God

The far north is frozen year-round, shrouded in darkness, with the polar night forever enveloping the region.

But today, the divine light and rosy glow that had intertwined above the icy plains for three days and nights are finally gradually dissipating.

First, the Heavenly Clouds receded like the receding tide, and then Su Yao's figure stepped out of the Great Void and landed on the ice plain, where the millennia-old ice beneath his feet cracked with spiderweb-like fine lines.

He looked up at the lingering divine light still swirling in the air, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Within that divine light, a faint phantom was dissipating, a golden crown and jade face, its body entwined with patterns of mysterious wind and Heavenly Thunder —it was the divine son of the God Clan whom he had slain in the Great Void.

But as the phantom vanished, there was no resentment in its expression; instead, it carried a hint of bewilderment, as if it never understood why it had come here, or why it had fought to the death with this blue-robed Qingyi who cultivated the Rainbow Clouds.

Su Yao withdrew his gaze, thinking to himself:

This is someone using me to eliminate the remnants of the God Clan —the son of a god.

But then he thought about it again and decided it didn't matter.

The path to enlightenment is inherently a journey fraught with peril; what does it matter if one offends the remnants of the God Clan?

Although the opponent is the son of the God King, the Great Dao of the God Clan is now incomplete. Among the Five Laws of the Divine Dao Divine Ability, the four paths of Act as Heaven's Shepherd, Issue Commands on Heaven's Behalf, Shepherd Heaven's Body, and Shepherd the Stars are still in good condition, but the path of "Command Wind and Thunder" is the only one that is not good.

Since the Xuanfeng Heavenly Thunder split into four Four Winds Five Thunders), whenever these positions have a master, it restricts the God Clan from using this Divine Ability.

Although the divine son could forcibly cultivate this path using his own God Clan bloodline, he could not unleash its true power. Otherwise, with his status as the son of a Immortal Dao king and comparable to an immortal, Su Yao would not have won so easily. It would not have been much easier than his battle against Lu Chuan in the far west two years ago. After all, the other party was a direct descendant of the God Clan race and the son of the only divine king in the current God Clan.

It now seems that some powerful figure feared this divine son, which is why he lured him from the west to the far north and used Su Yao to kill him. Or perhaps, someone else hoped that Su Yao would die at the hands of the divine son.

The people behind both sides are doing their utmost to bring this battle to fruition.

Although Su Yao understood this point, he had no intention of backing down.

Lu Chuan's master was the Lord of Yuanfu, a powerful figure at the Heavenly Venerable level, yet he wasn't afraid, was he?

Moreover, although this place was being used by others, he genuinely benefited from accumulating aura energy, far more than what he had done during his three years of traveling north after killing Lu Chuan. After all, this God King's divine court was in the northern part of Western Luo, not far from the far north where Su Yao was now.

Thinking of this, he suddenly spoke and began to sing aloud:

I slay the divine descendant in the icy north, and the rosy dawn illuminates my return.

Who will place the chess pieces on the board? I will stand alone between heaven and earth.

After speaking, Su Yao laughed three more times and then fled eastward.

Deep within the Great Void, Great Void place beyond Su Yao's current cultivation level.

At this moment, a divine light even more dazzling than when the divine child fell erupted here.

That divine light was no longer just light, but a whole expanse of sacred radiance solidified into a tangible form, its entire body displaying an extremely pure Cang Metal, like a ritual vessel forged by High Antiquity ancestors being ignited by the first rays of dawn during a grand ceremony to worship heaven, solemn, weighty, and carrying an unapproachable pressure.

Deep within the light, layers upon layers of golden patterns, arranged like armor, could be faintly seen. Each pattern was a divine decree talisman, densely packed, pressing the entire Great Void inward and causing even the hazy nothingness to crack.

Opposite the divine light, the Cold Qi led the way, followed by the Purple Qi and the yellow talisman. The three beams of light confronted the divine light from afar, pressing down on this Great Void until it almost solidified.

From within the divine light, a divine voice resounded, as if it were a decree of heaven:

"Who took advantage of my seclusion to lure my child here?"

From within the Cold Qi, a clear and profound voice emanated, neither hurried nor slow:

"Aosi, retreat. No one wants to see the resurrection of the Divine Dao and the God Clan, which are now nothing but withered bones, whether it's the Mysterious Gate, Buddhist School, Confucian School, the Dragon God, the Great Qing, or even the demons and witches who share the same fate as the God Clan."

Upon hearing this, the divine light suddenly shone brightly, as if it were about to pounce on the Cold Qi at any moment. But after a moment, the light subsided slightly, Aosi's profound voice rose again, carrying a hint of suppressed anger:

"After our ancestors were defeated by the Immortal Dao, they ceased to venture into the Crimson County, leaving the human race to develop and merely eke out a living in the Western Luo region. Why are they now targeting even a Purple Mansion with no hope of ascending to the throne?"

The being within the Cold Qi remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking:

"If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they'll grow back in the spring breeze... Besides, back then, you were an exception, since you had no hope of ascending the throne anyway."

He paused, then continued:

"Human Dao is the ultimate destination for everything; this was determined by the three Dao Ancestors. Whether it was Buddha, the Supreme Sage, the Heavenly Venerable of the Laurel-Breaking Household, or the Devil Ancestor, the Primordial God Emperor, the Demon Emperor, or the Ancestral Witch, they all agreed at the time. Do not forget that back then, the Primordial God Emperor committed suicide before the Dao Ancestor Highest Clarity to atone for the continuation of the God Clan, and his descendants voluntarily resided in the Western Luo land. Only then did the Dao Ancestor Highest Clarity spare the God Clan. Aosi, do not be so clever."

At this point, His voice suddenly deepened:

"You should know the fate of the Witchcraft Dao and the Demon Race. After the decline of the Divine Dao, Immortal Dao Witchcraft Dao and the Demon Race Clan continued to vie for power in the Crimson County. However, now one side has to curry favor with the Immortal Path and betray the King of the Nanzhao Kingdom, which is why the Ancestral Witch Hall has been preserved by chance. Now, the highest cultivation level of the Witchcraft Dao is only a few Divine Core, and most of the Witchcraft Clan has merged into the Immortal Dao. As for Demon Race True Lord Clan, they are scattered. As soon as a True Monarch is born, Immortals, Dao Lord, or even Heavenly Venerable Venerables will come to capture them. If it weren't for the Demon Emperor's past relationship with the Dao Ancestor Supreme Purity, the Demon Emperor's lineage would have been slaughtered long ago. Even so, only a few Divine Core Pills were left to guard Tang Valley. The fate of the God Clan is the best among the three races."

Upon hearing this, Aosi's voice rang out again from within the divine light, carrying undisguised sarcasm:

"So, we should be thanking you for sparing our lives?"

Before the being within the Cold Qi could react, He spoke again:

"Since everything must be Human Dao, then what about you Immortal Dao...?"

But before He could finish speaking, suddenly, a bolt of purple Heavenly Thunder exploded from the depths of the Great Void, crashing down with a deafening roar. Within the lightning, a golden whip phantom emerged, its entire body wrapped in the edict runes of the Investiture of the Gods, lashing fiercely at the divine light.

At the same time, a furious shout exploded like thunder:

"You remnants of the God Clan should prostrate yourselves and thank us for sparing your lives!"

As soon as he finished speaking, purple lightning crackled across the golden whip, each bolt of lightning carrying the Heavenly Thunder of heaven. It was the very weapon of enlightenment used by the Heavenly Venerable Puhua of the Heavenly Court.

Although the Heavenly Venerable did not appear in person, the purple Heavenly Thunder and the phantom of the golden whip were already a complete manifestation of His Great Dao imagery.

Immediately, sounds emanated from the Cold Qi, Purple Qi, and yellow talisman:

"Greetings to the Heavenly Venerable Puhua and Responding to the Origin of the Nine Heavens."

Across from them, Aosi's voice also emanated from the divine light, though it was a few decibels lower than before:

"Although the Heavenly Venerable was born into the Immortal Dao and learned from the Investiture of the Gods Dao Ancestor Highest Clarity, he ultimately attained enlightenment through the Investiture of the Gods, and is no longer part of the immortal Immortal Dao. In a sense, he attained enlightenment through the methods of the Divine Dao path. Therefore, he should be of one mind with us. Why does he blindly associate with the Immortal Dao?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Heavenly Venerable's angry roar rang out again, his voice as booming as a bell, causing the entire Great Void to tremble.

"Leaving aside the respect shown to me by the Immortal Dao! Just one thing—being Investiture of the Gods on the Investiture of the Immortal Dao Purple Mansion, and remained a mere Purple Mansion in the immortal path until the end of my lifespan, I would still be happy. But since my master gave the Investiture of the Gods the Investiture of the Gods to protect my path, otherwise, given the treasures bestowed upon Dao Ancestor Highest Clarity, I could have escaped from Yun Zhongzi's Heaven-Piercing Pillar and Divine Fire Pillar, instead of perishing and my true spirit returning to the Investiture of the Gods."

As soon as he finished speaking, Aosi, who was bathed in divine light, was about to retort, a star suddenly shone in the north.

Suddenly, the phantom image of the Northern Dipper appeared in the north, its seven stars shining brightly, and a mysterious voice emanated from within Northern Dipper:

"Senior, we are gods, we should guard the Heavenly Court to honor the Jade Emperor, and must not descend to the mortal realm to wreak havoc on humankind!"

The Emperor did not appear, but the light of the Northern Dipper had already illuminated this Great Void with a silvery white glow.

Voices simultaneously rang out from within the Cold Qi, divine light, Purple Qi, and yellow talisman:

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Only the Heavenly Venerable Puhua remained silent upon hearing this.

The next moment, rolling purple Heavenly Thunder suddenly appeared on the Northern Dipper and then crashed down. At the same time, the illusory golden whip reappeared and struck the divine light.

Just as the golden whip was about to touch the divine light, a phoenix phantom draped in starlight suddenly materialized, blocking the divine light between the golden whip and the golden light. Then, with a single beak, it steadily held the golden whip, and with its wings spread, starlight cascaded down, dissipating the Heavenly Thunder layer by layer. This phoenix phantom was summoned by the Emperor using his Heavenly Order authority.

Then, a vast expanse of white, Cold Qi spread out, enveloping the divine light.

Divine light shone brightly, Cang Metal hue rolled as it flew towards the heavens.

Then, the Northern Dipper, the Heavenly Thunder, the phantom of the phoenix, the golden whip, the Cold Qi, and the divine light all disappeared.

Only the Purple Qi and the yellow talisman remain in this place.

After a long while, the mysterious voice of Zi Zique Purple Qi, carrying a rare hint of emotion in its tone:

"Before attaining enlightenment, I heard Senior Danqiuzi say... that the Heavenly Venerable was renowned for his decisiveness even before achieving enlightenment. After attaining Heavenly Venerable, he witnessed much deceit and treachery in the human world, and his temper became increasingly volatile. Seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is indeed well-deserved..."

The voice of the Celestial Master came from within the yellow talisman, and he laughed:

"Fellow Daoist, you are not often in the Heavenly Court, so you may not know this. After I attained the Dao, I resided in the Hall of Complete Illumination of the Heavenly Court, carrying the relics of my predecessors, and monitoring the Lingxiao Hall. The Heavenly Venerable and the two Emperors, Ziwei and Zhenwu, often bicker in the Heavenly Court, and even I, in the Hall of Complete Illumination, could not stop them. Therefore, the Heavenly Venerable did not suffer their temper. Now that I think about it, the Heavenly Venerable finally left the Heavenly Court and saw those remnants of the clan, so naturally he was angry."

Upon hearing this, the Purple Qi surged continuously.

Seeing this, the Celestial Master said again:

"I know what you're thinking, fellow Daoist; I want to laugh but dare not. It's normal that you're hearing about this for the first time. I've been seeing this scene for hundreds of years since I first entered the Hall of Complete Illumination, and I'm used to it now..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zique's furious voice suddenly rang out:

"How dare you!"

The next moment, a feather fan flew out from the Purple Qi. On the fan, five flames—Sui, Chi, Li, Bing, and Huan—were intertwined, and the feathers of seven birds on the fan surface shimmered with light. Then, the fan surface trembled slightly and was fanned up and down. In the blink of an eye, five pillars of fire emerged from the fan surface and flew towards Su Yao in the present world.

Then, the mysterious sound of the Zique rang out:

"Celestial Master Ge, aren't you going to make a move yet?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Purple Qi surged and, in the blink of an eye, entered the shallow layer of the Great Void. The yellow talisman paused for a moment before following the Purple Qi.

In the present world, Su Yao is heading to the easternmost part of the country.

After traveling only a few thousand miles, he suddenly stopped his escape light, and warnings kept coming from the Prism in his dantian.

Su Yao immediately used the Qi Prism to observe, and saw that a thousand miles ahead, two great figures, at least at the Divine Core Perfected One level, were crouching in the Great Void, their auras as deep as an abyss. If it weren't for the Prism's observation, Su Yao would have had almost no way of noticing them.

Judging from the way the other party's aura flowed, Su Yao guessed that the other party probably cultivated the Greater Yin. After all, the fact that the other party was hiding it so well meant that it could only be the Greater Yin path.

The Greater Yin Dao is exclusive to the Yuanfu. Apart from the Greater Yin Divine Core Perfected One who is not from the Yuanfu in the Palace of Vast Cold Heavenly Court, there is no one else in the world who possesses it.

But he couldn't back down now.

If the momentum we've just built up fades, all our efforts over the years will have been in vain.

Thinking that True Lord was protecting him in the Great Void, Su Yao gritted his teeth, ignored everything, and continued to rush forward.

Just as he was less than a hundred miles from the two hidden Divine Core Perfected One, suddenly, five pillars of fire fell from above and shot into the Great Void, heading towards the two hidden Divine Core.

Su Yao gazed at the five pillars of fire: the fire of the Flint Fire, the Fire Virtue of the Blazing Fire, the fire of the Li Fire, the fire of the combined Bing Fire, and the fire of the Radiant Fire.

He stopped and muttered to himself:

"Five Fires Seven Fowl Fan..."

Su Yao remained motionless for a long time until strange noises continued to come from the Great Void. Only then did he come to his senses and was about to step into the Great Void when suddenly, endless Greater Yin and the Fu Water poured down from the Great Void a thousand miles in front of him.

The strange phenomenon was Greater Yin terrifying. The moonlight was like the Milky Way hanging upside down from the heavens, and the silvery-white moonlight surged out from the crack in the Great Void, dyeing the sky of the present world for hundreds of miles around into a cold, silvery-white expanse.

In the moonlight, faint reflections of lakes and marshes emerge, their gentle shimmer and nurturing beauty permeating the surrounding landscape—truly the virtue of the lakes and marshes along the Fu Water.

But the illusory image of the lake only lasted for a moment. Without its master, the Fu Water was like a rootless duckweed; the water vapor quickly rolled back and dried up, and the illusory image of the lake cracked and dissipated inch by inch, turning into a sky full of moist mist, which was quickly evaporated by the Greater Yin.

Where the moonlight fell, the grass and trees were first slightly stretched by the lingering moisture of the Fu Water, but then the Water Virtue collapsed, and the branches and leaves quickly withered and curled up, as if the last bit of life had been drained away.

A faint, illusory image of a crescent moon appeared in the sky, then shattered into countless silver flakes that scattered across the heavens.

The silver flakes fell onto the ice field, making a soft, tinkling sound, like hundreds of jade chimes striking simultaneously, before gradually fading into silence.

Su Yao recognized it; this was an unusual phenomenon indicating the deaths of cultivators from the Greater Yin and Fu Water paths.

Judging from its scale, it could not have been created by the Purple Mansion; yet it was far from being as earth-shattering as the death of True Lord, so it could only be the two hidden Divine Core.

But how long has it been?

Although there is a gap between Divine Core Perfected One and True Lord, the gap shouldn't be this large. Divine Core Perfected One and True Lord can exchange at least a hundred blows... This shows how powerful the Five Fires Seven Fowl Fan is.

This fan was forged by the Jade Purity Dao Ancestor when he slew the demon. It was made from the feathers of the Dao Ancestor Yuqing Demon Emperor six great Demon Race of the demon race, and refined with the wonders of the five fires obtained when the Dao Ancestor divided the Five Virtues and five manifestations. Later, it was bestowed upon the Mount Lao Patriarch as the "Heavenly Venerable of Heavenly Purple Qingxu Nourishing Intent and Penetrating Profound Heavenly Venerable".

Seeing this, Su Yao took a deep breath, knowing that it was True Lord Zique who had made a move. He then bowed respectfully towards the Great Void and said loudly:

"Thank you for your protection, True Lord."

From the depths of the Great Void, Zique's voice echoed, her tone calm:

"Let's go. I don't know why you travel the world like this, but you've already been to three places: the South Pole, the far west, and the far north. Don't miss the east."

Su Yao nodded upon hearing this, said nothing more, simply cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and then continued his journey eastward.