Chapter 378: Blood Battle of the Immortal Palace

The palm of that gaunt Void God cultivator was forcibly blocked by Venerable Xuan Gui.

But the cost was heavy.

Venerable Xuan Gui retreated over ten zhang, each step sending visible ripples through the void. The Xuan Wu phantom before him trembled violently, its runes flickering out in patches before flaring back as he desperately circulated his technique. His formerly ruddy face turned paper‑pale, blood from the corner of his mouth staining his chest robes.

"Old man……can I still hold it!"

He gritted his teeth and let out a hoarse yet resolute roar. A yellow‑earth light surged from his body again; this time it did not condense into a complete tortoise shell but shattered into countless tiny fragments that swarmed around him like a hive. Each fragment was etched with dense defensive runes—the essence of his eight‑thousand‑year cultivation, his last‑ditch lifesaving method.

A flicker of surprise crossed the eyes of the gaunt Void God cultivator.

"Xuan Wu True Art… not bad." He commented lightly, as if judging an object, "But how many strikes can you block?"

He raised his hand, and a second palm print condensed into shape.

This time the palm print was more solid and more terrifying than the first. Silver light almost solidified into substance; at its edge the void collapsed and vanished—this was the fusion of the Power of Order and spatial law, the "Palm of Laws" that only a Void God cultivator can unleash.

Venerable Xuan Gui's pupils constricted slightly.

He knew he could not withstand this palm.

But he did not retreat.

Because behind him were Bai Cao Fairy healing the refugees, Yu Liuli ringing the Immortal Sound Bell, Cang Xuan and Wang Ping fighting the combat puppets, and the refugee warriors breaking out of the Immortal Palace fragments.

If he retreated, everyone would die.

"Come on!"

He bellowed, and the rune fragments around him exploded simultaneously, forming a three‑foot‑thick light shield that enveloped him. Faintly, the phantom of the Xuan Wu divine beast roamed within the shield, emitting a low moan.

This was the ultimate defense of Xuan Wu True Art—the Xuan Wu True Form.

By burning three thousand years of lifespan as payment, he gained absolute protection for the span of an incense stick.

The second palm print slammed into the shield.

"Boom——"

The tremendous roar shook the heavens; its aftershock swept a hundred li. The floating Immortal Palace fragments caught in the blast scattered like fallen leaves. The distant shattered dead star could no longer hold together, exploding into countless stones.

Venerable Xuan Gui let out a muffled groan as blood poured from his seven apertures, yet his stance did not waver.

He blocked it.

The gaunt Void God cultivator finally furrowed his brow.

"Burning lifespan?" he said coldly. "Foolish. Three thousand years just to block one of my strikes? Do you think you can block several?"

He raised his hand, and a third palm print began to condense.

Venerable Xuan Gui could not speak; he had lost his voice—all his strength was devoted to maintaining the shield. He could only tell everyone with his actions: as long as he stood, that Void God would not advance a single step.

"Venerable!"

Bai Cao Fairy's voice came from behind, filled with anxiety and heartache.

But she did not stop her hand movements.

She knelt before each refugee warrior, her hands constantly forming seals, pouring streams of green light into their bodies. Some had broken arms, some were split open, some had their chests pierced by the Power of Order, some had their souls gravely wounded—each injury was fatal.

Yet in Bai Cao Fairy's hands they healed at a visible speed.

"All Things Return to Spring," "Withered Wood Meets Spring," "Endless Life"... She unleashed every wood‑system healing secret she had mastered without reserve. Each incantation drained her spiritual power greatly; each wounded person consumed her focus.

But she did not stop.

Because with every breath a new wounded person was brought before her.

The refugee warriors were drenched in blood, yet their eyes burned with unyielding fire. They fought their way out of the Immortal Palace fragments, charging head‑on at the silver combat puppets.

Opening the path for them were two figures——

Yun Hao.

This leader of the Guardian Ruin Clan was now drenched in blood, his long blade already notched, yet he still led the charge. Behind him stood hundreds of refugee warriors, and the unyielding spirits that had guarded this void for thirty thousand years.

"Kill!"

He roared, cleaving a combat puppet's skull with one strike.

The puppet fell, and three more lunged at him immediately.

Yun Hao neither dodged nor avoided, bearing the attacks of two puppets head‑on; he split the third in half with his blade. Two deep wounds appeared on his body, the silver Power of Order raging within them, eroding his vitality.

But he did not stop.

Because he knew that each extra puppet he slew lessened the pressure on Wang Ping and the others.

And those puppets now faced a slaughter.

Sword light crisscrossed the void.

That was Cang Xuan's sword.

He had at some point plunged into the puppet horde, body and sword becoming one, turning into a piercing light that cut through everything. Wherever his sword passed, the cores of the combat puppets shattered one after another, silver light bursting like fireworks.

But he was not fighting alone.

At his side always trailed a haze of chaotic light.

Wang Ping.

The Chaos Domain now covered a radius of three hundred zhang around him. Within the domain, all laws were under his control—gravity would sometimes surge a hundredfold, pinning the puppets in place; temperature would sometimes plunge to absolute zero, slowing the puppets' rune operation; space would sometimes twist and fold, deflecting the puppets' attacks.

The deadliest blows were reserved for Cang Xuan's sword.

The two cooperated flawlessly.

"Three on the left!" Cang Xuan said coldly.

As soon as he spoke, gravity around the three puppets suddenly spiked; their bodies stalled, and in that instant a sword light swept past, sending all three heads flying.

"Five on the right!"

Within the Chaos Domain the temperature plunged to extremes; the five puppets' runes dimmed simultaneously and their speed dropped. Sword light flared again, and five cracks appeared at once in the cores of the five puppets.

"Behind!"

Wang Ping didn't even turn his head. A thought stirred, and his Chaos Domain shifted instantly—the area behind him began to twist and fold. The puppets sneaking up from behind, clearly lunging at his back, were instead flung in the exact opposite direction by the folding of space.

Cangxuan's sword waited there for them.

One, two, three...

Ten.

Twenty.

Thirty.

In the time it takes to burn a single incense stick, the battle puppets slain by their combined effort exceeded thirty. Those battle puppets that would pose a lethal threat to late Nascent Soul cultivators were, before them, like weeds.

But Wang Ping's brow only furrowed tighter.

Because he could feel the gaze of that gaunt Void God cultivator locked onto him at all times.

That gaze was substantive, piercing every defense to strike his soul directly—an absolute suppression of Nascent Soul by Void God, a natural oppression born of the realm gap.

Had this been three years ago, such oppression would have greatly reduced his combat power.

But now—

He lifted his head to meet that gaze.

In his eyes, chaotic light swirled, without any fear.

The gaunt Void God cultivator looked at him and suddenly smiled.

That smile was icy and cruel.

"It's been three years, and you've made considerable progress."

Wang Ping did not answer.

He simply gripped his Chaos Tribulation Sword tighter, the tip pointing at that Void God cultivator.

The Void God cultivator looked at him, a flicker of complex emotion crossing his eyes—mockery, killing intent, and a trace… of a memory that flashed by, even he himself hadn't noticed.

Three years ago, outside the Law Corridor, he had personally struck out, hunting down this squad.

Back then, he needed only a casual strike to send them fleeing in disarray.

Back then, Ban Shan Lao Zu gave his life to buy them a sliver of survival.

Back then, watching them flee, he felt only contempt.

But now…

He glanced at the battlefield littered with puppet wreckage, then at the survivor warriors fighting their way out of the Immortal Palace fragments, and finally fixed his eyes on the young man wielding the Chaos Tribulation Sword before him.

Three years.

In just three years, that late Nascent Soul cultivator who could only flee before him back then has grown to the point of being able to face him head-on.

Although he is still no match for him, this rate of growth…

"He cannot be left alive."

He muttered, his eyes blazing with killing intent.

"Three years ago I let you escape; today—"

He raised his hand, and silver light condensed in his palm into a spear. This spear was more refined and deadly than his previous palm strike, with faint law fragments swirling at its tip.

"You will die!"

The spear shot forth.

This strike was no longer a probe or a taunt, but a true killing blow. Wherever the spear passed, the void solidified and crystallized—not frozen, but "ordered," drawn into its absolute control.

Wang Ping's pupils contracted sharply.

He knew he could not block this strike.

But he did not retreat.

Because behind him stood Cangxuan, Yuliuli, Bai Cao Xianzi, and the survivor warriors fighting bloodied.

If he retreated, everyone would die.

"Heaven-Overturning Seal!"

He gave a low shout, and the Heaven-Overturning Seal flew from his dantian, instantly expanding into a massive seal that blocked him. Countless chaos runes surged across its surface—the "Space Stabilization" principle he had comprehended in three years of secluded cultivation, his strongest defense.

The spear slammed into the Heaven-Overturning Seal.

"Boom—"

A tremendous roar shook the heavens as chaos light and silver light exploded simultaneously. The Heaven-Overturning Seal shuddered violently, its runes blinking out in large patches, a deep crack spreading across its surface.

Wang Ping grunted, a mouthful of blood spraying out as he was flung back dozens of zhang.

Yet he still fixed his gaze on that Void God cultivator, his eyes showing no retreat.

The Heaven-Overturning Seal cracked.

But it blocked the strike.

The Void God cultivator's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise.

"Blocking one of my strikes is not bad," he said lightly, "but how many can you block?"

He raised his hand, and a second spear began to condense.

This time it was stronger than the first.

Wang Ping gritted his teeth, forcing his stance to hold. The Heaven-Overturning Seal was severely damaged and could not take another head-on blow. But he still had other means—Chaos Domain, Illusion-Reality Conversion, Energy Conversion, Heaven-Severing Sword Intent…

He would use every means at his disposal to stall this Void God cultivator.

Even if it cost him his life.

Just then—

A shaft of silver light shot from behind him.

No, that wasn't a shaft of silver light, but…

Sound wave.

Jade Colored Glass.

She didn't know when she had stopped shaking the bell, but instead gathered all her strength at her fingertips and lightly plucked the Immortal Sound Bell. An invisible sound wave, at a speed beyond perception, shot straight toward that Transformation God.

That was not an attack, but——

Awaken.

The Immortal Sound Bell's ultimate secret art can penetrate any defense and reach the depths of the soul. It ignores cultivation differences, ignores law seals, and targets only one thing—awakening the suppressed, forgotten 'original heart'.

That Transformation God shuddered all over.

The spear in his hand suddenly stalled.

A hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.

At that moment, he seemed to hear a sound. That was a sound he had heard long ago, before the Order Core had fully corrupted him——

Perhaps it was his master's teachings.

Perhaps it was his comrades' calls.

Perhaps it was his own Dao heart.

He did not know.

He only knew that at that moment, a complex emotion he could not describe welled up in his heart. That emotion was utterly different from the cold, rigid, absolute power of Order—it was warm, soft, and……

"Impudent!"

He violently shook his head, and the silver light in his eyes surged, forcibly suppressing that emotion.

But that mere moment of stagnation was enough.

Wang Ping moved.

He did not attack that Transformation God, but——

He charged toward the group of combat puppets fighting the remnant warriors.

Chaos Domain, fully deployed.

Within three hundred zhang, all laws were at his disposal. Gravity surged, temperature plummeted, space twisted, time slowed…… The movements of those combat puppets slowed tenfold in an instant.

Cang Xuan's sword fell like a violent storm.

One, two, three……

Ten, twenty, thirty……

Those puppets, under the joint strangling of the two, collapsed in swaths.

At the same time, the remnant warriors led by Yun Hao finally broke out of the encirclement.

"Kill!"

He roared, chopping apart the last puppet blocking his path with a single blade, leading hundreds of warriors as they charged into the battlefield.

Inner and outer flanking.

Those puppets that had still been putting up a last-ditch resistance collapsed completely under three-sided assault.

After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the last combat puppet fell beneath Cang Xuan's sword.

The battlefield fell silent.

Only the floating puppet wreckage and the battle traces still lingering in the void silently spoke of the battle's cruelty.

Wang Ping panted, the Chaos Tribulation Sword propped in the void as he barely steadied his form.

Blood still trickled from the corner of his mouth, his Heaven-Overturning Seal was covered in cracks, and his Chaos Immortal Essence had been depleted by over seventy percent.

He lived.

His comrades also largely survived.

He gazed at the emaciated Transformation God.

That Transformation God hovered silently in the distance, watching all of this.

He did not intervene to stop it.

He merely looked at Wang Ping, complex light flickering in his eyes.

There was killing intent, there was admiration, and there was a hint…… of a complex emotion he himself could not articulate.

"Interesting." He spoke slowly, his voice hoarse, "Really interesting."

Wang Ping did not speak.

He merely gripped the Chaos Tribulation Sword, preparing to welcome the next wave of attack.

But that Transformation God did not act.

He merely gave Wang Ping a deep look, then——

He turned, transformed into a silver streak of light, and vanished into the void.

Wang Ping was stunned.

Cang Xuan was stunned.

Everyone was stunned.

He……retreated?

A Transformation God cultivator, when facing a group of Nascent Soul opponents, actually chose to retreat?

Wang Ping's brows knit tightly as an ominous premonition welled up in his heart.

He was not afraid.

He was……going to seek reinforcements.

"Quick!" Wang Ping barked, "Enter the Immortal Palace at once! Fortify the defenses!"

The people, as if waking from a dream, immediately rushed toward the direction of the Immortal Palace's fragments.

Behind him, that expanse of void remained silent.

But everyone knew——

The true storm had not yet arrived.

The late-stage Void God beside him also changed expression: "Impossible! Jianmu shattered thirty thousand years ago—how could it still exist?"

"It's not Jianmu itself," a mid-stage Void God said in a low voice, "but Jianmu's descendant, fused with a spirit. Her aura… is Nascent Soul Great Perfection, yet her mastery of space law has nearly reached Void God level."

The gaunt Void God gritted his teeth: "We can't let her live! If she grows, she'll become a great calamity!"

He raised his hand; a silver blade of light shot forth, straight for Jiu'er.

That was the Spear of Order, stronger than any before.

Jiu'er did not dodge.

She merely lifted her tiny hand, aimed at the Spear of Order, and gently clenched.

Space suddenly solidified.

The Spear of Order halted a hundred zhang from Jiu'er, straining desperately, trying to break free, but the surrounding space seemed to turn into an invisible cage, locking it fast.

Jiu'er gave a light pinch.

"Crack—"

The Spear of Order, capable of heavily wounding a Nascent Soul Great Perfection, was crushed by her bare hand into a shower of silver specks that dissipated into the void.

The gaunt Void God's pupils contracted sharply.

"What… what power is this?!"

Jiu'er gave no answer.

She merely lifted her other hand, aimed at the three Order Apostles about to rush her, and gently clenched.

Space solidified again.

The three Order Apostles were simultaneously frozen in place, straining desperately, their silver runes flashing wildly, but the surrounding void seemed to become the hardest cage, locking them fast.

Unable to move.

"Big brother!"

Jiu'er turned her head, looking at Wang Ping, her eyes full of anxiety and anticipation.

"Hurry! Jiu'er has trapped them!"

Wang Ping shuddered all over.

He looked at the three immobilized Order Apostles, at the four Void Gods whose faces had changed drastically, and at the puppet army hesitating whether to continue charging.

Then he smiled.

That smile was relieved and proud.

"Good!"

He grasped the Chaos Tribulation Sword, unleashed his Chaos Domain to the fullest, the Heaven Overturning Seal hovered above his head, the Jianmu Sprout swayed gently in his dantian, and that strand of Primordial Chaos Source throbbed wildly.

He took a step and appeared before one of the immobilized Order Apostles.

The Chaos Tribulation Sword fell.

That apostle strained desperately, but under the spatial seal its movements slowed tenfold or more; the sword light swept past, shattering its core.

The second, then the third.

Within three breaths, the three Order Apostles turned into scrap iron.

"Good!"

Cangxuan gave a cold shout, sword light flared again, slashing at the stunned puppet army.

Yuliuli's zither rang once more; this time it was not interference but pure carnage.

Yunhao led the civilian warriors in a charge, taking advantage of the enemy's chaos to reap wildly.

On the battlefield, the situation instantly reversed.

The faces of the four Void Gods darkened to the extreme.

"Retreat!" the late-stage Void God gritted his teeth, "That girl's ability is too strange—pull back for now and we'll figure it out later."

Four silver streaks of light retreated simultaneously.

Jiu'er watched them withdraw, wanted to give chase, but her body swayed and she nearly collapsed.

Wang Ping instantly appeared at her side and caught her in his arms.

"Jiu'er!"

Jiu'er lifted her head; her face was pallid, but a satisfied smile touched her lips.

"Big brother… Jiu'er… I can finally be of help…"

Her voice grew weaker, the light in her eyes fading.

Wang Ping's heart tightened; he probed her with his divine sense and discovered—those two strikes had nearly drained all her strength. The Chaos Azure Sprout fused with her, granting great power, but her body could not yet fully bear it.

She was utterly exhausted.

"Jiu'er, don't speak, rest a moment," Wang Ping said softly, lifting her gently.

Jiu'er leaned against his chest, her small body limp, eyes half-open.

"Big brother…" she murmured, her voice like a dream, "Jiu'er… before… I always hid behind you, watching you fight… Jiu'er wanted to help… but… but Jiu'er is too weak…"

Wang Ping's eye sockets reddened slightly.

Jiu'er continued, "Later… I dreamed of that tree… it said… it could help me… could make me very strong… but… but there would be a price…"

"What price?" Wang Ping's heart tightened.

Jiu'er smiled, a weak yet satisfied smile.

"It said… Jiu'er from now on… cannot stray too far from here… because… because Jiu'er is the tree… the tree is Jiu'er… Jiu'er must guard this expanse of void… guard the Chaos Azure Sprout… guard…"

She paused, looking at Wang Ping, her eyes full of reluctance.

"Guarding older brother…… and Sister You Ying…… and everyone……"

Wang Ping's heart, as if cut by a knife.

He understood what Jiu Er had given up.

She exchanged her future for this moment's power.

She exchanged her freedom for their victory.

"Jiu Er……" his voice hoarse, unable to speak.

Jiu Er looked at him, then suddenly raised her tiny hand and gently touched his face.

"Older brother don't cry……" she whispered softly, "Jiu Er has no regrets…… Jiu Er can finally help older brother…… Jiu Er…… so happy……"

Her hand, limp, drooped down.

She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Wang Ping held her, silent for a long time.

Behind him, Cang Xuan walked over silently and stood at his side.

Yu Liuli walked over, eyes brimming with tears.

Xuan Gui Zunzhe and Bai Cao Xianzi walked over, their faces full of respect.

Yun Hao led the remnant warriors over, bowing his head deeply.

Everyone gazed at that tiny figure, at her sleeping face, at the satisfied smile on her lips.

At this moment, no one spoke.

Because everyone knew——

This little one who used only to hide behind, in her own way, became a true hero.

After a long while, Wang Ping raised his head, gazing into that void.

Those four Divine Transformation experts had already retreated far, but their aura could still be faintly heard.

They will return.

Next time, they will be stronger.

But Wang Ping's heart held no fear.

Because he knew he was not alone.

He had Cang Xuan, Yu Liuli, You Ying, Yun Hao, the remnant warriors, Xuan Gui Zunzhe and Bai Cao Xianzi.

And also——

Jiu Er.

That little one who gave everything of herself to bring them vitality.

He lowered his head, looking at Jiu Er in his arms, and softly said:

"Jiu Er, rest assured."

"Older brother will surely protect you, protect this place, protect everyone."

"This is older brother's promise."

In his eyes, chaotic-colored light swirled, unprecedentedly resolute.

At that moment, a sense of sudden understanding welled up in his heart.

Protection.

This is his Dao.

Not merely becoming stronger, not merely revenge, not merely pursuing the ultimate Dao.

But rather——

Protection.

Protecting those worthy of protection, protecting those willing to give everything for him, protecting those who still believe in light even in darkness.

This is his Dao-heart.

This is his path.

He raised his head, gazing into the distance, at those silver figures retreating.

"Next time."

He murmured.

"I will not let you hurt anyone."