Half-Ancestors Gather

Was that truly Qingqing? Everything was so abrupt, like a dream. In the central, enormous black maw, a peerlessly beautiful woman stood—her hair a cascading waterfall, her skin white as snow, seven-colored radiance swirling around her, divine mists shrouding her form. She seemed to embody the very spirit of heaven and earth, her clear eyes capable of penetrating all secrets of the world.

How could this be?! Xiao Chen had watched helplessly as Qingqing shattered, her life essence merging into the Yellow-Clay Altar to seal the Abyss of Evil. To see that familiar silhouette now… his heart ached with bitterness. He knew that the bright-eyed, lively girl in white could never reappear in this world.

The maiden was pure and limpid, her brows bearing the charm of poetry, her eyes like autumn waters concealing lyrical grace, her crimson lips lightly parted, her jade-white teeth glistening…

Even Xiao Chen, with his iron-hard heart, felt a pang of aching sorrow.

A flash of seven-colored divine light shot into the sky. The woman who resembled Qingqing stepped out from the great black hole. Sacred, brilliant radiance scattered around her, making the mist-shrouded Celestial Burial Valley flow with light. She raised a delicate hand, and a curtain of colored light swept toward the deepest part of the valley.

The dazzling divine radiance illuminated the pitch-black deep valley. Ahead, a small world blocked the way, its interior dark and gloomy. The woman intended to refine and take that small world; seven-colored light surged forward like a tide.

A heaven-shaking sword beam flew from beyond the sky, like a brilliant shower of meteors, dazzling and blinding. It tore through the dark sky and landed in the Celestial Burial Valley.

With a melodic chime, the peerlessly beautiful woman lightly raised her jade wrist, and her slender fingertip touched the resplendent divine light, producing a clear, pleasant tone.

A giant sword a hundred zhang long, crystalline and transparent, radiating dazzling light, materialized in the valley. Its razor-sharp tip was easily stopped by the woman's single finger.

All were horrified. Such a divine sword—a hundred zhang long—was certainly no ordinary cultivator's tool. Every Xiuzhen practitioner present blanched. This was definitely a peerless flying sword forged by a Half-Ancestor! Yet it was effortlessly blocked by the fingertip of that crowned woman in her rainbow-feathered jade robe. What level of power was that?!

Another clear chime, and the hundred-zhang flying sword flashed, shrinking to the size of three inches, shining like a brilliant star, and swiftly retreated.

In a flash of light, an old cultivator traversed space and descended. He wore a yin-yang robe and a purple-gold crown, with crane-white hair and a childlike complexion. The flying sword vanished into his body.

In another flash, a second old cultivator, with an immortal air, stepped down on five-colored auspicious clouds and stood beside the first.

The gathered crowd shuddered. These were undoubtedly two Half-Ancestors. Though they emitted no energy fluctuations, their presence inspired awe and fear.

“I never imagined that the Deep Prison Abyss would be sealed here,” said the old man wreathed in five-colored clouds, gazing at the woman who shared Qingqing's face. “May I ask, fellow Daoist, who are you? Why have you entered our Xiuzhen realm to seize treasures?”

The woman did not reply. Instead, she turned her graceful, slender body and walked with light steps toward the dark, gloomy small world. Seven-colored light once again streamed from her jade fingers as she attempted to refine what the old man called the “Deep Prison Abyss.”

Tearing sounds split the air. Both old cultivators unleashed their spiritual treasures—countless beams of light, like hundreds of stars crashing into the valley, striking at the peerless beauty.

A low, guttural roar came from the right side of the valley cliff. From the great cave, a claw the size of a house, covered in purple scales, reached out and grabbed at the dazzling treasures. A violent collision erupted, light surging into the sky, and the multicolored curtain constantly shattered.

Blood splattered. The giant claw in the black hole was lightly wounded. A berserk aura suddenly surged through the Celestial Burial Valley. A massive figure, dozens of meters tall, charged out from the black hole, sweeping aside all the spiritual treasures. Then it rapidly shrank to normal human height.

This was a chilling demon of a man—gaunt, covered in purple scales, as desiccated as a skeleton clad in armor. He had no hair, and even his scalp and cheeks were covered in fine scales, making him utterly terrifying.

“A Monarch?!” The two Xiuzhen Half-Ancestors showed alarm, their expressions growing grave.

“Ha ha! The legendary Deep Prison Abyss, said to rival Paradise Lost—I never expected it to be sealed here in the Celestial Burial Valley!” A withered old Yaksha with green hair flying landed in the valley.

Immediately after, a fiery red light streaked across the sky, and an old Asura descended, standing shoulder to shoulder with the old Yaksha.

Fear gripped the crowd in the valley. In a mere few breaths, several Half-Ancestors had appeared. Clearly, everything in the valley had become the opportunity of these Half-Ancestors; those below their level could not contend.

Sacred brilliance filled the sky, and an aura of peace spread. A massive silhouette descended. Though its true form was indistinct, the angelic phantom figures swirling around it marked it as the Holy God of the Angel race.

A roar of corpse qi filled the air. A giant skeleton shattered the void and appeared in the Celestial Burial Valley, its mountain-like frame terrifying. It quickly shrank to the height of two meters—the Skeleton Monarch had arrived.

“Everyone fall back. Nothing here is meant for you,” the Yaksha Half-Ancestor said, the green light in his eyes icy and sinister, sending chills through all who saw it.

“Fall back. Disobey and be killed without mercy!” The old Asura’s gaze was even sharper, his red hair making him appear savage and fierce.

No one dared to defy a Half-Ancestor. Everyone involuntarily retreated. Even proud beings like Wu Ming, the Yaksha Queen, and the others could only follow the crowd.

Screams rang out as the crowd withdrew into the great palace complex behind them. Demonic creatures again appeared, ambushing the cultivators.

From deep within the Celestial Burial Valley, the two Xiuzhen Half-Ancestors frowned. They each spat out several divine swords, which shot into the enormous palace behind them.

Tearing sounds filled the air—countless sword beams crisscrossed, endless rays of light flowed, and sword energy raged. The invisible demonic creatures were forced into view and pierced, dying on the spot.

Such was the power of a Half-Ancestor. Without harming a single bystander, they quickly slew ninety percent of the demons hidden in the great palace. Then the sword light converged and vanished in an instant.

In a flash, a dazzling light screen shot up, completely sealing off the front of the Celestial Burial Valley and separating the crowd from the forty-nine palaces. The Half-Ancestors had sealed off the deepest part of the valley to contend for the Deep Prison Abyss.

Xiao Chen watched it all, waves of emotion crashing in his heart. A small world that rivaled Paradise Lost—what origins could it have?

A murderous aura struck at him from nowhere. Xiao Chen left a residual image in place and teleported more than ten zhang away.

War King Mabao smiled coldly, twin beams of brilliant light shooting from his eyes. “Even if you hide among a million people, I can pick you out at a glance.” This was Mabao's innate divine ability: to see through the void and gaze upon the true essence. Disguises and changed appearances were useless before him.

Earth King, Sea God King, and Yaksha Queen advanced together, blocking Xiao Chen’s path, each exuding a grim killing intent.

Faced with several Heavenly Kings acting in concert, direct confrontation meant certain death. Xiao Chen turned into a streak of light and retreated swiftly, charging into the palace ahead.

The Heavenly Kings followed like shadows, giving no quarter. At the same time, several great palaces near the valley’s exit appeared indistinct and ethereal; no one could return the way they came.

Xiao Chen had no choice but to use his Eight Aspect extreme speed to evade, racing through the forty-nine great palaces.

A resonant chime erupted as the Undying Imperial Heavenly Bell—radiant with boundless light—crashed into him. Though Xiao Chen’s peerless martial body blazed with a thick layer of divine light, the collision did no fatal damage. He spat blood, but with nine cycles of profound rotation, his wounds quickly healed and his blood energy stabilized.

“Wu Ming!” Xiao Chen’s eyes shot out twin beams of cold light. He moved like a ghost, a faint shadow streaking forward.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The bell shook the heavens, ringing repeatedly. Xiao Chen’s ferocious attacks were all blocked by the bell. Its destructive waves caused every cultivator in the area to cover their ears in agony; many were already bleeding from seven orifices. Within moments, over twenty people had collapsed around them.

Xiao Chen and Wu Ming were like two bolts of lightning interwoven, their movements too fast to follow—a fierce contest of strength.

Wu Ming was entirely enveloped in golden light, meeting Xiao Chen head-on with the Undying Imperial Heavenly Bell, giving no ground.

With a single chime, Wu Ming knocked Xiao Chen back several steps, a playful smile on his lips. “What do you think would happen if I shouted ‘Xiao Chen is here’?”

Xiao Chen’s expression changed instantly. He was now in the Xiuzhen realm. Many major sects hated him to the bone; he had countless enemies here. If the crowd of Xiuzhen practitioners learned his identity, they would surely surround him—to say nothing of the foreign kings… The outcome was easy to imagine.

He was about to make the decision to return to the Death World when, at that moment, Wu Ming stepped back a few paces and said, “If you can keep Sea God King and Earth King occupied, I’ll keep your identity secret for now.”

Xiao Chen’s face darkened. This man was actually using him as a chess piece! He quickly understood Wu Ming’s intention: he wanted to use Xiao Chen as bait to draw the attention of Sea God King and Earth King while Wu Ming himself struck from the shadows to slay them. Wu Ming was after the five-element quintessences.

“I gain the benefits; you get something out of it too,” Wu Ming said with a cold smirk, then vanished instantly.

The commotion had already caught the attention of several powerful foreign kings. Yaksha Queen, Earth King, Sea God King, and Mabao appeared together.

Faced with multiple Perfected Man Heavenly Kings, even if Xiao Chen was truly invincible at the same level, he would only end up slain. He hesitated no longer and was about to disperse his energy to return to the Death World.

But just then, Mabao’s words fell on him like a basin of ice water.

“Don’t even think about vanishing. In a region sealed by a heavenly stele, even if a true world’s summoning power exists, you won’t be able to escape.”

“What are you talking about?” Xiao Chen feigned calm, but inside he was deeply shocked.

“Last time, the Yaksha Half-Ancestor pursued you and failed. After careful deliberation, he discovered that the only explanation for your escape was that a summoning power from some world had been placed upon you.” Mabao sneered. “Do you really think it was by chance that you led us to the Celestial Burial Valley?”

Xiao Chen said nothing, watching them quietly.

“You tried to break through into the World of Immortality, but at the critical moment, you entered the Xiuzhen realm instead. Do you know why?” Mabao looked as if everything was under his control.

A mocking smile curled on Earth King’s lips as he looked at Xiao Chen. “We did it together.”

Sea God King also gave a cold laugh. “Though we were in the Nine Provinces, we had already learned that a shadow of the heavenly stele had appeared in the Celestial Burial Valley. We wanted to lure you here anyway. But you, with even greater ambition, thought you could eliminate all of us here—little did you know, you played right into our hands. Go ahead and try. See if you can vanish from a region sealed by a heavenly stele.”

Hearing this, Xiao Chen fell silent. They had deduced his method of escape. He had been outmaneuvered.

Boom!

The Undying Imperial Heavenly Bell suddenly appeared, crashing heavily into Sea God King’s back. He spat a great mouthful of blood and flew forward. Wu Ming moved like lightning, his divine bell following close behind. Golden divine light flared into the sky, making the entire palace shine. The deafening chime of the bell rang without pause, its waves relentlessly hammering Sea God King.

“You’re asking for death!” Several Heavenly Kings were enraged.

Yaksha Queen stepped forward, unleashing her Swordfire Burns the Heavens divine ability. Boundless green flames surged, making the great palace scorching hot. Were it not for the ancient palace’s sealing by the heavenly stele’s power, it would have melted already. At the same time, thousands of sword beams shot toward Wu Ming.

Wu Ming had scored a hit and now seemed to cling to Sea God King, hammering him relentlessly, intending to kill him on the spot and take the water-element quintessence among the five-element souls to perfect his own immortal body.

Even facing Yaksha Queen’s Swordfire Burns the Heavens ability, he showed no fear. The hazy light flowing from the Undying Imperial Heavenly Bell protected him fully, keeping all sword beams and flames at bay.

With this divine bell, his defense among his peers was unmatched! Even Yaksha Queen’s All-Laws Immunity ability fell short.

Protected by the bell, Wu Ming battered Sea God King with his mightiest techniques. His entire body radiated treasure light—countless artifacts he had refined into his flesh over the years. Now he only lacked the five-element quintessences; once he fused them, he would be nearly perfected.

All kinds of terrible artifact power erupted from Wu Ming’s body, surging like monstrous waves against Sea God King, a dazzling riot of color.

Sea God King was truly grievously wounded. He did not have Xiao Chen’s rare martial body. The surprise attack had severely injured him; now under constant assault, though he resisted with all his might, wound piled on wound.

Behind him, Yaksha Queen was furious. One sword stroke crossed the air, striking the Undying Imperial Heavenly Bell. Netherfire flooded the sky; her savage battle power sent Wu Ming and his bell flying. But the bell’s defenses were supreme; Wu Ming was unharmed. In a flash, he charged at Sea God King again—a clear “hit him while he’s down” tactic.

On the other side, Xiao Chen was already locked in battle with Earth King, Mabao, and the other foreign kings. His power was pushed to its absolute limit as he fought them all.

Now he had no retreat. The only way was to cut through a path to survive.

Tearing sounds of sword beams broke the air. Several young, beautiful women flew into the palace on spiritual treasures.

“Sister Ye Jing, we must take back our Ye family’s Undying Imperial Heavenly Bell!”

The white-robed woman at the center, named Ye Jing, had a beautiful countenance and an ethereal, otherworldly aura, like a celestial maiden from beyond the sky. A sword beam shot toward Wu Ming.

At the critical moment of collecting the five-element souls, with powerful enemies descending, Wu Ming grew desperate. He shouted, “Ye Jing! Your Ye family’s greater enemy is right here!”

The women beside her jeered, “Don’t try to stall!”

Even with the Undying Imperial Heavenly Bell protecting him, Wu Ming was suffering under Yaksha Queen’s ferocious assault. If the unfathomable Ye Jing joined in, his hard-won progress against Sea God King would be undone instantly. He bellowed, “Don’t you want to avenge the Three-Infant Grand Matriarch? Xiao Chen of old has returned from the dead—he’s right over there!”