The moment Ren Xiaoyao stepped out of the Chaos Land Rift, the Light Cocoon around him was undergoing a transformation in accordance with the Principle.
The twelve star wheels are like Glazed Ice, each spoke engraved with the Totems of birth and death of the Three Thousand Realms. When the Annihilated Stars reassemble at the edge of the wheel, they burst out with silver and blue lightning. At the moment the Star Core explodes, billions of runes can be seen spreading like a spider web, each rune flowing with the Annihilation light of the Principle of annihilation.
The newly born world blooms with lotus-shaped light patterns at the center of the wheel, with Beginning of Chaos Primordial Violet Qi flowing between the veins of the petals, and even the blurry silhouettes of the ancient people Molding Clay to Create Humans can be seen in the stamen.
The Origin Power absorbed by the Chaos Axe condensed into profound runes in his palm. The flowing light patterns sometimes transformed into the axe shadow of Pangu's Sky-Opening. The light rain splashed out when the axe blade Open Chaos danced in his palm. Each drop of light rain sealed the birth and death of a miniature world, and the tadpole-like characters of the Heavenly Dao Laws appeared on the surface of the light rain.
At times, it transforms into the phantom of the Three-Life Dao Fruit. The resilience of the Mortals body is as ancient and simple as the patterns on a bronze tripod, the domineering nature of the Divine Dragon body is as intense as Flame Sect Heaven-Burning Emperor Formation, and the sharpness of the Sword Immortal's soul is as cold as a frost blade cutting through the wind. When the three colored ribbons intertwine, the sound of Heavenly Dao Bell Chimes and chimes seeps out from the Rift in the runes, as if billions of scriptures are being chanted in the void. The sound waves shake the Space-time Turbulence at the edge of the Chaos Land, causing ripples.
Before he could finish adjusting his breathing at the edge of the Chaos Land, the Tai Chi Seal in his dantian suddenly became hot—a deafening explosion was coming from the Mysterious Ice Tomb in the far north of the continent, and thousands of cracks were tearing apart the eternally frozen ice layer like a spider web.
When the Martial Artist Zao Wushen asleep for two thousand years, broke out of the ground, the roar of the bronze coffin shattering into dust and the sharp sound of the Mysterious Iron chains breaking intertwined to create a piercing sound wave. The sound waves shook the Myriad-Year Mysterious Jade Vein beneath the ice plain, causing it to hum and crack the Ancient Ice Soul sealed within the vein.
On the broken "Zhenwu Division" plaque he crushed between his fingertips, the words "Wu Shen" were seeping out dark golden blood beads. Each drop of blood exploded with martial arts energy upon landing, carving a fist imprint ten feet deep into the icy plain.
The Ice Crystals that condensed at the edge of the fist imprint actually showed the weapon patterns of axe cleaving and sword slashing, and the battle formation remnants when the " Town Martial Division " sealed him could be vaguely seen. The Essence Blood of the sealer was still left in those remnants, which had now turned into dark red Curse Patterns.
The news spread like wildfire throughout the Eastern Region, from the pearl-stringed wind chimes atop the Coral Palace of the Merfolk Kingdom on the shores of East Sea Coast to the Star Map runes circulating on the Sand Mirage Tower, a settlement of cultivators in the Western Desert Oasis. Rumors about the resurgence of High Antiquity Martial Artist spread rapidly with the crisp sound of silver bells carried by Spirit Pigeon and the dazzling light of the rune array projections.
As the Spirit Pigeon flapped its wings, the communication talisman on its leg ring glowed faintly, spreading the news of the resurrection of the Zao Wushen to every corner where cultivators gathered.
The array of runes projected above the desert, depicting the collapse of the Mysterious Ice Tomb, causing the Sand Worms of the Western Desert to become restless.
On the third day of the resurrection of the Zao Wushen, a strange phenomenon appeared on the ancient stele that guarded Xuanyuan Mountain. The inscription that was originally engraved with "The Yellow Emperor's Place of Enlightenment " suddenly emanated a stream of ink-colored light. The light moved across the stone surface like a living thing, and wherever it passed, the ancient seal script on the stele peeled off, revealing deeper Martial Dao engravings underneath. These engravings contained scenes of battles in Ancient Times, and one could vaguely see the scene of the battle between the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou.
As dawn broke through the sea of clouds, the monument was covered with a new challenge. "I have heard that Ren Xiaoyao has obtained the True Intention of the Sky-Opening Axe and is known as the Strongest on the Continent. I have Zao Wushen, and I shall test your axe against my fist at the Xuanyuan Platform."
The ink on the letter of war has a bronze color, and each stroke is embedded three inches deep into the stone veins. The cobweb cracks in the stele stone that were shaken by the fists seep out of the warrior's unique aura, forming an afterimage of the word "" that is constantly flowing in the air.
Amidst the surging afterimages, the roars of High Antiquity war spirits and the clanging of weapons could be faintly heard, causing ripples to spread across the Spirit Spring at the Foot of the Mountain. Deep within the spring, blurry battle formations even appeared, projections of the afterimages of the God of War before Zao Wushen two-thousand-year slumber and his decisive battle against a hundred Grandmaster. In these afterimages, wherever his fists passed, the heavens and earth changed color, and the sun and moon lost their light.
When Ren Xiaoyao's figure appeared atop Xuanyuan Mountain Peak, the sea of clouds was being compressed into a funnel shape by the powerful force of his fist.
Zao Wushen stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the Altar of Heaven. The thousands of sword marks embroidered on his Mysterious Black Daoist Robe flickered with his breath—these were the wounds he had sustained in his battle against a hundred sect Grandmaster two thousand years before he fell into slumber. Each scar had been soaked in the Essence Blood of renowned experts, and now, in the mountain breeze, it exuded a faint, sweet, and metallic scent. When the blood droplets fell to the ground, they transformed into inch-long phantom Sword Edge Phantoms, the edges of which still contained the True Meaning of Martial Arts of his opponents from back then. Those True Intention contained the unique skills of different sects, but now they were imprisoned within the Sword Edge Phantoms, emitting a silent cry.
His silver hair moved without wind, each strand seemingly containing the True Meaning of Martial Arts, reflecting a metallic cold light in the sunlight. Occasionally, Mars would fly from the ends of his hair, which were the overflow of pure and refined Gang Qi. The Mars landed on the rocks on the mountaintop, burning tiny holes into the rocks.
The Vertical Sword Scar between his brows suddenly split open, revealing Half Broken Sword sword embedded within. The two characters "Wu Shen" on the sword resonated strangely with the vertical eye between Ren Xiaoyao's brows, but that resonance was accompanied by a completely different domineering killing intent, like an ancient sword frozen for a thousand years suddenly encountering a raging fire, bursting forth with a desire to destroy everything. When the blade trembled, it even drew tiny Space Cracks in the void, from which seeped Chaos Current. Those air currents contained destructive power, making the surrounding air viscous.
"So you're the junior who rose to power by relying on divine artifacts?" Zao Wushen's voice boomed like an ancient bell, the sound waves crashing against the blue stone railing of the Altar of Heaven, causing the dragon-patterned reliefs on the pillars to shed dust, and the Mars Luminous Pearl in the dragon eyes to spark, burning deep, bone-revealing pits into the stone surface, with traces of high-temperature burning still remaining in the pits.
He casually swung his palm, the wind from which swept across the Altar of Heaven like a blade. Hundreds of dormant Martial Dao marks leaped from the cracks in the stone, transforming into phantom images of axes, halberds, hooks, and forks that slashed towards Ren Xiaoyao. The edges of these Weapon Phantoms gleamed with a ghostly blue Gang Qi, clearly formed from two thousand years of accumulated battle intent. Each phantom carried a domineering fist intent capable of shattering Spirit Vein. The phantoms intertwined to form an impenetrable Weapon Net, the mesh of which shimmered with a ghostly blue light, as if ready to unleash a fatal attack at any moment.
"Two thousand years ago, I could shatter three Spirit Vein with a single punch. Today, I'll see how much weaker your Sky-Opening Axe is compared to my fist!" Before he finished speaking, his Daoist robe suddenly swelled up like a ball, and all the sword marks embroidered on the hem lit up, forming a sharp sword Sword Curtain. Within the Sword Curtain, one could vaguely see the desperate faces of a hundred Grandmaster before their deaths. Those faces twisted and screamed within the Sword Curtain, emitting silent wails, wails containing endless resentment and unwillingness.
Ren Xiaoyao did not immediately take out the Chaos Axe, but calmly took a step forward.
As his toes touched the edge of the Altar of Heaven, the ancient seal script that recorded the essence of Martial Dao of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors suddenly lit up on its own. Golden light flowed into his palms like a living thing, flowing along his meridians. In the light flow, the River Diagram and Luo Script when Fuxi drew the trigrams and the phantom images of the hundred herbs when Shennong Tasting Herbs appeared. In the phantom images, one could even see the pain and joy of Shennong tasting the hundred herbs.
Before the Chaos Axe was even drawn, the resonant hum of its blade caused the clouds Xuanyuan Mountain Peak to burst open like waves, revealing faintly visible Heavenly Dao Runes deep within the clouds. These runes formed Tai Chi Pattern from the Beginning of Chaos of chaos, with Ren Xiaoyao's vertical eye and Zao Wushen's broken sword reflected in the Yin-Yang Fish Eyes. The Tai Chi Pattern slowly rotated, emanating the Primordial Chaos Aura of the Beginning of Chaos.
Zao Wushen's pupils suddenly contracted. He was horrified to discover that the Twelve Star Wheels swirling around the other party were not ordinary Spiritual Qi, but rather materialized Laws of Life and Death the Three Thousand Realms. As each Star Orbit flowed, a miniature world flickered with light in the cycle of birth and annihilation. Within those lights, one could even see the entire process of a being evolving from a single cell into a cultivator, as well as the rise and fall of civilizations from campfires to Immortal Palaces and Pavilions. Each scene was accompanied by the evolution of the Heavenly Dao Laws, encompassing everything from the most primitive Natural Laws to the complex Cultivation Laws.
"What a Dao Body condensed from the Principle!" Zao Wushen roared, his right fist expanding three times in an instant. The knuckles exploded with a rapid-fire sound, and the veins under his skin formed the complex patterns of Ancient Battle Formation. Dark golden True Meaning of Martial Arts flowed within those patterns, as if countless warriors were shouting in his fist. The air currents generated by his fist condensed into twelve war drums behind him, with ancient seal script such as " Destroy Gods, Break Dao " engraved on the drum surfaces. The sound of the drums shook the void, causing ripples, even distorting the Law of Space, and blurring the surrounding scenery.
"Take my punch— Wushen Destroys Dao!" With his roar, before the wind of his punch even arrived, the ninety-nine Stone Steps of the Altar of Heaven crumbled inch by inch. What surged from the cracks were not rubble, but the remnant souls of Martial Artist he had defeated over the past two thousand years. These remnant souls had ferocious faces, and the Weapon Phantoms formed an impenetrable Blade Wall. The blades were imbued with the lingering resentment of their dying moments, and as the blades clashed, they emitted mournful howls. These howls converged into a scream of " Give me back my life!" which echoed through the valley, shaking the ancient pines on the mountain so much that they shed their needles. The needles transformed into thousands of darts in the air and shot towards Ren Xiaoyao. The darts contained the resentment of the remnant souls, and they made a "sizzling" sound when they touched the air.
Just then, Ren Xiaoyao slowly raised his palm.
The moment the Tai Chi Seal in his palm lit up, the Chaos Axe did not leave his sheath. Instead, he Origin Light Flow contained within the axe into his fingertips—a pure power that combined the Pangu's World-Opening Might, the essence of the Three-Life Dao Fruit, and the Dao essence of countless remnant souls. As the light converged at his fingertips, the surrounding space rippled like Glazed Ice, and the Time Flow Rate seemed to subtly pause. Dust in the air solidified into dazzling points of light, reflecting countless different Space-time Fragments and space: bustling immortal cities, desolate wastelands, worlds being born, and worlds being destroyed.
He didn't even use any axe techniques; he simply flicked his finger, and the light fragments that sprang from his fingertip condensed in the air into Miniature Axe Shadow about an inch long. This axe shadow, though seemingly insignificant, caused the Spiritual Qi of the entire Xuanyuan Mountain to stagnate. In an instant, the ancient pines on the mountaintop lost their thousand-year-old tree patterns and sprouted tender green buds. On the buds hung glistening dewdrops, reflecting a scene of World Creation: Giant Axe Open Chaos, light rained down, and all things were born.
"This is... the Sky-Opening Origin?" Zao Wushen's fist suddenly stopped three feet away from Ren Xiaoyao. He stared in disbelief at the Miniature Axe Shadow. Within the axe shadow, a vast Star Map spun, each star clearly engraved with the Heavenly Dao Laws. Where the light streams intertwined, a phantom image of Pangu wielding an axe to World-Opening Technique flashed by. On the phantom's eyelashes, there were still unfallen Chaos Tear. Sealed within those tears was the first wisp of life at the time of World-Opening Technique. On the surface of the tears, one could even see Chaos Current swirling within, like a miniature Chaos World.
Even more terrifying was that the axe shadow did not emanate Power of Destruction, but rather a Power of Rebirth that reversed all things—the remnant souls and phantoms surrounding the fist energy began to shed their resentment, their faces gradually becoming peaceful. The Weapon Phantoms in their hands turned into light dust, coalescing back into spiritual herbs and immortal flowers. The petals even condensed with dew-like Daoist charm, each dewdrop containing a complete Martial Dao inheritance. The dewdrops sparkled in the sunlight, like countless dazzling gems.
Even the Ancient Battle Formation Patterns in his fist bones collapsed into the most fundamental True Meaning of Martial Arts under the influence of this power, melting away like ice and snow meeting the sun, revealing the original Original Martial Dao Heart hidden deep in his bones. That was his initial Heart of Seeking Dao before his two thousand years of slumber, pure and firm.
With a muffled "plop--", before Zao Wushen could fully react, the fist force that had gathered all his life's strength was completely disintegrated by the axe shadow. The force of the recoil surged into his meridians like a tsunami, instantly severing all the meridians in his body. The Core of Martial Dao True Meaning in his dantian trembled violently, emitting a buzzing sound that could not bear the burden. The buzzing sound contained the dissipation of power and the wavering of his Dao Heart.
The broken sword embedded between his brows could not withstand the force and sprang out on its own, piercing the ancient stele behind him with a sharp whooshing sound. The blade penetrated three inches into the stone, and spiderweb-like cracks immediately appeared on the surface of the stele. What seeped out of the cracks was not Stone Powder, but golden True Meaning of Martial Arts. That True Intention condensed in the air into tiny "martial" characters, and then quickly dissipated into light dust. The light dust contained the Martial Dao Insights the Zao Wushen gained over two thousand years, but now it had vanished into nothingness.
He stared at Ren Xiaoyao in disbelief. The axe shadow at the other's fingertips hadn't even truly touched him, yet it had completely melted away his two thousand years of painstaking cultivation of the " Wushen Dao " like ice and snow meeting the sun. The massive amount of internal energy he had accumulated transformed into specks of Gang Qi light in the shards, drifting towards every inch of Xuanyuan Mountain. Wherever it passed, withered spiritual herbs sprouted anew, and the Martial Dao engravings on the ancient stele were revitalized. Those engravings even spontaneously reassembled, forming an even more exquisite Martial Dao diagram. The diagram even contained the opportunity to break through the current realm, allowing viewers to gain some enlightenment.
"What... what move did you use?" Zao Wushen knelt on one knee, his chest heaving from heavy breathing. The sword marks on his Mysterious Black Daoist Robe had completely disappeared, and his exposed skin began to glow with a youthful radiance. This was a sign of his body reversing aging spontaneously after being cleansed by the Power of Rebirth in the axe shadow. The age spots on his wrists, accumulated over two thousand years, were fading away at a visible speed, and his skin became as delicate as a baby's, with even the veins throbbing beneath the skin visible, full of vitality and life.
He looked at his hands, now full of vitality again, and could even feel the long-lost surge of blood and energy in his fingertips. Each finger seemed to contain World-Destroying Power. His eyes were filled with confusion and shock. Two thousand years of slumber had made him believe that his Martial Dao had reached its peak, but this one finger had completely overturned it. It was as if his cultivation over the past two thousand years had been nothing more than groping in the dark. Ren Xiaoyao's finger had opened a door to the true path for him, making him understand that the true meaning of Martial Dao was not destruction, but rebirth and protection.
Ren Xiaoyao gently withdrew the shards of light from his fingertips, which vanished swiftly like shooting stars in the night sky. At the same time, the Chaos Axe behind him suddenly emitted a clear and melodious ringing sound, a sound as beautiful as heavenly music, captivating all who heard it.
The sound seemed to be the Chaos Axe's response to its master's Dao Heart; it seemed to be able to sense the changes and growth in Ren Xiaoyao's heart. The Star Map that was originally flowing on the axe blade became even more joyful, with each star shining with the light of new life, like the brightest star in the night sky.
The Star Orbit between these stars gradually connected, forming a complete Tai Chi Pattern. The Tai Chi Pattern slowly rotated, exuding a harmonious and tranquil aura, as if the entire world had been incorporated into this pattern at this moment.
"Not a technique, but the Dao Intent." His voice was calm yet contained immense power. He looked towards the gradually recovering Spirit Vein outside Xuanyuan Mountain. The Stone Steps shattered by the power of the Zao Wushen Fist were healing at a visible speed. Green Spirit Moss was even growing in the cracks of the broken stones, and tiny "Dao" characters were engraved on the leaves of the Spirit Moss. Each "Dao" character was gently shimmering, as if telling the mystery of the Great Dao. The light of the "Dao" characters echoed the vertical eye between Ren Xiaoyao's eyebrows.
"Your fist can Extinguish Dao, but my axe... can bring the Dao back to life." His words, like the resounding torrent of a great bell, echoed atop Xuanyuan Mountain Peak. The mountain wind carried his voice in all directions, allowing cultivators throughout the continent to feel a warm Daoist aura. Countless cultivators who were practicing felt their Dao Foundation become more solid, and their realms showed faint signs of breakthrough. Some cultivators even broke through their bottlenecks on the spot, and their realms were improved.
The mountain wind swept across the Xuanyuan Mountain Peak, stirring up a sky full of Spiritual Qi.
Zao Wushen Wushen's white hair at the temples slowly turned black in the mountain wind that contained the Power of Rebirth. From the ends to the roots, it spread like ink dripping onto rice paper. In no time, his hair had become as black as ink, exuding youthful vitality. There was also a faint golden light shimmering between the strands of hair, which was a symbol of the Martial Dao Perfection.
He looked down at the skin on his hands that had become plump again. On his fingernails, lines with the word "" even appeared on his fingernails, representing the perfection of martial arts. The lines shone with a faint golden light, full of a sense of power, and were surrounded by small runes, as if telling the highest realm of martial arts.
Suddenly, he burst into laughter, his laughter devoid of any killing intent, only filled with the relief and exhilaration of having grasped the True Meaning of Martial Arts. The laughter shook the sea of clouds, revealing the Heavenly Dao Chessboard above the clouds. The chess pieces on the board were being rearranged, foreshadowing a new change in the Continent's Landscape(geju, a term referring to the overall situation or landscape). At the center of the chessboard was Xuanyuan Mountain, where Ren Xiaoyao and Zao Wushen were located.
"So that's how it is... Two thousand years of slumber are not as good as your enlightenment with a single finger!" His laughter contained the Great Dao is Simple truths, causing the cultivators at the Foot of the Mountain to sit cross-legged and comprehend this rare Daoist essence. Many cultivators broke through their bottlenecks and improved their realms directly within this enlightened Daoist essence, and their cultivation made a qualitative leap in a short period of time.
"Fine, fine! You deserve the title of ' Strongest on the Continent '!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the True Meaning of Martial Arts emanating from Zao Wushen transformed into thousands of Light Butterflies, and the colorful swarm of butterflies rushed toward the Ancient Cauldron Xuanyuan Mountain Peak.
Suddenly, a purple-gold flame erupted from the Ancient Cauldron, containing the power of purification and rebirth. It refined the Half Broken Sword into dust, and the fine powder fell like spring rain. In the center of the Altar of Heaven, a strange spiritual herb grew. The herb's stem was entwined with Twelve Star Orbits, and each leaf was shaped like an axe blade. The edges of the leaves shimmered with the light of Principle. It was the crystallization of the two thousand years of Zao Wushen and True Meaning of Martial Arts of the God-Slaying One. Now, nourished by the Power of Rebirth, it had finally achieved perfection. Even his smiling face from his two thousand years of slumber appeared in the herb's stamen. That smile was full of relief and satisfaction, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.
The fragrance emanating from the spiritual herb permeated the Xuanyuan Mountain Peak, bringing peace to the minds of all who smelled it and stabilizing their Dao Heart. Even the birds and beasts on the mountaintop danced around the spiritual herb, as if celebrating this grand event.
As Ren Xiaoyao turned to leave, Xuanyuan Mountain behind him was completely enveloped by the newly generated Spiritual Qi.
The traces of the battle declaration on the ancient stele gradually faded, replaced by newly carved inscriptions, the words of which seemed to have been written by the very essence of Heavenly Dao: " The Divine Axe Open Chaos, a single Enlighten Rebirth."
Sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the inscription. Every word shone with wisdom, recounting to future generations the World-Shaking Battle that determined the future of Martial Dao on the continent.
At the Foot of the Mountain, the cultivators who had rushed there upon hearing the news were looking up at the newly sprouted spiritual herbs and the healed ancient stele on the mountaintop. Their understanding of "Dao" had been quietly changed in this silent baptism of Daoist charm. Their Dao Foundation had become more solid without them even realizing it, and their understanding of Martial Dao had been elevated to a new level. Many cultivators began to re-examine their cultivation.
As the cultivators at the Foot of the Mountain were immersed in the Daoist rhythm, the spiritual herbs Xuanyuan Mountain Peak suddenly burst forth with twelve rays of light. Within the radiance emerged Martial Dao Scrolls cultivated by Zao Wushen over two thousand years. Those techniques, once imprisoned by resentment, now transformed into streams of light, merging into heaven and earth—rubble automatically pieced together to form Tai Chi Formation Diagram, broken ancient pines sprouted new buds at a visible speed, and even the mountain waterfall condensed into crystalline True Meaning of Martial Arts, with water droplets writing the True Explanation of the < Void-Breaking Fist Manual > on the surface of the pool as they fell. Behind Ren Xiaoyao's departing figure on the clouds, the phantom of the Chaos Axe outlined the World-Opening Technique the world in the sky. In the gaps in the clouds cleaved by the axe blade, the Totems of birth and death of the Three Thousand Realms flowed like a revolving lantern, reflecting the figure of Zao Wushen sitting cross-legged beside the spiritual herbs, rebuilding his Dao Foundation. After this astonishing event, Martial Arts Inscriptions throughout the continent rearranged themselves, and the Heavenly Dao Proverbs of " Protect Heart, Guard Life " quietly emerged among the patterns of those Killing Moves techniques that were once considered forbidden arts.