Chapter 963: Chapter 962 Divided into Two Factions from Beyond the Skies_1
Atop a peak ten thousand meters high, stood two figures.
The person on the left was serene, with a smile on their face. Vaguely recognizable from their features, they must have been a breathtakingly handsome man in their youth.
The person on the right was slightly shorter in stature, with a droplet swirling on their forehead and pale blue lips, exuding an otherworldly aura.
"Brother Shui, we have succeeded," Shi Xiaole said.
Yan Zhenning looked toward the side of the mountain where a continuous stone wall stood, inlaid with nine hundred and ninety-nine Buddha statues in various postures—some sitting cross-legged, some lying on their side, some with hands folded in prayer, and some with a vase gesture...
The Heavenly Water Great Emperor nodded. "The Nine Ancestors’ statues are tied to the former number one sacred technique of the Buddha Sect, rumored to reach a divine level. Brother Yan, move quickly and find the clay sculpture. We should leave right away before complications arise."
Yan Zhenning nodded.
He had been friends with the Heavenly Water Great Emperor for many years, considering each other as close as life and death. If it weren’t for the other’s help, it would have been difficult to avoid those Heaven Realm Martial Emperors. And because of this, they had to be extremely cautious.
He took out a piece of clay sculpture from his bosom and looked closely; it greatly resembled the lower half of a human body.
Yan Zhenning activated his power, and the clay sculpture of the lower half seemed to come to life, radiating strands of Buddha’s light as it surged toward the distant nine hundred and ninety-nine statues.
The brilliance of the clay sculpture grew stronger, gradually illuminating all the statues. During this process, Yan Zhenning kept expending his power. With his strength at the level of the Heavenly Realm, his face surprisingly turned pale in a short while, his lips even trembling.
Worry was evident in the eyes of the Heavenly Water Great Emperor. "Brother Yan!"
Yan Zhenning, without saying a word, soon had traces of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, yet his expression remained resolute, even determined.
Just as Yan Zhenning seemed unable to hold on any longer, suddenly, a yellow light flew out from the chest of a Buddha statue that held a meditation seal, and it turned out to be another incomplete clay sculpture.
Crack.
The two clay sculptures joined together automatically. At the peak, chants resonated as if countless Buddhas were singing, cleansing the soul.
"The Nine Ancestors’ clay sculpture!"
The Heavenly Water Great Emperor showed a look of delight.
Yan Zhenning also burst into hearty laughter, summoned the one-foot-tall clay sculpture back into his palm with a gesture, exchanged a glance with his companion, and then they turned and left.
Bang!
Splashing water scattered across the sky, and amidst it, a figure emerged in a sorry state, breaking through dozens of distant peaks before landing on the ground with a nearly flattened chest, organs such as the liver torn into pieces, piled up at the throat, forcefully swallowed.
"Brother Shui, what is the meaning of this?"
Yan Zhenning looked at the Heavenly Water Great Emperor far away, his face a mix of shock and pain.
"Brother Yan, I really didn’t want to do this, but to find the Nine Ancestors’ clay sculpture, I’ve sacrificed no less than you, even the Sky Water Palace lost a host of elites. Why should it end up in your hands when we reach the final moment?"
The serene expression was gone from the Heavenly Water Great Emperor’s face, replaced with madness, triumph, and a deeply satisfying relief.
For years, the Sky Water Palace was renowned throughout Daxia, while the Yan family remained quiet, but the Heavenly Water Great Emperor knew better than anyone how deep his old friend had hidden.
In his company, the glory was always his, the gaze of others would only follow him, and even the woman he loved became the other’s wife.
He could not tolerate it.
So he hid for thousands of years, just for this moment!
"The Nine Ancestors’ clay sculpture doesn’t belong to me; it belongs to both of us. If you asked for it, I’d never refuse..."
"Shut up! Yan Zhenning, don’t deceive me with your hypocrisy anymore, I’ve had enough! Over these years, you’ve been using so-called loyalty and friendship to bind me. Today, I will free myself by my own hands!"
By the end, the Heavenly Water Great Emperor was brimming with murderous intent, his face trembling with excitement. Yan Zhenning was his demon, and today he would slay his demon to ensure his path in martial arts would be unsurpassable.
"Raging Waves!"
A blue surge of water rushed toward Yan Zhenning, crackling sounds filling the air as the void tore open fissures, seemingly to rip Yan Zhenning to shreds.
"God’s Dream Fist!"
The seemingly indestructible blue surge was smashed apart by a fist, water scattered across the sky, and looking from above, within a hundred thousand meters, appeared a honeycomb pattern, each cell leaking out vapor.
"Impossible, you’re not injured?"
The Heavenly Water Great Emperor was completely astonished, staring at Yan Zhenning whose clothes were stained with blood.
Yan Zhenning shook his head. "Years ago, when I traveled to the Western Region, I was gifted a Reincarnation Pill by a master of the Secret Sect."
The Heavenly Water Great Emperor could not hide his envy, his face grotesque with grudges. "The Reincarnation Pill is one of the prized treasures of the Secret Sect, such a major affair, and you didn’t breathe a word of it to anyone, Brother Yan, you truly are my good brother!"
Yan Zhenning sighed. "Brother Shui, I’ve always been giving you a chance, how I wished I would never need to use this Reincarnation Pill."
The words shook the Heavenly Water Great Emperor to his core, and disbelieving, he looked at his counterpart, then abruptly laughed sinisterly. "Are you going to use your moral high ground on me again, hm? I don’t believe it!"
His hands transformed into mist, and the Heavenly Water Great Emperor furiously attacked Yan Zhenning.
Due to their fierce battle, fragments of mountains became powdered, the ground was sliced layer by layer. Only the nine hundred and ninety-nine statues bathed in Buddha’s light, remained intact amidst the storm.
Hundreds of moves later, Yan Zhenning struck the Heavenly Water Great Emperor away with a palm, and without waiting for the latter to react, he flickered close, seizing the other’s throat.
"Your power..."
The Heavenly Water Great Emperor, repeatedly struck, had a face turning from green to red, then from red to purple. He was one of the top ten experts of the Daxia dynasty, yet he was unable to withstand even hundreds of moves from Yan Zhenning.
"Brother Shui, out of respect for our past friendship, I will not kill you,"
With a flick of his hand, Yan Zhenning was about to leave when suddenly his body froze. Two auras, no less formidable than that of the Heavenly Water Great Emperor, firmly locked onto him at that moment.
"Yan Zhenning, hand over the Nine Ancestors’ clay sculpture."
The crimson clouds of flame spread across the sky, a solitary burning figure moved alone amidst them, effortlessly repelling thousands of assaults. If it wasn’t the Fire Emperor, then who?
"Had it not been for your internal strife, ha, you would have truly deceived me."
Elsewhere, night shrouded the heavens so densely that even sunlight could not penetrate. A figure in a black robe concealed themselves within the cloak of night, mysterious and sinister.
Without any nonsense, Yan Zhenning single-handedly fought against the two powerhouses, much to their astonishment, he showed not the slightest sign of weakness. Soon, the frenzied Heavenly Water Great Emperor also joined the fray.
But even with three of the strongest experts joining forces, they still could not capture Yan Zhenning.
"There’s something fishy about this guy’s martial arts!"
The Fire Emperor bellowed furiously, feeling a humiliating sense of being played.
Half a year ago, he had fought Yan Zhenning to a stalemate. Now it seemed clear that the latter had concealed his true strength.
...
Within the desolate wilderness.
Rows upon rows of ritualistic stone pillars stood imposingly, and even with Shi Xiaole’s spiritual power, he could not discern their reality from illusion, only aware that they harbored something terrifying.
"What qualifies one as a person of destiny, and who might you be, Senior?"
Such a bizarre scene further sparked Shi Xiaole’s curiosity.
"The one who saves me is the person of destiny. You may call me Uncle Wang, ’Wang’ as in forgetting."
The emaciated old man’s face was hidden in his white hair and beard, his fingernails and toenails curled up, extending for dozens of meters, his robe hanging on his body like strips of cloth, his thin frame looking extremely terrifying. Yet, his eyes were exceedingly gentle, possessing the power to soothe and calm.
Shi Xiaole asked with curiosity, "How can I save you, and why should I save you?"
Uncle Wang paused and then burst into hearty laughter. "Indeed, why should you save me? Even though we come from the same homeland beyond the heavens, I have no right to ask this of you."
Shi Xiaole looked at the other, "I don’t understand what you’re saying, elder."
"Having passed the test of God and used the Spirit-shifting Stone to arrive here, there’s no doubt you come from beyond the heavens. Young man, why bother with pretense?"
Uncle Wang blinked, giving off an impression of seeing through everything.
Instantly, Shi Xiaole’s mind filled with numerous questions, and he became eager to find the answers.
Does God truly exist?
Were the dreams from the first layer real or false?
What’s the background of this old man before me, why is he locked up here, and who did this to him?
One mystery after another swirled in Shi Xiaole’s head, leaving him feeling dizzy.
Uncle Wang gave him a glance, either guessing his thoughts or perhaps having spent too long in solitude and wishing to share, he spoke in a low voice, "During the great war between the Righteous and the Devil Path over six hundred years ago, I killed twenty-five Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors, including sixteen from the Devil Path and nine from the Righteous Path. Unexpectedly, it drew the attention of God, who locked me up here."
"Uncle Wang, from what you said earlier, it seems that God arranged for someone of destiny to rescue you, but how..."
Shi Xiaole was puzzled.
"That’s right, he’s the one who trapped me, and he also hopes for someone to rescue me. That fellow has always been extremely vain, he would never admit a mistake, much less contradict himself, so he has to rely on others to rescue me."
Shi Xiaole caught onto a key point and quickly inquired, "If God knows that the elder comes from beyond the heavens, then is he..."
"He is not, and that’s precisely why he captured me initially, even wanting to kill me! But later, he discovered that this foreigner—me—had no thoughts of conquering the East Victory continent, but instead had been trying diligently to protect it, and so, he was moved by me."
Shi Xiaole was rendered speechless.
Uncle Wang spoke with profound meaning, "Actually, over the countless years, we, the people from beyond the heavens, have divided into two factions: one advocates war, the other peace. Young man, like me, you belong to the faction that advocates peace."
Shi Xiaole felt inexplicably baffled; he had said nothing, so how could the other know his stance? But the next words from Uncle Wang nearly made Shi Xiaole lose composure.
"Your honored father has always been devoted to peace, and in past years, as the Holy Monarch, he single-handedly facilitated the Jinyuan Alliance. Young man, both your appearance and demeanor resemble your father by seventy to eighty percent, and the bloodline is undeniably from the same source, there can be no mistake."
...
The twenty-fourth floor.
After recovering for half a month, the fifth round of battle commenced.
The two sides clashing were Wudao Xuan and the Yinyang Martial Emperor.
Right from the start, the Yinyang Martial Emperor used his ultimate skill, but he could not disturb Wudao Xuan in the slightest. After several hundred moves, he straightforwardly conceded defeat.
"Indeed, the final battle is between Wudao Xuan and Shi Xiaole."
"Who knows how long the interval will be this time?"
Soon, a cold, emotionless voice announced that the final battle would commence in a month’s time.
Everyone was incredibly excited. To them, a month was just the time for one meditation session, and it would pass in the blink of an eye.
