Chapter 397

The great battle was fierce.

The fighting between the Wu and Demon camps was full of unexpected occurrences.

Besides the clashes of mid-tier experts, even the topmost powers jumped out one after another… especially the Wu Clan, as ancestral witches tore off their disguises and went straight into battle!

Putting it vividly.

Originally it was just elementary, middle, and high schoolers fighting each other.

Now it's gotten serious.

Even college students and graduate students have gone shirtless into the fray, attacking each other.

As for that.

The Heavenly Court side also had anticipated this, preparing several dozen counters in advance; some Yao Marshals and Great Saints stood ready, blocking each one, so these "Ancestral Witches" would forever be on their way riding to the battlefield.

"One has to admit, the Wu Clan still has a few tricks… but it's a shame they ran into the Heavenly Court."

Jieyin the Ancient Buddha rubbed his bald head and whispered with Lingbao Tianzun.

"Yes, yes." Lingbao Tianzun nodded repeatedly, his gaze fixed on the fiercely battleground, eyes unblinking, "The Heavenly Court has inherited much of the foundation of past eras, making it orthodox… in this regard, the Wu Clan is still at a disadvantage."

He looked at the Dragon Ancestor, forced by Emperor Donghua to 'get along swimmingly,' and then at the ox-demons and snake-gods swept aside by Báizé wielding the supreme interdiction… oh wait, no ox-demons, only snake-gods—poor old Zhulong.

Lingbao Tianzun slightly shook his head, then looked again at Nüwa being ganged up on by Di Jun and Taiyi.

"Alas."

"Originally there was a slight shortage among the mid-tier Great Luo cultivators."

Lingbao Tianzun sighed with regret, "Now the three major powerful Ancestral Witches cannot make a breakthrough."

"I see that in this vanguard clash, the Wu Clan is poised to suffer a loss."

"Not necessarily…" Jieyin the Ancient Buddha fell into thought, "Among the Twelve Ancestral Witches, those who can fight are not limited to these three."

"If they all enter the fray, the outcome is still uncertain—if my guess of their true identities isn't wrong."

"But the Heavenly Court won't just stand by."

Yuanshi Tianzun spoke in a faint tone, interjecting into this Saint chat group, slightly raising his chin to indicate, "Those Yao Marshals and Holy Saints are already gathering strength."

"Just wait for whoever shows up, then knock them down…"

"Who will be the next Ancestral Witch intercepted?"

His tone was full of curiosity.

And soon, his curiosity was satisfied.

"Alas."

With a soft sigh, an innate deity who once roamed the ancient ages stepped forward toward the main battlefield, aiming to break Nüwa's siege.

But the Heavenly Court had already laid out a flawless plan.

As he stepped out from the crowd of mighty beings watching the wager, a great power from the Demon Race immediately sprang into action!

Suddenly, a long wind howled, shattering Chaos; true water flowed, cleansing the void!

"Hum!"

A vast, boundless figure stirred!

A deity who scolded the Honghuang and whose divine might shocked the world!

He first transformed into a gigantic kun, swimming freely; then with a leap, he changed into a great peng, spreading its wings to strike sideways!

The Demon Master—Kun-Peng!

With a single move, he transcended time and space, using inconceivable power to open up a vast, boundless world-ocean.

A single spray of wave is a world; how many such sprays are in an ocean?

Endless!

This ocean, however, is not unchanging.

Accompanying the Kun-Peng's Dao, there is birth and extinction.

Its Dao is like wind!

A fierce wind sweeps over, the waves surge, turning into boundless water vapor that condenses into clouds and mist, a splendid sight.

Likewise, within the wind's embrace, it condenses into rain, leisurely returning to the world's sea.

Wind and water.

Wind and clouds.

This is the ultimate elaboration of the Kun-Peng's Dao, transformed into his supreme attack!

Jieyin the Ancient Buddha witnessed this and exclaimed in admiration, "Wind and clouds converge, wind and water form naturally… this can be called the boundless Mokou."

"But, facing him…"

Jieyin's gaze followed.

He watched the Kun-Peng roam, watched the boundless Mokou, watched the endless divine might, watched the great slaughter, watched… the Kun-Peng being intercepted by a single hand.

"Boom!"

The Kun-Peng's form stalled, yet his killing move did not cease; it erupted completely, seeking to let Chaos evolve the Myriad Heavens, then let the Myriad Heavens undergo birth and death reincarnation!

But.

Under that hand, filled with ancient, weathered intent, that vast, boundless power was swallowed and banished!

It was as if even within Chaos there was no place for such offensive power; in the concept of space it was negated, only able to sink into absolute emptiness—that is nothing!

A Supreme Emperor of the Space Dao!

However, great strength can produce miracles.

The Kun-Peng burst its liver, burst its kidneys, burst its heart—everything that could burst did burst; the Wind-Water Great Dao displayed limitless power, faintly even showing a transcendent elevation, exhausting all that exists, as if trying to forcibly fill that void of emptiness!

Two supreme powers thus reached a stalemate.

Time and ages twisted around them.

Perhaps, in an outsider's blink, they have already traversed eternity.

Until a certain moment.

The hazy clear light undulated.

Drop by drop, more and more blood rain flew, they intersected and passed.

The Kunpeng's wing broke, and it lurched forward.

The mighty one opposing it had a fissure in its brow, half its body stained with blood, unclear whether it was its own or the foe's.

「Ji Kong! 」 the Kunpeng Great Sage flashed with profound light all over, adjusted its state, under the characteristics of a Daluo, its wounds instantly healed, tone extremely grave: 「Indeed, you thick‑eyed fellow, you too have joined the Wu Clan. 」

「Space Ancestor Witch Emperor Jiang… looks like it's you. 」

「I didn't expect your strength to be this strong, even more surprising than Báizé's outbreak. 」

「You hid it well! 」

The Kunpeng Great Sage was not very calm.

Before him was an ancient god great sage active in the same era, called Ji Kong, who cultivated the Space Dao, shone briefly in the Dragon‑Phoenix era, not particularly outstanding—only slightly better than a passerby.

But the combat power he is now erupting far surpasses his past performance by far.

「Báizé compiles history, specializing in stirring forbidden texts; once he acts, he naturally is imposing. 」 Ji Kong, also called Emperor Jiang, this Ancestor Witch had a bland, calm expression: 「I cannot compare to him. 」

「Having this strength now is ultimately thanks to profession. 」

「Who made me the one who controls space? 」

「The Heavenly Court's construction of Honghuang was clearly said by Pangu back then. 」

「If you want to get rich. 」

「First, build roads. 」

「Honghuang is so vast, the roads to be built are naturally not ordinary. 」

「If it's a bit farther, I'll have to step in. 」

「Construct spatial passages, lay out transport gates, and repair them throughout Honghuang. 」

「My past was unremarkable; at most I held a minor post, serving as head of the Honghuang Transportation Department. 」

「The yearly income can only come from those transport gates… set up a toll booth in front, taking a cut of the profits. 」

「Very ordinary. 」

「Very low‑key. 」

「Compared to the leader who handles money and prints merit, it's not worth mentioning; compared to the giant who oversees punishment and judges sins like the Nether River Demon Ancestor, it's worlds apart; even Báizé has many people fawning over him, a frequent guest among Daluo. 」

Emperor Jiang was very humble, saying he was just a nobody.

Just a road‑builder doing infrastructure; at most building a few more toll stations to collect small change from people, often not valued by peers.

After all, transport arrays and spatial passages are unnecessary for cultivators above Taiyi.

What more for Daluo?

「But it's fine. 」

「The hard‑earned money I make can support myself; I've barely developed to this point, not inferior to fellow Daoists, and can hold my own in battle. 」

Emperor Jiang said this in a steady, deliberate tone.

The Kunpeng, hearing this, inexplicably felt a chill, swishing from the soles of its feet to the top of its head, as if an omen of death flashed on its forehead.

He forced a smile, feeling his whole self uneasy; the notion of 'not inferior to fellow Daoists' seemed inexplicably terrifying, 'Fellow Daoist, you're joking.'

「Your business is truly rain‑or‑shine profit, benefitting all beings. 」

「Having such cultivation now is truly unexpected yet reasonable. 」

「However, since we're about equal, fifty‑fifty… how about you, fellow Daoist, join me here for a quiet sit? 」

The Kunpeng proposed.

Emperor Jiang listened, seeming to think deeply.

From time to time, he glanced toward the distant battlefield where the major Wu‑Yao Daluo forces were clashing, especially Nüwa, who was suffering setbacks in the 'brothers united, profits split gold' mode, a fleeting doubtful smile flickering in his eyes…

「Good. 」

Emperor Jiang nodded seriously, agreeing to the Kunpeng Great Sage's suggestion.

「Fighting is not good; love and peace come first. 」

Emperor Jiang put on a stern face: 「Fellow Daoist, we are of the same realm; unless we fight to the death, there will be no result. 」

「For now, it's merely skirmishes of the vanguard, not yet a mortal showdown. 」

「Let's just learn from Donghua and the Dragon Ancestor. 」

「We're all old‑timers, heads down we don't see each other… and we lack the urgent desire to prove the Dao of Pangu, so why fight to the death? 」

Emperor Jiang spoke solemnly.

「These words are excellent! 」

The Kunpeng nodded vigorously.

A demon master.

An ancestor witch.

Thus they calmly sat cross‑legged in the void, gazing at each other, mutually restraining, big eyes staring at small eyes, together they withdrew.

……

「Look. 」

「The Space Ancestor Witch is also held back. 」

「Always on horseback, forever unable to catch up. 」

Emperor Donghuang, who was confronting Dragon Ancestor, shook his head, "Old Dragon."

"Your Wu Clan allies seem to be not very effective."

……

Dragon Ancestor's mouth twitched, speechless.

But soon, he laughed.

His laugh was as light as wind and clouds.

"It's fine." Dragon Ancestor God spoke calmly, "Losing a person doesn't mean losing the formation," "The Wu Clan may lack many things, but not the ancestral witches."

"A full twelve!"

"Right now, the only ones in trouble are the Two Lords of Time and Space, and the Two Sovereigns of Water and Earth."

"Eight remain!"

"Oh ho? Is that so?" Emperor Donghuang smiled, "But I'm quite curious."

"These remaining eight, could they all be on the same level as you four?"

"Not even a filler? They're all at the level of Taiyi or infinitely close to it?"

"To be honest, I don't really believe it."

Emperor Donghuang clicked his tongue, "the Heavenly Court doesn't even need to fight; we can just surrender."

"Hmph..." Dragon Ancestor exhaled through his nose, "All of them, naturally impossible."

"But adding one or two more is still no problem."

"You should know the origins of the Wu Clan."

"It's related to the human race."

"And among humans, those who can make a name for themselves and leave sufficient influence... aside from the Yan-Huang, what else remains?"

"Only the dragon and phoenix!"

"Dragon masters are famous officials, bird masters are famous officials."

"Excluding the orthodox Yan-Huang, the two masters of Fire Cloud."

"Dragon and phoenix each leave traces, entwined into the marrow."

"What is an old player?"

"This is it!"

Dragon Ancestor said, leaning back slightly, a mighty aura surged forth.

"In every era, as long as you have an idea, you can jump in and play a round."

"This is called foundation, this is called qualification!"

Upon saying that,

Dragon Ancestor suddenly shouted loudly.

"That old rival! Mascot!"

"If not now, when?"

Dragon Ancestor let out a violent shout, shaking the ancient Chaos incessantly.

"What's wrong with the mascot?!"

Likewise, a fierce shout responded.

"Did the mascot eat your family's rice?!"

A magnificently splendid Phoenix Dharma Form manifested.

The ancestor of the Phoenix, also one of the main figures in the past Dragon-Phoenix Great Calamity!

At this moment, she unleashed her divine might, splendid light illuminating the boundless Chaos.

This ancient deity regarded Dragon Ancestor with a very dangerous gaze.

But eventually, she withdrew her gaze, turning to look at the fiercely battling battlefield.

Her eyes slightly turning, the Primordial Phoenix, before everyone's eyes, took out an exquisite jade bottle from her sleeve and gently opened it.

Instantly, a fragrant wine aroma spread.

"Alas!"

The Phoenix sighed.

"Intentional god-slaying."

"Drunk driving god-slaying."

"However you think about it, the latter should be less severe, right?"

"After all, I was unintentional... I got drunk, unconscious, and collided with and killed a few Great Luo blocking the way; the issue shouldn't be big, right?"

The Phoenix's voice was neither loud nor soft, but attentive listeners could hear it.

Afterward.

Without waiting for everyone's reaction, she took a big gulp.

In an instant, a blush rose to her cheeks, and the Primordial Phoenix boldly threw the wine bottle away.

"Everyone, get out of the way!"

She transformed into her true form, merging with her Dharma Form, the surging Chaos pressure poured down, shaking the gods.

However, correspondingly, her excuse seemed rather unreliable……

"The drunk driver is on the road…… Friends of the Heavenly Court, be careful!"

The words fell.

The Phoenix spread its wings and flew high!

The fire of nirvana burned, similar to the fire kindled by Suiren.

That is the splendid chapter of civilization, the lofty song of hope.

The phoenix soared and danced, bringing blessings and auspicious signs.

Of course, what she displayed at this moment was the ultimate terrifying destructive power.

Time was burned to nothing.

Space was burned to nothing.

All things, under the scorching blaze, marched toward nothingness.

The phoenix just danced along, like a female driver hitting the road, dazedly crashing into the place where Nüwa was suppressed.

This is to release the Wu Clan's greatest combat power!

However, she hadn't even flown half the journey before being intercepted by the Heavenly Court's top experts.

Three mighty demons of the Demon Race acted in concert!

They marched side by side, blocking the phoenix, aiming to make it return without success.

"This way is blocked!"

"Phoenix, please return!"

Shangyang.

Qinyuan.

Guiche.

They joined forces, forcing the phoenix to become somewhat more solemn.

"Rebellion…… rebellion!"

The phoenix let out a long cry.

"Your true forms were once those of divine birds…… after all, I can be considered your old superior!"

"Show some feeling…… okay?"

(End of chapter)