"I heard that Lord Heavenly Horned Ant's descendants have come to reinforce us. Are they the two behind you?"
Another voice rang out, sweet and melodious as an immortal song. Its owner was a woman-another immortal maiden, a rare sight indeed.
As the woman spoke, everyone's eyes gathered on them! Such was the treatment afforded an Immortal King's children!
Lin Yue rose. "Yes!"
"Greetings, Senior!" Yan and his elder sister Yu stood and bowed. She was a practitioner of the Immortal Dao; even the old Heavenly Horned Ant would not have treated her arrogantly in person!
"Excellent. You have already become Venerables and can be called invincible within your realm. Should you encounter difficulties in the future, you may come to my clan!"
"Thank you, Senior! However, we have decided to follow Lin Yue for now and fight alongside him."
The instant Yu spoke, the Extreme Dao figures who had paid little attention to Lin Yue-and even several Immortal Dao practitioners atop the Divine Platform-began directing their divine senses toward him!
Lin Yue shuddered, suddenly feeling as though he had been stripped naked!
"How strange. What sort of unusual seed did he merge with to evade a True Immortal's scrutiny?" an old man asked.
"Now that you mention it, he is barely into his twenties and has already entered the escape one realm. Such people have been rare throughout history! The Lin Family has a worthy successor."
Their voices held neither contempt nor particular regard. To them, anyone who had not entered the Immortal Dao was merely an ant. Beyond wondering what Great Dao seed Lin Yue had merged with, they paid him little attention. Countless seeds had existed throughout the ages, and there were plenty of bizarre ones even they had never seen.
As for geniuses, they were not worth their attention. They had lived too long; across those endless years, geniuses had been as plentiful as crucian carp crossing a river.
"Enough. The other great realms are in peril. The purpose of this meeting is to send reinforcements to Qingwei Heaven! Who will lead them?" A voice brought everyone back to the matter at hand!
The meeting lasted two days!
Aboard the warship, Yan looked at Lin Yue and said, "Lin Yue, your talent is unrivaled throughout history. You will surely ascend to the realm of kings in the future. As long as you survive, you are the hope of the Nine Heavens. If necessary, we will give our lives to save you!"
"Exactly! You walk the path of invincibility and are stronger even than our Heavenly Horned Ant Clan. Once fully grown, we will indeed be no weaker than Immortal Kings, but one or two Immortal Kings cannot change much! You, however, are different. If it is you, you can definitely do it!" Yu spoke as well! She had complete faith in Lin Yue. The invincible bearing he had displayed in his earlier battle with He Wushuang had been engraved in her heart!
Looking into their sincere eyes, Lin Yue felt black lines cover his forehead. They were ready to erect tombstones before even reaching the battlefield.
"Could you all stop being so pessimistic? I say we have to win this battle in style and drive them back! Let those Foreign Realm bastards know that our Nine Heavens isn't something they can swallow whenever they please!"
"You're right. We should have that invincible resolve!"
"Young master!"
Two middle-aged men approached from behind. They had joined Lin Yue on this expedition; one was named Lin Ce, the other Lin He. Both were great cultivators of the escape one realm!
"Uncle Ce, Uncle He!"
"This is our Lin Family's banner. You should be the one to carry it and issue the commands!"
He handed over a battle banner, already stained red with blood. Black-and-white battle patterns crisscrossed its surface, radiating divine brilliance!
Gripping the great banner, Lin Yue felt hot blood surge through his heart!
"Good. I will take up the Lin Family's battle banner-and I should take up the battle banner of the Nine Heavens as well!"
They exchanged smiles!
Chapter 16: War Begins
Qingwei Heaven!
Countless warships crossed between realms into this great realm shrouded in bloody mist. Divine abilities and precious techniques had torn the earth apart, and molten lava churned through its abysses.
The clashes between the two realms' Immortal Dao practitioners would ultimately determine which way the scales of war tipped.
Yet who could remain unmoved as they watched their lands fall? Even Immortal Kings could not bear it!
Faced with mountains of corpses and seas of blood, white bones piled into hills and blood flowing in rivers, those entering battle for the first time could not help vomiting. They trembled, their legs going weak!
No one mocked them, because all of it was real, without the slightest exaggeration. Even veterans of a hundred battles felt their bodies turn cold and could not stop trembling. The battlefield was uncanny, its murderous aura shaking the world; no one could withstand it.
Some enormous creatures from the Foreign Realm and the Nine Heavens revealed their true forms after death, towering above mountain peaks and reaching beyond the clouds! The blood pouring from them resembled surging crimson rivers! Even when warships drifted past these corpses, some creatures were too large to see in their entirety. It was a horrifying sight.
Just like the giant ape they were passing now: a broken halberd pierced its brow, and one arm was missing, yet its corpse still radiated savage might!
The vanguard had already engaged, holding nothing back as they plunged into the most brutal slaughter!
The heavens shattered, stars plummeted, smoke rose everywhere, and wind swept sand across the land. Deep in the sky, world-shaking phenomena occasionally manifested at its highest reaches, where Immortal Dao practitioners were clashing.
This was the Immortal Ancient era of all-out war!
War drums thundered, deafeningly loud! Reinforcements had arrived; they had to raise their comrades' spirits and tell them they had not been abandoned!
"Men, how could our Longevity Xu Family fall behind anyone? Follow me into battle! Kill these Foreign Realm bastards and win unparalleled glory!"
This was the heir of the Longevity Xu Family, a figure half a step from the Extreme Dao, rallying his clansmen!
"Hahaha! Foreign Realm bastards, the men of the Lu Family have arrived! Those who surrender will be spared!"
"Hmph! How could our Feng Family fall behind anyone?"
Holding the battle banner, Lin Yue looked at the Lin Family clansmen behind him, his blood burning just as fiercely as theirs.
Fight! Even if the Nine Heavens ultimately shatters, this time we will fight to our hearts' content!
"People of the Lin Family, follow me and slay the enemy!"
"Where the battle banner points, we will advance without hesitation!"
"Kill...!"
The realm wars of Immortal Ancient were nothing like those of later ages, when armies fought a few bouts each day before sounding the retreat. The fighting here had already lasted years before they arrived! Though combatants stopped to rest, they resumed the next day, or others took their place-just as they were now taking over the battlefield.
Some Immortal Dao kings had even fought their opponents from the beginning of the epoch until now, with victory still undecided.
On the battlefield, a One with the Dao cultivator of the Nine Heavens faced two Foreign Realm Venerables, his entire body drenched in blood.
"Why resist? It is all futile in the end. Look at your comrades now-hardly any remain, and no one will come to reinforce you! You are tenacious. Become my servant, and you can live!" a Foreign Realm Venerable said with lofty superiority!
"Pah! Foreign Realm mongrels, remember this: my name is Yang Zhong, and Zhong means unwavering loyalty! When my ancestor named me, he already prepared me to die in battle. There is not a single coward in my Yang Family. I will never live on my knees!"
"Alas! In that case, die!"
The other Foreign Realm Venerable clearly lacked such patience. His halberd thrust straight forward. Yang Zhong did not fear death; a crazed smile curled his lips as he prepared to make one final desperate attempt. Unfortunately, his wounds were too severe!
Is this as far as I go? the man asked himself!
Clang!
The ring of colliding metal sounded, and violent energy erupted.
A young man stood in front of him, his hair dancing in the air, his body showing no sign of strain.
The Foreign Realm Venerable had clearly not seen how he had rescued the man either!
That did nothing to lessen his shock: his unstoppable halberd had been caught barehanded!
"How is that possible!"
All three cried out involuntarily!
Ignoring their reactions, Yan spoke to the man behind him. "Impressive! Compared with those traitors, you are the pride of the Nine Heavens! Yang Zhong, was it?"
"Y-yes... that's... me!"
"Reinforcements have arrived. Step back and watch me slay the enemy!"
"A-all right!" Yang Zhong was clearly stunned by the young man's feat. Facing a Foreign Realm Venerable, he had caught barehanded a halberd that had slaughtered countless people. How powerful was his body? Could he be from the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan?
"Who do you think you are, a Heavenly Horned Ant? If you want to die, I'll grant your wish!" His opponent tried to pull his halberd back.
"Heh! My name is Yan, and I am indeed from the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan! Now you can die with your eyes closed, with no regrets left on the road to reincarnation!"
Then he crushed the enemy's halberd outright!
"Impossible! The Heavenly Horned Ant Clan has been wiped out! Old and young alike are dead! I saw it with my own eyes! You can't fool me!"
This revelation was too shocking. He had witnessed that divine might himself. Those had been Immortals! Several had died, and only by joining forces with several Immortals had multiple kings managed to surround and kill their opponent!
Losing his reason, the Foreign Realm Venerable abandoned his shattered halberd and attacked with his fists. The other Venerable immediately moved as well, hoping to take down this uncanny young man together!
Yan said, "Nothing is impossible! We won the Battle of Realm Fortune. The Nine Heavens still has hope. And yes, there are people who can abandon their weapons and fight the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan-but you are not among them! How foolish!"
He unleashed a punch brimming with ultimate divine strength, twisting even the void. In the direction of the two Foreign Realm Venerables, the wind of his fist plowed a bottomless chasm into the earth, as though it reached down into the Nine Netherworlds. Arcs of lightning born of the raging energy still flashed around it! Not even their bodies could be found; both had been blasted to dust!
This was a Heavenly Horned Ant whose body had transformed and who had begun to mature: divine strength reaching the heavens, invincible within his realm!
"S-so strong!" Yang Zhong stood dumbfounded. The two opponents he could not defeat even after exhausting every method had been reduced to ashes by a single punch! And what had the young man just said? Heavenly Horned Ant! Yes-looking again, he saw the single horn on his head!
Yang Zhong immediately dropped to one knee. Here was a leader of the Nine Heavens' younger generation, an Immortal King's own child descending upon them.
"Lord Heavenly Horned Ant!"
"Mm! Go tend to your wounds!"
"I want to help you!"
Yan said, "Good. Help me collect the spoils!"
Just then, on the other side, the void likewise split apart amid flashing lightning and rolling thunder. A woman with a proud bearing wielded divine fists that robbed heaven and earth of their color! Most importantly, she too had a single horn on her head!
Another Heavenly Horned Ant! The Nine Heavens still had hope. Seeing the two of them, many people felt their confidence soar!
At the Nine Heavens' warship headquarters, the Supreme Dao Venerables leading these reinforcements watched the pair's performance with burning eyes.
"The Heavenly Horned Ant Clan is truly blessed by heaven, their bodies unrivaled. If these two fully mature, it will be a blessing for the Nine Heavens!"
The Immortal Dao practitioner leading them spoke!
Yan said, "Let's go regroup. We will counterattack shortly!"
"Yes!"
Yang Zhong followed Yan toward Lin Yue and Yu!
The three regrouped.
Lin Yue asked, "How was it? What are the Foreign Realm Venerables like?"
Yan said, "Generally speaking, they are somewhat stronger than those of the same realm on our side. Perhaps that is because the Foreign Realm's laws of the Dao are complete. Still, they are not invincible!"
Yu said, "We must win as soon as possible and stabilize the fortune of the Nine Heavens realm. I fear that the longer this lasts, the more likely problems will arise in the Nine Heavens' laws of the Dao. Immortal Dao practitioners are gradually dwindling, and the Great Dao is weeping. It may even affect cultivation in later generations! Some kings may have noticed the problem as well!"
Yang Zhong did not understand what was happening. Why were two Heavenly Horned Ants reporting to a human youth? He looked at Lin Yue in confusion!
Lin Yue said, "Let's begin. The three of us will fire the opening shot of the counterattack!"
"Yes!"
Like three streaks of divine light, they charged onto the battlefield. Wherever they passed, not a single opponent could withstand one exchange; all were slain with a single blow!
With his Black-Gold Long Sword, Lin Yue slew creatures of his realm in one stroke. As for the siblings, none survived beneath their divine fists!
Chapter 17: Savage Might Rises
"What is going on? The number of experts from our realm is dropping rapidly. Has one of their Extreme Dao figures attacked without being noticed? Those despicable insects of the Nine Heavens! This time, we must kill every last one of them!"
A Foreign Realm Extreme Dao expert with arms covered in scales spoke, deeply dissatisfied with the current battle!
"Hurry and find out what is happening!" another Venerable said.
On the battlefield, the crowds were in chaos.
Lin Yue was covered in blood. His imposing aura had not weakened from the slaughter; instead, this exhilarating battle had made it even more formidable.
After watching Lin Yue fight the enemy, the higher-ups of the Nine Heavens had all begun paying attention to this young man. Young One with the Dao Venerables were not unheard of in the long river of history.
On the contrary, in this age of raging war, young cultivators at the One with the Dao level were not uncommon. Yet very few could do what Lin Yue did, crushing almost everyone of the same realm.
This was no internal sparring match within the Nine Heavens. He was displaying absolute superiority in a war against the Foreign Realm, yielding nothing even to the two members of the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan!
As a result, the enemies facing the three grew ever stronger. Among them were many powerful older cultivators who had entered the One with the Dao realm long ago. Numerous great Foreign Realm experts were alerted and hurried over upon hearing the news!
The battle line that had been on the verge of collapse became a sharp sword slicing through the battlefield with the three's arrival. They drew much of the enemy's fire, allowing the Nine Heavens' forces to gradually halt their decline!
Just as Lin Yue was about to slay a Foreign Realm Venerable with a thunderous sword strike, a beam of dark blue-green sword light slashed in from afar and forced him back.
The newcomer looked like a young man, but his aura was not that of the younger generation. It bore the traces of time; he was likely a leading figure of the previous generation. He was also stained with considerable blood, seemingly having just finished another battle. Who knew which Venerable of the Nine Heavens had met a bitter end?
"Ji Feng, withdraw. Leave this fellow to me. You cannot handle him!"
"Yes, Lord Mo Qu!" The Foreign Realm Venerable named Ji Feng fled toward the rear after answering. He had nearly died just now.
Before you continue