarch went berserk. All three bodies moved at once as she lunged forward to kill.

Xiao Chen fled at Eight-Aspect Extreme speed. At the same time, the Yellow-Clay Altar hanging beneath him emitted Xuanhuang energy that rushed up into the sky and coiled around him like a suit of divine armor.

The two figures were swift as wind and lightning, soon colliding again. After dozens of exchanges, Xiao Chen finally saw his opening. He spun his body and swept his leg out, hitting the same true body that had already taken heavy damage. This time he snapped her cleanly in two at the waist.

Her fury blazing, the Three-Infant Grand Matriarch looked almost demonic. Her two remaining bodies each used their divine arts. One of them spat out a cloud of purple mist that nearly enveloped Xiao Chen—though the Eight Ancient Lamps shining beside him prevented it. The other true body suddenly bled from every pore, flooding the sky with blood-red light as she used a forbidden technique to drive blood-killing energy, trying to annihilate Xiao Chen.

But Xiao Chen was invincible in his current state. The Eight Ancient Lamps kept him immune to all evil, and the Yellow-Clay Altar protected him from weapons and spells alike. After destroying one true body, his pressure lightened. He saw the White Tiger Saint Emperor nearby, pinned by several ancient weapons and nearly dead. He retrieved the Stone Drill that had been used to suppress the Tiger Emperor and hurled it at one of the Three-Infant Grand Matriarch's true bodies as she attacked.

The purple mist scattered. While that true body struggled against the Stone Drill, Xiao Chen closed in on another.

By now, the Three-Infant Grand Matriarch was trapped in this space. No matter how many treasures she had, she could not fully use them. The pressure grew heavier. The light of the ancient lamps and the Xuanhuang energy strengthened by the moment, suppressing all her sacred artifacts.

"Crunch! Crack!"

Dozens of magical artifacts shattered inside her body, forcibly destroyed and falling away from her flesh.

"Die!"

Xiao Chen roared, his palm blade descending. In close combat, he had an absolute advantage over this one true body.

"Bam! Bam! Bam!"

Three consecutive blows struck the Three-Infant Grand Matriarch, hurling her a hundred zhang away. Xiao Chen followed like a shadow, his palm blade slicing down and severing her neck with a snapping sound.

Thirteen strikes in a row. He battered the already crumbling true body until it split into several pieces. On the other side, suppressed by the Eight Ancient Lamps and the Yellow-Clay Altar, the Stone Drill also shattered the other true body. Blood dyed the sky red. The once-dominant Three-Infant Grand Matriarch had all three bodies destroyed.

Of course, she was not truly dead yet. Even though her nascent souls had fragmented, they tried to reform.

But Xiao Chen wouldn't give her the chance.

Within the Eight Aspect Worlds, the Sun Holy God was being shaken to destruction by the Eight Syllables of Origin. The White Tiger Saint Emperor was pinned and skewered by several ancient weapons. The Three-Infant Grand Matriarch's three bodies were broken, fixed in place by the Eight Ancient Lamps. All were about to vanish from this world completely.

A fierce wind swept through. Xiao Chen passed through the army of the dead and charged toward the Demon Well.

Without a moment's hesitation, he activated the Eight Aspect Worlds and brought his blade down on the three controlled Half-Ancestors.

"No!"

The consciousness of the Sun Holy God, the White Tiger Saint Emperor, and the Three-Infant Grand Matriarch screamed, but it was too late. All three were struck into the Demon Well. Their shattered bodies and scattered consciousness were swallowed by its depths.

"Ah!"

From beyond the Dead City, at a distant point in the sky, furious shouts erupted. Hu Ben, the Sun God's Child Olito, Ye Xiao, and others all cried out, their eyes splitting. The disciples of the Half-Ancestors roared in rage.

At the same time, fear gripped their hearts. If the annihilation of illusions started with the Half-Ancestors, would it be their turn next? Even though they had inherited true flesh from their mothers or fathers, they would likely still be affected.

From within the Demon Well, the death knell tolled, announcing the fall of Half-Ancestors.

During this time, other Half-Ancestors perished one after another—all swallowed by the Demon Well of its own accord.

As for the Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge that had been pressed over the Demon Well's entrance, it was now shaken free and about to be hurled into the sky. The ninth Ancient Lamp hung motionless above the well, its light soaring bright.

Inside the Dead City, a hundred-thousand-strong army of war souls rioted. The Half-Ancestors were drowned in that ocean of battle spirits. A killing aura unlike any before made the Nine Provinces tremble. The illusory regions of the Four Worlds were devastated beyond recognition.

At that moment, Xiao Chen saw Chiyou charging into the Dead City, locked in battle with Zhunti. True to his reputation as an ancient war god, the iron lance in his hand swept across the battlefield with unstoppable force, pressing Zhunti's Seven-Colored Death Sword down.

Chiyou had a unique presence—a style of wide, open movements, fierce and unstoppable. Even when Zhunti offered up the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, they could barely fight to a draw.

Xiao Chen rode the Yellow-Clay Altar, the Eight Ancient Lamps circling him, and rushed forward. There was nothing left to say. Gripping one of the War Swords, he slashed straight down at Zhunti's head.

"Clang!"

The Seven-Colored Death Sword rose to block the strike, catching the War Sword. But Xiao Chen's left hand still held a massive, pitch-black Iron Seal, which he brought down on the crown of Zhunti's head.

"Boom!"

The Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree swept upward, but the Xuanhuang energy from the Yellow-Clay Altar surged and froze the seven-colored light. The Black Iron Seal fell with crushing force—this entire quadrant of the sky collapsed. Zhunti was smashed down toward the city below.

"Whether we vanish or not, you are doomed to perish today!" Zhunti laughed as he looked up at Xiao Chen.

"No need for you to intervene. I am here to seek release." Chiyou stopped Xiao Chen. Dragging his iron lance, he charged down below to fight Zhunti in a fierce battle on the Dead City's main street.

The shockwaves of two Half-Ancestors locked in combat were unimaginably terrifying. But even when the Dead City's buildings were shattered, they reformed in an instant.

"Laozi's One Qi Transforms Three Purities?!" At that moment, Xiao Chen saw Laozi's three incarnations. They did not speak to him. Instead, they charged straight toward the Demon Well to engage the Three Holy Spirits of the West in battle.

Laozi's magical power was boundless, and his three incarnations were naturally immensely strong. But their manifestation had a time limit. Although they suppressed the Three Holy Spirits for now, if they could not finish the fight quickly, the incarnations would dissipate on their own.

On a distant horizon, Laozi watched with eyes as deep as an ancient well. He said, "These are three illusory souls, accepted as disciples by Hongjun. Today, I smelt them and return them to their origin."

Next to him, the Buddha shuddered and declared, "My illusory evil incarnation has entered the City of the Dead. Today, I shall cut him away as well."

Jieyin Daoren appeared in the Dead City, heading straight for Chiyou. He joined forces with Zhunti; the two moved unimpeded through the hundred-thousand-strong army of the dead.

Although Chiyou's magical power was unmatched, he could not withstand the combined assault of two Half-Ancestors. In the end, Jieyin's black Dharma Wheel smashed onto his back. His body shattered into pieces.

Zhunti laughed, rushing forward. The Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree swept again and again, pulverizing the broken corpse into a fine mist of blood.

Xiao Chen was furious. Gripping eight ancient weapons—the War Sword and the Golden Divine Halberd among them—he charged down to battle both Zhunti and Jieyin.

"I am released. No need for sorrow. Returning to the origin, my true demon body reappears. I go now." Chiyou's voice sounded in Xiao Chen's ear. Then a dark beam shot out of the Dead City.

The Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree was said to be the supreme defensive treasure—it could sweep all things aside. But before the Eight Ancient Lamps, it inexplicably failed. Under the lamplight, the seven-colored radiance the tree swept out could not shake Xiao Chen in the slightest.

As for the Seven-Colored Death Sword, it was exceptionally sharp. It clashed several times against Xiao Chen's War Sword, sending off sparks. But ultimately, it could not harm Xiao Chen. At this moment, Xiao Chen was the master of the Dead City, invincible. Protected by supreme treasures, weapons could not wound him, spells could not affect him.

"Dong!"

The death knell tolled again. Zhunti shuddered as if struck by lightning—this time, the call of death was for him. A strange, obscure power from the Demon Well snatched him away. As with many Half-Ancestors before him, a dark beam dragged him into the Demon Well. In an instant, his body cracked apart and fell into the abyss.

He had not been killed by Xiao Chen, but swallowed by the Demon Well.

Jieyin Daoren gave a long howl, but there was nothing he could do. He turned his fury on Xiao Chen. The black Dharma Wheel spun, emitting strange rays of light as if it could grind the sun, moon, and stars to dust, surging toward Xiao Chen.

"Ba! Mi! Hong!" Three syllables rang out at once. Jieyin intoned three divine notes that shook heaven and earth, sending a wave of destructive energy sweeping toward Xiao Chen.

Om, Ma, Ni, Ba, Mi, Hong were the six Buddhist true syllables. The Buddha and Jieyin each mastered three. If these six were ever combined and used at their utmost level, they could counter the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

But they had never been combined. Jieyin alone could not unleash a Six Paths-level divine ability.

The Yellow-Clay Altar trembled. All Eight Syllables of Origin sounded simultaneously, majestic heavenly notes ringing out one after another across the Eight Aspect Worlds: Om, Ge, Ah, Hou, Hong, Duo, Zao, Dao!

Each Phase resonated with a divine note; each Phase carried an unimaginably terrifying power. They overwhelmed Jieyin's three syllables completely.

The Eight Aspect Worlds manifested and swept down over Jieyin. The Eight Ancient Lamps blazed, one lamp in each Phase. At the same time, one of the eight ancient weapons took its position in each Phase as well.

The Eight Aspects, the Eight Syllables, the Eight Lamps, and the Eight Weapons—all vibrated together. Even Jieyin, dominant among Half-Ancestors, could not withstand this onslaught.

He was utterly suppressed. The Eight Syllables shook his body to pieces. With his unmatched magical power, he tried to reform his soul and body, but the War Swords flew out, slashing his golden form. The Eight Lamps blazed, fixing his soul in place.

Xiao Chen grabbed Jieyin's shattered form and rushed toward the Demon Well. The Eight Aspects trembled. The Buddha's evil incarnation, Jieyin Daoren, plunged into the abyss and vanished in an instant.

The death knell tolled. Heaven and earth shook.

At the same time, on the other side, Laozi's One Qi Transforms Three Purities had actually slain two of the Three Holy Spirits. But his three incarnations could not sustain prolonged combat. At that moment, they began to break apart and dissipated into the void.

The death knell rang repeatedly. Every remaining Half-Ancestor felt terror. By now, more than half of them had been destroyed.

Xiao Chen, still in his petrified state, dragged a War Sword and charged at the last of the Three Holy Spirits. After a dozen exchanges, the already heavily wounded Holy Spirit was beheaded by his sword stroke. The Demon Well swallowed the corpse.

Amid the hundred-thousand-strong army of death, the Half-Ancestors had already fought till their eyes were bloodshot. But among the dead army were individuals of Half-Ancestor level as well. The fierce battle raged on.

"Give me your life!"

At that moment, Original slammed into Xiao Chen. He had no choice but to attack. With a divine sword in his right hand and a jade ruyi in his left, his aura soared to the heavens. Before Xiao Chen could even move, the several hundred Celestial Soldiers and Underworld Soldiers following him acted in unison, raising their rusted bronze weapons and swinging them in perfect synchronization at Original.

"Boom!"

The sky shook violently. The several hundred Celestial and Underworld Soldiers actually blocked Original together, and they were not at a disadvantage.

"These are the War Guards of several Ancestral Gods from ancient times." Original's eyes shot cold bolts of lightning as he recognized the nature of the soldiers.

Xiao Chen charged into the fray, thrusting all eight ancient weapons forward. The Eight Syllables trembled. The Eight Lamps blazed. He was ready to cleave Original apart then and there.

"Boom!"

An overwhelming pressure descended from beyond the heavens. A gigantic Chaos Hand slammed down, instantly annihilating over a hundred Celestial and Underworld Soldiers—body and soul—reducing them to ash. Unlike before, they could not reform within the Dead City.

The colossal Chaos Hand, vast as a mountain, sent even the invincible Xiao Chen flying backward, rescuing Original from his peril. Then the Chaos Hand seized the Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge from the side and swung it at Xiao Chen, clearly intent on killing him.

This Chaos Giant Hand from beyond the heavens had manifested once before. Now it appeared again—a sign that the situation beyond the heavens was already in its control. Shennong and the Ancestral Dragon were in grave danger.

"Master!" Original's face lit up with joy.

The Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge, its might shaking heaven and earth, smashed down at Xiao Chen with earth-shattering force.

Xiao Chen had a feeling that even with the Yellow-Clay Altar guarding him and the Eight Ancient Lamps shining upon him, if he took that blow, he would not be able to withstand it. This was the destructive attack of an Ancestral God.

Before the sound faded, a towering figure emerged from the darkness of the Dead City, making every Half-Ancestor in the battlefield tremble. The atmosphere grew suffocating.

The tall figure wore a Burial Shroud that rustled in the wind. He seemed to walk slowly, but each step carried him a thousand zhang forward. He moved to meet the descending Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge. A green light flickered in his eyes, and a massive hand thrust out from beneath the Shroud, striking upward into the sky.

"Boom!"

He sent the Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge flying, deflecting the Ancestral God's deadly strike.

Suiren?! Xiao Chen stared at him intently. This was the true Ancestral God of humanity. But he seemed... flawed somehow.

Xiao Chen turned without looking back and hurled himself at Original. With Suiren shielding him above, he was determined to send Original to his doom.

The Eight Aspect Worlds enveloped heaven and earth. The Eight Syllables of Origin resounded through the sky. Original shuddered as if struck by lightning; his body was about to shatter. At the same time, the Eight Ancient Lamps shone in all directions, illuminating even the Dead City in full daylight.

Xiao Chen charged forward with a War Sword in hand. Sword up, sword down—he cut off Original's head, pinned in place by the lamps. A fountain of blood shot into the sky, and gore mist filled the air above the Dead City.

Decapitated, Original's body tried to reassemble but could not. The Eight Syllables of Origin shattered his form.

Without a moment's pause, Xiao Chen flew to the Demon Well and shook the Eight Aspect Worlds. Original's fragmented body was hurled into the Abyss of Evil."