The Deepening Silence

The Yaksha Half-Ancestor's face turned green with fury. Waves of rage crashed through him. He had never imagined that nearly all the foreign kings he had sent in would be wiped out. The price was simply too great.

A mere pawn in his eyes had turned the tables in such a stunning reversal, slaughtering the kings wholesale and rendering his near-cheat arrangement completely empty.

This pawn had delivered a resounding slap to his face. A complete massacre, a thunderous reversal. The sting of that slap made stars dance before his eyes. What would the other Half-Ancestors think now? Where was his dignity?

The losses were catastrophic. He had tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice. Retaliation had come so swiftly that for a moment he was left speechless.

"This old man will personally act. If I do not kill you, how can I vent the fury in my heart?" At this point, the Yaksha Half-Ancestor had completely thrown aside all pretense. He no longer cared about rules or propriety. Let others think what they would.

His rage was understandable. All the cultivators killed by the Ancestral God corpse poison had been utterly annihilated in both body and soul. Even though the old Yaksha possessed secret techniques, he could no longer reshape flesh and blood for those people, because their very imprints had vanished forever.

Trailing an immense Half-Ancestor aura, the old Yaksha moved like a ghost, silent and swift, as he shot out of the Celestial Burial Valley. He flew through the Ten Thousand Immortal Mountains, his powerful divine consciousness covering the four directions. Lofty peaks and deep valleys were all blanketed by his perception.

The Yaksha Half-Ancestor searched through the Ten Thousand Immortal Mountains again and again, but to his deep regret, Xiao Chen's traces had long since vanished. Dejected and filled with boundless rage, he returned to the Celestial Burial Valley. Charging back into the sealed domain, he once again fought for the "Deep Abyss."

But unfortunately, no sooner had he rushed in than he was thrown back out. This time, traces of blood appeared at the corners of his mouth. At the same time, Old Red Luo also let out a furious roar, struck down by the experts within.

When dawn broke, the two Half-Ancestors of the Cultivation World withdrew in dejection. Through the hazy light curtain, several shadowy figures could be seen retrieving the Deep Abyss, then walking toward the three enormous black holes. In the blink of an eye, they vanished.

"..."

The Yaksha Half-Ancestor let out a long, frustration-filled cry that shook the Ten Thousand Immortal Mountains violently. Then he soared into the sky, tore through the void at the horizon, and returned to the Nine Provinces.

"Boom..." Endless black clouds roiled. Vast energy fluctuations shook the Celestial Burial Valley. The colossal stele high in the sky slowly descended, once again sealing the valley.

"Have you heard? Xiao Chen, from over twenty years ago, has been resurrected."

"Which Xiao Chen?"

"The one who opened the Dead City and sent the false gods to their end."

"Brother, that news is old. The man who killed the Yaksha King last time was him. He returned to this world long ago."

"You still don't know? Shocking news has come out. This man just resurrected and gave everyone a 'surprise.'"

"What surprise?"

"A surprise that would make even Half-Ancestors stare dumbfounded. He directly and cleanly swept over a thousand of his sworn enemies, reducing them to ashes."

"What happened? What exactly is going on?"

News spread quickly. Over a thousand experts had been annihilated in body and soul overnight, including over a dozen Perfected Man realm experts. Such a major event immediately shook the entire Cultivation World and then spread to the other realms.

Everyone who heard this news was shocked beyond measure. It was truly horrifying to hear.

What Xiao Chen had done this time could be called a stunning masterstroke of the age, making all the experts draw in cold breaths. The involved Half-Ancestors wore extremely ugly expressions.

In the Death World, everything was profoundly still. Deathly silence was the eternal theme. The ancient battlefield shrouded in black mist, the towering city of the dead, the mysterious and unfathomable old castles—everything was as it had always been, without any peculiarity.

After Xiao Chen returned, he found Sha Polang and Old Huang, briefly learned the latest situation, and then came to the God Village.

He planned to settle in the God Village for a long time. He absolutely could not return to the Nine Provinces for a while. Having stirred up such a monstrous disaster, it wasn't just the old Yaksha who wanted to eat him alive. If he showed up now, he would be nearly a public enemy to all.

"You really did it," was the first thing Divine Tribe elder Li Mu said when he saw him.

Xiao Chen coughed dryly. "Well... there was no other choice. It was forced by circumstances. I couldn't just sit there and let them butcher me. Besides, I'm actually a very gentle person. I really don't like resorting to blades."

"Oh, spare me," the Divine Tribe elder Li Mu said with exasperation. "Lucky the younger ones of our village didn't get mixed up with you, or they'd be branded 'murdering demon kings.'"

"Whatever you say, Elder. If I weren't pushed to that point, who would want to kill for fun? I'm not a crazed maniac with a special hobby."

"That's true enough," Li Mu nodded.

"Big brother Xiao Chen, you're back!" Little Tianya came running over, munching on a big red apple, his cheeks flushed as brightly as the fruit in his hand. He tilted his head and said, "An old Yaksha has nearly turned the Nine Provinces upside down, searching the whole world for you. He's scared so many cultivators they don't dare leave their mountains."

Xiao Chen was speechless for a moment. That old bastard had completely lost his mind. It seemed he wouldn't stop until Xiao Chen was dead.

"Let him search the whole world. I just won't go to the Nine Provinces, alright?" Xiao Chen had made up his mind. He would not return to the Nine Provinces for now. Tianwaitian and Renwairen had already appeared. With them watching over things, the Hundred Races probably wouldn't dare start an indiscriminate slaughter.

As for the Trial War, to hell with it. He wouldn't believe that a pie would fall from the sky and make him a Half-Ancestor just because he was the ultimate victor. That was an absolute joke. He didn't care for it.

Just then, Binglan and Xuemeng also walked into the room. They both looked at Xiao Chen with strange expressions.

"Did you really kill over a thousand people by yourself, including over a dozen Perfected Man heavenly kings?"

The two problem girls looked deeply impressed.

"Rumors, nothing but rumors. You know I'm not that kind of—"

The two lively and beautiful girls both booed.

When Qier walked in, Xiao Chen couldn't help but laugh. This strapping Divine Tribe man had a swollen, bruised face and his body was wrapped in bandages. It wasn't clear who had beaten him into such a pig's head.

"Brother, what happened to you? Did you lose to the Yaksha Queen again?"

Qier seemed very depressed. "I was tricked by a stutterer named Jin Sanyi into confessing my feelings to a beauty named Snow Dance. And then..."

He didn't need to finish. Everyone present could see the result.

"That woman is no weaker than the Yaksha Queen. Brother, you'd better take care of yourself," Xiao Chen said, patting his shoulder sympathetically.

"I've made up my mind. I won't marry anyone but Snow Dance!" Qier grimaced. Even speaking gently made his wounds ache fiercely.

"Last time you swore you'd marry the Yaksha Queen. So your vows only last three days?"

"I'm serious this time!"

While Xiao Chen was cultivating in seclusion at the God Village in the Death World, news of the Trial War spread throughout the Nine Provinces and the four realms. Those who did not wish to be drawn into the conflict only had to close their mountain gates and not venture out.

The true bloody trial had begun. But all of this had nothing to do with Xiao Chen.

"Elder, please send a message for me," Xiao Chen asked the Divine Tribe elder Li Mu to search for the little beast Keke the next time he went to the Nine Provinces, so she wouldn't be unaware of the situation and cause trouble.

Time passed swiftly. Xiao Chen cultivated quietly in the Death World, but after reaching the Perfected Man realm, his cultivation speed had drastically slowed down.

The Perfected Man realm, as its name implied, was the ultimate state of the human body. It was almost impossible to improve one's cultivation any further.

From ancient times to the present, many outstanding individuals had been trapped in the Perfected Man realm. Many unparalleled geniuses, with talent worthy of the ages, had broken through the Deathless Longevity realm in their teens or twenties and then leaped the dragon gate to reach Fish-Leap... but in the end, they only achieved the Perfected Man rank, forever half a step beyond, trapped in this realm for thousands of years without moving.

Time flowed like water. In the blink of an eye, three years passed in a hurry. The Nine Provinces and the four realms were in turbulent ferment. Kings warred, heroes emerged, talents abounded—a golden age had arrived. Yet for these three years, Xiao Chen had sat quietly in the God Village, motionless as a fossil.

After three full years of bitter cultivation, he finally opened his eyes. They were like two bolts of lightning tearing through space. He stood up and gazed into the distance.

Three years of bitter cultivation had only advanced him from the Second Heaven to the Third Heaven of the Perfected Man realm. Moreover, he felt that his cultivation speed was getting slower and slower, nearly grinding to a halt. This weighed heavily on Xiao Chen's heart. He had a vague feeling that his path of cultivation might be reaching its end. He would also be like his predecessors, perhaps forever trapped in this realm.

Cultivating like this definitely wouldn't work. Should he venture into the depths of the Death World to seek some opportunity? He was torn.

If he went deep into the Death World, killed Five-Colored Skeletons, and absorbed heavenly king fire seeds, it would certainly help improve his power. But those were the domains ruled by sovereigns. In order to protect himself back then, he had killed the sovereign's minions. Going in now would likely be very dangerous.

Since his cultivation could not advance for the time being, Xiao Chen began to focus fully on mastering a particular supreme art: the second of the Eight Origins Sounds, the 'Du' sound.

Over the past three years, he had mainly practiced the Heavenly Stele Profound Art. Although he had also trained in the 'Du' sound, it was not his primary focus. Now that he could no longer raise his cultivation, he hoped to use this sound as a breakthrough point, to open up a new opportunity.

That vast, mysterious, unfathomable heavenly sound had long been imprinted deep in his soul. However, cultivating it proved extremely difficult. In three years, he had not even found the doorway.

Back then, he had been able to master the 'Weng' sound thanks to the Yellow Clay Altar. Now he could only rely on himself.

In the fourth year, Xiao Chen stood up again. He decided that it was time to move around. Otherwise, sitting in such barren cultivation would truly lead nowhere.

Return to the Nine Provinces? That was impossible. He didn't want to wade into that muddy water.

In the end, he decided to venture deep into the Death World.

Xiao Chen walked out of the courtyard. Suddenly, he sensed a familiar aura.

"Ya ya!"

A streak of white light shot over. It was actually little Keke. The little beast was extremely happy.

The Divine Tribe elder Li Mu walked over with a smile. "This little one is really a headache. She's been here for two months already, but you were in cultivation, so we didn't disturb you."

Xiao Chen chuckled and pinched Keke's nose. "So you ran off here and caused trouble for the God Village, didn't you?"

"Still, not too much trouble. At worst, she just stirred up a ruckus and turned the place upside down," the Divine Tribe elder replied with a beaming smile.

Keke grumbled in annoyance, turned to the side, and pretended to look at the sky, ignoring the words of Xiao Chen and the elder.

The little beast's arrival gave Xiao Chen some security for his actions. He wasted no time. The next day, he left the God Village and began to head deep into the Death World.

He had a premonition that he would very likely encounter King Qin Guang, King Yan Luo, and King Reincarnation, as well as the woman who resembled Qingqing. Because near the three great caves in the Celestial Burial Valley, he had sensed the aura of the Death World.

The gloomy clouds were thick, as if they might press down to the earth. Darkness and deathly stillness were the eternal themes.

Xiao Chen did not choose to fly. Instead, he took Keke and proceeded on foot deep into the continent of the dead. The endless plain of death was strewn with white bones and dotted with many ancient ruins, impossible to date.

The further they went, the more puzzled Xiao Chen became. He saw many remains of buildings that should not have existed in the Death World: once-majestic palaces, now shattered and broken; formerly magnificent Great Walls stretching thousands of li, now nearly decayed into dust.

All of this indicated that the world of the dead was far simpler than imagined. It seemed to hold many unknown secrets.

Keke was very curious about all of this, darting back and forth as if trying to dig something out of the ruins. But she was disappointed. The ruins contained nothing but white bones.

After traveling over ten thousand li deeper, Xiao Chen finally approached the domain ruled by a sovereign. From a fire seed creature, he learned that this was the territory of Sovereign Yi Tianzhong.

"Yi Tianzhong?"

Xiao Chen's heart stirred. The Five-Colored Heavenly King he had killed was one of Yi Tianzhong's subordinates. He had come here specifically for powerful fire seed creatures to improve his strength, but he really did not want to provoke a sovereign.

Once he entered this domain, Xiao Chen was deeply shocked. Every thousand li, there stood a great city, and the ruler of each city was a Heavenly King skeleton at the Perfected Man realm.

No wonder powerful fire seed creatures from the outer regions of the Death World dared not easily enter the deep interior. The difference in power level was indeed vast.

He imagined that when some powerful fire seed creatures had led their troops to invade from the outer regions in the past, most had been ruthlessly suppressed and annexed.

Xiao Chen did not enter any of the great cities. For now, he did not wish to provoke these Perfected Man heavenly kings. He bypassed each city, but he was often swept by powerful divine sense. Clearly, every city lord was exceptionally powerful, their condensed divine sense no weaker than his own.

However, no conflict broke out between them. By bypassing the cities, he had already shown goodwill, indicating he did not want to fight.

Thinking of King Qin Guang, King Yan Luo, King Reincarnation, and the woman who resembled Qingqing, Xiao Chen could not help but recall the female sovereign who had awakened a few years ago.

Back then, her heavenly voice had reached the outer regions of the continent, causing countless fire seed creatures to be drawn as if summoned, walking into the depths.

Now he realized just how powerful and terrifying that woman was. From the outer regions walking inward, it was at least ten thousand li, yet the female sovereign's voice had been so clear back then, as if she were only a few dozen li away.

"Could that female sovereign be the woman who looks like Qingqing?"

With this question, Xiao Chen began to search for powerful fire seed creatures to question. Eventually, he learned from a yellow diamond skeleton that a stunningly beautiful young female sovereign ruled a domain adjacent to Yi Tianzhong's territory.

However, no fire seed creature knew the young sovereign's name.

Finally, Xiao Chen changed his direction and headed toward the domain ruled by the young sovereign.

After several days of travel on foot, in front of a great city a thousand li ahead, three powerful Heavenly King skeletons flew out and blocked his path. Among them was a Five-Colored Skeleton.

"Are you planning to pledge allegiance to that young female sovereign?" The Five-Colored Skeleton Heavenly King emanated powerful soul fluctuations, locking onto Xiao Chen as he asked.

Xiao Chen immediately understood what had happened. The yellow diamond skeleton he had questioned must have informed them. He did not wish for trouble, but trouble had come knocking. Without fear, he said, "I am not pledging allegiance to anyone. I am just traveling."

"I'm sorry, but any expert within Lord Yi Tianzhong's domain must not cross without cause into other sovereigns' territories. Otherwise, they will be treated as a rebel."

The three powerful skeletons immediately surrounded him.

"Du!"

A sudden soul attack nearly severely injured Xiao Chen. He used the Eight Aspect Extreme to withdraw, showing a look of shock. The other party's soul-refining technique closely resembled the second of the Eight Origins Sounds, the 'Du' sound.

Xiao Chen immediately grew excited. He calmed Keke and decided to personally face the enemy, using their technique to cross-verify and truly master the second sound of the Eight Origins Sounds.