37: Chapter 37 The Four Saints Locked in Coffins - The Heavenly Dao Retires

“The Four Symbols Formation?” Jiang Chen sneered. “A mere parlor trick.”

“For this seat—break!”

He threw a punch with momentum as vast as a rainbow, and that desert world shattered with a crash like a glass mirror!

In the outside world, Xuanwu’s body jolted violently as blood surged from the corners of his mouth.

“How is this possible! He is only at the mid-stage of the Heavenly Venerate realm, yet his combat power far exceeds the Great Perfection!” Xuanwu’s face was filled with shock, unable to believe it.

As the desert shattered, Jiang Chen’s vision shifted again. Before him lay a desolate domain ravaged by chaotic astral winds; the fierce winds were like knives, cutting wildly from all directions.

Without even a frown, he threw another punch.

Rumble—

The astral winds exploded and space collapsed, yet in an instant, the storm reconvened.

“This is somewhat interesting.” The corners of Jiang Chen’s lips curled slightly as he activated the Devouring Laws within his body.

“Since they cannot be cut away completely, then... I shall swallow them all!”

Roar!

He opened his massive mouth like a Taotie descending upon the world. A terrifying suction swept in all directions, and all the chaotic astral winds were swallowed into his belly like rivers flowing into the sea.

The wind stopped; the domain was destroyed.

Pfft! Baihu suddenly spat out blood, his nose and mouth stained red. His eyes were full of terror as he couldn't help but gasp.

“This... this guy can actually devour chaotic astral winds!?”

Immediately after, Qinglong and Zhuque also spat blood in succession, their faces pale. The formation worlds they had manifested were all dismantled by Jiang Chen's devouring method.

Boom—

The Four Symbols Formation was broken!

The white-haired demon god stood proudly in the void, looking down at the Four Great Sacred Beasts with an aura as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea.

“You thought you could trap this seat with just these little tricks? Utterly laughable!”

Jiang Chen’s expression was arrogant, his gaze sharp as a blade and filled with disdain.

“Hold nothing back, suppress him with everything!” Qinglong roared. The Four Great Sacred Beasts immediately joined forces, each unleashing their strongest divine techniques. The heavens and earth lost their color, and the ten thousand paths wailed.

Jiang Chen, however, felt no fear but joy instead, his fighting spirit soaring.

Since his birth, he had never truly had a hearty battle. Whether it was the Primeval Era where fierce beasts ran rampant or the epoch where gods and demons vied for supremacy, every time he made a move, he crushed his opponents with overwhelming force; no one could withstand a single strike.

Now, someone had finally forced him to go all out. The fighting spirit he had suppressed for ten thousand years erupted like a volcano, surging uncontrollably!

Rumble—

Fighting the four saints alone, he showed no signs of flagging. Instead, he grew stronger as the battle progressed, suppressing them step by step.

Ten thousand years passed in a flash. The Four Great Sacred Beasts were already covered in wounds, panting incessantly.

Yet Jiang Chen’s aura remained as it was at the start, perhaps even greater than before, his combat power remaining at its peak.

“What kind of monster is this! Not only is he immune to the erosion of laws, but he can even devour our attacks!” Qinglong cried out with a trembling voice.

Baihu, Zhuque, and Xuanwu all showed fear. No matter what ultimate technique they used, Jiang Chen absorbed them all, turning them to his own use. His momentum climbed steadily, faintly breaking through the limits of the Heavenly Venerate and approaching an even more profound realm.

“Is this... all you've got?” Jiang Chen shook his head slightly, his tone indifferent. “You truly disappoint this seat.”

At these words, the Four Great Sacred Beasts almost vomited blood.

On the other side, the samsara millstone was still confronting the Heavenly Dao. The two were at a stalemate, neither able to completely suppress the other.

Logically speaking, the power of the Heavenly Dao should far exceed the samsara millstone.

However, the Heavenly Dao had only just awakened, and its power was only comparable to the early stage of the Sovereign realm. Meanwhile, the samsara millstone was the source of the Samsara World, the manifestation of the Earthly Dao. The Samsara World itself was a Sovereign-level existence, so the two were evenly matched in their confrontation.

Thus, both sides fell into a deadlock, neither able to completely suppress the other.

But the ones who suffered were the sentient beings of the Great Desolation.

One moment their life force would be severed, their souls returning to reincarnation; the next, their spiritual consciousness would be regathered by the Heavenly Dao, returning to their physical bodies. This cycle repeated endlessly, nearly causing them to lose their sanity.

Hongjun and Luo Hou were in such a state, not knowing if they were alive or dead—their consciousness would suddenly dissipate into nothingness, only to regain clarity an instant later, as if constantly wandering on the edge of life and death.

This kind of torture was far worse than true death.

One hundred thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Chen stood upon the earth, looking down at the Four Great Sacred Beasts whose auras were now weak. His eyes held neither sorrow nor joy. He pressed his palm against the bronze coffin, and a vast devouring force swept out, locking the four beasts firmly.

“Not good!”

The expressions of the Four Great Sacred Beasts changed drastically. They wanted to struggle, but they were already at the end of their ropes, powerless to resist.

They could only watch helplessly as they were slowly swallowed by that giant bronze coffin.

At that very moment, four True Spirits burst out from their bodies, soaring into the highest heavens and merging into the eye of heavenly dao hanging high above the world.

Jiang Chen did not stop them; instead, the corners of his mouth curled slightly—his goal had been achieved.

He looked up at the eye of heavenly dao and spoke coldly: “Heavenly Dao, shall we continue?”

The eye of heavenly dao trembled slightly, revealing a hint of anger. It gave Jiang Chen a cold sweep before vanishing into the void, no longer leaving a trace.

With its withdrawal, the samsara millstone quietly transformed, turning into a Samsara Lotus Pedestal shrouded in purple mist, slowly sinking into the depths of the Great Desolation's ley lines.

From then on, the struggle between the Earthly Dao and the Heavenly Dao finally came to a close.

The billions of sentient beings in the Great Desolation were finally freed from their shackles.

Hongjun and Luo Hou collapsed backward, a long-lost peace appearing on their faces. In the final moment before they lost consciousness, both wore smiles of relief—finally, they no longer had to endure the torment of that cycle of life and death.

Jiang Chen withdrew his divine powers. With purple hair falling over his shoulders and dressed in imperial robes, his expression was composed and a smile played on his lips.

The gains from this battle were extremely bountiful.

At the foot of Mount Buzhou, the Twelve Ancestral Witches witnessed the eye of heavenly dao being forced back and immediately roared with excitement.

“The Clan Leader is invincible! Even the Heavenly Dao is no match for him!”

“Hahaha—this is the leader of our Pangu Clan! Awe-inspiring across the heavens!”

“Mere Heavenly Dao dared to provoke the Clan Leader? It's scared now! It's chickened out!”

High in the sky, Jiang Chen seemed to sense something. With a flash of his body, he instantly descended before the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Seeing that the person who suddenly appeared was indeed Jiang Chen, Di Jiang’s face turned pale and his voice trembled: “Clan... Clan Leader!”

The excitement on the other Ancestral Witches' faces instantly froze.

Only Zhu Rong still stepped forward with a foolish grin, giving a thumbs up and shouting at the top of his lungs: “Clan Leader, you’re awesome— (voice cracks)”

“Slap!”

With a crisp sound, Zhu Rong flew backward like a broken kite, embedding himself deep into the mountain rock. A silly smile still hung on his face, clearly not having processed what happened.

“You have quite some nerve.” Jiang Chen’s gaze was cold as ice. “To dare leave the Pangu Hall without my permission!”

As his voice fell, an extremely cold aura permeated the air, forcing the Twelve Ancestral Witches to kneel together, their bodies trembling with fear.

Their fear of Jiang Chen was bone-deep—not only because the purest Pangu Bloodline flowed within him, but also because he had constantly tempered and ravaged them since their birth. Every training session was near-fatal.

Even the youngest, Xuan Ming and Hou Tu, had not escaped those agonizing experiences.

“Clan Leader, this matter was decided by me alone. Please punish me!” Di Jiang gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

“Big Brother!”

The other Ancestral Witches looked at him with admiration, thinking to themselves: This is truly our elder brother!

Di Jiang felt his brothers' admiration and his heart warmed. He waved his hand, feigning composure: “This is my responsibility as the eldest brother.”

“Wait, no, Big Brother. You were clearly the one who came up with this idea; it had nothing to do with us.” Zhu Jiuyin suddenly spoke up.

“...” Di Jiang froze.