Chapter 798: Death Approaches

Chapter 800: Death Has Come

The clear, cold moon shone on a serene night, where the undulating mountains lay desolate. Under this moonlit night, a group of reapers walked the earth. Their wide black robes completely enveloped them, even covering their heads. Silent and still, each figure exuded an aura of death.

A deathly mist arose, making the chilling aura even denser. It engulfed them, and from a distance, they appeared as a dark, oppressive mass.

Yang Yi chased after them, tears streaming down her face. Having just recovered, she had lost her shoes and, disregarding her appearance, ran on the cold, hard ground with her clean, jade-like feet, rushing into the midst of the reapers. She wanted to seize Zhang Lin, to question him thoroughly and understand what was happening, but his figure was too elusive to approach.

The current Celestial Master of Source, after ten thousand years, possessed unimaginably profound power. His body was like a vast ocean, emanating monstrous evil energy. Half-demon and half-human, he had long become an inconceivable being.

“Zhang Lin, whatever has happened, it doesn’t matter. Please stop,” Yang Yi cried.

Brother Ye, who couldn't bear such a scene, sighed softly, “Grandmaster, if you leave now and never return, it might be the greatest regret of your life.”

The dark mist obscured the starry domain, and the world was plunged into darkness. Zhang Lin slowed his steps, gradually coming to a halt, his entire body enveloped in the wide black robes. Yang Yi stepped forward, her eyes brimming with tears, and quietly gazed at him.

Zhang Lin slowly removed his black hood and cast off his dark cloak, revealing his true form: his entire body was covered in blood-red fur, more than half a foot long, even his face densely matted with it, making his true features indiscernible. Yang Yi slowly extended a jade-like hand, reaching towards his face. With tearful eyes, she said, “No matter what you’ve become, you are still the Zhang Lin from before. Wherever you go, I will follow.”

“There isn't much time left. I will vanish by dawn,” Zhang Lin said hoarsely, preparing to continue his journey.

“I will go with you,” Yang Yi insisted.

“No,” Zhang Lin shook his head.

“Why? You only have one night left to live. Why won’t you let me stay by your side?” Yang Yi cried, staring at him blankly.

Ye Fan, also confused, looked forward.

“If you wish to live on, then leave me now!” Zhang Lin said hoarsely.

Yang Yi wept uncontrollably, her cries heart-wrenching. Zhang Lin extended a hand, intending to wipe away her tears, but it froze in mid-air. It was a claw densely covered in red fur, with sharp, black, menacing nails. Yang Yi gently took his hand and placed it on her face, utterly heartbroken and weeping bitterly.

“I have failed you too much…” After a long silence, Zhang Lin finally uttered these words, trembling. He stood there, looking up at the sky, preventing his tears from falling.

A great wind arose, and the deathly mist permeated the air.

They resumed their journey. Among the black-robed reapers, there was now a woman in white, and Zhang Lin, having shed his black robes, had transformed into a red-furred monster. The two walked side by side. Mist swirled into the sky, eerie and terrifying, obscuring stars and moon. They resembled specters from hell, carrying reapers' scythes to harvest the lives of the mortal world. With only one night of life remaining, they would turn to ash and cease to exist forever once dawn broke.

There was no time to linger; they moved at lightning speed. During this, Zhang Lin continuously acted, seizing and binding dragon veins. It was a terrifying sight: grand dragon veins, hundreds or even thousands of feet long, transformed into streaks of divine light, easily grasped by the Celestial Master of Source. To effortlessly bind dragon veins and seize divine source mines – what a horrifying scene! Along the way, from all directions, countless great dragon veins were captured, held in his palm as easily as insects.

Ye Fan was astonished. The Fifth Grandmaster of Source, having survived for ten thousand years, had indeed become an inconceivable and unrivaled being. He couldn't help but recall the Third Grandmaster of Source, who had encountered an ill omen in his later years, transformed into a monster, and was buried within the Qinling Dragon Cave, ultimately requiring the intervention of the Azure Emperor's killing intent.

“You see? Our lineage can also achieve the Dao, though this path is somewhat unconventional.” Clearly, the Fifth Grandmaster of Source was offering guidance.

Finally, he pointed out a mark, which transformed into a pure radiance and merged into Ye Fan's Immortal Altar. He said, “This is what I learned in my later years, and the techniques I have conceived recently. I bestow them all upon you, hoping you will not suffer an inauspicious old age.” While in Purple Mountain, Ye Fan had listened to the sound waves of the Bell of Wu Shi, quietly observed the Dao light of the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Jar, and gained insight into the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Zhang Lin had not passed on these things to him then, but was now imparting them all.

Yang Yi walked alongside the Celestial Master of Source, watching him pluck stars and seize the moon, bind the earth's dragon qi, and alter the flow of mountain ranges and earth veins. It was as if they had returned to their younger days, traversing the Northern Region, unstoppable.

They were about to attack the Valley of Gods, a gathering place for an ancient royal family. They were sure to encounter unimaginably powerful enemies, and Zhang Lin was making preparations.

The Valley of Gods, nestled among a thousand mountains and countless valleys, was originally barren. However, today, within a ten-thousand-mile radius, lush greenery flourished. An Ancestral King, as imposing as a small mountain, sat unmoving on an indestructible altar. His eyes were filled with the vicissitudes of time, holding scenes of cosmic evolution and the primordial beginnings of heaven and earth, utterly awe-inspiring. In the distance, ancient halls stood one after another, bustling with numerous ancient beings, each immensely powerful. They could not compare to the great clans that had produced Ancient Emperors, but they were true royal families, possessing the might to rule the world.

“Ancestral King, it has been confirmed that the War God of the Southern Barbarian Clan is their seventeenth generation patriarch. He indeed possesses boundless and immense power, but he is about to merge with the Dao. Once he steps out of the divine source, he will immediately transform into a Great Dao principle and merge with the natural order of heaven and earth.” A ferocious ancient being, with four heads and eight arms, knelt on the ground, his face a picture of piety and deference.

“Killing such Southern Barbarians won’t require much effort. We can annihilate them in one battle, staining the Southern lands with blood. It's easily done,” another ancient being said. He was of high status, seated below the altar.

“Purple Mountain is likely as the Heavenly Emperor's Son described; no human emperor has re-emerged, and there's no imperial aura spilling out. It has been very quiet for the past half-month,” another ancient being remarked.

“Then what are we waiting for? Kill them! Bathe the Southern Region in blood, slaughter all the barbarians, capture the Human Sacred Body, and make him kneel outside the valley to await death,” someone said grimly.

“Indeed, letting that Human Sacred Body kneel to death outside the valley is too cheap; simply beheading him would be too easy,” other ancient beings, who were not even qualified to kneel, chimed in grimly from further away.

On the altar, the Ancestral King's gaze swept over them, as if millions of years had passed through his eyes, making everyone fall silent, not daring to speak another word.

“Kill? Of course we will kill. We will make blood flow like rivers across the land, and all schemes will be useless. However, we must wait to ensure absolute certainty before acting.” The Ancestral King's descendants spoke up; perhaps only they dared to voice their opinions at this moment.

“You shall oversee it. If you kill, kill thoroughly!” the Ancestral King said grimly, dozens of pairs of wings unfurling from his back. Monstrous demonic energy surged forth, engulfing the altar, and he said no more.

On this tranquil and clear moonlit night, a group of reapers descended. A deathly mist stirred, silently, yet emanating a chilling aura of slaughter. Though still infinitely far from the Valley of Gods, they halted their advance. Ye Fan and Zhang Lin stepped out, instructing the others to wait and not act rashly.

Demonic peaks, like pillars supporting the sky, towered majestically. In the central mountain range, a spiritual light soared into the heavens, exceptionally bright in the night—that was the Valley of Gods.

“This truly is an excellent place,” Ye Fan sighed. The area was surrounded by great dragon veins and numerous divine veins, indicating the inevitable presence of divine source mines underground.

“Ten thousand years ago, I set foot here and discovered ancient kings slumbering underground, so I did not act rashly,” Zhang Lin said.

The two advanced side by side, injecting the captured dragon veins and source energy from their journey into this mountain range, specifically into certain peaks. The techniques of the Celestial Master of Source were divine and extraordinary to the extreme, profoundly mysterious. With a raise of his hand, thousands of tiny dragons flew from his palm, expanding infinitely as they approached the surface.

Ye Fan knew that the Valley of Gods was doomed. Setting aside everything else, this terrifying source technique alone was enough to incinerate everything. The endless divine sources underground, combined with the captured dragon veins, arranged according to the Forbidden Array of the Celestial Master of Source, would be world-destroying, enough to incinerate ancient saints!

“Today, the Valley of Gods shall be erased from existence. Our lineage of Celestial Masters of Source will suppress the Northern Region and restore peace to the human race!” Zhang Lin's voice resonated powerfully.

After this battle, the shock among the Ancient Race could be anticipated. Once the Valley of Gods was annihilated, places like the Myriad Dragon Nest, Divine Silkworm Ridge, and Blood Phoenix Mountain would surely be greatly shaken. A sweeping storm across the world would thus begin.

Who was the Celestial Master of Source? A master of astonishing arcane arts, unparalleled in his era! Especially the current Zhang Lin, who had been half-human, half-demon for ten thousand years—he was even more inconceivable. Not to mention his source techniques, his sheer power alone had seized the very essence of creation.

At this moment, he and Ye Fan acted together, naturally silent and unnoticed, inscribing dense Forbidden Arrays of the Celestial Master of Source. Apart from the Ancestral Kings of the Valley of Gods who eventually sensed something, the other ancient beings remained completely unaware.

“Hmph!” A cold snort echoed. Within the Valley of Gods, two Ancestral Kings awoke one after another, their gazes cold and ruthless, transforming into four terrifying beams of light that pierced through the air.

“Clang!” The Celestial Master of Source flicked his finger, turning the four beams of light into nothingness.

“We can act now,” Ye Fan said in a deep voice.

“Boom!” The mountain range radiated blinding brilliance, releasing endless divine light that pierced through the clouds. Like an eternal divine furnace, it began to burn fiercely. The divine light engulfed the area, transforming it into a terrifying death zone. All the ancient Forbidden Arrays of the Celestial Master of Source activated, their intricate patterns weaving and spreading, sealing off all directions.

“Kill!” Ye Fan roared. From within his Sacred Shell, a battle-halberd flew out, which he grasped in his hand. Additionally, an ancient, thick, and heavy incomplete bell hovered above his head. As he swung his battle-halberd, black-robed reapers appeared from all directions, completely encircling the Valley of Gods.

“Ooh-hoo…” The Celestial Master of Source roared as if he had fallen into demonic madness, his body covered in red fur, terrifyingly spread out, as he charged into the Valley of Gods. Inside the divine valley, it was as bright as day. Ye Fan and Zhang Lin had set up the ancient Source Heaven Array, intending to capture them all and incinerate them into ash.

However, the Ancestral Kings clearly couldn't be killed that easily; they were far too powerful and might break through. With a terrifying roar that seemed to shake the very heavens, an Ancestral King burst forth, confronting Zhang Lin. From the Celestial Master of Source's palm, hundreds of thousands of earth dragon veins flew out. Initially like tiny rays of light, they expanded infinitely, crushing heaven and earth as they fully unfolded.

“Boom!” These were the forbidden Source Heaven Dao patterns he had inscribed. At this moment, as they flew out, they all exploded. Their power was immeasurably greater than those inscribed by Ouyang Ye back then.

“Ah…” This Ancestral King cried out. The large claw he had extended, though transformed into a small world in his palm where heaven and earth were created and mountains and rivers flowed, ultimately exploded. At the same time, Zhang Lin roared, transforming into a demonic Daoist. He rushed past, and with a 'thud,' tore off one of the Ancestral King's arms.

“Who are you people?” Having suffered such a great loss the moment they engaged, this Ancestral King could barely believe it.

“Zhang Lin, under the Great Emperor Wu Shi!” The Celestial Master of Source struck again.

“Ye Fan, the Human Sacred Body!” Ye Fan also roared, completely fearless within his Sacred Shell. He unleashed a punch forward, his golden blood energy surging monumentally.

Inside the Valley of Gods, battle cries shook the heavens; death had arrived.

In the distance, on a cliff, a woman in white gently played a jade flute, her melody mournful, beautiful, and profoundly sorrowful.