Chapter 1276: Old Ancestor, You Must Stay Strong

People from the Madman Martial lineage came south, with some arriving at the Three-Way Battlefield, where they were exceptionally arrogant and bossy.

In the Yong Prefecture camp, the most precious divine tea and other refreshments were served, with powerful figures accompanying them and offering cordial hospitality.

However, those who came south adopted an extremely superior attitude. They specifically named Cao De, demanding his immediate presence for an audience—a true display of contempt. They sat high above, disdaining to speak much.

"Tell him to get over here!" Finally, the southern visitors grew very impatient, urging him in such a manner. This was indeed an extreme show of dominance, as they held the local evolvers and Cao De in complete disregard.

At this moment, at the edge of the sky, a vast and sacred silver light unfurled.

It seemed capable of spanning ancient universes, crossing cycles of reincarnation, piercing through life and death, and reaching the other shore.

The silver light spread across the ground, making mountains and rivers seem to invert and stars shift their positions. Even time itself appeared to halt, pausing for its sake.

Number Nine summoned the silver light, moving at an incredible speed. Everyone stood on the silver light and moved with it, immediately reaching the edge of the vast Three-Way Battlefield.

Ahead, the boundless land exuded an ancient and desolate aura, as wisps of mysterious mist rose into the air.

This was a battlefield that had existed since ancient times, coexisting with heaven and earth. Many historical battles in the Yang Realm had unfolded here, with some areas left barren, transformed into crimson plains.

In some areas, countless bones of various races lay scattered.

Some places were strewn with star remains, all severed during the decisive battles of mighty experts in those days.

In other places, battleships lay in vast numbers, like a jungle of steel, all destroyed. In the unique terrain, even these star-piercing battleships could not safely take off.

Number Nine paused, suspended in the silver light. He did not move forward, but instead gazed down upon the entire vast ancient battlefield.

What he was naturally observing was not merely the surface, but rather something deeper, such as secret realms or fragments of the World's First Mountain.

In the past, a supreme mountain peak rose from the ground and crashed into the Fourth Forbidden Zone, turning it into ruins, a desolate remnant!

Otherwise, who in later generations would dare to fight decisive battles here, or even set foot in this place? Back then, this was a notoriously ominous land in the Yang Realm; the creatures here once commanded the Yang Realm, with homage paid from all directions.

Number Nine's eyes glowed green as he stared into the depths of this battlefield. Those areas had unique terrain and remained ominous lands to this day; even Celestial Venerables were reluctant to approach them easily.

"Is there an old immortal alive?" Number Nine murmured to himself. He seemed capable of seeing through void, penetrating secret realms, and overlooking the truth within the prehistoric forbidden land.

These words sent shivers down many people's spines. Living creatures, and even extremely ancient beings, still resided in those strange places deep within the battlefield?!

This was an absolutely monumental event!

In those days, this was the Fourth Forbidden Zone; it once overlooked the human world, and who in the outside world dared not bow their heads? This place had dominated for countless ages!

Everyone thought this place had been completely annihilated and that all creatures within the former Fourth Forbidden Zone were dead. How could they have known that Number Nine would have such a perception upon arriving here?

Number Nine gave off an impression of ferocity; his methods were bloody. He would act without hesitation if he said he would bite off someone's leg.

In the eyes of the group, he was a bloodthirsty demon king, extremely rigid, and absolutely unreasonable.

But now, he suddenly spoke, giving a completely different impression.

"Hmm, it can't get out, serves it right!"

He stared into the depths of the battlefield, his green gaze seemingly penetrating all matter, unstoppable.

This made everyone very surprised; he actually wore such an expression, as if gloating.

This was clearly a living corpse, an incredibly ancient existence, yet now it displayed a hint of playfulness, leaving people speechless.

Of course, the group of legless individuals certainly couldn't grasp his current liveliness; they would only feel that this terrifying being was baring its blood-red mouth in provocation.

Suddenly, deep within the battlefield, a colossal entity seemed to awaken. Instantly, a peculiar crimson light surged forth, as if to shake the myriad stars across the sky.

Everyone felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, their hair standing on end. Including Qi Rong and the others, all felt as if they were about to explode, their hearts filled with endless dread.

Vaguely, people seemed to see a terrifying, boundless creature, trapped within a secret realm deep in the battlefield, opening a pair of golden eyes, intent on tearing apart the entire Yang Realm.

In a daze, people saw the sun falling, the moon exploding, and other stars burning, then falling like dust.

Those golden eyes, however, were immeasurably vast. As the falling sun and burning stars slid past his eyes, they seemed like mere mosquitoes, tiny and insignificant.

His vital energy, accompanied by golden light and stained crimson, seemed like raging flames, burning through the Thirty-Three Heavens, engulfing everything above and below, covering all mountains, rivers, and the starry sky.

Only a pair of eyes was visible within the vital energy!

And precisely because of this, its true form could not be seen; no one knew if it was a fierce beast or a person.

For a moment, everyone felt suffocated.

Even Qi Rong and the Twelve-Winged Silver Dragon Ancestor were so terrified they nearly collapsed onto the ground, wanting to submit and prostrate themselves in worship.

They could hardly believe that such a powerful and terrifying being existed in this world, who, even separated by space-time and an ancient secret realm, could make them tremble with fear, their souls shiver, and force them to prostrate themselves.

What level of evolver was this, exactly?

At this moment, their hearts were trembling, their bodies quivering, even their lips trembling and teeth chattering. As that aura crashed upon them, they felt as minuscule as dust, as weak as ants, utterly fragile and humble.

What was that?! People wanted to shout, to scream out, feeling as if their minds were about to collapse.

"Hmph!" Number Nine let out a soft cry. In an instant, the terrifying creature vanished; its vast, blood-stained golden eyes were gone.

Everything just now seemed like an illusion, vanishing like smoke, as if no such creature had ever appeared.

"Master Nine, what was that?!" Chu Feng asked.

He was relatively fine; at the critical moment, he put on the armor refined from Samsara Soil, naturally remaining unshaken like a mountain, and calmly endured.

Many others had collapsed to the ground, their faces pale.

"It's nothing, just a monster," Number Nine replied. "It can't get out. What you felt was just a sliver of its anger transmitted through my eyes."

This was even more shocking. That a mere ripple of emotion transmitted through Number Nine's eyes could almost make everyone succumb, with even Celestial Venerable Qi Rong unable to bear it—how terrifying must that creature be?

Were these the creatures residing in the Fourth Forbidden Zone? They hadn't truly gone extinct!

"There's nothing to worry about," Number Nine gloated again. "If it could stir up storms, it would have come out long ago; why would it sit withered? It can't move!"

"Master Nine, did you sink this place?" Chu Feng asked, filled with questions.

He immediately inquired how the World's First Mountain rose from the ground back then, how one of its peaks actually crashed into this place, and what grievances were involved.

"Not me!" Number Nine shook his head, denying it.

This made Chu Feng surprised and doubtful; in his view, it must have been caused by a conflict involving a creature from the World's First Mountain.

Others were also surprised. Unrelated to the living corpse before them?

"Someone else made the move, and they're stronger than me," Number Nine stated frankly.

This left Chu Feng stunned, his mind racing with countless thoughts for a moment.

Others were shocked. Stronger than this living corpse—what kind of being could it be, utterly unfathomable?

"I believe, senior, your cultivation shakes the past and illuminates the present; few in the world can compare," Long Dayu immediately flattered him, acting completely familiar, as if part of the same lineage.

"I'm really not strong," Number Nine said calmly. "I took many wrong paths. Several times, I pulled back the steps I had taken. My current strength is limited."

The Silver Dragon Celestial Venerable, who had lost a leg, had a blank expression, feeling utterly desolate. Number Nine was already so ferocious, yet he claimed his strength was insufficient; how could the legless Celestial Venerable endure this?

Qi Rong and Hao Yuan, however, remained silent, not uttering a word.

"I took many wrong paths," Number Nine explained. "In fact, if I hadn't retreated from those wrong paths, I would have been very strong. But I pulled back, so I'm no longer in the forefront, and I'm truly just average now."

Number Nine said this, leaving one unsure whether to call him humble or blunt.

Chu Feng frowned, wondering what would happen if Number Nine, in this state, were to actually encounter the Madman Martial and be killed.

If he were in his prime, it would be somewhat reassuring.

After all, the Madman Martial was no ordinary person; he was too terrifying, sweeping through the Yang Realm with few rivals.

Especially after some prehistoric creatures completely died out, he became even more unapproachable, as if sitting cross-legged above the Thirty-Three Heavens, gazing down upon all races.

Years flowed by, and eras changed. One generation of powerhouses replaced another; some grew old, others died. Some speculated that the Madman Martial had truly become lonely and invincible.

Moreover, the northern region where he had secluded himself back then had already been dubbed another forbidden zone in the Yang Realm.

At this moment, the silver light beneath Number Nine had already retracted. They had been pausing here, gazing at the battlefield, for some time.

"Let's go, let's take a look inside," Number Nine said, taking a step and leading the way towards the Yong Prefecture camp.

Chu Feng followed beside him. The others desperately wanted to scatter immediately and distance themselves from this being, but ultimately, none dared, and they followed along.

"Hmm, this is your home ground, so you lead the way," Number Nine said, letting Qi Rong, Hao Yuan, and the others go ahead while he himself stayed in the middle of the group.

At this moment, the most anxious were the Nine-Headed Birds. They were truly worried and agitated, wishing they could immediately send a message to their ancestor: "The one who eats legs is here, run!"

Unfortunately, they dared not act rashly, nor dared to secretly transmit messages; in front of a being like Number Nine, no small movement could be hidden.

"Greetings, Celestial Venerables!"

When the evolvers of the Yong Prefecture camp saw Qi Rong, the Old Six-Eared Macaque, and the others return, they all trembled, and many hastily offered their respects.

Additionally, some quickly went to report to the higher-ups, reassuring the Nine-Headed Birds' ancestor and others that Cao De had been safely brought back.

However, people also found it very strange: why did the height of this group of people seem to have shrunk? Was this an illusion?

What was most astonishing was how odd Fairy Ji Caixuan, Mi Qing, and Goddess-King Xiao Shiyun appeared. Where were their fair, long legs?

Why were these peerless beauties a head or two shorter? It was utterly bizarre!

The legless individuals hadn't been noticed yet because they didn't want others to see them in such a miserable state. All were covered by long robes and carried on people's backs.

As for the one-legged Celestial Venerable, the Silver Dragon Ancestor, he was still bravely walking on his own!

"Hehe, finally back."

After the Nine-Headed Birds' ancestor received the report, he immediately emerged from a large tent wreathed in primordial chaos and came this way.

"Ancestor, run!" This was the silent plea of all the Nine-Headed Birds. They truly wanted to shout loudly, to warn him, but no one dared to do so.

"Cao De, ah, you're finally back," the Nine-Headed Birds' ancestor chuckled. "We have distinguished guests today, waiting for you. By the way, have your sect's people arrived?" But deep in his eyes, there was endless coldness and ruthlessness.

He was very strong, with keen divine senses; he should have been able to perceive everything.

However, with Number Nine present here, he could naturally conceal all abnormal phenomena, so the Nine-Headed Birds' ancestor did not immediately notice anything amiss.

"Ancestor, please don't speak anymore, silence is golden!" The Nine-Headed Birds were praying, hoping their ancestor wouldn't say another word.

God-King Chi Feng's emotions fluctuated violently, and his face was pale. Such an anomaly in him should certainly convey a message, but with Number Nine standing there, everything remained calm, uneventful, and normal.

"Hmm, why aren't you speaking, Cao De? It seems you didn't bring your sect's people; I sympathize with you," the Nine-Headed Birds' ancestor said indifferently.

He didn't even see the extra person—Number Nine. This made it terrifying, filling Chi Feng and the others with dread!

"Ancestor, you must be strong!" At this moment, all the Nine-Headed Birds cried out this silently in their hearts, because they felt certain that their ancestor's legs wouldn't be spared, and in the future... he would need to be stronger!

The Nine-Headed Birds' ancestor was, after all, no ordinary person. With profound magic power and deep cultivation, at this moment he finally sensed a subtle anomaly.

"Heh, am I wrong?" The Nine-Headed Birds' ancestor revealed a hint of a fake smile. "Hmm, Daoist Brother Yushang, you wouldn't be planning to protect Cao De to the very end, would you? But people from the north have arrived; it won't be easy to explain. Are you going to be their enemy?"

Just then, a monstrous golden light erupted from one of the large tents in the encampment. The tent shattered, and a shout rang out: "Cao De, get over here and receive the decree!"