God Emperor

The Evil Spirit made its move, swinging its gigantic python tail and lashing it at the ground as an enormous divine power surged forth.     

Despite how solid the ground in the heart of Xianji Mountain was, cracks had formed in the earth, revealing an underground dimension hidden deep within the earth.     

At first, Zhang Ruochen had planned to enter using his dimensional skills, but strange energy stopped him from doing so. Hence, he had no choice but to use force.     

As the enchantment broke apart, a massive underground dimension came into view. The Altar of Death and the Shadow of Death looked especially conspicuous against the pitch-dark backdrop.     

The last time Zhang Ruochen did a recess, the Shadow of Death was only 500 yards tall. Now it had grown to over a thousand yards. The power he possessed must be higher than before.     

The three white-robed priests were still sitting cross-legged on the altar.     

The only difference was, they were higher in their cultivation base, which was the Path's Anterior realm.      

Obviously, aside from the fact they had attained the peak of Heaven's Reach in self-cultivation, the Altar of Death also had a mysterious power. That was the reason they could achieve a breakthrough in their self-cultivation so quickly.     

"What is happening?" Bi Yunhai came up and asked.     

He had traveled all the way from the Southern Region to the Northern Region for Ji Fanxin. He did not really know the situation in the Northern Region.     

"The Deathkin use the Altar of Death to draw the Northern Region's power of revival for producing fighters. They want to open up the passage between their realm and the Kunlun Realm. The Deathkin's strength is increasing by the day," said Zhang Ruochen.     

There was a strange look in Bi Yunhai's eyes. "The Deathkin are scheming to fuel war with war. We can't let that happen! Won't they build another Altar of Death somewhere else after this one is destroyed?"     

Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "It's not that easy to construct this Altar of Death. They don't only need special materials but also a special location. Xianji Mountain was the base of the Northern Region's most powerful force—the Xianji Sect. This is the place of origin of the Northern Region's ancestral line, and only this place is suitable for building the Altar of Death."     

Xianji Mountain was an unusual place. Otherwise, the trunk of the Divine Sky-Connecting Tree would not have been there. It was not impossible to find a land of awakening similar to Xianji Mountain in the Northern Region, but it was definitely not easy.     

So, destroying this Altar of Death meant ruining the Deathkin's hope.     

"Step back. Let me destroy this Altar of Death." Bi Yunhai was full of confidence.     

Earlier, he had suffered a humiliating defeat at Qi Yang's hands. He wanted to take this opportunity to redeem his pride. He could not afford to let Ji Fanxin look down on him.     

Zhang Ruochen and the others were more than happy to let him do the honors, so they quickly stepped aside.     

It was mainly because they had no idea what lay behind the Altar of Death. It was a good idea to let Bi Yunhai check it out first.     

Bi Yunhai proceeded to take out his Regal Weapon. Then, he used all of his strength to summon one-third of the Precepts of Heaven and Earth within a 7,000-mile radius as he prepared to perform the most powerful strike ever.     

He knew he was no match for Qi Yang, but he refused to believe that he could not destroy something like an Altar of Death.     

Over 250,000 Regal-Class Inscriptions appeared on the sky-blue gourd. It looked immensely powerful when combined with the countless Precepts of Heaven and Earth.     

A vast amount of Regal Supreme Power spurted out of the gourd and turned into a brilliant Saint Light.     

The Saint Light did not hit the Altar of Death because a faint light shield had blocked the Saint Light.     

Following that, the Altar of Death promptly released immense energy that spread in all directions like water ripples.     

By swaying its massive divine python body, the Evil Spirit neutralized all the energy that the Altar of Death emitted. Zhang Ruochen and four others were standing on the Evil Spirit's head, so they were not affected.      

Bi Yunhai used his Regal Weapon to shield himself and was unharmed. It was just that he could not calm down as he stared dead at the Altar of Death.     

"Could it be that this thing is even more powerful than Qi Yang?" Bi Yunhai was astounded.     

Zhang Ruochen had a grave expression, realizing that destroying the Altar of Death was more difficult than he had expected.     

However, it made sense. Since the Deathkin had spent so much effort to build this Altar of Death and made it their trump card, there was no way the altar could be so easily destroyed.     

The three white-robed priests finally stood up on the altar. They first gave Zhang Ruochen and the others a once-over before they quickly locked their eyes on Bi Yunhai.     

Bi Yunhai was a Path's Anterior fighter. He was powerful enough to rival a Neverwither Supreme Saint. Naturally, he was a bigger threat than Zhang Ruochen and the rest.     

"Death is the only punishment for those who attack the Altar of Death," said a white-robed female priest.     

"Death? I would like to see who could take my life!" Bi Yunhai sneered.     

"Death Slit!"     

The three white-robed priests joined hands to direct a thousand-yard Shadow of Death.     

Wielding a black light sickle that looked like a dimensional rift, the Shadow of Death struck at Bi Yunhai.     

"Heck! Is that all you've got?"     

Bi Yunhai hissed as he unleashed a palm strike.     

Several hundred thousand precepts appeared, and that triggered the Precepts of Heaven and Earth. Together, they formed a vast azure sea with a massive tidal wave that rushed toward the Shadow of Death.     

"Now!"     

Zhang Ruochen threw out the Azuresky Pagoda.     

In a situation like that, they could not possibly stay away. It was not possible to retrieve the trunk of the Divine Sky-Connecting Tree without destroying the Altar of Death.      

Without hesitation, Ji Fanxin, Feng Yan, Xiang Chunan, and Pei Yutian began to act, performing their Saint techniques and casting out their sacred artifacts.      

The Evil Spirit did not sit idle either. It swayed its divine python tail and lashed it at the Shadow of Death with an immense amount of divine power.     

Compared with the others, Zhang Ruochen had nothing to lose. His offensive ability might not be the most powerful there, but his defense was incredible.     

In fact, the Evil Spirit still could not fully control the Corpse of the Divine Python's power at this stage, because its Saint Soul was still relatively weak. The divine power was too much for it to rein in.     

The Evil Spirit's strength had yet to reach the level of a Neverwither Supreme Saint. Otherwise, it would have been invincible in the Kunlun Realm.     

Bang!     

The shadow sickle could not withstand the powerful blow. It shattered and disappeared at once.      

"Help me drive the Azuresky Pagoda, everyone. Keep attacking!" Zhang Ruochen shouted.     

Ji Fanxin, Feng Yan, Xiang Chunan, Pei Yutian, and the Evil Spirit responded, each injecting power into the Azuresky Pagoda.     

The Azuresky Pagoda vibrated and grew bigger instantly. It looked like a divine mountain that was releasing azure light and an endless stream of Supreme Power.     

It was probably due to the divine power from the Evil Spirit, because the implement spirit's dormant consciousness suddenly woke up.     

The earth-shattering roar of a beast came from within the pagoda as it let loose an even more powerful Supreme Power.     

Bi Yunhai's eyes glinted when he saw the Azuresky Pagoda.     

Had he possessed a Supreme Artifact, he would not have lost to Qi Yang. Destroying the Altar of Death would have also been a piece of cake.     

Many thoughts flashed across his mind, and he pulled back his gaze. Squeezing out a drop of blood from his fingertip, he dropped it onto the sky-blue gourd and allowed it to permeate. The sky-blue gourd glowed brightly and released its full power.     

In such times, he could not let Zhang Ruochen or any other steal the limelight no matter what.     

Boom!     

Supreme Power and genuine Saint Power burst out instantly. The world was about to fall apart, as it was unstoppable.     

The Shadow of Death shuddered, and a hint of Will of Death leaked out.     

Down below, the Altar of Death was shaking too. It became very unstable, nearly getting blown away by the Supreme and the Regal Saint Powers.     

Below the altar, cracks that looked like spider webs formed in the solid earth. As soil and rocks started to sink, dust rose from the bottom, finally revealing a dark hole inside. The majestic Altar of Death looked as if it had left the earth and was suspended in the air.     

As a result, the altar was momentarily unable to draw the Northern Region's power of revival.     

While the situation seemed to be in their favor, Zhang Ruochen's expression suddenly changed.     

Just a while ago, he had sensed a trace of a dimensional shock wave coming from the dark hole below the altar.     

Danger!     

All of a sudden, a scream rang out, followed by a Death Knight lunging out from the underground. His body was engulfed in blue flames, and his face looked hideous.     

Before long, he dropped to the ground and was reduced to ashes by the blue flames.     

Out of the ashes emerged a bug with a blue flame. It was the size of a fingernail, and it was extremely beautiful.      

"A God-Eater Bug!"     

When Zhang Ruochen recognized the firey bug, his expression became worse. He quickly called out to Xiang Chunan and the rest via telepathy, telling them to retreat and stay away from the God-Eater Bug.     

He knew it; the trunk of the Divine Sky-Connecting Tree was right below the altar.     

As for the God-Eater Bug, it was living inside the trunk. Their attacks had apparently ripped apart the dimension where the trunk was, leaving a rift behind. That was why the God-Eater Bug had come to the surface.     

The God-Eater Bug was, without a doubt, the nastiest thing. It could give even a god a big headache.     

This one right here was considered the smallest one.     

Back when Zhang Ruochen and the Canglan Warrior Saint had entered the strange dimension, the God-Eater Bugs they spotted had been the size of a fist, with some being as large as a washing basin.     

The bigger the bug was, the more terrifying it was.     

While the God-Eater Bugs had every cultivator terrified, a voice echoed amid a blanket of fog on the altar. "Legend has it that the God-Eater Bugs are the Divine Sky-Connecting Tree's tree worms. They were born together with the tree. It really is a surprise to see one here. Could the Divine Sky-Connecting Tree be in the space under the altar?"     

A Nether River appeared along with the voice, and it flowed out of the Altar of Death slowly. There was a behemoth inside the river. It had nine heads, and it was a Nine-Headed Black Tortoise.     

A girl was standing on the back of the Nine-Headed Black Tortoise. She was tall and slim. In addition, she was surrounded by chains formed by the Precepts of Destiny, as though the fates of all souls in the world were under her control.     

She was none other than one of the three candidates for Lady of the Fane of Destiny, Pan Ruo.     

"I can't believe that there really is something under the altar!"     

"Since there is a God-Eater Bug here, the Divine Sky-Connecting Tree is surely here. Did the tree grow a new plantlet again?"     

"It is entirely possible. Otherwise, how could the Kunlun Realm be revived?"     

...     

Even the Deathkin cultivators did not expect to see another dimension beneath their Altar of Death. They were so excited that they all rubbed their hands together. They could not wait to storm in to loot whatever treasures that lay inside.     

Pan Ruo stood above the Nether River, and she looked as beautiful as a fairy. She swept her gaze over them before her eyes landed on Zhang Ruochen.     

Zhang Ruochen had been staring at her for a long while.     

As soon as their eyes met, Zhang Ruochen could not help but shiver for a second. His pupils dilated while he stood like a fossil on the spot.     

The beautiful figure on the Nether River also appeared to be shocked, albeit very subtly.     

For a moment, both of them were motionless like a statue, their hearts stopping. It felt as if the world had come to a standstill and time stopped flowing.     

Everything in their surroundings had disappeared, leaving only the two of them.     

They were standing far from each other, but it felt as if the dimension was gone, and they were now close to each other. They could see each other's faces clearly.      

After a long while, Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath. As he snapped out of his daze, the things in his surroundings reappeared in his vision. He then regained his sense of hearing and perception.     

The appearance of the girl in front of him had totally changed, but he recognized her from her eyes.     

"It's her. It has to be her. How could it be her?"     

He clenched his fists involuntarily as he could not believe what he saw.     

For a moment, his heart tightened, and he felt great pain. Countless images started to appear in his mind's eye, and he finally found himself standing in front of Ziwei Palace.     

Scenes from the past that he had never forgotten seemed to be so clear.     

He used to tell himself to let go, but now, he realized that he had merely been deceiving himself.     

He stared at her for a long time, and his heart almost pounded through his chest. "I'm sure it's her. Why did she go to the Infernal Court, and how did she become one of the Deathkin? Everything has changed. What happened to her all these years?"     

Never had there been a moment that he felt so confused and had so many questions with so many kinds of emotions. Yet, he could tell no one.     

The person who was supposed to be dead was now standing in front of him.