Ren Xiaoyao was immersed in the mysterious chanting of the Divine Stone, and the Spiritual Qi around him surged endlessly like boiling magma.
The silvery-white patterns flowing on the surface of the Divine Stone resonated with the spiritual energy vortex in his dantian, and each tremor made his meridians seem to be tempered by lightning.
The resonance was like the ebb and flow of the tide, each impact pushing his consciousness into a deeper realm of illusion.
When the resonance reached its peak, his physical body suddenly stiffened, and golden-red spiritual blood seeped from his seven orifices. The moment the spiritual blood dripped onto the ground, it condensed into shimmering Star Sand.
The Star Sand attracted each other, outlining a miniature Star Map on the ground, slowly rotating with the fluctuations of spiritual energy, as if replicating the trajectory of the universe.
Starlight swirled in his pupils, and he felt as if he had been pulled away by an invisible force, falling into a Chaos Void.
This void was as deep as the High Antiquity wilderness, where countless stars flickered in the darkness, sometimes gathering into formations, sometimes disintegrating and dissipating, enacting the most ancient Principle of the universe.
The Star Trails intertwined to form enormous runes, each rune radiating the power of World Creation.
The edges of the runes were wrapped in silvery-white bands of light, like chains formed from solidified Star River, locking away an ancient being that was faintly visible deep in the void.
Ren Xiaoyao floated among them, able to clearly perceive that the rhythm of each starlight was in sync with his heartbeat, as if he had become a part of this vast Star Sea.
He tried to touch the nearest starlight, and as soon as his fingertips touched it, countless fragments of memories flooded into his mind—the glory of High Antiquity cultivators using stars as a guide to establish sects, the tragic scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood staining the sky during the God-Demon War between gods and demons, and the earth-shattering battle when the Divine Stone first suppressed the Dark Heavenly Emperor, where time and space reversed.
Each image was accompanied by ancient chanting, sounds that seemed to have existed since the beginning of the universe, carrying the vicissitudes and weight of time, stirring up a storm in his mind.
In the fragments of his memory, he even glimpsed the mysterious Totems sealed at the core of the Divine Stone, the patterns of Totems were exactly the same as the spiritual energy vortex in his dantian.
An ancient figure slowly emerged from the depths of the Star Sea, wearing Starlight Robe formed from billions of Stardust, each Stardust bearing the marks of time.
As the robe swayed, Stardust fell in a flurry, transforming into butterfly-like Light Spirits in the air, their wings fluttering and scattering golden glints.
He held a long sword, the mysterious runes engraved on its blade projecting a scroll of rise and fall across the Martial Arts Continent over millions of years: the once Immortal Palaces and Pavilions collapsed in the flames of war, and the golden tiles and jade pillars turned into scorched earth.
The common people wailed under the shadow of evil, and piles of white bones covered the fields like mountains.
Countless heroes rose up with swords, only to turn to dust in the end, but their will was passed down like a spark.
As the longsword was swung, space disintegrated like shattered Glazed Ice, then instantly reformed. The boundaries of space and time twisted into spiral bands of light within the Sword Qi, each band containing the mysteries of the Law of Space.
Where the light bands intersected, overlapping images from different times and spaces appeared, Ren Xiaoyao saw his own figure wielding a sword and fighting in countless parallel worlds.
His eyes were fixed on the scene, and his understanding of the Law of Space surged forth like a flood bursting its banks. The cultivation bottlenecks that had troubled him for many years melted away like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun.
Just as he was about to grasp the true essence of the Method of Void Breaking, a deafening roar like an earthquake erupted from the outside world.
"Boom!" The Dark Heavenly Emperor's claws pierced through the cave wall, and amidst the flying debris, the air was torn apart with a sharp whistling sound.
The Dark Heavenly Emperor stepped in, enveloped in a sky-covering black mist. His Blood Moon -like eyes flickered with man-eating flames. Wherever he passed, the Spiritual Qi in the cave instantly condensed into Black Ice Crystals, which then fell in a flurry.
The Ice Crystals melted upon landing, corroding deep pits that emitted black smoke. Black Liquid with a putrid stench continuously gushed from the pits, meandering across the ground in Totems Totems that seemed to outline some kind of evil summoning ritual.
At the center of the Totems, a giant skull slowly took shape, its empty eye sockets gleaming with an eerie green light.
" Ren Xiaoyao, hand over the Divine Stone, and I'll spare your whole corpse!" The Dark Heavenly Emperor's voice was filled with the chill of the Nine Netherworlds. As the sound waves reverberated, the Stalactite on the cave ceiling exploded like raindrops, and the ground cracked open with spiderweb-like fissures.
A foul-smelling black liquid seeped from the cracks, exploding violently upon contact with the Ice Crystals. From the black smoke and dust that rose up, the faces of those suffering and contortion could be vaguely seen—the faces of the innocent beings sacrificed by the Dark Heavenly Emperor.
Suddenly, these faces let out a shriek in unison, their voices transforming into black sound waves that reverberated throughout the cave, causing Ren Xiaoyao's eardrums to bleed.
He slowly opened his eyes, the starlight in his pupils becoming even more dazzling. The veins on his hand gripping the sword bulged, and the sword trembled violently due to the overwhelming spiritual power, emitting a hum like a dragon's roar. The dragon pattern on the hilt came to life, breathing out Golden Mist, and its eyes seemed to gleam with intelligence, as if giving a warning of the impending battle.
With a clear shout, Ren Xiaoyao swung his sword and slashed out.
This sword strike embodies Chaos Spiritual Energy and the newly comprehended Void-Breaking Law. Wherever the Sword Qi passes, the air is compressed into transparent blades, and the rock walls along the way are instantly shredded into dust. The dust floats in the air and forms ancient battle runes. As the runes flicker, the phantom of an High Antiquity war god is faintly revealed.
The phantom raised its hand and swung its sword, overlapping with Ren Xiaoyao's sword shadow and bursting out with dazzling golden light.
The Dark Heavenly Emperor sneered, his sharp claws sweeping across, and Black Vortex formed like a mini Black Hole, swallowing up all the surrounding light.
The sword light collided with the vortex, bursting out with blinding white light. Space twisted into honeycomb-like folds, and countless microscopic wormholes appeared and disappeared at the point of impact.
As the wormhole opened and closed, glimpses of other dimensions could be seen: people weeping in burning cities, children shrouded in demonic shadows, and countless cultivators similar to Ren Xiaoyao falling in battle. The desperate cries from those scenes struck his heart like a heavy hammer, further strengthening his resolve to Protecting All Living Beings.
In one of the scenes that flashed through the wormhole, he saw the Dark Heavenly Emperor holding Divine Stone, turning the entire continent into Purgatory.
Ren Xiaoyao flashed and unleashed Method of Void Breaking.
Nine afterimages appeared in the void in succession, each wielding a sword and attacking in a different direction. The nine sword lights streaked across the night sky like a meteor shower, leaving silver Space Cracks wherever they passed.
Starlight seeped out from the cracks, forming a brief Star River in the sky, within the Star River faint Battle Song could be heard echoing.
The Battle Song grew increasingly stirring, gradually transforming into the roar of dragons and the howl of tigers.
However, with a casual wave of his hand, the Dark Heavenly Emperor caused the black mist to condense into a giant shield, on which countless ferocious faces appeared—all of them were the cultivators he had sacrificed. Blood tears flowed from their empty eye sockets, and silent roars came from their open mouths. Each face was filled with deep resentment and unwillingness. Their blood tears fell onto the shield and actually gathered into inscriptions of accusation.
The inscription emitted a crimson light, and countless bone hands suddenly emerged from the shield, reaching out to grab Ren Xiaoyao.
The giant shield easily blocked the sword light, and the counterattack, a black beam of light carrying World-Ending Pressure, crashed down.
Wherever the beam of light passed, the ground sank into a hundred-foot abyss, and the rocks instantly melted into boiling black magma. Bubbles constantly rose from the magma, and when they burst, they made a teeth-grinding sound, as if the earth was groaning in pain.
On the surface of the black paste, twisted arms struggled to extend, only to be dragged back in.
Ren Xiaoyao activated his Lightning Wings with all his might. When the wings unfolded, lightning poured down like Milky Way, but he still couldn't completely avoid the attack.
The aftershocks of the beam of light grazed his shoulder, and a sharp pain, like thousands of steel needles piercing his bone marrow, instantly vaporized half of his sleeve, revealing a charred wound.
The flesh at the wound site carbonized at a visible speed, and black lines spread along the meridians, bringing a pain as if a thousand ants were gnawing at his heart. With each inch it spread, it felt as if countless tiny insects were eating away at his soul.
The impact slammed him against the rock wall, his blood blooming into a dazzling flower on the stone. Pebbles fell into his blood-stained hair, and some of them were even pulverized by the spiritual power. The powder drifted in the air, forming tiny Nebula -like patterns, which subtly resonated with the Star Map of the Divine Stone.
The black lines at the wound suddenly throbbed violently, rushing along the veins straight towards the heart.
The Dark Heavenly Emperor pressed closer, his chains of black mist whistling as they spun through the air.
Dark Purple Runes flickered on the chains, and the struggles of wronged souls could be vaguely seen within them. The faces of those wronged souls appeared and disappeared among the runes, emitting faint cries for help.
The cries for help were mixed with the sinister laughter of the Dark Heavenly Emperor when he devoured them.
Ren Xiaoyao struggled to get up, each movement accompanied by a cracking sound of bones dislocating, as if all the joints in his body had been broken and reassembled.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and glanced at the ground—the drops of blood sizzled and turned into wisps of green smoke as soon as they came into contact with the Dark Heavenly Emperor's demonic energy.
Even more terrifying, he discovered that his wounds were being Demonic Qi Erosion. The skin around the wounds began to rot, emitting a nauseating stench. Beneath the rotting flesh, black Demonic Runes could be vaguely seen writhing. Wherever the Demonic Runes reached, the spiritual energy in his meridians became disordered.
As the Demonic Runes writhed, they formed the face of the Dark Heavenly Emperor, who grinned savagely at Ren Xiaoyao.
"Is there really no way out?" Ren Xiaoyao felt unwilling. His vision was blurred due to blood loss, but this only made his mind clearer.
He suddenly summoned the Divine Stone Divine Stone, which hovered above his head. Within the burst of brilliant light, an ancient Star Map faintly appeared.
The light and his spiritual power completely merged, forming a huge vortex of spiritual power. At the center of the vortex, a phantom similar to the ancient figure in the Star Sea appeared.
The phantom waved its hand, and a beam of starlight entered Ren Xiaoyao's body, instantly suppressing the erosion of demonic energy. At the same time, a warm power emanated from his meridians, repairing his damaged body.
He raised his longsword high, and the Light Orb condensing at the tip of the sword continued to expand. The Law of Space flowing on its surface were like flowing mercury, and High Antiquity characters would occasionally appear and disappear on the surface of the Light Orb. Those characters exuded a mysterious pressure, as if they contained the Most Originating Power in Heaven and Earth, causing the Spiritual Qi in the cave to boil.
Within the Light Orb, scenes of the future flashed by, some depicting his victories, others his tragic demise.
Sensing the threat, the Dark Heavenly Emperor quickly formed hand seals, and the black mist around him condensed into a massive black barrier.
The sacrificial runes on the barrier flickered, and the mournful screams of countless creatures echoed from within. Among those sounds was a familiar wailing— Ren Xiaoyao clearly heard the cries for help from his childhood playmate.
Every cry for help was like a sharp blade, piercing his heart.
But he gritted his teeth, channeling his grief and anger into strength, and unleashed a sword strike imbued with the true essence of breaking through illusion.
The sword light surged like a reversed Milky Way, tearing through space as if by an invisible giant hand, piercing through the barrier and leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound on the Dark Heavenly Emperor's chest.
Black Blood gushed out, transforming into thousands of bats upon contact with the air, emitting piercing screams.
Even more bizarrely, each bat's wing was imprinted with the face of a sacrificed person. Those faces carried expressions of relief, yet also resentment towards the Dark Heavenly Emperor. They flew towards Ren Xiaoyao, as if conveying their final gratitude.
The swarm of bats converged into a streak of Blood Light, merging into Ren Xiaoyao's sword and enhancing its power.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ren Xiaoyao continuously used the Method of Void Breaking, his figure flashing in and out of the void, each appearance unleashing a sword light containing the Law of Space.
Countless sword lights poured down like Milky Way, forcing the Dark Heavenly Emperor to retreat repeatedly.
The Dark Heavenly Emperor's black robes were torn into strips by the Sword Qi, revealing his body covered in scorch marks. Thick black smoke billowed from the wounds, and the air was filled with the stench of burning flesh.
Under the relentless assault of the sword light, tiny cracks began to appear on the Dark Heavenly Emperor's skin, with golden light shining through them. This was the power of the Divine Stone seal reviving. Each ray of light was like a spark of hope, illuminating the dark battlefield and fueling the murderous intent in the Dark Heavenly Emperor's eyes.
Within the cracks, the Ancient Formations of the Divine Stone seal could be faintly seen, slowly disintegrating the Dark Heavenly Emperor's power.
Enraged, the Dark Heavenly Emperor's body surged with black mist, transforming into a hundred-zhang-long black Demon Dragon.
The Demon Dragon's scales shimmered with an eerie light, each one engraved with Curse Runes, and Black Flames surged forth from its gaping maw.
Wherever the flames passed, space twisted into a vortex, and the air burned with a sizzling sound.
Skulls occasionally surfaced in the flames, their teeth gripping broken jade slips and Law Treasure —relics of cultivators devoured by the Dark Heavenly Emperor. Each relic carried a cultivator's dreams and regrets, emitting resentful wails in the flames.
The wailing sounds coalesced into a surge of Power of Grudges, amplifying the Demon Dragon's power.
Ren Xiaoyao formed hand seals, and the Divine Stone shone brightly, condensing Star Shield in front of him.
On the surface of the shield, an ancient Star Array rotated, and as the starlight flowed, the phantom of High Antiquity Guardian Divine Beasts appeared.
The phantom roared, its voice shaking the Demon Dragon's scales. At the same time, the Sacred Light emanating from the phantom clashed violently with the Demon Dragon's dark aura, creating a dazzling burst of light in the void. Within the burst, phantoms of many ancient gods appeared, seemingly cheering on this righteous war.
The divine artifacts in the phantom's hands emitted light, enhancing the Star Shield.
The Black Flames collided with the Star Shield, unleashing a deafening roar.
The entire cave shook violently, Stalactite fell like rain, and huge cracks appeared in the ground.
Fiery magma surged from the crevice, and upon contact with the Dark Heavenly Emperor's demonic energy, it caused a violent explosion.
The shockwave from the explosion Stone Powder into dust, which, under the force of the explosion, coalesced into sharp stone blades that flew through the air.
The stone blade was covered in demonic energy, and wherever it went, the space was corroded and left with black marks.
Ren Xiaoyao seized the opportunity, gathered all his strength, and unleashed the strongest strike of the Method of Void Breaking.
His hair stood on end under the influence of spiritual power, and the starlight surrounding him illuminated the entire cave. The long sword in his hand seemed to Heaven and Earth Resonance, emitting a humming sound as if the World Creation.
The dragon patterns on the sword fully awakened, transforming into a Golden Giant Dragon that coiled and roared around the sword. Wherever the dragon passed, space distorted, forming golden spatial ripples.
As the ripples spread, countless stars could be seen twinkling within them, as if the power of the entire universe had been concentrated into this single sword strike.
The Golden Giant Dragon opened its massive jaws and spewed out a beam of light imbued with the Stellar Power, confronting the Black Flames of the Demon Dragon.
With this sword strike, space itself collapsed inch by inch under the sword light, forming a massive Space-time Vortex.
Lightning flashed continuously within the vortex, accompanied by deafening thunderclaps; where the lightning struck, cracks appeared in space and time.
The Dark Heavenly Emperor tried to hide, but found that the surrounding space had been sealed off, and fear crept onto his face for the first time.
He flailed his arms frantically, trying to Sky-Rending Strike to escape, but it was all in vain.
As the sword flashed, the Dark Heavenly Emperor let out a shrill scream, his figure gradually blurring in the black mist, leaving only a furious roar filled with resentment echoing in the cave.
The moment the Dark Heavenly Emperor vanished, countless points of light flew out from his body. These were the remnant souls of the cultivators he had devoured. After bowing to Ren Xiaoyao in the air, they turned into starlight and disappeared. Each starlight carried gratitude and blessings, illuminating Ren Xiaoyao's path forward.
These starlight rays converged and formed a new Star Map on the cave ceiling, heralding new hope.
In the Star Map, a new star is rising, emanating an aura similar to that of Ren Xiaoyao.
Ren Xiaoyao dared not linger, put away the Divine Stone and unfolded his Lightning Wings.
At this moment, the wings were dim, and every flap was accompanied by excruciating pain, as if every feather had been scorched by fire.
He forced himself to fly to a secluded valley and landed, where he sat cross-legged and began to practice his internal Cultivation Method.
The Divine Stone in the Storage Bag, its surface patterned and occasionally flashing with mysterious light, as if telling untold secrets.
He discovered that the Divine Stone's radiance was warmer than before, and new patterns seemed to be slowly forming within its silvery-white veins. These patterns resembled ancient prophecies, foreshadowing future challenges and hopes.
While practicing his Cultivation Method, he could also feel a deeper resonance between the Divine Stone and his spiritual power, and some new insights about the Method of Void Breaking gradually became clear in his mind.
The patterns on the surface of the Divine Stone suddenly emitted light, revealing a map in his mind's eye that pointed to a mysterious place on the continent.
As night deepened, the valley echoed with the chirping of insects.
Ren Xiaoyao was immersed in cultivation, unaware that in the distant Dark Abyss, the figure of the Dark Heavenly Emperor was gathering strength.
The wound on his chest healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and with each step of healing, the murderous intent in his eyes intensified.
" Ren Xiaoyao, this is just the beginning." The Dark Heavenly Emperor's voice echoed in the abyss, eliciting countless evil laughs in response.
At the Bottom of the Abyss, countless chains swayed, and on these chains hung powerful imprisoned cultivators. Their eyes were filled with despair and resentment, and every pair of eyes longed for someone to break free of this dark cage.
These imprisoned cultivators faintly emanated an aura similar to that of the Divine Stone Divine Stone, seemingly intricately connected to its secrets.
One of the cultivators met Ren Xiaoyao's gaze and, through some mysterious power, conveyed to him a memory about the origin of the Divine Stone.
Meanwhile, undercurrents were surging throughout the Martial Arts Continent.
In the Eastern Netherworld Ghost Domain, countless ghosts stirred, their wails and howls shaking the heavens. The Blood Moon above the Netherworld grew even more crimson, and within its Blood Moon, countless ghostly figures drifted about, forming a sinister battle formation, seemingly awaiting command.
In the center of the battle formation, a gigantic phantom of a Ghost King slowly took shape, holding a massive bone sword in its hand.
In the Western Abyss of Demons, demons sharpen their claws, their greedy eyes gazing at the sky. Huge figures occasionally wade through the abyss, emanating a terrifying aura that seems capable of devouring everything. The Demonic Runes on their bodies shimmer, resonating with the demonic energy of the Dark Heavenly Emperor.
The power of resonance converged into a massive teleportation array, seemingly preparing to summon an even more powerful demon.
In the Southern Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp, poisonous mist churns, and terrifying figures appear and disappear within it. Ancient sacrificial formations begin to emerge on the surface of the swamp, emanating poisonous gas capable of instantly corroding the hardest rocks. At the center of the formation lies a massive poisonous pool, seemingly sealing away some ancient Poisonous Beast.
The Poisonous Beast awoke in the pool, stirring up waves of poison.
In the northern Snowy Ice Plains, glaciers are collapsing, and the ancient Ice Demon is about to awaken. Dark clouds gather over the ice plains, and purple lightning flashes intermittently. Each lightning bolt seems to be a harbinger of the Ice Demon Ice Demon's awakening. Countless Ice Spirits surround the Ice Demon's sleeping Ice Coffin, seemingly guarding it, or perhaps waiting for a new master.
The seal on the surface of the Ice Coffin began to loosen, releasing gusts of cold air.
These mysterious forces noticed the unusual movement of the Divine Stone and turned their attention to the battle between Ren Xiaoyao and the Dark Heavenly Emperor.
A storm that will sweep across the entire continent is quietly brewing in the darkness...
Ren Xiaoyao opened his eyes and gazed at the twinkling stars in the night sky.
The stars seemed to be telling ancient stories, giving him strength.
He knew the road ahead was fraught with difficulties, but for the sake of the lives that had been harmed, and for the peace of the Martial Arts Continent, he had to move forward.
Even if there is a bottomless abyss ahead, he will not hesitate to leap into it.
He stood up, stretched his still somewhat stiff body, and found that after this battle, his realm seemed to have made a new breakthrough. The spiritual power in his body was more mellow, and his understanding of the Law of Space was also more profound.
As he circulated his spiritual energy, he could feel a surge of new power coursing through his meridians. This power carried the vastness of the stars and the mystery of the Divine Stone, leaving behind fragments of light wherever it flowed, like Milky Way winding through his body. With each cycle of circulation, he could clearly perceive this power merging with the Void-Breaking Law, producing a unique rhythm, as if playing Battle Song against the darkness.
Unfurling his slightly dimmed, Lightning Wings, Ren Xiaoyao flew towards the unknown distance. With each flap of his wings, wisps of lightning flashed, tracing fleeting paths through the night. His figure gradually merged into the thick darkness, leaving only his resolute silhouette behind him, whispering tales of courage, faith, and redemption in the evening breeze.