The Eternal God Emperor and the Demon Ancestor

Chapter 44 The Great Sage's Struggle 3

"Xue Renxian from the Primordial Realm versus Tiankui Sword Saint from the Sword God Realm—the victor is Xue Renxian from the Primordial Realm!"

The golden-armored Saint General stood atop the high platform of the Truth Realm Arena, his proclamation like a thunderclap rolling across a vast expanse of clouds. All the Saints from myriad realms watching from all sides of the arena tensed, their gazes fixed on the proud figure standing in the center. Two hundred and forty-one consecutive victories—Xue Renxian's name had already been etched into the Great Saint Arena of the Truth Realm.

Meanwhile, several Great Saints from the Sword God Realm below the stage used their holy power to envelop the body of the Heavenly Sunflower Sword Saint and hurriedly carried him back to heal his injuries. However, the twenty carts of resources neatly arranged beside the arena, along with hundreds of extraterrestrial slaves whose cultivation had been imprisoned, were blocked by a figure in a green robe, cutting off the Sword God Realm's path to retrieve them.

"Great Sage Qiu! What do you mean by this? These resources and slaves were given to Great Sage Xue by my Sword God Realm. Even if Great Sage Xue does not accept them, it is not your place to interfere!" The leading Great Sages of the Sword God Realm were furious, but they were ultimately wary of the other party's cultivation level and dared not make a move rashly. They could only shout at him.

The one blocking the way was Qiu Cangyu from the Primordial Realm.

He wore a light blue Taoist robe with faint cloud patterns. He was middle-aged, with a tall and straight figure like an ancient pine tree. His face was thin but angular, and three long strands of beard fluttered in the wind. In his hand was a jade whisk, the whisk's filaments refined from the jade marrow of the Emperor's Sacred Jade. It was lustrous and translucent, and when he brushed it, pure Taoist spiritual energy circulated.

Qiu Cangyu lightly twirled his whisk between his fingers, his gaze sweeping over the assembled saints of the Sword God Realm. A faint smile played on his lips, his tone tinged with mockery: "What kind of logic is it to take back something that's already been given away? Has the mighty Sword God Realm fallen so low as to be so pathetic?"

The faces of the Sword God Realm members turned pale and then red. The Heavenly Sunflower Sword Saint was seriously injured and unconscious. The saints were leaderless. After a moment, a Supreme Saint wearing dark gold sword armor and with a deep and dignified aura stepped forward. His holy voice suppressed the agitation: "Great Saint Qiu, this batch of resources was originally a gift from our realm to Great Saint Xue. However, Great Saint Xue had already clearly stated that he would not accept it. Since he did not accept the gift, it is only reasonable for us to take it back to the Sword God Realm."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Cangyu lightly flicked his whisk, turned to look at Xue Renxian in the center of the arena, and laughed loudly, "Oh? Is that so? Sect Leader Xue, did you really say you wouldn't accept the generous gifts offered by the Sword God Realm?"

On the arena, Xue Renxian stood with his hands behind his back, his white robes fluttering in the wind. Unparalleled sword energy swirled around him, his oppressive aura spreading like a mountain and a sea, making the surrounding lower-level cultivators breathless. His gaze was indifferent as he swept over the twenty carts of resources, his voice, though not loud, carrying clearly throughout the arena: "I did say I didn't want these resources. But since Sect Master Qiu is interested, he can discuss it with the Sword God Realm. Resources in this world belong to those of virtue; giving them to whom is the same as giving them to someone else."

These words were tantamount to directly gifting these resources to Qiu Cangyu, which infuriated the assembled saints of the Sword God Realm.

Qiu Cangyu laughed heartily, then turned to look at the Great Saints of the Sword God Realm, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and while his words were polite, his actions were anything but hesitant: "In that case, I will accept this batch of resources without hesitation. I hope that you, the people of the Sword God Realm, will part with them. I suppose the Sword God Realm is wealthy and powerful, with a deep foundation, and it won't be short of these meager sums."

Before he finished speaking, he waved his left hand, and twenty carts of Saint-level resources and three hundred slaves, along with their carriages, were all swept into his spatial artifact and stored away cleanly.

The Sword God Realm members trembled with rage, yet were utterly helpless. Qiu Cangyu's cultivation was in no way inferior to Xue Renxian's. As the current sect leader of the Liangyi Sect in the Kunlun Realm, his Daoist cultivation had reached a transcendent level. Even Zhou Huashenzi, the number one mortal in the Five Elements Observatory, would find it difficult to contend with him. On this Great Saint Arena in the Realm of Truth, Qiu Cangyu had already achieved a 190-game winning streak. Among the Great Saints of the Heavenly Court Realm and the mortal world, apart from Xue Renxian, no one dared to claim they could reliably defeat him.

"Qiu Dasheng is far too domineering! He seizes and plunders by force, disregarding the rules of Heaven and the covenants of the heavens. How is he any different from a bandit!"

A disgruntled shout suddenly rang out, and a young Great Sage in brocade robes stepped out from the crowd. His robes were embroidered with the Black Bird totem of the Great Shang Dynasty. His face was handsome but carried a hint of arrogance and ruthlessness. He was none other than Shang Luo, the Divine Son of the Shang Clan in the Heavenly Realm.

Qiu Cangyu glanced up, his eyes filled with even more mockery: "Who do we have here? It's Shang Luo, the Divine Son of the Great Shang Dynasty. Three days ago, your holy body was shattered by a single punch from the Great Sage Bai. I thought you had already fled back to the Heavenly Realm to recuperate, yet you still have the leisure to meddle in other people's business?"

Shang Luo, the divine son, instantly turned a deep liver color, his anger surging to the top of his head.

Three days ago, the saints of the Primordial Realm arrived at the Realm of Truth. He was ordered by the high-ranking members of the Shang Clan to test the level of the Great Saints of the Primordial Realm. He specifically chose Bai Kuotian, the patriarch of the Bai Li Clan of the Kunlun Realm, one of the leading figures of the Primordial Realm. At that time, he was full of vigor and boasted in public that he would let Bai Kuotian have three moves, but in the end, he became a laughing stock of the heavens.

Bai Kuotian didn't even use any of his divine abilities; with just a single supreme-level holy fist technique, he blasted the man's holy body apart, causing his holy source to tremble and nearly killing him. This battle also allowed the saints of all realms to truly witness just how terrifying the combat power of the top great saints of the Primordial World was.

"Great Sage Qiu, stop reopening old wounds. Everyone here knows that Divine Son Shang Luo was knocked down by Great Sage Bai with a single punch before he could even make three moves, his holy blood splattering half the arena. And now you still have the nerve to come out and uphold justice?" The Great Sage Zhengxing Emperor, the leader of the Seven Star Civilization, clapped his hands and laughed. He had a long-standing grudge against Shang Luo, and seeing him make a fool of himself made him extremely happy. His words were full of sarcasm.

"Zhengxing! Stop spouting nonsense!" Shang Luo retorted angrily, "Bai Kuotian relied on the power of the Supreme Sacred Artifact Gauntlets in his hand, and I, the Divine Son, was caught off guard, which is why I was ambushed by him! If it were a fair fight, the outcome would be uncertain!"

"Amitabha."

A deep, resonant Buddhist chant rang out, and the Xuan Gang Buddha Emperor of the Primordial Realm slowly emerged, clad in a gilded Buddhist robe, his face compassionate. He stood on either side of him, flanked by several Great Sage Bodhisattvas and Arhats from the Western Heaven Buddhist Realm, their Buddhist aura flowing. The Xuan Gang Buddha Emperor looked at Shang Luo and chuckled, saying, "Shang Luo, Divine Son, one defeat is one defeat, a hundred defeats are still one defeat. Worldly rumors and gossip are nothing but fleeting clouds. Divine Son, you'll get used to it after a few more defeats."

"Used my ass!" Shang Luo roared furiously, flicking his sleeve. "Since birth, I have never known how to spell 'defeat'! Bai Kuotian has only won temporarily; sooner or later, I will crush his holy body and avenge myself!"

He then turned to glare at Qiu Cangyu, his voice sharp and stern: "Qiu Cangyu, you forcibly seized resources from the Sword God Realm and deliberately created conflict between the two realms, seriously violating the Heavenly Court's rules and regulations. Even a True Universe God-King must abide by the Heavenly Court's laws. How can you, a mere mortal Great Sage, act so recklessly!"

Qiu Cangyu lightly brushed his duster over his shoulder, completely unconcerned, and said in a flat tone: "I'm sorry to trouble you, Divine Son Shang Luo. If the gods of the Sword God Realm have any complaints, they can go and reason with True Universe Divine Lord of my realm. I am but a mere mortal Saint Realm cultivator. I'm sure the gods of the Sword God Realm are magnanimous and wouldn't stoop so low as to attack someone as insignificant as me."

"You—" Shang Luo, the Divine Son, was furious and about to rebuke him again when suddenly the laws of heaven and earth in the entire Realm of Truth violently fluctuated. The void tore apart like a mirror, and a divine figure that blotted out the sun and covered the sky stretched across the firmament. His body radiated billions of feet of divine light, and he held a scroll of gilded divine decree in his hand. His divine might was as vast as the sea and his divine voice resounded throughout the eight wastelands and four extremes: "Proclaim the decree of the Divine Venerable Mingde: the top one hundred challengers on the Great Sage Arena Challenge Ranking must immediately proceed to the Taiwei Realm Starfield to participate in the Great Sage competition between the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm. There must be no delay!"

These words caused an uproar in the room.

"The Taiwei Realm Starfield? That place has long since become the main battlefield of the gods, its laws shattered, and filled with malevolent energy. Even true gods dare not linger there, so how could they allow us Great Sages to go there?"

"The battlefield previously agreed upon by the Heavenly Court was clearly the outer star field of Kunlun Realm, so why has it suddenly changed?"

"The Venerable Mingde is the chief celestial official of the Heavenly Court. His divine decrees are like the laws of Heaven; to disobey them is to defy the Heavenly Court. Who dares to disobey!"

The Great Sages of all realms were filled with doubt and uncertainty, yet none dared to disobey the decree. In an instant, all the spatial array patterns within the Realm of Truth were activated, shimmering with light. The Great Sages either sent messages to their headquarters or set off in groups. Some activated spatial secret techniques alone to rush to the Taiwei Star Region, while others rushed back to their respective worlds to join the gods of their realms on their expedition.

Shang Luo and other cultivators from the Heavenly Realm, surrounding a True God from the Heavenly Realm within the Temple of Truth, tore through the void and departed. Before leaving, Shang Luo turned back to the saints of the Primordial Realm and shouted fiercely, "Xue Renxian, Qiu Cangyu, remember to send a message to Bai Kuotian: on the Taiwei Battlefield, I will definitely fight him to the death and wash away the shame of the arena!"

Qiu Cangyu and Xue Renxian exchanged a smile, their eyes filled with disdain: "Dominating the world doesn't necessarily produce only the most talented; it's mostly a bunch of ambitious but incompetent fools."

"Sect Leader Xue, it's time for us to set off as well." Qiu Cangyu's smile faded as he looked towards the Taiwei Realm, his gaze grave. "Master and the saints of the Kunlun Realm must have already arrived at the battlefield and set up defenses."

Xue Renxian, his white robes fluttering, gazed at the war-torn star field and said in a deep voice, "This contest with the Great Sage of the Underworld is no ordinary competition; it concerns the status of the Primordial World and its future fortune. If we can kill and defeat those Yuanhui representatives from the Underworld, no one in the myriad realms will dare to underestimate our Primordial World, and no one will say that our Primordial World only relies on the protection of gods like the True Universe God."

Qiu Cangyu nodded and sighed softly: "The Hell Realm is full of heroes and geniuses. Fortunately, the Hell spies and hidden geniuses who infiltrated the Kunlun Realm have been killed by our joint efforts. If those people were still alive, they alone would be enough to give those Great Saints of the Heavenly Court a hard time."

As soon as they finished speaking, the communication tokens in their arms trembled violently, divine runes flowing, conveying the rallying order of the gods of the Primordial Realm. Without another word, the two stepped into the air side by side, their bodies enveloped in holy power, and sped towards the domain gate connecting the Realm of Truth to the Western Universe. Two streaks of light, one blue and one white, streaked across the sky and vanished in an instant.

Guixing, a seventh-level life-bearing star in the Western Universe, is rich in spiritual veins and was once a core territory under the Guanghan Realm. Fifty thousand years ago, during the great war of gods that swept across the Western Universe, the Moon Goddess, the ruler of the Guanghan Realm, mysteriously disappeared, the boundary barrier collapsed, and countless subordinate stars were divided and devoured by the surrounding great worlds. Guixing also fell into the hands of the Soul Realm of the Western Universe. The Soul Realm specially dispatched two True Gods to guard this place. Because Guixing is adjacent to the Taiwei Realm star field, it was designated by the Heavenly Court as the rear hub of the Taiwei battlefield. Troops, supplies, and the wounded all transited through here, and Heavenly Court soldiers and cultivators from all sides could be seen coming and going everywhere on the star.

The Jade Toad Palace was built by the Jade Toad True God, a disciple of the Moon Goddess, for the Moon Goddess.

The Jade Toad Palace, once constructed of lunar ice crystals, stood eight thousand feet tall, its layered palaces shimmering and translucent. When the moonlight shifted, the entire palace was bathed in its gentle glow. The Moon Goddess once preached here, attracting the homage of all spirits, and also debated with the gods of the Western Universe, reaching the height of her glory. But fifty thousand years of change have eroded all that splendor. Now, the Jade Toad Palace is nothing but ruins, its jade pillars broken, rubble scattered everywhere. The moon toad sculpture atop the palace is incomplete, and the Moon Goddess statue in the center of the plaza, though still standing, has long lost its divinity and is covered in a thick layer of dust.

Ling Feng, a member of the Moon Worshiping Demonic Cult in the Kunlun Realm, stood atop the ruins, his black robes fluttering in the wind.

He was an awakened being sealed away in the Kunlun Realm 70,000 years ago. Seventy thousand years ago, he suffered a cultivation deviation during the "Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings," losing control of his mind and committing countless atrocities in the Kunlun Realm, for which he was imprisoned in the Yin-Yang Sea Prison. It wasn't until several hundred years ago, when Ling Che ascended to godhood, that a group of sealed awakened beings were released.

Ling Che spared no effort in cultivating this group of ancient cultivators. Ling Feng was born with extraordinary talent and was on the verge of death when he was suppressed. After hundreds of years of hard work, he has now broken through to godhood. His true god aura is restrained, and only the occasional flash of demonic charm in his eyes reveals his past.

Ling Feng walked slowly to the statue of the Moon Goddess, bowed three times, and performed the ritual with utmost sincerity. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a gentle breeze swept away the accumulated dust of the years. Gazing at the dilapidated palace, he seemed to still hear the ethereal music and laughter of his friends from years past, his eyes brimming with reminiscence and melancholy: "In bygone years, the Jade Toad Palace was filled with guests, and I, along with Brother Yu and others, drank and talked, discussing the Dao and the heavens. Now, all my old friends have perished, and only I, burdened with guilt, survive in this world."

Suddenly, Ling Feng frowned slightly, his divine sense sweeping across the void, sensing three faint mortal auras approaching. He flickered and disappeared into the spatial rift, completely concealing his true god aura without leaving a trace.

Outside the ruins, three figures in plain clothes walked slowly towards the scene.

The old man had gray hair and beard, and wore a faded, coarse linen jacket. He held incense and candles as offerings in his hands, his knuckles rough and calloused. Behind him followed a boy and a girl. The boy, about seven or eight years old, had a tense face and timid yet stubborn eyes. The girl, just learning to walk, had her hair in two buns and clutched the old man's clothes, gazing curiously at the dilapidated palace.

"Grandpa, the immortals of Gisai Kingdom all say that this is a dangerous place where evil gods dwell, and that mortals are not allowed to approach it. Why do we come here to worship every year?" The boy asked softly, holding the old man's hand, his voice filled with childlike innocence.

The old man glared at him, his voice weathered yet tinged with stubborn pride: "What do you know! This Jade Toad Palace was built by my Yu family ancestor himself. My Yu family was once a family of true gods. My Yu family ancestor was a direct disciple of the Moon Goddess. The tiny country of Gisai was merely a territory under my Yu family's control back then!"

The boy's eyes reddened, and he lowered his head, not daring to speak, but his little hands tightly gripped the old man's sleeve.

Seeing this, the old man softened, squatted down, and stroked the boy's head with his rough hands, sighing deeply, "Long'er, you are the last male heir of the Yu family, and the only hope for the revival of our Yu family. Your grandfather brought you here to pray that our ancestors would bestow upon you the Divine Martial Mark. Only by activating the Divine Martial Mark and embarking on the path of cultivation can our Yu family rise again and no longer be bullied by others."

"Don't cry, brother." Little Feng'er toddled forward, stretched out her chubby little hand, and clumsily wiped away the tears from Long'er's eyes.

The old man picked up his granddaughter, a hint of warmth on his face, and said softly, "Feng'er is the best. Your brother is a little man and won't cry anymore."

In the shadows, Ling Feng's divine sense firmly locked onto the three. When he detected their bloodline, his heart trembled: "The surname Yu... this bloodline aura is exactly the same as my close friend from back then! They are actually his descendants! The Yu family, the former rulers of Guixing, have fallen to such a state..."

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, did not show himself, and quietly observed.

The old man led the two children to place offerings before the statue of the moon goddess, lit incense and candles, and the smoke curled upwards. He and the two children knelt down and kowtowed, their foreheads touching the ground, with utmost piety. But the statue had long since lost its divinity, not even a trace of Daoist energy remained, and no matter how the three of them worshipped, it remained deathly silent.

Then, the old man led the two children toward the ruins of a side hall on the west side of the square. Ling Feng's pupils contracted slightly. That side hall was the exclusive dojo of the Jade Toad True God seventy thousand years ago, and also the place where he often gathered with his friends.

The statue of Yuzhen outside the side hall was also dilapidated. The old man led the children to kneel and worship again, chanting incantations and praying for the protection of their ancestors.

Ling Feng sighed inwardly: The divinity of the statue has long been extinguished. The Jade Toad True God had already perished in the great war fifty thousand years ago. How could it possibly protect future generations? These three generations of the family are nothing more than seeking a vain hope.

After a while, the incense and candles burned out, the smoke dissipated, and the statue remained motionless.

The old man slowly rose, his hunched body appearing even more aged. His eyes were filled with desolation and despair as he murmured to himself, "Yue'er was right. Our ancestors have long since perished, and the Moon Goddess has vanished without a trace. She can no longer protect the descendants of the Yu family..."

"Grandpa, it's because I'm too dull that our ancestors didn't want to talk to me. Don't be sad. I'll be good and cultivate diligently from now on." Long'er tugged at the old man's sleeve, comforting him softly, her little face full of self-reproach.

The old man forced a smile, patted the two children's heads, and said in a hoarse voice, "Grandpa isn't sad. As long as you're here, no matter how hard or tiring it is, Grandpa can keep going."

"What a touching scene of love between a grandmother and grandson! It's truly heartwarming!"

A sinister laugh abruptly shattered the tranquility of the ruins. Dozens of thugs dressed in black, wielding steel clubs, stormed into the ruins, surrounding a one-eyed, portly merchant. This man wore a brocade robe embroidered with gold and silver patterns, his left eye was covered by a black cloth, while his right eye gleamed fiercely. His belly was round and bulging. The old man recognized him as Diao San, a wealthy merchant who roamed the land of Gisai.

Diao San pointed at the old man, roaring fiercely with boundless hatred: "Heaven has eyes! I've finally caught the remnant of your Yu family! Your son, Yu Heng, shot me in the left eye with an arrow on the battlefield! Though he died in battle, this hatred is irreconcilable! Today, I will send you three generations of your family to the underworld to pay for his life!"

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of thugs surrounded him with sinister smiles, raising their clubs high. Although their martial arts skills were weak, they were enough to beat the three mortals to death.

The old man's face was deathly pale, yet he resolutely shielded the two children behind him, his withered body standing ramrod straight, his eyes burning with a resolute will to die: "Long'er, Feng'er, Grandpa will risk his old life to hold them off. You two take the opportunity to run to the dense forest behind the mountain and survive! No matter what, you must survive!"

Long'er and Feng'er turned pale with fright, clinging tightly to the old man's legs and bursting into tears. Just as the stick was about to fall, ripples appeared in the void, and Ling Feng's figure slowly materialized in mid-air.

The black robes fluttered without wind, and the oppressive aura of a true god permeated the air silently, as if the air in the entire ruins had frozen. Ling Feng remained expressionless, looking at the villains below, and simply blew a breath.

A barely perceptible breeze swept by, and before Diao San and his dozens of thugs could even scream, their bodies and souls turned to ashes and vanished into the world without leaving a trace.

The old man stood frozen in place, while the child in his arms stared wide-eyed at Ling Feng in mid-air, his face filled with awe and bewilderment. His legs involuntarily went weak, and he knelt down on the ground.