The flowers hung rich with fragrance, and a light breeze blew. Heng'er gradually stopped her tears, a flush of embarrassment rising to her face. Aunt Qin stood and came over, her eyes full of excitement.
"Young Master, you... you have finally come back—" She looked Huang Tian over carefully, her face bright with smiles. "Ninety years, and you are still as you were. You have not changed a bit."
Huang Tian smiled. "For a cultivator, a face that does not age is only ordinary. To live on and never die is nothing remarkable either."
Aunt Qin was rather curious. "After your ascension, did you become an immortal?"
Heng'er gave Aunt Qin's sleeve a light tug, as if to tell her not to ask so much.
Seeing this, Huang Tian smiled. "I did not leave by ascension. I went to another world to cultivate. You will know of this soon enough."
Another world?
Aunt Qin and Heng'er were somewhat astonished. All at once, as if remembering something, Aunt Qin slapped her forehead. "Young Master, sit and rest a while. I will have someone prepare food and tea."
"No need. Let us drink in the sky. I will invite the old acquaintances as well, and we shall feast together, to warm the ties of old."
Huang Tian swept his sleeve. In the next moment, Heng'er and Aunt Qin found themselves standing upon a layer of plain white cloud. The white clouds drifted gently, yet joined into a single sheet, solid underfoot.
Upon the clouds, dozens of cloud tables stood in rows, laden with immortal wine and a fine feast. A single whiff was enough to lift the spirit.
Then Huang Tian's will stirred, and dozens of figures were drawn over at once.
Bai Yuanfu, Wan Shenyang, Xia Hong, Nie Kun, Tie Qi, Luo Chan, Wei Shen, Jiang Hou, Instructor Xu, Pavilion Master Xuanji, Shen Dongming, imperial ancestor of the Great Gan royal house, and the Mountain-Carrying Arhat, Master Longding—
"Where is this?!"
"Can I be dreaming?"
"Illusion arts! I have been caught in an illusion!"
"Eh? Master Longding is here too?"
On the clouds, everyone who had just been shifted here stood stunned. Many faces changed sharply, Wei Shen's most of all. He gripped the Juntian Ocean-Subduing Ruler and was the foremost of the five armament masters of the age, and he reckoned his own strength among the top three in the world. He had never imagined that a day would come when he was snatched from his residence into the sky without the slightest power to resist—
"Chief Commander!" Wei Shen caught sight of the dazed Wan Shenyang beside him and called out, only to see the man staring blankly behind him. He hurriedly turned his head.
"Senior Huang?!" His eyes widened, full of disbelief.
At that call, everyone looked toward the sound, and then they saw the figure standing with his hands clasped behind his back. At once, cries of shock rose one after another.
Wan Shenyang was stunned. "Fellow Daoist Huang, you did not ascend?"
Wei Shen was bewildered. "Senior, have you returned from the world beyond ascension?"
Huang Tian smiled gently. "You will know all of these matters before long. Now that every friend is gathered, take your seats, and drink together."
At his words they looked at one another. Though somewhat shocked and doubtful, all wore a look of old remembrance, and said with feeling, "We have not gathered in so many years. We ought to drink our fill."
Everyone took their seats.
No. One was still missing.
Huang Tian raised his eyes to the long sky. His gaze pierced the Gate of Void Origin hidden in the void, and he saw the world behind the gate:
A boundless cosmic field of stars, and a place wreathed in endless black qi—the Forbidden Zone of Primordial Darkness.
Five coffins, gleaming as if gilded gold, boomed open, and five figures walked out.
The moment they appeared, an incomparably terrifying aura spread in every direction. Five beams of blood-colored divine light shot into the heavens and churned the nebulae. Even across the span of a galaxy, they could still be seen with perfect clarity!
"That is—Supremes coming forth?!"
"The Supremes of the forbidden zone, the Dark Turmoil? They have come again to devour the blood essence of all living beings! Why now? Why did I have to meet them? Heaven is unjust!"
"A single Supreme is already a great calamity. Five of them—even if a Great Emperor descended upon the world, he might not overcome them. It is over. Everyone is going to die—"
"Not resisting is death, and resisting is death too. Fight them to the end!"
"What do you have to fight with? These Supremes are all ancient Great Emperors who clung to a wretched life through One-Blade Self-Severance. Their strength now cannot match a Great Emperor, but an ordinary Quasi-Emperor would be hard-pressed to survive even a single exchange with one of them—"
"Quick, bring out the emperor artifact! Protect our Ancient Star!"
"To prolong their lives, the Supremes must devour living beings. But they understand the principle of not draining the pond to catch the fish. Even in a Dark Turmoil, some mortals and cultivators will scrape through alive. Heaven protect us—do not let them fix their eyes on our planet—"
Amid the terror of countless people, the five figures exchanged a glance, then separated, each striding off through the void in a different direction.
"Though I sealed myself within a divine coffin, in the end I still could not withstand the passing of the years—"
Supreme Jiheng let out a soft sigh. He took one step, crossed the starry sky, and arrived before a planet. Then he inhaled sharply. Like a whale swallowing the sea, the whole planet abruptly froze. The blood essence and lifespan of everyone upon it rose like a flood and flew into his open mouth.
"Supreme, spare me—" Someone knelt and begged for mercy, kowtowing madly, tears and snot streaming over the ground.
"Demon! Die!" A martial artist roared in fury and swung his blade, chopping down a stark blade-light a thousand zhang across.
"Mother, Mother, where are you?" A child wept, looking all around.
Cries and furious roars could be heard all over the planet. A great many cultivators charged into the high sky, slashing out blade astral qi and sword light.
Yet none of it meant anything. Beneath the Supreme's mighty power, the vast planet became a dead star in mere moments.
"Not enough. Far too little, far too little!"
Supreme Jiheng strode on. Stardust accompanied his steps, and layer upon layer of ripples rose across the void.
Soon he reached the next planet. With another inhalation, a flood of blood essence poured back into his mouth. In an instant the planet fell deathly silent. Countless withered corpses collapsed upon the ground. At a rough glance, there were as many as several billion!
Killing so many living beings in a moment left him unmoved. He stepped forward again and flew toward the next azure planet.
A short while later, he was no more than a million li from the azure planet. He could see the countless panicked cultivators and mortals upon it—fear, curses, weeping, calm, disgust—
"Nothing but a swarm of ants."
Supreme Jiheng was indifferent. A god—how could a god care about the feelings of ants?
Curses or worship—die, all of you!
He opened his mouth. A vast force of suction arose. The enormous planet froze in a flash, and the terrified faces of countless people locked where they were.
Suddenly.
"Boom!"
Above the azure planet, the void blew apart. Streaming clouds were shredded, and furious winds raged. A figure stepped out of that turbulent flow.
His face was lean and finely drawn, his brows and eyes spare and calm. His long hair was bound with a white jade hairpin, and his dark robe was black as night.
"Who is that?" On the ground, someone asked in joyous surprise.
"Yin Fenghai! Invincible Yin! He is actually on our Hongdou Star?"
"One man, and he forced the Three Ancient Clans to retreat and made the scions of emperors bow their heads. With the Immortal-Demon Dual Phenomena Primordial Art, he stands supreme among Quasi-Emperors!"
"In nearly a thousand years, not a single defeat—Invincible Yin! Word is that he is only one step from Great Emperor, and has been living in seclusion, shut away in cultivation. Who would have thought he was on Hongdou Star? We are saved!!"
"Yin Fenghai? A Quasi-Emperor?" Supreme Jiheng had clearly heard the talk on Hongdou Star. His brows drew slightly together, then soon smoothed, and he smiled faintly. "A Quasi-Emperor. His blood essence ought to be full—enough for me to enjoy a proper meal."
A Quasi-Emperor was not a Great Emperor, after all. However strong, he could never truly be his match.
Hearing this, Yin Fenghai's expression did not change. Only his gaze grew sharper still, piercing a million li of sky as his will to fight rose.
He lifted a hand and, toward the emptiness before him, clenched it hard!
"Ring!!!"
A metallic cry, clear to the utmost and thick with slaughter, resounded through heaven and earth!
That sound burst open right beside every person's ear, and in the depths of heart and soul!
In the next instant, a long halberd was seized in his grasp.
It was the very Gold-Traced Painted Halberd he had used in the Five Directions Realm!
Its length seemed unfixed. Across the ink-jade body of the halberd, dark-gold dragon patterns swam and let out low roars.
On one side, a crescent blade reflected cold, brilliant starlight as its chill gleam flowed. On the other was a spear tip, breathing out cold radiance.
As he gripped the halberd, his bearing changed at once. A domineering, savage aura—himself alone supreme—swept every direction like a tide!
Standing in the void, it was as though he were a war god who held conquest and destruction in his hands!
"Come!!"
With an explosive shout that shook the river of stars, the Gold-Traced Painted Halberd pierced the void and fell with savage force!
Silver-white, dazzling halberd light, like a violent demon dragon tearing the sea of stars, roared toward Supreme Jiheng!
Feeling the might bearing down on him, Supreme Jiheng showed a trace of emotion in his eyes. His will moved, and an ancient, heavy great cauldron appeared before him.
"Clang!"
The halberd light chopped down and crashed solidly into the ancient cauldron!
Blinding radiance turned the starry sky a deathly white. The vast aftermath threw the streaming clouds over Hongdou Star into disorder. Rosy light of every color burst forth, at once terrifying and extraordinarily magnificent.
"Again!"
Yin Fenghai gave a long whistle. His black hair danced wildly, the muscles of his arms bulged, and he swung the Gold-Traced Painted Halberd like the giant axe of a demon god splitting open heaven.
His moves were vast and open. At times they were like a heavenly peng swooping to strike, tearing the sky and splitting the earth. At times they were like a demon dragon lashing its tail, sweeping across a thousand reaches of the cosmos!
The halberd shadows raged. Each strike was as heavy as a star of billions upon billions of jun, pounding the void into surging waves.
Supreme Jiheng wielded the ancient cauldron—now suppressing, now pressing, now crashing, now drawing in—steady as a divine mountain from ages beyond memory!
For a time, halberd shadows filled the sky and the heavy cauldron spanned the void. The two fought to a deadlock. Falling stars were pounded into powder, streaming away to become countless motes of dust in the starry void.
"This strong?!"
The longer Supreme Jiheng fought, the more his heart shook. Although he had undergone One-Blade Self-Severance and fallen from the Great Emperor realm, he was absolutely not someone a mere Quasi-Emperor could stand against. An ordinary Quasi-Emperor, he could kill in one or two blows!
And this Yin Fenghai—
"Only a Quasi-Emperor, yet he can fight me without falling behind. If he attains Great Emperor, what then? Would he not overturn the Three Great Forbidden Zones?!"
His thoughts raced. He was just about to withdraw first, gather the other Supremes, and surround and kill Yin Fenghai to remove this future threat, when his expression suddenly shifted. Instead he raised the cauldron and smashed it thunderously toward Yin Fenghai!
Yin Fenghai was about to lift his halberd and meet it head-on, when suddenly—
"Ching!"
A streak of blood light appeared without the slightest warning from the void at his side and rear!
That blood light grew larger and larger, and in a flash became a boundless sea of blood, heaving and churning!
A long saber thrust out of the blood sea. Its blade was narrow and long, crimson from end to end.
This strike was vicious, treacherous, and wickedly timed. Carrying a shocking reek of blood and a will to kill, it chopped straight for Yin Fenghai's neck.
In front, the ancient cauldron crashed down to suppress, sealing every direction and making space itself sluggish. Behind, a saber hidden in the blood sea struck to kill.
In this crisis, Yin Fenghai's pupils contracted sharply. He forcibly twisted the halberd shaft. The blade drew an arc of light. First the crescent blade at the halberd's side knocked against the blood-colored saber edge attacking from behind; then the shaft swept across with the motion, carrying tremendous force toward the ancient cauldron bearing down in front.
"Ring! Clang!"
Changing moves in haste and splitting his strength to defend, he barely took the combined assault, but in the end he could not fully dispel the force that remained.
"Boom!"
Yin Fenghai's body jolted violently, and he could not help retreating step after step. Every step he took shook the void.
He raised the halberd, used the momentum to steady himself, and stood in the void, his face faintly pale. The Gold-Traced Painted Halberd lay across before him, its edge breathing cold light, pointing from afar at the two Supremes.
"A pity." Supreme Shenhua, the blood-red long saber in hand, gave a light click of his tongue when he saw the killing strike had failed.
"Despicable!" On Hongdou Star, many people cursed in anger.
"A sneak attack, the many bullying the few—have they not even a shred of the spirit of the strong?!"
"Heh. The spirit of the strong? If they had any, they would not seize the blood essence of all living beings to prolong their lives. Conduct like this—how is it any different from demons and beasts!"
"Alas, it is over. That Yin Fenghai could fight Supreme Jiheng to a draw was already beyond belief. Now he must face two Supremes. Unless he becomes a Great Emperor on the spot, he is certain to die. If he dies, we are dead for sure—"
"I do not want to die! There are still so many fine foods I have not eaten, and I have not even touched a beauty. To die now would be too great a loss!"
"Let us charge up and help him!"
"Ridiculous. You cannot even withstand the aftermath, and you talk of helping—"
Facing the two Supremes, Yin Fenghai slowly let out a breath. "Supremes. So this is all they amount to."
Supreme Shenhua sneered. "In this world, who is going to speak to you of fairness and justice? The many bullying the few is the proper way!"
Supreme Jiheng said, "Your ability is indeed not bad. But even if Shenhua had not struck, if the fight went on, you still would not be my match."
"You?"
Yin Fenghai looked at him with cold eyes, his gaze proud and unyielding. "In more than a thousand years of cultivation to this day, I have suffered only one defeat. That person—I truly was no match for him. I lost, and I accepted it completely. But you? What kind of thing are you?!"
As the words fell, he leapt into the air. The long halberd was like a dragon. Carrying the might to shatter stars, it swept aside the rolling currents of the void and smashed thunderously down upon Supreme Jiheng!!
Supreme Jiheng grew rather heated with anger. His right hand hefted the great cauldron and swept it across at the long halberd. Supreme Shenhua waited at the side for an opening, and the blood saber probed out with vicious cunning.
An ever more violent battle erupted. A chilling will to kill swept the void like a tide!
They fought for a short while. Yin Fenghai still seemed at ease, but his strength was gradually failing him. These were, after all, two Supremes who had once stood at the summit as Great Emperors, and their coordination was seamless. That he could hold out this long was already rare.
"Cannot hold on?" Seeing his chance, Supreme Jiheng mocked him. "Did you not style yourself invincible? As I see it, you are nothing much."
Supreme Shenhua's expression was indifferent. The long saber in his hand only chopped out now and then at tricky angles, forcing Yin Fenghai to answer with care.
"Boom!"
In the instant the halberd and the cauldron crashed together once more—
The sky suddenly grew bright.
No. The cosmos grew bright!
Beyond the endless river of stars, two lights abruptly shone. Those lights were a pair of eyes.
Their form blazed, their might overwhelmed. In the instant they appeared, the boundless void turned suddenly bright.
The stars that had been brilliant, the nebulae that had been magnificent, even the radiance of weapons clashing on the battlefield—set beside them, all were like candle flames before the great sun!
Just so, this pair of giant eyes abruptly threw open the curtain of the cosmos, came sweeping across the heavens, and shone through every quarter!
Chapter 226