Chapter 1993: Mad War

Nine Heavenly Flames, their colors blending together.

Vaguely, that unstable, near-explosive state hinted at formidable power.

Just the sweeping aura of the flames scorched the entire Central Domain, instantly evaporating moisture from the earth, leaving countless cracks.

Even the Ancient War God Stage, after its Dao Chains crumbled, revealed its true form, its four pillars covered in climbing patterns, as if it would vanish in the coming explosion.

"Perhaps, this Ancestor can truly shine for once?"

At that moment, the Ancestor Jinzhao, clutching this terrifying flame, felt a brief flicker of what "invincibility" tasted like.

This was an attack beyond Ancestor Gods!

It was as if his very existence was meant to unleash such an attack at a certain moment – anyone who faced it head-on would surely meet their demise, both body and soul!

Ancestor Jinzhao couldn't help but recall his journey from birth to becoming a Saint Emperor, a path of seeking the Dao where he was invincible.

Victory in every battle, triumph in every struggle.

Putting aside his dismal experiences after becoming Saint Emperor, wasn't the brilliance of his early life a testament to being a Child of Destiny in that era?

Nine Heavenly Flames, who in the entire world could control them?

"I can!"

Just as Guyu sought the Dao, risking his life to open the Gate of Profundity.

Just as Hua Changdeng battled eight, creating the Reincarnation of the Undead in despair, and blooming with glory once more.

At this moment, Ancestor Jinzhao clearly felt that he had broken through that barrier – without any external aid, relying solely on himself, his realm unbroken, yet his destructive power had successfully knocked on the door of the "Ancestor God" level.

Even a speck of dust can emit light!

Although the Three Realms God Yi possessed unparalleled combat power, inspiring despair.

But Ancestor Jinzhao, holding the Nine Heavenly Flames, knew there was no retreat. He had cast aside all worldly concerns, leaving only the will to fight.

Even old men have moments of passion.

At this moment, Ancestor Jinzhao felt as if he had returned to his youth, simply wanting to see if this ultimate blow, the culmination of his life's effort, could truly shake even half a wisp of God Yi's formidable edge!

"Hoo..."

However, after a brief flashback of his past, before Ancestor Jinzhao could even throw the Nine Heavenly Flames fused into a fire lotus in his hand, he witnessed the most terrifying scene he would ever forget.

Amidst the nine bizarre colored flames, which covered the entire Ghost Buddha Realm like a blazing sun, a formidable figure suddenly flashed out, utterly fearless of death.

He had nine戒疤 on his head, a single crimson dot between his brows, and he held a霸王斜ly. Swift as thunder, his body flowed with a layer of golden votive power, and he charged forward with a grim face, enduring the terrifying damage of the nine-colored fire lotus!

"This..."

At this instant, Ancestor Jinzhao was truly stunned.

Even he understood that he could no longer control such immense energy.

If God Yi had merely taken a turn or a detour, he could have at least avoided the core damage of the fire lotus explosion, only suffering three or four tenths of the attack.

Perhaps, he could have even preserved his body, leaving a useful form to fight the Demon Ancestor.

But...

Why didn't he avoid it?!

That mighty and invincible figure clearly charged straight ahead, yet his gaze was fixed in the distance, still not putting anyone in his eyes at this moment.

It was as if he himself was merely a stepping stone on God Yi's path of charge.

God Yi had never once cared about the damage of the nine-colored fire lotus, but Ancestor Jinzhao understood that this stepping stone was covered in sharp thorns, and the nine-colored fire lotus would definitely make God Yi bleed from his feet.

Why didn't he retreat?!

"Explode––"

Each person has their own will, and Ancestor Jinzhao couldn't interfere with God Yi's mad thoughts. The only thing he could do was, at the last moment, shake his hands, throw out the nine-colored fire lotus, and detonate it.

"A very strong blow, I acknowledge it, but unfortunately..."

The wind howled past his ears. At the very end, Ancestor Jinzhao saw a flash of respect and regret in God Yi's eyes.

But God Yi's movements showed no deformation because of it, nor did he flinch as the nine-colored fire lotus was about to explode right in front of his face.

霸王 lightly swept.

There was a "crack" sound, as if the entire world had been shattered.

Ancestor Jinzhao could no longer see anything. His body was sent flying backward by a single strike, exploding into dust mid-flight, without even feeling any excess pain.

Yet, as his divine soul was also sent flying, a massive Ghost Gate fell in front of him. Before he could even make out what was happening, a gigantic ghostly hand slapped over.

The ghostly hand struck lightly.

Ancestor Jinzhao's divine soul was completely annihilated.

The remaining fragmented will was instantly incinerated and reduced to ashes by the scorching damage of the chaotic nine-colored fire lotus.

"Wooo––"

A wail echoed through the Five Domains once more.

The nine-colored fire lotus in the Ghost Buddha Realm was too large, its flames too dazzling.

Not even the掌杏 could penetrate that terrifying and extreme flame power, so no one noticed what was happening at the center of the fire lotus.

But even though no one witnessed Ancestor Jinzhao being tragically struck down by God Yi's two blows, upon hearing the mournful wail of the Dao, everyone simultaneously understood:

"Another one has fallen..."

In a flash of lightning, silently, Ancestor Jinzhao had already perished?

At this moment, this terrifying truth didn't even bring the slightest surprise to the world.

It was as if before God Yi, everyone should be like this: either shattered in one blow, or if one blow failed, then two, three blows...

Those who could withstand three blows would have a chance to be recorded in the annals of history.

"Boom––"

The vast blaze collapsed from within, and after the destructive energy exploded with a deafening roar, it instead pushed outwards layer by layer.

Starting from the old Yujing site, southwards to the Qilin Realm, Zhongyuan Realm, Nanli Realm, northwards shattering mountains, and pushing past the North Sea.

The space in all four directions was instantly destroyed, a shocking sight to behold.

Even more terrifying, however, was that amidst such extreme and dreadful explosive energy, a resolute figure still shot straight out from the center of the blast, continuing his charge towards the Northern Domain Sword Tower.

"God Yi! It's God Yi!"

"Ancestor Jinzhao couldn't even stop God Yi for half a breath, was he also swept away by the explosion?"

"But... the nine-colored fire lotus exploded, didn't it? God Yi isn't injured at all?"

"No... look closely!"

The掌杏 view quickly zoomed in. Many sharp-eyed individuals saw God Yi, continuing his charge north, holding a staff in his right hand, but his left hand was not idle either.

He was gripping a mass of constantly collapsing, constantly collapsing, tightly restrained, yet suddenly erupting with terrifying energy, an embodiment of the "否极泰来" (reversal of fortune).

That mass, emitting a gray aura of destruction, contained nine different colors, clearly the nine-colored fire lotus!

"The nine-colored fire lotus... was caught?"

Just as the people of the Five Domains stared dumbfounded, God Yi had just managed to restrain the nine-colored fire lotus from exploding, and charged to the center of the North Sea.

But at this moment, the weather changed, and a clear dragon's roar echoed through heaven and earth.

"Aooo––"

The void shattered.

Amidst the clouds and mist, a colossal black dragon's shadow, faintly discernible.

Its body was enveloped in monstrous demonic energy, its dragon eyes scarlet. From its dragon head, a black demonic pearl emerged. It had clearly finished accumulating its breath and was about to unleash it.

"No!!!"

The Demon Emperor Black Dragon's mood at this moment was explosive.

Originally, it was to follow Ancestor Jinzhao, and suddenly, it too felt the urge to fight, wanting to test God Yi's might.

Who would have thought that Ancestor Jinzhao, who at most could only fight it to a draw in the inner island of the Void Island... or rather, could only win by a tiny bit, could suddenly conjure this terrifying nine-colored fire lotus?

That thing could destroy Ancestor Gods. Others might not see it, but how could the Demon Emperor Black Dragon not perceive its power?

Ancestor Jinzhao, truly not human!

But the nine-colored fire lotus was already terrifying enough, yet God Yi was even more terrifying than the nine-colored fire lotus; he had seized the nine-colored fire lotus!

The Demon Emperor Black Dragon had thought that the first wave of flame explosion in the Ghost Buddha Realm, which even threatened to destroy the Ancient War God Stage, was the upper limit of the nine-colored fire lotus's attack strength.

But this time, looking closely...

What upper limit?

The explosion damage of the Jinzhao lineage had no upper limit.

That previous burst was actually just the aftershock of the fire lotus's energy, after God Yi had forcibly restrained it.

Merely, an aftershock!

"No, no, no, don't kill me!"

The Demon Emperor Black Dragon was clearly spitting out its Dragon Pearl, pushing its own potential to the limit, about to unleash a world-destroying blow.

Yet, it was also the Demon Emperor Black Dragon that begged for mercy in its heart.

Ancestor Jinzhao was a Saint Emperor, and so was it. At most, they had the combat power of a False Ancestor, but an explosive attack would surely lead to death.

At this moment, God Yi, clutching the fire lotus, charged out of the blazing sun with his staff, resembling a true fire god!

How to fight?

Fight with your life!

Just as God Yi was face-to-face, raising his staff high.

The Demon Emperor Black Dragon finally couldn't suppress the fear in its heart. Its entire dragon body, coiled amidst the clouds above the North Sea, began to tremble uncontrollably.

Ultimately, its cowardice outweighed its fighting spirit. It actually broke free from the Demon Ancestor's control, and relying on a strong will to survive, forcefully roared out:

"受爷 (Shou Ye), save me––"

Plop.

As soon as the words fell.

A familiar sensation enveloped it.

Someone had landed, standing on its head, reaching out and gripping its dragon horns, a feeling of being controlled.

"Aooo"

For the first time, the Demon Emperor Black Dragon could so intuitively feel the electrifying pleasure that came with its dragon horns being grasped.

Because, in this world, there were probably only two people who could give the dragon such a sense of security.

One was Bazun An.

The other was Xu Xiaoshou.

After all, the Demon Emperor Black Dragon had only been properly ridden by these two.

"This dragon, leave it to me."

Xu Xiaoshou truly couldn't bear to see Dragon宝 suffer the same fate as Ancestor Jinzhao, yet he wasn't sure if he could truly help Dragon宝, whose entire life's cultivation was focused on demonic power, to completely escape the Demon Ancestor's control.

He could only say, he would try his best!

"Shou Ye, wuwuwu..."

Seeing that it was indeed Xu Xiaoshou's voice from above, the Demon Emperor Black Dragon almost burst into tears.

At that moment, its mind relaxed, and it almost failed to control the power of the Dragon Pearl, about to unleash all its energy onto God Yi.

Fortunately, Shou Ye was powerful. With a palm strike downwards, he shouted something about "Great Purification Art."

The Demon Emperor Black Dragon only felt a powerful "意" (will/intent) surging into its dragon body like a tsunami, frantically cleansing and purifying something.

Its consciousness chilled.

That feeling of being guided and controlled was instantly swept away.

The Demon Emperor Black Dragon was overjoyed and quickly retracted the power of its Dragon Pearl. Enduring the backlash, it dared not unleash this thing, lest it graze God Yi's skin.

Heaven knows if this humanoid mad dog would be enraged and later seek revenge on itself.

"Go!"

And even Xu Xiaoshou, who helped Dragon宝 in the nick of time, didn't have much time to spare for extra movements.

He simply twisted the dragon horn, causing Dragon宝's dragon head to lift, barely avoiding God Yi.

God Yi was too fast!

He instantly killed Ancestor Jinzhao at light speed, so fast that Xu Xiaoshou didn't even react.

If he hadn't felt Dragon宝's fear, he would still be far away at the Crossroads, staring at Bei Huai's body.

And even though he had done so much, God Yi, clutching the nine-colored fire lotus, still forcibly retracted his staff at the critical moment...

The figure holding the fire lotus still shot into the Demon Emperor Black Dragon's mouth, and from the side of its dragon body, crashed through flesh and dragon scales, bleeding out.

"Aooo!"

The terrifying impact force, and the immense pain of the nine-colored fire lotus scorching its throat, made the Demon Emperor Black Dragon's tail thrash wildly, stirring up waves of tsunami in the North Sea.

"Don't shout."

Xu Xiaoshou slapped Dragon宝 with a "跃然纸上" (leaping onto the paper) and forcefully put it away, no longer daring to let it remain under the Demon Ancestor's gaze.

As long as he brought it back to the Crossroads, with the Grand Heavenly Machine Array and the Extreme Dao of Intention, he hoped to save Dragon宝's small life.

Everything was completed in a flash.

From the Demon Emperor Black Dragon's appearance to reality, it was but a blink of an eye. The people of the Five Domains hadn't even clearly seen what happened. Once Shou Ye activated "遗世独立" (Transcending the World), everyone subconsciously forgot the related matters.

Thus, even Xu Xiaoshou, standing above the North Sea, glanced at God Yi's figure rushing into the Northern Domain, his face showing a hint of shock.

Even he didn't understand what God Yi was going to do.

"Run, run, run!"

The Demon Ancestor's will crossed the North Sea, now only a line away from the Sword Tower, yet it wished for two more pairs of wings to run faster.

It hadn't been this dishevelled in tens of thousands of years.

Yes, the Demon Ancestor admitted, it had been reckless.

The naturally best plan was to manipulate the Moon Palace to arrive, and while it slightly obstructed God Yi's momentum, its own will would quickly detach itself and merge with the Demon Ancestor's body and spirit within the Northern Domain Sword Tower.

However, the Demon Ancestor's will was also stubborn.

The Pertain Mother Coffin, not skilled in combat, plus a Demon Ancestor's body, had been preempted by God Yi, its head blown off, clearly at a disadvantage and unable to fight.

But it refused to believe that its own nurtured Han Zu Moon Palace, combined with a combat-proficient Cessation of Dao Profound Ruler, and its own will personally orchestrating the battlefield, still couldn't curb God Yi's insane momentum.

But actually...

It truly couldn't be curbed!

This fellow was too crazy!

Bazun An's Zeroing was merely a threat, without lethal force.

God Yi, on the other hand, wouldn't say an extra word, as if his mouth was just for show. With the霸王 in hand, his mind was only filled with "fight, fight, fight."

He even threw out Ancestor Jinzhao's strongest blow in advance, originally thinking it would at least injure him by three tenths.

Unexpectedly, the Three Realms God Yi could still, with the resentful Buddhaland in his palm, combined with his own powerful ancient martial body, seize the nine-colored fire lotus that was like a blazing sun.

This ability to grasp the sun and moon...

Setting aside everything else, merely on the level of battle intent and aura, the Demon Ancestor's will also admitted, it was utterly crushed.

It immediately chose the most conservative approach.

Better late than never, in short, regardless of everything, first return and merge into one.

It was impossible that after merging into one, God Yi would still be so crazy, regardless of his own injuries, single-mindedly wanting to unleash the霸王 upon himself.

Putting aside everything else, he couldn't hold this nine-colored fire lotus.

As long as it held until it exploded, it would give him a run for his money!

But this fellow...

A quick glance back, a mixture of dread and shock.

This mad dog was almost catching up.

On the escape route, a journey that should have been instantaneous felt longer than eons of planning, with a mad dog chasing behind.

The Sword Tower was right before his eyes.

Reaching it seemed utterly hopeless!

If he continued to be chased like this, it was likely that God Yi would follow him into the Sword Tower the moment he entered, and then things would really go awry!

"Stop him!"

The Demon Ancestor's will no longer cared about anything else. As it swept past the three small ancient sword cultivators in the Northern Domain, it directly manipulated their bodies.

At the same time, Abbot Youxi, who had previously been smashed by God Yi to the Western Domain, also revealed demonic light in his eyes, dragging his shattered body, spitting out essence blood, and directly flew over.

He was too far away, so he simply invoked his Saint Emperor status, unleashing a "Myriad Buddha Golden Palm" across the domains.

"Faster, faster, faster..."

The eyes of Gu, Xiao, and Lei were also surging with demonic energy at this moment.

Knowing that even with the combined efforts of the three of them, along with the three swords of the Sword Tower, they were no match for God Yi in a single encounter, what the three did at this moment was to insert the three swords into themselves, igniting their blood.

Three brilliant silver sword intents immediately shot up into the sky.

Then Gu Qingyi pulled out the "Moon Gazing Scroll" from his embrace. The three clasped their hands together, and the imagery of the silver moon, solitary tower, and back figure in the scroll seemed to come alive, ascending to form an illusory human figure.

"Om!

At this instant, sword chants echoed across the Five Domains.

Even God Yi, who was hurtling towards them, felt a chill down his spine.

Undoubtedly, even if the Sword Ancestor had not undergone Zeroing, the Way of the Sword was a true Way of Combat, its fighting power self-evident.

And that Sword Ancestor figure, condensed from the "Moon Gazing Scroll," also carried a chilling demonic aura, undoubtedly a fallback plan of the Demon Ancestor's spirit.

God Yi rapidly approached.

God Yi did not avoid it at all.

God Yi's chest swelled, and a surging Sanskrit chant rumbled in his throat, interweaving with his battle intent. As he approached the Demon Sword Ancestor's face, he roared with all his might:

"Hmph!!!"

Limitless bitter sea imagery surged. A golden dragon soared from behind God Yi into the sky, transforming into a great Sanskrit battle cry that echoed across the Five Domains.

With a thunderous roar, the intersection of the North Sea and the Northern Domain merely swayed slightly under such terrifying sound waves, not even a single stone shattered.

But as the sound blast spread outwards, space and Dao principles were clearly torn to shreds.

Ordinary people were unharmed.

But Dao principles affected by demonic intent suffered.

Naturally, those controlled by the Demon Ancestor's will would also suffer.

Gu, Xiao, and Lei, without even a moment's pause, instantly flipped their swords and themselves, blood gushing from their seven orifices, falling backward, unconscious.

Behind them, the "Myriad Buddha Golden Palm" also exploded into golden light with a "pah" sound. Along with Abbot Youxi, who hadn't even reached the Central Domain yet, his mental world shook with a "boom," his eyes rolled back, and he fell into the sea on the spot.

But the "Moon Gazing Scroll" had indeed unfolded.

God Yi's great Sanskrit battle cry had shattered everything controlled by the Demon Ancestor, both people and objects, but it failed to prevent the formation of the "Demon Sword Ancestor."

But this...

Still failed to curb God Yi's momentum!

He likewise had no Sword Ancestor in his eyes, only fixated on the tail of the Demon Ancestor's will.

Yet, as the "Demon Sword Ancestor" completely solidified its form and God Yi brushed past it, his eyes suddenly split open in fury.

"Overlord's Three Forms · Sun Cleansing!"

Golden light spread, and all of God Yi's acupuncture points opened.

His body's potential was absolutely squeezed, transforming into golden light that permeated his body, then instantly infused into the霸王.

At this moment, the霸王 seemed to shed its dust, like the famous sword "Tian Jie," its staff body illuminated with intricate purple-bronze Dao patterns, and golden molten droplets dripped from its gilded double-headed tip.

As it spun, it transformed into a blazing sun.

One strike, head exploded!

The Demon Sword Ancestor had just barely formed, and the Demon Sword Ancestor was instantly blasted apart on the spot.

From beginning to end, not a single move was unleashed, not a single harsh word was uttered. The "Moon Gazing Scroll" also split into several pieces.

But it did indeed buy half a breath of time and consumed a lot of God Yi's strength.

Even if the Sword Ancestor's incarnation didn't play its anticipated major role, and was even instantly killed by God Yi's one strike, it was still worth it!

The Demon Ancestor's will was still shaken, but it had already rushed into the Sword Tower's main gate.

"Close the door! Close the door! Close the door!"

At this moment, everyone seemed to sense the Demon Ancestor's urgency.

Bang bang bang!

The Sword Tower's wooden windows closed quickly layer by layer, all power retracting inward.

Even at the wooden door, a headless body shrouded in demonic energy urgently rushed out, clutching the Sword Tower's main gate with both hands, physically accelerating the door's closing speed.

This supreme tower, meticulously crafted by the Sword Ancestor after becoming an Ancestor, contained Dao principles within, originally intended to suppress demonic spirits. Now, however, it became the Demon Ancestor's best self-preservation place.

"Whoosh!"

God Yi was still charging!

God Yi hadn't stopped!

Even when the Sword Tower's main gate was clearly closing to a mere crack, God Yi didn't give up his final sprint!

"God Yi, you truly surprised this Ancestor, what a pity..." At the main entrance, the headless body of the Demon Ancestor actually gave off a very real sense of mockery, as if its triumphant smile had leaped out:

"The tide of battle has turned."

Ten thousand feet!

A thousand feet!

A hundred feet!

Only a mere hundred feet remained. The Sword Tower's main gate slammed shut, as if the hope of life had been forcibly extinguished.

The people of the Five Domains, watching this scene through the掌杏, inexplicably felt a sinking in their hearts, as if something terrifying was about to be conceived from within the Sword Tower.

Just as the Demon Ancestor said, the tide of battle had turned.

The people of the Five Domains despaired.

God Yi hadn't given up!

God Yi was still persevering!

God Yi suddenly pulled out a cocoon-silk crystal the size of a peach pit, threw it into his mouth, and bit down.

Crunch!

A faint glow emanated from his body, and a powerful force surged through him from his feet, rushing straight to his crown.

"Four Quarters · Self-Sacrifice!"

With a ripping sound, God Yi once again swallowed the "Xiangshi Zizhu Oujing." Originally, it was meant to shed his body, but now only a layer of skin peeled from his surface, revealing bloody but incredibly bulging muscles within.

"Overlord's First Form · Star Shatter!"

From a distance of a hundred feet, borrowing the power of the Four Quarters, combining the Dao of the Three Realms, pouring out the Yang of the Two Polarities, and exerting the power of one Venerable.

The霸王 struck out with a single blow. With a dull thud, the Sword Tower's main gate, even with the Sword Ancestor's power imbued and the Demon Ancestor's body, spirit, and will controlling it, was forcibly pushed open, creating a crack.

"What?!"

A voice, filled with shock and terror, came from within.

After reacting, there was a hint of relief, as God Yi was too large; if it was only a fist-sized crack, he wouldn't be able to enter.

God Yi made no further movements. Just before the wooden door closed again, he threw the nine-colored fire lotus, whose explosive power even he found difficult to suppress, through the crack into the Sword Tower.