Chapter 409: The Prologue of the Gods Defying Fate

Inside the Pure Land, petals drifted down, each stained with blood, gleaming like crystal, as if a rain of tears was falling. It was a scene of desolate beauty.

The White-Clad Divine King sat cross-legged beneath the tree, his eyes closed and motionless. Divine blood flowed from him, blossoming into the most exquisite flowers in the world, making all other scenery pale in comparison.

This was an eternal image, one that would never fade, no matter how many years passed. It was seared into people's hearts, unforgettable.

A profound tranquility settled over the world, broken only by the shimmering, crystalline petals as they drifted down, one by one. Their delicate fragrance filled the air, carried beyond the Pure Land to fall upon the Divine City.

Though many people were shouting and the Jiang family cried out in sorrow, this corner of the world remained strangely peaceful, graced only by this eternal vision.

Such was the power of the Pure Land, imbuing the space with an aura of serenity. All noise and clamor were purified, becoming an inherent part of its exquisite beauty.

Within the Pure Land, Ye Fan found himself unable to move or speak, utterly helpless to intervene.

Six crystalline blood flowers blossomed, one after another, emerging from the Peerless Divine King’s heart. Magnificently radiant, they resembled vibrant phoenixes gracefully soaring before settling upon Ye Fan’s body.

This was the blood of a divine being, capable of purifying all phenomena in the world. Even for the Peerless Divine King, only a small quantity existed, and with the release of these six blood flowers, his supply was almost depleted.

Possessing miraculous, heaven-defying properties, the first blood flower descended and flowed into the innate Dao pattern. Ye Fan’s body immediately trembled, as if a layer of restraint had been lifted.

He longed to shout, to implore the Divine King to stop, but no sound escaped his lips. His heart burned with urgency, yet he was powerless to change anything.

As the second divine blood flower descended, the innate patterns turned sparkling crimson, taking on a subtle difference. The excruciating pain in Ye Fan’s rapidly fragmenting body sharply diminished.

"Pop," "Pop..."

One after another, six divine blood flowers fell and merged into Ye Fan’s body, flowing into the innate Dao pattern. Suddenly, he could move again, his body and spiritual sense both greatly nourished.

"Senior, please stop!" Ye Fan cried out.

The Peerless Divine King remained seated and unmoving as the seventh divine blood flower blossomed. He intended to use his divine blood to cleanse Ye Fan's curse, clarify his Great Dao, and sever his karma.

This was an act of ultimate self-sacrifice. With his divine blood fully expended, the Divine King would likely cease to exist. This blood was the very essence of his being as a peerless powerhouse, and he might soon pass away in meditative trance.

The innate patterns dimmed. The divine blood truly possessed unparalleled mystique, capable of purifying all karma and severing the patterns of the Great Dao.

Ye Fan stumbled forward, rushing to approach the emerald ancient tree and stand before the White-Clad Divine King. Yet the Pure Land seemed endless; no matter how he ran, he couldn’t draw closer.

"Senior, if you perish, how can I bear to live? I don't want you to extinguish my curse with your life's blood!"

"Pop."

As the eighth divine blood flower blossomed, the White-Clad Divine King grew even more serene. Seated beneath the sacred tree, his entire being was enveloped in a flowing aura of divine radiance, like a deity approaching the end of its existence.

A shower of crystalline petals fell upon him, rendering him otherworldly and sublime. With his own power, he defied the heavens to mend the broken path for the Saint Body, intending to cleanse the innate Dao pattern with his very own blood.

"Pop."

With the blossoming of the ninth divine blood flower, the innate Dao pattern was forcibly severed, bursting forth from Ye Fan’s body to hang suspended in mid-air. This was the power of divine blood, capable of cutting off karma.

The Peerless Divine King had, by his own might, forcibly severed the connection between the Dao pattern and Ye Fan. However, he ultimately failed to completely obliterate the patterns. By this point, his divine blood was entirely depleted; only nine drops had existed in his entire being.

The Pure Land trembled briefly, and the Divine King appeared to turn to stone, motionless and utterly devoid of strength.

"Divine King Ancestor!" The Jiang family cried out in sorrow, their voices finally piercing through the Pure Land’s serenity.

The Pure Land was dimming, no longer able to enforce silence upon the world. Outside, the clamor had already erupted, with numerous cultivators in an uproar.

"The Divine King is about to pass away! The era of the Peerless One ends here!"

"Alas for a Divine King of his generation! Four millennia ago, he was a vibrant and proud figure, looking down upon all under heaven. Yet, at the peak of his glory, he was sealed within Purple Mountain. Upon his return, his beloved perished, and he himself faced the twilight of his life."

"The Peerless Divine King, though capable of reigning supreme over the world, lived a life of profound sorrow. Now, his curtain is about to fall."

No one remained unmoved. People discussed his fate, many sighing, lamenting the White-Clad Divine King's sorrowful life.

Ye Fan cried out, finally collapsing beneath the Divine King Tree, prostrating himself before the Divine King as hot tears streamed from his eyes.

"Divine King, you cannot die..."

The Divine King opened his eyes, but they were dim and lifeless. "Heaven and Earth do not acknowledge it," he said, "the curse is not yet broken. It was just one step away."

"Divine King, please don't speak anymore! I have a Qilin divine medicine seed here, quickly take it." Although Ye Fan saw his eyes open, his heart grew even more uneasy.

The moment the Qilin divine medicine appeared, an boundless aura of life permeated the air, instantly infusing the entire Pure Land with vibrant vitality.

"It's no use," the White-Clad Divine King replied, shaking his head. Then, with a mere flick of his finger, Ye Fan was once again immobilized, unable to stir.

The Peerless Divine King began to chant the profound sounds of the Great Dao, which resonated throughout heaven and earth, silencing all other noises. Even the small golden creature undergoing tribulation nearby found significant relief, as the boundless lightning flashes were suppressed.

Everyone was astonished. How could the Peerless Divine King, having exhausted his divine blood, still possess such profound cultivation? His realm was truly immense, as the Dark Monarch had claimed, certainly transcending that of a Great Accomplishment Divine King.

All the divine sounds of the Great Dao converged upon a single point, enveloping the innate Dao pattern suspended in the air, intent on obliterating it.

These sound waves were both tangible and substantive, resembling visible, vibrant ripples of seven colors. They were exceptionally dazzling, possessing an ineffable divine charm.

Outside, all cultivators fell silent, sensing a profound loftiness and vastness. Many found peace in their hearts, experiencing a form of enlightenment under the influence of this celestial Great Dao sound.

"Heavens! This is... the Overture of the Gods!"

Finally, someone perceived the profound mystery, grasping the immensity of this power, and couldn't help but exclaim.

"How can this be? The Overture of the Gods – how many times has it resounded throughout history?"

"This piece isn't entirely about cultivation; it's a manifestation of a state of mind, reflecting an understanding of the Dao and a profound comprehension of the myriad forms of the mortal world."

"Legend has it that the Overture of the Gods is merely the introductory phase. If it evolves into a true Divine Symphony, one can attain power almost comparable to a deity!"

Everyone was profoundly shaken. No one had ever imagined that the White-Clad Divine King was so astonishingly brilliant as to have comprehended the Overture of the Gods.

Although it was said to be unrelated to cultivation, being purely a sublimation of one's spiritual realm, a cultivator's greatest potential truly lay within their original heart. One day, perhaps, it could illuminate the human world.

"The Divine King's desolate life... only through such profound sorrow could he have comprehended the Overture of the Gods."

People recalled the Divine King’s life: half a lifetime of loneliness and hardship, an existence steeped in desolation, the loss of his beloved, and his own advancing age. He carried too many regrets.

"The Divine King has exhausted his divine blood, performing this divine movement, truly preparing to pass away here."

People understood his intention, knowing he could not long remain in the world. Perhaps ending such a desolate and regret-filled life would, for him, be a form of liberation.

"Divine King..." Many from the Jiang family wailed in grief.

Even other cultivators were affected, many feeling a prickling in their noses and a stinging in their eyes. What a sorrowful life the Peerless Divine King had lived; truly, it was tragic.

The Overture of the Gods, truly possessing god-like power, engulfed the Dao pattern suspended in mid-air. Ripples of seven colors undulated, causing the pattern to steadily dim.

Petals, stained with blood, fell one by one. The Overture of the Gods echoed through the Pure Land, yet the Divine King’s vitality grew progressively weaker, like a flickering lamp on the verge of extinction.

Ye Fan longed to scream and shout, but he remained utterly immobilized. Hot tears streamed from his eyes; this was an unbearable debt of gratitude, far too heavy!

"I don't want this!" he roared in his heart, yet he was powerless to change anything.

The Ancient Curse was almost insurmountable. For over a hundred thousand years, no one had broken through the Four Extremities Secret Realm; the price to shatter those shackles was simply too immense.

The Divine King was sacrificing his life to reconnect Ye Fan’s broken path, using his divine blood to transform the Dao pattern and the Overture of the Gods to obliterate the innate patterns, severing his karma. Yet, this came at the ultimate cost of his own life.

"Pop."

Within the Pure Land, patches of flowers and plants withered, and disheveled leaves fluttered down, covering the ground. This small world, once brimming with vitality, was nearing its end.

The Divine King was faltering, and the Pure Land itself could no longer endure; it was about to dissipate, ceasing to exist.

"Whoosh."

A gentle breeze swept through, sending dry leaves scattering wildly and wilting all the flowers. In an instant, the Pure Land lost its vitality.

A desolate silence pervaded the view. The tinkling spiritual spring had dried up, fragrant flowers and plants had withered and decayed, and an air of lifelessness hung heavy.

The lushness and vitality were gone, replaced by only desolation and decay. The Pure Land had become a lifeless expanse, devoid of light, quickly dimming into a cold, bleak landscape.

The only remaining glimmer of light was at the center of the Pure Land, where only the ancient Divine King Tree still stood. Yet, even from it, yellow leaves drifted down, imbued with the desolation of autumn.

This ancient tree, named the Divine King Tree, shared a symbiotic existence with the Peerless Divine King. If it withered, it would signify the end of the Divine King's life.

The Overture of the Gods continued to echo, lending a desolate air to the dimming Pure Land. The ancient Divine King Tree was nearly bare, as one dry leaf after another fluttered away.

The Jiang family cried out in sorrow, and many wailed, but none could halt the unfolding events.

The Dao pattern within the Pure Land was gradually eroded, slowly fading until it finally vanished without a trace. The Saint Body’s curse had been broken; the Peerless Divine King had defied heaven itself to mend Ye Fan’s broken path!

However, the Divine King himself had lost all vitality; his eyes were devoid of light. He gazed up at the ancient tree, now completely bare of leaves.

The Overture of the Gods was originally meant to open the path to divinity, but it had not been for the Divine King himself. Instead, it had completed Ye Fan, helping him break through his constraints.

The innate Dao pattern had completely vanished, gone forever without a trace. Heaven and Earth had not recognized it, but the Divine King, by defying the natural order, had changed everything.

"Divine King!" Ye Fan could finally move. He rushed forward, his eyes brimming with tears. He took out the Undying Divine Medicine seed, wanting the Divine King to consume it, but his wish could not be fulfilled.

Though his eyes were dim, the White-Clad Divine King’s gaze was resolute. He slowly stood up, still possessing the majestic bearing of one who could gaze upon all under heaven. His aura had not weakened in the slightest.

"I cannot die yet," he stated, and with that single sentence, he began to walk step by step out of the Pure Land.

Ye Fan followed, emerging into the wider world, standing beside the Divine King in the night sky.

"Whoosh!"

The Divine City erupted in a frenzy, its clamor rising to the heavens.

After more than a hundred thousand years, the Desolate Ancient Saint Body had broken its curse! Perhaps in the future, a Great Accomplished Saint Body would once again appear in the world!

Everyone who looked at Ye Fan had a change in expression, especially the younger generation, who felt an invisible pressure.

A physique that had held supreme renown before the Desolate Ancient era, capable of challenging ancient Great Emperors once fully matured, had now truly reappeared. This left even the supreme sect leaders of the Central Plains unable to calm their hearts.

An endless wave of killing intent, boundless as an ocean, surged towards Ye Fan, completely engulfing him.

In that moment, he truly understood what it meant to be an enemy of the entire world!

Yet, he showed no fear whatsoever. His black hair billowed, and his eyes, deep and profound, surveyed his surroundings from his stance in the void. He was utterly composed and serene!