The Ancestral Lord Warship and the Nine Lamps

1,484 words

The giant spine was drawn from the earth, and heaven and earth lost their color with a thunderous roar. The colossal bone was fitted onto the black warship, and divine fire cascaded down, enveloping the dark vessel within a blaze of light that pierced the sky.

At last, the great work was complete. The pitch-black King Ship had been reborn through the sacred flames, its presence more formidable than ever before. Now it could truly be called an Ancestral Lord Warship—no ordinary vessel of its kind.

Within it lay not only the bone body of a powerful Ancestral Lord, but also the refined essence of the Otherworld Ancestral God slain by Keke's father in ages past, which had been smelted into the black giant bone long ago. Moreover, the Eternal Light brought back by Keke's father had been fused into it. Otherwise, it could never have been forged to create a passage connecting the World of Immortality and the Nine Provinces.

Xiao Chen and the others did not know these details, for the images in the forehead bone had flashed too quickly and were cut short before they could see more.

A mournful wail echoed from the Ancestral Lord Warship, shaking the entire Death Continent. The refining was finished.

In the past, this warship had already been shaped, but its final form had been suppressed to nurture the corpse of the Martial Ancestor. Only now had it revealed its true countenance. Gleaming with dark light, the Ancestral Lord Warship radiated an awe-inspiring presence that spanned the heavens, striking fear into all who beheld it.

"At long last, it has regained its former glory," said the White Bone Ancestral Lord, withdrawing the divine fire and rising slowly to stand upon the black warship. His hollow eye sockets seemed deeper than ever.

The assembled knew that this Ancestral Lord meant them no harm; otherwise, he would have struck long ago.

Xiao Chen soared into the air and performed a grand salute from a distance, asking, "Senior, are you an Ancestral God of the Nine Provinces from ages past?"

The colossal warship, wreathed in rolling black mist and suppressing heaven and earth, was silent for a long time. The White Bone Ancestral Lord stood like a petrified statue, offering no response.

Those present felt their hearts tremble. An Ancestral God of the Nine Provinces?

Xiao Chen stepped forward. "The Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds are in turmoil. They need an Ancestral God of your power to join the war."

"I raise my head and see the mountains and rivers, magnificent and vast. When my gaze turns, ten thousand ages lie desolate. A single glance spans a million years, and the seas have turned to mulberry fields." These were the White Bone Ancestral Lord's final words as he departed, his voice carrying the weariness of time.

"Who was he?"

That question lingered in everyone's mind. No one knew the identity of this White Bone Ancestral Lord in life. A single civilization produces only a handful of Ancestral Gods, and all those who came to mind were long dead. No one could guess who had re-cultivated back to the Ancestral Lord realm as a fire seed being.

The Ancestral Lord Warship descended outside God Village, its immense form striking dread into the soul. The people now understood how to command it. Though the Bone Well passage was gone, this warship could still bridge the Nine Provinces. Perhaps one day, they would sail it into the deepest reaches of the Death World.

According to the White Bone Ancestral Lord, the Otherworld Ancestral Gods might soon enter the Death World as well. There was no place of peace left.

Xiao Chen left Ah Bing, Dugu Jianmo, and her two younger brothers at God Village, then prepared to return to the Nine Provinces. Jin Sanyi and Fatty Zhuge, unable to endure the oppressive stillness of the Death World, wished to accompany him. Naturally, the Inverse Dragon King and Keke would also go with Xiao Chen. With Keke's Paradise Lost, there was no need to worry if they encountered danger beyond the mortal world—they could always return to the Death World.

A day later, they stood once more before the Dead City in the Nine Provinces.

With a sharp hiss, a beam of divine light shot up from Xiao Chen's body and flew beyond the heavens—the spiritual imprint left by the White Bone Ancestral Lord for the Ancestral Gods of the Nine Provinces.

"I wonder if Li Huiyou has been slain by the two Ancestral Gods yet..." Fatty Zhuge murmured to himself.

Gazing at the rolling waters of the Yellow River a dozen li away, the Inverse Dragon King stared blankly for a long time. Then he suddenly spoke: "I think... I now know how to move forward."

Without further word, Little Defiant Dragon took his leave of Xiao Chen. With a long, resolute cry, he plunged into the surging Yellow River and vanished from sight in an instant.

Xiao Chen's heart tightened. He had a terrible premonition—when he next saw Little Defiant Dragon, ages would have passed, and the world would have changed beyond recognition.

"Ya ya..." Keke waved a small paw reluctantly. The little creature seemed to sense the same truth.

As the Inverse Dragon King dove into the mighty river, far away in the vast ocean, a Blood Dragon King roared in fury, searching for the shattered dragon pearl that had been spat out when the Yellow River transformed into a dragon long ago.

Now the Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds lay deathly still. All cultivators were deeply pessimistic. Even Jin Sanyi and Fatty Zhuge, who knew how to enjoy life, felt their hearts heavy. How could they resist? The only path seemed to be flight.

Xiao Chen planned to go to the overseas islands to find Chen Fang, Liu Mu, and the others, sending them into the Death World. At the same time, he wanted to try bringing all cultivators—whether he knew them or not—into that other realm.

As he passed a celestial island overseas, Xiao Chen heard the din of battle. A foreign king, covered in blood, soared into the sky. He was a half-ancestor, yet he had been gravely wounded—clearly, he had kicked an iron wall.

Xiao Chen flashed forward in an instant. His now-perfected Eight Aspect Worlds materialized and enveloped the man. The wounded foreign half-ancestor dissolved into a mist of blood, his form and spirit annihilated.

"Spare the soul!" Fatty Zhuge shouted. He had been waiting for some soul essence.

Xiao Chen cast down part of the shattered spirit, and Fatty Zhuge received it with delight.

At that moment, several figures rushed out from the celestial island—Tianwaitian, Renwairen, Yingxiong, and three Tree-Man Kings. These six had not taken the Ancestral Dragon Ship and had remained together all along. On the ground lay the corpses of several foreign experts, clearly slain by Tianwaitian's group.

Xiao Chen's heart sank. Why were they all gathered here? Not one had departed alone. He recalled the prophecy written in the hall of the Death World's flying city, and a chill ran through him. Could it truly come to pass? The name "Grand Dread Nether King Ruixiao" always unsettled him. That prophecy book was truly sinister.

"Hey, don't you greet an old friend?" Yingxiong grumbled, seeing Xiao Chen lost in thought. Then he turned to Jin Sanyi with a roguish grin. "Third Girl, give your big brother a smile."

Jin Sanyi rolled his eyes. Ever since he had whispered about Yingxiong's appearance back in God Village, this devil had taken every chance to tease him.

Suddenly, the entire land of the Nine Provinces trembled. An ancient lamp, swaying as it rose from deep beneath the earth, emerged into the heavens. It shone like a sun, its radiance illuminating the sky.

"The ancient lamp has appeared!" Tianwaitian and the others stared in shock toward the Nine Provinces.

"Whenever a great event is about to befall the Nine Provinces, the ancient lamp appears between heaven and earth."

Another thunderous roar shook the world—a second ancient lamp ascended into the sky.

Then, from Liang Province, Xu Province, Yu Province, Qing Province, and the others, solitary lamps rose one after another.

"The nine lamps still remain. The Nine Provinces will not collapse," Renwairen said, watching the lights rise.

At the same time, a violent tremor came from Yong Province. The black divine gate was now fully open; the divine mud that had sealed it had shattered completely—far sooner than Xiao Chen had expected. The Otherworld Ancestral Gods would descend at any moment.

The appearance of the nine lamps heralded an era of unprecedented upheaval.

"Ancestral God Lan Yufeng!"

"Ancestral God Lulupesi descends!"

"Ancestral God..."

Thunderous voices shook the mountains and rivers. This time, not one but several Otherworld Ancestral Gods arrived together. The great curtain of heaven and earth had been drawn open.

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Reading Guide Decoding

The White-Bone Ancestral Sovereign and the Dawn of the Final Storm

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

This chapter draws on the concept of the 'Nine Lamps of the Provinces', a recurring motif tied to the seal of the Nine Provinces. In Chinese mythology, nine is an imperial number representing completeness; the lamps' simultaneous rising signals that the entire realm is threatened. The Ancestral Sovereign warship is built from the bone of a slain Otherworld Ancestral God—a grisly but potent act of refashioning enemy remains into tools of salvation, echoing ancient Chinese practices of forging ritual vessels from defeated foes. The White-Bone Ancestral Sovereign himself is a figure of ambiguity: a Death World being who has clearly reincarnated through the fire-seed path, yet speaks with the sorrow of a Nine Provinces Ancestral God. His identity is deliberately left open—perhaps a lost figure from the age of Suiren or Fuxi, now returned in skeletal form. The 'Eternal Light' mentioned is a legendary substance said to form when multiple Ancestral Gods die in one place; it can perfect divine weapons and even open pathways to other worlds. The reappearance of the black divine gate, originally sealed by the mysterious old farmer, marks the end of any respite for the human race.

Chapter Overview

This chapter marks a pivotal turning point in the final arc of the Nine Provinces saga. The forging of the Ancestral Sovereign warship—a vessel refined from the bone of an Otherworld Ancestral God and infused with Eternal Light—signals that the Death World's ancient powers are now fully aligned with the mortal realm. Yet the White-Bone Ancestral Sovereign who completed this titanic work departs without revealing his identity, leaving behind only a cryptic lament for a world grown old. Against this backdrop of mythic labor, the chapter pivots to the Nine Provinces, where the nine ancient lamps rise from the earth and the black divine gate bursts open, ushering in a coalition of Otherworld Ancestral Gods. The tone is one of grim inevitability: the long-foretold apocalyptic collision is here.

Key Plot Points

The chapter opens with the final refinement of the black warship. The White-Bone Ancestral Sovereign pours divine fire into the vessel, completing it as a true Ancestral Sovereign warship—a craft capable of linking the Nine Provinces to the World of Immortality and the Death World. This ship was originally forged to warm the Martial Ancestor's corpse but has now reached its ultimate form. The Ancestral Sovereign then departs with a line of profound melancholy: 'I glance once and see a thousand years—how fleeting the mortal world.' He leaves a spiritual imprint that flies toward the Ancestral Gods of the Nine Provinces.

Xiao Chen lingers at the Ancestral Dragon Village, unable to bid farewell to his parents. The Little Defiant Dragon, the Inverse Dragon King, suddenly realizes his path and dives into the Yellow River without a word, his destination unknown. Keke watches him go with a wistful cry. Meanwhile, overseas, Xiao Chen encounters Tianwaitian, Renwairen, Yingxiong, and three Tree-Men Kings, who have survived together. They join his cause, but the shadow of a prophecy from the Death World—the Doomsday Prophecy—hangs over them.

Back in the Nine Provinces, the black divine gate shatters its seal of divine mud. In response, the nine ancient lamps rise from the depths of the earth, one per province, illuminating the sky. Their appearance has always heralded great upheaval. And then the final blow: the voices of multiple Otherworld Ancestral Gods roar across the heavens—Li Huiyou, Lu Lu Peisi, and others—announcing their joint descent. The curtain falls on an age of desperation.

Reading Guide

This chapter sets the stage for the final confrontation. Readers should watch for how the White-Bone Ancestral Sovereign's identity will be revealed—his parting words hint that he will return when needed. The Little Defiant Dragon's sudden departure into the Yellow River is a major character moment: he may be seeking a primordial dragon transformation or a way to become an Ancestral Dragon himself. The nine lamps rising create a time pressure: the Otherworld Ancestral Gods have arrived en masse, and Xiao Chen's plans to evacuate cultivators into the Death World via the warship may be the only hope. The Doomsday Prophecy remains an ominous thread—will Tianwaitian, Renwairen, and the others truly die? And what will become of Keke now that her power has awakened to the half-ancestor level? The next chapters will likely focus on the desperate attempt to rally the remaining forces of the Nine Provinces before the gods of the Otherworld can consolidate.