Chapter 339: The Sacred Artifact Awakens

Beside a mountain stream where grass and trees thrived lush and green, clear water meandered gently.

The stream was quite wide, and in its center lay a green stone, half submerged, half above the water.

The green stone had nothing remarkable about it, but many disciples of the Heavenly Book Academy would sit upon it in meditation when their Dao hearts were troubled, appreciating the scenery to soothe their minds—thus someone gave it the name "Stone of Awakening."

Then, as a terrifying aura crashed down like a falling star, the Stone of Awakening shattered violently, shards flying everywhere.

Chu Yu gasped as he sank into the stream, looked down at his abdomen pierced by immortal light, and saw blood pouring from the wound, quickly diluted pink by the water and flowing downstream.

In truth, he never intended to defeat the old academy head in single combat.

For over three hundred years, the old academy head had rarely fought; no one knew his true combat strength.

And according to the custom of Qingyun Tianxia, the one who lived longest was usually the strongest.

All he needed to do was wait for the demon man to strike first, then join forces with him to suppress him together.

After a breath, Chu Yu gripped a strand of black light by the stream and hurled it toward the gaunt old man atop the mountain.

As the killing light blazed upward, the stream water instantly vaporized into endless white mist, rising from the riverbed, and ten thousand hectares of forest turned to fire in a single strike.

But he paid no heed to the strike's effect; instead, he suddenly looked up, his eyes contracting sharply.

A deep hum vibrated through the air as a powerful aura descended once more from the heavens, shattering the piled black mist into countless fragments of cloud.

The Heaven's Sacrifice… scattered?!

In an instant, Chu Yu's pupils trembled violently.

At the same time, the three Grand Masters before Nishan and the elders all turned their heads northward.

The distant black light scattered across the horizon, and the fractured void, long crushed under pressure, was rapidly healing.

Seeing this, all of them showed a flicker of shock, then immediately steeled their minds.

Through the spiritual sense connection between Zuoyang Yang and Chaihu, they had seen that astonishing hundred-and-twelve-sword sequence, and the figure leaning on his sword.

Though Ji You had torn open a sliver of hope by seizing the soul from Heaven's Dao, they, like those perfected fifth-tier cultivators atop the walls, held little hope.

Malevolent energy inherently suppressed cultivators—it was nearly impossible to win.

Yet he had actually severed the Heaven's Sacrifice.

"Who is this boy?"

"Ji You."

"From which family?"

"From Yuyang County, Fengzhou."

"????"

The oldest among the elders in the Elder Hall had slept for countless ages, like Elder Lu had once done.

They had only awakened because the Linxian had come; naturally, they did not recognize this new student who had only been active for five years, stunned by his strength and youth.

But when You Yingqiu uttered "Fengzhou," they realized the shock ran even deeper.

Amidst the endless fire, the academy head, clad in a loose white robe, walked forward, stepping over piled leaves, passing through century-old pines trembling in flame, and found Chu Yu gazing upward beside the dried riverbed.

"You've run a hundred calculations—did you ever foresee this scene?"

Chu Yu slowly turned to face the head: "I cannot understand—could our divined fate be false?"

The head gently stroked his long beard: "Your divinations were not false—he has no connection to Qingyun Tianxia, hence no karmic ties, outside the Heaven's Dao; how could he appear in your calculations?"

After a moment of silence, Chu Yu's eyes flickered, and his figure vanished from where he stood.

He had lost. His years-long grand scheme had failed.

He had considered losing to the Heavenly Book Academy's head, considered other immortal sects holding back, but never imagined someone would sever the Heaven's Sacrifice.

Outside the Heaven's Dao? This Chu family ancestor could not comprehend.

How could any being exist within this world yet remain outside the Heaven's Dao?

But loss was loss—they had already missed their chance as the Sacred Artifact revived; they must withdraw immediately.

The people of Shengjing City all looked up at the sky, unsure what had just happened, yet sensing that something had returned—their anxious hearts eased slightly.

But soon, they saw a colossal bolt of lightning in the heavens.

It was no ordinary heavenly thunder—it shimmered with countless golden auras.

In an instant, a figure hovering above the void was struck, and the man plummeted violently downward.

On the western side of Yonganjie, the spring-flowered Xinghua Alley collapsed violently, countless houses exploding in an instant.

The blazing fires in the mountains and forests were instantly crushed and exploded outward; from the thick smoke, a black light coalesced into a sword of light, slicing through all directions like a thunderbolt from the highest heavens.

Immediately after, a golden light shot from the peak of Nishan—the same essence as the city's protective array, yet magnified countless times, crashing down with overwhelming force.

At the peak of Nishan, the old academy head coughed twice, a muffled breathing sound echoing from his windpipe.

Yet he did not withdraw his gaze; he kept staring ahead, then suddenly pointed.

In an instant, countless beams of light pierced the sky, carving cracks into the void, then crashing together to form a massive cage of rising immortal light.

Inside the cage, Chu Yu, his body shattered, was slammed back by the beams, spewing a gush of blood.

With a howling wind, the old academy head stepped a thousand li, walking down from the sea of clouds.

Chu Yu's vitality was draining rapidly; weakly, he turned his head to look at the pillar of light descending from heaven.

The Sacred Artifact's power had indeed wounded him severely, but compared to the artifact, he found the old academy head's aura even more terrifying.

Though they had reached Linxian by leveraging relics' external power atop perfected fifth-tier foundations, no matter the method, Linxian was Linxian.

When he ascended to this realm, he had felt the boundless power seized from Heaven, and understood the source of this realm's strength.

But as the Heaven's Sacrifice scattered and the obscured heavenly will returned, he suddenly realized the academy head's power source differed from theirs.

That power was not particularly immense—but far more profound and unfathomable.

Indeed, rumors of the world were mostly false, rarely true—but sometimes one must ponder, perhaps catching a trace of truth.

The Heavenly Book Academy head's cultivation method was indeed different—he was no ordinary Linxian.

"Please, Head, in consideration of our past bond, let me go."

"What nonsense…"

The old academy head swept his sleeve violently, and the dozens of light beams flared into blinding white radiance.

The blazing beams slammed together; in the ten-thousand-li sky, Chu Yu was erased entirely, his body vaporized, his screams echoing through all heavens.

They had planned for so long, expended countless efforts, sacrificed nearly all their kin—all to control the Sacred Artifact and seize dominion over this world.

Yet when they were only one step away, they still failed at the final moment.

Must the Sacred Artifact belong only to them? What kind of damned world is this…

Amidst fury and despair, his agonized screams faded, and the Chu family ancestor was instantly crushed into a surging white wave, churning with a sizzling sound.

The Grand Masters and elders of the Heavenly Book Academy, seeing this, finally let out the breath they had held.

But the next instant, they saw the head turn into a streak of golden light and head northwest.

Everyone froze slightly, then suddenly realized: the Sacred Artifact's aura echoed across all directions—but the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion remained utterly still.

What of Lingjian Mountain?

They turned instinctively, gazing toward the southernmost direction.

At the same moment, a magnificent spiritual mirror atop Xuanjian Peak suddenly trembled, radiating dazzling light that inspired awe.

The junior master of Lingjian Mountain soared into the sky, holding the mirror aloft, descending like a celestial goddess, carrying heavenly light to strike down.

The black mace hurtling through the air shattered instantly; the Zhuang family ancestor's eyes widened in disbelief.

"No wonder he's my Lingjian Mountain's son-in-law!"

"?"

Yan Shuyi hovered in the void, frowning at Chen Fuzi, whose body was cracked open.

She knew the Sacred Artifact's failure must be the work of those from the ruins, but she did not know the details, nor why the mirror had suddenly revived now.

Chen Fuzi glanced at her: "They used the Heaven's Sacrifice to sever the Sacred Artifact's link to Heaven's Dao. Ji You feared for your safety, forcibly entered the Heaven's Sacrifice, and killed the ritualist."

Yan Shuyi's eyes hardened: "Did you arrange this behind the scenes?"

"Kill this man first."

"You do it."

Yan Shuyi swept her sleeve, launching the mirror; Chen Fuzi raised it high and struck down with crushing force.

Sensing the Sacred Artifact's power, the Zhuang family ancestor realized disaster was near; after slamming his mace down, he gathered all his strength and fled northward in an instant.

The humming mirror erupted in myriad rays of aura within Chen Fuzi's hands; immortal light blasted from its surface, obliterating the Zhuang family ancestor outright.

"BOOM!!!!"

The Zhuang family ancestor's left shoulder exploded into a cloud of blood mist, and he plummeted from the sky.

In the gale, he crashed into a low mountain encircling the peak, but dared not stop; he forced himself onward through excruciating pain, his face twisted in utter terror.

Unlike the Chu family, the Zhuang family had no irreconcilable blood feud with Lingjian Mountain.

But for the Sacred Artifact, for the power to control the world—who in Qingyun Tianxia could remain unmoved?

The Zhuang family had long been among the hundred-year clans, but had declined sharply over these centuries; now, even at the Heaven's Ritual, they could only share a pavilion with other hundred-year clans.

Most crucially, this decline showed no sign of slowing—within another century, their lineage would vanish. Faced with this earth-shattering opportunity, how could they resist?

Yet after years of planning and a hundred calculations yielding no failure, he could not understand how it had turned into this!

That rustic private cultivator—they had never paid him much heed—yet he became the one variable never foreseen in any of their calculations.

At that moment, a blade of qi suddenly fell from heaven, carrying a raging hurricane that slammed him back violently.