Chapter 235

The heavens were bright and clear, wind and thunder raged.

Huo Fa Wang hovered invincibly in midair, Jiang Jiang Yunxian was mysterious and ethereal.

Both were titans of this age, nearly standing beyond the Uncle Xuan Gate, able to glimpse a sliver of light within that gate, gazing upon the realm of Pure Yang Zhao Wuji.

But at this very moment, another Nascent Soul surged skyward, appearing before the two titans—so young, so airy.

"Zhang Sheng!?"

Upon hearing that name, Huo Fa Wang's Nascent Soul was visibly shaken.

His mind raced, sensing the aura of this young Nascent Soul, matching it against the lingering traces of divine and demonic embryonic seeds drifting in the void.

"Who is that?"

Lin Jianyue looked up at the sky, at the suddenly appearing Nascent Soul, and couldn't help crying out.

Huo Fa Wang was vice-abbot of Bai He Guan, known throughout the land, his fame unmatched.

The Lord of Uncle Xuan Palace was one of the Sangong of Weiwei Gate, towering above all, wielding supreme authority.

In such a clash between two titans, who dared stand between them!?

"Don't speak."

At this moment, Zhang Fan's face darkened; he sharply raised his hand, signaling Lin Jianyue to fall silent. His Nascent Soul activated—though he dared not approach the three Nascent Souls in the sky, he refused to miss even the faintest detail.

That young Nascent Soul filled him with an intense sense of kinship.

"A Zhang family member… I understand. Zhang Lingzong really did sire two brats. Ten years ago, that spawn beneath Long Hu Mountain wasn't you…"

Huo Fa Wang's eyes blazed with piercing light, like ten thousand swords surging, as if trying to pierce through this young man.

"I always said: in all history, only two beings in this age ever cultivated the Divine Demon Embryo—how could they die so easily?"

"Stole heaven, swapped earth—what a brilliant scheme."

Huo Fa Wang's gaze turned icy. Ten years ago, when that family died beneath Long Hu Mountain, he had already suspected foul play.

But back then, too many factions were involved, all insisting it was true—especially that spawn of Zhang Lingzong, who fell into the Great Dark Unlit Calamity, and countless experts rushed to slay him.

That spawn died before the eyes of many experts—this was an undeniable fact.

Yet now, Zhang Lingzong is alive, and that spawn is alive too.

Not only that…

"He didn't die, and you've returned…" Huo Fa Wang said grimly.

"So then, the one who performed the Divine Enshrinement in North Zhang was you—and the one who inherited the Southern Zhang lineage is you…"

Huo Fa Wang spoke each word with weight and clarity.

Upon hearing this, the young Nascent Soul smiled faintly, then laughed aloud: "This humble disciple humbly claims the title of Lord of Southern Zhang!"

With just these words, his aura surged to the heavens, shaking the clouds and triggering thunderous reverberations.

Brilliant lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the young Nascent Soul with divine grandeur.

"Lord of Southern Zhang!? That lineage still hasn't been fully extinguished!?"

In the Jiangnan Dao Alliance headquarters, Lou Lou Hechuan's aged face trembled violently; his cloudy eyes blazed with light as he stared at the young Nascent Soul in the sky, unable to believe his ears.

The divine clan's north-south feud—this was a dark chapter in Daoist history, one no one dared mention.

"Lord of Southern Zhang!?"

In the sky, Huo Fa Wang's Nascent Soul sneered: "How much of your lineage's incense remains? Only a few stray cats and dogs left."

"Ten thousand years of incense mean less than a single lamp of the heart," the young Nascent Soul said calmly. "This body radiates boundless light—why fear the Dao won't reach the gods?"

"Hahahaha! The Dao won't reach the gods? Such bold words—no wonder Southern Zhang has withered to this state. You simply failed to heed Heaven's will, defying the heavens." Huo Fa Wang laughed loudly.

"Boy, even Zhang Lingzong himself wouldn't dare speak such arrogance before me—what are you?" Huo Fa Wang's eyes narrowed slightly, gazing at the young Nascent Soul with mockery.

A fierce wind rose, clouds churned.

The young Nascent Soul paused briefly, then laughed: "If he were here, he'd beat your shit out of you—assuming you even shit properly."

Boom…

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a terrifying aura erupted from Huo Fa Wang's Nascent Soul; dense dark clouds surged, thunder cracked violently.

The weather now mirrored this supreme expert's fury.

Human heart is Heaven's heart; human rage is Heaven's rage.

This was the Master Three Tian Shi's wonder—the union of human and Heaven, every gesture radiating immense divine power.

"Still wet behind the ears, still covered in lanugo—how dare you speak such arrogance before me?"

Huo Fa Wang's voice shook the heavens, echoing through the Nascent Souls of every cultivator in Bai Yujing City.

In that instant, all beings trembled; every soul awakened felt an eerie, terrifying image rise in their minds.

It was a supreme, majestic entity, clad in a Daoist robe, bearing four arms, each holding a sacred artifact, wreathed in flames—as if Heaven itself raged, ready to burn all phenomena to ash.

Fierce wrath gives birth to mystery; vast Heaven and Earth, the Great Dharma King!!

"Nascent Soul Manifestation… How could Huo Three Tian Shi reveal his Manifestation here in Bai Yujing City?"

Lou Lou Hechuan's gaze trembled, his voice unsteady.

Among the Nine Realms of Dao, only those who reach the Eighth Realm—Abbot—can cultivate a Nascent Soul Manifestation, revealing profound mysteries and becoming one-in-a-million anomalies.

Yet Nascent Soul Manifestation is no trivial matter—it is like a Heaven-bestowed divine power; once revealed, it triggers far-reaching consequences.

Like the butterfly effect—one hair pulled, the whole body moves.

Even many ordinary people might sense it, their lives altered, their fates changed.

Some couldn't withstand the invisible ripples—falling gravely ill, contracting incurable diseases, even suffering mental breakdowns.

"Master, if Uncle Huo has moved, he's left no taboos," Song Yun said, eyes gleaming strangely.

To them, Huo Fa Wang was a god.

In truth, Jiang Your Majesty, head of the Dao Alliance, managed countless affairs daily; daily affairs at Bai He Guan were handled entirely by Huo Fa Wang.

Thus, he held immense prestige among Bai He Guan disciples.

Now that the Three Tian Shi's wrath had ignited, it would not be easily quelled.

Human heart is Heaven's heart; when Heaven rages, all beings are ants, all things mere straw dogs.

"This is going to cause trouble."

Even the chairman of the Jiangnan Dao Alliance now felt powerless; he could only mutter to himself, unable to do anything else.

"Huo Fa Wang, do you take me for a decoration?"

At that moment, a sharp, commanding cry rang out—Jiang Jiang Yunxian, who had remained silent until now, finally moved.

The Lord of Uncle Xuan Palace—motionless, she was calm; once she moved, heaven and earth trembled.

Furious wind and thunder raged around her Nascent Soul, yet not a single spark could touch her.

Ordinary Nascent Souls fled in terror from such thunder—yet even these celestial bolts seemed to fear and hesitate before this Lord of Uncle Xuan Palace.

Boom…

Jiang Jiang Yunxian's Nascent Soul seemed to merge into mist and clouds; in an instant, the faint shadow of an ancient palace slowly rose, suspended between heaven and earth, floating atop an ocean—mysterious, ethereal, radiant with ten thousand rays of aura, swirling fog boiling like a human Upper Dantian.

"Nascent Soul Manifestation—Qi Sea Uncle Xuan Palace!"

At this moment, all were stunned.

Along the central axis of Weiwei Gate's ancestral temple stood three palaces, corresponding to the upper, middle, and lower dantians of the human body: the Niwan Yuan Palace, the Shenfu Jiang Palace, and the Qi Hai Uncle Xuan Palace.

Dao scriptures and alchemical texts say: if one cultivates the Sangong to hold the Golden Core, one ascends to heaven in broad daylight, joining the Immortal Ranks.

These Sangong hold the secret to immortality.

Thus, throughout history, every Lord of the Sangong in Weiwei Gate was among the greatest experts of their age.

Boom…

Now, Jiang Jiang Yunxian revealed her Nascent Soul Manifestation—a vast Qi Sea Uncle Xuan Palace—shaking heaven and earth, standing opposite Huo's Fierce Dharma King, terrifying aura spreading across Bai Yujing City's sky.

To ordinary people, it was merely sudden weather change, a storm approaching.

But to cultivators, the oppressive pressure threatened to crush and devour every Nascent Soul.

This was the power of a Three Tian Shi.

"Lord of Uncle Xuan Palace, do you think you can stop me?"

Huo Fa Wang's voice rolled like thunder, echoing across all directions; his towering Manifestation moved all four arms, swinging sacred artifacts, golden storm winds swirling through the heavens, each blast resembling a heavenly calamity, pressing relentlessly against the Qi Sea Uncle Xuan Palace.

Huo Hu Fa Wang's voice rolled like thunder, echoing in all directions; his majestic divine form moved all four arms simultaneously, swinging his ritual implements as golden Gang wind surged and spiraled across the heavens, each blast resembling a heavenly tribulation, pressing relentlessly toward the Qi Sea and Uncle Xuan Palace.

Jiang Jiang Yunxian stood unmoved; her mysterious palace blazed crimson radiance, colliding with the golden storm winds—waves surged like oceans overturned, radiating across the entire city of Bai Yujing.

Jiang Jiang Yunxian stood unmoved, the mysterious palace radiating ten thousand rays of crimson light, colliding with the golden Gang wind, the resulting ripples churning like oceans overturned, nearly radiating across the entire Bai Yujing City.

Deep within Bai Yujing City, an old man sat on his bed; merely glancing with his Nascent Soul, he could not withstand the residual shock—his Nascent Soul instantly vanished, reduced to nothing.

Deep within Bai Yujing City, an old man sat cross-legged on his bed; his Nascent Soul, peering out, was instantly obliterated by the residual waves, reduced to nothingness.

Beside him, a young man saw the candle on the altar suddenly extinguish; he rushed forward, only to find his master's breath faint, body stiffening, blood qi reversing—only a warm glow remained in his chest, unextinguished, like a vegetable in a coma.

At this moment, any cultivator with weak cultivation who dared observe with their Nascent Soul met this fate.

Two Three Tian Shi dueling—even their residual waves were like tidal surges; ordinary cultivators' Nascent Souls simply could not endure.

At least one needed High-Function cultivation to even glimpse a fraction.

"The power of a Three Tian Shi is beyond ordinary comprehension—no one may observe with their Nascent Soul."

Inside the Jiangnan Dao Alliance headquarters, Lou Lou Hechuan roared a warning.

Song Song Yunqi and Ji He Huan Shan stared with burning eyes, gazing at Huo Fa Wang's divine might and grandeur, unwilling to miss a single detail.

They knew: if Huo Fa Wang moved, this trip would not be in vain—if the Lord of Uncle Xuan Palace were captured and taken back to Shangjing City, just imagining it thrilled them.

"Huo Fa Wang, you've misunderstood. I never intended to stop you—he has appeared to cut you down here."

"Master Huo, you've misunderstood—I never intended to block you; since he has appeared, you will be slain here."

Suddenly, Jiang Jiang Yunxian's voice turned razor-sharp.

Amid ten thousand zhang of crimson aurora, that young Nascent Soul finally stepped out once more.

"Is this brat enough?" Hu Fa Wang sneered from midair.

"We beg the elder to die."

No sooner had the words left his lips than the young Nascent Soul took a single step forward—instantly, a terrifying aura surged skyward, and a mysterious, dreadful shadow rose behind him. Unlike a typical Nascent Soul manifestation, this figure resembled a clay statue of a deity in a temple, wreathed in incense smoke, with nine divine rays flickering in and out behind him.

His gaze was cold, as if seated in the Celestial Palace, pitilessly gazing down upon the mortal world and its countless beings.

"This is…"

"Enthronement and Idolization!?"

Witnessing this, Zhang Fan's hands clenched involuntarily.

He had seen it before in the memories of the Three Corpses Daoist—it was the peerless spiritual art passed down through generations of the Long Hu Zhang family.

Any descendant of the Zhang bloodline could participate in the 【Enthronement Grand Rite】, awakening this supreme art within that mysterious ceremony.

Though their physical bodies dwelled in the mortal realm, they erected divine idols in empty space.

Day and night, they never perish; this is a peerless, ageless great spiritual art.

Back then, the Three Corpses Daoist was a genius unmatched, yet abandoned by the Ancestors, denied the Enthronement and a divine title, left with only an empty name—leading to all that followed, and his eventual betrayal of the Long Hu Zhang family.

This was the supreme art reserved for the direct disciples of the Long Hu Zhang family: Enthronement and Idolization. Only when one awakened their innate divine idol did they earn their true name.

Like Zhang Lingzong, his innate divine idol was called 【Great Spirit Lord】, meaning Sovereign of All Spirits, Origin of All Arts.

Among the many divine titles of the Zhang family, this ranked as high-grade.

At this moment, the young Nascent Soul revealed his innate divine idol.

In the sky, Hu Fa Wang finally showed a trace of solemnity. He stared at the young Nascent Soul, at the innate manifestation, and spoke slowly, word by word, between his teeth.

"Lord of the Southern Zhang, Zhang Jiuzhen Holy King!"

Only now did he truly regard this young man before him.

Across heaven and earth, past and present, one must admit—he was an anomaly. So young, yet his Dao had already matured; even the Southern Zhang lineage had passed into his hands, making him truly the Lord of the Southern Zhang.

"Hu Fa Wang, you and your Bai He Guan were among those who killed my Southern Zhang disciples."

Suddenly, the young Nascent Soul roared—a deep, thunderous voice that split the sky, no longer gentle as wind, but fierce as a storm.

As if, with this idol formed, he now was heaven, he now was earth…

He now was the gods and buddhas of heaven and earth!

He now was boundless spiritual power!

"Clan disputes are not matters of pride," Hu Fa Wang replied, his gaze icy. "Ten thousand corpses, rivers of blood—this has always been life or death."

"If you do not die, many others will."

"Then you die too."

The young Nascent Soul let out a piercing cry—behind him, the ethereal idol stirred. Nine divine rays manifested, then transformed into lethal force.

"Kill!"

Jiang Jiang Yunxian spoke softly but firmly; her Upper Dantian Mystic Palace's manifestation grew even more exquisite. She leapt into the air, and ten thousand zhang of crimson aurora surged forth, standing shoulder to shoulder with the 【Zhang Jiuzhen Holy King】, enveloping Hu Fa Wang's Nascent Soul.

"Hmph!"

Hu Fa Wang's Nascent Soul said nothing—only a cold snort. His terrifying manifestation stretched across heaven and earth, four arms swinging in unison: swords gleamed, demonic clubs roared, spiritual bells rang, yellow banners flapped…

"Three Tian Shi… this is the ultimate sublime realm!!"

Zhang Fan looked up, watching this scene. All the flying Dao arts, all the mysterious spiritual techniques—before such overwhelming force, at such a level, seemed utterly trivial.

To reach this tier was no longer to be of the mortal world—it was as if one had undergone a transcendental leap, ascending to a higher dimension.

This was the realm all cultivators sought.

Boom… boom… boom…

The Zhang Jiuzhen Holy King unleashed nine divine rays; the Upper Dantian Mystic Palace summoned ten thousand zhang of crimson aurora…

The Four-Armed Fa Wang swung his four sacred artifacts.

Forms flew wildly, colors twisted bizarrely; three terrifying forces collided in the void, unleashing a blinding white light.

To the eyes of cultivators, this white light was like the first true yang emerging from darkness—eyes could not open, the heavenly eye could not see.

When yang first arises, heaven and earth turn utterly dark.

"Come look—the sun is eclipsed!"

At that moment, someone on the street looked up at the sky and shouted urgently.

(End of Chapter)