Lu Zhan and the Stone Crow

Primordial giant mountains stretched in an unbroken chain, peaks towering over the land for millions of li in every direction. Here, in this wild洪荒 region, ancient trees stood like colossal umbrellas, their boles ten thousand, a hundred thousand years old, their crowns so vast they dwarfed the mountains themselves, blotting out the sun and covering the earth for dozens of li.

Lu Zhan sat motionless, cross-legged on that primordial demonic mountain. He exuded not the slightest breath of life, as though he had sat there in meditation since the dawn of time, having become an undying stone statue.

A powerful Stone Man King—an Ancestor! Hundreds of millions of years ago, he had swept across the heavens, invincible wherever he went, fighting through myriad worlds without a single defeat. Having survived until the present day, he was the living fossil of living fossils. The giants of the Celestial Realm were nothing more than juniors before him.

No one could deny that the Otherworld's unbroken legacy in the Celestial Realm was inseparable from the existence of such a peerless War King as Lu Zhan. In ages past, as long as the rumor persisted that they had not been destroyed, no Celestial Realm giant dared to truly annihilate them.

Over ten thousand years ago, the Four Ancestors of Lu Zhan had burst forth from the void, shaking all the heavens and myriad worlds! Their very existence—even without lifting a hand—carried a crushing deterrent force.

After that war ten millennia past, the Otherworld faction's power in the Celestial Realm grew with each passing day. No one dared to act against them lightly, and they expanded swiftly.

“Ya ya…” Keke was very confused. Her long lashes trembled softly; her large eyes were filled with bewilderment. She glanced doubtfully at Lu Zhan, then back at Xiao Chen.

“Don’t move.” Xiao Chen stopped the restless little beast. There was no way they could contend with Lu Zhan. An intact living fossil of this caliber represented the pinnacle of current power—an invincible existence.

Fortunately, the Pangu Stone Token was with them, and both Xiao Chen and Keke had reached the realm where an Ancestral God could take one more step forward—enough to conceal their auras.

“Greetings, Ancestral Founder!” A Nine Heavens Ancestral God arrived at the summit of the demonic mountain, performing the great ritual with utmost reverence and devotion. It was clear he acted from the heart, not as a pretence.

The primeval demonic mountain, towering over ten thousand zhang, was wreathed in band-like black clouds. Several enormous ancient vines coiled from the mountainside all the way to the summit—thick as great rivers, gnarled like horned dragons, their green divine leaves flashing with light.

Lu Zhan sat at the very center of the summit, surrounded by those ancient vines, his entire being merged with the mountain, as if also one with this desolate range.

“How goes the matter?” Only after a long silence did Lu Zhan speak, his voice slow.

He was a stone body—an invincible king’s flesh—infinite power to shatter heaven and earth hidden within, yet at this moment he seemed no different from ordinary rock.

“Reporting to the Ancestral Founder: though we have inquired far and wide, we have obtained little. All parties remain tight-lipped.” The Nine Heavens Ancestral God knelt prostrate.

Lu Zhan remained utterly motionless; after a long while he gave a faint ‘mm’, as if he had entered meditation.

The Nine Heavens Ancestral God hesitated briefly, then continued: “However, when I went to the secret lands of the Demon Clan and tested that Primordial Calamity Star, I detected a trace of the unusual.”

“Oh? You went to test that crow?” Lu Zhan’s stone eyes cracked open a slit, and two terrifying golden beams shot forth. The pitch-black clouds roiling at the mountain peak seemed to be struck by twin lightning bolts.

That overwhelming aura spread across heaven and earth, as if all the stars in the firmament were trembling, simultaneously crashing down—a cataclysm, a world-ending terror!

Dominance! Utter, overwhelming dominance! That was the feeling Lu Zhan gave. Motionless, a mountain; in motion, he swept away all obstacles with irresistible force, his aura shaking the stars, his might intimidating all the heavens.

“Ancestral Founder, forgive me…” The Nine Heavens Ancestral God was like a small boat on a furious sea, his body trembling amidst the towering waves. He spoke quickly: “This junior made extensive inquiries but found nothing. Unwilling to accept defeat, I took the audacious step of testing him, to see if he might have intelligence on the matter.”

Lu Zhan sat cross-legged on the summit, silent. The two fierce golden lights in his half-opened eyes did not fade.

“Following your warning, Ancestral Founder, I did not recklessly provoke the Calamity Star. I considered carefully before visiting, using the Chaos Banana as an excuse to probe. I discovered that the Flame Cave was utterly silent; within the three-foot stone coffin, the crow lay as a corpse, with no trace of spiritual fluctuation. I suspect that Calamity Star may have run into trouble.”

Xiao Chen was startled. This Nine Heavens Ancestral God had used the Chaos Banana as a pretext; his true purpose was to probe—what exactly was he investigating so intently?

The Nine Heavens Ancestral God quickly finished speaking, then lowered his head, remaining prostrate without daring to move.

Only then did the seated stone statue slowly withdraw the piercing golden light from his eyes, closing them to resume his calm, pool-like stillness.

“I know you are clever, but the Stone Man Kings who rose to fame before the Primordial Age all possessed heaven-defying methods. In the future, you must never take such risks again.” Lu Zhan’s voice was cold and emotionless.

“Thank you for your protection, Ancestral Founder. This descendant will remember your teachings.” A powerful Nine Heavens Ancestral God, before Lu Zhan, was as timid as a child caught in error, for he had just felt an incomparably crushing pressure—a might filled with despair.

“That crow, its corpse lying cold, its divine thought vanished…” Lu Zhan muttered to himself, pondering silently.

The Otherworld Ancestral God of the Nine Heavens waited a long time before cautiously speaking again: “Ancestral Founder, perhaps that Primordial Calamity Star truly has met with trouble…”

Lu Zhan nodded. “Based on what you sensed—the cold corpse lying in the stone coffin—he may indeed have problems. But this Calamity Star did not earn his name for nothing. I will consider this matter myself. You may go.”

The Nine Heavens Ancestral God slowly stepped back several paces, then turned and strode away.

“Remember, if danger arises, crush the divine jade I gave you. I will manifest in the first instant to save you.”

“This descendant understands! Thank you for your protection, Ancestral Founder!” The Nine Heavens Ancestral God bowed respectfully again before departing into the distance.

Xiao Chen had originally planned to pursue and kill this man immediately, but now he furrowed his brow.

Keke fidgeted restlessly. The little beast knew she could not act rashly. She muttered discontentedly and cast an unwilling glance at the departing figure.

“Follow him, but do not make a move. You saw—killing him would provoke that old stone.” Xiao Chen gave his instructions.

Keke nodded, her large eyes filled with obedient expression. Under Xiao Chen’s cover, she withdrew from this place and pursued their target. Xiao Chen himself remained behind.

Shua!

At that moment, Lu Zhan tore open the void with a single rend. Around his demonic claw, black mist surged; a colossal spatial gap yawned, dark and bottomless.

He plunged into it like a ghost, vanishing in an instant.

Xiao Chen was startled. He thought for a moment where he stood, then shot across ten thousand li of the sky, arriving at the Flame Cave in the blink of an eye. Throughout the whole process, he used the Pangu Stone Token to conceal his aura.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the Flame Cave was extremely tense. The Chaos Banana hung across the sky, shrouded in mist, yin and yang energies swirling—a sight that shook the soul itself.

At the same time, the Stone Crow transformed into a streak of black light, shooting into the heavens. Around it, black flames roared skyward; an overwhelming aura shook heaven and earth. The primeval mountain range below trembled violently, leaves and branches flying, while clouds from all directions scattered completely.

At this moment, the Stone Crow showed extreme dominance—its original form was no longer visible. It had become a black sun suspended above the Chaos Banana, intimidating the eight wastelands!

“Which friend has come? Hiding your head and concealing your tail—why not come out openly and show yourself?” The Stone Crow’s words were cold, echoing as if from the halls of Yama, a stark contrast to the blazing black flames around him.

Lu Zhan, concealed in the shadows, did not move. He stood atop a great mountain thirty li away, as still as a pool, all life force concealed—no different from an ordinary rock.

With his powerful divine sense, he naturally could probe the true body of the Stone Crow within that black sun. After watching for a long time, he grew uncertain.

“A stone body giving birth to black feathers…” His pupils contracted as he pondered deeply. “Broke through by force? Perhaps this is why his physical condition has gone wrong.”

Boom!

At that moment, a beam of fire essence shot forth from the black sun, streaking like a meteor and striking the mountain in a flash.

Lu Zhan vanished in a streak of divine light, gone in an instant.

Where the fire essence touched, the great mountain turned to ash without a sound. A gentle breeze swept away what remained.

Such was the terrifying might of a Stone Man King. The divine mountains left from the Primordial Age, infused with the essence of heaven and earth, were extremely hard for ordinary cultivators to smash even a single stone from. The ancient trees atop them, tens of thousands of years old, had long gained intelligence and merged with the sacred mountains, making them as solid as diamond. Yet this single strike annihilated them all.

From the sky, the black sun drove the Chaos Banana like a chariot, leaving a long trail of black heavenly fire that scorched the sky as it charged forward.

However, Lu Zhan’s divine light escape technique was unmatched in the world; he had long vanished.

“Divine Light Escape Technique—truly a relic from before the Primordial Age…” The Stone Crow’s eyes shot two gloomy beams; his expression turned ugly.

“Listen, you in the shadows: get as far away from the Celestial Realm as you can. If I lock onto you, I will make you wish for death but find none!” Such was the dominance of the Primordial Calamity Star, daring to speak thus even knowing he faced a terrifying expert from before the Primordial Age.

Lu Zhan stood with his hands behind his back atop a divine mountain a thousand li away. He frowned. Originally, he had indeed been reluctant to provoke that Stone Crow, who also possessed the ultimate speed technique. If entangled, it would mean an eternal, unending feud.

But now he wavered.

“Has he truly run into trouble or not? If so, refining his form and spirit will surely help me take another step forward…”

Yes, the mighty Lu Zhan was eyeing the Stone Crow as prey, seeking to kill him!

“You wish to kill me?!” The Stone Crow seemed to sense this intent. He laughed in fury, scanning the ten directions. His eyes shot two dazzling golden beams that instantly swept across this entire洪荒 region.

“Little Stone Emperor of the Primordial Age—a mighty lord—tried to kill me, yet I still evaded three tribulations and six calamities and live to this day.” His stone eyes blazed with cold divine light, transforming into tangible substance that pierced through one ancient mountain after another, seeking the hidden foe. “Today, if you dare face me in battle, and I do not extract your soul and refine your body, I will withdraw from the Primordial Celestial Realm forever and never emerge again!”

Arrogance! Overweening arrogance to the extreme!

The Stone Crow surveyed the world with contempt, standing proudly in the sky, looking down upon the vast洪荒 earth with an air of being the only lord under heaven.

Lu Zhan now hesitated. He could not determine whether the Stone Crow truly had problems. If his body and blood essence were dried up, how could he dare to act so imperiously?

After a brief pause, he vanished into thin air, fleeing in an instant. He never engaged in a battle without certainty.

Not that Lu Zhan feared the Stone Crow, but he never took risks. In terms of absolute combat power, Lu Zhan had been a renowned figure even before the Primordial Age.

Xiao Chen, hidden in the shadows, knew the Stone Crow was bluffing. If he could not scare Lu Zhan off, the Stone Crow would surely fall today—no one could save him, for an Ancestral Founder-king striking left no one able to resist!

The Stone Crow stood in the air for a long time. Finally, he gave a heavy snort and returned to the Flame Cave.

Xiao Chen unfolded the Eight Aspect Extreme Speed, shooting across the vast heavens to the ancient demonic mountain where Lu Zhan had hidden earlier.

A distance of a hundred thousand li—with his Eight Aspect Worlds divine ability now perfected, it was like a leisurely stroll; he arrived in a flash.

But the towering ten-thousand-zhang demonic mountain was empty. Lu Zhan had not returned. Xiao Chen’s face changed. That old fossil must have suspected something; he had not truly retreated.

“A heavy-minded, suspicious old fossil…” Xiao Chen flew back at top speed.

At that moment, inside the Flame Cave, the old skull reformed a skeletal body and appeared silently among the desolate mountains, as if searching for something. Finally, he shot into the sky.

Two shafts of eerie green light from his eye sockets swept across the earth. Then he gave a cold sneer: “You got lucky.”

Xiao Chen witnessed this scene. He was secretly astonished—the ancient fossils were indeed crafty. This old skull was clearly cooperating with the Stone Crow in a play; both living fossils felt the crisis and were using this charade to intimidate their foe.

Indeed it was so. Lu Zhan, on a mountain five hundred li away, felt a chill of fear. He had never expected there to be two ancient living fossils in this place.

He no longer hesitated. Activating the Divine Light Escape, he vanished into thin air. This time he retreated completely, his suspicions resolved.

Yet even so, Xiao Chen was not reassured. He followed until he was certain Lu Zhan had truly returned to his original demonic mountain before relaxing.

At that moment, Lu Zhan sat cross-legged on the mountain peak, meditating with eyes closed, muttering: “A deliberate trap, meant to lure me over and kill me. Did they know I had come to the Celestial Realm? Who is the other person…”

Xiao Chen could not help but admire the old skull and the Stone Crow. Clearly in a period of decline, they had actually bluffed the dignified Ancestral Founder Lu Zhan into suspicion and terror.

Soon after, Xiao Chen swiftly returned to the Flame Cave.

“You came back at the right time, kid. We were just about to move out.”

“I saw what happened earlier…” Xiao Chen informed the two living fossils about Lu Zhan’s appearance in the Celestial Realm.

“Him!” The Stone Crow laughed coldly. “Once I recover, I will settle accounts with him!”

“The Otherworld has four Ancestral Founders,” Xiao Chen reminded.

“Even if there are eight, what of it? When I want to kill someone, I never care about numbers—it’s war to the death!”

Hearing this, Xiao Chen secretly congratulated himself for having resolved his enmity with the Stone Crow. This lord was not one to provoke lightly—once angered, he became a lifelong, deathless enemy.

“Where will we move?” the Little Defiant Dragon asked.

The tiger demon beside him trembled in fear, inwardly cursing his luck. These people were too terrifying, and the ones they provoked were even more chilling—they belonged to a completely different world from him.

“To that so-called Ancestor of the Demon Clan.” The Stone Crow seemed very reluctant.

“Senior, aren’t you the legendary Demon Clan Ancestor living in seclusion in this sacred land spanning millions of li?” Sha Polang asked while flattering.

“There is someone else…” The Stone Crow seemed very unwilling to admit this, answering with cold indifference.

Sha Polang shrank his neck and said no more.

The tiger demon was even more shocked. The legendary Ancestor of the Demon Clan who lived in the sacred land turned out to be someone else entirely, not this Stone Crow.

“Senior, has something momentous happened in the Celestial Realm?” Xiao Chen asked the Stone Crow, because he felt the Otherworld Nine Heavens Ancestral God must have been gathering extremely important information.

The Stone Crow frowned. “Why do you ask?”

“Because Lu Zhan was investigating this news.”

“The exact location of the legendary Little Stone Emperor’s tomb seems to have been discovered.”

“What? Which Little Stone Emperor?” The old skull was immediately shocked.

“The Little Stone Emperor, naturally—the mighty lord of the Primordial Age who intimidated all the heavens.”

Not long ago, when facing a powerful enemy, the Stone Crow had mentioned the Little Stone Emperor. Now, bringing him up again made one desperate to know everything about him.

But the Stone Crow said nothing more. He only muttered to himself: “How did he fall back then…”

“I will recover soon enough!” Finally, the Stone Crow’s eyes turned icy.

“Senior, when you recover, I will certainly lend you my aid.” Xiao Chen told him about the Nine Heavens Ancestral God.

The Stone Crow’s and the old skull’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Excellent. We need not wait until we recover. We can kill that Nine Heavens Ancestral God directly. When he crushes the divine jade in his hand, letting Lu Zhan manifest, we will have already set up a deadly formation beforehand—and grind him to death!”