Chapter 279: The Seventh God

The dust outside Luoshu Tower had coalesced into a colossal storm.

Luocang Su's figure floated to the pinnacle of Luoshu Tower.

The dense sea of clouds had been ripped apart by Tianzang's thrashing body. Beneath his feet, waves of smoke and dust surged, engulfing the entire Luoshu Tower domain.

Within the surging waves, Tianzang writhed like a colossal python. From its back, fin-like structures pierced through the smoke and dust. Some were broken, others corroded, yet they remained formidable blades, the zenith of metal forging.

These were the back-blades Tianzang had forged for itself.

Luocang Su gazed at the shadow in the sky-engulfing smoke, a sigh escaping his lips.

It was inconceivably powerful, a creature seemingly born from humanity's deepest nightmares.

In the primordial era, humanity still roamed the wilderness, subsisting on raw meat and blood, practicing slash-and-burn cultivation. Spiritual cultivation was then a profound secret, hidden deep within their very being. Yet, a deity so near perfection already strode the world, asserting its dominance.

Each roar from deep within the dust could unleash explosive gales. Now, after an untold number of years, it had awakened from underground with a crippled body, yet it had long since lost its true, godlike might.

Yet, it remained immensely powerful...

As Tianzang rose from the fissured earth, thousands of massive iron nails that had originally pierced its body were all dislodged. They shot out like arrows, dispersing in every direction and dissolving within Luoshu's domain. Space appeared as a flat plane; its form writhed upward like a python on this ethereal surface. The ground crashed and rumbled beneath it; fully half of its body remained deeply trapped underground. Over the long eons, a significant portion of its being had fused with the rock. As it struggled desperately to break free, it threatened to drag the entire land into the sky with it.

The Dragon Mother, bound by chains, appeared minuscule within her protective shield.

Even the most colossal tsunami in the Sea of No Luck would be no more impressive than this.

But this was no mere tsunami; this was a true king, roaring its defiance at the world.

The Dragon Mother's cultivation had now regressed to the Violet Court realm. Facing a being once capable of annihilating all but the other five gods, she felt like she could be pulverized into dust at any moment, her very being trembling with terror.

Observing the Dragon Mother's reaction, Luocang Su couldn't help but recall their first captivating encounter on the ice sea, a trace of mockery surfacing in his thoughts.

Was all that allure, then, merely a product of disparate power levels?

Human destiny, it seemed, was simply an unending ascent to greater heights.

Tianzang roared skyward, seemingly having spotted its minuscule foe. The sharp blades on its body unfurled, stirring a vast cloud of smoke and dust, as two sword-like beams of light tore through everything, striking towards Luoshu Tower.

Its immense maw opened, and the surrounding earth shattered. Metal elements within the rock were instantly refined, coalescing into countless peerless swords that erupted from the ground like swarms of locusts.

As these metal swords emerged from the dust, they were immediately halted by pre-established barriers. These barriers possessed a natural deterrent against metal, and within moments, all the swords melted, clinging to the barrier's surface like a layer of weathered sediment.

Tianzang's violated majesty provoked an enraged roar, like an unending peal of thunder.

Hiding below, the Dragon Mother tried to cover her ears, but her bound body was immobile. Amidst the piercing shriek, she felt her eardrums had gone completely deaf.

Luocang Su observed the Dragon Mother's state, a smirk curling his lips, feeling a degree of satisfaction.

Almost.

He cast a final glance at the ancient deity, still struggling to break free from the earth, its majesty and fury in its shattered state appearing as a grotesque tragedy.

"One," Luocang Su articulated.

The night sky ignited with flames.

From a distant point behind him, the first Immortal-Suppressing Sword broke free from Luoshu Tower, streaking across the sky like a meteor, accurately launched towards Tianzang.

Tianzang sensed a mortal threat, yet it could not free itself.

Awakened by Luoshu's inverted time, it was consequently imprisoned within the very cage Luoshu had created.

It thrashed wildly within, unable to escape.

As the first Immortal-Suppressing Sword launched, Luocang Su appeared beside the Dragon Mother. He grasped her chains, and with a swift movement, brought her back into Luoshu Tower.

The Dragon Mother, being a perfect vessel for the divine heart, naturally could not be truly harmed.

From the ninth floor of Luoshu Tower, the Dragon Mother, speechless with terror, gazed into the distance.

The first explosion had already begun.

The Dragon Mother witnessed the towering flames and the ascending mushroom cloud.

Tianzang's form was swallowed by it. The immense shockwave from the explosion even reached Luoshu Tower.

The second Immortal-Suppressing Sword was unleashed.

The Dragon Mother clearly saw the Immortal-Suppressing Sword.

It was a massive, heavy sword, as large as a warship, with a smooth, distinctly curved surface. Its hilt was covered in intricate inscriptions, and within their strokes, red light flowed like molten lava, seemingly poised to ignite at any moment.

"This is one of Luoshu Tower's masterpieces," Luocang Su explained. "I once wondered if an Immortal-Suppressing Sword ten or even a hundred times larger could transport people out of this world..."

Of course, to him, this was merely a fanciful notion.

Even if he were to succeed, no one but a true divine being could withstand such power.

Fire bloomed in the Dragon Mother's eyes as the second Immortal-Suppressing Sword hurtled through the air.

The first explosion had barely subsided when the second one began.

The third, the fourth...

These were all the Immortal-Suppressing Swords Luoshu Tower had spent centuries forging, exhausting all its human and material resources, all for this very day...

The explosive flames and roars overwhelmed sight and sound.

The Dragon Mother sat dazedly on the ground, her senses completely numb, like a beautiful, animated corpse.

Luocang Su looked at her and nodded gently—only something stripped of emotion could serve as a vessel.

Six Immortal-Suppressing Swords had now exploded.

Amidst the vast smoke and dust, Tianzang's mournful cries were like wails and sobs.

Its pieced-together body was extensively scarred. A murky layer clung to its metallic trunk, and the fin-like blades embedded in its spine were largely shattered and broken.

The light in Tianzang's eyes had significantly dimmed. Dragon's breath spewed from its mouth and nostrils, radiating immense fury. It didn't know what these swords were, nor who its enemy was. A crippled king was still a king, and it believed it could tear apart any lowly life... yet that life refused to stand before it.

Its body continuously disintegrated under the assault of the Immortal-Suppressing Swords.

Its body thrashed like a whip, slamming to the ground, its extended claws digging into the rock.

The surrounding mountains had long been leveled by the Immortal Swords. Now, its body was the sole towering mass in the God-Splitting Valley.

As the seventh Immortal-Suppressing Sword approached, Tianzang finally recalled its true authority.

Heaven and earth quaked.

Centered on the God-Splitting Valley, the surrounding land instantly collapsed by several meters, a process that rapidly spread for a thousand miles.

Except for Luoshu Tower, all the land and mountains collapsed and were destroyed. From an aerial view above the barren expanse, it was a spectacular sight of fractured earth and erupting lava.

"Collapse! This is Collapse..." Luocang Su chuckled. "Do you see? This is the power of a primordial deity! Even in its fragmented state, the force unleashed by six Immortal-Suppressing Swords still cannot rival a single use of its authority!"

The Dragon Mother's lips trembled, as if she had lost her mind, offering no response.

She sat on the ground, resembling a fragile porcelain doll on the verge of shattering.

Luocang Su gently shook his head.

The seventh and eighth Immortal-Suppressing Swords had also been unleashed, forming a pincer attack on Tianzang.

Simultaneously, Luocang Su slowly drew his sword.

Before leaving Luoshu Tower, he placed three concentric and five distinct restrictions around the Dragon Mother, defenses that only a master of her realm could breach.

"She is a Dragon Mother, and you are too. How similar your destinies are... Don't worry, soon your tragedies will merge into one, a joyous occasion indeed."

After two rounds of explosions, Luocang Su advanced, sword in hand.

Tianzang was already weakened.

He would personally cleave Tianzang's scales and then use the sword in his hand to utterly suppress it within this, its final resting place.

He was the true God-Suppressing Sword of Luoshu Tower!

Within Luoshu, the moon and starlight were entirely consumed.

The world plunged into darkness.

Li He and Ning Changjiu's cultivation allowed them to see in the darkness, but the swallowed moon instilled an extreme sense of peril. They couldn't pinpoint its origin.

In the dark world, Li He slowly stated, "Something major must have happened in the heavens."

"What major event?" Ning Changjiu inquired.

Li He replied, "Qiu Ziguan once said that the gods of the mortal realm and the stars in the sky are interconnected. Changes in the celestial bodies often signify omens."

"Omens?" Ning Changjiu repeated.

"Yes... It's said that when the Six Primordial Gods perished, the stars representing them likewise exploded and dissipated," Li He explained. "Qiu Ziguan told me that through his self-made cosmic mirror, he could no longer perceive the Underworld Star. The other five stars similarly shattered into dust clouds, including those of the Vermilion Bird and the Primordial Lord... Though they survived and attained the status of Divine Lords, their corresponding stars are gone."

Ning Changjiu gazed at the dark starry sky and asked, "Do the current Twelve Divine Lords possess their own stars?"

Li He shook his head. "I'm not privy to that... Qiu Ziguan did research it, attempting to locate the Divine Lords' stars. He told me he calculated their precise positions using Daoist techniques, but he couldn't observe them, which vexed him for a long time... Perhaps they differ from the Six Primordial Gods."

Ning Changjiu immediately recalled the saying, "Look up at the stars, and you shall see the Divine Kingdom."

He mused that the Twelve Divine Lords must have their own celestial positions, but these were concealed by some unknown method.

Could this be connected to the "dead star domain" his other self had mentioned?

A myriad of questions surfaced in his mind.

And what they had presumed to be an ordinary lunar eclipse had yet to conclude.

Ning Changjiu looked at the sky and asked, "What does the moon represent?"

"The moon..." Li He gently shook his head. "Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Underworld—the six stars each hold divine positions in the mortal realm. The moon does not; perhaps its deity was slain many years ago."

Ning Changjiu nodded, and a sudden thought prompted him to ask, "Then... do *we* have a deity?"

"We?" Li He didn't grasp the meaning.

Ning Changjiu pointed to the ground beneath their feet. "I mean this star we're on."

As Ning Changjiu's words faded, the sound of mountains crumbling and earth cracking echoed in their ears.

Li He's sharp gaze hardened, and he suddenly thrust his sword forward, instantly slaying a massive ancient beast that had erupted from the earth.

Then, the earth continued to quake ceaselessly, as if a tide of beasts was assailing them from the darkness.

"Your words have trespassed a taboo," Li He suddenly stated.

"What?" Ning Changjiu was slightly puzzled. He then immediately understood that he must have inadvertently revealed a secret.

"Come," Li He said, "I'll take you to see someone."

He and Ning Changjiu soared into the sky on their swords and vanished from their original spot.

"Your words reminded me," Li He said. "If all these stars can reflect a deity, then this star we reside upon should also have its primordial deity... Yes, I heard him speak of it before, but I hadn't given it much thought."

"Heard who?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Li He replied, "A one-eyed madman. Like Qiu Ziguan, he studied the stars in the sky, and both sought to enter the legendary Three Realms through the Path of the Void."

The Path of the Void was a grand concept within the legendary Three Realms.

Ning Changjiu nodded.

Li He swiftly carried him on his sword to a range of continuous snow-capped mountains.

Li He looked at a particular snow-covered mountain and frowned.

A great mountain had been destroyed.

"That's Silent Ear Mountain," Li He said.

Ning Changjiu had heard the Dragon Keeper mention that the great cultivator of Silent Ear Mountain was seemingly researching a certain fluctuation in the void, attempting to unite two opposing numerical symbols into a single, complete entity.

Judging by the chaotic scene of crumbling mountains and cracked earth, it must have failed.

Li He led him to another nearby mountain.

Unlocking the intricate stone door, they stepped inside.

"Why are you here?" asked a short old man within the mountain, tinkering with a machine in his hands. He glanced up and added, "Is that your apprentice with you?"

"A friend," Li He replied.

The old man sneered, "You don't seem to discriminate by age when making friends."

Li He smiled, "Sir, you don't seem to be in the best mood lately?"

The old man frowned. "You must have seen it on your way here, Silent Ear Mountain exploded... Alas, to cultivate to such a high realm and still possess such an unstable Dao heart. He should learn from his old friend, the Dragon Keeper. He's raised those dragons like pigs for so many years, and I've never heard him complain."

Li He asked, "What ultimately happened to the one from Silent Ear Mountain...?"

The old man replied, "What else could happen? After smashing the mountain for half a day, disturbing my peace, he scribbled indiscriminately on the Celestial Stele and then flew into the sky. I couldn't care less if he's alive or dead."

"At least you were neighbors for many years..." Li He began.

"Enough talk," the old man interrupted. "Why this sudden visit today?"

"I wish to ask about the stars," Li He stated.

The old man glanced at the hollow skylight within the mountain, assuming the question concerned the lunar eclipse. He said blandly, "There's nothing remarkable to see. It's not a natural phenomenon, merely the fallout from battles among the gods in the heavens... Alas, I never imagined the Saint, having entered the Divine Kingdom alone, would truly endure for so long."

Li He nodded. "The Saint's solo venture into the dragon's den, regardless of outcome, is always admirable."

"So you must all hasten," the old man sighed. "Regardless, first, we must break the ancient gods' spirit... For thousands of years, with the exception of a very few individuals and demons, almost everyone has been enslaved by the ancient gods like pigs and dogs. Though we now possess cultivation methods, we must never forget those millennia of humiliation. We can ignore the battles in the sky if we must, but the ancient gods must be annihilated, shattered until their courage is broken, until they lose the Divine Lords' protection..."

The old man's words were steeped in deep resentment; his blind eye was filled with putrid flesh.

He had been blind since childhood, a condition now irreparable.

Ning Changjiu suddenly understood, realizing that the upper theater of this war was 'Shattering Heaven,' while the lower one was 'Slaying Ancient Gods.' No wonder so many humans and demons had rallied... This was a blood debt accumulated over millennia.

And he also knew that, in the end, they suffered a mutual defeat.

The most powerful demonic tribes were all suppressed and annihilated, and the ancient gods were so terrified they dared not appear in the world. Although most of humanity's great powers also perished, humanity, relying on its rapid reproduction and cultivation, surged fiercely from the shadows, and in a mere five hundred years, rebuilt a prosperous mortal realm, asserting its dominance over the world.

Li He said, "The ancient gods, fighting individually, are no match for us anymore. They are in constant retreat, many having been driven into the Northern Frontier Secret Realm, where they lie dormant and dare not emerge. Even if the battle in the heavens is lost, the era of ancient gods ruling the mortal realm will never return."

The old man nodded. "Still, I hope we win."

Li He asked, "If the Saint slays the Thunder Prison, can it change anything?"

"It would only prove that the Divine Lords are not invincible," the old man stated. "This war has dragged on for several years, and if it persists, the world itself will surely be ruined... Alas, the Saint likely wishes to prolong it no further. In the past, he alone resisted the divine punishment unleashed by the Divine Lord, and the Divine Lord found himself powerless against him. But such a stalemate yields no outcome. Now that the Heavenly Pillars are fully opened, he must enter the Divine Kingdom and confront the Thunder Prison, buying time for the demon race to shatter the Immortal Court."

Li He asked, "Why choose the Thunder Prison?"

"Because Thunder Prison is powerful enough. Slaying it would establish heavenly prestige," the old man explained. "Most ancient gods are draconic. If their current sole Dragon King can be slain, then the ancient gods can truly recede from history, awaiting natural destruction. And if this assassination succeeds, the Saint could then preside over the human realm for twelve years, awaiting the opening of the Divine Kingdom's gates to execute them one by one."

As he spoke, the old man laughed, shaking his head. "Of course, these are mere fantasies. How could the Thunder Prison, as a Divine Lord, be so easily killed? In the end, it's more likely the Saint who will perish. Moreover, we still don't even know what that ethereal Heavenly Dao truly is."

Li He praised, "Sir, you truly live up to your reputation for observing beyond the stars. You perceive mortal affairs with such clarity. Compared to you, the madman of Silent Ear Mountain is like faint starlight next to moonlight."

The old man scoffed, "That's hardly a compliment. You often say stars are just glowing rocks, huh... How conceited. You should know that all the stars we can see are countless times larger than the moon. Their light appears dim, firstly because they are too distant, and secondly because we are short-sighted."

"I stand corrected," Li He said.

"Did you just come here to chat?" the old man asked.

Li He quickly replied, "My young friend posed a question earlier, asking if this star we inhabit also possesses a deity similar to the Six Primordial Gods. It brought back some old memories, and my curiosity was piqued, so I came to inquire."

The old man looked at the white-robed youth beside Li He. "At your current stage of cultivation, knowing too much is not beneficial."

Ning Changjiu smiled. "In a world like this, death comes sooner or later. I'd rather die with some understanding."

The old man also smiled. "Young people are indeed broad-minded."

Li He scoffed inwardly, *Isn't he just relying on the fact that he's immortal?*

"Since you've come to ask, I'll tell you the truth..." The old man sighed. "I've lived for over a thousand years, and the notion of the Six Primordial Gods, though passed down for centuries, isn't entirely accurate. From my understanding, in the truly ancient era, when the Six Gods reigned, there was indeed another deity—the one you speak of, the god born from this very star."

Li He and Ning Changjiu exchanged a glance... *A seventh god actually exists?*

The old man continued, "A very, very long time ago, the Seventh God vanished without a trace. Yet, in my travels, I discovered many residual marks left by it. I've collected all these traces deep within this mountain; they are sufficient proof that a deity unknown to us once walked the world."

Li He quickly pressed, "What happened then? Where did this deity go?"

The old man shook his head. "Though I am over a thousand years old, I am still too young compared to that era... I spent a century searching for it, but found nothing. It seems to have been erased from this world."

His voice trembled slightly, carrying a hint of coldness.

Ning Changjiu listened to his words, his mind reeling.

This world, at its genesis, possessed its own deity, who was later slain... Yet, logically, this star should have been its domain. How could it have been killed within its own divine kingdom? And by whom?

Ning Changjiu, horrified, immediately considered a possibility: "Was it the Six Primordial Gods?"

The old man slowly nodded. "That's what I thought too. For this star, the Six Primordial Gods were the true outsiders. They were shadows condensed from the power of the six external stars... As the sovereign, it would undoubtedly seek to eliminate outsiders. This is an irreconcilable conflict, so it was very likely killed by the combined efforts of the Six Gods."

He raised his head, gazing at the dark night sky, and sighed, "This star has lost its own god; isn't that truly tragic... I've known this for a thousand years."

He had known for a thousand years, and he had mourned alone for a millennium.

His words were as distant as the stars, spoken like a scholar yet also a shaman.

Ning Changjiu asked, "Does losing a god affect this star?"

The old man replied, "It most certainly does, but precisely how, I do not know. Alas, many years ago, I too frantically investigated this matter. Yet, after traversing the entire world, I only discovered a stone tablet at the bottom of the Heavenly River. The era of that tablet's creation perfectly aligned with my calculated time of the Seventh God's demise."

Li He narrowed his eyes, quickly asking, "What was inscribed on the stone tablet?"

The old man said, "There were only two words on the stone tablet, and my translation is..."

The old man spoke as if divulging the greatest secret hidden in his heart, his pupils shining bright as stars.

"Fireseed."

Outside Luoshu Tower, Tianzang unleashed 'Collapse' one last time.

The ground sank ceaselessly like a dried lakebed, transforming the Luoshu Tower's domain from a valley into an abyss.

Luocang Su stood with his sword at the very center of the storm. His half-scale body radiated divine light, and the colossal lava sword in his hand left indelible wounds on the body of the primordial great god.

Tianzang groaned in pain. It was already incomplete, and its consciousness, like a madman's, was fragmented.

As it unleashed 'Collapse,' the other half of its body, fused with the rock, also disintegrated.

It didn't harm Luocang Su; instead, it gravely wounded itself.

Luocang Su looked at it, his gaze filled with sorrow.

Tianzang's body slumped to the ground. Behind its damaged scales, its divine heart, rekindling with flames, was faintly visible.

Luocang Su raised his sword.

He intended to deliver the final blow in conjunction with the ninth Immortal-Suppressing Sword.

Before he could even raise his sword, his expression abruptly shifted.

Luocang Su abruptly looked behind him.

Behind him, the Immortal-Suppressing Sword had transformed into a fiery streak, its target not Tianzang, but himself, suspended in the air!

What was happening? Why had the Immortal-Suppressing Sword lost control?

His pupils were instantly engulfed in flames.

In the corner of his peripheral vision, he vaguely caught sight of a beautiful piece of clothing fluttering against the starry sky on the distant Luoshu Tower.

Just like that stunning glimpse on the ice sea years ago.