Beyond the Kunlun Realm, in the vast void of space.
This place should have been shrouded in darkness, but now, it was illuminated by dazzling divine lights, with powerful divine energy surging like a tide.
Both the Heavenly Court Realm and the Hell Realm had dispatched numerous deities, engaging in fierce divine battles.
“Boom.”
The Tianpeng Bell, imbued with boundless divine power, soared forth, piercing the endless darkness, striking a Rakshasa deity’s divine body, sending it flying and splattering copious amounts of divine blood.
The deity’s body couldn’t withstand the impact, cracks appearing across it, as if it were about to shatter into pieces.
“Roar.”
The Rakshasa deity let out a heaven-shaking roar, its divine power radiating outward, forming a chaotic sphere as large as a planet. Its divine body rapidly expanded, while the cracks on it quickly vanished.
In the blink of an eye, the Rakshasa deity’s body grew immensely, occupying half the volume of the chaotic sphere, its majestic divine power surging ceaselessly.
Having undergone a transformation in its life essence, the deity’s vitality surged fiercely, breaking through spatial constraints. Without ascending to the legendary Divine Realm, it would become a sacred giant.
However, under normal circumstances, deities use their divine power to suppress their bodies, maintaining a normal form.
Only in life-and-death battles do deities reveal their true forms, fully unleashing their strength.
Clearly, this Rakshasa deity, sensing immense danger, had released all its restraints.
“A mere ant dares to roar before me,” War God Bian Zhuang said gravely.
As he spoke, the Tianpeng Bell rapidly expanded, resembling a spinning great world, crashing down to suppress the chaotic sphere where the Rakshasa deity resided.
At that moment, another Rakshasa deity arrived, standing a thousand zhang tall, imposing and majestic, like a towering mountain. Clad in dark red armour, it exuded overwhelming evil Rakshasa divine power, wielding a divine seal that collided with the Tianpeng Bell.
“I will kill him, Luo Yan, you cannot stop me!”
War God Bian Zhuang’s tone was domineering, his gaze commanding the heavens and earth.
The Heavenly River flowing beneath his feet surged forth, instantly stretching a hundred thousand li, carrying unmatched divine power as it rushed toward the divine seal and Evil God Luo Yan.
Seizing the opportunity, the Tianpeng Bell pressed down, shattering the chaotic sphere and crushing the Rakshasa deity’s body into fragments.
However, deities are not so easily killed.
Possessing astonishing divine vitality, a deity’s shattered body can quickly reform. Every inch of flesh contains divine will and spiritual consciousness; even a single drop of divine blood that escapes could potentially reconstruct the divine body.
To kill a deity, one must destroy its divine source, eradicate its divine soul, and annihilate all its divine will and spiritual consciousness.
Even then, it’s nearly impossible to erase all traces of a deity from the world.
Deities integrate a small portion of their divine soul into the rules of heaven and earth, lingering between the cosmos, coexisting with the world.
It’s not impossible to eradicate them completely, but it requires immense effort and often a significant cost.
Generally, few would undertake such a thankless task.
The faint hope of rebirth from the lingering divine soul is infinitesimally small, one in ten thousand.
The Rakshasa deity quickly reformed its body but was trapped by the Tianpeng Bell, unable to break free.
From within the bell, purple-green divine light poured forth, eroding the deity’s divine vitality and various divine wills.
An even more terrifying force permeated the Rakshasa deity’s body, penetrating its divine source to directly attack its divine soul.
This two-pronged assault was clearly intended to forcefully slay the deity.
For other deities, slaying a god is extraordinarily difficult, but War God Bian Zhuang had done so many times. The Tianpeng Bell was a divine weapon of god-slaying.
Evil God Luo Yan’s expression darkened. Restrained by the Heavenly River unleashed by Bian Zhuang, he could only watch helplessly as his clan’s deity grew weaker.
“This madman Bian Zhuang, silent for a hundred thousand years, has grown so much stronger, what a nuisance,” Evil God Luo Yan thought to himself.
During the ancient divine war, he had clashed with Bian Zhuang. Back then, though strong, Bian Zhuang was nowhere near his current level.
As time passed, the Rakshasa deity grew increasingly frail, its vitality, divine will, and spiritual consciousness successively eradicated.
In the end, even its divine soul was shattered by the Tianpeng Bell, leaving only a lifeless divine body.
In the Hell Realm, within a vast starry sky, the three divine seat stars representing this deity dimmed, no longer emitting light.
At that moment, all cultivators in that starry sky couldn’t help but look up, many feeling profound fear.
A dimmed divine seat star signified a deity’s fall.
This battle was destined to shake both the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm.
In the void of space, the deities of the Hell Realm roared furiously, their cries shaking the heavens.
Evil God Luo Yan’s expression was grim to the extreme. To kill a Rakshasa deity in his presence was an outrageous insult.
“Bian Zhuang, acting so recklessly, beware of retribution.”
War God Bian Zhuang laughed heartily, saying, “Luo Yan, it’s you who should be careful, lest even you fall to my blade.”
As he spoke, Bian Zhuang collected the Rakshasa deity’s body and then drove the Tianpeng Bell to launch a fierce attack on Evil God Luo Yan.
His earlier words were no mere boast, but a genuine intent to act.
Elsewhere, Moon Goddess clashed with a charming Hell Realm deity.
This deity was Xiu Chen Heavenly God.
Exuding intense demonic killing aura, it was surrounded by a solidified river of time, with countless time imprints swirling around.
Though engaged in battle, this Hell Realm deity appeared supremely graceful, every movement exuding beauty, as if dancing elegantly.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God’s form and appearance were indistinguishable from a human’s, its captivating charm enough to sway even deities.
On the surface, Xiu Chen seemed no different from other deities.
But in reality, its current state was unique, lacking a divine body or even a divine source, existing only as a divine soul.
In the ancient war against Saint Monk Xumi, Xiu Chen Heavenly God suffered catastrophic injuries. Its time divine jade, its true form, was reduced to dust, its divine source destroyed, and its divine soul shattered, nearly dissipating into the cosmos.
Like Moon Goddess, Xiu Chen had slumbered for a hundred thousand years, only recently awakening.
Its divine soul had reformed.
Soon, Xiu Chen Heavenly God would face another cosmic tribulation.
Having lost its divine body and source, and wasted a hundred thousand years, even its formidable divine soul would struggle to survive the tribulation.
Thus, Xiu Chen planned to seize a new body.
With its powerful divine soul, it could quickly transform even the weakest body into a divine one.
In about a millennium, it could return to its peak state.
Its presence beyond the Kunlun Realm was to find a suitable body to possess.
As a peerless powerhouse who once contended with Saint Monk Xumi, even with only a divine soul, Xiu Chen’s combat strength was formidable, its river of time sweeping all directions.
Relying on the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron borrowed from Zhang Ruochen, Moon Goddess could only fight Xiu Chen to a stalemate, highlighting how terrifying Xiu Chen was at its peak, worthy of facing Saint Monk Xumi.
…
“Boom.”
A supreme divine force erupted, sweeping through the void.
Huang Tian, standing ten thousand zhang tall, wielded a stone battle axe, chaotic energy swirling around him, resembling a primordial god cleaving the heavens, his divine might unmatched, his gaze commanding the cosmos.
“Bang.”
The four deities of the Truth Temple besieging Huang Tian were all sent flying, unable to withstand his single strike.
One deity’s face flushed, spitting out a large amount of divine blood.
Witnessing this, many deities present couldn’t hide their shock.
“How old is Huang Tian? How long has he been a deity? His strength is this formidable, the four divine lords of the Truth Heavenly Domain couldn’t block a single axe.”
“No wonder he and Blood Absolute War God are called the peerless prodigies of the last cosmic cycle in the Hell Realm, too strong, his combat power rivals ancient gods who’ve survived multiple cycles.”
“Huang Tian and Blood Absolute War God have become new titans of the Hell Realm. Blood Absolute dominates the Blood Sky Tribe, while Huang Tian has created his own realm.”
“A thousand years ago, Huang Tian set a trap, luring out Ancient Buddha Yuanxu of the Western Heaven Buddhist Realm, killing him single-handedly, enraging the Buddhist Realm, yet they could do nothing.”
…
The deities discussed fervently, even amidst battle, diverting attention to Huang Tian.
The Master of the Truth Temple stepped forward, standing before the four Truth Temple deities, gazing directly at Huang Tian.
“I didn’t expect the Temple Master to come in person, I’m flattered,” Huang Tian said loudly.
The Truth Temple Master stared at Huang Tian for a moment, deep disappointment in her eyes, saying, “Huang Tian, you’ve truly disappointed me. I never imagined you’d turn against your mentor.”
“Once, you were merely a stubborn stone, gaining sentience from listening to Ancient Buddha Yuanxu’s sermons. He nurtured you tirelessly, even sending you to the Stone Realm to pursue the ultimate mysteries of the path of life.”
“Because of Ancient Buddha Yuanxu, the Truth Temple fully supported you, making you a Truth Emissary step by step.”
“But you were swayed by Stone Ancestor, aligning with the Heavenly Court’s enemies, shifting from the path of life to the path of death and destruction, and cruelly killing your mentor. How can I tolerate you?”
By the end, the Truth Temple Master’s face was filled with intense anger.
Huang Tian originally belonged to the Heavenly Court, born in the Western Heaven Buddhist Realm, trained in the Stone Realm, and rose in the Truth Temple.
The Stone Clan is a major race in the cosmos, not limited to the Hell Realm. After all, rocks are everywhere, and under the right conditions, they can gain sentience.
In the Heavenly Court, there is a Stone Realm with countless Stone Clan cultivators.
The difference lies in their paths: the Hell Realm’s Stone Clan pursues the path of death, seeking to destroy all things, while the Stone Realm’s Stone Clan pursues the path of life, exploring its true meaning, fundamentally opposed.
This is a clash of core beliefs.
The Stone Realm’s Stone Clan believes that, having gone from lifeless to sentient, they yearn for life.
In contrast, the Hell Realm’s Stone Clan seeks to destroy all beings, turning the cosmos into part of the Stone Clan, as all living things become earth and stone upon death.
In the last cosmic cycle, Huang Tian and Blood Absolute War God were the most iconic figures of the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm, rivals like Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen in this era.
Both were prodigiously talented, clashing for years.
Unfortunately, Huang Tian was later swayed by Stone Ancestor, changing his faith and path, falling to the Hell Realm.
Stone Ancestor, the leader of the Hell Realm’s Stone Clan, one of the three upper clans, is an ancient, unparalleled overlord with astonishing combat power and immeasurable longevity.
In the ancient catastrophe, many Heavenly Court deities fell to Stone Ancestor.
The Truth Temple Master once held high hopes for Huang Tian, even considering him for the position of Temple Master.
But she never expected Huang Tian to betray the Truth Temple, the Heavenly Court, and even sever the Kunlun Realm’s Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree, shaming the Truth Temple.
To this day, the Truth Temple Master still felt heartbroken.
Huang Tian said indifferently, “You don’t understand. Stone Ancestor’s path is the true one; the entire cosmos should become part of the Stone Clan. The Stone Realm’s cultivators are the ones deceived by the Heavenly Court, born as stone yet chasing the so-called truth of life, how laughable.”
“Yuanxu did mentor me, and I didn’t want to kill him, but his influence on me was too great. My spirit, my thoughts, bore his mark. If I didn’t kill him, my cultivation would forever be bound beneath him.”
“When I moved to kill him, Yuanxu still tried to redeem me, willingly letting me kill him. He didn’t understand that my resolve is as unyielding as stone, unshakable.”
Huang Tian spoke calmly, as if discussing something trivial.
He felt no guilt or regret for killing his mentor.
His heart was as cold as stone, devoid of emotion.
Or rather, it was stone.
“Incorrigible. Today, I will clean house and reclaim that one percent of the Truth’s Mystery,” the Truth Temple Master said, her eyes deep with a terrifying killing intent.
“Swish, swish.”
As she spoke, a majestic black divine mountain appeared behind her, resembling the Truth Mountain in the Sea of Truth.
The black divine mountain’s surface shimmered with billions of intricate divine patterns, its divine power vast as an abyss, causing ripples in the void.
“If a mountain blocks my path, I shall cleave it.”
Huang Tian’s eyes showed no fear. His stone axe awakened, revealing countless chaotic veins, radiating peerless sharpness.
This axe, born with him, was an innate treasure, infinitely wondrous, refined over years to become indestructible.
The axe swung, growing as large as the black divine mountain.
“Bang.”
Their collision unleashed terrifying ripples of power.
The Truth Temple Master stood unmoved, while Huang Tian’s arm trembled, nearly losing grip on his axe, retreating hundreds of li, his divine light dimming.
A trace of solemnity appeared in Huang Tian’s eyes.
As the master of an ancient temple, the Truth Temple Master’s strength was unfathomable.
Even someone as powerful as Huang Tian couldn’t see through her.
But the Truth Temple Master was even more shocked. In just one cosmic cycle, Huang Tian’s combat power had reached such heights. Even for her, erasing him would be extremely difficult.
