Chapter 556: Struggle for Heritage

BOOM!

The entire Ash Continent roared as ten heritage pillars began to glow with a emerald sheen.

Seeing this, all Law Lords burst into excitement: "The transcendence heritage selection… is it finally beginning?"

"This time, our Starlight Civilization holds three heritage pillars—we're bound to gain much."

"If I can become a transcendence disciple, I'll ascend to the heavens in a single step!"

…

Fang Xing gazed calmly at the heritage pillars.

Suddenly, the voice of the Law Lord who had broadcast across the universe echoed again in his ears:

"My name is 'Ash,' though some call me 'God Above Gods' or 'Xifan'… I lost a wager with a friend, so I accept my loss and leave this heritage here—let fate decide who is worthy…"

"Each of the ten heritage pillars may be studied at will."

"At the summit of each pillar, a fragment of broken heritage will randomly appear…"

"Whoever fully comprehends my heritage shall claim all—ha! Good luck to you all!"

…

"Ten heritage pillars, to be studied at will?"

"Clearly the broken heritage is better—but it requires competition…"

"Damn it, that kind of high-tier heritage is surely destined for fifth-rank Law Lords…"

Countless Law Lords erupted into chaos.

Yet Fang Xing suddenly felt the heritage pillar before him change.

Amid the emerald glow, the ancient carvings on its surface seemed to come alive, while clusters of green flames blazed fiercely.

From within the green flames, vines and leaves extended, pulsing with potent life force…

"The Dao of Life, the Dao of Nature?"

Fang Xing's true self frowned slightly: "It doesn't seem to align with what I've learned…"

"Still, a brief study to extract its essence wouldn't hurt."

He fixed his gaze on the pillar and sank once more into cultivation.

…

Pillar Nine.

After securing Pillar Eight, the Starlight Civilization had fully withdrawn; this unclaimed pillar was now contested between the Alien Beast Civilization and the Insect Civilization.

Naturally, some lone cosmic wanderers had also come to profit from the chaos.

Any cosmic wanderer bold enough to come here was at least a fourth-rank Law Lord—his strength was no trivial matter.

Under the three-way struggle, none had yet gained full control of the pillar.

HUMMM!

Swarms of insect warriors, clad in natural armor, formed disciplined battle arrays.

These were the Insect Civilization's heavy units—the Armored Insects.

Beside them stood strange insects with mantis heads and eight arms.

Their eight limbs moved like lightning, making them close-combat units—the Eight-Armed Knife Mantis.

Under the command of an Insect Matriarch, countless Eight-Armed Knife Mantises focused all their attacks into a single point, unleashing power rivaling that of a fifth-rank Law Lord.

"The heritage! It's appearing!"

"Quick, grab it!"

"Trouble—the Insects are gaining the upper hand here…"

The cosmic wanderers broke first; they were merely scattered mercenaries with little cohesion, crushed under the combined pressure of Alien Beasts and Insects.

Their only hope was to snatch the prize while the two peak civilizations were locked in fierce combat.

"Don't linger—break out now!"

From within the Alien Beast Civilization, a white-furred beast with goat-like hooves suddenly spoke.

BOOM!

In an instant, the world froze into icy desolation—as if this realm had been hurled back to the primordial age of Minghan!

Countless Insects were instantly frozen solid, their corpses turned to ice statues.

Even Insect Law Lords paused for a fleeting moment.

Seizing the opportunity, Alien Beasts surged upward, breaking through the Insect warriors' defenses.

At the pillar's summit, light-years high, golden patterns converged, slowly forming something.

"Broken heritage! The transcendence master's broken heritage!"

"If we comprehend it, we may claim the entire legacy!"

The white-furred, four-hooved beast's eyes burned with fervor as it shot forward like a streak of white light—the fastest of them all.

But in the next instant, a blade of light appeared, slicing soundlessly into the beast's body.

SPLASH!

The beast screamed as droplets of blood tumbled down.

Each drop carried extreme cold—any first- or second-rank Law Lord struck by it was instantly grievously wounded.

It roared, turning to the short-haired young man who had appeared: "Human Tian Dao… your Starlight Civilization holds three pillars—yet still you're this greedy?"

"Those belong to Starlight Civilization—not to me."

Tian Dao's face was resolute, his gaze icy: "Now… I act for myself alone, claiming the fate that is mine. Those who stand in my way… die!"

He swung his battle blade horizontally—a line of light flashed, swiftly cutting through Insects, Alien Beasts, even humans…

Thousands of charging figures froze mid-motion.

The next instant, they stared in shock as their upper and lower bodies split apart, blood gushing forth.

Such wounds were trivial for Law Lords or energy beings—but now, their souls vanished instantly, leaving only death.

"Your blade… is more than a supreme treasure—it's a 'Dao Weapon'… forged with the Xinxue of a Dao Master…"

The Insect Matriarch 'Ling Jun' frowned: "You're already a fifth-rank Law Lord—combined with a Dao Weapon, your power rivals a sixth-rank Law Lord. No wonder you defeated Blood Prison Divine Emperor and Absolute Blade Chixing…" Clearly, the Insects had a mole within Starlight Civilization.

They had already known the outcomes of Tian Dao's last two 'Quest for Dao' battles.

"Hmph!"

Tian Dao said nothing, soaring straight toward the pillar's summit.

At that moment, emerald lines threaded with gold ignited across the pillar, converging at its peak.

Within the golden glow, the object had nearly taken shape—a half-formed, strange black horn.

Fine golden lines traced its surface.

Tian Dao moved with blinding speed, like a blade capable of severing space itself—he reached out to seize the horn.

Just then!

A fleshy tendril lashed out, sealing the heavens and earth.

As it descended, a terrifying suction pulled at Tian Dao, warping spacetime and trapping him.

Please… collect me_(!)

"Huh?"

Tian Dao slashed with his Dao Weapon—a blade of light cleaved the sky.

It carved a canyon-like gash into the fleshy tendril.

But against the tendril's colossal size, it was negligible.

A floating sphere of flesh had appeared atop the pillar—'The Devourer'!

"Tian Dao… your blade is excellent. I'll eat it. And you… you're quite tasty too—a fitting appetizer before feasting on the transcendence heritage."

The Devourer's voice thundered as mouths split open across its flesh-planet, sweeping away nearby Insects, humans, and even Alien Beasts.

The four-hooved beast scrambled back—it knew full well that the Devourer, when enraged, would devour even its own kind without hesitation.

"Damn it… how did this lunatic get loose?"

It surrounded itself with layers of ice, becoming a frozen comet, fleeing far from the flesh-planet.

The four-hooved beast understood: the closer one got to the Devourer, the stronger the effect of its 'Devouring Domain.'

With the Devourer's power, even third- or fourth-rank Law Lords trapped within could not escape—they became its next meal.

Even he fled. The Insect Matriarch 'Ling Jun' had quietly withdrawn her entire army and slaves—likely heading for Pillar Ten.

It seemed they were retreating to Pillar Ten.

"Since I emerged, I've never lost a battle against a fifth-rank Law Lord…"

Tian Dao gripped his blade, his eyes alight with fervor: "Devourer… you're truly a sixth-rank Law Lord. Ha! Excellent! This Ash Secret Realm was worth coming to—otherwise, how could I ever encounter a being like you, almost mythical!"

Fifth-rank Law Lords could barely survive against Dao Masters.

Sixth-rank Law Lords could defeat even the most ordinary Dao Masters.

These were entirely different concepts.

"Only against an opponent like you can I possibly break through!"

Tian Dao merged with his blade, becoming a radiant river of sword qi.

The Dao of the Blade roared, nearly fusing with him—only a sliver remained.

The piercing force of that Dao, even across millions of miles, made the four-hooved beast writhe in agony.

SCRATCH!

The flesh planet suddenly split open from its center, revealing a gaping, bloodied maw.

This maw occupied more than half the planet, displaying sharp teeth and countless vortices.

Infinite forces of the Devouring Dao emerged from it—even the Dao of the Blade was swallowed and eroded...

Splash!

The "River of Blades" surged into the bloodied maw, and countless tentacles, like needles and threads, immediately sewed the mouth shut.

It seemed the Devourer had won.

But now, one after another mountain-like protrusions on the flesh planet proved both sides were still locked in fierce competition...

Hum!

Suddenly, a strange vibration emerged.

The four-legged beast turned its gaze to the top of the stone pillar, its eyes widening in shock.

There, a young man with sword-like brows and starlit eyes gripped the small, jet-black horn in his hand.

"Broken Legacy... Lord of the Blade, let go!"

The four-legged beast let out a piercing howl, drawing all attention in the battlefield to Fang Xing's cultivation avatar.

"Heh..."

The cultivation avatar sneered, then instantly teleported beyond the stone pillar's range.

"No! Chase him!"

"Human, release the Legacy!"

"Lord of the Blade? He dares steal from the Devourer's jaws? Rumor says this man's soul attack possesses the power of a Fifth-Rank Law Lord... he even drove back the Catastrophe Yumir. Even if his other abilities are lacking, he can still be treated as a Fifth-Rank Law Lord..."

Streams of light erupted instantly.

On the Devourer's battlefield, the flesh planet let out a mournful cry; a mountain of flesh stretched to its limit, then exploded—like a balloon punctured by a massive hole.

A slash of blade-light shot out from the hole; the figure of Tian Dao appeared, disheveled but with a faint smile on his face, retreating swiftly without looking back...

"Lord of the Blade? How dare you?"

The Devourer unleashed a deafening roar, its terrifying devouring force descending like a storm.

Each pursuer screamed and dissolved into meaty lumps, swallowed whole by the giant mouths on the flesh tentacles...

(End of Chapter)