The Sorrow of Fallen Ancestors

Thus, a War Ancestor of the Nine Provinces vanished before him, burdened by unfulfilled longing. The hope of returning to his homeland, to the Nine Provinces for one last look, was forever denied.

"Let the blood of your enemies stain this bow as your funeral offering. I will bring you back to the Nine Provinces…" Xiao Chen spoke these words with cold calm, though the Ancestral God had perished utterly—flesh and soul extinguished, leaving not even a corpse behind. It was a sorrow that pierced the heart. The bow and arrows were the only solace.

His hands gripping the longbow, veins standing out like cords, Xiao Chen clutched the nine arrow shafts with fierce intensity. He longed to find his enemies and loose all nine arrows at once.

"We must go. This place is not safe," the old goat urged and warned.

Xiao Chen had not lost his reason. He understood the present danger. The Otherworld Ancestral Gods were no ordinary foes, especially that White Ancestral God and the unfathomably mysterious figure whose depth could not be measured.

The two moved swiftly through the webbed tunnels of the labyrinth. Along the way they saw several dismembered corpses. In this maze, deadly ambushes lurked everywhere; disaster could strike at any moment.

The rebellious heavenly treasures had drawn everyone’s attention. Each sought to claim them for himself. There were no true allies, only rivals to overcome.

"Ah…!"

At that moment, a cry of terror rang out from a nearby hall. The scream was frantic and horrified, as if driven by extreme dread—and then it stopped abruptly.

When Xiao Chen and the old goat rushed past, they saw a ghastly sight. A disheveled man was gripping a bare-boned arm, gnawing it with bloody teeth. Crimson fluid dripped from the corners of his mouth, staining his stark white fangs a gruesome red.

He was devouring a corpse—obviously a cultivator he had just slain. Between those terrifying white teeth, blood sprayed as bones crunched with a sickening crack.

This was no different from a demon! Too savage, too horrible!

His tangled hair covered his face, swaying with the chewing motion, stained with blood. Two eerie green beams of light pierced through the strands, fixing on Xiao Chen.

A man eating a living Ancestral God! So brutal, so bloody! Xiao Chen found it hard to accept. The celestial realm he had imagined was nothing like this. Such a fiendish being actually existed here.

"Let's go!" The old goat grabbed him and ran. Behind them, a baleful aura surged with blood-light. The disheveled man gulped down the remaining corpse in one mouthful, blood trickling from his lips as he let out a low roar and gave chase.

Was this man or beast, to be so demonic? Unimaginable.

Neither wanted to tangle with this fiend. They weaved through the complex passages, dodging left and right, fleeing ceaselessly. Fortunately, the labyrinth suppressed everyone's spiritual sense and divine power, so the monster could not use dreadful methods to intercept them. Gradually, they shook him off.

"That's a major player!" The wizened old goat shot two sharp beams from his eyes after they had run far. "When you run into livestock like that, you have to avoid them, or they'll just keep coming, never stopping until one of you is dead."

It was truly a vast world where all things exist. Such ferocious beings had come to the Star Palace—it only showed how dangerous the path ahead would be.

"No good, we're being watched!" At that moment, the old goat’s eyes focused on the fork ahead.

"Is it that fiend again?" Xiao Chen had sensed danger too, but his spiritual perception had not yet reached the Ancestral God realm, so he could not identify who blocked them. His awareness came purely from innate instinct.

"No, it's Otherworld people. Like persistent ghosts, they've tracked us all the way and sealed off the fork ahead."

"Good timing!" Xiao Chen gripped the longbow tightly. The death of the Nine Provinces Ancestral God had shaken him. Without slaying his enemies, he could not soothe the departed spirit.

"There are three of them. Be very careful—that white-haired one is among them!" the old goat warned.

The White Ancestral God was indeed a terrifying foe. His Soul-Slaying Broken Spear was unpredictable, targeting the spirit itself—truly a bane for Xiao Chen.

"Fall back first!" Xiao Chen suppressed his impulse and dashed toward another passage. He did not want a direct confrontation; he needed to ambush them, to seize the initiative rather than be forced to fight.

The old goat seemed born to flee. Even before Xiao Chen spoke, he had already bolted ahead, valuing his life above all.

At the fork behind them, the White Ancestral God strode out, his face dark and uncertain, followed by two Otherworld experts.

"They got lucky," one of them grumbled, unwilling to let the two escape.

"You two must learn to restrain your killing intent!" The White Ancestral God’s expression grew harsh.

The two quickly nodded, their demeanor uneasy. Even within the same power, the strong commanded respect.

"We have walked this area several times and know the passages thoroughly. Let's take a shortcut to intercept them."

"Right, from this parallel path we can chase them down!"

Hearing these experts suggest this, the White Ancestral God nodded grimly. "Eliminate the root, and the tree will wither. You take this route—I will take another to encircle them."

As they fled, the old goat mumbled and cast a divination. Chaotic hexagrams appeared between his fingers, gleaming with light.

"Not good—someone is lying in ambush ahead. We need to go around."

Hearing the unreliable old goat's fortune-telling, Xiao Chen was at a loss for words. But as they approached, he was startled to realize that his instinct had indeed sensed danger.

He gave the old goat a sidelong glance. Was this old fellow a true expert, or just a complete fraud?

They quickly circled around that area, then doubled back to find two Otherworld Ancestral Gods hidden in the shadows.

"Kill!"

Xiao Chen drew his bow and nocked an arrow, turning the hunt around. The longbow seemed to have a will of its own, its string vibrating with a sound like a dragon’s roar. The moment the arrow was loosed, the wind and clouds shifted, heaven and earth lost their color. A sky-filling divine flame swept toward the leading Otherworld Ancestral God.

The rotten wood arrow, looking as if it might snap at any moment, drove before it a tidal wave of annihilation. It was like an ocean of fire, with the arrow at its core gathering the essence of flame, drowning everything ahead.

Both Otherworld experts were alarmed, but the rotten wood arrow was impossibly fast and carried a power that could bind space itself. The targeted Ancestral God’s movements became agonizingly slow, unable to dodge effectively.

"Get out of the way!"

The other grabbed his arm, trying to pull him aside, only to find his own movements sluggish, as if trapped in molasses.

"Puff!"

A spray of blood erupted. The rotten wood arrow pierced straight through the trapped expert’s chest, sending scarlet blood splattering everywhere. It painted the face of the nearby Ancestral God a vivid red.

"Agh!" he shrieked.

The other Otherworld expert watched helplessly as his companion’s body shattered into pieces. Then the vast fire surged over, engulfing the area—and he himself was nearly caught in the blaze.

"Truly a weapon once used by a Sovereign. A mere sacrifice was enough to turn it into a holy relic—a rare treasure indeed for ordinary Ancestral Gods." At that moment, the White Ancestral God appeared, his silver hair dancing wildly as he swept at the sea of fire, rescuing the shattered remains.

But then he frowned. The rotten wood arrow had exploded, releasing an inextinguishable black flame. The broken pieces burned fiercely, the Ancestral God’s spirit rapidly consumed by the fire.

"Lord, save him!" the Otherworld expert beside him cried in alarm.

"Save me…" The injured expert reached out with a charred hand, but his body was already turning to paste.

"Bang."

When the arrowhead finally burst, his physical form and bound spirit both shattered completely. Then, in the flames, they turned to flying ash.

The rotten wood arrow, so worn and decrepit in appearance, wielded such terrifying power!

"We can’t let him loose a second and third arrow! This treasure is very important to us—we must obtain it!" The White Ancestral God’s eyes narrowed into sharp beams, staring into the depths of the passage ahead.

Xiao Chen did not shoot a second or third arrow. Instead, he chose to flee with the old goat, sensing that the White Ancestral God might not be easily slain.

On the way, he looked at the remaining eight rotten wood arrows with growing awe. What a fearsome treasure! But each use consumed one arrow, and they could not be replenished.

"Such a weapon that defies heaven’s harmony cannot last forever. That it has survived until now is a blessing, but once it leaves its sheath, it is destined to vanish," the old goat said with the air of a transcendent master. Then he ruined it: "Kid, don’t forget—three of those are mine! If you use them up, you’ll have to compensate me."

"Rustle, rustle."

While speaking, the old goat cast another random divination. "Go down that path—it’s safe and gets us closer to the rebellious treasure."

"Is that hexagram of yours reliable?" Xiao Chen looked at him doubtfully, finding everything about the old goat thoroughly untrustworthy.

"Should be fine. I’ll cast another one just to be sure."

Xiao Chen was speechless. And this time he clearly saw that the old goat wasn’t doing any divination at all—he was just moving his fingers and making it up as he went!

Soon enough, the old goat’s guesswork was disproven. From ahead surged a fierce, baleful aura. The disheveled man stood blocking the path, traces of blood at the corners of his mouth, white teeth showing, eyes glowing green.

"Damn! We hit the jackpot! Run!" The wizened old goat was surprisingly nimble. He shot backwards and bolted away.

"Where do you think you’re going?!"

From behind, the White Ancestral God appeared, barring the retreat. His towering figure loomed like a wall, white hair wild, his gaze cold and sinister as he stared at the duo.

A tiger before them, a wolf at their backs—they were trapped in the corridor.

"Don’t be rash! I am Shi Zhongdi’s sworn elder brother! One wrong move from you, and the entire Otherworld celestial clan will be wiped out!" The old goat suddenly swelled with confidence, shouting at the White Ancestral God.

"At death’s door, and still spouting nonsense! Even Lishi Beast and Stone Corpse wouldn’t dare say such things. Who do you think you are?" The White Ancestral God’s sneer was icy cold as three Soul-Slaying Broken Spears materialized before him.

With a low growl, the disheveled man also launched a pounce.

Xiao Chen drew his bow and nocked an arrow, ready to intervene. He had the Divine Diagram and the Ancient Scroll prepared in secret.

"Look here!" At that moment, the old goat tossed out a stone token. "This is the Stone Commander Token."

The White Ancestral God caught it and immediately showed shock, barely able to believe his eyes. "How is this possible?! This really is the Stone Commander Token…"

"Move!" The old goat grabbed Xiao Chen and dashed past the White Ancestral God.

Murderous intent flickered in the White Ancestral God’s eyes. The three Soul-Slaying Broken Spears trembled a few times, as if they wanted to pierce through, but he restrained himself. He could not even kill them to silence them—the terrifying man across from him had witnessed everything.

Xiao Chen was also deeply surprised, looking at the old goat with uncertainty. "Are you really Shi Zhongdi’s brother?!"

"Of course! But that token was fake!" the old goat muttered.

"Fake?!" Xiao Chen was speechless again. The old man’s identity must be false too—but a fake could fool the White Ancestral God?

Behind them, the White Ancestral God was enraged. The token in his hand had shimmered like water and vanished into nothing.

"How can this be?! It felt real a moment ago…" His eyes spat fire as he wanted to chase Xiao Chen, but the ghoul had already struck at him.

"My lifetime hobbies aren’t many—cheating, stealing, trickery, theft—I’m quite skilled at them," the old goat said without a trace of shame.

"Swoosh!"

A cold sword beam sliced through, cutting off the old goat’s words. Besides the White Ancestral God and the mysterious Otherworld expert, the other three Otherworld experts had gathered together and blocked their way.

"Stop! Don’t run, or we’ll kill her right now!"

Three Otherworld experts joined forces to seal a woman, pulling out her spirit and preparing to extinguish it at any moment. She was the fourth Ancestral God from the Nine Provinces who had ventured into the Sun Star Palace—now captured.

"It was that mysterious Ancestral God who took me. You must leave quickly—he will be here soon… He is…" This woman was clearly very powerful, not someone ordinary could capture. She was revealing an important piece of information.

But the mysterious expert had sealed everything within her. The three behind her pinched her spirit, shattering part of it, and she let out a scream, her transmission cut off.

Xiao Chen’s eyes flashed cold light. The old goat pulled him back. "Go! We can’t be threatened."

"If you dare take one more step, we’ll destroy her on the spot. This is not some other place—this is the former Sovereign’s Star Palace. All divine power and spiritual perception are suppressed here. If we shatter her divine sense, she will never re-form!" The three Otherworld experts laughed coldly, then continued: "We will not force you too hard. Just leave the remaining eight arrows, and you may go. We will release her."

"Fine!" Without hesitation, Xiao Chen threw eight arrows to the ground. "Now release her!"

"You back off first. Let us pick up the arrows." The three clearly did not trust Xiao Chen.

"No! We can’t believe them!" the old goat shouted.

But Xiao Chen ignored him and pulled the old goat back.

The three stepped forward and seized the eight arrows. Then they revealed cold smiles. "Very well, we’ll release her now." Having said that, the three struck together, aiming to erase the female Ancestral God’s consciousness.

But suddenly, one of the arrows trembled lightly. A primordial demon city manifested, enveloping them. For an instant, their movements were sealed.

With a thunderous roar, the primordial demon city shuddered violently. But even it was suppressed here, unable to unleash its full power. The binding lasted only a moment before failing.

However, Xiao Chen had already rushed forward. He rescued the female Ancestral God, and the eight arrows returned to his hand at the same time.

He raised his hand, about to crush the three, using this rare opportunity to destroy them.

Suddenly, the female Ancestral God of the Nine Provinces struck at him.

"Bang!"

The old goat beside him made a timely move, blocking the blow for Xiao Chen.

"You…!" Xiao Chen was both shocked and furious.

"Her consciousness has been taken over by that mysterious expert!" The old goat quickly explained, fending off the female Ancestral God.

At that moment, the primordial demon city shook again, and the three Otherworld experts escaped.

With the White Ancestral God not present and the mysterious expert’s true body absent, Xiao Chen no longer hesitated. He drew his bow and loosed three rotten wood arrows in rapid succession.

Three rainbows burst forth with dazzling brilliance, like three Ancestral Dragons charging forward. Boundless killing intent and endless flames drowned everything ahead.

The Sovereign’s former weapons were not suppressed in this hall—this was their origin place, and they could unleash their greatest might.

"Puff!" "Puff!" "Puff!"

Terrible sounds followed. Three miserable shrieks rose in the corridor.

Blood spattered. Not one of the three arrows missed. They pierced through the three from behind, drilling deep into their bodies.

Scarlet blood sprayed, staining the passage red. The three bodies shattered in an instant, and a great fire surged, burning them swiftly to charcoal.

When the arrowheads burst, divine light erupted again. The bound consciousness of the three was destroyed along with them. Three Otherworld experts turned to ash.

This weapon was truly terrifying! It defied heaven’s harmony. Each kill consumed an arrow, and every use meant one less. They could not be reused.

Xiao Chen stroked the longbow and spoke softly: "Four have already been slain. Two more remain. I will let you witness it, and then I will bring you back to the Nine Provinces."

Light flashed. The White Ancestral God burst from the far end of the passage, just in time to see the final result. His expression turned cold and furious.

"Go!"

By now, the old goat had restrained the taken-over female Ancestral God. He hoisted her onto his shoulder and ran, with Xiao Chen close behind.

No matter how they twisted and turned, they could not shake off the White Ancestral God.

As the old goat rounded a corner, he suddenly crashed into someone with a heavy thud. Dazed and dizzy, he toppled over, and the bound female Ancestral God fell to the ground as well.

"Hey, lady, couldn’t you pick another spot?" The old goat groaned as he climbed to his feet. "Your body’s not even soft—too hard!"

But then his face fell into a grimace, and his words died in his throat.

When Xiao Chen rushed over, he was shocked. A female Stone Man stood with her back to them, a stone lotus tucked into her hair.

Lotus King!

It was the powerful Lotus King imprint! She turned slowly.