Chapter 438: Earth Book Suppresses Demon Qi, Zhen Yuanzi Settles Old Grudges

As Su Chen left the Three Realms and ventured into the outer realms.

On the battlefield of the Duanhun Mountains, the ink-black demon sea crushed the heavens.

The Zhenwu Emperor’s divine body had already cracked nearly in half; the nine-colored divine light on his mysterious armor flickered out inch by inch.

The Dangmo Sword lay horizontal before him, its blade trembling, emitting a low, mournful hum.

That was the Dangmo Sword weeping.

At this moment, a tiny notch had already fractured along the blade.

Zhenwu Emperor glanced down at the sword in his hand, his eyes filled with a trace of guilt.

Behind him, the turtle-snake phantom had faded to near transparency; the celestial court’s divine power still poured down from the nine heavens, yet against the peerless realm of Kunpeng, even the celestial court’s divine power could not reverse the tide.

“Zhenwu, how much longer can you hold out?”

Kunpeng stood atop the ink-black tide, his sleeves unmoving, his voice echoing across the mountains.

Zhenwu Emperor raised his sword, the tip still pointed at Kunpeng.

“I, the Emperor, guard Beiju Lusheng—I never retreat.”

Kunpeng’s narrow eyes narrowed slightly.

“Stubborn mouth.”

He raised a hand and pressed down—the ink-black demon sea instantly sank.

The nine-colored divine light surrounding Zhenwu’s divine body exploded outward; his massive form shook violently, cracks multiplying across his body as if he would shatter at any moment.

Outside the Duanhun Mountains, the demon kings who had escaped watched this scene without daring to breathe.

This sight was too terrifying.

If Kunpeng shattered Zhenwu Emperor’s divine body before all, the celestial court’s dignity would be crushed into dust across Beiju Lusheng.

Who would then dare claim the celestial court holds dominion over the Three Realms?

When that time comes, the celestial court’s authority will vanish—might makes right.

Zhenwu Emperor gripped the sword with both hands, his Great Luo Dao Fruit igniting divine light within him.

He would use his own divine body as a catalyst to unleash his final sword strike.

Even if this sword could not kill Kunpeng, it would reclaim the celestial court’s dignity.

“Dangmo.” Zhenwu Emperor uttered two words.

The Dangmo Sword blazed with frost-white light—a blade of infinite Dangmo intent slashed toward Kunpeng.

Kunpeng’s eyes narrowed; he clenched his five fingers, gathering the sky’s demon energy.

The space around Zhenwu Emperor violently contracted, forming an invisible prison that crushed his divine body into stillness.

The swordlight just ignited was forcibly crushed back into the blade.

A crack split Zhenwu’s divine body’s third eye; nine-colored divine light erupted forth—his divine body was about to shatter.

In that instant, at the far horizon, a pale yellow light rose.

Kunpeng snapped his head toward the distance.

The light was not blinding—it embraced all things, bearing virtue as the earth bears all.

It crossed ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers, arriving instantly above Duanhun Mountains.

A pale yellow curtain descended, like the membrane of heaven and earth, shielding Zhenwu’s divine body.

The ink-black demon sea crashed against the curtain—all demon energy was silently swallowed.

The pressure on Zhenwu’s divine body vanished instantly; he stepped back, gripping the sword, and the crack on his third eye slowly closed under the celestial court’s divine healing.

Kunpeng’s smile vanished; from his mouth came two words.

“Earth Book.”

No sooner had he spoken than the void rippled—a Daoist priest stepped forth from empty air.

The Daoist wore a purple-gold crown, draped in a crane-feather robe, holding a fly-whisk, his face lean and serene.

He walked slowly, yet with each step, the earth veins of Duanhun Mountains stabilized further.

Above his head hung an ancient scroll.

The scroll lay half-open; upon its surface, mountains, rivers, and valleys flowed, earthly laws descending, pressing down upon the heavens.

It was none other than Zhen Yuanzi, the Ancestor of Earth Immortals.

Zhenwu Emperor sheathed his sword and gave Zhen Yuanzi a slight nod.

“Thank you, Zhenyuan Immortal.”

Zhen Yuanzi glanced at Zhenwu Emperor and returned the nod.

“Friend Zhenwu guards all living beings—I could not stand idly by.”

With that, his gaze turned to Kunpeng.

“Kunpeng.”

Zhen Yuanzi’s voice was quiet, yet brimming with lethal intent.

“After all these eons, you’ve finally deigned to show yourself.”

Kunpeng looked at Zhen Yuanzi and sneered.

“Zhen Yuanzi, why leave your precious Ren Shen Guo tree on Wanshou Mountain to come to Beiju Lusheng?”

Zhen Yuanzi flicked his fly-whisk; the Earth Book turned a page.

Pale yellow divine light spread across the heavens, dividing the sky equally with the ink-black demon energy.

“Collecting a debt.” Kunpeng’s eyes flashed with coldness.

“Hong Yun has been dead for countless eons—why do you still cling to me?”

Zhen Yuanzi stepped forward; the entire earth of Duanhun Mountains resonated with him.

“You ambushed Hong Yun outside Zixiao Palace, stole the Hong Meng Purple Qi, and forced him to die and lose his Dao.”

“How could I forget this debt?”

Kunpeng scoffed.

“In the primordial struggle for Dao, each relies on their own methods. Hong Yun was foolish—who’s to blame?”

Zhen Yuanzi made no rebuttal. He raised his hand, pressing upon the Earth Book; a yellow light rose from its surface.

Kunpeng’s face darkened; he swept his sleeve, transforming his demon power into countless spatial blades that slashed down from all directions.

Each blade carried spatial laws—any ordinary Great Luo Jin Xian struck by one would have their flesh and Dao Fruit severed.

Zhenwu Emperor gripped the Dangmo Sword, ready to intervene.

But Zhen Yuanzi raised a hand to stop him.

“Friend, rest. This matter—I must settle with him myself.”

As he spoke, the Earth Book turned, unfolding a pale yellow curtain.

Countless spatial blades struck the curtain—no ripple formed; they were swallowed whole by the earthly laws.

Kunpeng formed a seal; behind him appeared his true form—a colossal Kun fish, blotting out sun and moon.

“Zhen Yuanzi, let’s see if your Earth Book is truly unbreakable!”

Kunpeng slammed his palm down; his Kun fish divine form mirrored the motion.

His innate divine ability manifested: countless folds of space, as if crushing all heaven and earth into a single thin sheet.

Zhen Yuanzi looked up; the Earth Book hovered above his head, ancient images of primordial mountains and rivers emerging from its pages.

The spiritual power of Wuzhuang, Wanshou Mountain, the earth veins of Xi Niu He Zhou—all the earth’s might of the Earth Immortal Realm surged forth at once.

BOOM!

The palm print struck—the pale yellow curtain sank only three feet, then rebounded violently.

Kunpeng’s spatial palm print shattered instantly; chaotic spatial currents erupted outward, sweeping across Duanhun Mountains. Dozens of shattered peaks glowed faintly yellow, resisting the battle’s residual force.

This was the Earth Book channeling earth veins to protect the land and mountains.

Zhenwu Emperor watched, his grim expression easing slightly.

The Earth Book was indeed the primordial defensive treasure—standing upon the earth, Zhen Yuanzi was nearly invincible.

Kunpeng narrowed his eyes; he knew well how troublesome Zhen Yuanzi was.

Even when the demon court still existed, he never wished to fight Zhen Yuanzi to the death—this old Daoist could not kill him, yet he could not defeat this old Daoist either. Utterly vexing.

Kunpeng sneered inwardly—after all this time, the old man remained the same, a nuisance in battle.

But fine—if Zhen Yuanzi has come, the commotion grows greater.

The celestial court, the Buddhist sect, and all those watching from the shadows—they must now fix their eyes on Beiju Lusheng.

As for the Star Shattered Abyss…

At this thought, Kunpeng’s lips curled into a faint, fleeting smile.

Zhen Yuanzi caught the change; his brow twitched—he could not fathom what Kunpeng was smiling at.

He stepped forward; the Earth Book’s divine light surged.

Pale yellow earthly laws coiled into mountainous chains, emerging from the void to bind Kunpeng’s limbs.

Kunpeng’s form flickered; he activated spatial laws and vanished instantly.

Yet the next instant, as he reappeared a hundred li away, a mountain phantom rose beneath his feet, sealing his escape.

Zhen Yuanzi had already raised his hand.

“Beiju Lusheng is also earth—where do you think you can run?”

Kunpeng’s face darkened.

The Earth Book channels earth laws, using earth veins to bind enemies—so long as he remains within the Earth Immortal Realm, Zhen Yuanzi’s power follows him like a shadow.

He snorted coldly, his magical manifestation shifting into the form of a great roc, its wings unfolding as it forcibly tore through the earth vein seals.

Ink-black demonic qi clashed with earth-yellow divine light, as if splitting the heavens in two.

The two forces of veteran Peak Pretender Saints collided, and had it not been for the Earth Book shielding the land of Beiju Luzhou, this earth would long ago have been shattered.

At this moment, Zhenwu Emperor was within the Earth Book’s light barrier, his divine body’s cracks gradually healing under the aid of divine path power.

He watched Zhenyuanzi and Kunpeng clash, yet his heart felt no ease.

Kunpeng was too unusual—he could never understand what Kunpeng’s purpose was in doing all this.

He recalled Su Chen’s words that this place might merely be a bait, not Kunpeng’s true objective.

Thus, Zhenwu Emperor instinctively searched for Su Chen’s figure, but found nothing.

Above, the battle between the two Peak Pretender Saints grew even fiercer.

Just as Zhenyuanzi shook his sleeve, it instantly expanded with the wind.

In an instant, it obscured the sky and blocked out the sun; within the sleeve, no fabric could be seen—only an infinite void opening up, as if swallowing the sun, moon, and stars.

This was precisely Zhenyuanzi’s signature divine art: the Pocket Universe.

[110] Just as Zhenyuanzi shook his sleeve, it instantly expanded with the wind.

[111] In an instant, it obscured the sky and blocked out the sun; within the sleeve, no fabric could be seen—only an infinite void opening up, as if swallowing the sun, moon, and stars.

[112] This was precisely Zhenyuanzi’s signature divine art: the Pocket Universe.

[110] Zhenyuanzi shook his sleeve, and the sleeve swelled violently in the wind.

[111] In an instant, it blotted out the sun and moon; within the sleeve, no fabric could be seen—only an endless void opening, as if ready to swallow the sun, moon, and stars.

[112] It was Zhenyuanzi’s signature technique: The Void Within the Sleeve.