Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1667 - 896: Born of the Same Root (Part 2)

In less than a single breath, a portal materialized before her. Li Changxue, clutching a scroll in her left hand and a sword in her right, strode through the opening and was instantaneously transported to the heart of a crimson Grotto Heaven.

On the other side, Zhao Xuanjing acted with a mere thought, and boundless Profound Yellow Qi erupted from the void. It coalesced into innumerable stone pillars that plunged into the mountains, profoundly stabilizing the spiritual energy of the Cave Heaven's space-time.

Zhao Xuanjing's mastery over the Earth Element Dao dwarfed Zhao Dashan's, enabling him to effortlessly govern the Chongyue Cave Heaven.

With his intervention, the Pocket World Spirit Core was rapidly refined to an initial stage, and the Four Saints Divine Split emerged from the Grotto Heaven, retreating into slumber once more.

...

Two blossoms unfurl, each symbolizing a distinct pathway!

As Old Ghost Wanxing retreated hastily towards the Desolate Wall Settlement, both the Yinglong and Candle Dragon divine beasts registered the event simultaneously, both impelled by an urge to withdraw.

However, a crucial difference persisted: while Yinglong possessed the capacity to engage two opponents at once and still maintain the option to escape,

the Candle Dragon found itself in a far more dire predicament, utterly incapable of fleeing even if it so desired.

Within the Red Moon Cave Heaven, an unsettling crimson full moon hung suspended in the heavens, its eerie luminescence bathing the Grotto Heaven and shrouding the landscape in an unending shade of blood.

This pervasive crimson hue was a manifestation of the Power of Death Law, imbued with unimaginable potency.

At this juncture, Zhao San Yue's hair had succumbed to grayness, fine wrinkles had begun to etch themselves across her visage, and her once youthful and elegant form now exuded a subtle aura of senescence.

Lurking within the depths of the crimson expanse, shadowy forms writhed, occasionally revealing colossal, dark masses. From these abyssal depths, one-eyed Candle Dragons, stretching tens of thousands of feet in length, would surge forth, relentlessly attempting to reintegrate with other Candle Dragons.

Yet, each time they coalesced into a single, gargantuan Candle Dragon, a piercing arc of Sword Light descended from above, cleaving it once more into 'four or five pieces.'

From the moment the Candle Dragon was subdued by her solitary efforts until the present, in the span of a mere half-cup of tea, Zhao San Yue had already unleashed her blade six times.

The Candle Dragon, having been split six times, saw each severed portion promptly transmute into slightly smaller 'Shadow Candle Dragons.' Each transformation unleashed immense darkness and spurred renewed attempts at re-merging.

The Candle Dragon was a Venerable of the Tribulation Crossing Realm, its might considered unfathomable.

Even mobilizing the Grotto Heaven's complete power proved insufficient to halt its 'rebirth'; it served only to decelerate the pace of its 'regeneration.'

Following the sixth decimation, Zhao San Yue's hair had turned entirely white, her eyes had become clouded, radiating a profound aura of mortality, signaling that her lifespan was irrevocably drawing to a close.

'Alas, Ancestor... Yue'er has exerted her utmost effort! I... I can only muster the strength for one final strike.' Zhao San Yue lamented internally, unable to suppress a weary sigh.

Her gaze fell upon the Shadow Candle Dragon, churning the vast darkness, as she once again grasped the hilt of the Time Blade.

It was at this precise moment that Zhao San Yue's expression suddenly brightened with apparent relief. Hastily raising her hand, she made a grand gesture, and a towering portal, easily a hundred feet in height, materialized from thin air at the Grotto Heaven's perimeter.

As the portal shimmered into existence, a figure of exquisite grace emerged from the void, appearing directly before Zhao San Yue...

...

The instant Li Changxue made her entry into the Red Moon Cave Heaven, the cataclysmic confrontation between the divine beasts and the Spirit True Spirits in the Nearby Heaven abruptly ceased.

At this point in time, a vast expanse spanning millions of miles of the void had been transformed into a chaotic battlefield. Here, a Qilin True Spirit, having manifested a Dharma Body of a hundred thousand feet, ferociously assailed the equally colossal Yinglong Divine Beast.

Yinglong was grievously wounded, its sky-obscuring blood-red wings now tattered and broken. Its neck bore a gaping wound, a cavity thousands of feet in diameter, from which immense torrents of blood-red light continuously poured forth.

Merely a few breaths later, accompanied by a resounding crack, Yinglong's mountain-sized head detached itself. The decapitated and mangled body instantaneously dissolved into a vast cloud of blood-red light, vanishing without a trace.

The Qilin True Spirit had only succeeded in consuming a portion of the blood-red mass; it had failed to prevent Yinglong's ultimate escape.

Boom!

Zhao Sheng, perceiving this sudden anomaly, promptly unleashed the Grotto Heaven Halo, propagating the immense power of the Cave Heaven in all directions. This surge instantly ensnared Yinglong's massive head within the confines of the Grotto Heaven.

He then materialized above the Star River, his own body's luminescence noticeably diminished.

In the brief period of merely half a cup of tea, three of his five Mirror Image Clones had been annihilated. His strength significantly depleted, he immediately sensed a profound 'malevolence' emanating from the Nearby Heaven.

Zhao Sheng struggled to maintain the Pocket World Domain, his Divine Thought rapidly extending across millions of miles. What he perceived filled him with immense elation.

Following his gratitude to the Qilin True Spirit via Divine Thought, he ripped through the fabric of space-time, making his return to the Second Divine Palace Heaven.

Within this celestial domain, the Five Zhas were gathered in a circle, their anxiety palpable as they awaited their lord’s arrival.

Zhao Sheng materialized amongst them shortly thereafter.

Upon his appearance, the Five Zhas instantly surged forward, forming a protective ring around him.

With little time for explanations, Zhao Sheng promptly confined the Five Zhas within the Five Elements Cave Heaven and entrusted them with Yinglong’s severed head for safekeeping and suppression.

Having secured these matters, he then activated his Infinite Universe Gate Talent, focusing on the faint beacon representing the Desolate Wall Settlement.

In the subsequent moment, he vanished without a trace.

...

Deep beneath the earth where the Desolate Wall Settlement resided, Zhao Sheng materialized, his eyes snapping open to a startling change.

He had previously positioned himself in the abyssal depths of an underground passage, shielded by tens of thousands of miles of unyielding earth.

Yet, upon his return, these vast layers of soil had inexplicably dissolved, replaced by swirling mists and cosmic starlight, where myriad potent wills fiercely clashed in the ethereal void.

Numerous Divine Beasts and a host of Gangsha Star Lords engaged in a ferocious and brutal conflict within this immense subterranean expanse, their existence intertwined in a cycle of mutual annihilation.

The environment was fraught with extreme peril and unrelenting chaos!

A shiver coursed down Zhao Sheng’s spine as he ascended rapidly, retreating within moments to the underground passage situated a thousand miles above.

He cloaked himself, meticulously suppressing his aura and the fluctuations of his will to their absolute minimum, and then quietly observed the tumultuous battle unfolding below.

With a single glance, he discerned that the faction led by the Gangsha Immortal Monarch had already secured a decisive advantage.

Even with the timely intervention of Bai Ze and Yinglong, two formidable combatants from the Tribulation Crossing Realm, they were hopelessly outnumbered, ensnared by four Gangsha Star Lords also of the Tribulation Crossing Realm, rendering any change in the battle’s tide impossible.

And what of Old Ghost Wanxing?

The Divine Being fought with its utmost strength, precariously holding at bay its archenemy's relentless onslaught of devouring, utterly incapable of diverting any attention to aid its subordinate forces.

It must be acknowledged that Zhao Sheng’s maneuver was remarkably cunning; his application of the stratagem 'surrounding Wei to rescue Zhao' and 'leveraging external power' was executed with masterful Divine Transformation.

At this critical juncture, Old Ghost Wanxing recognized the gravity of the situation. It suddenly perceived its nemesis initiating a full-scale assault at this crucial moment, undoubtedly having uncovered some vital secret.

In a mere flash, Old Ghost Wanxing recalled a specific individual, the very one it would descend to the Lower Realm to apprehend without hesitation.

"Could it truly be... him!"

Just as Old Ghost Wanxing was overcome with shock and burgeoning suspicion, a wave of chilling laughter erupted from the innermost depths of its divine sea.

Hehe...

As the laughter reverberated through the vast expanse of its divine consciousness, a colossal figure, cloaked in resplendent starlight, gradually emerged from the surface of the sea.

As the celestial radiance slowly receded, a tall, strikingly handsome man was revealed, bearing a dark blue vortex insignia upon his forehead.

Upon closer inspection, this man's eyebrows, facial structure, and even his build bore an uncanny resemblance to Old Ghost Wanxing, as if they were sculpted from the same essence.

In contrast to the furtive and impassive demeanor of Old Ghost Wanxing, this new figure exuded an aura of far greater dignity and composure, his lips curved into a smile that was both conceited and tinged with mania.

"Wanxing, after countless eons of this bitter entanglement, it is I who have ultimately emerged victorious. Given our shared genesis, you should simply end yourself!"

Old Ghost Wanxing’s gaze turned icily cold, and it suddenly erupted into laughter. "Heh, how could I, the main body, possibly concede, Gangsha! You perpetually suffer from a conceit born of ignorance. No wonder you've never managed to defeat me across the unfathomable ages!"

"Hahaha, still defiant in the face of inevitable doom! My 'admiration' for you grows ever stronger. Wanxing, today, you have no alternative! Regardless of any resistance, I, the main body, shall consume you and embrace your ultimate demise!"

Midway through his pronouncement, the Gangsha Immortal Monarch suddenly

"Wanxing, after countless eons of this bitter entanglement, it is I who have ultimately emerged victorious. Given our shared genesis, you should simply end yourself!"

Old Ghost Wanxing’s gaze turned icily cold, and it suddenly erupted into laughter. "Heh, how could I, the main body, possibly concede, Gangsha! You perpetually suffer from a conceit born of ignorance. No wonder you've never managed to defeat me across the unfathomable ages!"

"Hahaha, still defiant in the face of inevitable doom! My 'admiration' for you grows ever stronger. Wanxing, today, you have no alternative! Regardless of any resistance, I, the main body, shall consume you and embrace your ultimate demise!"