The Fall of the Dugu Clan

Dugu Jianmo, his mind flickering between clarity and madness, suffered seven such frenzied episodes in but a single hour. At last, he cast himself into a bottomless abyss—the legendary 'Burial Pit of Ten Thousand Souls'—and was seen no more.

Thus perished the illustrious Dugu Clan, a true song of sorrow. A hundred heroes, before the might of a single Ancestral God, could not resist nor struggle; all perished, body and soul extinguished.

The primeval mountains quaked violently. Primeval beasts stampeded, fierce birds shrieked and wheeled. The shockwaves of a great battle hundreds of miles away reached this place—it was Xiao Chen, locked in combat with the Otherworld Ancestral God, Leng Xingyi.

Leng Xingyi sat cross-legged in the void like a carved statue. Countless curse-words manifested in reality around him, as if cast from molten iron. His mastery of curse techniques had reached the pinnacle of art, precisely why he had chosen to remain in the Curse Realm.

"Starlight of the Firmament!"

At his low cry, a billion beams of divine radiance converged upon him. Between his hands, a miniature starry sky took shape, expanding instantly to envelop Xiao Chen.

This was the first manifestation of comprehending the myriad worlds' divine laws. Any curse technique became terrifying to the extreme, capable of imprisoning the power of worlds and mastering the star realms—something Xiao Chen could not yet achieve. But his physical form was formidable, rivaling an Ancestral God. Thirty War Swords lashed out in all directions, their dazzling sword-light shattering the starry prison, and he charged out of the binding.

"Draw the Ground as a Prison!"

Leng Xingyi's application of curse techniques had reached a level of perfection. With a casual gesture or a soft shout, he could summon a sealing technique capable of trapping an Ancestral God. Using the void as the source and divine law as the foundation, he constructed a celestial prison in the void, sealing Xiao Chen within. The iron bars, icy cold, were designed specifically for Ancestral Gods—even divine weapons would struggle to cut them.

Each bar of divine iron began to blaze with light, refining Xiao Chen inside the heavenly prison.

"Break!"

In that moment, Xiao Chen shuddered violently. Before and behind him, six Heavenly Steles manifested, vast as mountains and swelling without cease. With a thunderous roar, they shattered the celestial prison, and he regained his freedom.

"Heavenly Flame, Refine the God!"

Leng Xingyi remained motionless, still seated in the sky. At his soft command, a sea of violet flames was summoned, engulfing Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen stood firm in the void. Around him, eight hazy worlds materialized, swallowing all the violet flames, none able to touch his body.

"Deathly Nether Slash!"

A black nether-blade, as high as the sky, split the Curse Realm in two and descended upon Xiao Chen. Dark nether-mists surged, carrying the power of absolute death, devouring all directions. Leng Xingyi, having comprehended the myriad worlds' divine laws, could summon the power of worlds without end. Seeing that Xiao Chen had cultivated a War Body, he intended to grind him down with endless curses. Such single curse attacks were not terrifying on their own, but when piled infinitely and cyclically applied, they became fatal to a War Ancestor. An unending tide of killing techniques left one exhausted.

"Now taste my methods!"

Xiao Chen, naturally seeing his opponent's intent, forced a breakthrough. He merged his body with the incomplete divine diagram, condensing a broken formation map, and charged at Leng Xingyi. A mysterious, mighty power surged forth, shaking the entire Curse Realm. Even Leng Xingyi, for all his mastery of curses, had to focus now. He had already suffered greatly from the formation diagram before; he did not wish to have his body shattered a second time.

"Dream Realm!"

Leng Xingyi could no longer remain calm. He moved like lightning, darting through hundreds of dimensional spaces to evade Xiao Chen's divine diagram.

But Xiao Chen, with no wasted movements, used the divine diagram to shatter a hundred layers of dimensional space, returning all to their origin, and clashed directly with Leng Xingyi.

This was a fierce battle in the Curse Realm, the first time Xiao Chen had truly confronted an Ancestral God head-on, with no tricks, relying purely on his own power. The fight had already lasted two hours, yet neither side had prevailed. The life-or-death duel had reached its white-hot climax. Xiao Chen was forced to reassess the power of an Ancestral God-level opponent.

With a heavy impact, the broken divine diagram spun unstoppably, crushing half of Leng Xingyi's body to powder, but it failed to completely cover him. Ancestral God-level warriors were immortal through the ages, undying through millennia. So long as a single breath of vitality remained, they could regenerate, let alone from the destruction of half a physical body. Despite suffering grievous wounds, Leng Xingyi recovered in an instant through his mysterious curse techniques, his gaze turning even colder.

"Separation of Soul and Flesh, Life and Death Forever Apart!"

At last, Leng Xingyi voiced this ancient, accursed chant. He had seen Xiao Chen's weak point. Divine radiance bloomed immensely, descending upon Xiao Chen. This technique was meant to forcibly separate Xiao Chen's War Soul from his flesh, then slay them separately. Leng Xingyi, an Otherworld Ancestral God who had survived a hundred battles, had a keen eye. He had long seen that Xiao Chen's body was astonishingly powerful, but his divine consciousness had not yet reached the Ancestral God level. To utterly destroy him, one had to start here: separate his soul from his flesh, extinguish the soul first, and thus fundamentally solve Xiao Chen.

It was a forbidden curse, stealing a person's soul and turning their body into a walking corpse. A mysterious, unfathomable power enveloped Xiao Chen. This was his weakest moment—as the divine diagram had shattered half of Leng Xingyi's body, the incomplete formation map happened to dissipate. Leng Xingyi keenly seized the opportunity.

The surging, mysterious curse-power and divine techniques were utterly different from combat arts. They carried an eerie, evil force, seeming to act directly upon a person's original nature. In that moment, Xiao Chen felt his soul become unsteady, about to leave his body. For a brief instant, he could not focus his divine will to manifest the divine diagram again.

"Soul and Flesh, Forever Separated—Deprive!"

Leng Xingyi's gaze was like lightning, brilliant and piercing. The eerie power seemed to rush directly into Xiao Chen's origin, forcibly ripping away his Half-Ancestor divine soul-force!

Xiao Chen's body shook violently. His soul, wrapping his divine consciousness, rushed out of his body, wavering unsteadily. At this moment, Leng Xingyi calmly turned his right hand down, like a million divine mountains descending at once!

Heaven and earth shattered! The giant hand eclipsed the sky, transforming into endless divine mountains that pressed down, about to annihilate Xiao Chen.

Suddenly, seven-colored radiance blazed. The sacred tree floating above Xiao Chen's head burst with dazzling divine splendor. Keke, hidden within, unleashed her treasure—a seven-colored jade bowl!

"Keke's Ultimate Art—Smelt Heaven and Earth!"

Though the little one's voice was still childish, in this moment she was utterly serious. Seven-colored divine light shone, the jade bowl spun rapidly, accompanied by seven wisps of Ancestral Dragon essence and a wisp of Ancestral Lord essence! The roars of Ancestral Dragons shook the heavens, and the jade bowl shot up into the sky, gathering all the divine mountains within it.

Leng Xingyi frowned immediately. The giant divine palm pressing down was partially smelted by the bowl.

This seven-colored jade bowl was already capable of clashing with the supreme treasures of an Upper Ancestral God. Smelted within it were endless divine essences, and even the heaven-defying Eternal Light. Such a tiny bowl was a true supreme treasure. Though the little creature had not reached the Ancestral God realm, by driving the Ancestral God essence within the seven-colored sacred tree, she could still unleash most of the jade bowl's power.

With a violent shock, Xiao Chen's divine consciousness returned to his body, and his form blazed with light. Keke had won him a precious opportunity. His formidable body, rivaling an Ancestral God, surged upward, shattering every obstacle. The broken formation diagram had already condensed and swept toward Leng Xingyi.

The mysterious, mighty power, overwhelming and without sound, shattered all dimensions, chasing directly to Leng Xingyi's front. Blood rained through the sky—the blood of an Ancestral God stained heaven and earth. The incomplete divine diagram crushed Leng Xingyi's body, leaving only a single head, which tore through the void and fled.

Xiao Chen had not expected Leng Xingyi to flee like this, without fighting to the final, decisive death.

Though this battle did not decide the final outcome of life or death, it still shook the entire Curse Realm. That Xiao Chen could withstand an Otherworld Ancestral God was terrifying and awe-inspiring. Many cultivators who had fled here wanted to charge over, but all suppressed the urge, for the Otherworld Ancestral God was still lurking like a savage beast.

The shattered mountains, scarred by sword marks, recorded the indomitable spirit of the Dugu lineage. A great family had thus vanished into smoke and ash.

Xiao Chen, with a single hand, pulled up a giant mountain thousands of feet high. He carved it with his hand into a great stele, inscribed with the words 'Dugu.' He stood silently for a moment, then left.

He charged deep into the Curse Realm, finding everywhere desolate and uninhabited. In this realm, he sensed something unusual. The great formation, which legend said could greatly affect Ancestral Gods, also stirred a flicker of unease within him.

A shadow rose from the primeval mountains and flew toward him.

A resonant bell tolled. Wu Ming arrived, his head merged with the Undying Imperial Heavenly Bell, his entire body enveloped by the golden divine bell. Beside him followed Wu Xiaoshi.

"You didn't board the Ancestral Dragon Ship?" Xiao Chen was astonished. Given Wu Ming's exceptional talent, he should have been among the chosen prodigies. Yet he had stayed behind.

Hearing this, Wu Ming was instantly furious. Divine fire literally danced above his head. He ground his teeth. "We boarded the divine ship, but in the end, that swindler, the Martial Imprint, grabbed us and jumped off together!"

Wu Xiaoshi was also full of frustration, sighing from the side.

Xiao Chen was stunned, then laughed heartily without sympathy. "Karma! Else how could we meet again?"

Wu Ming was covered in black lines but dared not act against his nemesis. The bell merged with him tolled, shaking the surrounding mountains.

"That swindler said he would teach us an invincible demonic art, but after reciting the formula, he ran off himself! He could have taught us on the Ancestral Dragon Ship!" Every time he remembered being pulled off the Ancestral Dragon Ship by the old swindler, Wu Ming wanted to vomit blood. He was utterly unwilling. He had been chosen, only to be forcibly left behind by that crooked stick.

Xiao Chen patted Wu Ming's shoulder. "Heaven is about to place a great responsibility upon a man; it must first torment his heart and will..."

Wu Ming had been tempered by a portion of the Eternal Light in the most evil place. Over thirty years, his strength had soared. If he continued at this pace, his future was limitless—provided he did not fall unexpectedly.

Then, shadows flickered in the distant sky. Several familiar figures flew over. Xiao Chen recognized them. It was the former top young experts: Meng Xi Nie, Xue Wu, Zhao Zhongyang, and Cang Hai, arriving together. In the many years past, they had already stepped into the Earth-Penetrating realm.

Behind them followed two lively and active little girls—Linglong and Tutu. The two tender little ones seemed never to grow up, joyfully running toward Keke.

Xiao Chen was lost in thought. Even the Yellow Emperor had not sent his two youngest daughters onto the Ancestral Dragon Ship. He was truly a man of great justice and selflessness.

The Curse Realm was filled with many mysterious relics, some regions so dangerous that neither man nor god could set foot there. Several great territories specifically affected the minds of Ancestral Gods, yet had no effect on cultivators of other ranks.

The endless primeval mountains stretched like ten thousand Ancestral Dragons lying across the land. In the thick primeval forests, savage beasts roamed freely. Now, as Xiao Chen and the others entered a restricted area, he felt it deeply. Though he was close to a War Ancestor, he was not a true Ancestral God, yet he still felt a deep unease.

Just then, in this forbidden region, he saw several more acquaintances. Totti, with his flowing golden hair, was living it up, without any anxiety of the coming apocalypse, idling among several beautiful female cultivators.

But what shocked Xiao Chen even more was Bo Shi. He had really shaved his head—bald, gleaming, with a solemn, dignified air. But what nearly made Xiao Chen spit out his drink was that he was holding a two-year-old child. No, more accurately, a little monk, for the little one also had a shiny bald head.

The two-year-old toddler was truly tiny, but his bright eyes sparkled with cunning intelligence. He playfully winked at Xiao Chen, then pressed his palms together and chanted, "O-mee-doh-foo..."

Looking at the two bald heads, one big and one small, Xiao Chen didn't know what to say. He was utterly dumbfounded.

Keke, curious, flew over and touched the big bald head, then the little bald head. The little bald head was very displeased, glaring at Keke while mumbling "O-mee-doh-foo."

Totti, with a lecherous grin, flicked his golden hair and glanced to the side with his eyes. Only then did Xiao Chen notice a graceful, stunningly beautiful, and extremely gentle woman standing quietly beside Bo Shi, like a lotus adorned with dewdrops, pure and otherworldly.

"O-mee-doh-foo... Mama..."

The little bald one's childish, milky voice nearly knocked Xiao Chen's jaw off the floor.

Bo Shi was married. The woman before him, named Miao Chi, was his wife. The little monk was their child.

This was too mind-boggling!

"You impure monk..." Xiao Chen looked at Bo Shi, wanting to laugh.

But soon, he realized he had wronged Bo Shi. It turned out that his shaved head was merely to commemorate his elder brother, Yi Zhen. He wasn't truly a monk. It was clear that Bo Shi had not yet truly emerged from the shadow of the past, unable to let go of the fact that his elder brother had fallen because of him. He was an intensely emotional man.

Xiao Chen saw more acquaintances: Chu Xingkuang, Jue Dao, Wu Xingfeng, Yao Yao... All had fled to the Curse Realm.

It was at this moment, as Xiao Chen stepped with one foot into the central region of this forbidden ground, that the unease in his heart grew even stronger.

"No, I must leave here," he said.

He felt something was very wrong. Recalling the legends that the Curse Realm could seal and trap Ancestral God-level warriors, he judged he could not remain here long.

But before he could act, a violent, overwhelming force surged up from beneath the earth. The ground split, rocks flew, the primeval mountains collapsed. A vast chasm abruptly appeared between the mountain ranges—bottomless, pitch-black, its depths unseen. The others were unaffected; only Xiao Chen fell into it.

'What lousy luck,' Xiao Chen cursed inwardly. 'This great formation, meant to trap those damned Otherworld Ancestral Gods—why is it activating against me?'

The wind howled. Black mist billowed, growing thicker, the world below hazy and indistinct. But Xiao Chen was no ordinary warrior now; his body rivaled an Ancestral God. He opened his celestial eye and stared downward.

Suddenly, his expression froze. In a trance, he glimpsed a colossal Heavenly Stele suppressing the abyss. Yet it seemed not to be a Heavenly Stele, but some other giant artifact, faint and shadowy. And gigantic creatures were running within it.