Chapter 317

317. Chapter 317: Testing Divine Abilities Against Heavenly Numbers

In the starry sky, a single meteor streaked down, tearing open the silent canopy of heaven; the dark red fluorescence seemed to foretell something, making everyone who saw it feel uneasy.

Qi raised their head to gaze at the starry sky, the stars turning in their eyes, encompassing the whole night sky, yet they still saw that dark red fluorescence, as if it had drawn all their attention.

Sleeves swayed, a thread of qi emerged, and together with condensing droplets, in Qi's gaze the water droplets continuously spun and flowed, sometimes merging, sometimes scattering.

A cool breeze brushed past; Qi quietly watched this scene, the heavenly secret hidden in the water, after a long while Qi sighed: "Troubled autumn."

Mars trembled, scattering debris that fell into the Primordial Wasteland Continent.

In the past, Qi would not have paid attention, but as the starry sky and the Primordial Wasteland became more tightly intertwined, pulled by the flow of qi, changes in the starry sky sometimes also reflected something.

"Stardust points directly to Xifang Dalu; calamity arises in the west, entering my eyes will surely involve much; today a strong wind rises, and fate falls upon the White Tiger."

Countless water droplets entwined, dividing yin and yang, opening to heaven above, a clear wind encircling, covering the remaining earth below, naturally bringing a grudge calamity.

The two opposed each other, giving no quarter, sometimes with a devouring momentum, yet still obstructed; wanting to retreat, yet unable to escape.

Just as Qi was pondering these changes, an attendant suddenly came to report, saying: "Your Majesty, the chief of the White Tiger Clan, Great God Shaohao, requests an audience."

Qi gazed at the water droplets before them, showing no intention to withdraw, and simply said: "Then call him in."

The attendant wondered why Your Majesty did not rise to greet this time, unlike before; previously, when such a great god sought an audience, Your Majesty would usually come out to meet them, showing importance.

But the attendant said nothing more, as it was not their concern, merely replying:

"Yes."

The water droplets before them kept changing, their shifts frequent; as Shaohao was about to enter the hall and open his mouth, Qi spoke first, interrupting:

"No need for much ceremony; come, let us contemplate together."

Shaohao was doubtful, but when their gaze fell upon these water droplets, their pupils contracted sharply, they became immersed, and fell silent.

After a long while, Qi finally asked: "Is this departure unavoidable? You should know that the Heavenly Court will not launch a major military over this; at most it can only refrain from imposing restrictions."

Shaohao remained silent; Qi did not urge them, but instead released a burst of divine power, accelerating the motion of the entire sheet of water droplets until countless droplets burst, the water curtain falling onto the floor tiles and soaking the hall.

Qi also had no mind to tidy up, merely turning to sit upon the throne, slightly leaning sideways, one hand clenched in a fist supporting the chin, awaiting Shaohao's answer.

In the hall, a silent atmosphere pervaded; Qi also wondered, faced with such an intuitive deduction, how Shaohao would choose.

Suddenly, a surge rose in the hall, stirring the Myriad Clouds of God's Heaven; its sharpness drew sideways glances.

Shaohao's face showed a hint of a smile, the corners of their mouth slightly lifted, and their gaze, as if always bearing blades, held an eager desire to try.

Shaohao then said: "Your Majesty's earlier deduction showed the two sides locked in stalemate, inseparable, yet I have never seen a situation where I must lose."

Qi frowned slightly and said: "The two sides are locked in stalemate, Mars' calamity slips away; as they contend, one must perish, possibly even more horribly—none of it good. Is this worth it?"

Shaohao shook their head, the sharpness in their eyes fading, and said calmly: "Your Majesty's deduction must be extremely correct; I imagine they are a formidable opponent, yet I still retain some confidence in myself."

"Having endured two great calamities, the battles I have experienced are too many to count, and even I struggle to recall them clearly."

"But in the end, it is I who survived, thus gaining today's renown; walking through mountains and forests, beasts retreat, after the three tribes, among the myriad tribes, I am foremost."

"The Heavenly Dao wanes; compared to heavenly numbers, I trust my own divine abilities more. Nowadays the Way of Gods is not as it once was; many say divine abilities fall short of heavenly numbers."

"But I ultimately wish to see, what is the peak of divine abilities versus heavenly numbers, and also let the Primordial Wasteland know that though the Great Dao may be distant, divine abilities still belong to the Dao."

Qi remained silent; incense in the furnace sent out faint blue smoke, and Shaohao also said nothing.

Shaohao's gaze burned bright, their aura growing sharper in this silence; Qi looked at the person before them and finally spoke: "Amnesty edict: the former Six Heavenly Past Ghosts and Five Viscera Evil Qi may not enter the Primordial Wasteland during this epoch."

"The contest for the Demonic Dao Lord: only those who intend to vie may initiate the struggle in the next epoch; anyone who defies this will be jointly punished by heaven and mankind."

As Qi's words fell, thunder rumbled in the sky; beneath the nine heavens, thunder shone mighty, and Qi's voice spread widely between heaven and earth.

Seeing this, Shaohao bowed and said:

"Shaohao thanks Your Majesty for fulfillment."

Qi slowly closed their eyes and spoke softly: "The time-limited battlefield has been set for you; the remaining life and death each follow heavenly mandate. Now, as your aura is at its peak, let me see you off."

Shaohao again bowed and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Having said that, Qi waved their sleeve; a clear light flashed, and Shaohao felt heaven and earth seemingly begin to shift, as if pulling them.

Shaohao did not resist; in the next instant, when they raised their head again, they were already at the membrane of the Primordial Wasteland's heaven and earth.

On the Primordial Wasteland's earth, the Great Devil Ghost walked at the east-west border when suddenly a repulsive force came from between heaven and earth, as if all living things and plants bore malice toward them. Just as they wondered, they heard Qi's voice echoing between heaven and earth, and could not help but shout:

"Not good!"

Countless thunderbolts spread across the sky; heaven and earth suddenly darkened, and the Great Devil Ghost felt the Six Heavenly Past Ghosts and Five Viscera Evil Qi they had absorbed within their body frantically fleeing outward.

Between heaven and earth, countless chains seemed to stretch out, constantly pulling, leaving them no freedom.

The Great Devil Ghost took a step forward, suddenly lowered their head, and saw that even ordinary leaves could easily tear their robes and rend their flesh.

After a few more steps, the Great Devil Ghost looked back and saw bloodstains marring the ground, their soles covered in ruptures; even a slightly dull corner could wound them without hindrance.

The Great Devil Ghost's brow furrowed; they heard several voices from within their abdomen, a cacophony of many tongues.

One of the voices laughed loudly and said:

Heaven and earth despise you, gods and ghosts hate you; you deserve to become like this. Good! Very good!

Marvelous, marvelous, what have you done again? You actually provoked the Heavenly Court, and the three ways of heaven, earth, and humanity jointly condemn you—truly most satisfying to the people's hearts.

The remaining voices were chaotic and unbearable, but their general meaning was all like this; seeing this, the great demon fiend angrily said:

You mock and ridicule like this; do you not know it is you who are despised? If I were willing, heaven and earth would not change at all for me.

Another voice sounded from within the great demon fiend's belly, only to hear it loudly laugh and say:

If that is the case, then we ought to thank you, returning our freedom; next time we meet, we shall be in the Heavenly Court's prison.

Rest assured, when I come out, I will certainly be the first to seek refuge in the Heavenly Court; you killed the Heavenly Court's divine generals, and if I do not go ahead to show you the way, you might still escape.

Don't think that our cultivation all belongs to you, with our six viscera gone; we too may have an opportunity—were you not pleased with this before?

We absorb the six ancient heavenly qi, influenced by it, we cultivate the demonic path, thus we are called the six ancient heavenly ghosts; they are the source of heaven and earth's qi, and if you kill us, you too will be tainted.

By then, stripping away your fleshly shell, let's see if you can still retain today's might? Good! Very good! How marvelous? Extremely marvelous!

The great demon fiend's expression was unsightly; after hesitating repeatedly, it finally rose and flew toward the place where heaven and earth's embryonic membrane lies.

Just as he was about to leave, the Great Devil turned his head and glanced toward the Eastern Continent, secretly thought:

"This time, I count on good fortune; after an era, I will come again to retrieve the six consciousnesses, and allow you a moment of peace!"

"As for the Heavenly Court, hum, I will surely return; this matter of expulsion, there is plenty of time ahead!"

The Great Devil turned into a streak of escaping light; wherever he passed, black and bloody qi permeated, causing onlookers to frown, but at this time the Western Continent had no strong experts, so they could only let it be, without any attempt to stop him.

Moreover, the Great Devil deliberately avoided the Wu Clan's territory, to avoid conflict and needless injury.

Over these years in the Western Continent, he had indeed seen many Wu Clan barbarians, who were utterly unreasonable; he had killed quite a few, and if the Wu ancestors saw this, they would surely cause trouble.

Just as the Great Devil arrived at the Heaven-Earth Embryonic Membrane, his steps suddenly slowed; looking at the person before him, the Great Devil felt that the newcomer harbored ill intent.

But this was not the time for contact; the Great Devil did not entangle, and directly entered the Heaven-Earth Embryonic Membrane.

For this, the Great Devil even harbored some doubt: the person's body was suffused with killing intent, his murderous aura utterly unhidden, clearly aimed at him.

Such sharpness, merely seeing it, made the Great Devil's eyes sore and swollen incessantly; that is why he avoided it.

However, since the other party did not entangle, the Great Devil also couldn't be bothered to think further; for now, it was best to first leave the Primordial Wilds, to avoid further trouble.

But just after the Great Devil entered Chaos, his heart had just relaxed when he suddenly felt a prickling sensation on his back, prompting him to hastily turn and look.

He saw the person previously seen at the Heaven-Earth Embryonic Membrane; around him, gales swirled, and countless streams of Chaos qi, upon contact, were easily transformed by him into a surrounding gale.

Although the Great Devil had never seen this person before, after a brief thought he understood who he was.

The two then stood towering in Chaos; after a moment, the Great Devil, smiling broadly, opened his mouth to ask:

"With such gales surrounding you, the air of the Sharp Metal Great Dao abundant, killing intent pervasive, are you Fellow Daoist Shaohao?"

"We have just met, there is no prior grudge between us, and now we are in Chaos; the Heavenly Court's laws are of no use here; fellow Daoist, why do you come with killing intent?"

Shaohao's gaze locked onto the Great Devil, and he said: "We have never met before; there should have been no grudge between us, but you acted too decisively, leaving no room for mercy, so today you must face this calamity."

PS: Thanks to Perfect World 03 book friend for the 1500-point coin reward, ym night cat for the 100-point coin reward, book friend 20220719154855386 for the 400-point coin reward, and the Phoenix King here expresses gratitude.

There is still one chapter to come before 12:00. (End of chapter)