Chapter 1103: 荒, Taking Action

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Chapter 1104: Desolate Takes Action

Mountains crumbled, seas evaporated; a single glance brought forth eons of change.

Wisps of mist drifted as a slender figure stood in the haze, towering over the abyss, looking down upon the Bronze Immortal Palace and the Chaotic Immortal Earth. She was imbued with the immortal power of ages.

Even powerful figures like Gai Jiuyou and the astonishing White-Clothed Divine King could only retreat at this moment, observing from a distance, not daring to approach easily.

The hundred thousand mountains were silent. The vital energy of life transformed into glittering streams, flowing towards her body. Waves of life surrounded and enveloped her. This was a being even ancient sages would revere.

With a turn of her gaze, cycles of reincarnation collapsed, and even the most exceptional talents would turn to dust. She did not move, yet her mere appearance instilled an urge to prostrate oneself. And those who felt this were — ancient sages!

“Who is that?!” The ancient races in the sinkhole were naturally shocked, all looking upwards.

Above the abyss, the mist stirred as a pair of indifferent eyes looked down, piercing through the void, making every Saint-level ancient king feel waves of suppression and a chill to their bones.

Below, some ancient sages felt a sudden surge of dread, cold air coursing through their spines, involuntarily retreating. Their life energy leaked outwards, their primordial spirits dimmed, as if they had aged several decades.

“What’s happening?”

“Stop her, our life force is draining away, flowing towards her!”

In the sinkhole, the ancient sages were shocked. Their vital essence flowed out of their bodies, every pore glowing. Their own essence was rapidly diminishing, something that had never happened before.

“Attack her!”

Even a Great Sage wouldn't dare treat them this way. What kind of beings were they? Feared by all races, respected across all lands, all bowed before them.

“Whoosh!”

A jade arrow shot forth, barely a meter long. Yet, its luminous trail was dazzling, like a comet illuminating the entire sky. As its fluctuations spread, lightning-like cracks appeared in the void, its trajectory irregular and winding.

“Pop!”

This was an ancient sage's full-power attack, yet it posed no threat to Desolate. The sacred arrow stopped ten zhang before her, then shattered inch by inch, turning into powder with a hiss.

“Who exactly is this person? Why are they targeting us? When did we make such a formidable enemy?” The group of Saint-level ancient kings grew uneasy. She was too powerful. Was this a Quasi-Emperor?

Great Sage Huntuo and the Golden King’s expressions turned solemn. Their hearts surged with tumultuous waves, filled with immense shock. Instinctively, they knew this person was definitely stronger than them.

“Go up!” Great Sage Qianlun said, ordering an ancient sage to charge and fight their way out of the sinkhole. The pressure underground was too immense.

“Boom!”

The person charged upwards, but just as they reached the abyss exit, black mist surged, sweeping towards them. They immediately trembled violently, their flesh and blood rapidly shriveling, the entire person aged a thousand years, losing a vast amount of life force.

Their face turned deathly pale, their heart filled with terror. They flew backwards; the loss of a thousand years of life essence was an unbearable burden. The entire person seemed to have had their soul extracted, and fell downwards.

“Too terrifying…” After falling to the ground, their lips trembled. This felt far more agonizing than a battle of life and death.

Above, mist swirled, making the slender figure seem even more unattainable, as if standing in the ninth heaven. Her gaze shifted, instilling dread.

The mist surged, enveloping the entire sinkhole, like dark clouds pressing down, heavy as lead. Even powerful ancient sages felt as if a great mountain weighed upon their hearts.

Whether in the past or present, if one were to ask who truly ruled this world, it would undoubtedly be the ancient sages.

Ancient Emperors and Great Emperors appeared only once every tens of thousands of years, but ancient sages were commonplace, governing this world. Yet now they were being suppressed, and even the Great Sages felt a sense of horror.

“Is it a being only half a step from becoming a Dao-proving Emperor, or a resurrected Human Emperor…?” Even the Golden King’s voice was unnatural, tinged with apprehension.

He, Great Sage Huntuo, and Great Sage Qianlun had all lived through the era ruled by the Fighting Saint Emperor, personally witnessing the ancient Emperor’s might. They knew firsthand how terrifying it was, unrivaled through eternity, with none able to contend.

This person before them did not exude an Emperor’s aura, yet why did her presence still inspire such dread? It was as if a Great Emperor lay dormant and slumbering within her.

“She is very strange. What realm has she truly reached?” Doubt arose in the hearts of the ancient kings.

“Let’s go, get out of here first.” At this point, even Great Sage Huntuo could no longer remain composed.

“Ding-a-ling!”

A string of purple bells vibrated. Great Sage Qianlun ascended, his body enveloped in purple mist. His robust body was protected by an Emperor-level ancient Imperial weapon. Each bell of the Ten Thousand Dragon Bell was as clear as purple agate, strung together to form a true dragon. It shook the sky apart, its demonic sound deafening.

“Go up!” The Golden King’s gaze also sharpened, as he summoned his clan’s ancient Imperial weapon, holding it before him, protecting everyone.

The ancient sage who had earlier shot the jade arrow now continuously drew their bow, firing dozens, even hundreds of arrows. Though not inherited sacred artifacts, they were still arrows of a Saint, possessing extraordinary power. They blazed a path ahead, parting the black mist.

However, this was entirely ineffective. The black mist devoured everything. The vital energy of all the arrows was stripped away, making bubbling sounds like bursting bubbles, then turning into ashes.

Desolate stood above, her gaze encompassing millennia, possessing the power to strip away life force. She finally moved, extending a hand to grasp forward.

This was a hand as white as jade, though shrouded in black mist, still radiating a crystalline luster. It reached out across all distances, rendering the ancient sage’s escape futile, and instantly seized them.

“Ah…”

A tragic cry rang out. The ancient sage struggled violently but could not break free. Their ink-black hair rapidly turned snow-white, their once lustrous skin quickly withered, covered in wrinkles, aging in an instant.

“This is… the power of time! Quickly, stop her!” An ancient sage exclaimed in alarm, summoning a weapon and attacking forward.

However, it was already too late. Between the jade-white palm and fingers, that ancient sage’s life energy dried up, their primordial spirit’s flame extinguished, and their entire body turned to dust.

“What is she? She doesn’t seem to be a living being at all. Is she the tangible manifestation of time, or an embodiment of death?”

No one present failed to feel their hair stand on end, especially the two ancient sages who had attacked, who grew even more uneasy. They activated their cultivation, trying to recall the flying tower and heavenly net umbrella.

“Pfft!”

The jade hand descended, simple and direct. The thirty-three-story ancient pagoda was pulverized into dust. The hundred-zhang-tall heavenly net umbrella turned into ashes. Nothing remained of the sacred artifacts.

“Ah…”

At the same time, two ancient sages cried out, as the crystalline jade fingers swept down towards them. Although its trajectory was elegant and its movement light, it was lethal.

“Great Sages, save us!”

The two ancient sages cried out, calling for help to the Golden King and Qianlun. They themselves unleashed wondrous techniques, striking with all their might. Tens of thousands of Dao markings transformed into a net of light.

“Pop!”

Desolate’s power surpassed all imagination. The Dao markings shattered, the divine light was swallowed by the black mist. The jade hand covered them, without any wondrous techniques, only flowing mist.

Their blood and qi dried up, white hair falling loose, teeth loosening, their bodies withered, leaving only white bones. But then, even those quickly turned into bone powder, scattering into the sinkhole.

“Can a Quasi-Emperor achieve this?” From a distance, the White-Clothed Divine King asked Gai Jiuyou, his eyes gleaming with astonishment, as he gazed at everything.

“They can, but…” Gai Jiuyou’s essence, qi, and spirit reached their peak, sweeping away his sickly appearance. Like a drawn divine sword, his eyes shone brightly, staring fixedly at Desolate.

In the sinkhole, all the ancient sages felt their scalps tingle. They were the masters of the world, yet now they had encountered a being beyond comprehension, whose presence gravely threatened their lives.

“Ancient Emperor, revive and suppress!”

The Golden King let out a soft cry, shouting loudly. The golden mace in his hand transformed into a divine radiance, sweeping forward, striking towards Desolate above the abyss!

“Clang!”

No one had expected that the figure above the abyss would directly meet the attack with her hand. Her jade-white fingers struck the golden mace, emitting a clear, melodious immortal sound.

“What?! Bare-handed against an Emperor-level ancient Imperial weapon?!”

With a thunderous roar, the sinkhole exploded, and chaos churned. The Great Sage of the ancient race, holding the golden mace, was sent flying backwards, blood overflowing from his mouth, his face etched with terror.

Throughout the long ages, in the river of time across millennia, how many dared to receive an Emperor-level ancient Imperial weapon bare-handed? They recalled that the Fighting Saint Emperor had done so in the ancient past.

By this logic, was this truly a Human Emperor? All the ancient sages present were terrified. Saints transcended the realm of mortals, and Emperors transcended the realm of Saints. The difference was immeasurable.

“She is not a Human Emperor!” Great Sage Huntuo spoke.

Someone began carving array patterns, opening a spatial domain gate, intending to flee far away. There was truly no way to stay in this place. If she could bare-handedly take an Imperial weapon, how could they fight?

However, the mist swirled from top to bottom, sealing this place. The void could not be opened, making passage impossible.

“This… is bad. We must break out!”

The Ten Thousand Dragon Bell flew up, transforming into a purple immortal dragon. It swayed its head and tail, as if the Ten Thousand Dragon Ancient Emperor had been resurrected. A group of ancient sages almost collapsed to the ground. This was an extreme Imperial pressure.

“Slap!”

However, to everyone’s shock, Desolate above slapped out with a palm, and this ancient Imperial weapon, made of purple-gold divine bells strung together, was immediately sent flying, colliding into the sky, and vanishing into the chaos.

Great Sage Qianlun cried out in alarm, spitting blood. His life force drained away. He rapidly retreated, then used his heart as a guide to summon the ancient Imperial weapon. The Ten Thousand Dragon Bell finally flew back.

“Damn, this is enough to scare ancient sages to death! What exactly is her origin? To bare-handedly contend with an ancient Imperial weapon?!”

“She broke several immortal chains forged from divine gold, her power grew even stronger, as if breaking some kind of seal!”

In the distant sky, Ye Fan, Black Emperor, Duan De, and others watched. Seeing this outcome, all revealed expressions of disbelief.

“Desolate has arrived,” Duan De said. “Even if these ancient sages don’t die, they’ll lose a layer of skin. The ancient races are surely going to suffer a major blow to their vitality!”

Desolate made another move, and this time she flew directly into the abyss, her true form entering. This made the ancient sages extremely agitated, as if their nest had been bombed.

As she drew near, life force rapidly drained away. No one could withstand it. Fortunately, the golden mace and the Ten Thousand Dragon Bell revived, their ancient Imperial aura growing even stronger, protecting everyone within their auspicious light.

“Quickly retreat, make way for her!” Great Sage Huntuo shouted. “She’s heading for the Bronze Immortal Palace!”

But how could their speed compare to hers? The ancient sages still couldn't discern if she was male or female, or what her true face looked like, but they felt she possessed peerless grace.

Her slender body remained blurry, her hair fluttering. When her eyes swept over them, all the ancient sages felt their hairs stand on end and goosebumps rose on their skin, as if a dragon had fixed its gaze upon a common dog.

Two ancient sages were enveloped by the black mist, struggling with difficulty. But as their life drained away, they eventually turned into white bones. The others struggled to resist, especially as the golden mace and the Ten Thousand Dragon Bell struck again.

“Clang!”

This time, the golden mace flew horizontally, slapped by Desolate to beyond the heavens, and disappeared into the chaos.

“Clang!”

The Ten Thousand Dragon Bell’s purple light overshadowed the sun, and auspicious qi surged. But after only a few shakes, it also flew backwards, sent hurtling towards the extraterrestrial battlefield.

“Run!”

The three Great Sages turned and fled, incapable of mustering any fighting spirit. How could they fight against such a being? It was a guaranteed defeat, unless the Fighting Saint Emperor were to revive.

“Ah…”

Blood splattered. Desolate slammed down her jade hand, and two ancient sages disintegrated. Crimson blood and glistening white bone fragments scattered, but in an instant, their vital energy completely vanished, and they turned into ashes of calamity.