Pulled by the Sundial’s power, Zhang Ruochen entered a peculiar space.
The space, modest in size, resembled a sealed cave with rough stone walls.
Zhang Ruochen had possessed the Sundial for a long time, often using it for cultivation, yet never knew it contained such an internal space, nor imagined he could enter it.
Scanning his surroundings, he found everything profoundly ancient and primitive. In a corner sat several crude stone tools—jars, knives, axes—roughly shaped, irregular.
At the centre lay an extinguished fire pit, surrounded by scattered, mostly decayed animal bones.
Zhang Ruochen felt as if he’d crossed time, stepping into a cave of primitive humans.
“The Sundial emerged at the dawn of human civilization, passed down from antiquity, this must reflect that era’s truest state,” he speculated.
But why had the Sundial drawn him into its internal space now?
He’d sensed it before, without activation, the Sundial was utterly dormant, devoid of power fluctuations or a spirit.
According to the Moon God, an intact Sundial would take another form, capable of unleashing chaos in a great world’s time.
A time treasure like this should have a spirit.
Its absence suggested either the spirit had left or was in a deep, self-sealed slumber.
Zhang Ruochen suspected the Sundial, damaged in a medieval battle, had entered dormancy.
Suddenly, the rough stone walls stirred.
Countless time imprint specks, like fireflies, floated out, the walls turning smooth as jade, reflecting the outside world clearly.
The Sundial was voraciously devouring the time river formed by Xiuchen’s array.
Despite the Star Soul Divine Throne’s ceaseless divine power, the time array was heavily suppressed, showing signs of collapse.
With the Sundial’s aid, Xuehou and Mingwang’s pressure eased, shifting from defense to offense.
Through the crystal walls, Zhang Ruochen’s gaze locked onto Chi Kongle, his heart twisting in agony, eyes filled with anguish.
“Xiuchen, you must die.”
A terrifying killing intent radiated from him.
Immediately, Zhang Ruochen unleashed all his power, mobilizing time rules, channeling them into the crystal walls.
Inside the Sundial, unsure how to activate it, he had to try.
With a rare chance to confront Xiuchen himself, he wouldn’t miss it.
The crystal walls absorbed his power, releasing an even stronger force, devouring the time river faster.
Perhaps having absorbed enough time power, the Sundial underwent strange changes.
Zhang Ruochen felt the space growing brighter, the extinguished fire pit showing signs of rekindling.
Mystical patterns emerged on the walls, flowing like streams, emitting a unique rhythm.
Seeing the Sundial’s might, Chi Kongle’s eyes darkened, no longer the innocent girl, but like a malevolent demon.
“Xumi has fallen, a broken artifact dares challenge me? You destroyed my divine body then, today I’ll refine you completely.”
Chi Kongle’s gaze was sharp, brimming with murderous intent.
Had the Sundial not ruined her divine body, would she need to possess another’s?
No body could compare to her original.
Chi Kongle formed seals, altering the array’s trajectory.
A rift opened in the time array, unleashing a powerful force, repelling Xuehou and Mingwang.
Her intent was clear, to focus on refining the Sundial.
Xuehou’s eyes narrowed, without hesitation, she drove her twenty-four divine steles, bombarding the time array. She knew Zhang Ruochen was inside the Sundial, if Chi Kongle succeeded, the consequences would be dire.
“Break it.”
Mingwang, enraged, manifested a ninety-thousand-mile divine body, slashing downward.
Empowered by divine force, the Stellar Divine Sword grew tens of thousands of miles, its light piercing heaven and earth, illuminating all directions.
The time array quaked violently, yet remained intact.
Rooted in the vast Sea of Time, fueled by Xiuchen’s Star Soul Divine Throne’s boundless power, even ancient gods couldn’t destroy it.
Xuehou’s brow glowed, a mirror wrapped in vast blood qi emerged, the Blood Sea Demon Mirror, rival to the Hidden Mountain Demon Mirror.
The current Hidden Mountain Mirror paled in comparison.
The Blood Sea Demon Mirror, an ancient, potent supreme saint artifact, had slain gods.
In the Abyss’s second gradient, Xuehou had fused vast divine blood and rare materials into it, elevating its rank.
The twenty-four steles formed a unique array, like twenty-four stars aloft, exuding immense aura.
Their divine power layered, pouring into the Blood Sea Demon Mirror.
Millions of supreme inscriptions surfaced, endless blood qi surging, forming a vast blood sea, shrouding the sky, enveloping the Sea of Time.
Rules of heaven and earth quaked, as if the cosmos would collapse.
Within the time array, the Sundial, fully bound, slowed its time absorption, enveloped by the time river.
This spurred further revival, emitting an ancient, timeless aura.
A time river’s imprint appeared on the Sundial, projecting a grand time river phantom in the void.
Incredibly, this phantom sliced the array’s time river into segments.
Simultaneously, an object flew from Zhang Ruochen’s spatial treasure, appearing outside.
A stone platform, ten zhang high, thirty-three zhang long, nearly identical to the Sundial’s material.
This platform, found with the Sundial in the phoenix nest, was extraordinary but mysterious, unused by Zhang Ruochen due to its enigma.
Upon reuniting with the Sundial, the platform glowed, radiant Buddhist light illuminating all, spawning golden lotuses and void flowers, a serene scene as if a Buddha descended.
A Buddhist shadow emerged from the platform, its face unclear, yet exuding solemnity.
Chanting echoed, ethereal, seeping into souls, irresistible.
Seeing the shadow, Chi Kongle’s eyes turned icy, “Xumi, you linger like a ghost, if you’re dead, stay gone, leave no trace.”
She recognized it as Saint Monk Xumi’s shadow, imprinted on the platform for unknown reasons, now activated.
From Xiuchen’s temple surged intense Shura war qi, like a tidal wave, vast and connecting heaven and earth.
A dark orb flew from the temple, hovering above Chi Kongle.
Its appearance unleashed terrifying pressure, nearly freezing the Sea of Time’s vast expanse.
Outside, Xuejue War God’s eyes glinted, “To force Xiuchen to use the Shura Great Yi Realm.”
Aeons ago, Xiuchen found a nascent chaotic world, refining it with great divine arts.
Investing vast treasures and effort, she evolved it into the Shura Great Yi Realm.
It held immense Shura war qi and Xiuchen’s cultivated Shura divine war soul, a major trump card.
Xiuchen had slain many gods, using most spoils to enhance the Shura Great Yi Realm, less for the Sea of Time.
In the war a hundred thousand years ago, her divine body and source were destroyed, her soul shattered.
The Shura Great Yi Realm saved her, her soul slumbering within for a hundred thousand years to recover.
Had she not just possessed Chi Kongle, limiting her power, Mingwang, Xuehou, and Zhang Ruochen wouldn’t have pushed her to this.
With a deafening roar, an armored, eight-armed Shura emerged from the Shura Great Yi Realm.
Ten thousand zhang tall, wreathed in Shura war qi, radiating murderous intent, it seemed born for slaughter.
This was Xiuchen’s Shura divine war soul, nurtured from gods’ souls and thoughts, immensely powerful, deemed immortal.
In that brutal war, it was heavily damaged but not destroyed.
Six of its arms held weapons, varied, either supreme saint artifacts or ancient divine relics.
Driven by Xiuchen, it charged Xumi’s Buddhist shadow.
The Shura Great Yi Realm expanded, unleashing vast power, impacting all directions.
The overhead blood sea collapsed under the shock.
Xuehou staggered, blood trickling from her lips, retreating.
Mingwang, despite blocking with the Stellar Divine Sword, was injured, retreating thousands of miles.
“Since you won’t leave, stay.”
Chi Kongle’s cold voice rang out.
The time array extended, re-encompassing Xuehou and Mingwang.
Having deployed the Shura Great Yi Realm, she’d spare no challenger. Suppressing Xuehou and Mingwang could restore the Shura divine war soul to its peak.
Trapped again, Xuehou and Mingwang’s expressions shifted.
An ancient god like Xiuchen, who battled Xumi, was formidable, her trump cards unknown.
Facing the eight-armed Shura’s onslaught, Xumi’s Buddhist shadow retreated, its light fading.
A mere imprint, not Xumi himself, its power was limited.
After hundreds of attacks, it sank into the platform, reverting to a faint mark.
As the Shura reached for the Sundial and platform, it froze.
The swallow mark on Chi Kongle’s brow glowed, a giant swallow phantom emerging, enveloping her.
On its back stood a faint shadow, identical to Chi Kongle, face etched with pain.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze locked onto it.
“Kongle hasn’t been fully possessed. The swallow pendant, it’s protecting her, it must be,” he said, emotions surging.
The swallow pendant, Saint Ming Zhang’s heirloom, possibly left by ancestor Fudong Mingwang, mysterious, could plausibly shield Chi Kongle temporarily.
But soon, the swallow phantom and Chi Kongle’s shadow vanished, sinking back into her body.
Chi Kongle frowned, disliking the strange force’s constraint, planning to refine it after resolving this, fully controlling the body.
That ancient being was mighty, but a mere residual force couldn’t rival her.
The Shura Great Yi Realm spun, absorbing world forces, pressing toward Xuehou and Mingwang.
The eight-armed Shura reached again for the Sundial and platform.
Despite mustering all his power, Zhang Ruochen couldn’t resist, watching helplessly as the Shura’s hand descended.
Having glimpsed hope, knowing Chi Kongle wasn’t fully possessed, he was powerless to change it.
His cultivation was insufficient, relying on artifacts couldn’t defeat Xiuchen.
“Why hasn’t the old man acted? It’s not like him,” Mingwang thought.
A blood-red war halberd soared through the air, carrying unmatched divine power, descending like an awakened beast, unstoppable.
The time array, able to withstand Xuehou and Mingwang, couldn’t resist the halberd, tearing open instantly.
Despite the white bone mountain’s durability, the halberd pierced it.
Its tip embedded, releasing vast blood fiend divine power, impacting the Shura Great Yi Realm and eight-armed Shura.
The Shura roared, but was forced back, unable to resist.
The Shura Great Yi Realm halted, suspended, unable to suppress.
Mingwang smiled, as expected, Xuejue War God wouldn’t stand idle at the critical moment.
In his youth, the old man feared nothing, only lacking worthy opponents.
Xiuchen was likely a long-desired foe.
But in her current state, would he deem her worthy?
Chi Kongle gazed afar, locking onto a towering figure on a peak outside the Sea of Time.
“Xuejue War God.”
She’d sensed his presence early.
She thought his status would deter him from intervening.
Yet, he acted, refusing to let her suppress the two new Immortal Blood Clan gods.
