Before the azure mist, both sides kept their distance, refraining from rash moves, as the unusual nature of the place was evident.
The grand hall, vast and empty, easily accommodated the hundreds of powerhouses gathered, without feeling crowded.
Those bold enough to join were mostly peak Nine-Step Saint Kings, each coveting the Heaven-Connecting Divine Wood.
“Such dense divine wood qi. Is that towering ancient tree the legendary Heaven-Connecting Divine Wood? Remarkable, but… why are its leaves withered and yellow?”
Ten-Eyed Qiankun Bug stepped forward, eyes gleaming.
If he claimed the wood, he’d surpass Cang Long and Ruan Ling, becoming the Youshen Temple’s top young talent, potentially even its second-in-command after achieving godhood.
The Kunlun Realm’s past glory, birthing many gods, was tied to the wood, fueling beliefs it held the secret to divinity.
“Why can’t I get through?”
Ten-Eyed Qiankun Bug frowned.
Like Zhang Ruochen before, he was blocked by a strange force. The wood seemed within reach, yet untouchable.
“Break!”
He attacked, his ten eyes opening, their gazes converging into a radiant holy light, striking the invisible barrier.
“Stop!”
A powerhouse tried to intervene, but it was too late.
*Bang.*
The space quivered, ripples spreading, dissipating the holy light.
*Hiss.*
A strange sound echoed from the wood’s massive trunk, as clusters of blue firelight appeared, dense and numerous, resembling a dazzling blue starry sky from afar, breathtakingly beautiful.
Each firelight was a God-Devouring Bug.
“So many?”
Ten-Eyed Qiankun Bug’s face paled, retreating swiftly.
The trunk housed tens of thousands of bugs—not just fingernail-sized, but fist-sized, basin-sized, and, deeper within, even larger ones.
Any bug could threaten a Saint King. Larger ones might endanger Great Saints.
*Swoosh.*
Countless bugs flew from the trunk, passing through the barrier, lunging at the hall’s powerhouses.
The sight sent chills through everyone.
Zhang Ruochen prepared to deploy his spatial domain, but Ji Fanchen acted first, dispersing her tamed bugs around them, forming a protective barrier.
This barrier made the trunk’s bugs ignore them, flying past to attack others.
“Fool!”
A powerhouse cursed.
Now wasn’t the time to berate Ten-Eyed Qiankun Bug. Everyone scrambled to defend themselves while attacking the bugs.
Ants in numbers could fell an elephant; God-Devouring Bugs, far deadlier, overwhelmed Saint Kings in swarms.
“Agh!”
Screams rang out as a powerhouse fell to the bugs.
More cries followed, relentless.
In moments, piles of ash littered the ground.
A basin-sized bug swooped, swallowing one of Ji Fanchen’s orbiting bugs.
Clearly, it sensed something amiss, sparing no kin.
Zhang Ruochen struck, his Fire God Gauntlets and Bracers blazing, landing a punch on the bug.
He avoided Saint Arts, using only physical strength to prevent further disturbances.
With his current physical prowess, a punch could shatter high-tier Ten-Thousand Pattern Saint Artifacts.
Yet, it merely knocked the bug back, causing no real harm.
Enraged, the bug’s blue flames flared brighter, charging again.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t dodge. Timing its approach, he opened the Qiankun Realm. The bug’s strength could have broken free, but sensing the Heaven-Connecting Divine Wood sapling, it eagerly rushed in.
A spatial twist sucked it inside.
Having consulted the sapling, Zhang Ruochen was confident in taming such a large bug, born from the wood itself.
Though the Qiankun Realm’s sapling was young, its essence matched the ancient wood, unlikely to provoke resistance.
The bugs were extraordinary; taming them for his use would be ideal.
After some time, the basin-sized bug calmed, burrowing into the sapling’s roots.
“Zhang Ruochen, I can only pacify the bugs for now. Controlling them requires more time,” the sapling said.
Zhang Ruochen was elated—pacification was enough.
He opened the Qiankun Realm, drawing in more bugs.
Soon, all bugs from the trunk—save those killed or tamed by Prajna—were absorbed, over three thousand, including seven basin-sized ones.
All eyes turned to Zhang Ruochen, stunned by his effortless collection of thousands of bugs.
“Zhang Ruochen, if you could collect the bugs, why wait? So many comrades died needlessly!” Shi Lingkun accused loudly.
Having lost an arm to a fist-sized bug, he was furious, seizing the chance to challenge Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen remained calm, “First, I’m not obligated to protect anyone. Second, who said I can easily collect them? If you’re dissatisfied, I can release them.”
Shi Lingkun’s face shifted, silenced.
If Zhang Ruochen targeted him, he might not survive.
The brief bug onslaught caused significant casualties, souring everyone’s mood.
Ten-Eyed Qiankun Bug slunk to the rear, avoiding attention, bearing primary blame for the chaos.
The trunk still teemed with bugs, their blue firelight glowing, poised to emerge.
No one dared act rashly, fearing another swarm.
“Understood.”
Prajna’s voice broke the silence.
Lord Yuanmo Godson asked, “Prajna, what did you find?”
She pointed upward, “The strange barrier ahead is formed by that object.”
*Swoosh.*
All heads turned to the hall’s ceiling.
At the dome, a bronze compass spun slowly, ancient and radiating faint, peculiar energy.
“The Xianji Compass?” Zhang Ruochen’s eyes widened.
Legend held that the Xianji Sect’s treasure, the Xianji Compass, was a potent Supreme Saint Artifact, ancient beyond measure.
After the sect’s fall, Xianji Mountain sealed, barring entry. Many coveted the compass, but none could claim it.
“It’s the Xianji Sect’s treasure—the Xianji Compass!”
A powerhouse exclaimed.
Heavenly Court cultivators, well-versed in Kunlun Realm intelligence, were shocked.
Many assumed the compass had been taken by the Death Clan when the sect fell. None expected it to remain in Xianji Mountain.
Eyes burned with greed, eager to seize the compass.
Supreme Saint Artifacts varied greatly in power; the Xianji Compass was among the finest. In a god’s hands, its might was unfathomable.
Even in the Kunlun Realm, a grand eternal world, such top-tier artifacts were rare.
Weaker great worlds might lack even one.
“I need a Supreme Saint Artifact, and the Xianji Compass fits perfectly,” Prajna said, reaching for it.
Xuanyuan Liekong snapped, “Not so fast.”
“What Prajna wants, no one takes,” Lord Yuanmo Godson retorted.
His demonic spear thrust, Supreme Power surging, targeting Xuanyuan Liekong.
Like Qiyang’s blade, the spear was a newly forged, flawless Supreme Saint Artifact, vastly boosting his strength.
Xuanyuan Liekong didn’t flinch, wielding his Square Sky Halberd against Lord Yuanmo Godson.
The halberd, also a Supreme Saint Artifact, matched the spear’s power.
Without such a weapon, how could Xuanyuan Liekong lead the Northern Region camp or rival Lord Yuanmo Godson?
Others joined the fray, a top-tier Supreme Saint Artifact worth a bloodbath.
Controlling the compass might also unlock the Heaven-Connecting Divine Wood.
In the corner, Shi Lingkun’s eyes locked on the compass, brimming with greed.
As the battle raged, he used a Black Demon Realm secret art, cloaking himself in shadows, stealthily nearing the dome.
“The Xianji Compass is mine.”
Close to the compass, Shi Lingkun’s heart raced.
Seizing it, he’d escape with a talisman, refine it in seclusion, and become untouchable.
*Hiss.*
Five bugs shot from Prajna’s Gate of Destiny, striking Shi Lingkun’s back, burrowing inside.
“No!”
Shi Lingkun’s terrified, unwilling scream echoed.
*Bang.*
He plummeted from the dome, struggling briefly before burning to ash.
Seeing his fate, the Black Demon Realm powerhouses paled, itching to confront Prajna but too wary to act.
