"Whoosh!"
The moment Daoist Blood Nether finished speaking, a mysterious force, invisible and intangible yet perceptible, left his body and sank into the pitch-black ancient token.
As this mysterious force vanished, Daoist Blood Nether's appearance changed drastically. His hair withered, wrinkles crawled across his face, and his eyes turned cloudy and dull. He seemed to age hundreds of years in an instant.
"Hum!"
The pitch-black ancient token gave a barely audible hum. Devil Qi spread, shadowy and indistinct, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a pitch-black illusory altar.
One or two ancient devil patterns flashed across the illusory altar from time to time. Countless devilish shadows flickered in and out of existence around it, exuding an exceedingly evil sense of strangeness.
With the appearance of this altar, everything between heaven and earth became still. Branches swaying in the wind, drifting clouds crossing the horizon, tiny insects beating their wings in flight-all of them froze.
Oppressive!
Unimaginably oppressive!
Everyone in Green Yang City clearly felt that omnipresent, terrifying pressure, as though an entire vast world were pressing down on them, leaving them unable to breathe.
Boundless Devil Qi arose out of thin air between heaven and earth, drifting in wisps. From an endlessly distant height above the altar, immeasurable devilish might spilled down.
A face that blotted out the sky and sun condensed in the infinitely distant heavens. Horns grew from its head, its features were indistinct, and its eyes hung high in the firmament like two blood-red suns. No one could see its true appearance, but everyone could feel that all-pervading, immense devilish might.
"A Devil God projection!"
Ouyang Yuntian, the Crimson Flame Sect Master, exclaimed under his breath.
His face was deathly pale. He had never expected Daoist Blood Nether to be able to contact a legendary Devil God!
A Devil God was a terrifying existence capable of easily destroying a world and crushing hundreds of millions of living beings with a casual gesture!
Although this was merely a Devil God's projection, he was like an ant before it. A single glance from the projection could probably kill him!
According to legend, an Ancient Desolate Sacred Body would encounter endless tribulations throughout its life. Could this be one of the tribulations it was destined to face?
Had he made another mistake by choosing to help the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body this time?
A bitter smile touched Ouyang Yuntian's lips. He felt that his luck had hit rock bottom.
His gaze instinctively turned toward Jiang Chen, only to find him as calm and composed as ever, with a faint smile still on his face. He seemed rather interested in this Devil God projection.
Could this man deal with even a Devil God projection?
The thought arose unbidden in Ouyang Yuntian's mind, and a faint trace of anticipation stirred in his eyes.
"A Devil God..."
Ye Cangqiong murmured as though talking in his sleep, his mind utterly blank.
Everyone in the Ye Lineage stood frozen like wooden chickens. Before such an existence, they could not muster a single thought of resistance!
That a Divine Spirit who existed only in legends would one day descend upon the Ye Lineage left them all with a dreamlike sense of unreality.
As for Ye Hao, enveloped in Jiang Chen's presence, he did not feel fear as the others did. Instead, his fighting spirit soared.
One day, I will surely rise above this Devil God!
Inside the Drunken Immortal Tower, Zhao Wuji and Li Canglan exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with horror.
Daoist Blood Nether's appearance earlier had already plunged them into despair. Now, the Devil God projection made them understand that there was no greatest despair, only greater despair!
Why had even a Devil God projection appeared?
Had they known that the Ye Lineage's Ancient Desolate Sacred Body would provoke such an existence, how would they have dared to stay here and join the excitement?
"Great Devil God Ancestor, I am Blood Nether, your most humble servant! I found an Ancient Desolate Sacred Body who has opened his Wheel Sea and intended to offer him to you! Unfortunately, his Dao protector is far too powerful, so Blood Nether could only take the liberty of disturbing your slumber!"
Daoist Blood Nether's attitude was exceedingly deferential, humble to his very bones.
The Devil God projection's blood-colored eyes turned toward Ye Hao. The golden divine power in Ye Hao's Wheel Sea surged uncontrollably, giving off thunderous rumbles, while all the blood and Qi in his body seemed about to burst out.
"It truly is an Ancient Desolate Sacred Body! Blood Nether, you have rendered a meritorious service with this offering. I grant you special permission to enter the Blood God Secret Realm once!" Excitement flickered in the Devil God projection's eyes.
Ecstasy spread across Daoist Blood Nether's face as he replied devoutly, "That is truly Blood Nether's honor!"
"Ancient Desolate Sacred Body, come! Become my blood feast!"
The Devil God projection opened its mouth toward Ye Hao. Ye Hao's body rose uncontrollably into the air and hurtled toward its gaping, blood-red maw.
Jiang Chen appeared out of thin air beside Ye Hao and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Ye Hao immediately felt the pressure from the Devil God projection vanish, and he descended to the ground alongside Jiang Chen.
"Thank you for saving me, Master!" Ye Hao hastily expressed his gratitude.
Jiang Chen waved a hand casually and looked toward the Devil God projection, the corners of his mouth rising slightly. "Bullying the young with your seniority? Come, I'll play with you!"
"The Ancient Desolate Sacred Body's Dao protector? You possess not a trace of the power of laws. You are no Divine Spirit, yet you dare obstruct me? You truly seek death!" Threads of mockery seeped into the Devil God projection's voice.
Jiang Chen remained calm and said breezily, "A mere projection dares spout such arrogant nonsense here?"
"Die!"
Two blood-colored beams of divine light burst from the Devil God projection's blood-sun eyes. They sliced through the void, annihilating everything, and reached Jiang Chen in an instant.
These two beams contained the utterly terrifying power of a Divine Spirit's laws, with immortal Dao resonance flowing through them. Everything between heaven and earth seemed to lose its color, as though they would destroy the entire world, like heavenly punishment.
This strike unleashed the mighty power of the divine Dao. Across the Eastern Wilderness, quite a few terrifying existences with heaven-reaching cultivation opened their eyes and gazed toward the Ye Lineage.
"Which Divine Spirit has made a move?"
"This presence... it's the Hundred Refinements Devil God! The golden age has only just begun, and he already cannot resist walking the world?"
"What sort of existence could have stirred the Hundred Refinements Devil God?"
Facing the two approaching blood-colored beams of divine light that could annihilate all things, Jiang Chen calmly clenched his hand into a fist and raised it to strike them, roaring, "Kill!"
At that moment, towering killing intent swept across the firmament, as though all the killing intent accumulated through the ages had surged forth at once. It was as vast as the heavens, as weighty as the earth, and as violent as thunder. The true intent of the Dao of slaughter surged through the ages.
Kingly Dao Killing Fist!
This was a great divine ability Jiang Chen had comprehended from the Primordial Ancient Character for "kill." Its killing intent was limitless, capable of slaughtering gods and annihilating immortals!
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion rang out between heaven and earth, and the two blood-colored beams capable of annihilating everything shattered on the spot.
The fist light formed from the ceaselessly surging true intent of the Dao of slaughter instead grew even more blazing. It smashed through the void, soared against the heavens, and slammed forcefully into the Devil God projection high above.
"Rumble!"
Heaven and earth shook, and the void collapsed. The enormous face of the Devil God projection high in the sky twisted and deformed under the blow. Ripples spread through heaven and earth, and the projection grew increasingly illusory, as though it might vanish at any moment.
"Aaagh..." The flickering, sky-obscuring face let out a pained scream.
The Kingly Dao Killing Fist was even more terrifying than imagined. Through the Devil God projection, it had directly injured the Devil God behind it!
The enormous face that blotted out the sky and sun grew increasingly illusory and roared furiously, "I will remember this punch! Do you dare leave your name?"
"Jiang Chen, Peak Master of Clear Void Peak, Purple Firmament Holy Land," Jiang Chen said breezily.
The Devil God projection's enormous face vanished completely from the void. The illusory altar disappeared as well, turning back into the ancient token. Dense cracks covered its surface before it crumbled into flying ash between heaven and earth.
PS: Here are some supplementary details on the cultivation realms and faction settings.
[Detailed realms]
Wheel Sea, Life Palace, True Spirit, Marquis, Emperor, Venerable Lord, Demigod, the four Divine Spirit realms (Heavenly God, God King, God Emperor, God Venerable), Quasi-Saint, the three Sage realms (Saint, Saint King, Great Saint), Quasi-Emperor, the two imperial exaltation realms (Great Emperor = Supreme, Heavenly Emperor = Heavenly Venerable)...
[Faction settings]
Ancient sects and great schools: Dao lineages established by Demigods or Venerable Lords (they do not necessarily have living Demigods or Venerable Lords in the present era).
Divine dynasties and divine sects: Dao lineages established by Divine Spirits, subdivided into Heavenly God, God King, God Emperor, and God Venerable Dao lineages, each with different reserves and foundations.
Quasi-Saint Dao lineages: Dao lineages established by Quasi-Saints.
Holy lands and sacred dynasties: Dao lineages established by Sages, subdivided into Saint, Saint King, and Great Saint Dao lineages, with vastly different reserves and foundations.
Quasi-Emperor Dao lineages: Dao lineages established by Quasi-Emperors.
Forbidden zones of life: Forbidden zones where self-severed Supremes lie dormant.
Great Emperor Dao lineages: Dao lineages established by Great Emperors.
Heavenly Emperor Dao lineages: Dao lineages established by Heavenly Emperors.
Immortal sects: Dao lineages that have produced True Immortals.