Forging a New Divine Seed

To intercept and seize the Ancestral God’s Dao fruit mid-course was an act of sheer madness—yet Xiao Chen dared to replace the Divine Seed, shattering the demon and planting himself, achieving an earth-shaking metamorphosis.

The hazy, broken formation diagram, though incomplete, possessed supreme power. It now cleaved open the Ancestral God’s body, the shell of the crucible, and pressed directly down upon the Divine Seed.

“Ah—”

The plump, white infant shrieked in terror; the icy light in his eyes was filled with dread. He sensed the danger.

The Divine Seed, though his divine power was severely depleted and nearly exhausted, erupted with terrifying force at this final juncture. His whole body blazed with intense light, like a tiny sun on the verge of combustion.

The power of an Ancestral God could destroy worlds, shatter millions of stars, reduce all things to nothing, and return them to primordial chaos. Now, in his death throes, his divine radiance blazed with such terror that it seemed to have the power to split heaven and earth and re-evolve all things.

That searing light surged upward, striving to block the broken formation diagram.

But the diagram rotated slowly, and its formless, mighty force swept everything before it. The onrushing light crumbled beneath the diagram, dissipating gradually. The incomplete diagram pressed down inexorably.

“Ah—” The Divine Seed’s face twisted in terror. He howled in fury: “No, I will not accept this!”

His body was already covered in many cracks—the result of his earlier struggle with the crucible—but even so, he gathered a power that made heaven and earth tremble.

“Boundless as the sea and sky!” the Divine Seed roared. In that moment, his momentum was like that of a god swallowing mountains and rivers. His divine radiance blazed as if to split heaven and earth anew. The formation diagram was about to suppress him, but at that instant… the distance between them seemed to expand infinitely.

Although they were still within the crucible, a separate world had formed within it. The Divine Seed, using the mighty power of an Ancestral God, opened a brand-new world, instantly separating himself from the formation diagram by a starry void.

He stood at the edge of the starry sky, gazing back at the broken formation diagram, rapidly recovering his divine power.

But in that very moment, the formation diagram shattered all obstacles and pressed down without a sound. The starry void dimmed swiftly, like a flood as high as the heavens drowning a few faint candle flames.

The world that Qiu Tian had opened collapsed. Ten thousand stars were ground to dust. The formation diagram pressed down with unstoppable force, eternal and unchanging.

“How can this be?!” Qiu Tian cried in fear. Now he was truly terrified. Not long ago, his struggle with the crucible had consumed too much of his power. Now, he could not withstand the broken formation diagram.

Qiu Tian was filled with unspeakable bitterness. To fall here, like this, was a death he could not accept.

Just as the Shatter Demon, Plant God technique was on the verge of completion, this unexpected intruder had appeared, trying to kill the Divine Seed and seize the fruit of the path. It made him want to howl in mad frustration.

“Ah—”

The formation diagram had already descended. The Divine Seed screamed in terror and rage.

“Boom!”

The incomplete diagram trembled, and its divine power instantly cracked the Divine Seed. The tender white infant—like a piece of fine porcelain struck by a hammer—began to splinter.

“Ah—” The Divine Seed despaired. His roar was like nine days of thunder, rolling and crashing.

In that moment, he truly burned. His seemingly tender flesh was the condensation of boundless Ancestral God life essence, a terrifying power unique to an Ancestral God.

The Divine Seed shattered, transforming into streams of divine light.

Every beam of burning light was the most fearsome sword-qi in the world, capable of piercing through worlds. Now, millions of sword-light rays formed from Ancestral God life essence all shot toward the formation diagram.

An Ancestral God fighting for his life was a terrifying thing!

The incomplete formation diagram was shaken; it nearly flew away, emitting a hazy radiance and trembling violently.

Xiao Chen, standing not far off, was hit by a terrible shock. If not for the protection of the Ancestral Lord Ship and the half stone head in his hand, he would have been reduced to ashes in that instant.

The burning life essence of an Ancestral God could destroy all things in the world, truly annihilating a realm.

The Ancestral Lord Ship, though shrunken, was filled with divine power. It blazed with black light, instantly blossoming to block the tens of millions of sweeping sword-beams.

Countless sharp sword-gashes struck the ship, piercing through the light curtain and gouging the hull. The ship suffered terrible damage.

The black bone hull was covered in dreadful sword scars; in some places, it was completely pierced through, the front and back visible.

A few unstoppable sword-beams grazed Xiao Chen’s body. If not for the half stone head in his hand absorbing those harsh shafts of light, he would have perished there.

“Ah—”

In the end, the Divine Seed could no longer resist. The broken formation diagram suppressed him completely. His form shattered, his divine light extinguished. He died with unending resentment, his venomous eyes fixed on Xiao Chen, filled with unwillingness.

Xiao Chen shuddered—those sinister, hateful gazes were truly chilling.

The Divine Seed had once been the hope of rebirth, vibrant with life force. But now, the purest living radiance, soft and formless, filled the surrounding space.

A fruit snatched from the very edge of success—how could he die content? Yet at that critical moment, an unexpected intruder had struck. In the end, those venomous eyes vanished into the void.

The Ancestral Lord Ship finally calmed. It had not shattered, for it had been refined with the bone essence of a Supreme Ancestral God; even if the world broke apart, it would not fully splinter.

And in the next moment, the terrible sword scars on the ship began to fade. The hull repaired itself.

Within it was Eternal Light, capable of autonomous restoration, making it immortal through the ages.

The broken formation diagram rotated slowly, flying back to guard beside Xiao Chen.

All around was pure divine power—the most refined life essence of the shattered Divine Seed.

Xiao Chen felt a lingering fear. The Divine Seed and the crucible had already wounded each other grievously, exhausting most of their power, yet they still possessed such terrifying might. An Ancestral God was truly fearsome.

“Has he really vanished completely?” Xiao Chen could not be certain. After all, that was an Ancestral God—a centipede dead but never stiff. Such a being was nearly impossible to extinguish. He could not tell whether the enemy had truly been ground to dust.

“Let it be!”

With the ship for protection, the stone head for defense, and the broken formation diagram floating before him, even if the Divine Seed had not been utterly destroyed, he was likely close to death and no longer a threat to Xiao Chen.

He began to gather the shattered divine essence and vibrate the formation diagram. Life force passed through the diagram for a second refining, to prevent any accident. The purest Divine Seed essence converged on Xiao Chen’s body, making him shine with precious light like a god of war.

To fully receive this great Dao fruit, he had to become the new Divine Seed.

Only then could he complete the Shatter Demon, Plant God technique that Qiu Tian had left unfinished—transcending himself and achieving the sublime evolution of an Ancestral God.

Forging a new Divine Seed against heaven’s will! This was precisely what Xiao Chen set out to do.

The boundless life force of the Divine Seed, in the form of points of light, condensed toward Xiao Chen, filled with vitality, effectively nourishing his War Body.

Now, within the crucible formed from an Ancestral God’s body, Xiao Chen had already shrunk to the size of a baby.

Boundless life force converged, utterly engulfing him. He had become the new Divine Seed.

Now!

The formation diagram rotated slowly, filtering all life force completely, transmitting it safely to Xiao Chen.

In the void, a pair of cold, sinister eyes watched all this with resentment, but were powerless to stop it.

Qiu Tian’s divine consciousness had not been completely annihilated. An Ancestral God was, after all, an inconceivable existence. He had not yet truly fallen, having preserved a fragment of his spirit.

With the broken formation diagram present, he dared not strike rashly.

Watching Xiao Chen continuously refine the Divine Seed’s life force, about to become a wholly new Divine Seed, Qiu Tian felt as though he would go mad from frustration, but had to suppress his impulse.

Hatred! Madness!

This was supposed to be his Dao fruit—a metamorphosis, an ascent to the next level, to achieve the sublime evolution of an Ancestral God! Yet some half-ancestor had violently seized it all, driving him to the brink of madness.

“You tiny ant, you despicable worm, I will not let you succeed!” Qiu Tian’s divine consciousness hid in the void, silently swearing to destroy Xiao Chen, to give him no chance to shatter the crucible and unite with the Divine Seed.

Light blazed. Xiao Chen’s whole body radiated divine brilliance; his flesh was nearly translucent. He had gathered boundless life force and slowly forged himself into the “Divine Seed.”

Though more life force still filled the surroundings, his war body was nearly saturated. If he continued, he might explode and die.

It was time to shatter the crucible and unite with the Divine Seed!

Only by truly undergoing the “Shatter Demon, Plant God” transformation could the condensed divine power be turned into his own strength, allowing him to metamorphose and ascend.

The broken formation diagram rotated slowly, beginning to break the crucible. Qiu Tian’s original flesh shell now began to crack.

Using the formation diagram’s great power to break the crucible was much easier than Qiu Tian’s Divine Seed had struggled, for the flesh shell and the Divine Seed had already fought the most bitter battle, and were nearly shattered.

Xiao Chen had seized this Dao fruit at the most critical moment, saving himself a tremendous amount of power.

The flesh shell slowly shattered, its boundless potential gradually merging with the new Divine Seed!

In the darkness, Qiu Tian’s eyes blazed with fire. He felt as if he had been a faithful old ox—toiling and suffering, only to have all his labor come to nothing, clothing another.

Qiu Tian was so angry that smoke seemed to pour from every orifice.

He was waiting, holding back his impulse, ready to strike Xiao Chen a fatal blow at the most crucial moment.

Qiu Tian’s original bronze-colored flesh shell now split open; every piece of flesh and blood contained all the latent potential of his living self.

The most critical moment of the Shatter Demon, Plant God technique had arrived: the union of spirit and flesh, a heaven-defying rebirth.

“Spirit” naturally referred to the Divine Seed, which was now Xiao Chen. “Flesh” referred to the crucible—the shattered flesh shell.

Crucible and Divine Seed united, spirit and flesh merged, a heaven-defying rebirth!

Divine light blazed. This dark dimensional space became brilliant and translucent. Sacred radiance bathed every corner. The altar where the Ancestral God’s flesh shell had sat seemed to become divine itself; the reddish-brown stone altar appeared to have gained a soul, dots of light flowing over it.

The Shatter Demon, Plant God technique was truly a heaven-defying forbidden art.

At this moment, it shook the ten directions. If this space had not been heavily refined by Qiu Tian, the terrifying divine power would have already torn through the world and dried up the Southern Sea outside.

The union of spirit and flesh began!

But Xiao Chen’s heart resisted, for the union of spirit and flesh, crucible and Divine Seed, meant that he would become one with Qiu Tian’s flesh shell.

This was hard for him to accept. After all, it was not his own flesh and blood. It might temporarily increase his power, but in the future, it could become a shackle, hindering his continued advancement.

Yet he had no choice. He urgently needed to increase his strength; he could not let any opportunity pass. He could only hope that a perfect solution would emerge in the future.

Shatter! Crucible and Divine Seed united!

The energy fluctuations of an Ancestral God’s level surged forth, vast and unstoppable, shaking everything violently. This was the ascension of an Ancestral God!

The wind and clouds changed color; heaven and earth went dark.

Xiao Chen’s combat power soared! He was undergoing an astonishing metamorphosis.

The shattered crucible completely engulfed him. His body was being remade. The Shatter Demon, Plant God technique was approaching perfection. Boundless potential turned into divine radiance, charging into his body. Those flesh and blood would also become one with him completely.

But at that very moment, the lurking Qiu Tian finally struck.

His remnant divine consciousness merged into the shattered crucible in an instant, silently merging with the flesh and blood, preparing to refine Xiao Chen!

Qiu Tian had been waiting for this chance. With the broken formation diagram guarding Xiao Chen, he had not dared to act rashly before. But now, the shattered flesh shell was condensing toward Xiao Chen—this was his only opportunity! By approaching infinitely close, he had engulfed Xiao Chen with his original flesh.

“Ant! It is impossible for you to steal my Dao fruit!” Qiu Tian’s voice was venomous and chilling, sending chills down the spine. “I will refine you, annihilate your body and soul!”

Even as he spoke, he was already driving the flesh shell to begin refining Xiao Chen.

The formation diagram was outside, but the flesh and blood had already nearly fused with Xiao Chen. Qiu Tian was absolutely certain that he could completely refine Xiao Chen. The external formation diagram could not stop him, unless it also destroyed Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen was indeed startled that the Otherworld Ancestral God had come so close, but he felt no fear. On the contrary, he had a sense of relief.

If the crucible and Divine Seed had not truly united, he would have had a reason for the spirit and flesh not to merge—he had truly recoiled from fusing with another’s flesh and blood.

“You disappoint me. You cannot refine me. I knew long ago that you had not completely fallen!” Xiao Chen showed no fear. He held the half stone head before him, and the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree floated above his head.

The boundless potential contained in the flesh shell pressed in, trying to refine Xiao Chen, but was silently absorbed by the stone head.

At the same time, the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree vibrated, blocking the surrounding flesh and blood.

“The Stone Man!” Qiu Tian seemed shocked. “The Stone Man’s skull—the Stone Man is about to appear again!”

Light blazed beneath Xiao Chen’s feet. The Ancestral Lord Ship emerged, radiating black light, shaking the surroundings and repelling the flesh and blood.

Qiu Tian laughed coldly and darkly: “You tiny ant, do you think relying on external objects can allow you to oppose an Ancestral God? Now I will teach you a lesson: an Ancestral God’s majesty cannot be offended!”

Though he was extremely shocked by the Stone Man’s skull, he quickly calmed down. He used his divine consciousness to drive the shattered crucible to open a new world, using the power of that world to refine Xiao Chen. Even with the stone head shielding him, as long as he was within this space, he could be melted.

“Even the stone head cannot protect you completely!”

At the same time, a large hand re-condensed from the shattered flesh reached for the stone head, also trying to kill Xiao Chen.

“Since I knew you might not have completely fallen, how could I be unprepared?” Xiao Chen did not panic; his voice was very calm.

In an instant, the broken formation diagram silently appeared inside this world.

Qiu Tian’s face changed. “Impossible! The formation diagram could only break in from outside by destroying us both. How can it manifest from within?!”

“The one that fled from fifty, the one that cannot be blocked. Born before heaven and earth, it exists beyond the world—nothing can seal it off.”

This was the true meaning that Xiao Chen had comprehended through nearly thirty years of motionless meditation. He had understood the formation diagram’s mysterious powers, and it was his greatest reliance.

The incomplete diagram spun rapidly, pressing toward Qiu Tian.

“Tiny ant, I will kill you!” Qiu Tian thundered in fury.

“If you had not exhausted your divine power and were still unharmed, even with the formation diagram I could not survive. But now, you no longer have the right to say that.”

Xiao Chen’s eyes blazed with divine light. The formation diagram spun quickly and immediately enveloped Qiu Tian.

A single tremor, and the crucible shattered. Qiu Tian’s divine consciousness was cut away.

The incomplete formation diagram pressed down again. Without a sound, Qiu Tian’s divine consciousness splintered and dissipated into nothingness.

At the same time, the newly opened world instantly collapsed.

But just then, an extremely cold voice suddenly resounded in Xiao Chen’s heart: “Ant, you should be annihilated, body and soul! You will never understand how powerful an Ancestral God is. Now is the time for your utter destruction!”

Xiao Chen was shocked. He discovered Qiu Tian inside his own mind—a remnant divine consciousness, condensed, though much weaker than before, still far stronger than his own divine sense.

“How did you break in?”

“At the moment you were about to unite spirit and flesh, I already divided a part of my divine consciousness and hid it within the shattered flesh. It merged with you, infiltrated your mind. When my outer consciousness was destroyed, all my remaining divine sense condensed here, into this final source—your sea of consciousness!”

Xiao Chen felt that this Ancestral God named Qiu Tian was truly extraordinary.

To turn the tables even under such unfavorable circumstances—his combat power, had he been at full strength, would have been unimaginably terrifying.

“Annihilation of body and soul!” Qiu Tian roared, beginning to wreak havoc in Xiao Chen’s sea of consciousness, trying to refine him.

“You disappoint me again. You still cannot overcome me!” Xiao Chen was not afraid. The broken formation diagram had already appeared within his heart, blocking all of Qiu Tian’s divine attacks.

“Impossible?!” Qiu Tian howled in shock.

“I told you already—the one that fled from fifty was born before heaven and earth and exists beyond the world. Nothing can seal it off! I am united with it; my heart and body are inseparable from it.”

Hearing these words, Qiu Tian said nothing more. He turned into a stream of divine light and fled in an instant, trying to rush out of Xiao Chen’s sea of consciousness.

But the incomplete formation diagram, united with Xiao Chen, was present everywhere in his heart. It appeared instantly and pressed down!

“Boom!”

Qiu Tian’s last remaining divine consciousness finally shattered, completely collapsed. His consciousness was eternally extinguished.

Xiao Chen had to admit that Qiu Tian was terrifying and powerful. If not for the opportunity created by the “Shatter Demon, Plant God” technique, he would not have had a single chance in a direct confrontation, even with the broken formation diagram.

The dark dimensional space was now utterly silent. The shattered crucible slowly healed, gradually re-forming into a complete flesh shell.

Xiao Chen stood on the towering altar and, after some thought, decided to cultivate the last few chapters of the Martial Ancestor’s True Scripture.

He resolved to extract power from the crucible to refine his own body—the Divine Seed—without merging with Qiu Tian’s flesh and blood crucible.

Another person’s flesh would always be another’s. He needed to excavate the treasure of his own flesh.

But he would not waste Qiu Tian’s crucible. He would make full use of it.

Even if the Divine Seed and crucible were not fused, he would still excavate combat power at the Ancestral God level.

“I will cultivate my own Divine Seed while also cultivating Qiu Tian’s flesh. The Otherworld’s ten-thousand-year grand gathering is an excellent opportunity to make the new Qiu Tian’s name resound far and wide…”