The War Sword and the Ambush

The sword transformed into a heaven-spanning rainbow and fled away. Dozens of alien kings rose into the sky, resembling dozens of meteors streaking across the heavens, their dazzling radiance illuminating the firmament.

The little beast, who had been carefree, burst into tears the moment it saw the War Sword. Its long lashes blinked, and tears rolled down. The snow-white beast wailed like a heartbroken child. In those days, Xiao Chen had wielded such a War Sword, sweeping across the world, invincible. Seeing the sword now brought back memories, and the little creature grieved.

"Ya-ya... Wuwu..." It sobbed, rising into the air as a streak of white light, charging into the fray.

The dozens of alien kings were startled. While the little beast had not shown devastating offensive power, it was the most troublesome of all. Its seven-colored divine light could not be lightly challenged, and its Paradise Lost could trap any expert, stripping even half-ancestors of their smiles. Once caught inside, even a mighty warrior would be reduced to an ant.

The weeping little beast had only one target: the War Sword. Remembering the past, it cried with blurred vision.

The War Sword had been sealed in the sky by dozens of alien kings, but Keke charged in with Paradise Lost, forcing the kings to retreat. None dared to be drawn into that realm.

"Stop it! Slay it together!" the War King Jing Pu shouted, attacking first. His hair flew wildly as his battle power surged like crashing waves, sending nine layers of energy toward the little beast, each wave stronger than the last, threatening to breach the seven-colored light around it.

The other alien kings also struck. Though they had not experienced the calamity of the false gods, they knew the legends of the War Sword and all desired it.

The Purple Diamond Skeleton roared, and a sea of bones appeared, surging toward Keke like a tsunami, accompanied by a spiritual fluctuation akin to the "Om" sound. The bone sea seemed to come alive, sending forth countless skeletal claws reaching for the beast.

The Fallen Angel King tore the void with a pair of black wings that expanded to obscure the sky. Her enchanting figure stood motionless in the void, but those black feathers descended like heavenly blades, their peerless edge unstoppable.

Even the Golden Giant King, who had earlier tried to befriend Keke, attacked, for the War Sword was a truly heaven-defying treasure. Anyone who understood its secrets would fight for it. The ten-meter-tall Giant King, golden as if cast from metal, wielded a battle-axe weighing over a hundred thousand jin, striking with the fury of one who could swallow mountains and rivers. The sky shattered; the sheer momentum made souls tremble.

Though the little beast was pure-hearted, it was not foolish. Having survived many calamities over the years, it had grown exceedingly clever. Even as it wept, it remained alert. When so many strong attackers struck, it did not dare to meet them head-on. It instantly dodged into Paradise Lost, with a sacred tree emerging above its head, letting down thousands of rainbow streamers that shredded the occasional beams that breached Paradise Lost before they could be neutralized.

The energy that the kings sent into Paradise Lost could not harm the little beast; the divine garden neutralized all attacks instantly.

Meanwhile, Keke flew into the center, heading for the suspended War Sword, about to claim it.

"Time, reverse!"

At that moment, the War King Jing Pu shouted. His domain dissolved into nothingness, as if the void itself were annihilating, returning that region to primordial chaos. A terrifying beam of light swept toward the little beast.

All were horrified. The War Clan was truly a fearsome race. The four royal bloodlines all possessed unimaginable means. The War King Jing Pu could actually reverse time—a shocking feat.

The law of time was a divine law, everyone knew. But most could only stop time or accelerate it. Few could truly reverse it, for that was too terrifying, beyond reason. If truly achieved, it was an invincible divine power.

"Void" engulfed the space where Keke was—not entering Paradise Lost, but acting on that sky, trying to return it to primordial chaos.

All knew such a time-reversal power could only affect a small region, not cover the entire world. But even so, it was enough to destroy one opponent.

The little beast seemed unafraid. It wiped its tears and waved its small paw indifferently. Seven-colored light blazed, surging out of Paradise Lost to clash with the time-reversal power.

The sacred tree floating above Keke's head was even more miraculous. It began to absorb the power of time. Though only a palm's height, its thumb-thick trunk was vigorous and ancient, like a miniature Ancestral Dragon body. Its leaves—ink-jade, white-jade, emerald-jade, golden-jade, red-jade—were crystal clear, sending down thousands of rainbow streamers that drew in all the time power.

The crowd stared, stunned. The little beast had actually blocked "time reversal"!

Flash!

It seized the War Sword and thrust it into Paradise Lost.

The War King Jing Pu showed no sign of defeat despite his failure. All sensed he was an extremely dangerous opponent. "Time reversal" was a supreme divine ability, and without Paradise Lost, few could withstand such a terrible law. Combined with the War Clan's renowned combat techniques and savage strength, few besides the War God King and Asura King could contend with War King Jing Pu.

Gazing at the War Sword, Keke wept again, then opened Paradise Lost to clear a path and flew into the distance.

Throughout this, the War God King and Asura King had not acted, silently assessing the little beast's strength. Seeing that even a Perfected Man realm heavenly king did not move, the others did not stop it either.

The Fallen Angel King sighed charmingly, "What a pity—a peerless War Sword, slipping through our fingers."

The half-ant, half-human Ant King, his face ferocious, shook his head. "Even if we got it, it would be useless. Without gathering all the War Swords, it's just a sharp weapon, nothing special."

The Fallen Angel King, her figure alluring—bare white legs and a slender waist mostly exposed, gleaming seductively—smiled and asked the silent War God King, "Heavenly King, do you know how many War Swords there are?"

The War God King's purple hair draped before and behind his chest, covering most of his face, giving him a wild look. The imposing aura of a Perfected Man realm heavenly king weighed on the Dragon-Gate realm alien kings.

"The great evolution number is fifty; forty-nine are used. The War Swords were forged according to this."

The alien kings were shocked, never expecting there to be so many swords.

The Book of Changes records that the ancients used fifty achillea stalks for divination, keeping one unused and using forty-nine to form a hexagram. The great evolution number is fifty, and forty-nine are used. Fifty represents the myriad things of heaven and earth, and the unused 'one' represents a variable before heaven and earth came into being.

Knowing the origin, the crowd was even more horrified. What history lay behind the War Swords? If they were forged according to this principle, could there really be fifty War Swords? If gathered, would they represent the myriad things of heaven and earth?

"Without a complete set, they are just sharp weapons. If complete..." The kings discussed, all knowing that a full set of War Swords would have immeasurable power.

"I think that unused 'one' is within these ruins," the Yellow Diamond Skeleton said, shocking everyone. But they knew he had been nurtured by a king and had profound knowledge.

"Fifty represents the myriad things of heaven and earth, and that variable can also be understood as the 'one that escaped,' an independent variable. It should not be a War Sword. According to the old ancestor's deductions, it might be a formation diagram," the Yellow Diamond Skeleton said, referring to the fallen old skeleton.

Not getting the War Sword was not a total loss, since it needed to be gathered to unleash its power. But if one obtained the escaped 'one'—the formation diagram—that would be unimaginable!

"The 'one' outside the myriad things of heaven and earth will never manifest in this world," the Asura King, who had not spoken, said coldly, then shot into the sky and departed.

The other kings also flew forward. They found the space ahead growing wider. Keke's Paradise Lost, unless it could expand with the sky, could no longer block their path.

This was undoubtedly good news. With no one obstructing them, treasures could be claimed by fate.

At this point, the group naturally split, each heading into the open sky.

The Golden Giant King bellowed, and a dozen giant figures appeared behind him. Dozens of giants rushed forward, each wielding heavy weapons weighing nearly a hundred thousand jin.

The angelic maiden also gave a clear cry, and a dense formation of angels flew in from the sky—a full hundred troops. Their wings sparkled, and divine power surged. This was undoubtedly a formidable force.

The Ant King let out a shrill scream, and a vast swarm of half-ant, half-human Ant Clan experts charged into the area.

All clan kings had prepared in advance; their elites lay hidden behind.

Relatively speaking, the War Clan brought few—only a dozen or so. But none dared underestimate them. This race was born fighters, and one could stand against ten.

The War King Jing Pu stopped the Golden Lion King. "We belong to the same clan; why not join forces? I will use 'time reversal' as your guard, giving you enough time to open your third eye. Within these ruins, we would be invincible."

"You are you, I am I," the Golden Lion King said and flew off alone.

"Your Majesty, their lineage has passed on alone to this day, unworthy to be counted among the four royal bloodlines of the War Clan. Why be courteous to him?" a War Clan expert said nearby.

"Silence!" the War King Jing Pu swept a cold gaze at the speaker.

In an instant, the figures in the sky vanished. All charged deeper into the ancient ruins.

On the fifth day, in a swamp, a scream rang out.

"Ah!"

A Fallen Angel killed a Holy Angel and sneered, "How can a greenhouse flower compare to my clan?" But before the words died, a sacred light enveloped him. The dying angel's final strike cast a death curse, dragging him into the abyss.

The same happened in another valley. Nine Ant Clan experts surrounded and killed a lone Giant Clan strongman. The ten-meter-tall corpse gushed blood, staining the valley red. The Ant Clan experts swaggered away.

To obtain treasures in the ancient ruins, eliminating competitors was an effective method.

Every day, slaughter occurred within the ancient ruins. The clans fought openly and covertly, especially those with old grudges, shedding blood endlessly. This space had become a bloody killing ground.

As for human cultivators, aside from a few peerless individuals, the large number of experts who arrived later were almost all slaughtered within the first three days.

Today, Xiao Chen had a good harvest. In just half a day, he had collected the corpse of a Fallen Angel, two Holy Angels, a giant, and three Ant Clan experts.

These were excellent materials for refining Life Source Liquid. The stronger the power, the better the liquid. He found a hidden spot and began to calmly refine the bodies of these powerful races.

By the latter part of the night, after all seven bottles of Life Source Liquid were extracted, he began to sit quietly, absorbing the pure life essence into his skeleton.

Over the past five days, he had refined and absorbed more than twenty bottles of the liquid. Fine blood threads had appeared on his bones. This result thrilled Xiao Chen—the road to flesh regeneration was finally showing real light.

But this also exceeded his expectations. He had originally thought a few dozen bottles of Life Source Liquid would allow him to regenerate flesh, but now it seemed he needed much more. This was an extravagant waste.

When he stood up, it was deep night.

This was a dense forest with towering ancient trees that blotted out the starlight above. Of course, the sky had no real stars or moon, only glittering boulders tens of thousands of feet high.

For days, he had not appeared, only following behind the others, collecting materials to refine Life Source Liquid while letting those ahead fight to the death. He gathered what he needed at his leisure. For now, low profile was the best choice.

The dark forest was silent, but Xiao Chen sensed beings moving within. He would not act unless provoked, but if anyone came to offend him, he would strike like thunder.

It turned out to be a War Clan member, approaching.

Xiao Chen stealthily drew near, forming a blade with his fingers and slashing at the opponent's throat. Without a doubt, the War Clan was an exceptionally powerful race. Though few in number, each was a strong warrior.

The man drifted back like a wisp of smoke, dodging the killing blow, and was about to shout to summon his kin.

"Perish!"

The Origin Heavenly Sound, like muffled thunder, imprinted directly on the War Clan expert's soul, causing him to burst apart on the spot. At such close range, it was undoubtedly total annihilation of body and spirit. What a waste of a bottle of Life Source Liquid.

"Where do you think you're going!" At that moment, Xiao Chen heard a familiar shout. It was the War King Jing Pu. A tall, dark figure flew over, sweeping through a large stretch of trees, pulverizing the entire area.

Xiao Chen flew backward, but the War King followed like a shadow, unstoppable, shouting, "Time, reverse!"

An ocean-like terrifying motion swept toward Xiao Chen, trying to return him to nothingness.

Now, Xiao Chen's skeleton had grown fine blood threads. Although his divine powers had not fully recovered, he could use some simple techniques. The Eight Aspect Extreme activated, and with a whoosh, he shifted dozens of zhang, evading the attack. The forest there turned to void.

"Heh heh..." A cold mental fluctuation came. "I knew he would be following." The Yellow Diamond Skeleton appeared from another direction.

Xiao Chen understood. The Yellow Diamond Skeleton was a fellow collector of strong corpses. It had obviously discovered some of his secrets.

Powerful fluctuations surrounded him as numerous fire seed creatures densely filled the forest. The dozen War Clan experts also encircled him.

The War King Jing Pu and the Yellow Diamond Skeleton pinned him between them.

Having witnessed the War King's time reversal, Xiao Chen did not want to fight to the death now. He would wait until his flesh was reborn to settle scores. Now was the critical period of regeneration; there was no need to risk a fierce battle.

He retreated without fighting.

Though the Eight Aspect Extreme had only partially recovered, it was still extremely fast. In an instant, he had fled a thousand meters.

The Yellow Diamond Skeleton shouted, "We must kill him!"

The War King Jing Pu was alarmed and chased at lightning speed. This was not his first encounter with Xiao Chen—first at the Rain and Mist Pavilion in Chang'an, then in the great battle overseas. He had long wanted to eliminate this great threat.

A dark shadow dashed through the forest, nearly hitting Xiao Chen as he emerged—it was the Ant King, almost succeeding in the ambush.

Xiao Chen shot into the sky. He had originally wanted to hide in the forest, but now he dared not take the risk.

Three kings were trying to surround and kill him. This was not a good sign. Keeping a low profile, tailing behind the strong, had still drawn their attention.

But now there was nothing to fear. Even if he could not defeat them, he could escape. Suddenly, Xiao Chen sneered. He needed to conserve his strength and wait for regeneration. Since it was inconvenient for him to act, he might as well leave it to others. He flew westward.

The War God Clan had not rushed deep into the ancient ruins, advancing at a leisurely pace. They should be in the mountains ahead.

Xiao Chen turned into a beam of light and charged into that forest.

The War King, Ant King, and Yellow Diamond Skeleton, unaware of his plan, charged straight in. Their clan experts also surrounded and attacked without hesitation.

"Ah!"

Screams rang out continuously. A tall, dark figure, like a demon god, brandished a blood-dripping divine sword. His purple hair flew wildly as he slaughtered in all directions.

The War Clan had sent about a dozen strong experts into the ancient ruins, but in that brief moment, five had been beheaded. As for the Ant Clan, more than ten elites had fallen. With each swing of his blood-dripping divine sword, the War God King lopped off another expert's head. Dozens of skeletons were shaken to dust.

A Perfected Man realm heavenly king was terrifying, nearly demonic.

"War God King, you—!" the Ant King roared in fury.

"Those who trespass into my clan's forbidden ground—die!" The War God King had only those words. With wide, sweeping strokes, he cut down the remaining dozen Ant Clan experts at the waist. Over a hundred skeletons were completely shattered.

The Ant King's eyes immediately turned bloodshot, and he charged forward.

"Fall back!" the War King tried to stop him, but it was too late.

The Ant King rushed in, only to be sent flying by a single sword strike from the War God King, spitting blood repeatedly.

Three kings were present, and even the War God King dared not underestimate them. He struck to kill, severely wounding the Ant King in one blow.

The Ant King roared and charged again.

The War King Jing Pu was alarmed. He quickly used his "time reversal" technique, attacking the War God King. The War Clan and the War God Clan had an ancient blood feud, but now was not the time for a death match. He acted purely to save the Ant King.

The War God King gently moved his divine sword. Brilliant stars shone in the void, and the Big Dipper appeared, blocking the time reversal ability.

Even so, the Ant King coughed three more mouthfuls of blood before retreating, barely alive.

"This was a misunderstanding today," the War King Jing Pu said with a cupped fist salute. Then he said, "We withdraw."

With that, he pulled the Ant King and the Yellow Diamond Skeleton and quickly retreated.

The War God King's divine sword dripped blood, but he did not pursue.

"Hmph!" The War God King snorted, and the forest not far away shattered, revealing Xiao Chen's figure.

"You again!" The War God King's eyes blazed cold light. "You're using us again."

"We are allies," Xiao Chen said, stepping out. "Trust me, we have many opportunities to cooperate." He did not linger and quickly flew into the distance.

The War God King did not stop him, letting him leave. But beneath the tangled purple hair covering his face, his eyes flared with intense light.

Xiao Chen did not go elsewhere. Instead, he headed for the Ant Clan's stronghold, intending to eliminate the Ant King.