War with Half-Ancestors, Ascension of a Saintess

Moonlight poured down like water, blanketing the cold peaks with a pure, hazy radiance. A few clouds caught the glow, edged in holy light. Yet this did little to ease the tension that gripped the sky.

Xiao Chen's Dark Iron War Armor gleamed with a cold, metallic luster, the blood upon it not yet dried. The War Sword in his hand, pointed ahead, was drenched crimson—soaked by the blood of divine knights, having beheaded the White Tiger Battle God. Now it was aimed at two Half-Ancestors, driving the murderous atmosphere to its freezing peak.

Around him, dense blood mist drifted. The divine knights and the Tiger family Battle God retreated in terror, clutching the headless corpses as they fled from the godlike being, vanishing at the edge of the sky.

The Asura Half-Ancestor's eyes shot out twin blood rays, his pupils contracting sharply. He had not expected Xiao Chen's armor to be so extraordinary that even his holy sword could not leave a scratch upon it. This both inflamed his desire and filled him with unease. With such defensive power, how could he break through and kill?

The Skeleton King also felt a twinge of regret; this venture seemed too rash. The great deities born from the two ancient divine formations had both been slain. The situation was dire.

"Unexpected," the Asura Half-Ancestor said. "After more than a hundred and fifty years, you have broken through to the Earth-Penetrating realm. And with such a divine robe—I suspect it is an Ancestral God's war armor, or else how could it possess such defense?"

His words sent a stir through the cultivators below. Ancestral God War Armor was a legendary item; even Half-Ancestor-grade treasures were rarely seen, let alone the armor and weapons of an Ancestral God.

Xiao Chen leveled his War Sword, pointing it at the two Half-Ancestors as he stepped forward. He showed no pressure, his calm and steadiness almost frightening. Facing powerful Half-Ancestors, he felt not fear but a surging battle intent.

"Why so many words? You wanted my life, did you not? Then make your move."

The Dark Iron War Armor around him glistened with an icy luster, its shimmer stinging the eyes of the two Half-Ancestors—not a true physical pain, but a spiritual pressure. Without a doubt, this was the War Armor of an Ancestral God. With such terrifying defense, they, at the Second Heaven of Half-Ancestor, could never break through.

Now they were truly caught between a rock and a hard place. They wanted to retreat but could not—doing so would lose all face before the world.

"To use your own words," Xiao Chen said, "the battle from over a hundred and fifty years ago continues to this day. Let us end it now."

With that, he took a step of a hundred zhang and in an instant charged forward. The War Sword in his hand swept horizontally at both Half-Ancestors, its brilliant divine rainbow stretching dozens of li, shining so brightly it seemed to cleave the very earth.

Across the Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds, he alone—not a Half-Ancestor—dared to swing a blood-drenched War Sword at them.

"Insolent whelp!"

Nevertheless, an old Asura and an old Skeleton were still Half-Ancestors by title. Being swept at like this by a junior was a grave loss of face.

The Asura Half-Ancestor soared into the sky, evading the divine rainbow that scoured the horizon. The blood-colored Asura Holy Sword in his hand burst forth with radiance that dimmed the stars and moon, slashing diagonally at Xiao Chen. The entire sky was dyed red, the pungent stench of blood spreading across the heavens as a vast sea of blood manifested.

At the same time, the Skeleton King also shot upward, wielding his snow-white bone staff, smashing it forward. The staff rapidly expanded, white and vast as a mountain range, transforming into a great bone mountain that pressed down with crushing force.

"Chi!"

The War Swords tore through the air—all twenty-seven of them rushing out at once. They split the endless sea of blood, held back the bone mountain, and charged and struck across the sky, drawing streaks of light like shooting stars.

A fierce battle erupted. Surging waves of blood and a vast sea of bone appeared simultaneously in the sky, the three experts drowning within.

Fortunately, this world-shaking battle took place high in the distant heavens; otherwise the land below would have been utterly destroyed.

"Boom!"

Blood waves surged to the sky—a scarlet ocean raging across the heavens. This was the Asura Blood Sea.

Xiao Chen set up two sword formations, each with thirteen War Swords, trapping the two Half-Ancestors separately, while he held one sword in his hand.

"Chi!"

Blade-light spat forth, stretching several li, dimming the stars and moon. The War Sword in Xiao Chen's hand cut a blood-spirit that had charged out of the blood sea cleanly in two.

A piercing scream erupted as the blood-spirit re-immersed itself in the blood sea to repair its wounded body, preparing for another ambush. This was no ordinary blood—it was a powerful evil spirit from the Asura Half-Ancestor's own world, formed from the fragmented souls of past Asura Half-Ancestors. Its combat power nearly matched a Half-Ancestor's.

"Boom!"

A thousand layers of blood waves surged at the edge of the sky. The blood-spirit healed in an instant. Born from blood, it began its sneak attacks once more.

Xiao Chen remained as calm as an ancient well. He took out an ink-jade bottle, poured out a single drop of a crystalline, radiant blood bead, and spread it evenly over his War Sword.

When the blood-spirit once more stirred up waves, attacking under the cover of thousands of blood-fiend wraiths, Xiao Chen left an afterimage on the ground and plunged into the blood sea. "Chi!" Blade-light shot skyward, splitting the blood sea, and the countless blood-fiend wraiths were wiped from existence. The War Sword, now shining with heaven-shaking light, plunged straight into the chest of the most powerful blood-spirit.

A wisp of green smoke rose. The blood-spirit let out a soul-curdling scream, then dissolved into a blood mist and fled in terror.

In the distance, the Asura Half-Ancestor's expression changed drastically. He was utterly shocked, already sensing that the blood-spirit had been severely wounded, nearly dissipating.

"That is... the blood of an Ancestral God! It specifically counters yin spirits and evil beings!" the Skeleton King exclaimed, having also noticed what was happening.

At that moment, Xiao Chen was already closing in, murderous aura surging.

"Boom!" One bone mountain after another flew out from the Skeleton King, containing countless skeletal creatures that brandished bone blades and charged at Xiao Chen.

"Break!" Xiao Chen swung his War Sword forward, slicing through the air. A blinding light illuminated the mountains and rivers, its oppressive might weighing down heaven and earth. The white bone mountains shattered one after another, and the creatures on them turned to ash.

"Let's go! To the outer realms for a life-or-death battle!"

Gritting their teeth, the Asura Half-Ancestor and the Skeleton King finally broke free from the sword formation and flew straight towards the outer heavens. Xiao Chen followed closely behind, surrounded by streaks of divine light from the War Swords, his battle intent soaring to the clouds.

On the ground below, powerful rogue cultivators who deemed themselves strong enough took to the air, hoping to follow and witness the battle. But an overwhelming pressure cut off their path, a destructive aura filling the air. This was a divine ability that only the strongest Half-Ancestors could use—a warning. They were not permitted to follow. The crowd had no choice but to return, disappointed.

This night would surely leave a deep mark on many hearts.

--

On the summit of Mount Mitikas, Lan Nuo had connected with thousands of stars. Each strand of divine radiance fell like a great waterfall from the outer heavens, linking to her divine body. The myriad things of heaven and earth, the constellations of the universe, the power of the world—all were tempering her divine form. This had continued for an entire night, and she was on the verge of completing her cultivation.

Lan Nuo's skin was like ice, her bones like jade. Her peerless elegance was bathed in sacred radiance as she approached the eternal divine throne of Half-Ancestor.

Since the Half-Ancestor-level battle could no longer be seen, all eyes were fixed on the summit of Mount Mitikas, watching the generation's heavenly maiden.

When the first golden rays of dawn broke from the east, Lan Nuo's body blazed with light. She severed the connections to the thousands of stars, letting out a soft cry like a phoenix. Divine radiance scattered across the entire snowy mountain.

She extended a slender jade finger, pointing into the void, shattering space. The sky filled with multicolored light and auspicious radiance as a mountain-like pile of refining materials appeared—all legendary divine ores. By achieving the Half-Ancestor throne, she could now forge her Wisdom Sword; only the final step remained.

At this moment, rainbow clouds carried Lan Nuo and the refining materials as she rapidly rushed eastward. Her speed increased until she tore through space, heading straight for the sun.

Everyone drew in a cold breath. Lan Nuo's target was the sun itself.

Powerful cultivators understood her intent: to use the heavenly fire within the sun to forge the ultimate divine weapon. This was the most critical step in achieving the eternal divine throne of Half-Ancestor. If she succeeded, her sacred treasure would possess unimaginable divine power.

Throughout history, only a few had dared such a risk when attaining the Half-Ancestor throne—venturing deep into the sun's core to forge their divine weapon. If successful, the power of the weapon would be immeasurable. Xing Tian's battle-axe and sky-shield were the finest examples: bronze refined by the sun's heavenly fire and tempered by the divine radiance of billions of stars, their power had reached appalling heights.

--

In the outer cosmos, the battle was turning white-hot.

Xiao Chen struck out with his sword, cleaving the blood sea in two. Like a shooting star, he charged forward with boundless killing intent, splitting the bone mountain ahead and engaging the two Half-Ancestors in close-quarters combat.

The Asura Half-Ancestor was disheveled, his body covered in blood. The Skeleton King was also riddled with wounds; his bone staff was covered in cracks, on the verge of snapping.

This was a heaven-and-earth-shaking battle. Dozens of small asteroids had already been reduced to ash by their clashes.

"Roar!"

By now, the Asura Half-Ancestor had gone berserk. Having suffered so much today, his blood boiled. With a great shout, his giant hand blotted out the sky, snatching a dozen distant asteroids and refining them down to the size of pearls before hurling them at Xiao Chen.

Though the asteroids had shrunk, the terrifying energy contained within had all been released, infused with nearly half the power of the Asura Half-Ancestor. He hoped this would break through the Ancestral God War Armor—otherwise they could never harm Xiao Chen, and victory would elude them.

Xiao Chen summoned all twenty-plus War Swords to his side, forming a sword formation for defense. The long sword in his hand was stained with a drop of Ancestral God blood, its sharpness unmatched.

"Chi!"

He gripped the sword with both hands and slashed forward. A dazzling blade-light stretched dozens of li, illuminating the dark space, blindingly bright.

"Puh!" The War Sword pierced the first asteroid. The vast energy exploded in the outer heavens, filling the sky and overwhelming the earth. The blazing radiance set the silent cosmos ablaze.

Then the second, third, fourth—a dozen asteroids crashed in at once. Xiao Chen's War Sword cut continuously, and blinding flashes erupted one after another. The stellar domain was brilliantly lit. The terrifying energy surging would be enough to annihilate countless cultivators. Even a Perfected Man would be reduced to ash here.

But Xiao Chen's Ancestral God War Armor shimmered with dark, crystalline luster. Above his head hovered the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree, its seven leaves translucent and radiant, letting fall seven streams of divine radiance like silk ribbons, protecting his head completely.

The Skeleton King went even further, refining twenty asteroids in one go and hurling them at Xiao Chen.

Heavenly space shattered. The energy, carrying the aura of world-destruction, shook the very stars.

Xiao Chen burst forth with light. The twenty-seven War Swords danced wildly. He roared, shattering the asteroids one by one as he charged straight at the two Half-Ancestors.

In that moment, divine abilities and combat techniques erupted in endless succession. The entire stellar sky was on the verge of boiling.

On the surface, Xiao Chen seemed unharmed. The Ancestral God War Armor had blocked most of the attacks, but his physical body had still taken some damage—the powerful, terrifying divine power of the Half-Ancestors striking through the iron armor.

The three clashed again, all of them now bloodshot and consumed by the fight.

"Bone Sea! Send you to demonhood!" The Skeleton King traced symbols in the air with his hands. Countless skeletons appeared in the starry sky, surging toward Xiao Chen. And before him materialized a vast ancient city.

Though it did not match the oppressive might of the Dead City, it was still majestic and imposing, pressing down with overwhelming force.

This entire ancient city descended from on high, crushing down upon Xiao Chen.

At the same time, the Asura Half-Ancestor transformed into thousands of incarnations, appearing within the sea of bones, working in concert with the Skeleton King to surround Xiao Chen.

"Boom!" The great ancient city landed, smashing countless white bones, pressing Xiao Chen beneath it.

"Death World—infinite power, heed my call—destroy!"

Terrifying energy waves surged and rolled. The Skeleton race had originally escaped from the Death World, and though by the time of the Skeleton King the road back was long lost, they still held secret arts that connected to the Death World. They could briefly borrow its power, hoping to suppress Xiao Chen.

"I shall borrow your Death World's power to refine my divine body!" Xiao Chen, though trapped beneath the ancient city, was unharmed. He guided the immense force of the Death World into his body continuously. He had been reborn in that very world; how could such an attack harm him?

"Explode!"

With a thunderous roar, the enormous dead city shattered in the cosmos.

This was truly a world-shaking battle, even more brutal than the one on the Forbidden Sea.

No one knew how long they fought. By the end, Xiao Chen spat out over a dozen mouthfuls of blood, sent flying by the two Half-Ancestors.

"Even an Ancestral God War Armor isn't invincible!"

Though the combat power of the Asura Half-Ancestor and the Skeleton King was rapidly declining, a blazing battle flame still burned in their eyes as they charged at Xiao Chen.

Suddenly, blade-light shot into the sky. A dazzling glare illuminated this star field. Twenty-six War Swords ignored the Skeleton King entirely, surrounding the Asura Half-Ancestor. Divine rainbows blazed as they all struck at the old Asura alone.

At the same time, Xiao Chen raised the War Sword above his head and brought it down in a vertical slash. A sword beam over a hundred li long shot forth.

"Puh!" Blood-light filled the sky. The Asura Half-Ancestor was cleaved in two.

Though he had dodged the twenty-six War Swords, he could not evade the sword in Xiao Chen's hand.

"Ah!" The Asura Half-Ancestor screamed. He felt an agonizing pain in his soul. The War Sword was stained with the blood of an Ancestral God, which had seeped into his flesh and blood, making his divine soul tremble.

"Boom!" His two halves struggled to reunite, and a dazzling drop of blood was squeezed out, flying back to the War Sword in Xiao Chen's hand. The Asura Half-Ancestor was severely wounded, feeling once more the terror of the Ancestral Gods.

On the other side, Xiao Chen, to deal with the Asura Half-Ancestor, had endured three blows from the Skeleton King. He coughed up blood continuously, but finally turned around, mobilizing the twenty-seven War Swords to strike at the elder skeleton.

Clang after clang rang out. The Skeleton King's bone staff finally snapped. His arm bones and leg bones were also cut off by the War Swords.

"Roar!" The Skeleton King was both anxious and furious, sensing the danger.

Not far away, the Asura Half-Ancestor, having briefly restored his body, was forced to charge forward again to rescue him.

This was a battle unfolding in the outer heavens where no one could watch, fierce beyond measure. Even the killing aura seemed to dim the stars.

--

Meanwhile, near Mount Mitikas, many cultivators had still not dispersed. They were waiting for Lan Nuo's return, and also for the result of the battle between Xiao Chen and the two Half-Ancestors. Everyone waited with heightened emotions.

It was now noon. The winter sun was not harsh; its gentle light spread across the earth.

Just then, a spatial gate appeared in the very center of the sun. The peerlessly elegant Lan Nuo emerged from it, descending toward the earth. Thousands of rays of radiance and auspicious light surrounded her, cloaking her in divine light. In her hands she held a holy sword that seemed to dim the sun, moon, and stars.

Forged by the sun's heavenly fire, refined by the Half-Ancestor's mind, tempered by the divine power of billions of stars—at last she had completed this Wisdom Sword.

"Clang!" As Lan Nuo landed on Mount Mitikas and returned the Wisdom Sword to its sheath, all the light faded. She then swept the four directions with her powerful divine sense, and finally asked Old Man Shan what had transpired.

Shanwai Shan nodded with great satisfaction, pointing toward the outer heaven to indicate where the battle was.

Lan Nuo shot up into the sky, flying toward the outer realm.

But just then, a figure descended from beyond the heavens. Xiao Chen's iron armor was stained with specks of blood, his flying black hair was slightly damp, and his War Sword still dripped. Everyone was horrified—just moments ago he had been fighting two Half-Ancestors. Whose blood was this? The answer was obvious. It was utterly terrifying.

With black hair flying, iron armor gleaming, War Sword dripping blood, Xiao Chen landed on the earth. He sent a whisper to Jin Sanyi and the others, then nodded at Lan Nuo. Light flickered, and he vanished into thin air.

He had come to see Lan Nuo, but in the end only nodded—as if turning a page of history. Xiao Chen departed, gone.

Back in the World of Immortality, Lan Nuo had once sent someone to him with a message: if he was in trouble, and she was not in seclusion, she would come to his aid upon learning of it. Though he had never received her help, now Xiao Chen had fully repaid that debt of gratitude.

Seeing Xiao Chen vanish, Lan Nuo was momentarily stunned, then gently nodded.

All the cultivators erupted in an uproar. Xiao Chen's actions were too terrifying—missing for over a hundred and fifty years, he returned to slay two gods comparable to Half-Ancestors, and then stained his War Sword with the blood of two actual Half-Ancestors.

Across the Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds, he alone—not a Half-Ancestor—could contend with them. He had returned from the outer heavens battle and departed just like that, without a word, as if he had never appeared.