The First Ancient Capital

Within the First Ancient Capital at the end of the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps beneath the Otherworld’s heavens, demonic clouds blotted out the sun. A colossal beast claw, covered in cyan scales, hammered relentlessly against the Seventh Heavenly Stele.

Sacred flames blazed. Black fire scorched space itself into collapse, as if the entire Otherworld were being refined away. Yet the Seventh Heavenly Stele showed no sign of melting; instead it grew brighter and more坚固 with each passing moment, as if immortal.

“We cannot let him do as he pleases—he will drain the world’s essence dry,” Lang Ya said, his gaze cold and sinister.

“Perhaps we can use its power to open the stone gate at the end of the steps,” Lu Zhan replied with a森然 smile, unperturbed.

The demonic flames never died; essence never faded; divine sources never ran dry. The Ancient Great Power within the First Ancient Capital was determined to dissolve the stele, seize its essence, and absorb its imprints.

“Five Emperors—this stele is deeply connected to you. I will draw forth its divine power, turn it against you, and make you eat your own fruit!” a low roar rumbled, trembling with压抑 excitement. The being had been exiled through endless ages, neither living nor dying, barely surviving, and its resentment was boundless.

From the distant horizon, Lang Ya transmitted his voice to Lu Zhan. Lu Zhan nodded. “Let us try.”

Lang Ya took a single step that spanned ten thousand li, appearing before the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps. “Elder, if you wish to break the stele and absorb its essence, I fear this method will not succeed. Within the sacred stone gate of our realm lies a peerless divine weapon, left by the Holy Ancestor. You could use it to shatter the stele.”

“Do not take me for a fool. Do you think I do not know there is a lonely ghost inside?” the Ancient Great Power within the First Ancient Capital sneered coldly. “Rest assured, I will open the stone gate. But when I do, I shall refine that ghost’s soul-force for my own use. Remember—I am your Ancestor. That ghost is nothing.”

“Bang!”

At the same moment, the colossal beast claw reached out and sent Lang Ya flying with a slap. The Otherworld Founder’s body shot away like a meteor, tearing a vast spatial rift for ten thousand li.

“This infuriates me!” Lang Ya’s face turned iron-gray. His body trembled with rage. His hands clenched until the joints cracked. “Sooner or later, I will turn him to ash!” he hissed through gritted teeth, but dared only to roar with his divine sense, not aloud.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, a thunderous crash erupted, shaking the entire Otherworld.

Hundreds of spatial rifts, tens of thousands of li long, spread open.

“Not good!” Lang Ya let out a long cry and rushed toward the distance.

The Otherworld had four great forbidden zones: the Divine-Demon Region, the Scientific-Technological Civilization Zone, the Ancient Prison Zone, and the Ancient Ancestor Forbidden Zone.

It was the Scientific-Technological Civilization Zone that exploded. That world was collapsing, on the verge of annihilation.

The super arsenal there had been detonated!

It was fully capable of destroying the entire great world. Though the Scientific-Technological Civilization had been sealed for many years, the power it possessed was still enough to make hearts tremble—it had reached a glorious peak.

Annihilation without sound. Positive and negative matter merged and collided. The Otherworld was about to vanish completely.

Lang Ya’s expression darkened. His five fingers spread, and ten beams of sword-light crisscrossed, slashing through the heavens, enveloping ten thousand li around him.

All of this happened in an instant. The Scientific-Technological Civilization Zone had just been annihilated before it could fully spread across the world.

With a single motion, Lang Ya erased the Scientific-Technological Civilization Zone, pushing a hundred-thousand-li expanse into the endless chaos beyond the void.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhan wielded heaven and earth, using endless chaos to fill that hundred-thousand-li void, recreating heaven and earth. Primordial chaos surged, and a原始 realm was carved out anew.

“Not good—we have been tricked!” Lang Ya snorted coldly and turned to rush toward another of the four great regions: the Ancient Prison Zone.

There, countless serious criminals were imprisoned, most of them the strongest figures of the entire Nine Provinces era. After ages of改造, many had become cruel, bloodthirsty killing machines.

Such a force was a powerful combat arm controlled by the Otherworld. If something went wrong, the consequences would be dire.

But it was too late. The Nine Ancient Lamps radiated a soft light, shrouding that region.

Though holy and peaceful, they sealed everything. No one could approach; no one could break through. Even the mighty Lang Ya was blocked by the light curtain.

“No matter,” Lu Zhan said. Though his expression was icy, he was not flustered.

The other two Otherworld Founders personally sat in the Prison Zone. Short of an accident, nothing would happen. Moreover, most of those killing madmen were under their control; betrayal was not a concern.

“Bang!”

Indeed, within the Ancient Prison Zone, a fierce collision erupted. Divine power surged skyward, and many figures soared into the air, engaging in a bloody battle with the Nine Provinces heroes who had come to rescue them.

“Elder, please act!” Lang Ya transmitted his voice to the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps.

Now the Nine Provinces experts had arrived at their doorstep, and they were furious.

“Descendants of the Five Emperors… those tiny insects…”

The Ancient Great Power’s killing intent was boundless, but it did not strike. The Nine Ancient Lamps hung in the sky, and even it found them hard to break. In the previous encounter, it had suffered greatly. Now its body was decaying, and naturally it would not act rashly. The holy light within the ancient lamps seemed capable of destroying its imprints.

Seeing this, Lang Ya nearly cursed aloud. What use was keeping you? You act tough but do nothing when needed. He forced the words back down.

“Elder, can you use your divine power to break through the Nine Lamps’ defense? You need not descend personally—just bombard them,” Lang Ya prompted.

“Is that what you say? Very well!” The Ancient Great Power suddenly roared, shaking mountains and rivers, shattering storm clouds and myriad worlds. The sound-wave was unstoppable, killing without mercy.

Terrifying killing intent swept across heaven and earth, crashing toward the Ancient Prison Zone.

“Dong!”

Brilliant light erupted continuously upon the Nine Lamps’ protective barrier, like a million volcanoes simultaneously erupting, like a billion heavenly rivers cascading down. Light became the only thing there, utterly drowning that place.

“Damn it!” Lang Ya retreated swiftly, cursing in fury.

For around the light barrier, dozens of Otherworld cultivators were instantly killed by that terrible demonic sound—their bodies collapsed, form and spirit both extinguished, not even ash remaining. At the same time, several Super Ancestral Gods, though they evaded the sound-kill, were engulfed by the radiant light and ultimately did not escape disaster.

“Do you see? This is my current strongest attack, and it still cannot pierce the Nine Lamps. Now, I need time to refine the Seventh Heavenly Stele, absorb its imprint, and only then can I remove the lamps and dig the tombs!” came the voice of the Ancient Great Power from the First Ancient Capital at the end of the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps.

As it spoke those words, it frowned—for it sensed upon the stele a stone prison furiously absorbing its divine power, proving difficult to refine.

Lang Ya’s face darkened; he nearly erupted in curses. Lu Zhan, deep and calculating, also wore a sour expression. This Ancient Great Power was clearly warning them, but its arrogance was too much—casually causing several Otherworld Super Ancestral Gods to die from the sonic attack—truly overbearing.

“I do not believe I cannot break this stele!” The Ancient Great Power within the First Ancient Capital drove its divine power onward, determined to shatter the Heavenly Stele.

At this moment, the stone prison within the stele was like a stone egg, nurturing Xiao Chen within, absorbing the external divine power and transforming ceaselessly. But Xiao Chen had fallen into a deep slumber, unaware of all this. His flesh-and-blood body hardened and transformed gradually, growing ever more brilliant.

“Crack, crack.”

In the distant mountains, a colossal teleportation formation shattered. Two demonic bodies manifested, their power extraordinary, cracking the surrounding space. Stone-man blood flowed from their forms.

They were the other two Otherworld Founders, charging out from the Ancient Prison Zone. But they had not managed to bring out all the prisoners—only a batch of terrible killing machines followed them.

The formation—personally consecrated by them—shattered from the strain.

“Pangu King has come!”

These two Founders were not severely wounded, but fury burned in their eyes. Clearly, they had been greatly frustrated.

“How many Stone Kings?” Lang Ya asked.

“Three: Pangu King, Shi Zhongdi, and a member of the Heaven-Defying Clan.”

“Pangu King, come out and fight!” Lu Zhan roared.

Pangu King was their ancient nemesis. Toward the Four Founders, they harbored an indescribable grievance.

“Pangu…” The Ancient Great Power within the First Ancient Capital muttered, as if recalling something.

Now, within the light curtain covering the Nine Lamps, Emperors Yao and Shun and all the great sovereigns had arrived. Chiyou and Xing Tian were also upon the scene. But they held no advantage—the battle was extremely difficult.

Because the Ancient Prison Zone held many serious criminals, most of them past heroes of the Nine Provinces. They could not bring themselves to kill, while the killing machines had no such qualms.

At this moment, Keke and its father had also come. The little beast carried many heavy treasures and, at the critical moment, sent the ancient scroll to Emperors Yao and Shun. The two sovereigns jointly activated the vast scroll. It unfurled to reveal magnificent mountains and rivers within, like a real great world descending. In an instant, they collected a large number of lost experts, lightening the pressure.

But the experts imprisoned in the Ancient Prison Zone had existed for countless ages, spanning many cycles of civilization. Though they had lost themselves and were controlled, their cultivation had not fallen behind; it was terrifyingly powerful. Those imperfect Stone Men, though not as strong as a true Stone King, could not all be sealed within the scroll.

The fierce battle continued. Without Pangu King and Shi Zhongdi suppressing the enemies, the situation might truly have been desperate. Indeed, this Ancient Prison Zone was extremely dangerous. Some Stone Men could trace their origins back billions of years; among them were “Sinners of the Chaos Land” from Pangu King’s own era.

“If this continues, all eighteen layers of the Ancient Prison will be breached, all those killers will be rescued, and the fruits of our millennia of labor will be lost.”

“They have already broken through ten layers. We must stop them.”

The Four Founders could not remain calm.

“The final eight layers are each more difficult to breach than the last. They will pay a price—even if they have Stone Kings!” Lu Zhan said, his voice steady but heavy.

The deeper one went into the eighteen-layer Ancient Prison, the more terrifying the beings imprisoned. Even they were reluctant to employ them casually.

“This will not solve it in the end. Though we can severely wound them, the most powerful killers will also be hurt or taken away—the crystallization of our millennia of effort, which we cannot abandon.” Another Stone King clenched his fist. “It is time. We can destroy them all!”

At this moment, around the four Founders, countless gods had gathered, awaiting orders.

“Boom!”

Just then, within the Otherworld’s great forbidden zone—the Ancient Ancestor Forbidden Zone—dust and smoke surged skyward. A powerful figure shot into the heavens.

Among the four great forbidden zones of the Otherworld, the Ancient Ancestor Forbidden Zone was the most mysterious and terrible. All who cultivated there could claim the title of Ancestor; they were the most promising ancient gods, some of whom had not emerged for many civilizations.

“Good, good, good—our realm has gained another hero,” the Four Founders said, revealing gratified smiles even in this dire situation.

One must admit that the Otherworld’s accumulated foundations were deep. Across several civilizations, it had produced too many terrifying figures. And this man was especially formidable—in ancient times, he had participated in the plot against the Ancestral Dragon. Using forbidden techniques to deceive heaven and conceal the dao, he had channeled the resentment of all beings from over a dozen destroyed worlds toward the Ancestral Dragon, employing the power of karma to turn the Heavenly Stele she had summoned back against her.

Though he was not the mastermind, he had contributed greatly.

At this moment, all the gods looked toward the Ancient Ancestor Forbidden Zone—their greatest reliance, the very foundation of their longevity.

A flash of light. A crimson-haired man appeared before them—a living body very close to the Upper Ancestral God level.

“Good, good, good! Our realm has finally produced someone who will achieve the highest level of the Flesh-and-Blood Ancestral God. In the future, you will surely ascend to the pinnacle and look down upon all powerful beings of the myriad worlds!”

The crimson-haired man bowed respectfully. “All thanks to the Founders’ guidance.”

“…Roar…”

At that moment, from within the Nine Lamps’ light curtain, a dragon’s roar more mournful than any arose. A powerful dragon shadow shot into the sky; the light curtain did not harm him. He transformed into a man, standing upon the curtain, pointing at Lang Ya and the crimson-haired man. “A fair fight—both of you against me!”

It was Ren Mo Ge Qian. His hair bristled with rage; dragon blood seethed. Though he had borne the infamy of ten thousand ages, he had never been so agitated. But seeing the crimson-haired man, he could not restrain himself.

“So it is you, that little dragon whelp. When I killed the Ancestral Dragon, I only lent a small hand. A pity it was not satisfying at the time. Very well—today I will uproot the weed thoroughly!” The crimson-haired man strode forward.

“Little wolf-cub, a wolf raised by a white-eye—I raised you in vain,” Lang Ya transmitted to the crimson-haired man. “Do not go. His cultivation has already become unfathomable; he is no longer someone we can manipulate at will.”

“Very well. I will duel him in divine arts.” The crimson-haired man was obedient. He had ascended to a very high level of the Upper Ancestral God; perhaps he would one day achieve true perfection. Filled with immense confidence, he immediately manifested a divine law, piercing the void toward Ge Qian.

But by now Ge Qian had calmed himself. In battle, he could maintain an冷静 calm and level-headed mentality—even the grief of avenging his mother was temporarily forgotten. He struck out with his own supreme divine law:

“What exists is forgotten—the mundane world, a thousand sights, pass into illusion. What has passed is remembered—a single instant becomes eternal, lingering in the heart.”

These were the divine laws created long ago by him and Keke’s father. In those days, the two had nearly killed Lang Ya. Now, Ge Qian approached perfection in the Upper Ancestral God realm; his power was incomparable to what it had been.

With a pale face, a颓废 and melancholy air, but divine laws that were terrifying beyond measure. Without a sound, the Crimson Ancestral God’s form flickered, slowly fading and vanishing.

“He is closer to the Upper Ancestral God than I…” Those were his final words.

“Boom!”

A thunderclap. He was utterly obliterated, nothing remaining.

Everyone was stunned. An Ancestral God near the Upper level had been erased in a single blow. Ren Mo Ge Qian’s power was shocking.

Lang Ya was about to strike. He had been severely wounded by Ge Qian more than once; his resentment had reached an insurmountable level. But Lu Zhan grabbed him firmly. “No need to act. Today, let them all die—even if we must pay a terrible price.”

At this moment, the gods retreated like water, following the Four Founders into the Ancient Ancestor Forbidden Zone.

“Summon the Holy Ancestor!”

These were Lu Zhan’s cruel, emotionless words. The Four Founders stood upon a colossal altar. Apart from those Ancestors who were in seclusion, all the gods stood in the distance, joining in the silent recitation of ancient incantations.

A vast aura surged from the ancient altar. Time itself seemed to reverse, returning to the Primordial Age.