Chapter 230

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Protagonist:

Jiang Xuan

Jiang Xuan's expression was calm as still water, yet a flash of cold light flickered in the depths of his eyes, and then he shot straight toward the Water Ancestor's location without the slightest hesitation.

In his judgment, right now was undoubtedly a once-in-a-thousand-years perfect opportunity. Even if the Water Ancestor possessed abilities that reached heaven and pierced earth, in his current state he would absolutely be unable to break free and counterattack.

Opportunity knocks but once; this moment will not come again. If I don't act now, when then?

Atop the Water Ancestor's statue, a layer of hazy black light slowly emanated, and some mysterious and ancient existence within it gradually awakened.

Immediately after, two points of light suddenly lit up in the statue's eyes, and in that instant there was actually a faint hint of sentience.

Seeing this, Jiang Xuan's face showed not the slightest ripple, nor a shred of fear.

His figure stood tall and straight, his robes flapping loudly; with a wave of his great hand, majestic power surged forth instantly. That palm could cover the sky and blot out the sun, its majestic power carrying endless pressure, intending to gather this heaven and earth into his palm.

As he unleashed this all-out strike, heavy worlds were born in a split second, yet perished in the next; even that dark, profound, boundless void was illuminated by this flickering light of birth and death.

Once Jiang Xuan stepped into this One-Lifetime World, he keenly perceived that, besides his own originally majestic and profound power, he could also control a portion of the Heavenly Dao laws of this place.

Merely, compared to this lifetime's native cultivation system with its long history and complete complexity, his grasp of these laws still had a certain gap in comprehensiveness and depth — like viewing a leopard through a tube, he could see a spot but not the whole picture.

This heaven-shaking, earth-shattering display of his move was undoubtedly a manifestation of Jiang Xuan's formidable strength, and also a direct embodiment of his influence upon the Heavenly Dao laws and cosmic rules.

Every ray of light, every thread of fluctuation, was the product of his unique power and rules interwoven and fused.

Atop the Water Ancestor's statue, the light grew ever more intense; under Jiang Xuan's incomparably fierce strike, it actually flashed past like a ghost, leaving only a faint afterimage, as if it had never lingered here at all.

The Water Ancestor at this moment, bound by the shackles of some mysterious imprisonment, clearly found it difficult to exert his full power to confront Jiang Xuan head-on; he could only rely on instinct and the mysterious power contained in the statue to barely dodge Jiang Xuan's attacks, like a trapped beast still fighting, exhaustion fully revealed.

Decades later, when Meng Qi advanced toward the critical realm of Dharma Body, he displayed astonishing determination and perseverance, successfully breaking free from the heavy shackles of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, severing the myriad threads of connection with the Mo Fu, and from then on embarked on his own path of transcendence, becoming a legend of a generation!

You must know, at that time, compared to now it was even closer to the End-Calamity period; the Mo Fu, affected by the seal, had his strength greatly reduced, appearing so weak and powerless, like a spent arrow, unable to stir up waves again.

And now, the time node is still far from that pressing moment; although the Water Ancestor's strength cannot be underestimated, there is still a gap compared to the Mo Fu back then.

By the same token, Jiang Xuan's current strength is also far beyond that of the Dharma Body Meng Qi back then; Jiang Xuan has experienced countless vicissitudes and tribulations, cutting through thorns all the way, and has already stood at the peak of power, looking down upon all living beings.

The current situation, for Jiang Xuan, can be said to possess every advantage of heaven's timing, earth's terrain, and human harmony; it is as if heaven and earth themselves are lending him strength, letting him hold the upper hand in this struggle.

In Jiang Xuan's palm, the Eight Trigrams Furnace slowly emerged; in an instant, the myriad Great Daos of heaven and earth seemed disturbed by some powerful force, all trembling and rippling, like a calm lake into which a giant boulder has been thrown, sending out layer upon layer of ripples.

The entire universe presented a scene of apocalyptic destruction; earth, water, wind, and fire raged everywhere, like the chaotic, disorderly scene when heaven and earth first opened; violent torrents of energy rampaged unchecked, all things in the world were swept into this endless chaos, as if to return to chaos once more, back to that original starting point.

Under Jiang Xuan's exquisite control, the Eight Trigrams Furnace shot straight out, gliding lightly through the chaotic earth, water, wind, and fire.

Wherever it passed, the Dao traces emanating from the Eight Trigrams Furnace contained supreme great power, like the divine axe that split heaven and earth, possessing the power to pacify Qian and Kun. The originally violent myriad things miraculously calmed down rapidly, returning to a tranquil state.

If viewed through the eyes of this lifetime's cultivators, the Eight Trigrams Furnace is undoubtedly a peerless divine weapon possessing the might to destroy heaven and extinguish earth; the mysterious power and supreme Dao rhyme it contains are enough to drive the entire cultivation world into frenzy and shock.

After observing the Grand Purity Celestial Venerable's Eight Trigrams Furnace, Jiang Xuan's Eight Trigrams Furnace Divine Ability has already become the most domineering means among all his divine abilities, even surpassing the Xuanhuang Body.

Jiang Xuan's figure flashed, traversing endless time and space; in one step he crossed endless distance, arriving directly before the Water Ancestor's statue, his figure tall and straight, his aura like a rainbow.

He and that Eight Trigrams Furnace resonated with each other, jointly unleashing an incomparably fierce strike, as if to cleave this heaven and earth apart.

Under this strike, boundless time and space were instantly sealed; all laws of time and space fell into chaos and stagnation, as if this heaven and earth were imprisoned in this moment, becoming an eternal tableau.

Under the imprisonment of this powerful force, the Water Ancestor's statue lost the ability to dodge again, and could only forcibly withstand Jiang Xuan's ferocious oncoming attack; the black light around its body also began to tremble violently under this pressure.

"Grandpa! What technique is this?"

Far outside the Thirty-Three Heavens, in the Taishang Laojun Palace, Golden Horn stared with eyes wide open, full of curiosity as he asked the Grand Purity Celestial Venerable.

Grandpa Jiang Xuan's technique is really too similar to Grandpa's Eight Trigrams Furnace, but they can also tell that this has an essential difference from Grandpa's Eight Trigrams Furnace.

"Yeah yeah! What technique is this exactly? His essence seems not to have reached the legendary realm yet, but the power he displays is already not inferior to the legendary Supreme Divine Ability!"

Silver Horn also chimed in from the side, equally full of doubt.

The Grand Purity Celestial Venerable merely shook his head lightly and did not speak, as if his entire mind and spirit were immersed in his own Eight Trigrams Furnace, treating Golden Horn and Silver Horn's questions as if unheard, just standing there quietly.

Golden Horn and Silver Horn glanced at each other, instantly understanding Grandpa's meaning.

This is not something your level needs to know!

"Golden Horn, you say if this time Grandpa Jiang Xuan's fuss thoroughly enrages the Water God, causing the Water God to awaken from slumber at any cost, what then?"

Silver Horn frowned slightly, his gaze fixed tightly on Jiang Xuan who at this moment seemed to be on the offensive but was actually in a situation as dangerous as walking a tightrope, and said to Golden Horn beside him.

"How could the Water God awaken that easily!"

Golden Horn, however, wore a face of certainty, his tone full of affirmation, brimming with confidence in his own judgment.

"Leaving aside other things, just this Grandpa Jiang Xuan, no matter how fierce his momentum, absolutely cannot possibly truly kill the Water Ancestor. If the Water God were to rashly awaken from slumber just for that bit of face, in this special time period, whether he can even preserve his own Creation Realm cultivation is still a big question mark!"

Golden Horn spoke with increasing conviction, expounding his viewpoint.

"Besides, even if the Water God really awakened, what could he do! Would he dare to lay killing hands on someone who came out of our Taishang Laojun Palace!"

Golden Horn and Silver Horn knew in their hearts like a clear mirror; this seemingly fierce battle, to put it bluntly, was just letting Jiang Xuan vent the resentment in his heart; to say Jiang Xuan truly has the ability to slay the Water God, the two of them don't believe it from the bottom of their hearts.

After all, that Creation Realm existence in slumber is not something that can be easily erased just by relying on legendary-level power; such an existence naturally possesses a transcendent, unworldly, hard-to-shake foundation, like a towering high mountain, standing firm and unfallen, having withstood the baptism of years.

Just as the attack from Jiang Xuan and the Eight Trigrams Furnace, sufficient to destroy all things, was about to crash heavily onto the Water Ancestor's statue, suddenly, a sigh filled with endless vicissitudes and helplessness drifted over faintly, like an ancient bell tone, traversing the tunnel of time and space, reverberating in this heaven and earth.

Immediately after, a miraculous scene occurred: Jiang Xuan and the Eight Trigrams Furnace's attack actually dissipated into nothingness in an instant, like snow meeting warm sun.

Then, bursts of crisp flowing-water sounds resounded through the myriad worlds, like lively notes playing a unique movement in this heaven and earth, as if every corner was filled by this water sound, leaving nowhere to escape.

Jiang Xuan's expression instantly became incomparably heavy, like the sky before a rainstorm, covered in dense dark clouds.

He stared at that vast ocean that had appeared out of thin air before him, cursing inwardly: "No way? I haven't even truly struck yet, and you can't take it already?"

Although he didn't say it aloud, his heart was a moment of speechlessness, truly a bit puzzled, secretly wondering how the Water God's temperament could be so fierce — it hasn't even been much, and there's already this big a commotion.

However, Jiang Xuan didn't panic in the slightest; he gazed heavily at that vast ocean, thoughts spinning rapidly in his mind, seeking a countermeasure. The Eight Trigrams Furnace in his hand began to rotate slowly.

As the Eight Trigrams Furnace turned, the divine might on Jiang Xuan's body surged higher and higher; his power rose continuously.

Atop that Eight Trigrams Furnace, hazy Dao light also began to emanate; that light grew brighter and brighter.

In an instant, the strange spectacle of the myriad heavens returning to one and the ten thousand Daos entering the source appeared prominently; above the Eight Trigrams Furnace, it seemed as if vast universes were slowly collapsing, everything converging toward that original primal point.

And accompanying this process, the radiance emanating from the Eight Trigrams Furnace grew ever more intense, brilliant as the most dazzling star in the universe.

"Kill!"

Jiang Xuan suddenly let out a light shout, a thunderclap in clear skies, exploding across this heaven and earth.

He unleashed the Supreme Divine Technique; one saw that the Eight Trigrams Furnace originally rotating in his hand abruptly vanished.

The next moment, the Eight Trigrams Furnace appeared like a ghostly phantom above that mysterious black ocean, carrying momentum that could destroy heaven and annihilate earth, striking straight at the Shui Zu divine statue in the midst of the ocean, intending to utterly destroy that Shui Zu divine statue.

"Crack!"

A crisp yet faintly eerie shattering sound suddenly rang out, penetrating layer upon layer of space.

Countless people subconsciously raised their heads to look at the sky, their eyes full of doubt, each face showing bewilderment, inwardly muttering: "Where did this sound come from? Could it be I'm having a hallucination?"

Following that "crack" sound, cracks actually began to appear on the Shui Zu divine statue, like a spider web, rapidly spreading out, looking just like an exquisite yet fragile piece of porcelain, shattering and disintegrating bit by bit.

Moreover, these cracks kept extending and expanding, until finally, with a "boom" of a huge sound, it exploded across this heaven and earth.

The Shui Zu divine statue actually blew up!

Jiang Xuan was genuinely startled, looking with an incredulous face at the exploded Shui Zu divine statue that had turned into countless fragments flying everywhere, then subconsciously glanced at the Eight Trigrams Furnace in his own hand, inwardly grumbling: "You, a dignified Creation Realm existence, are you pulling a scam?"

Jiang Xuan truly found it somewhat hard to believe; although his strength was formidable, that still depended on who he was compared with — could this one strike of his really utterly destroy the Shui Zu divine statue that was in that state just now?

More importantly, Jiang Xuan faintly had a feeling that what exploded just now seemed not simply a mere divine statue, but rather... seemed like Shui Zu's true physical body!

This thought emerging caused even more shocking waves to surge in Jiang Xuan's heart.

"Ah!"

Yin Jiao couldn't help letting out a cry of alarm, but he quickly regained his senses, subconsciously reaching out to cover his own mouth, looking up at the Moral Heavenly Venerable with a face full of terror, only to discover the Grand Master still squinting his eyes, with an appearance of indifference to everything around him, not caring in the slightest about the turmoil of this world, as if the astonishing event happening before his eyes simply couldn't enter his discerning eyes, like insignificant dust, not worth mentioning in his eyes.

"Didn't you say the Water God wouldn't resurrect, that this struggle was just to vent anger for this Grand Master?!"

Yin Jiao lowered his voice, carrying a hint of complaint as he said to Jin Jiao.

Jin Jiao right now was also a face full of bewilderment, inwardly grumbling: "I'm Jin Jiao, not that Shen Gong Bao who loves stirring up trouble, how could I have expected it would turn out like this!"

Just then, the Moral Heavenly Venerable's steady yet supremely majestic voice suddenly rang out: "Calm your minds."

Like a great bell's deep tone, it reverberated in the Taishang Laojun Palace.

Just two simple words; Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao hearing them, hurriedly shut their mouths, not daring to speak another word, standing there obediently.

Jiang Xuan gazed at the scattered fragments of the Shui Zu divine statue, his expression uncertain, inwardly musing that he was afraid he had once again muddleheadedly fallen into another meticulously arranged trap.

In the end, Jiang Xuan gritted his teeth and cast his gaze toward those divine statue fragments once more, then with a wave of his large hand, instantly swept up all the fragments; not only that, even the offerings originally placed where the Shui Zu divine statue stood were also swept clean by him in one go, not letting slip a single bit of benefit.

Having done all this, Jiang Xuan didn't dare have the slightest delay; his silhouette flashed, and he vanished from this place, thinking in his heart: "Slipped away, slipped away, this place is not fit to stay long!"

After Jiang Xuan left, that originally deep and quiet void sank even further into a deathly still tranquility, like a sleeping ancient tomb, time itself stagnating at this moment.

Unknown how long passed, in the void a gourd's shadow seemed to flash by in a blur, the image extremely vague, fleeting, letting no one see clearly at all.

Taishang Laojun Palace!

Jiang Xuan looked at this palace he had just left not long ago, his heart couldn't help surging with a wave of rueful emotion.

He had ultimately still embarked on this road of hugging a big thigh; although forced by circumstances, in the end it was still somewhat helpless.

(Chapter End)