Chapter 168: Sevenfold Heaven Imperial Old Ancestor

"It's exactly me!" A mass of cloud in the sky took the shape of a human face, facing downward, it howled angrily.

Zhang Gonggong was shocked, his eyes nearly popping out! He never expected that while the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole waits behind.

The battle between two Sevenfold Heaven experts releases incredibly strong true qi, capable of transmitting tens of millions of miles, detectable by peers of equal rank. The Imperial Old Ancestor had indeed sensed the true qi of Dongfang Wuji and Zhang Gonggong, and came here.

For the Imperial Old Ancestor, even the farthest distance is merely a single cloud‑soaring stride. He deliberately waited, waiting for them to fight until both were wounded before appearing.

"Hahaha! Zhang Huayu, why aren't you staying at the Western Depot, causing chaos here!" the Imperial Old Ancestor laughed. Though he had not yet revealed himself, the cloud was him—he had turned into cloud. The whole sky was his face. Utterly terrifying.

"Ancestor, quickly kill Dongfang Wuji! We're doing this for the rule of the Great Zhou Dynasty!" Zhang Gonggong pointed at Dongfang Wuji and shouted to the sky.

"Heh, for the rule of the Great Zhou Dynasty? What a deep‑hiding Zhang Huayu! So deep that even I couldn't see through him—he's been concealed for twenty years!"

"Ancestor, once he recovers, we might not be his match!"

Zhang Gonggong wasn't lying; Dongfang Wuji was already adjusting. He sat cross‑legged on that slanted boulder, vigilantly watching his surroundings while regulating his breath, letting true qi flow through the minor and major heavenly circuits inside and outside his body. The dark qi surged like boiling water, "puff‑puff‑puff" rising from the top of his head.

"You all will die!" the Imperial Old Ancestor roared. Afterwards the cloud mass dispersed, vanishing into the sky, only to see a figure slowly descending from the cloud.

A middle‑aged man, or even a youth of about twenty, showing no sign of age. "Sturdy" describes him best.

His head full of black hair, his features on a gaunt face as if carved by a knife, especially those bright, perceptive eyes that seemed to see through everything. Tall and broad‑shouldered, he constantly exuded a vigorous, masculine vitality.

Even a Sevenfold Heaven expert shouldn't possess such terrifying vitality! Logically, time cannot be halted, yet the Imperial Old Ancestor has lived countless years!

The Imperial Old Ancestor walked and paused, as if sizing up his own body. He praised, "What a fine physique!"

Dongfang Wuji looked at the Imperial Old Ancestor and instantly understood what was happening—the Ancestor's method of returning to youth shared similarities with his own revival method, yet they were not identical.

Dongfang Wuji relied on his clan's blood and bodies; he had always safeguarded his lineage, which had been passed down unchanged.

But the Imperial Old Ancestor is a jumble—he used whatever essence‑blood and flesh he could find. Though he now appears handsome and youthful, inside his body it's a mess, constantly vulnerable to backlash from those chaotic essences.

Zhang Gonggong also noticed this; though he despised the Ancestor's conduct, he could understand why he did it. Even Sevenfold Heaven experts face aging, sickness, and death—reaching such a realm is rare, who wouldn't want more years? To look, to train, perhaps reach Eightfold Heaven or higher, maybe a new opportunity awaits.

"This feeling is truly wonderful!" the Imperial Old Ancestor said, sensing his body as he walked to stand midway between Dongfang Wuji and Zhang Gonggong, equidistant from both; whom to strike first depended on his whim.

"Hahaha! You think I'm afraid of you just because you smashed something?" Dongfang Wuji laughed, rising to his feet, dragging his battered body. Dongfang Tian's body isn't his own; it hasn't been tempered long, so even though it's inherited, it feels uncomfortable. "Someone else's body just isn't that easy to use."

Dongfang Wuji resolved to match the Imperial Old Ancestor's condition; since he himself felt discomfort, the Ancestor must be a paper tiger as well.

No one knows whether the Imperial Old Ancestor survived from Dongfang Wuji's era. Three hundred years ago he might have just been born, growing up under Dongfang Wuji's prestige; over the years he endured hardship, step by step arriving at where he stands today.

The Imperial Old Ancestor thrust a palm toward the distance; a surge of true qi flattened the peak of the lone standing mountain. This mountain had endured the earlier battle, yet could not dodge his palm.

That mountain was massive, yet it was easily sheared in half. The Imperial Old Ancestor's strength is undeniably real.

"I owe thanks to that kid; otherwise I might already be lying in a coffin." the Imperial Old Ancestor chuckled. "Ancient texts say a few people possess special, rare blood capable of merging myriad bloodlines. I held no hope, merely observing that boy for a year, when I saw his breakthrough speed far beyond ordinary—it shocked and even jealous me. I guessed his veins carried such blood. So I decided to try one last thing before death, and heaven did not forsake me—it truly was this blood! It not only saved my life but also purged all the impurities in my body, forcing them out. This blood rapidly grew within me, soon filling my whole body! Hahaha! Hahaha! Combined with my divine art, it truly restored the feeling of my youth."

Sevenfold Heaven experts know how to pierce heaven and earth with their power, seeking the natural way within nature; even without external aids, their lifespans can be terrifyingly long.

"Chen Yi He?" Zhang Gonggong asked.

"Mm." the Imperial Old Ancestor confirmed.

At this moment, a sense of regret welled up in both Dongfang Wuji and Zhang Gonggong's hearts—they had each come infinitesimally close to killing Chen Yi He, never imagining his veins carried such blood; otherwise, they would have spared no effort to slay him!

"Truly, I've adapted perfectly! I feel as if I've returned to my youth. No, even in my youth I wasn't this strong." the Imperial Old Ancestor praised.

"Ancestor, I've devoted myself utterly to the Great Zhou Dynasty! After we jointly slay Dongfang Wuji, I will surely serve you with the loyalty of a dog or horse!" Zhang Gonggong actually said this, a Sevenfold Heaven expert yet so spineless.

Zhang Gonggong knew what kind of expert he faced; with his current grave injuries, escape was impossible.

"Having said all that, it's time to send you on your way!" the Imperial Old Ancestor said mercilessly.