The Eternal God Emperor and the Demon Ancestor

Chapter 17 Starfield Storm 3

Kunlun Extraterrestrial Battlefield

The star field is boundless, with billions of stars floating like shattered jade. The fierce cosmic winds sweep by, creating visible folds in space.

The twelve Fate Gods from the Temple of Fate, standing on the illusory gate of destiny, their bodies shrouded in obscure and unfathomable mysteries of fate, launched a frenzied attack on the scholar-robed figure in the center of the arena. The Death God of the Palace of Death's Darkness exuded a chilling aura of death, causing even stars to decay and crumble in its wake; the White-Eyed Fate God of the Palace of Ferocity had empty, lifeless eyes, whose mere glance was enough to shatter the souls of ordinary true gods; the Fortune God of the Palace of Fortune and Prosperity had a fortune coin hanging above his head, which, as it spun, could plunder the fortune of others to enhance his own combat power…

Each one of them is a supreme god in the Taixu Realm, and more than one true god has fallen at their hands. They are the mainstays of the Temple of Destiny in ruling the world of gods.

But today, they have been forced into a fierce battle by one person.

The virtuous and wise ruler of the art world.

A peak-level spiritual master of the eighty-fourth rank, dressed in a refined white Confucian robe, untouched by a speck of dust. Alone, with his book and brush, he stood amidst the stars, like an ancient and enduring monument to Confucianism. The divine jade brush in his hand rose and fell; with a light touch of the tip, the Milky Way seemed to reverse, countless starlight transforming into streams of light that poured down. Before him, the sacred book of the Confucian Ancestor slowly turned its pages, the Confucian divine script flowing between them forming layer upon layer of golden barriers, forcefully blocking the combined attack of the twelve Destiny Gods.

This sight drew the attention of all the gods in the celestial and hellish camps at both ends of the star field.

An 84th-level spiritual power master was able to fight against twelve peak Taixu Realm gods on his own. Such combat power is rare to see even once in more than ten eons!

"My son Huangtian, what brings you to the Kunlun Starfield battlefield?" A powerful and domineering shout echoed from the Heavenly Court's main camp. Blood God of War, wielding a blood-red halberd with its tip radiating a blinding crimson light, fixed his gaze on the solitary figure beside him. His tone carried an innate arrogance, "The Boundless Divine Sea is your foundation. Without Stone Ancestor, no one else can protect you."

Huang Tian glanced at him, his gaze indifferent, and ignored him, his eyes still fixed on Ling Che in the center of the battlefield.

Ling Che once again wielded his divine jade brush, the tip slicing through the void and transforming the vast starry sky into a magnificent scroll. As the scroll unfurled, the power of the stars poured forth like a waterfall, crashing down upon the twelve Destiny Gods. The twelve Destiny Gods' expressions changed drastically; they dared not be negligent in the slightest. They simultaneously activated the Gate of Destiny, and boundless light of destiny surged forth from the gate, transforming into a gigantic, illusory hand that blotted out the sky, grasping at the air!

"Bang—"

Countless stars shattered in response, and the violent energy aftershocks swept across the surrounding area, shaking the void for millions of miles. Even the surrounding stars were shaken off their orbits, turning into meteors with long, fiery tails that plummeted into the depths of the universe.

"What a magnificent Lord Mingde!" Blood God of War exclaimed, a look of amazement flashing in his eyes as he witnessed this scene. "With eighty-fourth-level spiritual power, to directly confront twelve Great Gods of the Void—even the top three Great Gods might not be able to do anything to him! Such combat power is truly something we all admire!"

"The current combat power of the Divine Lord Mingde is probably comparable to that of a Boundless Realm Divine Venerable." Huang Tian finally spoke, his voice cold but unable to hide the shock in his heart.

Both of them were the most outstanding geniuses of the last era, and now they have both broken through to the Great God realm, with combat power far exceeding that of their peers, enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Great Gods of the Void Realm. But after witnessing Ling Che's performance today, the two of them truly realized that their path of martial arts still has an incredibly long way to go.

In the center of the battlefield, the fierce battle had been raging for an unknown period of time.

Ling Che's aura had already begun to decline. The prolonged high-intensity battles had excessively depleted his mental energy, leaving him like a taut string on a musical instrument, ready to snap and kill him at the slightest mishap. The divine jade pen in his hand, crafted from the essence of divine jade, was showing cracks on its handle, clearly on the verge of collapsing under the strain of the continuous battles.

The twelve Fate Gods keenly sensed this, and a fierce glint flashed in their eyes.

"Form ranks!"

With a roar, the twelve Destiny Gods simultaneously formed hand seals, and the twelve illusory Gates of Destiny instantly soared into the air, connecting end to end in the void and combining into one, forming a gigantic Gate of Destiny that was millions of miles high! Above the gate, the mysteries of destiny intertwined and entwined, emitting a terrifying pressure that could shake the heavens.

Without hesitation, the twelve Destiny Gods poured nearly ten percent of their accumulated Destiny Mysteries into the colossal Gate of Destiny. In an instant, the rules of destiny extended, condensing into a divine axe covered in ancient patterns before the gate. The moment the axe appeared, the surrounding million-mile void began to crumble inch by inch. A terrifying, world-shaking power locked onto Ling Che's vital points, intending to cleave him in two!

"The spirit of Confucianism and Taoism is vast and boundless!"

Ling Che's expression turned solemn. With a low shout, he suddenly summoned the Confucian Ancestor's Sacred Book before him. The sacred book burst forth with a golden light that stretched for ten thousand feet, its pages flipping wildly as countless Confucian and Taoist divine characters surged forth, condensing into an incomparably thick barrier of divine characters before him.

However, the power of the Gate of Destiny, which embodies the cultivation of twelve top-tier deities, is simply too formidable.

"Click—"

A crisp cracking sound rang out, and the divine rune barrier shattered, spreading out intricate cracks like a spiderweb. Terrifying power of destiny, like a flood bursting its banks, instantly breached the barrier and surged into Ling Che's body.

"puff--"

Ling Che groaned, spitting out a mouthful of blood that stained his Confucian robe. Several tears were torn in his robe, revealing fine bloodstains on his exposed skin. The divine jade brush and the Sacred Book of the Confucian Ancestor in his hands dimmed simultaneously, nearly flying out of his grasp from the violent force.

"die!"

The twelve Fate Gods roared in unison, their voices shaking the galaxy. Twelve deadly moves, imbued with the mysteries of fate, struck Ling Che's vital points from all directions like twelve black lightning bolts, sealing off all his space to dodge.

A life-or-death situation!

Ling Che showed no fear whatsoever; instead, a fierce fire ignited in his eyes. He could clearly feel the long-dormant, peak-level eighty-fourth-tier spiritual power within him, like a dormant volcano, violently assaulting the barrier sealed for so many years. Within his sea of ​​consciousness, countless Confucian and Taoist divine characters swirled wildly, and the phantoms of the four Confucian patriarchs preaching their doctrines appeared and disappeared in the depths of his sea of ​​consciousness, uttering obscure Daoist chants that resonated with his soul.

"The Confucian and Taoist principles are vast and boundless, break through!"

Ling Che let out a long roar that reverberated throughout the entire star field. He suddenly raised the Sacred Book of the Confucian Ancestor high, and the radiant light emanating from the book transformed into a huge phantom of the Confucian Ancestor. The phantom raised its hand, and righteous energy poured down.

At the same time, Ling Che's divine sea surged violently. His mental power, which was already close to its limit, suddenly surged wildly, transforming into an unprecedentedly powerful force that crashed hard into the barrier of the eighty-fifth level!

"Boom—"

A deafening roar exploded within Ling Che's mind. The barrier that had troubled him for years was shattered by this force!

In an instant, a surge of spiritual energy far exceeding the previous ones erupted from Ling Che's body like a tsunami, sweeping across the entire star field. The originally rampant and raging power of destiny, before this spiritual energy, was like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun, retreating step by step and being shattered inch by inch!

Ling Che's aura surged at an alarming rate. At the eighty-fifth level, the spiritual power of "a single thought can determine the fate of the world" took shape within him, and his divine sea began to transform and expand, evolving towards a miniature universe.

But this is far from over...

A glint flashed in Ling Che's eyes, and a completely transparent crystal suddenly appeared in his palm. This crystal was the core of the Celestial Venerable Realm void life form that his main body had found in the void world, and the massive amount of soul origin power contained within it was comparable to the Celestial Venerable Divine Source.

Without hesitation, he integrated this core into his own spiritual avatar.

"Buzz—"

A terrifying surge of primal soul power instantly flooded Ling Che's divine sea. His spiritual power experienced an even more violent surge!

"Eighty-six steps! Eighty-seven steps! Eighty-eighth steps! Eighty-nine steps!"

In just a few breaths, Ling Che's spiritual power soared to the eighty-ninth level, just one step away from the perfect perfection of the Heavenly Perfection!

"Now, it's my turn!"

Ling Che felt the surging power within his body, and a sharp glint appeared in his eyes. He drew a line with the divine jade brush in his hand once more, and with a turn of the brush, he created a single stroke that opened up the world! A magnificent phantom of a great realm emerged from the tip of the brush, instantly enveloping all twelve Fate Gods of the Temple of Destiny.

Under the absolute suppression of the 89th level of spiritual power, these twelve once invincible peak Taixu Realm gods were like puppets, their divine power completely imprisoned, unable to move even a little, and could only be manipulated by Ling Che, instantly being taken into the world of the painting.

"not good!"

Within the Temple of Destiny's camp, a figure sensed Ling Che's aura surging wildly, his expression changed drastically, and his figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

Just as Ling Che was about to execute the twelve Gods of Fate, a bone-chilling cold suddenly enveloped the entire star field. Alarm bells rang in Ling Che's mind, and without thinking, he abruptly activated the Sacred Book of the Confucian Ancestor in his hand. Countless pages flew out from the Sacred Book, condensing into a boundless sea of ​​books in front of him.

"call out--"

A feather shot out from the void. The feather was burning with raging phoenix flames, and wherever the phoenix flames passed, even the space itself was burned and melted, leaving a dark void.

"Bang—"

The sea of ​​books and the phoenix feathers collided violently, and the golden pages were instantly ignited. The raging phoenix flames swept in all directions, turning the entire sea of ​​books into a sea of ​​fire.

Ling Che's expression remained unchanged as he swiftly drew a circle with his divine jade brush. In an instant, the phoenix flames permeating the starry sky were completely devoured by this circular mark. Then, he moved his brush again, drawing a phantom star field millions of miles long, which he then slammed down upon the approaching figure!

"Phoenix Flame Divine Blaze!"

A clear, cold shout rang out, and a stunningly beautiful woman in a long black dress slowly appeared in the void. It was none other than the Goddess of Death, Feng Caiyi! She formed hand seals, and a phantom of a phoenix, a million miles tall, flashed behind her. The phantom flapped its wings, and a phoenix flame containing an aura of destruction roared out.

"boom--"

The illusory star field and the Phoenix Flame collided violently, and the violent energy aftershocks swept in all directions, causing the surrounding stars to shatter. Both of them swayed and took several steps back, their eyes meeting, both with a hint of solemnity.

After a brief test, they both stopped.

"I never expected that a mere Confucian cultivator like myself would have the honor of attracting the personal attention of the God of Death." Ling Che stood proudly in the void of the star field, his white robes fluttering in the wind. He held the Sacred Book of the Confucian Ancestor in one hand and the Divine Jade Brush in the other. His spiritual power of the eighty-ninth level spread out like a vast sea of ​​stars, suppressing the entire star field. "It seems that the Temple of Destiny values ​​these twelve great gods quite a bit."

"Divine Lord Mingde, now I should address you as Divine Venerable Mingde." Feng Caiyi remained expressionless, but a strange light flashed in her beautiful eyes. "I didn't expect your accumulation to be so profound. Breaking through five realms in a single thought, what a great fortune!"

At that very moment, within the Heavenly Court's main camp, the various divine lords, seeing Feng Caiyi's attack, also broke through the air and descended upon the center of the battlefield. Waves of divine might exceeding the Boundless Realm surged forth, causing the entire star field to tremble violently.

"Feng Caiyi!" War God Bian Zhuang, wielding the Heavenly Bell with divine light swirling across its surface, glared menacingly at Feng Caiyi and roared, "The treaty between the Ten Hell Clans and the Heavenly Palace forbids anyone above the Boundless Realm from taking action on the Kunlun Starfield battlefield! You've crossed that line!"

"I don't need Bian Zhuang to remind me how to act." Feng Caiyi ignored him completely, her beautiful eyes fixed on Ling Che, her attitude extremely arrogant, her words carrying an unyielding resolve, "Mingde God, release the twelve Destiny Gods of my Temple of Destiny, or I will immediately mobilize the army of Hell to attack! The gods of Hell are already prepared; whether you release them or not is up to you!"

"Release them? It's simple." Ling Che's lips curled into a cold smile as he made an outrageous demand: "Hand over to me all the divine sources, divine hearts, and other relics of the Confucian and Daoist deities of the Kunlun Realm!"

"Insolence!" Upon hearing this, Feng Caiyi flew into a rage, her killing intent surging. "How dare you make demands of me! Let's start a war then!"

"Just what I wanted!" Ling Che refused to compromise. The Confucian Ancestor's Sacred Book in his hand shone brightly, and his vast spiritual power surged wildly. "I also want to test what level of combat power I can achieve after breaking through!"

The two simultaneously unleashed their divine power, their terrifying pressure sweeping across the surrounding area. The void surrounding the star field battlefield was distorted and deformed by their divine might, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, as if a single spark could ignite this divine war that would engulf the heavens.

Within the Hellish realm's main camp, all the powerful beings above the level of God-Emperor descended upon the battlefield. The Wrathful God-Emperor of the Temple of Destiny, observing the tense standoff, finally spoke, breaking the deadlock: "In the last divine war, both Heaven and Hell suffered heavy losses. If we were to fight again, I believe no one would be willing to bear such a price. Why not lay out the stakes and let cultivators below the God-Emperor realm compete?"

"The Wrathful God Venerable's words make sense!" Upon hearing this, the Sword Venerable of the Sword God Realm immediately agreed. He stared sharply at Feng Caiyi, his tone carrying a hint of warning, "Since a treaty has been signed, it must be observed! Those above the Boundless Realm are not allowed to make a move!"

Feng Caiyi remained silent, but her mind was racing.

Tens of thousands of years ago, in the war of the gods, many powerful beings from the Hell Realm suffered severe injuries in the battle of Kunlun Realm, and have yet to fully recover. While the Heavenly Court Realm also suffered heavy losses, and Kunlun Realm was completely destroyed, the current major ruling worlds have not suffered significant damage. If another large-scale war of the gods were to break out, the cost to the Hell Realm would likely be unbearable.

Moreover, Ling Che's rise to power is a foregone conclusion. With his spiritual power at the eighty-ninth level, approaching the perfection of the Heavenly Perfection realm, even she would find it difficult to stop him unless Xu Fengjin personally intervened.

"Very well!" Feng Caiyi finally relented, coldly stating, "Let's wager on cultivators below the Divine Realm! If the Heavenly Court loses, they will release the twelve Deities of Life! If the Hell Realm loses, I will hand over the relics of several Confucian and Daoist deities to you!"

"It's a deal!" Ling Che said calmly.

At that moment, both parties made a solemn oath to Heaven and signed an agreement. If they violated this oath, "Heaven and Earth would forsake them, and the divine way would be severed."

Once the agreement was reached, the tense atmosphere across the entire star field slowly dissipated. However, everyone knew that this gamble was not just about the twelve Destiny Gods and the Confucian and Taoist relics, but also about the future格局 (geju, a concept encompassing the overall structure and overall balance of power) of the heavens! A storm that would sweep through cultivators below the Divine Realm was quietly brewing.