The Eternal Unknown

Roar! The Stone Man’s bellow shook the heavens, his power so vast that even his roar rivaled the Eight Origin Sounds. Every movement sent violent tremors through the fabric of space, and his battle prowess reached a terrifying, unprecedented level.

Boom! The Martial Ancestor revealed himself as a true paragon of his age, clashing with the Stone Man and shattering the legendary Eternal Unknown itself. Heaven and earth quaked, and chaos reigned as two immortal titans fought atop a spatial framework that could barely contain them.

Clang! The Martial Ancestor met the Stone Man’s fists with his own flesh and blood three times in rapid succession, shaking the Eternal Unknown until the towering stone steps in the distance trembled.

The Stone Man’s power could slaughter Ancestral Gods, yet the Martial Ancestor held him at bay, enraging the stone being. Each blow struck at the soul, rending time and space, unleashing waves of destructive energy across the ten directions.

Another roar—deeper, more primal. The starry skies of every realm shuddered, and even the surrounding powerhouses frowned at the sound.

With a thunderous impact, the Martial Ancestor clashed once more with the Stone Man, then his majestic figure retreated decisively.

The Stone Man was too terrifying, too powerful. Any Ancestral God struck by him could only perish in despair. In this world, almost no one could contend with such a being. Only the Martial Ancestor and a few others of the same caliber could delay him for a time; a normal Ancestral God would be ground to dust in moments. This was no exaggeration—this Otherworld Stone Man was merely a single step away from the final breakthrough, his might enough to sweep all before him. That the Martial Ancestor had met him blow for blow with a mortal body was already an astonishing feat for the ages.

Roar! The Stone Man’s cry drowned every other sound in the world. In his fury, he would slay gods and demons alike. The momentary resistance from the Martial Ancestor only sharpened his killing intent. Even as the Martial Ancestor retreated to avoid the edge of his power, the Stone Man refused to let him go. His battle strength flooded the heavens, and he pursued through space, raising his fist to strike.

That enormous stone fist pierced the Eternal Unknown, appearing behind the Martial Ancestor with an indescribable might that seemed to reach the very limits of the world.

Boom! The surrounding chaos surged, then collapsed entirely, scattering in all directions. The Martial Ancestor tore at the void, and a strand of an Ancestral God’s soul appeared in his palm, which he cast behind him.

In a flash, figures streaked through the sky. The Otherworld Ancestral Gods who had been chasing the Stone Man and the Yellow Clay Altar arrived one after another, crying out in shock: “Li Huiyou! That’s Li Huiyou!”

The soul the Martial Ancestor had offered was that of the powerful Otherworld Ancestral God Li Huiyou—an avatar, though its consciousness had already been crushed in the Most Evil Place. Yet as a supreme incarnation, its divine power remained immeasurable. The reassembled soul lunged at the Stone Man with savage fury.

Then something shocking happened. The Stone Man’s fist punched straight through, reducing Li Huiyou’s avatar to ash in an instant. The result was devastating.

Clang! The Martial Ancestor spun around, condensing the power of Twelve War Ancestors as if a dozen Ancestral Gods had been born at once, and met the Stone Man in his mightiest blow yet. The sheer impact of that collision was so terrible that even the Otherworld Ancestral Gods reeled in pain, retreating one after another.

To see an Ancestral God’s soul pierced by a single punch, and then to witness the Martial Ancestor clashing head-on with that same Stone Man—it made one realize just how terrifying this foremost martial artist truly was. Perhaps one day his indomitable war body could indeed stand equal to the Stone Man.

Boom! Another earth-shaking impact left the Ancestral Gods’ ears ringing. The Martial Ancestor retreated again, his palms cracked open, blood streaming down. The Stone Man’s supremacy was heaven-defying, beyond compare.

“Go!” the Martial Ancestor said in a low voice. Too many enemies had gathered—all the Otherworld gods, and among them some terrifyingly powerful foes. There was no advantage in staying.

“Leave? Not so easy!” The three Supreme Ancestral Gods had already risen together, their immense pressure vibrating through the Eternal Unknown.

“Seal the Eternal!” The Supreme Ancestral God who had suffered at the Martial Ancestor’s hand now spoke in a voice cold as bone, for in all these ages he had rarely tasted pain—until today. And now he was humiliated.

These three Supreme Ancestral Gods had sat in meditation here for countless years, knowing every corner of this realm. In an instant, they sealed the Eternal Unknown. Above were three Supreme Ancestral Gods; below, a host of Otherworld Ancestral Gods; before them, the invincible Stone Man sweeping all quarters. There seemed no path of survival.

The Otherworld Ancestral Gods watched coldly, making no move to attack themselves—there was no need to risk it when a nearly invincible Stone Man could crush even the fearsome Martial Ancestor.

The Stone Man roared, an engine of war without equal, forcing the Martial Ancestor to retreat. His bellow shook the very firmament.

Then, with a crack, the old Celestial master of the Tianren clan tore through the void and stood before the Stone Man, replacing the Martial Ancestor.

The Martial Ancestor wasted no time. He sat cross-legged before the ninety-nine stone steps, closing his eyes in meditation, fragments of oracle bone diagrams swirling around him.

“A mere broken diagram wants to open the Eternal Land? Impossible!” The three Supreme Ancestral Gods’ voices were colder than ice.

The old Celestial’s form was hazy, wrapped in a white mist. He was not a martial artist; his physical body could not compare to the Stone Man’s. But his divine arts were unparalleled. With a flash of brilliant divine light, he instantly drowned the Stone Man in a sea of sacred radiance.

One who dared to strike at all three Supreme Ancestral Gods at once—the old Celestial master’s methods were naturally profound, his battle experience extraordinary. But this enemy was no ordinary one. The Stone Man shattered the divine light with a single thought, his limbs breaking the Eternal with ease. In one step, he reached the old Celestial, reaching for his chest.

In a flash, the old master vanished, his misty aura merging with the void itself.

Thump! Suddenly, a sound like a heavenly drum echoed. The Stone Man’s body gave a muffled boom, and he staggered, nearly falling.

From afar, the Otherworld Ancestral Gods were stunned. To shake the Stone Man’s body—how great must that divine power be?

Thump, thump, thump! The dull sounds shook heaven and earth. The Stone Man’s body convulsed again and again, as if massive hammers were pounding him, yet no divine energy could be seen striking his stone form.

With a mighty roar, the Stone Man’s body surface glowed with yellow light, like rippling water, instantly cutting off that mysterious attack.

“Powerful!” The three Supreme Ancestral Gods’ eyes glinted with strange light. “Though the Stone Man did not take that final step, he can still sever the past, rendering the old Celestial’s killing strike useless.”

Hearing this, all the Otherworld Ancestral Gods were shocked. The Stone Man was enduring such an attack—it was truly horrifying. The old Celestial master was striking at his past self; had this been any ordinary Ancestral God, they would have perished without a doubt.

Boom! The Stone Man punched through the space before him. The old Celestial master’s face turned pale as he appeared staggering backward, his hands shattered and blood trickling from his mouth. Even as powerful as he was, he could not contend with the Stone Man.

“Weng, ke, a, hou, xiao, duo, zao, dao!”

At that moment, the Eight Origin Sounds vibrated. The Yellow Clay Altar merged with Xiao Chen, releasing the eight heavenly tones that swept out in a blaze of seven-colored divine light, driving the Stone Man back. The old Celestial master quickly retreated.

Roar! The Stone Man’s fury reached its peak. The Yellow Clay Altar was the very cause of his failure to take the final step—an eternal hatred that would span the ages. He hated it with every fiber of his being. He raised his fist and smashed down, his strength shaking heaven and earth. His entire being dominated the Eternal Unknown as he unleashed his full, towering power.

The eight sounds merged into a single note. The Yellow Clay Altar oozed traces of blood, striking the Stone Man with the most powerful sound in all the worlds.

Boom! The Eternal Unknown was overturned. Primeval xuanhuang energy flooded out, and Ancestral God blood stained the sky red. The Yellow Clay Altar was bleeding, blood splashing across the void. Though it possessed the primordial divine sounds, it lacked a proper body and could not withstand the invincible Stone Man.

The Stone Man gave a long howl, stepping forward in a single bound. Both great hands reached out, intending to tear the Yellow Clay Altar apart.

Suddenly, an extremely faint sound—yet one that made even Ancestral Gods tremble to their souls—softly vibrated. The Eight Origin Sounds were sublimated, and the incomplete, mysterious ninth heavenly tone hummed faintly.

Clang! The Stone Man’s hands seemed to be struck by the most terrible blade. His indestructible stone palms cracked open, and strange, vivid red Stone Man blood flowed freely.

Roar! The Stone Man was shocked and enraged. That faint ninth tone had actually wounded him! A hazy yellow light enveloped him, and his hands crackled as they rapidly repaired. Once more, he lunged forward to attack.

The ninth Origin Sound was incomplete; it vibrated only once and then fell silent.

The formation diagram glowed faintly, its power shaking the ages. It rotated slowly as Xiao Chen gave it a violent shake, pressing the formation of limitlessness power against the Stone Man. At the same time, the eight sounds merged once more and swept out, sending xuanhuang energy crashing toward the Stone Man.

Boom! The formation diagram crushed down; the eight sounds vibrated; the power of the Supreme Ancestral Gods surged in a violent collision with the Stone Man. Blinding light flooded that space.

Boom! But the Stone Man was too powerful, too terrible. In that one clash, he rendered the diagram dim and the eight sounds weak, nearly scattering everything. If Xiao Chen had not used his own body to complete the diagram, even his powerful flesh would have been shattered this time.

Boom! Two heavenly marks appeared. A colossal heavenly stele stood in the Eternal Unknown, slamming down toward the Stone Man.

Clang! The Stone Man struck the stele with his bare hands. The heaven-shaking sound rang out; the stele trembled and slowly faded.

“Kill him!” The three Supreme Ancestral Gods saw the formation diagram and the heavenly stele appear together, and their three pairs of eyes shot out rays of devouring light. They shouted at the Stone Man, their reactions fierce. Seeing this, they were determined to utterly annihilate Xiao Chen.

The invincible Stone Man rampaged across the Eternal Unknown, driving Xiao Chen to a dead end.

“Kill!” At this critical juncture, Xiao Chen unveiled a terrifying sword formation he had never succeeded in using before but had always tried to master. He fought with his life, and this time, he finally succeeded. The hazy formation diagram emerged, and Xiao Chen filled it with his own body while fusing thirty war swords into it—something that had never happened before. The war swords and the formation diagram became one, transforming into eternal divine radiance. Xiao Chen stood at its center and charged at the Stone Man.

That brilliant blaze became the only sight before everyone’s eyes; all other colors faded in its presence.

Clang! The terrible sound of their collision made every god feel their divine consciousness splitting apart. The destructive power was unparalleled, and all of them had to reinforce their souls.

Boom! The resplendent divine light surged and then gradually dimmed. The Stone Man, whose power could shake the ages, was covered in several cracked lines—the wounds left by the war swords and the formation diagram! Stone Man blood flowed copiously, staining the sky, and the once-invincible stone being turned his stony eyes on the intruder. Two terrifying beams of light shot forth as he dragged his wounded body into the air, determined to obliterate Xiao Chen.

Clang! At that moment, the old Celestial master struck again, his blow from the void shaking the Stone Man and sending his blood spattering across the sky.

Many Otherworld Ancestral Gods howled and prepared to charge forward together, but the three Supreme Ancestral Gods held them back. The old Celestial master and the others had become cornered beasts—nowhere was more dangerous than when they were pushed to the limit. Only the Stone Man was unstoppable, able to sweep away all enemies.

Roar! The Stone Man’s roar shook the heavens. His body crackled and slowly repaired itself, once again an indestructible stone form. Such a physique could truly dominate the world.

On the Yellow Clay Altar, Xiao Chen nearly turned to ash. The diagram and war swords, when combined, did indeed possess matchless power, but he could barely control them. The supreme force of the sword formation had wounded the Stone Man, but it had also nearly erased him. If not for the Yellow Clay Altar beneath him continuously restoring his shattered battle body, he would have perished here today—either in the sword formation or at the Stone Man’s hands.

“Break!” At that moment, the Martial Ancestor, who had been standing before the stone steps, suddenly shouted. The oracle bone fragments around him all blazed with brilliant light, coalescing into a mysterious ancient formation.

“Go!” The Martial Ancestor called out. The ancient formation shone with divine light, enveloping Xiao Chen and the old Celestial master as their figures gradually blurred.

“Sever!” The three Supreme Ancestral Gods roared, their divine power flooding the heavens as they cut off the Eternal Unknown. At the same time, the other gods saw what was happening and struck, their brilliant divine beams severing the formation’s connection to the outside world.

“None of you will leave today!” The three Supreme Ancestral Gods were pronouncing the death sentence upon the group. “All will be annihilated!”

“Fall back!” The old Celestial master and the Martial Ancestor shouted simultaneously. In that instant, they tore open space, each raising a colossal ancient demon city. With a thunderous roar, the two ancient cities burst into flames, their blinding radiance making all the oracle bone fragments burn with an intensity never seen before.

“You…!” The three Supreme Ancestral Gods all changed color. These two had clearly come prepared—they had refined two entire demon cities, an act that defied heaven itself. Such audacious power was beyond imagination. It was obvious these two ancient demon cities had been intended for the ninety-nine stone steps.

Unable to ascend the steps themselves, they instead made the cities burn fiercely at the foot of the steps, using the two cities’ power to fuel the mysterious strength of the oracle bone fragments. And in their final departure, they meant to shake the very foundations of the ninety-nine stone steps.

Boom! The two ancient demon cities crumbled, their blazing divine flames engulfing the base of the ninety-nine stone steps. The Eternal Unknown shook violently. At the same time, the oracle bone fragments blazed skyward, and the ancient formation carried the Martial Ancestor, the old Celestial master, and Xiao Chen away in an instant. All the gods’ attacks missed, and the invincible Stone Man at the front roared in heaven-shaking fury.

“They have appeared above the Curse Realm. Go and kill them!” The three Supreme Ancestral Gods commanded the host of gods, having sensed the group’s traces. The Stone Man, even keener, had already moved, pursuing them to the Curse Realm.

Great was the chase; the gods gave Xiao Chen’s group no path to survival. With the invincible Stone Man at the fore, they could indeed sweep all before them.

In the abyss beneath the Curse Realm, the seventh heavenly stele swelled to colossal size. An old stone turtle wobbled as he slowly climbed up the stele that stood there. In a flash, the old Celestial master and Xiao Chen appeared not far from the stele.

The old stone turtle finally reached the top, sat down, and calmly waited for the Stone Man.

Boom! The Stone Man’s power was immense. The moment he entered the Curse Realm, mountains and rivers nearly shattered. He rushed over in a single step, and upon seeing the old stone turtle, his stony eyes shot out yellow light. “Who are you?”

“A turtle. What are you looking at with those big eyes? What else would I be?” The old stone turtle replied just as he had when scolding Xiao Chen earlier.

*T/N: The eighth heavenly sound '叨' is pronounced dāo in Chinese, close to the English 'dow'.