Chapter 469: The Nanzhou Calamity Begins

Year 4965, Xia.

The previous Ming Sect Sect Master Nie Chongshan sat cross-legged within the sect palace; it was terrifyingly hot beside the great desert, with temperatures over forty degrees and surface temperatures nearing eighty. This was the absolute peak of Nie Chongshan's life, and also the moment he was closest to Spirit Decay; in all the world, it was hard to find anyone stronger than him.

Yet, Nie Chongshan had not left the sect for decades, to the point that the world's Cultivators had almost forgotten this Ninth Stage of the Ming Sect.

The only remaining disciple pushed the door and entered.

Nie Chongshan gazed far off toward Tianshan, seemingly unaware of his arrival, and the disciple also stood quietly to the side, not disturbing him; after a long while, Nie Chongshan finally cast his gaze toward the disciple and passed the position of Sect Master to him.

"My life has been open and calm; I have not done many things to regret, and I have no other regrets, except for one..."

"Disciple Xuanzhen, 236th generation successor of the Daoist gate, apprentice to Dharma Master Qianfa of Yuan'an Temple, grandmaster being Changpei Zhenren; now, Senior Cao Ci is obsessed and refuses to repent, wishing to unseal the Nanzhou Fengyin to become a god. I ask that you lend me your strength, descend upon my body..."

"Swish!"

Little Master Xuanzhen opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and weathered.

What came into view was a scene of a siege.

Over a dozen young people surrounded an old man, either grappling in close quarters or using spells and Sword Light; all kinds of methods were unleashed, and not one of them was a coward.

Spirit Power ripples spread through the air like waves in a storm, one after another.

In the distance, "humans" poked their heads out, but seeing this situation, they quickly hid back underground.

Little Master Xuanzhen's delicate face could not help but reveal a touch of unbearable pity.

Unbearable to watch, unbearable to know, unbearable to heart.

Finally, he spoke slowly:

"Great Faith."

"Bang!"

Cao Ci grabbed Jiang Lai's spear with one hand and slapped away a Night Person who had lunged at him with the other, unable to help but turn his head to look.

The two sides locked eyes.

The world seemed to suddenly fall silent.

The others also stopped for the moment; those needing to recover did so, those needing to take pills did so, those using Secret Techniques activated them, or they took the opportunity to prepare certain Artifacts or Formations.

Only to see Little Master Xuanzhen speak in an aged, heavy tone:

"You have strayed further and further."

Facing his gaze, Cao Ci fell silent.

It felt like only a few seconds, yet also very long; he met his master's gaze and sighed leisurely:

"Master, back then you took me into the sect because I was single-mindedly devoted to the martial path, and you expelled me from the sect because I was single-mindedly devoted to the martial path. You led me into the martial path, and you personally severed my martial path. You said I could be a Martial God, and you said I could not be a Martial God. I said nothing to all of it. You know I have no other pursuits in this life; now that I can no longer turn back, and you have long since died, let it be so."

"You want to break the Nanzhou Fengyin?"

"It only had a few years left anyway."

"You are right, I have long since died; today, here, there is no master and disciple."

"Thank you, Master."

The Night Person brother spotted an opportunity and rushed up from behind Cao Ci again, his eyes sharp as knives, attempting a sneak attack.

Cao Ci backhanded him with a punch, shattering half his face.

The battle broke out once more.

Most of these young people had only recently advanced to the Eighth Stage; their Divine Power and talent made their Spirit Sea levels standouts among the Eighth Stage, far exceeding normal Cultivators of the same level. Their shortcoming was that they were too young and lacked accumulation. The two factors offset each other, and combined with the Artifacts and treasures provided by their sects, they were just barely able to withstand the attacks of Cao Ci, who was already at the end of his rope from the erosion of otherworldly power.

The group was like a pack of wolves surrounding a tiger, divided into near, middle, and far circles, surrounding Cao Ci; despite never having practiced together, their coordination was tacit.

The long-range Cultivators were relatively composed; the difficult part was for the Cultivators who focused on mid-to-close-range combat.

Those two Night People were always slapped away, yet they stubbornly rushed back up, looking as if they were enjoying the beating.

The Sect Master held a nameless Sword and wore nameless armor; the power bonus from the emperors of the past eight hundred years made his performance the most eye-catching, worthy of being the main force in close combat.

Little Master Xuanzhen was also not a bit inferior.

Having invited the Ming Sect Old Sect Master, combined with his own outstanding Spirit Power, his combat strength was extremely excellent, even able to grapple with Cao Ci based on experience.

Next were Yan Keling and her thigh.

After reaching the Eighth Stage, the Imperial Sect's performance began to feel somewhat lacking, but Lord Linjian remained reliable, especially when contrasted with other teammates who had just advanced to the Eighth Stage and whose supporting methods had not yet kept up, making him appear especially badass.

Next were Brother Jiang and the tiger demon and rat demon.

In addition, the two North Continent Barbarian brothers, Dharma Master Tongdeng, and the Night Person were also in close combat, each with their own methods.

Zhang Suannai and Senior Sister Jin kept a certain distance from Cao Ci, occasionally rushing into the inner circle to land a sudden attack, then pulling back the distance again after striking.

The air was full of Sword Light and flying feathers.

In the outermost circle were Chen Shu, the fox demon, and a Spirit Person, frantically greeting him with all kinds of Spells, and Formations were constantly being constructed.

The most unpredictable one was Wu Eiwei.

She also had the highest output.

Only to see her unleash the Ultimate Sword Dao, achieving Human-Sword Unity, her speed pushed to the limit; for a time, it seemed as if many of her appeared in the air, striking simultaneously like ghosts. Relying on the Royal Court Sword Dao, which was the sharpest in the world, she actually managed to leave some marks on Cao Ci.

In the blink of an eye, she retreated to the outer circle again.

The lenses on her mask shimmered with light, and a Drone in the distance whistled, firing golden light at Cao Ci, then she looked up at the mist on the dome.

"Spread out!"

Fake Ultimate Sword Dao: Human-Sword Unity.

True Ultimate Sword Dao: Call for Zhan Lue Wu Qi strike.

Everyone immediately scattered, keeping their distance and coordinating with the fox demon's Formation to try their best to stop Cao Ci's movement.

Starlight suddenly descended from above the dome like divine punishment, striking Cao Ci.

This starlight looked like a thin thread from afar, but in reality, it was at least ten meters in diameter. Cao Ci was enveloped within it, and in just an instant, his skin cracked inch by inch. Unfortunately, his Indestructible True Body was truly too strong; almost the next second, he had restored himself.

Chen Shu also took this opportunity to unleash the Great Blazing Sun Art.

This time it was not a duel with Zhang Suannai; for this Great Blazing Sun Art, the Spirit Power centered directly on Cao Ci, and in an instant, a blazing sun rose.

Cao Ci was right in the middle of the blazing sun.

That high temperature and terrifying, overbearing Spirit Power made the others not dare to approach, forcing them to squint their eyes and struggle to look directly at the center of the blazing sun.

The Blazing Sun True Flame burns everything.

The air was burned away, only to rush back in frantically, and was burned away again, creating a constant hurricane around them.

The earth was covered by golden flames.

Cao Ci's clothes were long gone; under the erosion of the power from the other world, his Indestructible True Body was far less powerful than before, burned to a deep red, and the skin on his body was like paper pasted onto him, scattering into stardust in the wind.

Yet, one saw him take a single step, and he had already stepped out of the blazing sun.

It was useful, but not by much.

The crowd fell silent at once.

Chen Shu also felt very helpless.

As a system focused on defense, the Ming Sect is the easiest to stall, but also the hardest to surround and kill; what kind of person is Cao Ci? He was merely eroded by the power of the other world and in a terrible state, but this body was still very powerful, not something they, a group of Eighth Stage cultivators, could easily shake.

Unless Cao Ci's Spirit Power was exhausted, even if he stood there and let them hit him, they likely could not kill him.

As for his Spirit Power being exhausted? With a Ninth Tier Peak Cultivator fighting them, the speed of his Spirit Power replenishment was likely faster than his consumption; of course, one could tell from the fact that Cao Ci barely used those Ming Sect martial arts that the state of his Spirit Sea was likely also very poor, but even so, this was not an easy task.

That Night Person was truly too brainless.

"Uh..."

That Night Person charged up again...

Chen Shu sighed long and hard, but his hands did not stop, instead taking out an Ascension Pill.

"Boom..."

The Drone shuttled back and forth, continuously firing golden light.

The Zhan Lue Wu Qi in the sky was ready once again.

The crowd took turns charging up to get beaten.

Chen Shu looked up and swallowed the Ascension Pill, increasing his Spirit Power, and began to prepare the Sun-Extinguishing Divine Art.

At the same time, in other places—

The blazing sun illuminated the night sky, and the True Flame spread along the earth as if destroying the world; when Cao Ci walked out from within, he could no longer hold on.

The three-headed, six-armed Venerable unleashed attacks like a violent storm, going head-to-head with Cao Ci, with every punch not losing ground, but he had six arms, and the entire battle process was a process of Cao Ci's injuries worsening.

No one cared about old friendships.

The sky was filled with Sword Light dancing over the sea.

With one slash of the Sword, the great sea was also split open.

Cao Ci was covered in blood, constantly having wounds cut into him, only to recover rapidly, as if he were being subjected to death by a thousand cuts.

Gradually, he too could no longer hold on.

"Bang!"

Wu Eiwei was struck in the abdomen by a punch, the terrifying force nearly piercing through her upper body, her internal organs a mess, blood spilling into the air, only to turn into fuel for the Blazing Sun True Flame upon hitting the ground, causing the Lietuopeng to ignite at once.

The group leader immediately flew forward, his black armor covered in scars, holding the Sword that the Dayi Emperor had used to conquer for eight hundred years; his gaze was sharp, and the sky full of Sword Light and flying feathers accompanied him, his momentum unmatched for a time.

That Sword strike looked like it was going to slash at Cao Ci, but it was just a feint; he suddenly turned and flew downward, catching the falling Wu Eiwei.

Cao Ci stood in mid-air, watching indifferently, motionless, only slightly curling the corner of his mouth.

A childish little trick.

Almost simultaneously, vast Spirit Power gathered instantly, creating a violent conflict under the influence of the Rune, erupting with terrifying destructive power; the very next second, a blazing sun, far more powerful than the previous one, appeared out of thin air with him at its center.

Cao Ci's expression froze, and he took a step forward.

"Hum!"

This area was isolated by the royal court's secret treasure; no one could enter, and no one could leave, leaving only him and this Sun-Extinguishing Divine Art.

However, at this very moment—

The fog shrouding Nanzhou seemed to be blown away by the wind, revealing a clear moonlight; a full moon, like a jade plate, hung at the edge of the sky, illuminating the world as bright as day along with the blazing sun on the ground.

The land beneath their feet began to shake violently, and the Nanzhou Forbidden Land not far away let out a rumble; a terrifying power, invisible and intangible, descended upon this continent.

Everyone was stunned.

They only felt that suddenly, there seemed to be a vast and cold will residing above the sky, coldly watching them.

At the same time, the power of the other world in the air suddenly became many times denser, beginning to react violently with the Divine Power on their bodies, the two clashing frantically and canceling each other out.

It turned out that the power of the other world filling half of Nanzhou was merely the light it scattered and the aura it emitted; the real thing had always been sealed in the Forbidden Land.

Everyone's heart sank.

The blazing sun dissipated.

Cao Ci was seen walking out once again, his whole body looking as if it had been melted, no longer looking human, yet he still gave everyone a sense of composure.

"Leaving now, there is still time."

Jiangzhou.

Just as the Ling Sect Old Sect Master was about to kill his old friend, he stopped, turned his head to look at the sky, and felt that a vast will had suddenly appeared in this world; it was strange and incompatible with this world, and in his perception, its existence appeared so abrupt.

He looked back at his old friend beside him.

"Sigh..."

The Old Sect Master shook his head helplessly.

He pointed a finger out.

His old friend turned into flying ash.

Hezhou.

The Changpei Daoist Leader had completely transformed into the former Universal Bodhisattva, with combat power almost indistinguishable from the Universal Bodhisattva; one hand grabbed Cao Ci, the head on the left with wide-open, angry eyes stared fixedly at him, while the middle head looked up toward the sky.

"Amitabha, what a sin..."

The Changpei Daoist Leader sighed thus, and then the head on the left spat out True Fire, enveloping the sinful descendant before him.

East of Zhongzhou, on the sea.

Sword Light pierced Cao Ci until he was riddled with holes.

The Sword Master stood in mid-air, frowned, looked left and right, and then cast his gaze toward the west.

"Is it really that badass?"

He then lowered his head to lock eyes with his old friend.

"Look at the mess you've made."

Cao Ci's gaze was calm; he did not speak or utter a word.

"Do you think that just because you were about to succeed, I would spare this avatar of yours for the sake of our past friendship? Not a chance!"

The Sword Master thrust his Sword out.

Sky-filling Sword Light burst forth from within Cao Ci's body, shredding both his body and his will.

Every living creature in the world felt a sense of unease at this moment; they could not say why, but they were simply very uneasy, as if the air had changed its scent, as if the familiar environment around them had become strange, and there were inexplicable vexations in the depths of their hearts.

At the same time.

Sixteen Forbidden Lands distributed across Zhongzhou, Xizhou, Dongzhou, and the Northern Continent all produced unusual movements.

These Forbidden Lands were the places where the gods of successive generations merged their origins; the wills of the gods and a small amount of Divine Power remained at the centers of the Forbidden Lands. Some were as gentle as a breeze, some as violent as thunder, and some were full of the intent of slaughter. At this moment, sensing an intrusion, they all erupted at once, with the violent ones reacting the fastest, carrying the Divine Power left behind by the gods of successive generations in the Forbidden Lands, surging from all parts of the world toward Nanzhou.

At the same moment.

Around Yujing, the Killing Forbidden Land shone with brilliant Buddha Light, illuminating the night sky.

The Calamity-Responding Buddha, dressed in red robes as vibrant as blood and carrying a body full of the aura of slaughter, stepped out of the Forbidden Land to answer the calamity of Nanzhou.

This is a true god of the world.