The Seven Heavenly Steles Descend

At this moment, seven Heavenly Steles descended from the heavens, pressing down toward the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps. The might was unimaginable—even a Stone King would be terrified!

Each Stele was as tall as a mountain, reaching into the clouds. As they flew in from beyond the sky, rolling waves of oppressive power shook the entire Otherworld, causing it to tremble.

What is undying? What is immortality? In this world, there is no absolute eternity. Mysterious and unfathomable as the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps were, at this moment they could not bear such weight.

Crack… crack…

Great fissures spread across the stone steps. This land of ill omen was fracturing like struck porcelain, covered entirely in fissures.

At the end of the steps, the blood-colored sacrificial altar was stained with Stone Man blood. It bore the brunt of the attack as seven Heavenly Steles fell upon the same spot.

Dong!

Like a great drum struck by a boulder, a dull, heavy sound rang out. The blood-colored altar was crushed by the seven Steles. The Stone Man blood flowed rapidly across its surface, as if alive.

Boom!

In that instant, the thousand-zhang-tall blood-colored altar shattered completely. Under the simultaneous weight of seven Heavenly Steles, even something as sturdy as it could not remain intact. It was utterly destroyed.

Crunch… crunch… crunch… crunch…

Next, the seven mountain-sized Steles pressed down upon the stone steps. The land of ill omen sank continuously before suddenly shattering with a great roar.

Such was the might of the Heavenly Steles! The Ninety-Nine Stone Steps exploded, the heavens split open—but the mysterious stone gate remained preserved.

And at this moment, Xiao Chen was nearly spent. He could no longer control the seven Steles.

"Kill!"

The Otherworld kings were enraged. This series of changes had happened too quickly; none of them could stop it.

They all charged in to kill. Lu Zhan, his fury reaching his crown, directly engaged Pangu King.

Above Pangu King's head, the Heavenly Emperor City floated, inviolable and immune to all laws. Confronting the Stone King's attacks, he remained calm and unhurried. A colossal stone axe swept across the sky.

Hum! The axe blade emitted a terrifying tremor, instantly sending Lu Zhan flying.

"Annihilate them all!" the other Otherworld Stone Kings roared, a line of figures charging forward together.

Shi Zhongdi had been standing by Xiao Chen's side. Now he channeled streams of divine power, quickly restoring the spent Xiao Chen to vigor.

"Rise!"

Xiao Chen shouted. The seven Steles that had fallen to the earth shot up again. Strange patterns emerged on each Stele's surface, radiating hazy light as they pressed down toward the kings.

"Avoid them!" Lu Zhan shouted.

One Heavenly Stele was manageable, but when seven moved together, the momentum was unimaginable. Heaven and earth shook; among the stars in the cosmos, countless orbs fell from the sky toward this vast continent.

"Aaaah—!"

One Stone King was too slow to dodge. The seven Steles crushed down upon him. In an instant, his body shattered, Stone Man blood drenching the land.

Boom!

The powerful Stone King body was ground to dust by the seven Steles, turning to stone powder that scattered in the wind. The blood-red sky was suffocating.

"Withdraw!" Lu Zhan, powerful beyond measure, reached out with a finger that connected heaven and earth, gathering the Stone King's divine consciousness.

"I can't hold on!" Xiao Chen was spent again, but this time he used his last strength to pierce the barrier of the great worlds with the Heavenly Steles, connecting the Otherworld with the Death World.

"Kill!" In that instant, an endless army of white-bone creatures suddenly appeared, charging into the Otherworld in their thousands and millions.

Long ago, the Demon Angel, who had been turned into Xiao Chen's puppet substitute at the Upper Ancestral Lord realm, had been preparing and biding his time. After three cycles of civilization, he had persuaded countless experts from the depths of the Death World. Today, they finally struck!

The million-strong bone army meant little to Stone Kings, but to ordinary Otherworld cultivators, they were a horde of primeval savage beasts.

"Kill…" The battle cries shook the heavens.

The sky was filled with countless figures. The collision of two great worlds brought consequences that were endless.

First came the continuous annihilation of space, then the slaughter of vast armies.

A chaotic world!

Stars constantly fell from the cosmos. This was a realm of utter chaos.

Suddenly, Xiao Chen sensed a great danger, as if a primordial monster had locked onto him.

Chi!

A dazzling beam of light, like a comet striking the earth, tore through the sky and reached Xiao Chen in an instant.

The Stone King Xu Tian had struck!

Hidden among the bone army, he had launched a sudden assassination, arriving before Xiao Chen in the blink of an eye. A white-bone stone jade blade, like a viper tongue, silently slashed toward Xiao Chen's neck.

This was a Stone King's lethal strike. The ambush was so sudden and swift it was nearly impossible to evade.

Especially now, when Xiao Chen was spent and lying on the ground.

Fortunately, the stone pagoda that had been born with him during his nirvana rushed forward at that moment, blocking the white-bone stone blade and shielding him.

At the same time, Shi Zhongdi's great sleeve swept with immense force, sending the entangled Otherworld Stone King flying. His eyes shot out two cold beams, piercing toward Xu Tian.

Xiao Chen caught his breath. After a brief recovery of some energy, he let out a long cry. The stone pagoda before him swelled, falling toward Xu Tian to trap him within.

Xu Tian dodged, his white-bone jade blade flashing like bolts of white lightning.

At this moment, Shi Zhongdi also attacked. His great sleeves fluttered, yet they carried a power that scraped the very marrow from bones. Boundless laws and orders rained down. Stone powder fell from Xu Tian's body in a constant stream.

One could imagine how terrifying Shi Zhongdi's sleeves were—truly scraping the flesh and grinding away the Stone King's body.

Shua!

Xu Tian was extremely powerful. His white-bone jade blade danced as he stepped in strange patterns, retreating three steps before vanishing between heaven and earth. Mysterious laws of order allowed him to escape unscathed.

Xiao Chen sheltered himself within the stone pagoda. His flesh-and-blood body radiated light as the essence of two worlds surged toward him.

Before long, he had recovered most of his energy.

Now the battle raged everywhere. The roars of war shook the heavens.

Though the sacrificial altar had been destroyed, the assembled powers of the Nine Provinces did not retreat. They fought with all their might, coordinating with the endless bone army, about to breach the Otherworld's ancestral forbidden zone.

At the same time, within the light curtain cast by the nine lamps, the radiant Daoist sages and the demonic shadow saints were also locked in battle.

Without waiting for a full recovery, Xiao Chen struck again. He controlled the seven Heavenly Steles, slowly lifting them into the air and pressing them down toward the Otherworld Stone Kings.

The first to bear the brunt was Lu Zhan. His expression shifted drastically as he continuously shifted his position.

Suddenly, Xiao Chen sensed danger. Two stone figures approached silently, avoiding Shi Zhongdi's attack and striking directly at Xiao Chen.

"Young whelps, you're still too green!" Shi Zhongdi sneered. He turned his hand and clouds became rain; with a finger, he shattered space. His ten fingers manifested ten great primal Daos. This was the heaven-reaching art of one called Emperor.

In an instant, his ten fingers became like ten kings, encircling the two Stone Kings within.

"Old undead, your time has passed!" the two kings shouted coldly. "Summon the resentment from all heavens and myriad worlds!"

Shi Zhongdi was startled.

The resentment and baleful energy of all heavens and myriad worlds surged like a flood, all converging toward Xiao Chen.

"We are the Twin Stone Kings. We contributed six parts of the effort to destroy the Ancestral Dragon. It was our combined power!"

"Young whelps…" Shi Zhongdi's eyes blazed with a sinister light.

"Old undead, remember—we are the Twin Stone Kings!" The two instantly fled far away. Repeating the same trick, they drew endless karmic resentment, trying to make Xiao Chen destroy himself by sealing himself with the Heavenly Steles.

Boom! The seven Heavenly Steles shook, seeming to lose control, pressing down toward this spot.

This was not ordinary terror! Seven Heavenly Steles had crushed a Stone King to death. Xiao Chen's primordial spirit felt as if it would split. Endless dread and pressure converged here.

In the past, the Ancestral Dragon had not cultivated the Heavenly Stele Profound Art but had only summoned a single Stele. Now Xiao Chen had summoned seven. If they were reversed and pressed down upon him, he would surely be annihilated in both body and soul, leaving not even ashes.

"Hahaha—!" The Twin Stone Kings laughed, standing in the distant sky, their faces cruel.

"Steal the heavens, change the fate, reverse the ordained destiny," Xiao Chen murmured, barely audible, uttering these eight words.

At that moment, a shadow suddenly rushed out from his primordial spirit—tall, mighty, with a murderous aura that blotted out the sky. It was the brand of the Ancestral God that had been absorbed long ago.

The true supreme Dao method had already been absorbed by Xiao Chen, who had reached the Stone King realm. This brand was now superfluous to him.

"Ancestral God…!"

As this supreme Dao brand appeared, many experts of the Otherworld sensed it. The ultimate Dao rhythm of the great perfection Stone King realm instantly drew the attention of many cultivators.

Especially the descendants of this Ancestral God—they were deeply captivated by this supreme brand, unable to resist.

Clearly, if they could merge and harmonize with it, they could instantly ascend to the ultimate realm.

Shua, shua, shua…

In that instant, at least a dozen figures rushed over. Among them were seven or eight Stone Men—though not perfect Stone Kings, they were still astonishing—and three or four more were experts on the Upper Ancestral God path.

Even the Twin Stone Kings' hearts wavered; they nearly charged over as well, for they too were descendants of this Otherworld Ancestral God.

But the two were extraordinary beings. Their strength had long rivaled their ancestor. They awakened in an instant and shouted, "Everyone, retreat! No one approach!" But it was too late.

Those people were utterly unable to control themselves. It was the brand of their ancestor; for them, it held a fatal allure. Their instincts overpowered their will.

Their primordial spirits automatically flew out with their bodies, seeking to unite with the ancestor's brand!

Xiao Chen's profound art was boundless, its divine mysteries infinite. At this moment, his flesh-and-blood precious body radiated great light. He injected a sliver of his primordial spirit into the supreme Dao brand, channeling all the karma and resentment toward it.

As the dozen or so figures rushed in, that sliver of primordial spirit fled, returning to Xiao Chen's true body.

A dozen experts fought over the supreme Dao brand, and the great perfection Stone King brand, being their ancestor, flew toward them without the slightest hesitation.

Boom!

The dozen fought, each obtaining a part. But in that moment, a cataclysmic change occurred. All the karma and resentment surged toward them.

Rumble!

The seven Heavenly Steles pressed down upon them.

Not one could escape. The supreme might suppressed them, rendering them unable to move.

This was an irresistible force. Even a Stone King could not withstand seven Heavenly Steles.

Amid a series of hair-raising cracking sounds, a dozen bodies crumbled and then turned to ashes.

"Aaaah—!" Several Otherworld Stone Kings roared in fury, their cries shaking the heavens.

All worlds trembled!

Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Chen had sacrificed the Ancestral God brand to annihilate a host of powerful enemies. Everyone's face changed color.

The Twin Stone Kings' faces were ashen, their regret and fury at their peak.

"Young whelps, did you truly think all was within your calculations and control?" Shi Zhongdi appeared soundlessly before the Twin Stone Kings, his Dao techniques boundless. A double-layered stone tower appeared in his hands—the Five Emperor Tower that Xiao Chen had given him long ago.

The two towers separated, pressing down!

Boom!

The Twin Stone Kings' battle prowess was invincible, yet they barely escaped from beneath the Five Emperor Tower. But both were wounded—their flesh scraped and skin peeled, stone powder falling in a shower. Their forms shrank by one size, Stone Man blood splattering.

At that moment, Renmo Ge Qian appeared soundlessly behind them and struck out with two palms.

Bang! Bang!

The Twin Stone Kings, caught off guard, spat blood. Their forms staggered. Then they vanished into the void, fleeing without battle, retreating decisively.

"Kill—!"

The million-strong bone army charged. The assembled powers of the Nine Provinces fought fiercely. Although the Otherworld held an advantage in the number of Stone Kings, the seven Heavenly Steles loomed high above, intimidating them. While contending with Pangu King and Shi Zhongdi and others, they had to remain constantly vigilant, fearing the Steles would descend from the heavens.

Otherworld cultivators' morale plummeted. They retreated in defeat.

Om… Ke… Ah… Hou… Mou… Duo… Zao… Dao…

High in the heavens, the Eight Origin Sounds resonated together. The myriad heavens of a hundred ages shook. The terrifying syllables instantly ground countless cultivators to powder.

A fiery red Dragon Horse, its body covered in crimson dragon scales, with a unicorn dragon head, bore Fuxi as he stood in the sky. In Fuxi's left hand was the Bronze Eight Trigram; in his right, the Stone Taiji Diagram. His countenance was solemn and majestic.

Before the primal energy had divided, chaos was one. Around him, Qian, Dui, Li, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Gen, and Kun—the eight trigrams arranged in the eight directions, mysterious and unfathomable.

Hu!

Endless divine fire came from the distant primordial age. It not only illuminated the age of ignorance but also lit the unknown darkness ahead, as if piercing through past and present.

Suiren's radiance was boundless, dimming the sun, moon, and stars. He appeared on Fuxi's left.

At the same time, another figure emerged—Shennong, who had long lost his physical body. Now his flesh was remade, flesh and blood united as one, standing firmly on Fuxi's right.

Endless Dao rhythms swirled around him. The Dao stood as one, creating and dividing heaven and earth, forming the myriad things. The five grains—rice, millet, foxtail millet, wheat, and legumes—adorned him, forming the radiance of the Dao. A hundred herbs arrayed in the four directions, their divine essence inexhaustible.

And behind Suiren, Fuxi, and Shennong were thousands upon thousands of troops and horses.

The Duting, Baihuang, Zhongyang, Juanxu, Lulu, Lili, Lian, Hek, Zunlu, Hundun, Haoying, Zhuxiang, Getian, Yinkang, Huai… more than a dozen tribes of great armies followed them, pressing forward in their dark masses.

From another direction, the Yellow Emperor rode a yellow dragon, his golden radiance boundless as he appeared among the clouds. Around him were the five great emperors: Zhuanxu, Diku, Yao, and Shun.

Behind them, too, were endless armies. Great banners unfurled, rolling with the clouds.

Cang Jie, Qi Bo, Tian Nu, Feng Hou, Ling Lun, Li Mu, Chang Xian, Da Hong… each commanded a division.

Moreover, Mu Zheng Gou Mang, Jin Zheng Ru Shou, Huo Zheng Zhu Rong, Shui Zheng Xuan Ming, Tu Zheng Gou Long—the five officials of the elements—arranged themselves in the Five Elements array behind the five great emperors.

"So you've summoned even these dead spirits. Truly at your wit's end. Do you really think you are the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors?" Lu Zhan sneered coldly.

With that, he raised his withered right hand and swept it forcefully, saying, "Offer up the First Sacred City of all ages!"

Hearing this, all the Otherworld Stone Kings stood in a row and began to chant an ancient curse.