The Veil of Despair

In the outer heavens, the battle among Half-Ancestors grew ever more intense. Xing Tian and Chi You fought with abandon, cutting down all before them like they were entering an empty land.

On their side, the number of Half-Ancestors was naturally fewer, but with two ancient War Gods here, their absolute combat power far exceeded the enemy's.

The battle-axe in Xing Tian's hand seemed to possess the power to open heaven and earth. The light it cast suppressed even that powerful eight-layer female Half-Ancestor, leaving her unable to contend with him.

Chi You, wielding the Doomsday Halberd, was utterly reckless. He single-handedly fought several Half-Ancestors, dominating all. The Ancestral God weapon in his hands unleashed terrifying might.

With a splat, the pitch-black, icy halberd swept across the battlefield, instantly decapitating an Otherworld Half-Ancestor. Blood surged into the sky. Before the enemy could reform his body, Chi You's divine weapon stirred.

With a bang, the corpse instantly shattered into four or five pieces, then was ground into a bloody mist by the powerful divine force. The Otherworld Half-Ancestor's powerful soul essence charged out, trying to flee into the depths of the starry sky.

But Chi You was a god of the killing field. Neither combat power nor experience could be compared to his. In seven strides, the Doomsday Halberd vibrated seven times.

With a crash, the Half-Ancestor's soul, surging with divine power, was instantly shattered piece by piece, finally dissolving into a rain of light, completely scattering.

Bai Qi and Yingxiong charged up from behind. In an instant, the two powerhouses absorbed the scattered soul force completely, then surged forward to confront the great enemies ahead. Each faced two powerful Half-Ancestors, fighting one against two.

With the eight-layer powerful female Otherworld expert blocked by Xing Tian, Xiao Chen and the others had no more concerns and charged forward.

Xiao Chen, thirty War Swords in hand, slashed and hacked, quickly trapping a Half-Ancestor in a sword formation. Then, carrying the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree, he charged straight in.

With a bang, a celestial seven-colored light shot up. Xiao Chen struck with a single blow, sending that person flying, but he could not escape the sword formation. A prison formed by a mere circle on the ground.

Within the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree were the essences of the Ancestral Dragon and an Ancestral Lord, tempered by Eternal Light, and coupled with its own extraordinary nature, there was now almost nothing that could shake it.

With a bang—alas, this Half-Ancestor had not even truly displayed his might before his body was shattered by the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree. His powerful soul was directly crushed by the seven beams of Ancestral Dragon essence shooting forth, turning into the purest divine power.

On the other side, Tianwaitian and Renwairen joined hands, displaying their divine arts and combat techniques. A 'Martial Domain' expanded. In this absolute space for warriors, they were the masters. The Martial Domain created by their combined power was indestructible and unbreakable, like catching a turtle in a jar. Inside, two Otherworld Half-Ancestors had their bodies blasted apart.

Brilliant light bloomed in the starry sky, like the most beautiful fireworks or peerless divine flowers in full bloom. Two Otherworld Half-Ancestors fell, their resplendent light making this star region brilliantly dazzling.

Seemingly a great victory, but everyone felt no joy. This kind of duel was extremely brutal. If not for Xing Tian and Chi You holding the line, the result would have been completely opposite.

"Ya ya!" The little white beast, Keke, finally slipped over quietly, opening Paradise Lost to scoop toward a group of Otherworld powerhouses... The little thing wanted to trap them all.

"Not good! Fall back!" The moment they noticed the little one approaching, the whole group of Otherworld powerhouses changed color. They treated Keke the same as Xing Tian and Chi You. The threat of Paradise Lost was too great. If trapped inside, everyone could be slaughtered. Without a supreme technique, it was hard to escape the calamity of being imprisoned.

The Otherworld powerhouses scattered quickly, which again created an opportunity for Yingxiong and Bai Qi. The Golden Divine Halberd and the Dark-Iron Seal roared with delight, charging and hacking wildly.

It was at this moment that the battle between the top-tier powerhouses nearby decided its outcome.

The eight-layer female Half-Ancestor in silver battle armor was no match for Xing Tian. She was cleaved in two on the spot. Blood rain fell, staining the starry sky red. Endless divine power surged, pulverizing several nearby planets into powder.

This terrifying woman's divine energy swept the eight directions like a cosmic hurricane, nearly causing Tianwaitian and Yingxiong to suffer a great calamity.

"Where do you think you're going!" Xing Tian, battle-axe in hand, pursued relentlessly. His divine axe and bronze shield moved in unison, shaking the starry sky. Xing Tian was like the primordial giant of ancient legend who parted heaven and earth—nothing could stand in his way wherever he passed.

When the cold, beautiful eight-layer female reformed her body and fled into a blazing star, Xing Tian strode in after her. Sparks flew in all directions, and waves surged into the sky.

Suddenly, a change occurred. A gigantic magic diagram was unfurled by the eight-layer female, enveloping Xing Tian. It was this very magic diagram that had allowed a group of Otherworld powerhouses to safely evade Keke's trapping several times, showing how extraordinary it was.

Xing Tian let out a long, sonorous cry, sensing danger. He raised his battle-axe to hack at the enormous magic diagram, while his left hand's bronze shield shattered the starry sky, sending great billows of divine power surging toward the magic diagram.

But the magic diagram was truly extraordinary. It grew larger and larger, vast and unfathomable, like a swath of the starry universe descending from the sky, absorbing all starlight, enveloping Xing Tian, trying to draw him in.

As Xing Tian's body involuntarily rose, about to be drawn into the magic diagram, he moved his axe and shield, shaking the brilliant starry sky. Hundreds of millions of beams of starlight turned into surging great rivers, rushing in and fusing into his body.

This caused Xing Tian's divine body to blaze with radiance, like a primordial giant born at the beginning of heaven and earth. He shook the entire starry sky, tearing and grasping at the magic diagram.

Meanwhile, Chi You noticed the danger Xing Tian was in. The Doomsday Halberd in his hand killed from all directions. He transformed into a beam of demonic light and shot over in an instant. The Ancestral God weapon pierced heaven and earth, sweeping toward the magic diagram unfurled within the blazing star.

Xiao Chen also saw the situation on this side. His thirty War Swords protected his body. Six great Heavenly Stele shadows opened the way. Seven beams of Ancestral Dragon divine light shot up from the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree, and a wisp of Ancestral Lord essence swirled around him, sweeping toward the magic diagram. With countless Eternal Lights as backing, the divine beams shot out with unsurpassable sharpness, piercing the magic diagram high above.

That was definitely a sacred object refined by an Ancestral God, not a Half-Ancestor weapon. It truly required Xiao Chen and the others to join forces and make a great effort.

"Ya ya!" The little beast Keke shot over in an instant. The little one used Paradise Lost to directly crash against the heaven-enveloping magic diagram, stopping its descent.

With a crash, Xing Tian finally erupted. Hundreds of millions of beams of starlight surrounded his body. He seemed like Pangu reborn, his battle-axe and bronze shield striking in unison, shattering the enormous blazing star ahead.

Divine beams shot into the sky, radiance blazed in all directions. The starry sky seethed. The surrounding twenty-odd planets were caught in the shock and were also completely pulverized.

With a crash! The magic diagram was sent flying by the power of Paradise Lost and the Eternal Light within the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree.

Xing Tian shot over with extreme speed, his battle-axe sweeping horizontally, directly cleaving the female powerhouse in silver battle armor apart.

Energy currents surged and churned. The vast starry sky was a blinding glare. Xing Tian did not want to give the female Half-Ancestor a chance to reform her body. He swung his battle-axe again, hacking forward.

The body that had just been gathered together, along with the white battle armor, shattered once more. The female Half-Ancestor had suffered a severe injury. As powerful as she was, even in the Otherworld at the eighth layer, she had never experienced such harm. Fear rose in her heart. Facing the demon god before her, she felt terror for the first time.

"Let's go!" The eight-layer female Half-Ancestor said softly. The enormous magic diagram descended, gathering all the Otherworld powerhouses who had rushed over into itself. She herself turned into a patch of divine light and vanished.

The enormous magic diagram shot up into the starry sky, fleeing this battlefield. In fact, ever since the female Half-Ancestor fell into a disadvantage, the Otherworld powerhouses had already intended to retreat. This moment of escape was precisely the right time; otherwise, they would likely have been completely annihilated here.

Half of the Half-Ancestors among the Otherworld powerhouses were destroyed, and the rest who had not reached this realm were also completely wiped out. In this battle, the Otherworld forces suffered heavy losses.

"Let's go. Take a look at the Nine Provinces." Chi You, Xing Tian, Xiao Chen, and the others joined forces and followed the magic diagram.

At this moment, the situation in the Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds was extremely grim.

Fires of war raged everywhere. The overseas sacred islands of the Hundred Races in the Nine Provinces stood side by side, naturally becoming one of the main battlefields. Killing intent shot up to the heavens, and blood stained the great sea red.

However, experts gathered here. A Half-Ancestor of the War Clan shook heaven and earth, actually killing an eight-layer Half-Ancestor. Combining forces with several other powerhouses, they engaged the powerful Otherworld cultivators in a fierce, evenly matched battle. To that end, they specially created a dimensional combat space and fought a decisive battle there.

Xing Tian joined this main battlefield. Xiao Chen, Chi You, and the others then charged toward the next battlefield. Too many places were engaged in great battles, requiring more experts to go to the rescue.

They almost fought all the way through, all their battle robes stained with blood. No one knew how many Otherworld powerhouses they had killed along the way. Even Jin Sanyi's hands cramped from chopping. Of course, he was hiding in Paradise Lost, chopping at Otherworld powerhouses that Keke had immobilized; otherwise, with his current strength, even if he had nine lives, he would have long since perished in body and spirit.

And the fat Zhuge Ming ate with great relish. He could not swallow the souls of Half-Ancestor-level powerhouses, but he could slowly nibble on the souls of other weaker Otherworld cultivators.

Finally, Chi You killed his way into the World of Immortality, arriving at Heavenly Emperor City. Together with the Buddha, he fought a group of Otherworld Half-Ancestors. Immediately, rivers of blood flowed, and the great battle was horrifying to the extreme.

Meanwhile, Tianwaitian and Yingxiong, along with six Half-Ancestors, charged into the Soul Realm to assist Laozi in fighting a group of Otherworld Half-Ancestors. This was a peak duel of experts at the same level. The entire world trembled.

At this moment, the great battle in the Cultivation World was even more tragic. The Otherworld Ancestral God Li Huiyou and his group, at the eighth layer, were invincible, shaking heaven and earth. Two successive Cultivation World Half-Ancestors were slaughtered. The arrows of Hou Yi, who had come to the rescue, could not stop them either. Fortunately, Da Yu, riding the Nine Tripods, finally managed to block the ferocious grandson of Li Huiyou.

The Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds were all bleeding. It was a scene of the apocalypse.

Xiao Chen and the others charged into the Curse World. The great battle here was even more brilliant. All the curse masters chanted spells in unison. Patches of dimensional space were opened, and countless heavenly meteorites were summoned.

Meteors streaked across the earth, as brilliant as fireworks, but the instant they bloomed, no one knew how many people would die.

The brutal battle darkened the heavens and the earth, staining the land with blood.

In this world, there was a powerful nine-layer Otherworld Half-Ancestor holding the line. His combat power was irresistible; there was simply no one who could stand against him. Fortunately, the Martial Imprint appeared at the critical moment. The old charlatan turned his hand to produce clouds and rain with a single gesture, suppressing the nine-layer Half-Ancestor and killing many Otherworld Half-Ancestors, finally stabilizing the situation.

In the celestial starry sky, two figures stood on the Ancestral Dragon Ship, gazing down at the vast earth. They remained silent for a long time.

"How do we fight the Otherworld Ancestral Gods? We simply cannot compare in absolute numbers. Send the cultivators with potential away. Preserve hope. Preserve the seeds." The two looked at each other and made this decision.

Dragon roars shook the Nine Heavens. The Ancestral Dragon Ship carried the two figures as it descended into the Nine Provinces, first appearing overseas.

Two beams of divine light swept the land and sea. The sky shattered, and all obstacles were destroyed. Otherworld powerhouses fell one after another. Cries of anguish filled the air. The two Ancestral Gods acted without restraint, carrying out targeted extermination.

The Hundred Races experts were greatly encouraged. At present, this was the largest main battlefield, with nearly half of all cultivators gathered here. The appearance of the Ancestral Gods gave everyone hope.

Only some old antiques felt their hearts sink. They knew that the Otherworld Ancestral Gods had not yet arrived, and their own Ancestral Gods had been forced to act. This was truly a helpless and sorrowful thing, because it clearly showed that their side was too weak.

Blood stained the long sky. The two Ancestral Gods struck without emotion, exterminating Otherworld powerhouses. The seas around the Hundred Races islands were completely turned red.

"Let's go!" An eight-layer Otherworld Half-Ancestor shouted, leading the many experts in a breakout.

But Ancestral Gods also had merciless moments. They gave them no chance. An invisible great hand swept across the sky. The body of that eight-layer Half-Ancestor was instantly pulverized. But the instant his body shattered, an enormous magic diagram unfurled, shooting up into the sky and flying toward the Nine Provinces.

On the Ancestral Dragon Ship, the two Ancestral Gods looked on with helpless expressions. They had long anticipated this situation but were powerless to stop it. The magic diagram had already appeared; they could not drive it back to the Otherworld.

The two tore through the void and continued to exterminate Otherworld experts, quickly arriving above the Ancestral Dragon Village.

Seven magic diagrams had already appeared, blotting out the sky and blocking the sun. They hung like seven huge demonic clouds over the ancient village.

"We cannot accept this!" On the Ancestral Dragon Ship, an Ancestral God sighed thus. Then he rose into the sky, saying, "Since we can no longer prevent it, I will go and exterminate some Otherworld experts."

The other Ancestral God did not answer. He stood silently on the Ancestral Dragon Ship, gazing at the seven magic diagrams.

That powerful Ancestral God let out a long roar that shook the heavens, shattering the void. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the Soul Realm and began carrying out targeted extermination.

At this moment, he was merciless, killing without restraint.

"Go! Leave this place!" The Otherworld experts fell back one after another, forced to disperse, scattering in all directions.

"The magic diagrams have been brought to the Nine Provinces. Our mission is complete. There is no need to fight to the death." The Otherworld experts in the Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds retreated like a tide, vanishing in the blink of an eye. The great battle ceased.

Countless corpses were left on several main battlefields in the Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds. Fresh, red blood stained the earth.

Seven enormous magic diagrams hung over the Primordial Ancient Village, slowly pressing down. The faint outlines of the Ancestral Dragon Village gradually dimmed.

The Ancestral God on the Ancestral Dragon Ship stared fixedly at all this, seeming extremely unwilling, but there was nothing he could do.

The vast demonic might caused the entire Nine Provinces to tremble, alarming everyone. Cultivators from the Four Worlds also came to the Nine Provinces, watching everything from afar.

The Ancestral God who had carried out the targeted extermination finally returned. He stood shoulder to shoulder with the other Ancestral God on the Ancestral Dragon Ship, filled with helplessness and despair.

When Xiao Chen arrived here, he was even more furious. He wanted to shake the seven magic diagrams, but could not affect them in the slightest.

"All seven magic diagrams were refined by Otherworld Ancestral Gods. They are the hubs connecting the Otherworld. Although the Otherworld Ancestral Gods have not come in person, they can transmit supreme divine power through them." An old Half-Ancestor of the elder generation revealed this fact. Now, it was no longer the Half-Ancestor-level powerhouses who were directing the magic diagrams. The real Otherworld Ancestral Gods had begun to exert their power.

"The last hope has been shattered. They want to cut off the connection between the Primordial World and the Nine Provinces." An Ancestral God on the Ancestral Dragon Ship revealed this shocking news.

The Primordial Ancient Village was actually connected to the Primordial Celestial Realm. This place seemed to be the passage leading to the Celestial Realm!

"The path to the Primordial Celestial Realm has not yet been truly opened, and now it is about to be severed." The Ancestral Gods on the divine ship confirmed everyone's speculation.

The two of them were powerless to stop all this. Behind those seven magic diagrams, who knew how many Otherworld Ancestral Gods were channeling their divine power. The terrifying aura made all living beings in the Nine Provinces tremble.

"There may still be two or three of our Ancestral Gods inside the Primordial Celestial Realm, but we do not know their location, and now we have completely lost the hope of summoning them to descend... At this point, there is no one, nothing, that can aid us."

"In the last great war, we exhausted all our strength, but our losses were heavy. Our Ancestral Gods are few and scattered. Today, there are only two of us. But we two will never retreat. We will fight until the last drop of blood!"

The words of the Ancestral Gods shook everyone. The path to the Primordial Celestial Realm had been severed. Hope was extinguished. All that remained was despair.

The two Ancestral Gods said all this calmly, without concealment, and did not uplift morale with lies.

The final battle was inevitable. The outcome was already fated. Some words had to be spoken.

"In today's battle, we have seen the performance of every cultivator in the Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds. Some people will be chosen and sent to a wondrous world, to preserve the last hope and seeds of the Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds."

"To those who are chosen: We hope you will forge ahead with courage, because one day, when you have enough strength and return to the Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds, your old comrades who once fought alongside you may no longer exist."

"It is those who remain who will fight the final battle for you!"

"Let the path be paved with blood. May those who leave value it doubly."

"Finally, please look one last time upon the world that nurtured you. Look upon this magnificent land and rivers. When you return again, all the living beings of the Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds will be no more."

"Perhaps a new batch of living beings will appear and replace us. At that time, we hope you can remember the people who once fought shoulder to shoulder with you. Remember that there was once a group of old comrades buried beneath this land..."

The two Ancestral Gods' plain words carried no emotional fluctuation, not even a stirring of sentiment. They seemed to be merely narrating an ordinary matter. But many cultivators felt a bitter sorrow in their hearts and wept in silence.