190: The Soul's Advancement and the Demon Ancestor's End

Xu Ling Hall, the shattered floating island.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Two figures collided madly in the Void Realm, every exchange triggering violent tremors in space. The remaining ruins of the surrounding palaces turned to powder under the shockwaves.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Yuancha Holy Ancestor (Demonized Clone) was currently filled with shock and fury.

She had originally thought she was just crushing a slightly stronger ant, but once they exchanged blows, she discovered that this was no ant, but clearly a prehistoric Vicious Beast in human skin!

"Demonic Blade: Soul Slash!"

The wings behind Yuan Sha's back flapped violently, and countless black feathers transformed into pitch-black demonic blades. Carrying the power of Law that corroded the Primordial Spirit, they shot toward Zhou Wannian, blotting out the sky.

"Flashy but useless."

Zhou Wannian (Han Li) floated in mid-air. Facing an attack capable of instantly killing an ordinary Nascent Soul Late Stage Cultivator, he didn't even blink.

"Magnetic Force Domain."

Buzz!

With him as the center, the area within a thousand feet instantly turned into a grey world.

Once those overwhelming black demonic blades entered this Domain, it was as if they had fallen into a quagmire, their speed instantly slowing by more than tenfold. Even more terrifyingly, their originally condensed Devilish Qi structure actually began to dissipate on its own under the interference of the Magnetic Force.

"Five Elements as one, impervious to all techniques."

Zhou Wannian took a step forward, his figure like lightning. He actually passed directly through the dense rain of demonic blades and appeared before Yuancha Holy Ancestor.

"You... how could your Physical Body withstand the backlash of the Magnetic Force?!" Yuan Sha was greatly shocked.

"Because I'm tough."

A cold sneer curled at the corner of Zhou Wannian's mouth.

After thirty years of baptism by the reverse spirit qi, combined with the Major Achievement of the Vidyaraja Incantation, his current Physical Body strength was already comparable to a Peak Rank Eight Yao Beast (Late Transformation Stage).

"Take a punch from me!"

Zhou Wannian's right arm instantly swelled, and a layer of golden scales appeared on the surface of his skin. This was the "Golden Body Mode," a Fusion of Demonic Techniques and Yao Cultivation Secret Arts.

"Boom!"

A punch was thrown, and space collapsed.

Yuancha Holy Ancestor only had time to shield her chest with her wings.

"Crack!"

That pair of incredibly hard demonic wings, comparable to top-tier ancient treasures, was actually snapped by this single punch!

"Ahhh!!!"

Yuancha Holy Ancestor screamed as she was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the ground of the floating island below, creating a bottomless pit.

"Is this the power of the Nascent Soul Late Stage?"

Zhou Wannian looked at his fist, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

If it were thirty years ago, he would have had to use the void heaven cauldron to resist this strike, but now, he could face it head-on!

"It's not over yet."

Zhou Wannian beckoned with one hand.

"Tiezhu, lock down the airspace!"

"Understood, Master."

Tiezhu 4.0, who had been hiding in the shadows, output full power from its black void meteoric iron reactor. A black light barrier instantly enveloped the entire floating island, cutting off Yuan Sha's escape route.

"Junior! You go too far!!!"

From the ruins, Yuancha Holy Ancestor rushed out with disheveled hair. Her demonic body was covered in cracks; clearly, that punch just now had damaged her Origin.

"This palace is a Saint Realm Ancestor! How could I be defeated by a Lower Realm ant like you!"

"Soul Fusion Grand Technique! Demon Sovereign Descends!"

A hint of madness flashed in Yuan Sha's eyes.

She actually began to burn the original demonic Soul of this Clone, attempting to forcibly summon a sliver of her main body's True Spirit to descend. Although this would completely ruin the Clone, the brief power gained would be enough to destroy this Spatial Node!

"Buzz—"

A pressure ten times more terrifying than before began to condense above Yuan Sha's head. In the Void Realm, a massive Demonic Eye, filled with an ancient and weathered aura, slowly opened.

With just a single glance from that Demonic Eye, the Yuan Ci Divine Light around Zhou Wannian's body began to tremble violently, as if it would shatter at any moment.

"Not good! She's summoning a True Demon!"

In the distance, Liu Shuier cried out, "Fellow Daoist Li, retreat! That is power beyond Soul Transformation!"

"Retreat? Retreat where?"

Zhou Wannian's expression was grave, but he was not flustered.

"Summoning a True Demon, are we?"

"Seeing whose helper is more ruthless, are we?"

Zhou Wannian patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist.

"Train an army for a thousand days, use it for a moment."

"Dead monkey, stop sleeping! It's time to eat!!!"

"Roar—!!!"

A world-shaking roar came from the spirit beast pouch.

This time, the movement of the Ti Hun Beast coming out was somewhat different.

It was no longer in the form of that big-nosed little monkey. After devouring countless ghosts and even absorbing quite a bit of reverse spirit qi in the Xu Ling Hall, it had evolved.

A giant ape three zhang tall, pitch-black all over, with a tumor on its back and eyes like blood-red suns, crashed to the ground.

[Xing Beast · Complete Form].

As soon as it appeared, that True Demon Eye floating in mid-air actually showed a rare... hint of wariness?

"A Xing Beast?! You actually raised a Xing Beast?!"

Yuancha Holy Ancestor's voice even changed its pitch. "This thing has long been extinct in the Saint Realm! How could you have one?!"

Xing Beasts specifically counter demonic Souls and ghost creatures; they are the nemesis of the Demon Realm's imperial clan!

"Roar!"

The Tihun giant ape didn't waste any words. Looking at that burning demonic Soul, its drool was almost flowing out.

It slammed its chest violently, and the tumor on its back burst open, spraying out a murky yellow, eerie glow.

This was the Ti Hun Beast's innate Divine Ability—[Soul-Snatching Divine Light].

"Zzz—"

The glow instantly wrapped around Yuancha Holy Ancestor, as well as that True Demon Eye that had just formed above her head.

"No!!! My demonic Soul!!!"

Yuan Sha let out a shrill scream.

She felt her Soul being forcibly torn from her body by an invisible giant hand. That was the Split Soul she had accumulated over tens of thousands of years while lurking in the Great Jin!

"Suck!"

The Tihun giant ape snorted forcefully.

Whoosh—!!!

That True Demon Eye with its world-overwhelming pressure, along with most of the demonic Soul within Yuancha Holy Ancestor's Clone body, was sucked into the Ti Hun Beast's nostrils like noodles, without any dignity.

"Burp~"

The giant ape let out a satisfied burp and patted its stomach. The black fur on its body instantly became sleek and shiny, and its aura directly surged to a level... comparable to the Nascent Soul Late Stage!

"Thud."

Having lost the support of the demonic Soul, Yuancha Holy Ancestor's demonized shell collapsed onto the ground like a pile of mud.

Although she wasn't completely dead (a tiny Remnant Soul remained), she was thoroughly ruined.

"That's... it?"

Purple Spirit and Liu Shuier watched this scene, feeling as if they were in a dream.

The Demon Ancestor's Clone, which was just about to destroy heaven and earth, was eaten as a snack by a monkey?

"It's not over yet."

Zhou Wannian stepped forward, looking at the demonized body still twitching on the ground.

"This body was refined by Ancient Cultivators, and the Materials are not bad; it can serve as spare parts for Tiezhu."

"As for this Remnant Soul..."

The black wind flag appeared in Zhou Wannian's hand.

"Just right, my black wind flag is still missing an 'Artifact Spirit'."

"Though it's a bit damaged, it's a Demon Ancestor's Split Soul after all. It'll do."

"Collect!"

The Black Wind swept out, directly sealing Yuancha Holy Ancestor's final consciousness into the flag.

Thus.

This Demon Realm giant, who had stirred up a bloodbath in the Great Jin and struck terror into the hearts of countless Cultivators in Kunwu Mountain, had completely become Zhou Wannian's spoils of war... After cleaning up the battlefield.

Zhou Wannian looked up.

The space of Xu Ling Hall was already extremely unstable, and the great battle just now had caused the rules here to begin collapsing.

"This place is not suitable for a long stay."

"It's time to go back."

Zhou Wannian looked at Liu Shuier.

"Palace Master, can the Teleportation Formation over there still be used?"

Liu Shuier checked the Teleportation Formation deep in the hall and shook her head. "The Formation core is damaged; directional teleportation is impossible. If we force it to start, we might be randomly teleported to any corner of the Human Realm."

"Random teleportation?"

Zhou Wannian's brow furrowed slightly.

Random teleportation carried extreme risks. With bad luck, one could be teleported directly into volcanic lava, or... into a Yao Beast den.

But there was no other way now.

"Let's take a gamble."

Zhou Wannian waved his hand, gathering everyone together.

"void heaven cauldron! Protect!"

"Yuan Ci Divine Light! Defend!"

"black wind flag! Clear the way!"

Three layers of the strongest defense were activated.

"Go!"

Everyone stepped into the Teleportation Formation.

Rumble————————————

A dizzying sensation... who knows how much time passed.

"Splash!"

Zhou Wannian felt as if he had fallen into water.

Cold, salty seawater instantly submerged his mouth and nose.

"Is this... the sea?"

Zhou Wannian lunged out of the water, his Divine Sense instantly sweeping across a thousand miles.

The next moment.

His expression became extremely vivid.

"This place..."

"Why does it look so familiar?"

On the distant sea surface, there was a massive island shaped like a gourd.

The Spiritual Qi on the island was thin, and there were many Mortals, but at the very top of the island, there was a Taoist temple emitting a faint spiritual light.

Was that... [Chaotic Star Sea · Kuixing Island]?

No!

Zhou Wannian looked closer.

That wasn't Kuixing Island.

That was... some sea area near [Tiannan · Yue State · Tainan Mountain]?

Wait, Yue State doesn't have a sea?

Zhou Wannian's mind was a bit muddled.

Just then, a merchant ship with a skull flag sailed from a distance. The Cultivators on the ship were speaking in an authentic... "Look! There's someone in the sea!"

"It's a Cultivator!"

"Eh? This accent... why does it sound like it's from the 'Great Jin' side?"

Zhou Wannian was stunned.

Great Jin?

Was he still in the Great Jin?

But why was the Spiritual Qi here so thin, almost like the Mortal Realm?

"Old man, may I ask where this place is?"

Zhou Wannian flew and landed on the deck, releasing a bit of his Foundation Establishment Stage aura, scaring the ship's captain into kneeling and kowtowing.

"Re... replying to the Immortal Master."

"This is the edge of the 'Five Dragon Sea'."

"If you go thirty thousand miles further east, you will reach the 'Tianji Pavilion' of the Great Jin."

Five Dragon Sea?

Zhou Wannian's heart stirred.

That old ghost Xiang Zhili had said that the most prosperous places in the Great Jin were the Central State and the Five Dragon Sea.

Moreover... within the Five Dragon Sea, there seemed to be a place even more mysterious than Kunwu Mountain.

The legendary—[Tianlan Saint Temple]?

No, it's something more important... another alternative site for the [Ascension Node]!

"It seems this random teleportation was quite skillful."

Zhou Wannian wiped the seawater from his face and smiled.

"Since we are here, we might as well make the best of it."

"Purple Spirit, Palace Master Liu."

Zhou Wannian released the two women from the void heaven cauldron.

"Welcome to the Five Dragon Sea."

"Our next stop..."

"To go into this sea and catch a big fish."