Chapter 421: Blocking Heaven

Huanlong Jun transported them along the Yong River, soaring over Mishui Pass and into the Great Ruins. As they approached Xianglong City, the water behind them churned violently, and another flood dragon emerged from the depths.

"My Lord," Huanlong Jun said, "I am bound by an oath and cannot leave the Yong River. The agreement with Tu Bo restricts me here; departing would mean certain death. You intend to go to the Star Sea, but I cannot accompany you."

Huanlong Jun then submerged himself into the Yong River and stated, "However, I can have the Flood Dragon King God take you there."

The flood dragon, whose scales were almost indistinguishable from the river water, was indeed the Flood Dragon King God. His power was immense, comparable to Huanlong Jun's. With him transporting Qin Mu and the others into the Great Ruins, they would remain unaffected by the encroaching darkness.

Qin Mu, Si Yunxiang, and Yan Jingjing climbed onto the Flood Dragon King God's back, while Hu Ling'er perched on his shoulder. Other flood dragons, emitting "maha maha" calls, affectionately clambered onto the Flood Dragon King God's massive body.

Long Qilin also leaped aboard, clearly holding the Flood Dragon King God in great reverence.

The Flood Dragon King God's agile body surged forward, heading directly towards the Star Sea.

Qin Mu glanced back, seeing that the people on the Shenduan Mountain Range were no longer visible. Above them, numerous stars were rapidly drawing closer.

Suddenly, beacon fires flared across the peaks of the Shenduan Mountain Range, creating a dazzling display. These fires connected to form a brilliant line across the sky, a beautiful sight that imbued the otherwise monotonous night of the Great Ruins with a poetic and picturesque quality.

As the Flood Dragon King God carried them deeper into the Star Sea abyss, the sight of the Shenduan Mountain Range vanished from view.

"Why hasn't the Grandmaster arrived yet?"

Long Qilin asked, puzzled, "He should be here any moment, shouldn't he?"

Si Yunxiang opened her mouth but remained silent. Qin Mu interjected, "The night in the Great Ruins is extremely perilous. He might be delayed. Let's proceed to the Sun Well first."

Long Qilin nodded, then asked, "Why did the Saintess just say he couldn't come?"

Si Yunxiang quietly replied, "It's dark; naturally, he won't be able to make it. Long Fatty, please don't ask any more questions."

On the various peaks of the Shenduan Mountain Range, Mute's furnace blazed fiercely on his back. Blind Man's eyes glowed like twin stars. Butcher's garments flapped in the wind as he clutched his knife handle. The Village Chief hovered in the air, his vital energy manifesting and shaping, making it appear as though he had regrown his limbs.

Each of them stood poised on a separate mountain peak.

Cripple and Master Ma shared one peak, while Granny Si, Deaf Man, and Apothecary occupied another. In addition, Old Daoist Master, Old Buddha, Quiet Mountain Man, Imperial Preceptor of Yankang, Yu Zhaoqing, and others each stood on their own respective peaks.

Tuxing Feng, Xuan Shengwu, Wing King, Kun King, and the Five Immortals of the Monster Race, all possessing extraordinary power, likewise claimed their own peaks.

Their primordial spirits manifested, nearly solidifying into tangible forms, resembling gods or demons. These stood silently behind them, awaiting the imminent arrival of the great battle.

In the dark, starry sky, eighteen stars grew steadily larger, rapidly nearing their location.

The Village Chief's aura erupted, unleashing a torrent of sword energy that soared from his peak, forming an insurmountable cliff across the heavens to block the path of the approaching stars.

"Sunlit East Sea, Thousand Surging Waves!"

Butcher struck with his blade, and the light from his saber on the peak ascended like a rising sun. The sound of surging waves filled the air as his blade-form mimicked the ocean's might, reflecting the radiant blade light projected from the great sun, casting its glow across the dark sky.

"That truly is the foremost saber technique under heaven! Heaven's Blade certainly lives up to its formidable reputation!"

Master Ma's body began to expand rapidly. A vertical eye opened on his brow, and he resembled a giant wreathed in a green dragon, with a sun appearing behind his head amidst the roaring wind and thunder: "Kuafu Chasing the Sun, Wind and Thunder's Urgency!"

"Aba!"

Mute set down his wooden box, giving Master Ma a thumbs-up. The box sprang open, revealing a multitude of silver pellets that shifted and flowed. From Apothecary's medicine basket, venomous creatures swarmed out, spreading like a tide from his feet. Suddenly, spiders began to leap between the peaks, constructing intricate webs.

Gradually, those spiders began to leap into the air, weaving their webs mid-flight.

Behind Granny Si, the Daluotian Constellations suddenly materialized. They grew progressively smaller, rapidly contracting, before settling into her palm.

Cripple, meanwhile, appeared nervous, glancing around as if poised for immediate escape.

"Let's ignite some ground fire!"

Tuxing Feng burst into laughter. Beneath his feet, the Shenduan Mountain Range suddenly erupted with volcanoes. Tuxing Feng swung his hammer down, causing the volcanoes to grow ever taller, expanding as if by their own will.

Kun King laughed heartily, "Three-Inch Nail's heroic spirit remains undimmed! Behold my 'Water Severing Starry Sky'!"

Behind him, a colossal torrent of water suddenly surged skyward, resembling an ocean standing upright between heaven and earth.

"Kun King, lend me your strength!" Xuan Shengwu exclaimed with a laugh, revealing his true form. He leaped into the surging water, resembling a turtle-shell vessel navigating a sea that stood perpendicular to the ground.

Wing King extended an arm and gave it a forceful shake. Feathers sprouted from it, transforming it into a wing. The wing then clanged, morphing into a goose-wing saber.

Among the Five Immortals of the Monster Race, Willow Immortal held a whip, White Immortal clutched a ball of yarn, Fox Immortal cradled a pipa, and Gray Immortal and Yellow Immortal each carried a sack, one gray and one yellow, respectively.

"They're here!"

Butcher bellowed, "They're attempting to force their way through! Be vigilant; we must stop them! They cannot be allowed to cross the Shenduan Mountain Range!"

The streaks of starlight grew progressively faster and larger, aligning into a single straight line, much like eighteen comets hurtling towards the vertical sea Kun King had raised. It appeared they would pierce straight through the ocean suspended in the air.

Butcher's blade light shifted, and countless rays illuminated the surface of the sea. In an instant, the blade light reflected back, slashing directly towards the incoming starlight.

A rapid succession of sharp "clang, clang, clang" sounds rang out. Butcher managed to block the first streak of starlight, but the second followed instantly, shattering his "Sunlit East Sea, Thousand Surging Waves." Butcher grunted in pain, thrown deep into the sea, where he used Kun King's power to absorb the impact of the blow.

The second streak of starlight had barely plunged into the sea when it was ensnared by silk sprayed from the abdomens of rapidly approaching spiders. This starlight, trailing numerous threads of spider silk, impacted the sea surface and was fiercely dragged to a halt by a multitude of giant spiders.

The third and fourth streaks of starlight followed swiftly, striking the sea surface with successive "bang, bang, bang" sounds. However, the sea surface suddenly cleaved open, revealing a vast, blood-red ocean behind it.

"One Sword Opens the Emperor's Bloody Ocean!"

The two streaks of starlight had no time to halt and were forced to charge headlong into the bloody ocean, attempting to break through the technique.

Boom! Boom!

Two violent collisions echoed, and two blood-soaked gods and demons, trailing severed limbs, burst forth from behind the bloody ocean, letting out agonizing screams.

Despite this, they were incomparably formidable. Although they had lost the initial advantage, gods and demons remained gods and demons, and they collectively managed to break the Village Chief's move.

Yet, what awaited them was still the bloody ocean.

"One Sword Opens the Emperor's Bloody Ocean!"

The Imperial Preceptor of Yankang brandished his sword, also unleashing "One Sword Opens the Emperor's Bloody Ocean." While it was the same technique as the Village Chief's, their executions and underlying intentions were distinctly different.

The Imperial Preceptor of Yankang had comprehended this particular move countless times from the sword-god-with-back-sword illustration that Deaf Man had created; it was, in essence, the foundation of his sword art.

The two gods and demons were gripped by terror. With no retreat, they had no choice but to charge into the vast, bloody ocean of sword light.

A cacophony of piercing "sizzle, sizzle, sizzle" sounds erupted. Divine blood spewed forth within the watery expanse, and several divine bones tumbled from the sword formation.

Other streaks of starlight charged in, striking the sword formation. The Imperial Preceptor of Yankang coughed blood, and the sword formation was breached. As these starlight streaks were about to surge past the Shenduan Mountain Range, Gray Immortal opened his sack. With a shake into the wind, the bag instantly inflated to an enormous size, like a gaping maw, and began to absorb the starlight.

Gray Immortal swiftly tied the sack shut, preparing to unleash a lethal attack on the gods and demons trapped inside. Suddenly, the sack exploded, blasting Gray Immortal backward. Willow Immortal quickly snapped her arm, her hand, as flexible as a snake, wrapping around Gray Immortal to secure him.

The moment she secured Gray Immortal, she immediately felt a terrifying surge of power from the celestial gods and demons emanating from his body. Her face paled dramatically, and her arm was instantly twisted into a contorted shape by that immense force!

Willow Immortal tumbled and rolled, spinning wildly, desperately attempting to dispel the terrifying power. White Immortal, recognizing the dire situation, immediately flew forward. One by one, needles from his plate pierced Willow Immortal and Gray Immortal's bodies, channeling the dreadful power out of them, thereby saving their lives.

Splash, splash, splash—, massive waves erupted on the sea's surface. Imposing figures stood upon the water, which surged around them from all directions. Star Lord Qiao, Lord Hua, and Star Lord Yan spearheaded the group in a triangular formation, while the remaining thirteen gods and demons arrayed themselves more loosely.

The combined might of these sixteen gods and demons caused Kun King's hands to tremble, unable to sustain the vertical sea. He grunted repeatedly, and suddenly, both his arms snapped with a loud crack.

The sixteen gods and demons continued to press down. Kun King coughed up blood and, in desperation, quickly flattened the vast sea.

Mountain peaks emerged from the sea's surface, and the assembled heroes stood on the various summits of the Shenduan Mountain Range. Below them, azure waves rippled, with the main body of the mountain range submerged beneath the water.

This particular sea was not deep, only about a hundred *zhang* thick. Xuan Shengwu, in his transformed turtle-shell boat form, navigated upside down on the underside of the water. His Flying Serpent and Black Tortoise eyes glinted, peering through the surface at the reflections of the gods and demons, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

The Village Chief, his eyebrows and beard snow-white, looked towards Star Lord Qiao, Lord Hua, and Star Lord Yan, and said in a solemn voice, "Star Lords, esteemed sirs, you should understand the repercussions of opening those treasures. Is it truly your intention to annihilate every single citizen of the Yankang Nation?"

Star Lord Qiao's face remained impassive. He stated, "If there is blame, it falls solely upon your ignorance of the world's vastness, for having angered the heavens, angered Heaven itself. You cannot blame us. Old Human Emperor, we are merely acting upon orders."

The Village Chief inquired, "So, there's no room for negotiation?"

Star Lord Qiao shook his head. "While I harbor a deep hatred for all of you, I do not resent the common people of this lower realm, nor do I wish to do this. However, when Emperor Yanfeng blasted Lord Yu to death with a single cannon shot, all prospects for discussion vanished. And now, with these reforms and changes to the Dao, any hope has been utterly severed..."

On the other side of the sea, Xuan Shengwu appeared at Star Lord Qiao's feet. He suddenly erupted into action; the Flying Serpent shot through the water, coiling around Star Lord Qiao, while the Black Tortoise's attack immediately followed, poised to deliver a killing blow the moment the Flying Serpent ensnared Star Lord Qiao.

"...severed any hope of negotiation."

Star Lord Qiao allowed the Flying Serpent to coil around him. The Black Tortoise's attack followed immediately, but Lord Hua and Star Lord Yan, one on each side, with a flower and a flute respectively, simultaneously thrust their weapons into the Black Tortoise's left and right temples, destroying its brain.

The Flying Serpent shrieked, poised to attempt a rescue, but Star Lord Qiao's divine sword rapidly rotated around it, severing the serpent into falling segments. Star Lord Qiao calmly stated, "Only by eradicating this generation of common folk will the higher authorities be appeased."

"Xuan Shengwu!"

Kun King roared, his golden horned spear blazing with myriad lights as he thrust it towards Star Lord Qiao. Tuxing Feng gritted his teeth, swinging his spiked great hammer as he charged. Behind Star Lord Qiao, the other gods and demons moved in unison, advancing to meet their assault.

As they engaged, Blind Man, Mute, the Five Immortals, Wing King, and the others were also compelled to act. The Shenduan Mountain Range suddenly trembled, visibly sinking lower under the immense pressure of their combined divine abilities.

At this very moment, the Star Sea grew progressively brighter, chains clanged loudly, and a sun slowly ascended from the Star Sea abyss, dispelling the surrounding darkness.

Due to a blizzard, my high-speed train was delayed by four hours. I'm exhausted. Zhaizhu is still on the train and hasn't arrived in Changsha yet. I have many commitments tomorrow, so I likely won't be able to update. I'm requesting a day or two off.