Martial Ancestor Descends to the Dust

Before the echoes of the cauldron's resounding clang had even faded, the "Martial Ancestor's Ancestral Martial Mausoleum" in the far west of the Tianyan Continent suddenly trembled. The mausoleum was carved into the Ten-Thousand-Blade Profound Mountain, its walls etched with Martial Arts Totems offered by generations of Martial Artist over three thousand years—silhouettes of figures wielding swords to slay Demon Dragon, silhouettes of bare hands shaking mountains. Each Totems was imbued with the Essence Blood of Martial Artist, normally dull and lifeless, but now it seemed to come alive, radiating golden light. Cracks spread along the Totems patterns, and the entire Xuan Mountain creaked and groaned. The heavy thuds made it seem as if the stone would collapse at any moment. The Mysterious Yellow Stone Coffin, buried tens of thousands of feet underground, was even more so. Its body was made of High Antiquity Mysterious Yellow Jade Marrow, and the "Martial Suppressing Runes Suppression Runes" covering its surface were cracking layer by layer. Pale golden Martial Arts Origin gushed out from the cracks like a spring, melting the surrounding Profound Ice Frozen Soil had remained frozen for tens of thousands of years into warm streams. The streams flowed along the cracks in the stone coffin and actually gathered into small Martial Arts Formation Patterns on the ground. As the array patterns rotated, the crisp sound of weapons clashing could be faintly heard.

The figure sitting cross-legged in the coffin slowly opened his eyes—it was the Martial Ancestor Cang Xuan had been asleep for three thousand years. His hair was as white as frost, yet each strand hung distinctly behind his shoulders. His pale face showed no signs of aging, only the fine lines at the corners of his eyes revealed the marks of time. As his eyes opened and closed, two golden rays shot straight to the top of the coffin. These golden rays were not tangible, but they carried the True Meaning of Martial Arts capable of severing all things. They actually pierced two transparent holes in the thick, hundred-zhang-thick Mysterious Yellow Stone Wall. The sunlight from outside poured in through the holes, falling on his pale yet upright body, intertwining with the Martial Arts Origin around him, transforming into a faint golden Light Cocoon. Within the Light Cocoon, countless tiny Martial Arts Runes slowly flowed, as if telling the story of three thousand years of war.

The pale golden Martial Arts Origin surrounding Cang Xuan flowed like a living thing, each strand of essence carrying the battle intent accumulated over thousands of years: there was the chilling aura of when he ventured deep into the Demon Realm to slay demons, the acrid smell of burning demon blood still lingering within; there was the weightiness of protecting the people of the Tianyan Continent, the Power of All Living Beings clearly perceptible within; there was the sharpness of competing with Martial Artist peers, as if piercing through all the shackles of heaven and earth. He flicked his fingertips, the seemingly casual movement carrying the rhythm of Martial Dao honed through countless trials—the curve of his index finger, the timing of the burst of finger power, were all precise to the extreme. With a soft "bang," the Mysterious Yellow Stone Coffin, weighing tens of thousands of pounds, shattered like paper. The fragments were steadily supported by the Martial Arts Origin as they flew, slowly falling to the ground without even raising a speck of dust. The runes on the fragments of the coffin lid were still flashing, as if unwilling to dissipate.

He remained motionless, yet the ancient "Void-Treading Steps" array patterns appeared beneath his feet. These patterns were the essence of a footwork technique created by Cang Xuan in his youth. Each Dao Patterns corresponded to a Martial Dao node in the world. The moment the array patterns lit up, he seemed to merge into the void, piercing through the rock layers. The Mysterious Iron veins along the way were gently brushed by the Martial Arts Origin, turning into countless iron filings; the millennium crystal marrow, upon encountering the origin, automatically shattered into tiny crystal grains, which slid down his clothes. In an instant, he had Shattering the Void and appeared above the battlefield. Subtle ripples remained in the void around him. When the ripples dissipated, tiny Martial Arts Runes slowly vanished in the air. The runes fell to the ground, causing the newly revived moss to instantly grow an inch taller, gleaming with a faint golden light.

Cang Xuan wore an ancient Mysterious Iron Battle Armor, forged from the hardest "Meteorite Iron Essence" of the Tianyan Continent. On his left chest was a deep sword scar that revealed bone, a mark left from his battle with the Demon Race Supreme Jingyuan Era three thousand years ago. Undissipated Demonic Baleful Energy energy still lingered around the scar, the black Demonic Baleful Energy twisting and struggling on the battle suit, but it was firmly suppressed by the pale golden Martial Arts Origin, unable to Thunder Pool. The axe scar on his right arm was even more severe, almost splitting the battle suit in two. The black Mysterious Iron at the edge had long since oxidized and turned black, yet it exuded the weight of countless battles. Touching the axe scar with one's fingertips, one could still feel the lingering ferocity of that battle.

His gaze swept over Ren Xiaoyao and the Creation Chaos Cauldron below. He was first slightly taken aback by the shimmering white light flowing around the cauldron—the creative intent contained within that light subtly resonated with the "Power of Ascension" he had once encountered in ancient texts. Immediately, a burning fighting spirit ignited in his eyes. That fighting spirit scorched the surrounding air like a raging fire, even dyeing the distant clouds a pale gold. Water vapor in the clouds condensed into tiny phantom Weapon Phantoms, trembling gently with the rise and fall of his fighting spirit. "Three thousand years have passed since I sealed myself away in seclusion until now. The Martial Artist of the Tianyan Continent have either been trapped in their cultivation levels, guarding their small plots of land and daring not to break through; or they have been cowardly in battle, abandoning their armor and fleeing when faced with a powerful enemy. Finally, I have found a junior who can make me fight seriously."

Ren Xiaoyao looked up and felt an overwhelming Martial Dao pressure rushing towards him. This pressure was different from the chilling and piercing demonic energy, nor was it like the warm and nourishing Power of Creation. Instead, it was as sharp and incomparable as a divine weapon unsheathed, causing his spiritual Spiritual Qi to stagnate slightly. The Dao Origin flowing in his meridians even paused briefly, as if it would be crushed in the next second. The newly revived moss under his feet was crushed tightly onto the gravel by the pressure. Its leaves curled slightly, but it still stubbornly shone with a bright green color. Its roots desperately absorbed Spiritual Qi from the cracks in the gravel, unwilling to wither away.

As if sensing a threat, the Creation Chaos Cauldron suddenly intensified its radiance threefold, protecting Ren Xiaoyao like Golden Bell Shield. The "Life-Annihilation-Devour" patterns on the cauldron's body spun rapidly. The gray-gold "Life" patterns radiated vitality, continuously drawing in the surrounding Spiritual Qi; the silver-white "Death" patterns exuded a chilling aura, condensing into an invisible blade on the outer layer of the radiance to resist the invasion of oppressive power; the inky black "Devouring" patterns were thick and heavy, gradually devouring and transforming the invading Martial Dao pressure. Even the True Meaning of the Way of Weapons floating in the air was stirred agitated. The remnants of weapons in the distant mountains and forests—broken swords, broken axes, and shattered spears—trembled slightly, their blades, axe blades, and spear tips glowing faintly towards the cauldron, as if trying to break free from the ground and fly towards the cauldron to resonate with the True Meaning of the Way of Weapons within.

"So you are Ren Xiaoyao?" Cang Xuan's voice was not loud, but it reverberated through the heavens and earth like thunder. Wherever the sound waves reached, the newly gathered Spiritual Energy Vortex was shaken apart, and the Spiritual Qi energy turned into countless specks of light that fell from the sky; the pebbles on the ground jumped half a foot high and then fell heavily back down, creating small craters; the spirit birds in the distant mountains and forests were startled and flapped their wings to fly into the sky, but they were disoriented by the sound waves in mid-air and landed on the branches to preen their feathers.

"I, Cang Xuan, once touched the threshold of the Ascension Realm three thousand years ago, Jingyuan Era," he raised his hand and gently stroked the sword mark on his battle armor, a trace of reminiscence flashing in his eyes before his fighting spirit returned, "But because I lacked a 'life-or-death Battle of Life and Death,' I was unable to break through the final shackle, trapped at the bottleneck for three thousand years. You were able to summon the Creation Tribulation Lightning and survive, and you were even able to refine the Chaos Cauldron to the point of possessing the initial intent of Creation. This strength is enough to qualify you as my 'sharpening stone'!"

As his words fell, Cang Xuan raised his hand and clenched his fist in the air. This seemingly ordinary clenching stirred the Martial Dao veins of the Tianyan Continent —the "Meteorite Sword Mound" in the Eastern Region suddenly trembled, and the millennia-old meteorite iron swords deep within the Sword Mound were unsheathed one after another. The sound of Sword Hum resounded throughout the Eastern Region, and thousands of sword shadows streaked across the sky like meteors. Wherever the sword shadows passed, the air was cleaved with tiny sword marks, and faint Sword Qi remained in the sword marks, cutting the passing clouds into fragments; the "Mountain-Splitting Axe Vein" in the Western Desert was even more intense, the entire... The mountains trembled, and the ground cracked open with ravines over ten feet wide. A Giant Axe, over ten feet long, burst forth from the heart of the earth, its blade still coated with undried lava, gleaming with a scorching red light. Lava dripped onto the ground, instantly burning the rocks to ashes. In the "Mountain-Suppressing Spear Forest" of the southern border, thousands of silver spears simultaneously burst from the ground, their tips pointing straight to the sky. The "Mountain-Suppressing Pattern" on the shafts shone with golden light, as if a dragon's roar emanated from the spear shafts. The dragon's roar shook the rivers of the southern border, causing waves three feet high to rise.

Countless illusory images of divine weapons traversed tens of thousands of miles of space, converging in Cang Xuan's palm. Sword shadows, axe shadows, spear shadows, and halberd shadows intertwined, tightly enveloped by a pale golden Martial Arts Origin, ultimately condensing into an ancient "Myriad Weapons Battle Spear." This spear was over three zhang long, its shaft engraved with illusory images of various weapons, each image lifelike, seemingly about to leap from the shaft; the spearhead gleamed with a pale golden light, and as soon as it took shape, it tore through the surrounding space, leaving behind fine Black Cracks. Within these cracks, Void Turbulence could be seen slowly surging, and upon touching the spear, these currents were instantly shredded by the Martial Arts Origin.

"Take my first move, ' Myriad Weapons Return to Unity '!"

Cang Xuan took a step forward, and a shallow pit was created in the void beneath his feet. Tiny Martial Arts Formation Patterns appeared in the pit, then slowly dissipated. The Myriad Weapons Battle Spear in his hand thrust straight down. This thrust had no earth-shattering phenomena, no overwhelming energy, but it condensed three thousand years of Martial Arts Origin into a single point on the spear tip. That point of golden light seemed weak, but it contained a killing intent honed through countless trials. The killing intent spread along the spear tip, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet, and a thin layer of White Frost condensed on the pebbles on the ground.

Before the spear tip even arrived, Ren Xiaoyao felt a stinging pain in every pore of his body, as if countless divine weapons were simultaneously piercing his limbs and bones. The Dao Origin in his meridians surged violently, and his blood and qi surged so much that they almost burst through his throat. He subconsciously clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, and the blood that flowed out dripped onto the ground, instantly freezing into Ice Crystals by his killing intent.

The Creation Chaos Cauldron instantly appeared before him, its cloud patterns and starlight illuminating simultaneously. The cloud patterns, layered upon each other like a surging sea of clouds, each wisp of cloud etched with Weapon Patterns, drifted gently in the rosy light; the starlight twinkled like a sky full of stars, falling and condensing into a tiny Star Formation around the cauldron. The "Life-Annihilation-Devour" spiral pattern transformed into three bands of light that coiled around the cauldron. The gray-gold "Life" power protected the cauldron, condensing into a flexible Light Membrane on its outer layer; the silver-white "Destruction" power resisted the killing intent, shattering the invading killing intent bit by bit; the inky black "Devouring" power absorbed energy, slowly pulling the Martial Arts Origin from the spear into the cauldron, forcefully intercepting the spear.

"Clang--"

The clang of metal clashing sent shards of stone flying through the air, the largest pieces the size of millstones. They tumbled through the air before crashing to the ground, only to be pulverized by the aftershocks. Faint Martial Arts Origin lingered in the dust, transforming into tiny particles of light upon landing and merging into the soil. Where the spears met the cauldron, the pale golden Martial Arts Origin collided and dissolved with the shimmering white Creation Radiance. Golden and white energy threads intertwined in the air, spreading like a spiderweb, forming a visible Energy Impact.

The shockwave spread outwards, snapping the newly revived saplings in half. Faint white Spiritual Qi emanated from the cut ends of the tree trunks, within which tiny Spiritual Energy Particles drifted slowly. As the broken branches fell to the ground, tiny spiritual insects crawled out from the branches. These pure white insects frantically burrowed into the soil, but upon contact with the aftershocks of the energy, their bodies glowed with a faint golden light, as if they had been nourished.

Ren Xiaoyao felt an immense force surge through the cauldron, his arms went numb, his tiger's mouth split open, and blood flowed down his arms, dripping onto the cauldron's radiant glow, where it was instantly absorbed. The ground beneath his feet caved in, creating a three-foot-deep crater, its walls covered in spiderweb-like cracks. Within these cracks, Spiritual Qi and Martial Arts Origin intertwined, forming tiny energy streams. Yet, he gritted his teeth and steadied himself, his fingertips forming hand seals so fast they left only afterimages. He unleashed the three seals—"Life," "Death," and "Devouring"—in quick succession, landing on the cauldron and causing the "Life-Annihilation-Devour" pattern to spin even faster. "The Martial Ancestor's strength is indeed well-deserved! Three thousand years of Martial Dao accumulation are beyond my reach! Today, I will use the Chaos Cauldron as my weapon and fight alongside you, senior!"

Seeing his spear blocked, Cang Xuan was not disappointed at all. Instead, his fighting spirit intensified, and even the Martial Arts Origin around him became increasingly blazing. The pale golden Light Cocoon doubled in size, pushing aside the surrounding clouds. "Good! You can withstand my Myriad Weapons Return to Unity, so you are worthy of my second move! Come again, ' The Martial Arts Long River '!"

His Martial Arts Origin suddenly erupted, surging out like a flood bursting its banks, transforming into a rushing golden river in the air. This river was hundreds of feet wide and thousands of feet long, and its water was not an ordinary liquid, but composed of countless tiny Martial Arts Runes— "slash," "cleave," "thrust," and "block." Each rune represented a Martial Dao move, and as the runes rotated, they emitted a "splashing" sound, yet it also carried the clanging of clashing weapons, as if thousands of troops were fighting in the river.

Countless illusory figures of Martial Dao cultivators appeared in the long river. These figures were not illusions, but rather the various powerful figures that Cang Xuan had seen over the past three thousand years. There was Sword Cultivator glowed with a green light, and when the sword light fell, even the distant mountain peaks were cleaved with shallow marks, and rocks tumbled down, stirring up clouds of dust. There was Strength Cultivator with a bare upper body, wielding Giant Axe axe to split the earth. His muscles were bulging, and when his giant axe fell, the ground trembled, and fragments of stone flew, smashing into the surrounding trees and creating deep pits in their trunks. There was Weapon Cultivator clad in armor, wielding a spear to break through formations. His armor gleamed with silver light, and his silver spear danced, its shadows like a forest, seemingly able to pierce through everything. The spear tip sliced through the air, leaving faint marks.

Each illusory figure was practicing different Martial Dao moves, and as the moves intertwined, they formed a "Martial Arts Grand Formation" covering an area of a thousand feet in Fang Yuan. The array patterns were formed from golden Martial Arts Origin and were divided into three parts: "Attack," "defense," and "trapping." The "attack" patterns were like sharp blades, the "defense" patterns were like solid shields, and the "trapping" patterns were like chains. The moment the array patterns lit up, the surrounding space was dyed a pale gold color, and the Spiritual Qi in the air was completely dispelled, leaving only pure True Meaning of Martial Arts. When Ren Xiaoyao breathed, he no longer inhaled Spiritual Qi, but rather Martial Dao power with a sharp sensation, which made his throat slightly sting.

The moment the grand formation was activated, Ren Xiaoyao felt as if the surrounding space was imprisoned by the Martial Arts Laws. Even raising his hand became sluggish, as if countless invisible chains were binding his limbs. The glow of the Creation Chaos Cauldron also dimmed a bit, its circulation speed slowed down by nearly half, and the light of the "Life-Annihilation-Devour" pattern on the cauldron's body became weak, as if it were fighting against the Martial Arts Laws.

He took a deep breath, channeling the power of his Indestructible Golden Body to its limit. His skin shimmered with Glazed Ice- like luster, within which faint Weapon Patterns shone. These Weapon Patterns resonated with the True Meaning of the Way of Weapons emanating from the cauldron, making his aura even more profound. He raised his hand and tossed the cauldron into the air. The cauldron spun three times in the air, its radiance surging once more, slightly pushing away the surrounding True Meaning of Martial Arts: "Power of Creation, merge with my martial arts! Life-Annihilation-Devour patterns, dismantle martial arts and break formations!"

The cauldron's body opened like a funnel, releasing a tremendous suction force that drew in all the illusory Martial Dao Weapon Phantoms. The "Life-Annihilation-Devour" pattern rotated at its maximum speed; the gray-gold "Life" pattern, like a fine comb, dissected the flaws in martial arts moves, finding the weak points of each and every strike; the silver-white "Destruction" pattern, like sharp scissors, severed the connections between moves, making the shadowy figures' movements sluggish; the jet-black "Devouring" pattern, like a bottomless abyss, absorbed the Martial Arts Origin within the moves, transforming it into the cauldron's power.

In an instant, these disassembled and recombined forces transformed into a series of martial arts attacks imbued with the essence of creation, bursting forth from the cauldron's mouth—there were sword shadows brimming with life, gleaming with a shimmering white light, capable of reviving withered vegetation upon impact; there were axe blades exuding a heavy aura, wrapped in pale golden Martial Dao power, capable of shattering the surrounding Martial Dao constraints upon striking the ground; there were spear tips displaying a blood-red sharpness, gleaming with a cold, chilling light, capable of tearing small gaps when piercing the array patterns. These attacks collided with the Martial Arts Grand Formation, producing deafening sounds.

"Boom--"

Golden and shimmering white light exploded in mid-air, forming a massive mushroom cloud of energy. The cloud's peak touched the heavens, turning the dark purple clouds golden white. Moisture within the clouds evaporated with the energy, transforming into tiny droplets that, upon falling, carried a faint Spiritual Qi, landing on Ren Xiaoyao's face and invigorating him. The True Meaning of Martial Arts and the Power of Creation intertwined and tore at each other, forming countless tiny turbulent Energy Turbulence. These currents swept across the landscape, even shredding the pebbles on the ground into dust. The dust drifted with the wind, settling in the distant mountains and forests, accelerating the growth of the trees several times over.

The distant mountains trembled, and the snow on the peaks fell in a rustling sound, forming small avalanches. After the avalanches, faint Martial Arts Runes appeared on the exposed mountain walls. These runes were of the same lineage as Cang Xuan's Martial Arts Origin, as if the Martial Dao meridians of heaven and earth had been activated by this duel. As the runes flickered, the rocks on the mountain walls slowly writhed and condensed into small phantom Weapon Phantoms.

Seeing this, Cang Xuan burst into laughter, his laughter filled with the suppressed joy of three thousand years, causing the surrounding Energy Turbulence to pause slightly. "Exhilarating! In three thousand years, I have never fought so exhilaratingly! Ren Xiaoyao, if this is all you've got, you can't withstand my final move! Show me your full strength and let me see if you can withstand ' Martial Arts Shatters the Void '!"

As he finished speaking, all of Cang Xuan's Martial Arts Origin gathered at his brow, forming a Golden Light Spots the size of a broad bean. As the dot flickered, it emitted a faint aura of emptiness, subtly resonating with the Space Barrier of the Tianyan Continent, causing the surrounding void to distort slightly. His Mysterious Iron Battle Armor suddenly glowed, and golden Martial Arts Origin surged from the cracks in the armor. Each crack transformed into a small Martial Arts Formation Patterns —a "sword array," an "axe array," and a "spear array"—which connected to form a "Martial Extreme Formation" covering his entire body. As the array rotated, it elevated Cang Xuan's Martial Arts Origin to its peak.

Countless martial arts insights overflowed from his body. These insights were not real, but they could be sensed by the world and turned into golden runes all over the sky - "sword talismans" that recorded sword moves. The runes were engraved with "sky-cutting style" and "earth-breaking style"; there were "axe talismans" that recorded axe skills. , the runes are engraved with "Splitting Mountain Style" and "Shattering Sea Style"; there is a "Gun Talisman" inscribed with spear skills, and the runes are engraved with "Piercing Style" and "Sweeping Style". These runes hover in the air for three weeks, collide and merge with each other, and finally form a huge word "Martial".

The character "" is a hundred feet high and a hundred feet wide. Each stroke reveals the power of cutting through all things. There is a faint golden light on the edges of the strokes, dyeing the surrounding void into gold. As the word "" turns, it faintly tears apart the space wall of Tianyan Continent. The barrier reveals the gray void behind - deep in the void, you can see a faint glow, which contains the pure power of ascension, which is exactly the direction of the entrance to the realm of ascension. The turbulent flow of the void surges at the entrance, carrying the power of destroying the heaven and the earth. The power, however, was firmly blocked by the power of the word "", and he could not get even half a step closer to the entrance. Ren Xiaoyao stared at the word "" tearing through the void. His fingertips turned white from clenching, but the Dao Yuan in his body became more and more condensed under the extreme pressure. He could clearly understand Realizing that Cang Xuan's attack was more than just a sparring exercise, it was a "boundary-breaking move" in which he devoted all his three thousand years of martial arts obsession. If he failed to catch it, not only would he be swallowed by the turbulent flow of the void, but even the newly revived battlefield might be turned into ruins again.

"Senior proved the Dao through Martial Dao, and junior will inherit the Dao through creation!" Ren Xiaoyao uttered a deep shout, his voice piercing through the energy barrier and reaching Cang Xuan's ears. He suddenly raised his hand and pressed it against the body of the Creation Chaos Cauldron. The Weapon Patterns and the patterns on the cauldron instantly overlapped, and the Glassy Light of his Indestructible Golden Body surged, even dyeing the surrounding True Meaning of Martial Arts a light gold.

The spiral pattern of "Life-Annihilation-Devour" on the cauldron suddenly accelerated, and the gray-gold "Life" pattern attracted all the revived life in the world—moss in the crevices of the battlefield rocks grew wildly, turning into emerald green vines that wrapped around the cauldron; small trees in the distant mountains rose from the ground, and their branches turned into rainbows of Spiritual Qi that surged toward the mouth of the cauldron; even the shattered remains of weapons that had been shaken before were nourished by the power of "Life" and re-condensed into phantoms, surrounding the pillar of light.

The silver-white "Extinction" pattern operated at full power, shattering all the Martial Dao pressure that had invaded its body. The shattered pressure did not dissipate; instead, it was absorbed by the dark black "Swallow" pattern, merging with the Power of Creation and the True Meaning of the Way of Weapons stored in the cauldron, transforming into Chaos Energy interwoven with three colors.