Lord Xue Ying Volume 10 Chapter 9-26

Book 10: Chapter 9 - One Spear Kill

Back in White River Town, the Dong Yu Restaurant was bustling with activity as guests came to and fro.

Xue Ying returned from the outside and entered the restaurant.

"Owner, back from another painting trip?"

"Boss Dong Bo really is an interesting person.."

Some of the regulars greeted Xue Ying, to which he replied with a smile and a few words. Xue Ying quickly reached his special spot upstairs and then asked the waiter to bring him two portions of appetizers and a pot of wine. He ate and drank alone for a moment before he was joined by Jing Qiu, who was dressed in dark blue robes. She kept a spell always active to conceal her appearance, so people only saw her as an average beauty..

Upon becoming a Transcendent, her appearance was further enhanced, and she was hailed as the most beautiful woman in the entire Xia Clan. Without that concealment, there was no way for any ordinary mortal woman to match her appearance. If she were to expose her real appearance, there would be an endless stream of people disturbing them.

"Xue Ying." Sitting opposite to Xue Ying, Jing Qiu's eyes held a hint of anxiousness. "How did your meeting with the group from the Temple of the Earth God go?"

Xue Ying showed a helpless smile. "What else could it have been? They didn't have me in their eyes at all."

"Didn't have you in their eyes? Since they asked you to go over, it means they were ready to take you along. How can it be that they didn't hold you in their eyes?" Jing Qiu anxiously asked.

"From start to finish, they didn't care about me." Xue Ying drank a glass of wine and continued, "They already knew I can't use Transcendent Qi, so I'm unable to wield Deity artifacts. They had no expectations of my strength. When I first arrived, they gave me a test which I passed without issue, but in the end, it was all for naught. They were only after Deity-grade scrolls."

"Deity-grade scrolls?" Jing Qiu startled.

"Right. They weren't that kind-hearted. What they really sought was for us to give them Deity-grade scrolls. They first demanded ten, and later lowered the amount to five and not one fewer. They can keep dreaming!" Xue Ying let out a cold laugh.

Having lived together with Xue Ying for many years, Jing Qiu understood his temperament. She knew that he could never have asked someone to hand those scrolls over for him. To him, doing that would have been worse than death.

He could make an exception when it came to some things, but in certain matters, he refused to back down!

"What will we do then?" Jing Qiu asked.

"Here, eat some of this salad." With an 'aah' sound, Xue Ying smiled and fed Jing Qiu a piece of meat.

"I'm really worried, you really…." Jing Qiu helplessly opened her mouth.

"There's nothing to be worried about. The path is clear, and there's nothing we can do about it. I just need to enter alone. In the past, Ancestor Black Wind had been able to return alive. I think that, like him, I can keep my life and return," Xue Ying confidently said.

Palace Head Chen suddenly sent over a transmission. He was concerned about Xue Ying's situation. Xue Ying held nothing back and revealed everything regarding the situation to him, even specifically saying, "Palace Head Chen, you can't give the outsiders those scrolls! You know how I am; if you hand them over…"

"Xue Ying, you're really… Rest assured, even if I wanted to hand them over, a matter as big as dishing out five Deity-grade scrolls is not something I can decide alone. I would need an unanimous vote from the Elders' Gathering," Palace Head Chen transmitted back.

With the threat of the Sorcerer God and the Great Demonic God looming over them, this time was critical for the Xia Clan. Even the Ancestors were monitoring their native place. To bring out five Deity-grade scrolls at a time like this, he not only needed approval from the Elders' Gathering, he even had to report it to the Ancestors.

"That's good then." Xue Ying laughed.

Xue Ying spent his day leisurely at the White River Town. Entering the Crimson Rock Mountain in a group would have been preferable, but he had no issue with going alone either.

As he waited, Palace Head Chen informed him that there were already three groups of outsiders which arrived in the Xia Clan World. One was from the Temple of the Earth God, one from the Bloodshed Tavern, and the last one was a group which included the Meishan Clan Master who had already entered the Xia Clan World a long time ago.

"Spearmanship requires a firm, proper foundation. Without it, one will not improve properly."

In the northern courtyard, behind the restaurant, Xue Ying was wielding an ordinary spear. He displayed several spear motions in front of his students. All of them, young or old, and especially those who had been there that day and witnessed his might, earnestly followed his movements. Despite him ordering them to not spread information about that incident from that day to others, they all looked towards Xue Ying with enthusiasm. In truth, Xue Ying didn't mind even if that matter were to spread, since he and Jing Qiu were going to leave the restaurant shortly after either way. That was also why he was giving pointers. Before his departure, Xue Ying wanted to teach this group of students some more.

Hu. Each of his moves were simple but in harmony with nature. They touched the fundamental power of the material world. They even held some of Xue Ying's understanding towards spearmanship.

"Mn?" Xue Ying frowned slightly.

At a distance of 4000 kilometers from Xue Ying's restaurant, there was a ravine containing a large, flourishing village with more than a thousand households. This village was filled with children running around, women doing laundry or cooking, and men foraging or farming to make a living.

"Children, it's time to go home. It'll be dinner time soon."

"I'll spank you if you don't want to go home."

The men were laughing while the children quickly ran away.

At that moment…

"Mn?"

A person with the appearance of an ordinary peddler with his goods on his shoulder arrived at the entrance of the village. He coldly glanced over it. This village is decently sized, and has more than 6000 villagers. Since it's not too far, but not too close to the nearest village either, I can probably stay here for around half a year without being detected by the Xia Clan Transcendents. I'll eat my fill during this time.

The real identity of this peddler was that of a demon. After all but one of their generals were killed, the ordinary demons could only rely on themselves to survive.

"Father, father, there's someone selling food. Quickly, let's take a look. Quickly!" a child happily yelled as he saw the peddler nearing.

"Such tenderness." The peddler's eyes turned red as its body swelled and transformed into a three meters tall green, ugly demon with a snake-like body, its mucus-covered tongue occasionally sticking out of its mouth. The kid who previously wore a happy expression was shocked into silence.

"Give it to me!" the demon said. A strand of berserk dark magic emerged from its body as this green-scaled demon tried to fervently swallow every soul in the village as fast as it could.

Suddenly…

Xue Ying demonstrated his spearmanship in front of his group of students. "The spear can be used for defense, or offense, with limitless possibilities." He accurately performed several thrusting and sweeping motions.

At the exact moment the huge, ugly, green demon exposed itself and the dark magic began converging…

Hu!

A spear appeared out of nothingness and, with a straight thrust, pierced the green demon right in the middle of his eyebrows. The demon was stunned as its body, including its hard bones, its storage space and all of its other items began crumbling so fast it was invisible to the naked eye. The onlookers could only see as its shattered pieces soon disappeared into thin air.

The spear that pierced the demon also vanished.

Back in the northern courtyard behind the Dong Yu Restaurant, Xue Ying retracted his spear and inwardly shook his head. These demons lurk around within our Xia Clan World and come out whenever they please. Xue Ying shouted to his students, "All of you need to practice more."

Xue Ying sat down on a small tool beside the practice field, cold sweat covering his face. The hexing poison was flaring up again. It was at that time that Palace Head Chen suddenly transmitted over, "Xue Ying, Xue Ying, I have good news! Good news, perhaps heaven-sent news! The group from the Bloodshed tavern is willing to take you along to the Crimson Rock Mountain!"

      

Book 10: Chapter 10 - Look of Anger, Desire to Rend

"Palace Head Chen, did the commander of the Bloodshed Tavern team approach you? Did you send any Deity-grade scrolls over?" Xue Ying also became excited upon hearing these news. He was naturally willing to follow a team if given the opportunity. After all, these teams had incredible combat power and their comprehensions of the realms were also deep. Furthermore, each member had a Deity weapon and many other treasures prepared for this venture into the Crimson Rock Mountain.

As for him?

In truth, he didn't own any weapons and had to depend on his own combat power. His most precious treasures he had returned to the Xia Clan! He was also alone, and despite his confidence, the difficulty would have increased to about ten times the normal if he was to enter by himself.

"Rest assured. I would have never sent any Deity-grade scrolls over; I do not even have the authority to do so," Palace Head Chen transmitted back. "It was the commander of the Bloodshed Tavern team himself who took the initiative to mention this matter!"

"I'll have to go visit them." Xue Ying's heart was filled with gratitude.

The headquarters of the Bloodshed Tavern was situated in an ordinary-looking county. The incredibly large tavern spanned over an area of almost a kilometer, and was bustling with activity.

A large number of courtyards could be found behind the tavern, and it was in one of these courtyards that the team of Demigods from the Deity world was located.

"Manor Master, that Dong Bo Xue Ying is merely a Saint Transcendent. He's been afflicted with the Six Ghosts Resentment hexing poison, and he's certainly isn't the strongest person in this mortal world. Won't he just be in the way if we take him along to the Crimson Rock Mountain?" An old man with a goatee was harping on this issue. He was slovenly both in manner and dressing. Sitting cross-legged beside him was a bald old man garbed in yellow robes.

The bald man nodded, "This old thief's words make sense. Manor Master, you've paid a huge price to come here, and we're all betting our lives in this gamble. We don't need this Dong Bo Xue Ying's aid, and if the time comes when he'll instead hinder us, we'll fall into a terrible position."

It was important to choose fitting team members. This was exactly the reason why the Temple of the Earth God's team dared to request so much. Any ordinary team would not have been willing to bring along a hindrance, since the team would be doomed if that person was to drag them back during the most crucial of moments.

"Old thief, Uncle Fu, I've previously looked into it. Dong Bo Xue Ying has grasped hold of either the True Meaning of Mirage or the True Meaning of Shadow Space. He won't bring about any big trouble." The person saying these words was a middle-aged man in green robes.

This middle-aged man had an extraordinary temperament. He held back his aura to the point where no waves of suppression were released at all.

Even so, he was the commander of the team.

The Bloodshed Tavern… belonged to one of the three superpowers of the Deity World, the Bloodshed God Palace. Any of those powerful existences could easily discover many powerful Demigods, so him choosing this team out of so many possible naturally meant it was extraordinary.

"He won't cause any trouble, but he won't be of any help either. In terms of scouting ability, I've long since condensed a True Deity Heart for my True Meaning of Illusion. How much more formidable is it when compared to that brat's True Meaning of Mirage in which he can only have a shallow comprehension?" the old man with a goatee said, wide-eyed. The True Meaning of Illusion was only a grade three True Meaning, while the True Meaning of Mirage was a grade two True Meaning. Even so, it was impossible for it to withstand it when the other party's comprehension already reached the level of being able to condense a True Deity Heart.

The green-robed teenager said, "That's enough, you two. Stop your grumbling. Dong Bo Xue Ying has arrived. Let's take a look at this brat who will be our future comrade, whose life and death will be intertwined with ours."

The old man with a goatee and the bald old man with yellow robes felt helpless.

They could not change the determination of their Manor Master!

Very soon—

Zhi ya, the doors opened.

A white-robed teenager with a slightly sick appearance walked through. Transcendents would usually have bright complexions, yet Xue Ying's was naturally rather pale due to all the torture inflicted by the hexing poison.

"Hexing poison…" The green-robed middle-aged man was looking in Xue Ying's direction who had just walked in, but his thoughts were with his wife. He married her after he became a Transcendent. She had lived under the torture of a hexing poison for 30 years, and she accompanied him for all those years until she finally died. He could never forget that pain for the rest of his life. After coming to know about Xue Ying's circumstances, he naturally arrived at his decision.

This young man could withstand the Six Ghosts Resentment hexing poison for a hundred years. He did not look simple at all.

"Dong Bo Xue Ying, am I right?" The green-robed middle-aged man smiled. "I am Chen Jiu! We will be comrades in the future!"

"Greetings, Brother Chen Jiu." Xue Ying gave a slight bow as a show of respect.

During this first meeting…

Chen Jiu naturally released some of his aura. In the world of Transcendents, combat power was above all else.

Upon coming into contact with the aura let out by Chen Jiu, Xue Ying got the vague sensation that eight fierce dragons were roaring at him! These dragons were each represented by a terrifying determination. Some were like aspects of destructions, some of venom, some of ruthlessness; they were all extremely terrifying. Beyond that terror, however, lay endless vitality.

Clearly, those either dragons represented different aspects of terror, yet they were backed by boundless vitality. It was similar to the logic of extreme Ying giving birth to Yang, or extreme Yang giving birth to Yin.

No wonder he is the commander of the team sent by the higher-ups of the Bloodshed God Palace. He is truly deep and immeasurable, thought Xue Ying.

In a run-of-the-mill county, countless people were living their ordinary lives.

"You scoundrel! Since you want to kill me, I'll make sure you won't leave alive either. Die, die!" An honest-looking fellow was currently displaying a savage expression as he brandished a butcher's knife, attempting to cleave a muscular man with a bossy and domineering attitude who was moving about. This man glared back at the fellow and grabbed a knife from his waist. "Back at you!"

The two men began trying to slaughter each other.

Strangely, however, none of the bypassers on the street were terrified at this scene. They all had red eyes as they began insulting one another and fighting amongst themselves, some of them with straight-up underhanded means.

"Hahaha, you pretty thing, it doesn't matter how loud you scream." A brutish figure broke into a commoner's house to grab the woman inside. She was crying and wailing mournfully, "My child, my child!" By her side was an infant displaying no signs of life.

"Aaah, my child! My child!" As the woman's mournful wails reverberated, her eyes started turning red. She pushed her fingers into the eyes of the infant beside her, pu chi…

"Strip them all, flay their bodies!"

A man with a vicious appearance sat there, watching men and women being hung. "I'll use the skins of whoever can please this master to make some clothes. You'll be sure to enjoy it. Strip them all! Strip, strip, strip!"

Normally, these underlings would have been terrified, afraid that their masters would become even more violent. At that moment, however, their eyes were all red as they giggled and each took out a knife…

Those who were being hanged began cursing with frenzy and fury.

The citizens of this county had seemingly all turned into devils exhibiting the most violent of personalities. Within a short moment, the entire county began reeking of blood. This smell permeated every crook and corner of the county as more than half the population began slaughtering one another and finally dying themselves. Those left were still in the process of killing each other.

All those people dying unjustly led to a grievance forming in the entire city.

"Hahahaha, such a beautiful sound…" Standing in mid-air above this county was a thin and weak-looking old man with extremely long fingernails. Continuously releasing diabolical aura into his surroundings, he held onto a mysterious crystal ball containing a large number of ghosts of people who died unjustly, currently howling from grief.

"This is… what happened here?" The figure of a cold, calm man releasing an aura of coldness and darkness appeared in mid-air.

He was none other than the Ghost Knight, Feng Dong.

Feng Dong's temperament was usually cold, but at that moment, he felt shocked. He watched as thousands of people in the county turned the whole place into hell! The stench of blood filled the air and grievance shot up to the sky!

Weng! He borrowed the World Energy to investigate the county. The results led to a look of anger on his face and a desire to rend filling him. About 80% to 90% of the people in this county had already died, some of the deaths so cruel he dared not witness them. The dead were filled with savage and malevolent resentment, which caused the fury in Feng Dong's heart to explode.

"Who are you?!" Feng Dong discovered the thin, weak-looking old man standing above the center of the county. With a single teleportation, he arrived in front of him.

He sent a look filled with anger towards this old man; he understood well that everything had been caused by this person.

It's that crystal ball. Feng Dong could faintly feel the crystal ball releasing an invisible force enveloping the entire county, which turned the people within crazy. After their deaths, their souls would then be absorbed by that force and pulled into the crystal ball.

"Break for me." Feng Dong's fury overflowed into the heavens. A halberd appeared in his hand before turning into a black ray being thrust towards the crystal ball.

The thin, weak-looking old man immediately roared, "Impudence!"

      

Book 10: Chapter 11 - Like Livestock

The thin old man clutched the crystal ball with one hand as his body swiftly turned to dodge Feng Dong's strike.

"You're quite fast, aren't you?" Feng Dong became getting irritated. As a Transcendent of the Xia Clan, it was his duty to protect his clan. He was furious at what happened. His strength flared up and his speed increased to the point that it exceeded that of the old man, becoming a bizarre shadow.. His fame as the Ghost Deity Knight was precisely due to his way of fighting being akin to the ghost of a god.

Clang clang, with one hand clutching the crystal ball, the thin old man only had one hand to defend. He rigorously moved to blocked the halberd,, which became a phantom. He became unable to defend against it, and his body was pierced.

The old man sneered. "It's futile." His complexion suddenly changed when his previously pierced abdomen began making a gushing sound and his body started to erode.

Feng Dong's expression changed slightly. "A soul body? Too bad your opponent was me, the Ghost Deity Knight!"

Hu.

The old man immediately pulled the crystal ball into his storage space. Once inside, the crystal ball's influence over the entire county was released.

Those still in a trance due to the crystal ball's influence regained their sanity. They were devastated.

"No, no…"

"Master!"

"How…how could this happen?"

They were terrified upon realizing what happened—their previous actions. This hell-like scene was worse than any nightmare they had!

"Who are you? Why are you collecting all of these vengeful spirits?" Feng Dong angrily asked as he continued attacking.

The thin old man tried resisting Feng Dong's attacks using both his claws. He was an experienced Demigod, but Feng Dong had long since reached the peak of the Demigod realm. Adding his comprehension of the realms on top of that, he held the upper hand against the old man.

"My master is the great lord, Nuo Nuo An," the old man shouted. "You can't kill me!"

Feng Dong roared back, "Nuo Nuo An? Who is he, and from which realm is he from?" All the while, he didn't stop attacking, and his halberd finally broke through the old man's defenses. He pierced his body again and again. His attacks were obviously damaging the old man whose body was starting to blur.

Ordinary attacks wouldn't have been able to hurt evil spirits, but Feng Dong's were different. His Profound Mysteries allowed him to damage them.

Weng~~

As the old man reached his last breaths, a shadow appeared behind him. Forming an illusory green skull, it shouted, "Xia Clansman, stop!"

"Are you Nuo Nuo An? You're slaughtering the people of my Xia Clan. Why would I stop?" He continued attacking, and each of his attacks caused the old man's body to blur further.

"Xia Clan Transcendent, aren't you Ghost Knight Feng Dong of the Black White Deity Mountain? Let my subordinate go, or die," the skull threatened.

"There's only path for a mass murderer of my Xia Clan—death!" With lightning speed, Feng Dong's halberd continued to attack. The old man was finally no longer able to resist, as he vanished into thin air with a mournful scream, leaving only his storage space behind.

"Damn!" the illusory skull cursed as it dissipated.

Feng Dong grabbed the storage space. He rummaged through it and quickly found the crystal ball, which he broke as soon as it was out.

Numerous vengeful ghosts were released and, under the laws of the World, disappeared without trace.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." Feng Dong showed a dreary expression as he listened to the ghosts wailing. He detested people who killed recklessly. His experiences from his younger days had turned him into something more ghost than human.

He descended into the county city. Looking at this scene of wailing people, some of them teenagers, made him remember his younger self.

"Outsiders! Outsiders!" Feng Dong yelled angrily. Although he was boiling with fury, he did not forget to transmit the situation over to Palace Head Chen.

Within a patio behind the Bloodshed Tavern, Xue Ying was still discussing with the group of three from the Bloodshed Tavern. He could feel that the leader, Chen Qiu, had a very favorable impression towards him, in contrast to the other two who viewed him unfavorably.

The old man with the goatee and the bald man in yellow robes were discussing in secret.

"This is strange. The Manor Master is usually aloof, yet he is actually receiving Xue Ying so well. It's truly rare for him to be like this."

"Indeed, the Manor Master is usually like this only with several of his close relatives."

They talked for a while more and Xue Ying was preparing to leave when, all of a sudden, his expression changed.

"Xue Ying, there have been mass killing in our Tranquil Sun Province. Three cities have reported casualties of large amounts of mortals. They died miserable deaths, and the total number of victims might be more than a billion."

"Brother Dong Bo, there have been mass killings in the majority of our Xia Clan's nineteen provinces. We lost contact with some of the Transcendents who lived in those cities. We're certain they're not dead, since their communication wristbands would have sent signals. It was only after the Ghost Knight, Feng Dong, made a report to the Infernal Palace that we found out what was happening and we sent patrols. The losses these time were enormous."

"Xue Ying…"

Reports were coming one after another.

Xue Ying was in a shock, and he found it hard to believe.

Billions? 'Billion' was too simple of a word to represent these countless amounts of people. As he traveled around the world, mingling with the mortals together with his wife for a hundred years, Xue Ying not even once thought himself to be above those mortals. To him, with the exception that Transcendents were more powerful than mortals, they were exactly the same. He had taught those ordinary kids spearmanship in a sincere and equal way. He was shocked to hear about those mass killings which took place.

"Oh?" Chen Jiu knit his eyebrows. "Xue Ying, did something occur in your Xia Clan?"

Xue Ying replied in a slightly hoarse voice, "Right."

Chen Jiu lifted his eyebrows; he could feel Xue Ying's sour mood.

"You have to be careful. Considering the fierce, brutal method they used, they might be backed by people from the Deity World. But they've never been so open and arrogant before. Perhaps the Dark Abyss is behind this then. Such actions are normal in the chaotic Dark Abyss. My guess is that these massacres with the goal of gathering souls were done by the group of Demigods from the Dark Abyss," Chen Jiu explained.

"The Demigods from the Dark Abyss?" Xue Ying asked in response.

Chen Jiu replied, "I've told you, the group I'm most cautious of from all which descended here is that from the Dark Abyss. They are different from those Demigods from the mortal worlds of the Deity World. Their innate talents are comparable to Deity Artifacts, and the members of the group which arrived this time aren't just any ordinary demons. They've undergone a process of selection, and the ones remaining are all top existences.

"The killings in the Dark Abyss are wicked, and the competition is fierce. With their talents and power, the members selected for this group of Demigods must be incredibly powerful." Chen Jiu continued, "You Xia Clan must be more vigilant. Since they dare be so brazen, they obviously don't care about you."

Xue Ying was moved by his Chen Jiu's care. "Thank you for you concern, Brother Chen Jiu. I won't stay any longer."

"Mn, we will use the communication wristband to contact you later about our departure." Chen Jiu gave his farewell. The communication wristband in his possession was that of the Xia Clan which Palace Head Chen gifted to him. The wristbands of other planes could not be used to communicate with those of the Xia Clan.

Xue Ying arrived outside one of the big cities of the Xia Clan. He looked around the city and its surrounding villages. They air was dense with the stench of blood and there were corpses scattered around wherever he looked.

Everyone was dead, not a single one spared.

Viewing this scene sent chills through his heart.

"Damn, damn!" Xue Ying gritted his teeth. He had visited this city together with his wife in the past. They tried many snacks, and even bought cakes for the local children. But now, everyone was dead, the city had become a ghost city.

Entering the city, Xue Ying's eyes were tinged with red. The hexing poison had brought him close to death, but it also made him treasure life! He loved children, and despite him and Jing Qiu not having any, to him, children represented hope, and life. But the state this city was in…

The once bustling city was now dead. Countless corpses were scattered left and right, and the air reeked of blood. This scene made Xue Ying's heart grow cold. He clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white.

"In your eyes, is my Xia Clan just livestock?"

      

Book 10: Chapter 12 - The Team from the Dark Abyss

"Palace Head Chen, have you confirmed their identities?" Xue Ying controlled the anger rising within him as he transmitted the question to Palace Head Chen.

"We are certain they came from the Dark Abyss, and that the master of the evil spirit which Feng Dong killed is Nuo Nuo An!" Palace Head Chen replied. "Further investigations are ongoing, and, for the moment, we cannot confirm where the team from the Dark Abyss is located."

"Let me know as soon as you find them," Xue Ying said.

"Okay, Xue Ying. Rest assured, our Xia Clan will absolutely not forgive them!" Palace Head Chen staunchly replied.

"By the way, the team from the Bloodshed Tavern warned me to be especially careful of the group from the Dark Abyss." Xue Ying informed Palace Head Chen of everything Chen Jiu told him. Despite his killing intent going through the roof, he had to first understand the other party's combat power.

Very soon, the two of them broke the connection.

Xue Ying was still standing within the empty county. Looking around, he understood that he was currently the only person alive in the entire area. Although it was still early in the day, and the sun was high up in the sky, only the sounds of moaning could be heard as the winds blew, and the entire place reeked of blood. It made Xue Ying feel a chill which permeated his bones.

Outsiders from the Dark Abyss! Xue Ying's eyes were filled with the desire to kill. Even though those weak little demons were hibernating around the world, their combat power was too weak to kill a large amount of humans in a single swoop. Such a massacre had not taken place in a long time.

This matter could not be kept secret.

Soon, every Transcendent of the Xia Clan knew about it. They were stunned for a moment, but then anger took over them. They wanted vengeance, yet, as per the orders of Palace Head Chen, the Demigods were already on the search for the perpetrators, so other Transcendents were forbidden from acting! The enemies were far too strong, so any ordinary Transcendents participating in the search would just be sending themselves to their own deaths.

"Damn it!"

"Outsiders, outsiders!"

"This is our homeworld, the world of our Xia Clan!" Every single one of the Transcendents felt angry and bitter. Those outsiders had actually come into their homeworld and slaughtered their people! Who could bear such pain?

Atop a mountain peak where the cold winds howled past,, there was a figure dressed in black robes. His face looked wasted away, as if only his bones remained, and his eyes glowed green. The cold winds brushed past, causing his robes to flap in the breeze. This was none other than the man the entire Xia Clan was searching for, Nuo Nuo An.

Xiu. A portion of space in the surrounding area was torn apart. A woman garbed in bright red flew over from within and respectfully offered him a crystal ball, while confidently saying, "Master, I've collected the souls of a hundred million humans."

Soon, figure after figure began tearing through space and coming over to the man. In a similar fashion, they handed over crystal balls to their master using both hands.

"Master, I've collected only sixty million human souls."

"Master, I could not…"

All of them were feeling nervous.

They returned back under the orders given by their master.

"Alright." The black-robed man waved his hand, collecting all the crystal balls. Right then, his eyes widened.

Weng—

For a moment, the black-robed man's eyes were like a passageway which the servants began flying into.

"Who would've thought that I'd be found by the Xia Clan despite the haste of my actions. It's such a pity that the amount of souls I've collected is lower than I expected," the black-robed man mumbled softly. In a flash of his figure, he entered the volcano nearby.

Flying down through the top of the volcano…

He soon arrived at a huge lake of magma, deep inside the volcano. The lake covered an area of a few kilometers.

Hu.

He placed himself right on top of the surface of rolling magma, which released 'gu gu gu' sounds, and said, "General Ku Meng, it's time to wake up!" His voice was directly transmitted deep down inside the magma lake.

Gu gu gu~ The magma lake started frothing on the surface and began surging upwards. A huge fire emerged from deep within, from which an enormous, bald, shiny head without a hint of hair appeared. Even the face was free from any hair whatsoever—it was bright and clean. This enormous head the size of a hill reached a height of two hundred meters.

This head opened its mouth to release a yawn, sending out a huge stream of air which shook the entire lake of magma.

"Nuo Nuo An, I haven't had enough sleep!" the enormous head said as he began to stand. A towering figure emerged from beneath the lake of magma, so large that, despite the incredible depth of the magma lake, it still only reached the waist of the giant.

This giant, silver in color, did not have even a single strand of hair on its body.

As it started moving, the giant began visibly shrinking. After a dozen steps or so, it reached a rather 'ordinary' height of about three meters.

"General Ku Meng, I've already collected the souls. It's time for us to meet the commander," the black-robed man said. He seemed quite polite.

He had no choice.

Nuo Nuo An might have been a tyrannical figure somewhere else, but among the three existences sent from the Dark Abyss this time around, he was merely acting as a cushion. General Ku Meng was of an upper class demon bloodline, the Purgatory Demon. After some miraculous encounter, he was able to cultivate a secret technique which allowed his body to reach its current shape. More importantly, its comprehension of the realms was deep, and he seemed to have no weaknesses!

"We're meeting the lord?" The silver demon, General Ku Meng, was slightly startled. His attitude became much more respectful as he said, "Let's go."

They left that volcano.

Next to the volcano, in a desolate area of land, there was an ordinary-looking wooden house. Inside it was a black-skinned teenager wrapped in white cloth.

"Lord!" Nuo Nuo An and General Ku Meng respectfully greeted.

The teenager slowly opened his eyes. Under the gaze of that pair of eyes, the surrounding space and time stopped for a moment.

He stood.

He was barefoot, and he didn't wear any armor, boots, or other equipment. He only had that single sheet of white cloth wrapped around his body. As he walked barefoot…he exposed his arms to the world.

Neither Nuo Nuo An, nor General Ku Meng dared let out even the slightest gasp.

Lord…

Under the regulations of the Dark Abyss, only Demonic Gods could be qualified to become the lord of a territory! But this black-skinned teenager wrapped in white cloth had actually done so as a Demigod! If not for those lofty existences coming up, threatening and forcing him, considering this black-skinned teenager's combat power, he would have never been willing to gamble his life in the Crimson Rock Mountain.

He had no choice. The Dark Abyss was governed by the law of the jungle!

"Nuo Nuo An, how is it?" The black-skinned teenager smiled. His smile contained a strange charm, and the entire world seemed to go quiet with that single smile.

"I originally wanted to collect a billion souls, but the Ghost Knight, Feng Dong, of the Black White Deity Mountain interfered and killed one of my servant spirits. I immediately recalled the other spirits and began retreating in order to prevent the other Xia Clan Demigods from stopping us. In the end, I was only able to collect a total of six hundred million human souls," Nuo Nuo An answered respectfully while simultaneously taking out a crystal ball.

This crystal ball contained a total of a hundred million human souls.

According to the Lord's orders, he would receive 100 million of the souls collected by Nuo Nuo An, while the remaining 900 million would be Nuo Nuo An's! However, Feng Dong appeared in the middle of the process and disrupted the plan.

Hu.

A powerful swallowing force appeared.

The black-skinned teenager opened his mouth so wide that the crystal ball was able to directly fly into it. The crystal ball was so large…yet it seemed like the teenager could widen his mouth even further, swallowing the entire ball in one go. His throat bulged to an extent that it doubled in size, yet the crystal ball was still ultimately swallowed.

The countless human souls within the crystal ball wailed in anguish.

"So delicious." The black-skinned teenager closed his eyes while revealing a content look. "The souls of the humans in this material world are, indeed, a top-class delicacy. Had I not been forced to go here and gamble my life in the Crimson Rock Mountain, just staying here and enjoying this place might not have been so bad."

"With the power of the Lord himself, we'll definitely be able to survive and return from the Crimson Rock Mountain," Nuo Nuo An said.

"Survive?" The black-skinned teenager's eyes were calm. "Of course we'll survive! I, You Lan, will surely come back alive. Let's go. We're paying a visit to the Black White Deity Mountain."

"Black White Deity Mountain?" Nuo Nuo An and General Ku Meng were puzzled.

The black-skinned teenager apathetically answered, "That Xia Clan Transcendent, Feng Dong, killing your servant is akin to him killing my own servant! How could we let something like that pass?"

      

Book 10: Chapter 13 - The Fall

In the Mirage.

There was currently a demon-like figure moving rapidly. His speed was truly too fast—so fast that every time his body flashed, he would appear five hundred kilometers away. With such a speed, he would unquestionably be first among all the Transcendents of the Xia Clan. At the same time, by using his penetrative high speed motion, his body would occasionally enter the real world, stopping there every now and then before returning into the Mirage and continuing his journey within.

This was a white-robed teenager who seemed sickly and who was currently searching for traces of the team from Dark Abyss. He was Xue Ying.

"Maybe I might not be able to kill all of you, but I'll have to try. Who knows, I might just kill you all, right?" Xue Ying thought, "And even if I can't kill you all, I'll still seek for an opportunity after entering the Crimson Rock Mountain."

He had entered the real world to connect his communication wristband with the external world. After all, many Demigods in the Xia Clan were currently searching for them, and in the scenario where others found them, he would not have to waste time searching for them himself. 不过论寻找效率，能够瞬间探查周围万里范围的东伯雪鹰，同样堪称夏族第一。

Still, if they were comparing the efficiency of finding someone, Xue Ying, who could with a single teleport inspect the surrounding five thousand kilometers, would definitely rank first amongst all Xia Clan transcendents.

Clearly…

Xue Ying had changed after a hundred years.

Even though all of the Xia Clan Demigods and Xue Ying were searching for traces of this team from the Dark Abyss at this moment, seeking out that enemy called Nuo Nuo An, they would not have thought that this team would arrive at the Black White Deity Mountain.

High up in the sky, a pitch black gloomy channel formed..

Three figures walked out of the channel.

The person in command was that barefooted black-skinned teenager who was wrapped in white cloth. Standing behind him to the left and right were the other two people, the black-robed Nuo Nuo An and General Ku Meng.

"Everything on the material world is truly very beautiful and perfect. Look at the Black White Diety Mountain; see how graceful it is. This is unlike our Dark Abyss, where everyone is coarse and barbarous and only know how to kill and not appreciate the true beauty of the Myriad Existences." The black skinned teenager's voice had a bizarre cadence within, causing others to feel calm after listening to his words—to the point where they would want to crawl as to follow him.

"The souls of the material world are indeed delicious. No wonder even the Demonic Gods would like them." The black-skinned teenager laughed. "After coming back from Crimson Rock Mountain, we must remember to bring a few more human souls back."

"Lord, rest assured. At that time, we'll completely massacre this mortal world and bring back all the human souls," Nuo Nuo An said.

"We should leave some seeds behind, so that they will germinate in the future." The black-skinned teenager looked at the Black White Deity Mountain. "They are here."

In the distance.

Outside a huge palace, four figures appeared. They were Mountain Lord He, Vice Mountain Lord Zang Nuo, Ghost Deity Knight Feng Dong, and Palace Head Chen. Palace Head Chen had sent his Qi Avatar here to understand what happened in the previous battle.

The four of them felt some space undulations in the external world away and thus came out.

Ghost Deity Knight Feng Dong's expression remained cold as he looked out. Suddenly, his pupils shrunk. He was staring at that black-robed person, that thin and boney face of his as well as those glowing green eyes. This black-robed man looked exactly the same as 'Master Nuo Nuo An' he saw previously!

"Mountain Lord He, Palace Head Chen, Vice Mountain Lord Zang Nuo, that person in black robes is Nuo Nuo An," Ghost Deity Knight Feng Dong hurriedly transmitted over.

"Right, it's him."

"It's him!"

Previously, Mountain Lord He and the rest had seen the demonstration of the battle and the head figure appearing in the battle.

"They actually dare to come directly to our Black White Deity Mountain." Ghost Deity Knight Feng Dong was infuriated.

"Calm down," Mountain Lord He transmitted.

"Wait a moment. Since they dare to come so openly, they must have a certain confidence in themselves. The current combat power of those present at the Black White Deity Mountain is far from enough, so wait a moment. I'll immediately send Battleship D9 from the Infernal Palace here." Palace Head Chen transmitted to the rest. They must ensure that small mistakes did not spoil the big plan. Being Demigods of Xia Clan, this patience was something they all had.

In the distant sky.

Three ordinary figures stood there.

The person in command, that black-skinned teenager wrapped in white cloth, smiled, "I wouldn't have thought that I would be seeing Mountain Lord He here or Palace Head Chen either! Fabulous, I'll first introduce myself. I am You Lan. You can call me Lord You Lan."

"Lord?" In front of the palace, Palace Head Chen and Mountain Lord He had some doubts. They were truly ignorant of matters in the Dark Abyss. The Xia Clan ancestors had all entered the Deity World, and there had merely been six in history who went to the Dark Abyss, though they were all traitors who went over to the Demonic Faction! Naturally, they would not contact the Xia Clan any longer.

Thus, the knowledge they had on the Dark Abyss was shallow—though at the very least, they knew that somehow…only Demonic Gods were qualified to be called 'lords.'

"Even though I was forced to come here to the Xia Clan World, the human souls are truly so delicious that it is making me joyous!" Lord You Lan smiled. "It is just that I had never thought you Xia Clan Transcendents would be so audacious to dare kill my servants even though I am just sending them to collect some mortals' souls, an act completely unrelated to you Transcendents."

He smiled as he said those words, causing anger to erupt in Palace Head Chen and the rest.

"Tell me, for killing my servant, you have offended me. So how should you apologize for that?" Lord You Lan asked.

"Apologize? Lord You Lan, you ordered a servant to kill countless of people from our Xia Clan, yet you still dare to ask us to apologize? You are truly outrageous to think our Xia Clan is so easy to bully," Palace Head Chen roared.

"In front of me, Palace Head Chen, you still dare to be so impudent?" Lord You Lan shook his head. "I'll not bicker with you though; only, your Xia Clan Transcendent, Feng Dong, will not be forgiven for he has killed my underling's servant. My request is simple. Pay me thirty Deity grade scrolls! This matter will then be concluded, and I'll not bicker with your Xia Clan. Otherwise, the consequences will be so dire, your Xia Clan will never be able to withstand it."

"You, you…"

"Killing countless mortals of our Xia Clan, and you still dare to ask for thirty Deity grade scrolls?"

Palace Head Chen, Mountain Lord He, Ghost Deity Knight Feng Dong, and Vice Mountain Lord Zang Nuo were all speechless.

Thirty Deity grade scrolls?

How many scrolls had the entire Xia Clan accumulated? The moment he requested something, it was something so fierce!

And clearly, the one who killed countless of the Xia Clan's people dared to take the initiative in knocking on their doors? That was truly bullying them!

"Xia Clan, I'll encourage you to listen to our Lord's order. Otherwise, hmph." The black-robed Nuo Nuo An sneered.

"You all will regret it," General Ku Meng added from the side.

"Right, there's also a matter that I had almost forgotten." Lord You Lan suddenly extended his hand. His arm suddenly grew in size, growing into a huge pillar before moving towards the Black White Deity Mountain palace in a grabbing motion. His arm was so long that it was horrifying!

This scene astonished Palace Head Chen and the others.

Mountain Lord He roared, "Stay your hands!"

Hong long long long~ All of the Black White Deity Mountain arrays were activated. Since the enemy was in sight, Mountain Lord He had long been prepared. Many space seal arrays were activated beforehand. At this moment, it was the true sealing arrays that were being activated! The huge empty space around Black White Deity Mountain had a black-white shield enveloping it, preventing any single damage from being done within.

The edge of Lord You Lan's lip curled up. A gold seal appeared on his palm, and his five fingers were even filled with dense amounts of gold seals.

Pu!

His five fingers directly tore through the black-white shield, and with a boom, the enormous shield was immediately shattered. The mountain protection arrays were easily destroyed.

"What!" Mountain Lord He was shocked. "This mountain protection arrays could defend against an era suppressant, but he can so easily destroy it? Most likely, only true Deities could achieve such destructive power…"

A true Deity?

"Quickly run!" Palace Head Chen transmitted over anxiously. The four of them dispersed..

"Black White Moon Wheel! Kill!" Mountain Lord He immediately operated his Deity weapon.

Weng, weng!

Two dazzling half moons appeared. The Black White Moon Wheel was like two streamers borrowing on the strength of the array of Black White Deity Mountain. Being the strongest Deity weapon the Black White Deity Mountain had, and with the aid of the arrays, the power that was displayed became even greater. It could reach the extent of completely suppressing an era.

"Interesting," Lord You Lan mumbled.

His palm directly grabbed towards the Ghost Deity Knight Feng Dong who was running.

Suddenly—

Everything slowed down in the surroundings.

Not only was the running Feng Dong slowed, even the Black White Moon Wheel that was flying over to intercept had started becoming sluggish. Only Lord You Lan's pillar-like arm remained moving at an ordinary speed. His enormous palm easily grabbed hold of that escaping Feng Dong before his palm retracted back to about ten or so meters long.

The five fingers remained wrapped around the waist of Feng Dong.

"This, this—" Mountain Lord He, Palace Head Chen and Vice Mountain Lord Zang Nuo were in a daze. This combat power was truly too terrifying!

From the history of Xia Clan, they understood that as long as the Beast Clan or the Xia Clan had a Deity emerging, the other party would completely retreat and give up the entire mortal world! This was because a Deity's power was something any Transcendent could never go against.

And this time, this Lord You Lan might be a Demigod, but Mountain Lord He and the others felt they were battling against a Deity.

"Feng Dong, rest assured, I"ll not kill you immediately. That's because I still want your Xia Clan to give me thirty Deity grade scrolls." Lord You Lan looked at Feng Dong. "This is very simple. As long as you apologize, beg me for forgiveness, kneel down, and kowtow to me, I'll spare your life."

"Apologize and beg for forgiveness? Kowtow?" Although Feng Dong felt all his strength was sealed by the dark demonic energy, his eyes remained full of fury. He could never forget those countless mortals dying at the county nor those few survivors within the county, whom he had saved. Neither could he forgot those frightened youths.

"You are all outsiders, and I don't even have the time to kill all of you! And you want me to apologize and beg for forgiveness? Dream on!" Feng Dong gritted his teeth.

"If you don't want to apologize and beg for forgiveness, then I'll kill you directly." Lord You Lan smiled.

"Facing an outsider, there's only Xia Clan Transcendents who died in battle. Never would there be a Xia Clan Transcendent who kneel and beg for forgiveness!" Feng Dong retorted.

"Truly unyielding." Lord You Lan smiled.

Pu!

His enormous palm suddenly squeezed, causing the space where Feng Dong's figure was at to completely shatter! Feng Dong's body was completely shattered, though the fury in his eyes remained as intense as ever. Even in death, he did not lower his head at all.

Xia Clan Transcendent Feng Dong, dead!

"Hold your hands!" An anxious voice came from a side at Black White Deity Mountain.

"Don't be anxious." Lord You Lan looked toward Mountain Lord He and the others who were starting to turn crazy from their anger. He smiled. "He killed my servant, and he did not want to beg for forgiveness; so of course, I'll kill him! Oh right, I'm still waiting for my thirty Deity grade scrolls, otherwise… hehe, Feng Dong is only the beginning. After that, it'll be you guys."

While Lord You Lan laughed, he revealed a set of clean white teeth.

      

Book 10: Chapter 14 - Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor

A kilometer-long, dark-colored battleship was hovering in the air, four thousand kilometers away from Black White Deity Mountain. It was the treasured Battleship D9 of the Xia Clan.

One by one, the Demigods of the Xia Clan arrived there by shattering the space around the battleship.

"Quickly."

"Faster, the group from the Dark Abyss is already at Black White Deity Mountain."

Battleship D9 opened its door for the Demigods to enter. As ordered by Palace Head Chen, most of them were already inside by the time two breaths' worth of time passed.

Mountain Lord He's avatar was also present inside the battleship's main deck. It had been sent out during the previous attack to search for the enemy.

"Everyone, let's get going. Their team has been overly arrogant and too overbearing," Mountain Lord He's avatar said.

"Indeed."

"They've massacred countless people of our Xia Clan. We'll definitely make them pay for their deeds!"

"Even if they're stronger than us, we can still use our treasures to face them. They have to die!" Si Kong Yang, City Lady Bu, and many other Xia Clan Demigods said, teeming with killing intent.

Battleship D9 ripped the surrounding space, moving along the resulting tunnel to arrive at the Black White Deity Mountain.

"No!" The face of Mountain Lord He's avatar contorted into a pained expression. "Damn!"

"What's wrong?" Tens of Xia Clan Demigods turned to look at Mountain Lord He.

"They've killed Feng Dong!" Mountain Lord He exclaimed in grief. "The group from the Dark Abyss is so powerful that the Black White Deity Mountain was unable to restrain them. Not only did they kill Feng Dong, they're also demanding thirty Deity grade scrolls." As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a screen immediately popped up. Displayed on it were the events from just before.

A black-skinned youth with his foot bound in white cloth stretched his right hand. It expanded like a pillar supporting the heavens, and golden patterns lit up on it. Despite the main defensive array of the Black White Deity Mountain being supported by Mountain Lord He, the hand was able to easily pierce it. Time seemed to slow down as the palm grabbed Feng Dong with ease. When he refused to lower his head in spite of being threatened, the gigantic palm crushed him to death in an instant!

The scenes were displayed at an accelerated rate to fit with the arrival at Black White Deity Mountain. They had reached their destination, but the Demigods present inside the ship's main deck all remained silent, their expressions unsightly.

"Us Transcendents of the Xia Clan would rather die fighting than live in humiliation." Si Kong Yang roared, "Vengeance!"

"We will avenge him!"

"For vengeance!" The majority of the Xia Clan Demigods had their eyes dyed red with hatred.

At Black White Deity Mountain.

Lord You Lan had just issued his demands when a frown appeared on his face. He looked in the distance where space was torn apart to reveal an enormous, dark battleship flying over. It smoothly entered the array scope of the Black White Deity Mountain. The ship's doors opened, allowing Palace Head Chen's avatar, Mountain Lord He, Vice Mountain Lord Zang Nuo, and six other Transcendents to fly inside.

"They've come so fast," said Lord You Lan.

General Ku Meng growled back, "Do we kill them?"

"It's too late." Lord You Lan shook his head slightly. He knew how hard it would be to snatch and kill someone in front of Battleship D9.

Although it could be said they were late, Palace Head Chen had actually dispatched the Battleship D9 together with the Demigods as soon as Lord You Lan arrived at the Black White Deity Mountain.

Lord You Lan transmitted to the others, "We've reached a critical point. Tread with care, and don't stand too far from me. The Xia Clan World might be a mere mortal world, but each of their ancestors has left behind some treasures. It would be troublesome if they were to go all out, disregarding the consequences."

"With you here, my Lord, their actions are futile," replied Nuo Nuo An.

The Xia Clan Demigods were gathered inside the battleship together with the six ordinary Transcendents from the Black White Deity Mountain, who huddled together in the corner of the hall. Mountain Lord He looked around and saw the grief and wrath permeating all those present.

"I know everyone is angry. I am angry as well, but we must first understand the difference in strength between us and our enemy. This group coming from the Dark Abyss is very powerful. Setting aside the other two, their leader alone, Lord You Lan, has grasped hold of the True Meaning of Time Decceleration. On top of that, he must also be practicing a frightening demonic physique. The reason he has the gall to be so arrogant is precisely because of that True Meaning of Time Decceleration. We have to face it with vigilance."

"Time Decceleration?"

"So that's why… The other groups didn't dare act so unbridled against our Xia Clan, while he did. Damn it!"

"Does anyone have any idea what we could do?"

The Xia Clan Demigods looked at one another.

They were individually weak, but they had strong trump cards such like the Deity grade scrolls. While a Demigod grade scroll could unleash power comparable to a Demigod's, the power of Deity grade scrolls was similar to a Deity's. They even had some other methods on top of the scrolls.

But…due to the possibility that the Beast Clan had a Deity among them, the Xia Clan couldn't fight with reckless abandon.

After all, Deities had inexhaustible power, while Deity grade scrolls could only be used once. With each gone, they would be less one treasure. They couldn't just use them all on a single enemy. Perhaps they might win that fight, but what about the next? If another powerful enemy arrived, and they had already exhausted their scrolls and other treasures…only extermination would await them. Therefore, the Xia Clan would never use their resources recklessly. They had to consider their future and other variables.

They had been forced to abandon the mortal world many times in the past, so the Black White Deity Mountain, Water Daoist Faction, Sea Deity Palace, and the headquarters of other organizations only had arrays capable of resisting a single Era Suppressor. After all, if needed, they were ready to abandon them at a moment's notice.

Only the Xia Capital in the Infernal Realm really mattered! That was their stronghold. If Lord You Lan were to attempt to slaughter his way into the Xia Capital, they had to defend it, no matter what it took. Of course, he wasn't stupid enough to brashly attack the old nest of the Xia Clan either.

Palace Head Chen frowned. "Other groups wouldn't dare clash with our Xia Clan so recklessly. They're kept at bay by our Deity grade scrolls. If we were to go all out in an act of desperation, they could suffer many losses, down to even their lives. But this Lord You Lan has control over the True Meaning of Time Decceleration. He could use it while we still prepare the usage of our scrolls to deccelerate time, allowing him to resist our attacks or even flee!"

"Indeed, True Meanings related to time have always been troublesome."

"Our attacks have no guarantee of success."

The Xia Clan Demigods all felt their heads ache.

Regardless of its power, what worth was there in an attack which could not hit the enemy?

In truth, the Time Deity Heart and the Space Deity Heart were both just grade two Deity Hearts. Only when fused together into a Time-Space Deity Heart could they truble be classified as a grade one Deity Heart.

Why was that so?

It was because Transcendents would usually be unable to touch upon the Profound Mysteries of Time. Those who had grasped hold of a Time-related True Meaning, be it Time Acceleration, Time Deceleration, or Time Stop, all had unfathomable power. When used in battle, any of these True Meanings would significantly raise the user's fighting power. Ordinary Transcendents would only be able to touch upon True Meanings and Profound Mysteries related to Time after they became Deities. Since it was more common for Deities to comprehend it, mastery over Time was not so exaggerated and marvelous compared to before attaining deityhood. Comprehending a True Meaning related to Time while still a Transcendent was a wonderful achievement!

Wu Ma Hai and the other group leaders were also tempted by the Deity grade scrolls of the Xia Clan, yet they didn't dare be too brazen. Only Lord You Lan had the gall to openly and brashly demand them. His True Meaning of Time Deceleration enabled him to boldly confront the Xia Clan.

"Transcendents of the Xia Clan!" echoed Lord You Lan's voice.

The bulkhead of Battleship D9 turned transparent, reflecting the outside view. Mountain Lord He, Palace Head Chen, and all of the others inside were able to see the three dreadful existences outside.

"Has your Xia Clan Battleship D9 arrived to deliver my Deity grade scrolls?" Lord You Lan continued taunting, "That Feng Dong mentioned just before that he would rather die than be humiliated, but I don't believe him. In the end, you Xia Clan people will still submit when faced with absolute power, am I not correct?"

"I will go probe him!" Si Kong Yang irritatedly said.

Palace Head Chen approved. "Okay, you can go try."

Si Kong Yang flew out from the battleship. He was the only Xia Clan Transcendent who would dare fight those three. He could only do so because he had the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor—one of the clan protection treasures of the Xia Clan!

Hong!

Upon leaving the battleship, Si Kong Yang placed himself in mid-air. He was wearing a scarlet armor with a dragon engraved upon it. A terrifying power accumulated around his body, enveloping him like a dazzling flame and giving him an appearance akin to the sun. The flames covering his body were so brilliant that even the real sun paled by comparison.

His brilliance proudly radiated in all directions.

As a clan protection treasure, the Nine Dragon Fine Deity Armor vastly exceeded ordinary Deity Treasures in terms of value. Wearing it conferred the wearer the power of nine dragons for a limited time. This boost alone would normally raise the wearer's power to that of a Deity, but realm restrictions made it so that the armor could increase one's power to the level of an Era Suppressor.

The armor also came with an additional benefit—it could completely shield the wearer's body. No matter how powerful the enemy, they would still find it difficult to harm Si Kong Yang.

"Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor?" Lord You Lan released a laugh. "It's even more valuable than my own Deity treasure. A pity that its user is so weak."

Inside Battleship D9.

"Get ready; we will give them a fatal blow. We only have a limited amount of Deity Crystals. We must save them up and prepare for a future war with the Sorcerer God and the Great Demonic God. The best outcome would be for us to kill him in one shot!" Palace Head Chen told Mountain Lord He.

Mountain Lord He nodded, a glint flashing through his eyes. "Rest assured."

Battleship D9 had been sent from the Deity World.

Those who usually used battleships in the Deity World were, precisely, Deities. Due to that, as a mere Demigod, Mountain Lord He was unable to fully display the ship's might. As the name implied, Deity Crystals were the crystallized form of Deity Power and were very valuable. When used as fuel for the battleship, they enabled it to display its true might, as if operated by a Deity.

      

Book 10: Chapter 15 - That Hit

"Nuo Nuo An, go ahead and block him," Lord You Lan ordered upon seeing the charging Si Kong Yang.

"Yes," the black-robed Nuo Nuo An immediately acknowledged.

Facing a figure that was akin to a dazzling sun and a raging inferno, the black-robed Nuo Nuo An's pair of green eyes were filled with sinister intent. Accompanied by a sinister laughter, hua—he suddenly flew towards Si Kong Yang. As he barreled forward, Nuo Nuo An's body dissolved into a black fog made up of no fewer than a hundred misty spheres.

Each of those spheres then turned into an evil spirit—some handsome, some ugly, some alluring, and some strange.

These evil spirits, a hundred in total, all shrieked out simultaneously, "Si Kong Yang, die!"

Despite the hundred spirits being the ones shrieking, it felt instead as if a single person was snarling. In reality, Lord Nuo Nuo An was the one snarling! He divided his body into a hundred different parts, with each of the spirits counting as a fragment of his original figure. Naturally, with his body split into so many parts, the overall combat power of the evil spirits had also increased.

Hua, hua, hua. The hundred evil spirits surrounded Si Kong Yang and charged him all at once.

"Distinguish!" Si Kong Yang sent a slap directly at the spirits. His dazzling golden palm akin to a raging inferno slammed straight into the incoming spirits.

"Hahaha…"

"Is this all your strength? You're truly too weak."

The evil spirits kept revolving around Si Kong Yang, and no matter how Si Kong Yang attacked them, they would remain completely unharmed. The strongest among them barely reached the top ten ranking Demigods, while the majority were merely at the level of an ordinary Demigod, but they all possessed Undying Bodies and could not be so easily destroyed. With them working together as they did now, Si Kong Yang had virtually no way of destroying them.

Ao!!! All of a sudden, the evil spirits let out a collective howl able to penetrate the soul.

Si Kong Yang's body was raging with fire, allowing him to shave off half the power of that terrifying howl. Another 80-90% of the energy was then blocked by the armor he was equipped with. As soon as he felt the howl's remaining power enter his soul, he completely isolated its effect with a single thought.

"Truly troublesome. Whatever I try, I can't seem to damage this Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor." Lord Nuo Nuo felt truly irritated. Even if he were to meet an Era Suppressor, he would have to first fight them to determine which of them was stronger or weaker. As for Si Kong Yang…he could not penetrate his defenses no matter what he did. Even Lord You Lan would have reached the same outcome if he had attacked Si Kong Yang, so he couldn't be bothered to act.

"There must be a Deity grade armor protecting this Xia Clan Transcendent's body. What else could allow him to withstand Nuo Nuo An's Ten Thousand Ghost Resentment." General Ku Meng sneered, "The Ghost Resentment poison alone would have been enough to turn him mad."

"He's using the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor. A powerful Deity grade armor like that is wasted on his body. It's a pity these treasures were left behind by those Xia Clan ancestors, making them impossible for us to refine and use. Taking some of them along would have otherwise been beneficial for us." Despite saying that, Lord You Lan wasn't bothered with Si Kong Yan in the least, his eyes instead glued to the Battleship D9.

The reason for that was because Si Kong Yang had, at most, the combat power of an Era Suppressor. He didn't pose the slightest threat to him.

What was an Era Suppressor?

They were the Transcendents who had condensed a True Deity Heart via a grade three True Meaning or reached the stage three realm of a grade two True Meaning, while also possessing a Deity treasure! Once they met these criteria, a Transcendent would be considered an Era Suppressor.

The two necessary aspects were 'Power' and comprehension of the Laws of Profound Mysteries.

Si Kong Yang, for example, could reach the power of the Deity realm through the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor. His comprehension of the Laws of Profound Mysteries, however, had merely reached the level of a grade four Deity Heart!

"Si Kong Yang is being entangled by Nuo Nuo An!" The Xia Clan Transcendents within the main hall of Battleship D9 were feeling anxious. The original plan entailed having Lord You Lan divide his attention by fighting Si Kong Yang.

"We've no other choice!" Palace Head Chen frowned. "Let's try this first. Begin!"

"Mn." Mountain Lord He nodded.

A Deity Crystal had the shape of an azure rhombic prism. Its beauty was such that it could shake the heart.

Such a crystal was just imbedded into Battleship D9's propulsion channel. Previously, Mountain Lord He had controlled the battleship using his own magic power, but now, he recalled his magic and instead began directing the power of the Deity Crystal. Mountain Lord He started to operate the battleship's complex arrays. As they were meant for Deities, however, he could only understand part of them, allowing him to unleash only a portion of their full strength.

Pa!

A streak of lightning arced through the sky like a titanic azure-colored snake. As soon as it appeared, it caused the entire world to tremble faintly. Everywhere it passed, the sky turned to void, leaving behind only pitch-black cracks. Nuo Nuo An, General Ku Meng, and even Lord You Lan inwardly trembled at the sight of its power.

This was the Xia Clan's strongest attack, unleashed by a battleship originally from the Deity world! Although the demons had prepared themselves to fight the Xia Clan head-on before making their decision, they could still feel their lives being threatened!

Fast!

It was extremely fast!

In mere moments, the azure-colored snake was almost upon Lord You Lan.

"A battleship from the Deity world!" Lord You Lan was always on alert. His pupils contracted, and the time in the area surrounding him, especially the region from where the azure snake was approaching, suddenly slowed down. At the same time, the titanic snake of lightning similarly began to slow down.

Despite having slowing down, however, it was still shockingly fast as it swept across Lord You Lan's body!

Hu.

Only then did Lord You Lan's body started evaporating.

In the distance, tens of meters away, Lord You Lan's figure reappeared.

As the azure-colored streak of lightning traveled, the upper half of a nearby mountain turned to nothing without the slightest sound. In the blink of an eye, the lightning crossed a distance of five hundred meters before finally striking the ground and creating an enormous gouge, over five hundred meters deep. It then finally dissipated under the unseen laws underground.

Lord You Lan sighed inwardly. It was fortunate that his True Meaning of Time Deceleration had worked, sparing him from having to use his life-saving method.

"Damn! He actually avoided it!"

"Just a little bit more!" The Xia Clan Demigods on the Battleship D9 felt anxious and refused to believe it.

"The arrays on Battleship D9 are too complex and mysterious, and I've only comprehended them partially" Mountain Lord He growled. "If only my comprehension of the realms had been deeper…the power I could unleash would have been higher as well."

"He Yuan, this battleship's originally from the Deity world, and even the Deities over there have to contemplate and research the arrays before they can fully unleash its power. You're still the only person in the Xia Clan who can unleash the highest portion of its might. You can't be blamed, especially since the True Meaning he comprehended is that troublesome True Meaning of Time Deceleration." Palace Head Chen was sharing his anxieties. "He was able to slow down time the moment we attacked, giving him enough time to react!"

Some other grade two True Meaning, an offensive or purely defensive one for instance, would have almost certainly been unable to block this attack. Faced with this terrifying strike from Battleship D9, the user would have been unable to dodge, most likely ending up dead!

"Hahaha! Xia Clan, you're certainly willing to spend resources. This attack should have used up a Deity crystal, right?! Come, let's continue. I want to see how many techniques you have remaining!" Lord You Lan let out a cold sneer.

Xue Ying was currently travelling inside the Mirage, still searching for that Dark Abyss team.

Hua.

He returned to the real world once again, landing atop a beautiful and peaceful mountain peak.

As he searched for the team, he would occasionally re-enter the real world so as to receive any external transmissions.

"Xue Ying, the team from the Dark Abyss has been found. Let us handle matters from this point forward." This transmission had been sent over by Palace Head Chen, who clearly did not want Xue Ying to participate in the assault. He had even held back the location—the Black White Deity Mountain—from Xue Ying. From Palace Head Chen's point of view, Xue Ying could not help in any way unless, perhaps performing a sneak attack from the Mirage? He was worried Xue Ying might be the one to die instead!

The enemies this time around were just that formidable!

Si Kong Yang was forced to rely on the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor, while the other Demigods were similarly unable to clash with the team from the Dark Abyss head-on and had to depend on the clan protection treasures of the Xia Clan!

"Brother Dong Bo, those of the Dark Abyss have already killed their way into the Black White Deity Mountain! After slaughtering countless mortals of our Xia Clan, they even demanded thirty Deity grade scrolls from us! Senior Feng Dong was killed in a single move by someone called Lord You Lan!"

"Brother Dong Bo, they've already begun to fight over at the Black White Deity Mountain! Senior Feng Dong's death was truly tragic… He was forced to beg for his life, but he said he would rather die than give in. He was killed instantly."

"Xue Ying."

More and more news arrived.

They were all coming from various onlookers. The Transcendents at the Black White Deity Mountain who were watching the battle were all mad with anger and had naturally spread the news across the world. Palace Head Chen had sent an order that other Transcendents were forbidden from participating in the battle; the Demigods had already entered the fray! Despite being unable to join, the Transcendents continued passing the news along, and, naturally, they eventually reached Xue Ying!

As soon as Xue Ying received the information, he finally understood what was going on. His expression was turning uglier and uglier, his face ashen-gray and gloomy.

Black White Deity Mountain!

Xue Ying waved his hand, tearing space apart to enter the void and rush over to the Black White Deity Mountain.

As he flew through the space tunnel, his figure was shrouded with the True Meaning of Extreme Piercing, which let him penetrate any obstacle along the way. At the same time, he took out a wine flask and gulped down some of the Hundred Bitter Restoration medicine. As it entered its body, the pain he felt was rapidly suppressed. Although some pain remained, it would not affect his battle.

      

Book 10: Chapter 16 - I'm Also a Xia Clan Transcendent

"Nuo Nuo An, go ahead and block him," Lord You Lan ordered upon seeing the charging Si Kong Yang.

"Yes," the black-robed Nuo Nuo An immediately acknowledged.

Facing a figure that was akin to a dazzling sun and a raging inferno, the black-robed Nuo Nuo An's pair of green eyes were filled with sinister intent. Accompanied by a sinister laughter, hua—he suddenly flew towards Si Kong Yang. As he barreled forward, Nuo Nuo An's body dissolved into a black fog made up of no fewer than a hundred misty spheres.

Each of those spheres then turned into an evil spirit—some handsome, some ugly, some alluring, and some strange.

These evil spirits, a hundred in total, all shrieked out simultaneously, "Si Kong Yang, die!"

Despite the hundred spirits being the ones shrieking, it felt instead as if a single person was snarling. In reality, Lord Nuo Nuo An was the one snarling! He divided his body into a hundred different parts, with each of the spirits counting as a fragment of his original figure. Naturally, with his body split into so many parts, the overall combat power of the evil spirits had also increased.

Hua, hua, hua. The hundred evil spirits surrounded Si Kong Yang and charged him all at once.

"Distinguish!" Si Kong Yang sent a slap directly at the spirits. His dazzling golden palm akin to a raging inferno slammed straight into the incoming spirits.

"Hahaha…"

"Is this all your strength? You're truly too weak."

The evil spirits kept revolving around Si Kong Yang, and no matter how Si Kong Yang attacked them, they would remain completely unharmed. The strongest among them barely reached the top ten ranking Demigods, while the majority were merely at the level of an ordinary Demigod, but they all possessed Undying Bodies and could not be so easily destroyed. With them working together as they did now, Si Kong Yang had virtually no way of destroying them.

Ao!!! All of a sudden, the evil spirits let out a collective howl able to penetrate the soul.

Si Kong Yang's body was raging with fire, allowing him to shave off half the power of that terrifying howl. Another 80-90% of the energy was then blocked by the armor he was equipped with. As soon as he felt the howl's remaining power enter his soul, he completely isolated its effect with a single thought.

"Truly troublesome. Whatever I try, I can't seem to damage this Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor." Lord Nuo Nuo felt truly irritated. Even if he were to meet an Era Suppressor, he would have to first fight them to determine which of them was stronger or weaker. As for Si Kong Yang…he could not penetrate his defenses no matter what he did. Even Lord You Lan would have reached the same outcome if he had attacked Si Kong Yang, so he couldn't be bothered to act.

"There must be a Deity grade armor protecting this Xia Clan Transcendent's body. What else could allow him to withstand Nuo Nuo An's Ten Thousand Ghost Resentment." General Ku Meng sneered, "The Ghost Resentment poison alone would have been enough to turn him mad."

"He's using the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor. A powerful Deity grade armor like that is wasted on his body. It's a pity these treasures were left behind by those Xia Clan ancestors, making them impossible for us to refine and use. Taking some of them along would have otherwise been beneficial for us." Despite saying that, Lord You Lan wasn't bothered with Si Kong Yan in the least, his eyes instead glued to the Battleship D9.

The reason for that was because Si Kong Yang had, at most, the combat power of an Era Suppressor. He didn't pose the slightest threat to him.

What was an Era Suppressor?

They were the Transcendents who had condensed a True Deity Heart via a grade three True Meaning or reached the stage three realm of a grade two True Meaning, while also possessing a Deity treasure! Once they met these criteria, a Transcendent would be considered an Era Suppressor.

The two necessary aspects were 'Power' and comprehension of the Laws of Profound Mysteries.

Si Kong Yang, for example, could reach the power of the Deity realm through the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor. His comprehension of the Laws of Profound Mysteries, however, had merely reached the level of a grade four Deity Heart!

"Si Kong Yang is being entangled by Nuo Nuo An!" The Xia Clan Transcendents within the main hall of Battleship D9 were feeling anxious. The original plan entailed having Lord You Lan divide his attention by fighting Si Kong Yang.

"We've no other choice!" Palace Head Chen frowned. "Let's try this first. Begin!"

"Mn." Mountain Lord He nodded.

A Deity Crystal had the shape of an azure rhombic prism. Its beauty was such that it could shake the heart.

Such a crystal was just imbedded into Battleship D9's propulsion channel. Previously, Mountain Lord He had controlled the battleship using his own magic power, but now, he recalled his magic and instead began directing the power of the Deity Crystal. Mountain Lord He started to operate the battleship's complex arrays. As they were meant for Deities, however, he could only understand part of them, allowing him to unleash only a portion of their full strength.

Pa!

A streak of lightning arced through the sky like a titanic azure-colored snake. As soon as it appeared, it caused the entire world to tremble faintly. Everywhere it passed, the sky turned to void, leaving behind only pitch-black cracks. Nuo Nuo An, General Ku Meng, and even Lord You Lan inwardly trembled at the sight of its power.

This was the Xia Clan's strongest attack, unleashed by a battleship originally from the Deity world! Although the demons had prepared themselves to fight the Xia Clan head-on before making their decision, they could still feel their lives being threatened!

Fast!

It was extremely fast!

In mere moments, the azure-colored snake was almost upon Lord You Lan.

"A battleship from the Deity world!" Lord You Lan was always on alert. His pupils contracted, and the time in the area surrounding him, especially the region from where the azure snake was approaching, suddenly slowed down. At the same time, the titanic snake of lightning similarly began to slow down.

Despite having slowing down, however, it was still shockingly fast as it swept across Lord You Lan's body!

Hu.

Only then did Lord You Lan's body started evaporating.

In the distance, tens of meters away, Lord You Lan's figure reappeared.

As the azure-colored streak of lightning traveled, the upper half of a nearby mountain turned to nothing without the slightest sound. In the blink of an eye, the lightning crossed a distance of five hundred meters before finally striking the ground and creating an enormous gouge, over five hundred meters deep. It then finally dissipated under the unseen laws underground.

Lord You Lan sighed inwardly. It was fortunate that his True Meaning of Time Deceleration had worked, sparing him from having to use his life-saving method.

"Damn! He actually avoided it!"

"Just a little bit more!" The Xia Clan Demigods on the Battleship D9 felt anxious and refused to believe it.

"The arrays on Battleship D9 are too complex and mysterious, and I've only comprehended them partially" Mountain Lord He growled. "If only my comprehension of the realms had been deeper…the power I could unleash would have been higher as well."

"He Yuan, this battleship's originally from the Deity world, and even the Deities over there have to contemplate and research the arrays before they can fully unleash its power. You're still the only person in the Xia Clan who can unleash the highest portion of its might. You can't be blamed, especially since the True Meaning he comprehended is that troublesome True Meaning of Time Deceleration." Palace Head Chen was sharing his anxieties. "He was able to slow down time the moment we attacked, giving him enough time to react!"

Some other grade two True Meaning, an offensive or purely defensive one for instance, would have almost certainly been unable to block this attack. Faced with this terrifying strike from Battleship D9, the user would have been unable to dodge, most likely ending up dead!

"Hahaha! Xia Clan, you're certainly willing to spend resources. This attack should have used up a Deity crystal, right?! Come, let's continue. I want to see how many techniques you have remaining!" Lord You Lan let out a cold sneer.

Xue Ying was currently travelling inside the Mirage, still searching for that Dark Abyss team.

Hua.

He returned to the real world once again, landing atop a beautiful and peaceful mountain peak.

As he searched for the team, he would occasionally re-enter the real world so as to receive any external transmissions.

"Xue Ying, the team from the Dark Abyss has been found. Let us handle matters from this point forward." This transmission had been sent over by Palace Head Chen, who clearly did not want Xue Ying to participate in the assault. He had even held back the location—the Black White Deity Mountain—from Xue Ying. From Palace Head Chen's point of view, Xue Ying could not help in any way unless, perhaps performing a sneak attack from the Mirage? He was worried Xue Ying might be the one to die instead!

The enemies this time around were just that formidable!

Si Kong Yang was forced to rely on the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor, while the other Demigods were similarly unable to clash with the team from the Dark Abyss head-on and had to depend on the clan protection treasures of the Xia Clan!

"Brother Dong Bo, those of the Dark Abyss have already killed their way into the Black White Deity Mountain! After slaughtering countless mortals of our Xia Clan, they even demanded thirty Deity grade scrolls from us! Senior Feng Dong was killed in a single move by someone called Lord You Lan!"

"Brother Dong Bo, they've already begun to fight over at the Black White Deity Mountain! Senior Feng Dong's death was truly tragic… He was forced to beg for his life, but he said he would rather die than give in. He was killed instantly."

"Xue Ying."

More and more news arrived.

They were all coming from various onlookers. The Transcendents at the Black White Deity Mountain who were watching the battle were all mad with anger and had naturally spread the news across the world. Palace Head Chen had sent an order that other Transcendents were forbidden from participating in the battle; the Demigods had already entered the fray! Despite being unable to join, the Transcendents continued passing the news along, and, naturally, they eventually reached Xue Ying!

As soon as Xue Ying received the information, he finally understood what was going on. His expression was turning uglier and uglier, his face ashen-gray and gloomy.

Black White Deity Mountain!

Xue Ying waved his hand, tearing space apart to enter the void and rush over to the Black White Deity Mountain.

As he flew through the space tunnel, his figure was shrouded with the True Meaning of Extreme Piercing, which let him penetrate any obstacle along the way. At the same time, he took out a wine flask and gulped down some of the Hundred Bitter Restoration medicine. As it entered its body, the pain he felt was rapidly suppressed. Although some pain remained, it would not affect his battle.

      

Book 10: Chapter 17 - Strength

Lord You Lan, General Ku Meng, and Nuo Nuo An witnessed their surroundings change as their minds were forced into the Mirage.

Lord You Lan snorted. "Hmph! Are you seriously trying to confuse me with an illusion of this level?" He emitted a strong spiritual wave of willpower to forcefully break the illusion, shifting the scenery back to the one in the real world. Back in the Dark Abyss, You Lan had started off a weak demon crawling about and had slaughtered his way up to his current level. On his road to power, he had witnessed a myriad of charming attempts and countless enticements.

General Ku Meng and Nuo Nuo An were similar in that they could not so easily be trapped inside the Mirage. In but a short moment, they had also broken their way outside through force.

"This…"

Despite having broken free, their expressions paled ever so slightly.

And that was because they could only see mist surrounding them, a white fog stretching for thousands upon thousands of kilometers all around them. The shrouding mist was so thick it could even block sunlight.

"We're still trapped inside an illusion." Waves began rippling from Lord You Lan's body, spreading out uniformly and shaking the layer of space as it passed along. The white mist surrounding him slowly dispersed until there was none left in a radius of five hundred meters around him.

Not too far from Lord You Lan, General Ku Meng and Nuo Nuo An spread the Laws of Profound Mysteries around them to protect their bodies and block the fog.

"My Time Domain is only able to reflect this illusory white fog," Lord You Lan began, his demeanour calm. "The illusion is spread over more than a thousand kilometers. It seems his True Meaning is not the True Meaning of Shadow, but that of Mirage. Considering its range, he must have reached at least the stage two realm in it, which means that before he moves, we can't find any trace of him. The most we can do is wait for him to make his move; only then can we counter it and kill him!"

As long as he didn't attack, Xue Ying was undetectable.

But the moment he unleashed a strike, he would also become vulnerable!

"Leader, this Dong Bo Xue Ying's attacks have no power backing them. Even with this illusion, he still has no way of hurting me," General Ku Meng said, confident in his ability.

"Hehehe, Dong Bo Xue Ying dared say he would kill me. He was even arrogant enough to call me out as the first target. Leader, just leave him to me." The black-robed Nuo Nuo An looked around. His eyes radiated with a green light tinted by killing intent.

Lord You Lan nodded. "Fine."

During his time in the Dark Abyss, Lord You Lan had faced plenty existences Xue Ying couldn't compare to. He calmly faced the current situation; in his opinion, his subordinate was more than enough to handle it.

Battleship D9 had also been surrounded by the white mist.

But the observation tools of a battleship from the Deity Realm allowed them to see through it, giving those inside a clear view of Lord You Lan's group.

"Is this Xue Ying's True Meaning of Mirage?" Palace Head Chen, Mountain Lord He, and the other Transcendents all watched with bated breaths.

Without any warning, a voice resounded inside the battleship's main deck. "Palace Head Chen, please isolate the surrounding thousand kilometers of space."

"Isolate?" Palace Head Chen replied in confusion.

"Once the space is sealed, they will have no way of instantly escaping. That way, I'll have enough time to take them on one by one," Xue Ying explained.

"Alright." Palace Head Chen agreed, prompting Mountain Lord He to quickly put Battleship D9 into operation. This type of action only consumed his personal magic power as a Demigod and had no effect on the ship's energy reserves or other sources of power.

Weng~

The space in a thousand kilometers around Battleship D9 seemed to freeze solid as the World Energy moved to seal and isolate the area from the outside.

Chi Qiu Bai worriedly whispered, "This… isn't Xue Ying being a bit overzealous?"

"Indeed, his actions are too risky. Although his True Meaning of Mirage has a bewildering effect, is it really sufficient to deal with Lord You Lan and his group?" Palace Head Chen shook his head. "I tried warning him, but it was for naught."

Si Kong Yang frowned. "From my exchange of moves with Nuo Nuo An, I could tell he has an Undying Body. I couldn't do anything to hurt him."

City Lord Bu laughed bitterly. "There's no use arguing! Xue Ying will keep going regardless of what we say. We can only wait and hope he'll somehow kill Nuo Nuo An."

The atmosphere turned heavy. The Xia Clan Transcendents all put their hopes on Xue Ying, on him somehow being able to suppress and kill them—even just one if at all possible! But they were aware of just how hard it was to kill an Era Suppressor. Even with the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor boosting his power to the level of an Era Suppressor, Si Kong Yang had been unable to put even the slightest of scratches on Nuo Nuo An, far from killing him.

The Transcendents were far more concerned with Xue Ying's safety, as they were afraid Xue Ying would die before he even got the chance to kill the enemy.

Surrounded by his spell waves, Lord You Lan hovered high in the sky, joined by General Ku Meng standing calmly nearby. Nuo Nuo An carefully inspected his surroundings through his green pupils, which brimmed with killing intent. He let out a cold laugh.

"Come, Dong Bo Xue Ying. Come and let me see how—" He had yet to finish his phrase when the shaft of a fiery-red spear flashed before him. It shot forward fueled by an oppressive killing intent, piercing even space as it directly impaled Nuo Nuo An's head!

Si la—

Unexpectedly, Nuo Nuo An had not even attempted to dodge. Despite the spear stuck between his eyebrows, he merely let loose an evil laugh.

"Die for me!" He spread his mouth wide to release a terrible growl. His snarl was accompanied by a quiet wave of sound which spread along the Stellar Fire Cloud Spear and pushed directly into the Mirage! Considering the power of the three from the Dark Abyss, they could forcefully attack and affect the Mirage.

Inside the Mirage, Xue Ying watched indifferently as the soundless wave approached. To break into the Mirage, the wave of sound had expended 90% of its power, while the remainder energy was too weak to even shake Xue Ying's protective True Meaning of Star.

The True Meaning of Star was famous for its defensive ability and its power. Even without the Mirage, the sound wave would have still been too weak to bother him, not to mention this weakened version.

"Ah!" After unleashing his growl, Nuo Nuo An's complexion paled. "Damn it!"

Pu! His body exploded into hundreds of chunks, and each individual part transformed into an evil spirit. One had the appearance of a seductress, one a wicked youth, one an old man—there were many kinds. They spoke simultaneously, "Lord, this Dong Bo Xue Ying's spearmanship has a terrifying destructive ability. My body can't withstand it—" He was still speaking when the spear struck once more out of thin air with lightning speed. Setting aside its speed, the spear possessed incredible sharpness. As soon as it appeared, it would instantly pierce the body of an evil spirit and cause it to immediately begin dispersing.

Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu!

长枪一次次从虚无中出现，每一次必定刺中一头恶鬼，且必定幻灭。诺诺安附身都无用。The spear appeared time after time, each instance signifying another evil spirit being stabbed. A single strike was enough to slay a spirit, no matter what Nuo Nuo An did to control them.

"Fierce! He's too fierce!" The Transcendents inside the battleship were in a frenzy. They had been worried over Xue Ying's safety, but they could now see the ease with which he slayed those evil spirits!

Si Kong Yang exclaimed in surprise, "Xue Ying can kill those spirits I was unable to scratch in a single strike. Incredible… Simply describing 'space' to be powerful is truly a joke. In the end, only the Laws of Profound Mysteries truly matter. Without them, even if they were more powerful, they still couldn't use that power. Xue Ying's True Meaning of Extreme Penetration certainly allows him to destroy that Undying Body. There's not even a need for multiple moves, he can simply annihilate one with each attack."

"I had no idea Xue Ying's power increased so much over the years." Palace Head Chen gave a slight chuckle. They had guessed Xue Ying would display some growth, but they were surprised to see his progress far exceeded their estimates. As soon as they saw his ability, they realized how much they had underestimated him.

General Ku Meng was startled. "A single stab is enough to destroy one of the spirits? How can he have such power?"

Lord You Lan frowned. "The power of his strikes is comparable to a grade two True Meaning with a comprehension at the stage three realm! But Extreme Penetration is a purely offensive True Meaning, so my assumption is that Dong Bo Xue Ying has, at most, reached the peak of the stage two realm."

"It might only be at the peak of the stage two realm, but its destructive power is already comparable to an ordinary grade two True Meaning at the stage three realm," General Ku Meng, said, voice filled with worry. "Even now, it has a terrifying destructive power—one at an even higher level than the Xia Clan's most powerful Demigod. His and Nuo Nuo An's might are only separated by the Deity treasure."

A powerful existence whose comprehension reached the stage three realm with a grade two True Meaning would reach the level of an Era Suppressor once they wielded a Deity treasure. With Xue Ying's Extreme Penetration being a grade two True Meaning with power comparable to the stage three realm, he now only lacked a Deity treasure! A common Deity treasure would usually double one's power.

Although Xue Ying lacked such a treasure, it only made him slightly inferior. Both parties were still well-matched, without any major disparities in their levels.

"That's wrong. You're underestimating this Transcendent afflicted by the hexing poison," Lord You Lan said, his tone solemn. "He's stronger than Nuo Nuo An. True, if he only had the True Meaning of Extreme Piercing, he would have been weaker than Nuo Nuo An. But don't forget he also has the True Meaning of Mirage! With the two combined, he can really guide his opponents into despair."

      

Book 10: Chapter 18 - Fatal Weakness

Back when Xue Ying fought the Reincarnators from the Temporal Temple, his victory would have been much less certain had he only relied on his True Meaning of Extreme Piercing. In fact, it would have been very difficult even with the True Meaning of Star backing him up as well. It was only after unleashing his True Meaning of Mirage that the difficulty of the mission was bumped from Hard to Nightmare. As soon as he used the Mirage, his opponent could no longer resist his attack; if he wanted to kill them, he would do it!

"He can strike whenever and without warning! As soon as he makes his move, the spear is already before his opponent!"

"As long as he doesn't strike, there's no way to find him!"

"His True Meanings complement each other. He's completely overpowering Nuo Nuo An!"

"When it comes to strength, more isn't always better; it must be properly unleashed. His two True Meanings mesh well, which turns every strike into a fearsome attack." Lord You Lan shook his head. "The most dangerous part of it is that if he doesn't make a move, we can't even detect him. His attacks are also very swift; as soon as he strikes, he quickly withdraws. We've no way of capturing him."

Extreme Penetration was originally exceedingly fast.

With how fast Xue Ying's strikes were, he could withdraw as soon as he attacked! The advantage his opponents had from their numbers was nullified.

General Ku Meng transmitted with a perplexed tone, "Don't tell me…Nuo Nuo An is going to die?"

"In this mortal world, Nuo Nuo An's power is that of an Era Suppressor! How could he so easily be killed? This Dong Bo Xue Ying is only able to suppress him because his True Meanings work together so well. To suppress Nuo Nuo An is one thing, but to kill him? The victor is not yet set in stone." The corners of Lord You Lan's mouth twitched upwards slightly. "Look, Nuo Nuo An is going all out! Having lived in the Dark Abyss until now… he can't be that simple."

"Aaah!" The large group of evil spirits all began to roar in fury at the same time. "Dong Bo Xue Ying, I want your death!"

All of a sudden, a pair of ominously glowing green eyes appeared in mid-air. It was Nuo Nuo An's Deity treasure!

The green light forming the eyes began to expand and shape itself into two channels, out of where countless evil spirits flew.

Xue Ying's wrinkled his brows inside the Mirage. "What's going on? How can there be so many evil spirits?"

"Th-th-this…."

In the distance, the Xia Clan Transcendents inside Battleship D9 were stunned by this scene.

Even the hundred evil spirits from before had been troublesome enough, but those which had just rushed out of the eyes numbered in the hundreds, with more still coming. In what felt like the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of evil spirits, enough to cover the lands and blot the skies, had appeared—each exuding an oppressive aura. They seemed to be confused and began howling.

An instant later, the tens of thousands of evil spirits were attracted by an invisible force which force them to quickly converge in the center.

Countless horrifying energies surged.

A towering devil appeared, its body a mass of darkness with large fangs. It had twin eyes of radiant green, and atop its head were no less than nine black horns. Its body emitted an endless Qi which seemed to engulf the heavens and earth, smothering the surrounding Mirage. The white fog couldn't get closer than five kilometers to his location.

"So strong."

Inside the Mirage, Xue Ying was inwardly surprised. "What mighty Qi. It's gotten much stronger than it was at first."

"Ten Thousand Ghost Body? Hadn't Nuo Nuo An only practiced to the level of Hundred Ghost Body?" General Ku Meng asked, surprised at the sight.

"Of course he doesn't have a Ten Thousand Ghost Body. Had he cultivated that, even I would have a hard time defeating him. He has evil spirits in the tens of thousands, but he normally only controls up to 100. He's currently going all out by relying on his Deity treasure to forcefully engulf the evil spirits and form a sort of Ten Thousand Ghost Body. Look, his strength is spilling; he has no way of restraining it in the least. There's no way he can control it. If you look at his eyes, you can tell his mind is confused. But this is still enough." Lord You Lan revealed a smile.

He immediately transmitted a shout—"Nuo Nuo An!"

"I'll assist you by manipulating the flow of time in your area, but Dong Bo is proficient in Extreme Penetration, and he can use it to forcefully pierce through the obstructions of time and space. My Time Flow will probably only have a limited effect at the most! The rest you will have to do yourself. Remember, he has a fatal weakness."

Lord You Lan's voice was transmitted into Nuo Nuo An's ear in his Ten Thousand Ghost Body form.

He replied, "Rest assured, my lord. I know of his weakness. It just so happens that my Death Howl is able to restrain him."

All of a sudden, a spear appeared behind Nuo Nuo An. The surroundings had slowed down, but the Stellar Fire Cloud Spear strived to forcefully pierce through anything. In its attempt to penetrate this type of time slowing obstruction, it had inevitably slowed down a touch.

Nuo Nuo An turned his head in a flash but kept his body in the same position.

He spread open his mouth to reveal his fangs, akin to a ferocious beast.

Hou!

Simultaneously, a pair of large hands, with nails painted an inky black, slashed towards the spear lightning-fast.

Pu! The Stellar Fire Cloud Spear stabbed straight into Nuo Nuo An's towering head, a hundred meters high in the air. Its size alone reached two meters, but after getting hit by the spear just once, the head began collapsing. Soon, however, it began reforming!

Xue Ying quickly withdrew his Stellar Fire Cloud Spear, but it was affected by the Time Flow and it ended up being struck by Nuo Nuo An's attack.

"My Death Howl will be enough to kill you." Nuo Nuo An was brimming with confidence. "The True Meaning of Mirage has next to no defensive ability, while the True Meaning of Extreme Piercing is even worse. You don't even have Qi to protect you body! Do you perhaps have a Deity Warrior protecting you? While they might not be afraid of soul attacks, they are also worthless when it comes to stopping them. Try blocking this!"

Transcendent Mages would, for the most part, all study the soul.

But even so, most soul attacks were not particularly powerful, with Transcendents generally enduring them by relying on their own souls.

However, Nuo Nuo An's situation differed!

He had condensed a Deity Heart using the grade three True Meaning of Death. By using that Deity Heart in conjunction with the Ten Thousand Ghost Body to employ his Death Howl, he could unleash a terrifying soul attack!

Deity Warriors, Deity grade armor, and other treasures would normally not have much of a diminishing effect on soul attacks.

Transcendent Qi and Magic Power, on the other hand, were the special energies wielded by Transcendents and usually had good effects.

But the best by far were still the True Meanings! There were even some mysterious ones which specialized in defending that would be able to completely block them.

Within the Mirage.

In his Ten Thousand Ghost Body form, Nuo Nuo An's hands collided with the spear, the resulting impact being transmitted into the Mirage, albeit with sharply reduced force. Xue Ying's dominant hand holding onto the end of the spear barely registered the attack. And that was only because the spear had acted as a conduit for the force. Had there been no object to transmit the impact through, this sort of pure power wouldn't even have been able to enter the Mirage!

Hou! The successive roar was the real terrifying attack.

Surprisingly, the bellow had formed black ripples visible to the naked eye.

The howl coming from a Ten Thousand Ghost Body—The Howl of Death!

Faced with this howl, ordinary peak Demigods would be instantly turned into a pile of gore.

Once the ripples crossed the threshold of the real world and passed into the Mirage, their power was immediately reduced by 90%. The remaining 10% still crashed into Xue Ying's body, which was covered with a protective layer of True Meaning of Star!

These years…..

Although he had been diligent in his practice of his spear techniques, not the same could be said for comprehending True Meanings.

But sometimes, a more laid-back attitude would actually bring better results. It was the same as in the case of how Xue Ying had practiced his spear techniques focusing on the aspect of speed; the more he pursued this goal, the faster his True Meaning of Extreme Piercing had improved. Naturally, his Extreme Piercing had advanced by leaps and bounds.

Until now.

All of his True Meanings had reached the peak of the stage two realm, but breaking through stages had always been difficult. Xue Ying had reached this peak several years ago.

The body of a cultivator of the True Meaning of Star was akin to a celestial body, proficient in both offense and defence. Gravity only seemed to serve as a complement.

Hua, hua, hua! The surface formed by the True Meaning of Star had the depth of the Earth and the stars.

The onslaught of the black ripples was completely repelled by the protective force.

In truth, had he been forced to face the Death Howl of the Ten Thousand Ghost Body outside the Mirage, he would have been injured at most, thanks to the defense granted by the True Meaning of Star.

If he could resist even outside the Mirage, by receiving the attack inside the mirage with the True Meaning of Star, he wasn't injured in the least!

The gigantic Nuo Nuo An wondered to himself expectantly, Is he dead?

Pu.

The Stellar Fire Cloud Spear struck out once more, crushing his hopes..

"He's still alive?" General Ku Meng and Lord You Lan were also dismayed by this result.

"It must be due to that Six Ghost Resentment hexing poison. His many years of enduring its suffering are bound to have tempered his mind and strengthen it. But with my Ten Thousand Ghost Body, I can resist for longer than he can! I trust that in about eight to ten more exchanges, he'll drop dead." Nuo Nuo An instantly focused his thoughts. Once more, he faced the attacks slowed down by the Time Flow and countered them. Not only was the True Meaning of Extreme Penetration incredibly fast, it also had the ability to pierce space. By the time it left the Time Flow, it would already penetrate the skull.

Too cruel!

Hou!

Hou!

Hou!

The terrible Death Howl, formed with the grade three True Meaning of Death at the base and built upon the foundation of the Ten Thousand Ghost Body, was unleashed time after time. Each of these instances unleashed was terrifying.

Inside Battleship D9.

The Xia Clan Transcendents nervously watched on, overcome with worry. The black ripples created by the Death Howl spread outwards, disintegrating everything in an area of 50 kilometers. Be it leaves, soil, even the rocks on the ground, all were shattered and wiped from existence.

"This move contains the True Meaning of Death," Mountain Lord He explained. "Moreover, it's a soul attack which turned even the stones and soil in the distance to nothing. The effect it will have on the soul will be even more devastating. Xue Ying might have the Green-Armored Protector, but its proficiency doesn't lie in blocking this type of attack."

Si Kong Yang asked anxiously, "Can Xue Ying take it? His body is so weak."

Despite being struck by Xue Ying's spear more than eight times, Nuo Nuo An's gigantic body showed no signs of being affected. The Ten Thousand Ghost Body was clearly very sturdy.

But what of Xue Ying?

"Oh, Xue Ying." Palace Head Chen was worried sick, but he couldn't even send him a message while he remained in the Mirage!

Xue Ying struck with extreme speed.

The afterimages of his spear pierced Nuo Nuo An time and time again, seemingly from every angle.

Ten, twenty, thirty attacks…

"How is he able to keep going?" Nuo Nuo An's titanic figure was gradually shrinking. With each stab, some more of his energy spilled.

"This can't be! The True Meanings of Extreme Penetration and Mirage don't specialize in defense, and he doesn't even have Qi. How can he still be standing?"

Fifty, sixty attacks…

"No, No ……." Nuo Nuo An's body began shrinking faster and faster, prompting him to bellow a frightened yell.

He couldn't comprehend it.

He had come from the Dark Abyss, and here, in the mortal world, he was at the level of an Era Suppressor! He was so strong, so how could he die so easily?

He simply couldn't believe it. "How come he isn't dying? What's keeping him alive? Is he really stronger than I am?"

      

Book 10: Chapter 10 - Look of Anger, Desire to Rend

"Palace Head Chen, did the commander of the Bloodshed Tavern team approach you? Did you send any Deity-grade scrolls over?" Xue Ying also became excited upon hearing these news. He was naturally willing to follow a team if given the opportunity. After all, these teams had incredible combat power and their comprehensions of the realms were also deep. Furthermore, each member had a Deity weapon and many other treasures prepared for this venture into the Crimson Rock Mountain.

As for him?

In truth, he didn't own any weapons and had to depend on his own combat power. His most precious treasures he had returned to the Xia Clan! He was also alone, and despite his confidence, the difficulty would have increased to about ten times the normal if he was to enter by himself.

"Rest assured. I would have never sent any Deity-grade scrolls over; I do not even have the authority to do so," Palace Head Chen transmitted back. "It was the commander of the Bloodshed Tavern team himself who took the initiative to mention this matter!"

"I'll have to go visit them." Xue Ying's heart was filled with gratitude.

The headquarters of the Bloodshed Tavern was situated in an ordinary-looking county. The incredibly large tavern spanned over an area of almost a kilometer, and was bustling with activity.

A large number of courtyards could be found behind the tavern, and it was in one of these courtyards that the team of Demigods from the Deity world was located.

"Manor Master, that Dong Bo Xue Ying is merely a Saint Transcendent. He's been afflicted with the Six Ghosts Resentment hexing poison, and he's certainly isn't the strongest person in this mortal world. Won't he just be in the way if we take him along to the Crimson Rock Mountain?" An old man with a goatee was harping on this issue. He was slovenly both in manner and dressing. Sitting cross-legged beside him was a bald old man garbed in yellow robes.

The bald man nodded, "This old thief's words make sense. Manor Master, you've paid a huge price to come here, and we're all betting our lives in this gamble. We don't need this Dong Bo Xue Ying's aid, and if the time comes when he'll instead hinder us, we'll fall into a terrible position."

It was important to choose fitting team members. This was exactly the reason why the Temple of the Earth God's team dared to request so much. Any ordinary team would not have been willing to bring along a hindrance, since the team would be doomed if that person was to drag them back during the most crucial of moments.

"Old thief, Uncle Fu, I've previously looked into it. Dong Bo Xue Ying has grasped hold of either the True Meaning of Mirage or the True Meaning of Shadow Space. He won't bring about any big trouble." The person saying these words was a middle-aged man in green robes.

This middle-aged man had an extraordinary temperament. He held back his aura to the point where no waves of suppression were released at all.

Even so, he was the commander of the team.

The Bloodshed Tavern… belonged to one of the three superpowers of the Deity World, the Bloodshed God Palace. Any of those powerful existences could easily discover many powerful Demigods, so him choosing this team out of so many possible naturally meant it was extraordinary.

"He won't cause any trouble, but he won't be of any help either. In terms of scouting ability, I've long since condensed a True Deity Heart for my True Meaning of Illusion. How much more formidable is it when compared to that brat's True Meaning of Mirage in which he can only have a shallow comprehension?" the old man with a goatee said, wide-eyed. The True Meaning of Illusion was only a grade three True Meaning, while the True Meaning of Mirage was a grade two True Meaning. Even so, it was impossible for it to withstand it when the other party's comprehension already reached the level of being able to condense a True Deity Heart.

The green-robed teenager said, "That's enough, you two. Stop your grumbling. Dong Bo Xue Ying has arrived. Let's take a look at this brat who will be our future comrade, whose life and death will be intertwined with ours."

The old man with a goatee and the bald old man with yellow robes felt helpless.

They could not change the determination of their Manor Master!

Very soon—

Zhi ya, the doors opened.

A white-robed teenager with a slightly sick appearance walked through. Transcendents would usually have bright complexions, yet Xue Ying's was naturally rather pale due to all the torture inflicted by the hexing poison.

"Hexing poison…" The green-robed middle-aged man was looking in Xue Ying's direction who had just walked in, but his thoughts were with his wife. He married her after he became a Transcendent. She had lived under the torture of a hexing poison for 30 years, and she accompanied him for all those years until she finally died. He could never forget that pain for the rest of his life. After coming to know about Xue Ying's circumstances, he naturally arrived at his decision.

This young man could withstand the Six Ghosts Resentment hexing poison for a hundred years. He did not look simple at all.

"Dong Bo Xue Ying, am I right?" The green-robed middle-aged man smiled. "I am Chen Jiu! We will be comrades in the future!"

"Greetings, Brother Chen Jiu." Xue Ying gave a slight bow as a show of respect.

During this first meeting…

Chen Jiu naturally released some of his aura. In the world of Transcendents, combat power was above all else.

Upon coming into contact with the aura let out by Chen Jiu, Xue Ying got the vague sensation that eight fierce dragons were roaring at him! These dragons were each represented by a terrifying determination. Some were like aspects of destructions, some of venom, some of ruthlessness; they were all extremely terrifying. Beyond that terror, however, lay endless vitality.

Clearly, those either dragons represented different aspects of terror, yet they were backed by boundless vitality. It was similar to the logic of extreme Ying giving birth to Yang, or extreme Yang giving birth to Yin.

No wonder he is the commander of the team sent by the higher-ups of the Bloodshed God Palace. He is truly deep and immeasurable, thought Xue Ying.

In a run-of-the-mill county, countless people were living their ordinary lives.

"You scoundrel! Since you want to kill me, I'll make sure you won't leave alive either. Die, die!" An honest-looking fellow was currently displaying a savage expression as he brandished a butcher's knife, attempting to cleave a muscular man with a bossy and domineering attitude who was moving about. This man glared back at the fellow and grabbed a knife from his waist. "Back at you!"

The two men began trying to slaughter each other.

Strangely, however, none of the bypassers on the street were terrified at this scene. They all had red eyes as they began insulting one another and fighting amongst themselves, some of them with straight-up underhanded means.

"Hahaha, you pretty thing, it doesn't matter how loud you scream." A brutish figure broke into a commoner's house to grab the woman inside. She was crying and wailing mournfully, "My child, my child!" By her side was an infant displaying no signs of life.

"Aaah, my child! My child!" As the woman's mournful wails reverberated, her eyes started turning red. She pushed her fingers into the eyes of the infant beside her, pu chi…

"Strip them all, flay their bodies!"

A man with a vicious appearance sat there, watching men and women being hung. "I'll use the skins of whoever can please this master to make some clothes. You'll be sure to enjoy it. Strip them all! Strip, strip, strip!"

Normally, these underlings would have been terrified, afraid that their masters would become even more violent. At that moment, however, their eyes were all red as they giggled and each took out a knife…

Those who were being hanged began cursing with frenzy and fury.

The citizens of this county had seemingly all turned into devils exhibiting the most violent of personalities. Within a short moment, the entire county began reeking of blood. This smell permeated every crook and corner of the county as more than half the population began slaughtering one another and finally dying themselves. Those left were still in the process of killing each other.

All those people dying unjustly led to a grievance forming in the entire city.

"Hahahaha, such a beautiful sound…" Standing in mid-air above this county was a thin and weak-looking old man with extremely long fingernails. Continuously releasing diabolical aura into his surroundings, he held onto a mysterious crystal ball containing a large number of ghosts of people who died unjustly, currently howling from grief.

"This is… what happened here?" The figure of a cold, calm man releasing an aura of coldness and darkness appeared in mid-air.

He was none other than the Ghost Knight, Feng Dong.

Feng Dong's temperament was usually cold, but at that moment, he felt shocked. He watched as thousands of people in the county turned the whole place into hell! The stench of blood filled the air and grievance shot up to the sky!

Weng! He borrowed the World Energy to investigate the county. The results led to a look of anger on his face and a desire to rend filling him. About 80% to 90% of the people in this county had already died, some of the deaths so cruel he dared not witness them. The dead were filled with savage and malevolent resentment, which caused the fury in Feng Dong's heart to explode.

"Who are you?!" Feng Dong discovered the thin, weak-looking old man standing above the center of the county. With a single teleportation, he arrived in front of him.

He sent a look filled with anger towards this old man; he understood well that everything had been caused by this person.

It's that crystal ball. Feng Dong could faintly feel the crystal ball releasing an invisible force enveloping the entire county, which turned the people within crazy. After their deaths, their souls would then be absorbed by that force and pulled into the crystal ball.

"Break for me." Feng Dong's fury overflowed into the heavens. A halberd appeared in his hand before turning into a black ray being thrust towards the crystal ball.

The thin, weak-looking old man immediately roared, "Impudence!"

      

Book 10: Chapter 11 - Like Livestock

The thin old man clutched the crystal ball with one hand as his body swiftly turned to dodge Feng Dong's strike.

"You're quite fast, aren't you?" Feng Dong became getting irritated. As a Transcendent of the Xia Clan, it was his duty to protect his clan. He was furious at what happened. His strength flared up and his speed increased to the point that it exceeded that of the old man, becoming a bizarre shadow.. His fame as the Ghost Deity Knight was precisely due to his way of fighting being akin to the ghost of a god.

Clang clang, with one hand clutching the crystal ball, the thin old man only had one hand to defend. He rigorously moved to blocked the halberd,, which became a phantom. He became unable to defend against it, and his body was pierced.

The old man sneered. "It's futile." His complexion suddenly changed when his previously pierced abdomen began making a gushing sound and his body started to erode.

Feng Dong's expression changed slightly. "A soul body? Too bad your opponent was me, the Ghost Deity Knight!"

Hu.

The old man immediately pulled the crystal ball into his storage space. Once inside, the crystal ball's influence over the entire county was released.

Those still in a trance due to the crystal ball's influence regained their sanity. They were devastated.

"No, no…"

"Master!"

"How…how could this happen?"

They were terrified upon realizing what happened—their previous actions. This hell-like scene was worse than any nightmare they had!

"Who are you? Why are you collecting all of these vengeful spirits?" Feng Dong angrily asked as he continued attacking.

The thin old man tried resisting Feng Dong's attacks using both his claws. He was an experienced Demigod, but Feng Dong had long since reached the peak of the Demigod realm. Adding his comprehension of the realms on top of that, he held the upper hand against the old man.

"My master is the great lord, Nuo Nuo An," the old man shouted. "You can't kill me!"

Feng Dong roared back, "Nuo Nuo An? Who is he, and from which realm is he from?" All the while, he didn't stop attacking, and his halberd finally broke through the old man's defenses. He pierced his body again and again. His attacks were obviously damaging the old man whose body was starting to blur.

Ordinary attacks wouldn't have been able to hurt evil spirits, but Feng Dong's were different. His Profound Mysteries allowed him to damage them.

Weng~~

As the old man reached his last breaths, a shadow appeared behind him. Forming an illusory green skull, it shouted, "Xia Clansman, stop!"

"Are you Nuo Nuo An? You're slaughtering the people of my Xia Clan. Why would I stop?" He continued attacking, and each of his attacks caused the old man's body to blur further.

"Xia Clan Transcendent, aren't you Ghost Knight Feng Dong of the Black White Deity Mountain? Let my subordinate go, or die," the skull threatened.

"There's only path for a mass murderer of my Xia Clan—death!" With lightning speed, Feng Dong's halberd continued to attack. The old man was finally no longer able to resist, as he vanished into thin air with a mournful scream, leaving only his storage space behind.

"Damn!" the illusory skull cursed as it dissipated.

Feng Dong grabbed the storage space. He rummaged through it and quickly found the crystal ball, which he broke as soon as it was out.

Numerous vengeful ghosts were released and, under the laws of the World, disappeared without trace.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." Feng Dong showed a dreary expression as he listened to the ghosts wailing. He detested people who killed recklessly. His experiences from his younger days had turned him into something more ghost than human.

He descended into the county city. Looking at this scene of wailing people, some of them teenagers, made him remember his younger self.

"Outsiders! Outsiders!" Feng Dong yelled angrily. Although he was boiling with fury, he did not forget to transmit the situation over to Palace Head Chen.

Within a patio behind the Bloodshed Tavern, Xue Ying was still discussing with the group of three from the Bloodshed Tavern. He could feel that the leader, Chen Qiu, had a very favorable impression towards him, in contrast to the other two who viewed him unfavorably.

The old man with the goatee and the bald man in yellow robes were discussing in secret.

"This is strange. The Manor Master is usually aloof, yet he is actually receiving Xue Ying so well. It's truly rare for him to be like this."

"Indeed, the Manor Master is usually like this only with several of his close relatives."

They talked for a while more and Xue Ying was preparing to leave when, all of a sudden, his expression changed.

"Xue Ying, there have been mass killing in our Tranquil Sun Province. Three cities have reported casualties of large amounts of mortals. They died miserable deaths, and the total number of victims might be more than a billion."

"Brother Dong Bo, there have been mass killings in the majority of our Xia Clan's nineteen provinces. We lost contact with some of the Transcendents who lived in those cities. We're certain they're not dead, since their communication wristbands would have sent signals. It was only after the Ghost Knight, Feng Dong, made a report to the Infernal Palace that we found out what was happening and we sent patrols. The losses these time were enormous."

"Xue Ying…"

Reports were coming one after another.

Xue Ying was in a shock, and he found it hard to believe.

Billions? 'Billion' was too simple of a word to represent these countless amounts of people. As he traveled around the world, mingling with the mortals together with his wife for a hundred years, Xue Ying not even once thought himself to be above those mortals. To him, with the exception that Transcendents were more powerful than mortals, they were exactly the same. He had taught those ordinary kids spearmanship in a sincere and equal way. He was shocked to hear about those mass killings which took place.

"Oh?" Chen Jiu knit his eyebrows. "Xue Ying, did something occur in your Xia Clan?"

Xue Ying replied in a slightly hoarse voice, "Right."

Chen Jiu lifted his eyebrows; he could feel Xue Ying's sour mood.

"You have to be careful. Considering the fierce, brutal method they used, they might be backed by people from the Deity World. But they've never been so open and arrogant before. Perhaps the Dark Abyss is behind this then. Such actions are normal in the chaotic Dark Abyss. My guess is that these massacres with the goal of gathering souls were done by the group of Demigods from the Dark Abyss," Chen Jiu explained.

"The Demigods from the Dark Abyss?" Xue Ying asked in response.

Chen Jiu replied, "I've told you, the group I'm most cautious of from all which descended here is that from the Dark Abyss. They are different from those Demigods from the mortal worlds of the Deity World. Their innate talents are comparable to Deity Artifacts, and the members of the group which arrived this time aren't just any ordinary demons. They've undergone a process of selection, and the ones remaining are all top existences.

"The killings in the Dark Abyss are wicked, and the competition is fierce. With their talents and power, the members selected for this group of Demigods must be incredibly powerful." Chen Jiu continued, "You Xia Clan must be more vigilant. Since they dare be so brazen, they obviously don't care about you."

Xue Ying was moved by his Chen Jiu's care. "Thank you for you concern, Brother Chen Jiu. I won't stay any longer."

"Mn, we will use the communication wristband to contact you later about our departure." Chen Jiu gave his farewell. The communication wristband in his possession was that of the Xia Clan which Palace Head Chen gifted to him. The wristbands of other planes could not be used to communicate with those of the Xia Clan.

Xue Ying arrived outside one of the big cities of the Xia Clan. He looked around the city and its surrounding villages. They air was dense with the stench of blood and there were corpses scattered around wherever he looked.

Everyone was dead, not a single one spared.

Viewing this scene sent chills through his heart.

"Damn, damn!" Xue Ying gritted his teeth. He had visited this city together with his wife in the past. They tried many snacks, and even bought cakes for the local children. But now, everyone was dead, the city had become a ghost city.

Entering the city, Xue Ying's eyes were tinged with red. The hexing poison had brought him close to death, but it also made him treasure life! He loved children, and despite him and Jing Qiu not having any, to him, children represented hope, and life. But the state this city was in…

The once bustling city was now dead. Countless corpses were scattered left and right, and the air reeked of blood. This scene made Xue Ying's heart grow cold. He clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white.

"In your eyes, is my Xia Clan just livestock?"

      

Book 10: Chapter 12 - The Team from the Dark Abyss

"Palace Head Chen, have you confirmed their identities?" Xue Ying controlled the anger rising within him as he transmitted the question to Palace Head Chen.

"We are certain they came from the Dark Abyss, and that the master of the evil spirit which Feng Dong killed is Nuo Nuo An!" Palace Head Chen replied. "Further investigations are ongoing, and, for the moment, we cannot confirm where the team from the Dark Abyss is located."

"Let me know as soon as you find them," Xue Ying said.

"Okay, Xue Ying. Rest assured, our Xia Clan will absolutely not forgive them!" Palace Head Chen staunchly replied.

"By the way, the team from the Bloodshed Tavern warned me to be especially careful of the group from the Dark Abyss." Xue Ying informed Palace Head Chen of everything Chen Jiu told him. Despite his killing intent going through the roof, he had to first understand the other party's combat power.

Very soon, the two of them broke the connection.

Xue Ying was still standing within the empty county. Looking around, he understood that he was currently the only person alive in the entire area. Although it was still early in the day, and the sun was high up in the sky, only the sounds of moaning could be heard as the winds blew, and the entire place reeked of blood. It made Xue Ying feel a chill which permeated his bones.

Outsiders from the Dark Abyss! Xue Ying's eyes were filled with the desire to kill. Even though those weak little demons were hibernating around the world, their combat power was too weak to kill a large amount of humans in a single swoop. Such a massacre had not taken place in a long time.

This matter could not be kept secret.

Soon, every Transcendent of the Xia Clan knew about it. They were stunned for a moment, but then anger took over them. They wanted vengeance, yet, as per the orders of Palace Head Chen, the Demigods were already on the search for the perpetrators, so other Transcendents were forbidden from acting! The enemies were far too strong, so any ordinary Transcendents participating in the search would just be sending themselves to their own deaths.

"Damn it!"

"Outsiders, outsiders!"

"This is our homeworld, the world of our Xia Clan!" Every single one of the Transcendents felt angry and bitter. Those outsiders had actually come into their homeworld and slaughtered their people! Who could bear such pain?

Atop a mountain peak where the cold winds howled past,, there was a figure dressed in black robes. His face looked wasted away, as if only his bones remained, and his eyes glowed green. The cold winds brushed past, causing his robes to flap in the breeze. This was none other than the man the entire Xia Clan was searching for, Nuo Nuo An.

Xiu. A portion of space in the surrounding area was torn apart. A woman garbed in bright red flew over from within and respectfully offered him a crystal ball, while confidently saying, "Master, I've collected the souls of a hundred million humans."

Soon, figure after figure began tearing through space and coming over to the man. In a similar fashion, they handed over crystal balls to their master using both hands.

"Master, I've collected only sixty million human souls."

"Master, I could not…"

All of them were feeling nervous.

They returned back under the orders given by their master.

"Alright." The black-robed man waved his hand, collecting all the crystal balls. Right then, his eyes widened.

Weng—

For a moment, the black-robed man's eyes were like a passageway which the servants began flying into.

"Who would've thought that I'd be found by the Xia Clan despite the haste of my actions. It's such a pity that the amount of souls I've collected is lower than I expected," the black-robed man mumbled softly. In a flash of his figure, he entered the volcano nearby.

Flying down through the top of the volcano…

He soon arrived at a huge lake of magma, deep inside the volcano. The lake covered an area of a few kilometers.

Hu.

He placed himself right on top of the surface of rolling magma, which released 'gu gu gu' sounds, and said, "General Ku Meng, it's time to wake up!" His voice was directly transmitted deep down inside the magma lake.

Gu gu gu~ The magma lake started frothing on the surface and began surging upwards. A huge fire emerged from deep within, from which an enormous, bald, shiny head without a hint of hair appeared. Even the face was free from any hair whatsoever—it was bright and clean. This enormous head the size of a hill reached a height of two hundred meters.

This head opened its mouth to release a yawn, sending out a huge stream of air which shook the entire lake of magma.

"Nuo Nuo An, I haven't had enough sleep!" the enormous head said as he began to stand. A towering figure emerged from beneath the lake of magma, so large that, despite the incredible depth of the magma lake, it still only reached the waist of the giant.

This giant, silver in color, did not have even a single strand of hair on its body.

As it started moving, the giant began visibly shrinking. After a dozen steps or so, it reached a rather 'ordinary' height of about three meters.

"General Ku Meng, I've already collected the souls. It's time for us to meet the commander," the black-robed man said. He seemed quite polite.

He had no choice.

Nuo Nuo An might have been a tyrannical figure somewhere else, but among the three existences sent from the Dark Abyss this time around, he was merely acting as a cushion. General Ku Meng was of an upper class demon bloodline, the Purgatory Demon. After some miraculous encounter, he was able to cultivate a secret technique which allowed his body to reach its current shape. More importantly, its comprehension of the realms was deep, and he seemed to have no weaknesses!

"We're meeting the lord?" The silver demon, General Ku Meng, was slightly startled. His attitude became much more respectful as he said, "Let's go."

They left that volcano.

Next to the volcano, in a desolate area of land, there was an ordinary-looking wooden house. Inside it was a black-skinned teenager wrapped in white cloth.

"Lord!" Nuo Nuo An and General Ku Meng respectfully greeted.

The teenager slowly opened his eyes. Under the gaze of that pair of eyes, the surrounding space and time stopped for a moment.

He stood.

He was barefoot, and he didn't wear any armor, boots, or other equipment. He only had that single sheet of white cloth wrapped around his body. As he walked barefoot…he exposed his arms to the world.

Neither Nuo Nuo An, nor General Ku Meng dared let out even the slightest gasp.

Lord…

Under the regulations of the Dark Abyss, only Demonic Gods could be qualified to become the lord of a territory! But this black-skinned teenager wrapped in white cloth had actually done so as a Demigod! If not for those lofty existences coming up, threatening and forcing him, considering this black-skinned teenager's combat power, he would have never been willing to gamble his life in the Crimson Rock Mountain.

He had no choice. The Dark Abyss was governed by the law of the jungle!

"Nuo Nuo An, how is it?" The black-skinned teenager smiled. His smile contained a strange charm, and the entire world seemed to go quiet with that single smile.

"I originally wanted to collect a billion souls, but the Ghost Knight, Feng Dong, of the Black White Deity Mountain interfered and killed one of my servant spirits. I immediately recalled the other spirits and began retreating in order to prevent the other Xia Clan Demigods from stopping us. In the end, I was only able to collect a total of six hundred million human souls," Nuo Nuo An answered respectfully while simultaneously taking out a crystal ball.

This crystal ball contained a total of a hundred million human souls.

According to the Lord's orders, he would receive 100 million of the souls collected by Nuo Nuo An, while the remaining 900 million would be Nuo Nuo An's! However, Feng Dong appeared in the middle of the process and disrupted the plan.

Hu.

A powerful swallowing force appeared.

The black-skinned teenager opened his mouth so wide that the crystal ball was able to directly fly into it. The crystal ball was so large…yet it seemed like the teenager could widen his mouth even further, swallowing the entire ball in one go. His throat bulged to an extent that it doubled in size, yet the crystal ball was still ultimately swallowed.

The countless human souls within the crystal ball wailed in anguish.

"So delicious." The black-skinned teenager closed his eyes while revealing a content look. "The souls of the humans in this material world are, indeed, a top-class delicacy. Had I not been forced to go here and gamble my life in the Crimson Rock Mountain, just staying here and enjoying this place might not have been so bad."

"With the power of the Lord himself, we'll definitely be able to survive and return from the Crimson Rock Mountain," Nuo Nuo An said.

"Survive?" The black-skinned teenager's eyes were calm. "Of course we'll survive! I, You Lan, will surely come back alive. Let's go. We're paying a visit to the Black White Deity Mountain."

"Black White Deity Mountain?" Nuo Nuo An and General Ku Meng were puzzled.

The black-skinned teenager apathetically answered, "That Xia Clan Transcendent, Feng Dong, killing your servant is akin to him killing my own servant! How could we let something like that pass?"

      

Book 10: Chapter 13 - The Fall

In the Mirage.

There was currently a demon-like figure moving rapidly. His speed was truly too fast—so fast that every time his body flashed, he would appear five hundred kilometers away. With such a speed, he would unquestionably be first among all the Transcendents of the Xia Clan. At the same time, by using his penetrative high speed motion, his body would occasionally enter the real world, stopping there every now and then before returning into the Mirage and continuing his journey within.

This was a white-robed teenager who seemed sickly and who was currently searching for traces of the team from Dark Abyss. He was Xue Ying.

"Maybe I might not be able to kill all of you, but I'll have to try. Who knows, I might just kill you all, right?" Xue Ying thought, "And even if I can't kill you all, I'll still seek for an opportunity after entering the Crimson Rock Mountain."

He had entered the real world to connect his communication wristband with the external world. After all, many Demigods in the Xia Clan were currently searching for them, and in the scenario where others found them, he would not have to waste time searching for them himself. 不过论寻找效率，能够瞬间探查周围万里范围的东伯雪鹰，同样堪称夏族第一。

Still, if they were comparing the efficiency of finding someone, Xue Ying, who could with a single teleport inspect the surrounding five thousand kilometers, would definitely rank first amongst all Xia Clan transcendents.

Clearly…

Xue Ying had changed after a hundred years.

Even though all of the Xia Clan Demigods and Xue Ying were searching for traces of this team from the Dark Abyss at this moment, seeking out that enemy called Nuo Nuo An, they would not have thought that this team would arrive at the Black White Deity Mountain.

High up in the sky, a pitch black gloomy channel formed..

Three figures walked out of the channel.

The person in command was that barefooted black-skinned teenager who was wrapped in white cloth. Standing behind him to the left and right were the other two people, the black-robed Nuo Nuo An and General Ku Meng.

"Everything on the material world is truly very beautiful and perfect. Look at the Black White Diety Mountain; see how graceful it is. This is unlike our Dark Abyss, where everyone is coarse and barbarous and only know how to kill and not appreciate the true beauty of the Myriad Existences." The black skinned teenager's voice had a bizarre cadence within, causing others to feel calm after listening to his words—to the point where they would want to crawl as to follow him.

"The souls of the material world are indeed delicious. No wonder even the Demonic Gods would like them." The black-skinned teenager laughed. "After coming back from Crimson Rock Mountain, we must remember to bring a few more human souls back."

"Lord, rest assured. At that time, we'll completely massacre this mortal world and bring back all the human souls," Nuo Nuo An said.

"We should leave some seeds behind, so that they will germinate in the future." The black-skinned teenager looked at the Black White Deity Mountain. "They are here."

In the distance.

Outside a huge palace, four figures appeared. They were Mountain Lord He, Vice Mountain Lord Zang Nuo, Ghost Deity Knight Feng Dong, and Palace Head Chen. Palace Head Chen had sent his Qi Avatar here to understand what happened in the previous battle.

The four of them felt some space undulations in the external world away and thus came out.

Ghost Deity Knight Feng Dong's expression remained cold as he looked out. Suddenly, his pupils shrunk. He was staring at that black-robed person, that thin and boney face of his as well as those glowing green eyes. This black-robed man looked exactly the same as 'Master Nuo Nuo An' he saw previously!

"Mountain Lord He, Palace Head Chen, Vice Mountain Lord Zang Nuo, that person in black robes is Nuo Nuo An," Ghost Deity Knight Feng Dong hurriedly transmitted over.

"Right, it's him."

"It's him!"

Previously, Mountain Lord He and the rest had seen the demonstration of the battle and the head figure appearing in the battle.

"They actually dare to come directly to our Black White Deity Mountain." Ghost Deity Knight Feng Dong was infuriated.

"Calm down," Mountain Lord He transmitted.

"Wait a moment. Since they dare to come so openly, they must have a certain confidence in themselves. The current combat power of those present at the Black White Deity Mountain is far from enough, so wait a moment. I'll immediately send Battleship D9 from the Infernal Palace here." Palace Head Chen transmitted to the rest. They must ensure that small mistakes did not spoil the big plan. Being Demigods of Xia Clan, this patience was something they all had.

In the distant sky.

Three ordinary figures stood there.

The person in command, that black-skinned teenager wrapped in white cloth, smiled, "I wouldn't have thought that I would be seeing Mountain Lord He here or Palace Head Chen either! Fabulous, I'll first introduce myself. I am You Lan. You can call me Lord You Lan."

"Lord?" In front of the palace, Palace Head Chen and Mountain Lord He had some doubts. They were truly ignorant of matters in the Dark Abyss. The Xia Clan ancestors had all entered the Deity World, and there had merely been six in history who went to the Dark Abyss, though they were all traitors who went over to the Demonic Faction! Naturally, they would not contact the Xia Clan any longer.

Thus, the knowledge they had on the Dark Abyss was shallow—though at the very least, they knew that somehow…only Demonic Gods were qualified to be called 'lords.'

"Even though I was forced to come here to the Xia Clan World, the human souls are truly so delicious that it is making me joyous!" Lord You Lan smiled. "It is just that I had never thought you Xia Clan Transcendents would be so audacious to dare kill my servants even though I am just sending them to collect some mortals' souls, an act completely unrelated to you Transcendents."

He smiled as he said those words, causing anger to erupt in Palace Head Chen and the rest.

"Tell me, for killing my servant, you have offended me. So how should you apologize for that?" Lord You Lan asked.

"Apologize? Lord You Lan, you ordered a servant to kill countless of people from our Xia Clan, yet you still dare to ask us to apologize? You are truly outrageous to think our Xia Clan is so easy to bully," Palace Head Chen roared.

"In front of me, Palace Head Chen, you still dare to be so impudent?" Lord You Lan shook his head. "I'll not bicker with you though; only, your Xia Clan Transcendent, Feng Dong, will not be forgiven for he has killed my underling's servant. My request is simple. Pay me thirty Deity grade scrolls! This matter will then be concluded, and I'll not bicker with your Xia Clan. Otherwise, the consequences will be so dire, your Xia Clan will never be able to withstand it."

"You, you…"

"Killing countless mortals of our Xia Clan, and you still dare to ask for thirty Deity grade scrolls?"

Palace Head Chen, Mountain Lord He, Ghost Deity Knight Feng Dong, and Vice Mountain Lord Zang Nuo were all speechless.

Thirty Deity grade scrolls?

How many scrolls had the entire Xia Clan accumulated? The moment he requested something, it was something so fierce!

And clearly, the one who killed countless of the Xia Clan's people dared to take the initiative in knocking on their doors? That was truly bullying them!

"Xia Clan, I'll encourage you to listen to our Lord's order. Otherwise, hmph." The black-robed Nuo Nuo An sneered.

"You all will regret it," General Ku Meng added from the side.

"Right, there's also a matter that I had almost forgotten." Lord You Lan suddenly extended his hand. His arm suddenly grew in size, growing into a huge pillar before moving towards the Black White Deity Mountain palace in a grabbing motion. His arm was so long that it was horrifying!

This scene astonished Palace Head Chen and the others.

Mountain Lord He roared, "Stay your hands!"

Hong long long long~ All of the Black White Deity Mountain arrays were activated. Since the enemy was in sight, Mountain Lord He had long been prepared. Many space seal arrays were activated beforehand. At this moment, it was the true sealing arrays that were being activated! The huge empty space around Black White Deity Mountain had a black-white shield enveloping it, preventing any single damage from being done within.

The edge of Lord You Lan's lip curled up. A gold seal appeared on his palm, and his five fingers were even filled with dense amounts of gold seals.

Pu!

His five fingers directly tore through the black-white shield, and with a boom, the enormous shield was immediately shattered. The mountain protection arrays were easily destroyed.

"What!" Mountain Lord He was shocked. "This mountain protection arrays could defend against an era suppressant, but he can so easily destroy it? Most likely, only true Deities could achieve such destructive power…"

A true Deity?

"Quickly run!" Palace Head Chen transmitted over anxiously. The four of them dispersed..

"Black White Moon Wheel! Kill!" Mountain Lord He immediately operated his Deity weapon.

Weng, weng!

Two dazzling half moons appeared. The Black White Moon Wheel was like two streamers borrowing on the strength of the array of Black White Deity Mountain. Being the strongest Deity weapon the Black White Deity Mountain had, and with the aid of the arrays, the power that was displayed became even greater. It could reach the extent of completely suppressing an era.

"Interesting," Lord You Lan mumbled.

His palm directly grabbed towards the Ghost Deity Knight Feng Dong who was running.

Suddenly—

Everything slowed down in the surroundings.

Not only was the running Feng Dong slowed, even the Black White Moon Wheel that was flying over to intercept had started becoming sluggish. Only Lord You Lan's pillar-like arm remained moving at an ordinary speed. His enormous palm easily grabbed hold of that escaping Feng Dong before his palm retracted back to about ten or so meters long.

The five fingers remained wrapped around the waist of Feng Dong.

"This, this—" Mountain Lord He, Palace Head Chen and Vice Mountain Lord Zang Nuo were in a daze. This combat power was truly too terrifying!

From the history of Xia Clan, they understood that as long as the Beast Clan or the Xia Clan had a Deity emerging, the other party would completely retreat and give up the entire mortal world! This was because a Deity's power was something any Transcendent could never go against.

And this time, this Lord You Lan might be a Demigod, but Mountain Lord He and the others felt they were battling against a Deity.

"Feng Dong, rest assured, I"ll not kill you immediately. That's because I still want your Xia Clan to give me thirty Deity grade scrolls." Lord You Lan looked at Feng Dong. "This is very simple. As long as you apologize, beg me for forgiveness, kneel down, and kowtow to me, I'll spare your life."

"Apologize and beg for forgiveness? Kowtow?" Although Feng Dong felt all his strength was sealed by the dark demonic energy, his eyes remained full of fury. He could never forget those countless mortals dying at the county nor those few survivors within the county, whom he had saved. Neither could he forgot those frightened youths.

"You are all outsiders, and I don't even have the time to kill all of you! And you want me to apologize and beg for forgiveness? Dream on!" Feng Dong gritted his teeth.

"If you don't want to apologize and beg for forgiveness, then I'll kill you directly." Lord You Lan smiled.

"Facing an outsider, there's only Xia Clan Transcendents who died in battle. Never would there be a Xia Clan Transcendent who kneel and beg for forgiveness!" Feng Dong retorted.

"Truly unyielding." Lord You Lan smiled.

Pu!

His enormous palm suddenly squeezed, causing the space where Feng Dong's figure was at to completely shatter! Feng Dong's body was completely shattered, though the fury in his eyes remained as intense as ever. Even in death, he did not lower his head at all.

Xia Clan Transcendent Feng Dong, dead!

"Hold your hands!" An anxious voice came from a side at Black White Deity Mountain.

"Don't be anxious." Lord You Lan looked toward Mountain Lord He and the others who were starting to turn crazy from their anger. He smiled. "He killed my servant, and he did not want to beg for forgiveness; so of course, I'll kill him! Oh right, I'm still waiting for my thirty Deity grade scrolls, otherwise… hehe, Feng Dong is only the beginning. After that, it'll be you guys."

While Lord You Lan laughed, he revealed a set of clean white teeth.

      

Book 10: Chapter 14 - Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor

A kilometer-long, dark-colored battleship was hovering in the air, four thousand kilometers away from Black White Deity Mountain. It was the treasured Battleship D9 of the Xia Clan.

One by one, the Demigods of the Xia Clan arrived there by shattering the space around the battleship.

"Quickly."

"Faster, the group from the Dark Abyss is already at Black White Deity Mountain."

Battleship D9 opened its door for the Demigods to enter. As ordered by Palace Head Chen, most of them were already inside by the time two breaths' worth of time passed.

Mountain Lord He's avatar was also present inside the battleship's main deck. It had been sent out during the previous attack to search for the enemy.

"Everyone, let's get going. Their team has been overly arrogant and too overbearing," Mountain Lord He's avatar said.

"Indeed."

"They've massacred countless people of our Xia Clan. We'll definitely make them pay for their deeds!"

"Even if they're stronger than us, we can still use our treasures to face them. They have to die!" Si Kong Yang, City Lady Bu, and many other Xia Clan Demigods said, teeming with killing intent.

Battleship D9 ripped the surrounding space, moving along the resulting tunnel to arrive at the Black White Deity Mountain.

"No!" The face of Mountain Lord He's avatar contorted into a pained expression. "Damn!"

"What's wrong?" Tens of Xia Clan Demigods turned to look at Mountain Lord He.

"They've killed Feng Dong!" Mountain Lord He exclaimed in grief. "The group from the Dark Abyss is so powerful that the Black White Deity Mountain was unable to restrain them. Not only did they kill Feng Dong, they're also demanding thirty Deity grade scrolls." As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a screen immediately popped up. Displayed on it were the events from just before.

A black-skinned youth with his foot bound in white cloth stretched his right hand. It expanded like a pillar supporting the heavens, and golden patterns lit up on it. Despite the main defensive array of the Black White Deity Mountain being supported by Mountain Lord He, the hand was able to easily pierce it. Time seemed to slow down as the palm grabbed Feng Dong with ease. When he refused to lower his head in spite of being threatened, the gigantic palm crushed him to death in an instant!

The scenes were displayed at an accelerated rate to fit with the arrival at Black White Deity Mountain. They had reached their destination, but the Demigods present inside the ship's main deck all remained silent, their expressions unsightly.

"Us Transcendents of the Xia Clan would rather die fighting than live in humiliation." Si Kong Yang roared, "Vengeance!"

"We will avenge him!"

"For vengeance!" The majority of the Xia Clan Demigods had their eyes dyed red with hatred.

At Black White Deity Mountain.

Lord You Lan had just issued his demands when a frown appeared on his face. He looked in the distance where space was torn apart to reveal an enormous, dark battleship flying over. It smoothly entered the array scope of the Black White Deity Mountain. The ship's doors opened, allowing Palace Head Chen's avatar, Mountain Lord He, Vice Mountain Lord Zang Nuo, and six other Transcendents to fly inside.

"They've come so fast," said Lord You Lan.

General Ku Meng growled back, "Do we kill them?"

"It's too late." Lord You Lan shook his head slightly. He knew how hard it would be to snatch and kill someone in front of Battleship D9.

Although it could be said they were late, Palace Head Chen had actually dispatched the Battleship D9 together with the Demigods as soon as Lord You Lan arrived at the Black White Deity Mountain.

Lord You Lan transmitted to the others, "We've reached a critical point. Tread with care, and don't stand too far from me. The Xia Clan World might be a mere mortal world, but each of their ancestors has left behind some treasures. It would be troublesome if they were to go all out, disregarding the consequences."

"With you here, my Lord, their actions are futile," replied Nuo Nuo An.

The Xia Clan Demigods were gathered inside the battleship together with the six ordinary Transcendents from the Black White Deity Mountain, who huddled together in the corner of the hall. Mountain Lord He looked around and saw the grief and wrath permeating all those present.

"I know everyone is angry. I am angry as well, but we must first understand the difference in strength between us and our enemy. This group coming from the Dark Abyss is very powerful. Setting aside the other two, their leader alone, Lord You Lan, has grasped hold of the True Meaning of Time Decceleration. On top of that, he must also be practicing a frightening demonic physique. The reason he has the gall to be so arrogant is precisely because of that True Meaning of Time Decceleration. We have to face it with vigilance."

"Time Decceleration?"

"So that's why… The other groups didn't dare act so unbridled against our Xia Clan, while he did. Damn it!"

"Does anyone have any idea what we could do?"

The Xia Clan Demigods looked at one another.

They were individually weak, but they had strong trump cards such like the Deity grade scrolls. While a Demigod grade scroll could unleash power comparable to a Demigod's, the power of Deity grade scrolls was similar to a Deity's. They even had some other methods on top of the scrolls.

But…due to the possibility that the Beast Clan had a Deity among them, the Xia Clan couldn't fight with reckless abandon.

After all, Deities had inexhaustible power, while Deity grade scrolls could only be used once. With each gone, they would be less one treasure. They couldn't just use them all on a single enemy. Perhaps they might win that fight, but what about the next? If another powerful enemy arrived, and they had already exhausted their scrolls and other treasures…only extermination would await them. Therefore, the Xia Clan would never use their resources recklessly. They had to consider their future and other variables.

They had been forced to abandon the mortal world many times in the past, so the Black White Deity Mountain, Water Daoist Faction, Sea Deity Palace, and the headquarters of other organizations only had arrays capable of resisting a single Era Suppressor. After all, if needed, they were ready to abandon them at a moment's notice.

Only the Xia Capital in the Infernal Realm really mattered! That was their stronghold. If Lord You Lan were to attempt to slaughter his way into the Xia Capital, they had to defend it, no matter what it took. Of course, he wasn't stupid enough to brashly attack the old nest of the Xia Clan either.

Palace Head Chen frowned. "Other groups wouldn't dare clash with our Xia Clan so recklessly. They're kept at bay by our Deity grade scrolls. If we were to go all out in an act of desperation, they could suffer many losses, down to even their lives. But this Lord You Lan has control over the True Meaning of Time Decceleration. He could use it while we still prepare the usage of our scrolls to deccelerate time, allowing him to resist our attacks or even flee!"

"Indeed, True Meanings related to time have always been troublesome."

"Our attacks have no guarantee of success."

The Xia Clan Demigods all felt their heads ache.

Regardless of its power, what worth was there in an attack which could not hit the enemy?

In truth, the Time Deity Heart and the Space Deity Heart were both just grade two Deity Hearts. Only when fused together into a Time-Space Deity Heart could they truble be classified as a grade one Deity Heart.

Why was that so?

It was because Transcendents would usually be unable to touch upon the Profound Mysteries of Time. Those who had grasped hold of a Time-related True Meaning, be it Time Acceleration, Time Deceleration, or Time Stop, all had unfathomable power. When used in battle, any of these True Meanings would significantly raise the user's fighting power. Ordinary Transcendents would only be able to touch upon True Meanings and Profound Mysteries related to Time after they became Deities. Since it was more common for Deities to comprehend it, mastery over Time was not so exaggerated and marvelous compared to before attaining deityhood. Comprehending a True Meaning related to Time while still a Transcendent was a wonderful achievement!

Wu Ma Hai and the other group leaders were also tempted by the Deity grade scrolls of the Xia Clan, yet they didn't dare be too brazen. Only Lord You Lan had the gall to openly and brashly demand them. His True Meaning of Time Deceleration enabled him to boldly confront the Xia Clan.

"Transcendents of the Xia Clan!" echoed Lord You Lan's voice.

The bulkhead of Battleship D9 turned transparent, reflecting the outside view. Mountain Lord He, Palace Head Chen, and all of the others inside were able to see the three dreadful existences outside.

"Has your Xia Clan Battleship D9 arrived to deliver my Deity grade scrolls?" Lord You Lan continued taunting, "That Feng Dong mentioned just before that he would rather die than be humiliated, but I don't believe him. In the end, you Xia Clan people will still submit when faced with absolute power, am I not correct?"

"I will go probe him!" Si Kong Yang irritatedly said.

Palace Head Chen approved. "Okay, you can go try."

Si Kong Yang flew out from the battleship. He was the only Xia Clan Transcendent who would dare fight those three. He could only do so because he had the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor—one of the clan protection treasures of the Xia Clan!

Hong!

Upon leaving the battleship, Si Kong Yang placed himself in mid-air. He was wearing a scarlet armor with a dragon engraved upon it. A terrifying power accumulated around his body, enveloping him like a dazzling flame and giving him an appearance akin to the sun. The flames covering his body were so brilliant that even the real sun paled by comparison.

His brilliance proudly radiated in all directions.

As a clan protection treasure, the Nine Dragon Fine Deity Armor vastly exceeded ordinary Deity Treasures in terms of value. Wearing it conferred the wearer the power of nine dragons for a limited time. This boost alone would normally raise the wearer's power to that of a Deity, but realm restrictions made it so that the armor could increase one's power to the level of an Era Suppressor.

The armor also came with an additional benefit—it could completely shield the wearer's body. No matter how powerful the enemy, they would still find it difficult to harm Si Kong Yang.

"Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor?" Lord You Lan released a laugh. "It's even more valuable than my own Deity treasure. A pity that its user is so weak."

Inside Battleship D9.

"Get ready; we will give them a fatal blow. We only have a limited amount of Deity Crystals. We must save them up and prepare for a future war with the Sorcerer God and the Great Demonic God. The best outcome would be for us to kill him in one shot!" Palace Head Chen told Mountain Lord He.

Mountain Lord He nodded, a glint flashing through his eyes. "Rest assured."

Battleship D9 had been sent from the Deity World.

Those who usually used battleships in the Deity World were, precisely, Deities. Due to that, as a mere Demigod, Mountain Lord He was unable to fully display the ship's might. As the name implied, Deity Crystals were the crystallized form of Deity Power and were very valuable. When used as fuel for the battleship, they enabled it to display its true might, as if operated by a Deity.

      

Book 10: Chapter 15 - That Hit

"Nuo Nuo An, go ahead and block him," Lord You Lan ordered upon seeing the charging Si Kong Yang.

"Yes," the black-robed Nuo Nuo An immediately acknowledged.

Facing a figure that was akin to a dazzling sun and a raging inferno, the black-robed Nuo Nuo An's pair of green eyes were filled with sinister intent. Accompanied by a sinister laughter, hua—he suddenly flew towards Si Kong Yang. As he barreled forward, Nuo Nuo An's body dissolved into a black fog made up of no fewer than a hundred misty spheres.

Each of those spheres then turned into an evil spirit—some handsome, some ugly, some alluring, and some strange.

These evil spirits, a hundred in total, all shrieked out simultaneously, "Si Kong Yang, die!"

Despite the hundred spirits being the ones shrieking, it felt instead as if a single person was snarling. In reality, Lord Nuo Nuo An was the one snarling! He divided his body into a hundred different parts, with each of the spirits counting as a fragment of his original figure. Naturally, with his body split into so many parts, the overall combat power of the evil spirits had also increased.

Hua, hua, hua. The hundred evil spirits surrounded Si Kong Yang and charged him all at once.

"Distinguish!" Si Kong Yang sent a slap directly at the spirits. His dazzling golden palm akin to a raging inferno slammed straight into the incoming spirits.

"Hahaha…"

"Is this all your strength? You're truly too weak."

The evil spirits kept revolving around Si Kong Yang, and no matter how Si Kong Yang attacked them, they would remain completely unharmed. The strongest among them barely reached the top ten ranking Demigods, while the majority were merely at the level of an ordinary Demigod, but they all possessed Undying Bodies and could not be so easily destroyed. With them working together as they did now, Si Kong Yang had virtually no way of destroying them.

Ao!!! All of a sudden, the evil spirits let out a collective howl able to penetrate the soul.

Si Kong Yang's body was raging with fire, allowing him to shave off half the power of that terrifying howl. Another 80-90% of the energy was then blocked by the armor he was equipped with. As soon as he felt the howl's remaining power enter his soul, he completely isolated its effect with a single thought.

"Truly troublesome. Whatever I try, I can't seem to damage this Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor." Lord Nuo Nuo felt truly irritated. Even if he were to meet an Era Suppressor, he would have to first fight them to determine which of them was stronger or weaker. As for Si Kong Yang…he could not penetrate his defenses no matter what he did. Even Lord You Lan would have reached the same outcome if he had attacked Si Kong Yang, so he couldn't be bothered to act.

"There must be a Deity grade armor protecting this Xia Clan Transcendent's body. What else could allow him to withstand Nuo Nuo An's Ten Thousand Ghost Resentment." General Ku Meng sneered, "The Ghost Resentment poison alone would have been enough to turn him mad."

"He's using the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor. A powerful Deity grade armor like that is wasted on his body. It's a pity these treasures were left behind by those Xia Clan ancestors, making them impossible for us to refine and use. Taking some of them along would have otherwise been beneficial for us." Despite saying that, Lord You Lan wasn't bothered with Si Kong Yan in the least, his eyes instead glued to the Battleship D9.

The reason for that was because Si Kong Yang had, at most, the combat power of an Era Suppressor. He didn't pose the slightest threat to him.

What was an Era Suppressor?

They were the Transcendents who had condensed a True Deity Heart via a grade three True Meaning or reached the stage three realm of a grade two True Meaning, while also possessing a Deity treasure! Once they met these criteria, a Transcendent would be considered an Era Suppressor.

The two necessary aspects were 'Power' and comprehension of the Laws of Profound Mysteries.

Si Kong Yang, for example, could reach the power of the Deity realm through the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor. His comprehension of the Laws of Profound Mysteries, however, had merely reached the level of a grade four Deity Heart!

"Si Kong Yang is being entangled by Nuo Nuo An!" The Xia Clan Transcendents within the main hall of Battleship D9 were feeling anxious. The original plan entailed having Lord You Lan divide his attention by fighting Si Kong Yang.

"We've no other choice!" Palace Head Chen frowned. "Let's try this first. Begin!"

"Mn." Mountain Lord He nodded.

A Deity Crystal had the shape of an azure rhombic prism. Its beauty was such that it could shake the heart.

Such a crystal was just imbedded into Battleship D9's propulsion channel. Previously, Mountain Lord He had controlled the battleship using his own magic power, but now, he recalled his magic and instead began directing the power of the Deity Crystal. Mountain Lord He started to operate the battleship's complex arrays. As they were meant for Deities, however, he could only understand part of them, allowing him to unleash only a portion of their full strength.

Pa!

A streak of lightning arced through the sky like a titanic azure-colored snake. As soon as it appeared, it caused the entire world to tremble faintly. Everywhere it passed, the sky turned to void, leaving behind only pitch-black cracks. Nuo Nuo An, General Ku Meng, and even Lord You Lan inwardly trembled at the sight of its power.

This was the Xia Clan's strongest attack, unleashed by a battleship originally from the Deity world! Although the demons had prepared themselves to fight the Xia Clan head-on before making their decision, they could still feel their lives being threatened!

Fast!

It was extremely fast!

In mere moments, the azure-colored snake was almost upon Lord You Lan.

"A battleship from the Deity world!" Lord You Lan was always on alert. His pupils contracted, and the time in the area surrounding him, especially the region from where the azure snake was approaching, suddenly slowed down. At the same time, the titanic snake of lightning similarly began to slow down.

Despite having slowing down, however, it was still shockingly fast as it swept across Lord You Lan's body!

Hu.

Only then did Lord You Lan's body started evaporating.

In the distance, tens of meters away, Lord You Lan's figure reappeared.

As the azure-colored streak of lightning traveled, the upper half of a nearby mountain turned to nothing without the slightest sound. In the blink of an eye, the lightning crossed a distance of five hundred meters before finally striking the ground and creating an enormous gouge, over five hundred meters deep. It then finally dissipated under the unseen laws underground.

Lord You Lan sighed inwardly. It was fortunate that his True Meaning of Time Deceleration had worked, sparing him from having to use his life-saving method.

"Damn! He actually avoided it!"

"Just a little bit more!" The Xia Clan Demigods on the Battleship D9 felt anxious and refused to believe it.

"The arrays on Battleship D9 are too complex and mysterious, and I've only comprehended them partially" Mountain Lord He growled. "If only my comprehension of the realms had been deeper…the power I could unleash would have been higher as well."

"He Yuan, this battleship's originally from the Deity world, and even the Deities over there have to contemplate and research the arrays before they can fully unleash its power. You're still the only person in the Xia Clan who can unleash the highest portion of its might. You can't be blamed, especially since the True Meaning he comprehended is that troublesome True Meaning of Time Deceleration." Palace Head Chen was sharing his anxieties. "He was able to slow down time the moment we attacked, giving him enough time to react!"

Some other grade two True Meaning, an offensive or purely defensive one for instance, would have almost certainly been unable to block this attack. Faced with this terrifying strike from Battleship D9, the user would have been unable to dodge, most likely ending up dead!

"Hahaha! Xia Clan, you're certainly willing to spend resources. This attack should have used up a Deity crystal, right?! Come, let's continue. I want to see how many techniques you have remaining!" Lord You Lan let out a cold sneer.

Xue Ying was currently travelling inside the Mirage, still searching for that Dark Abyss team.

Hua.

He returned to the real world once again, landing atop a beautiful and peaceful mountain peak.

As he searched for the team, he would occasionally re-enter the real world so as to receive any external transmissions.

"Xue Ying, the team from the Dark Abyss has been found. Let us handle matters from this point forward." This transmission had been sent over by Palace Head Chen, who clearly did not want Xue Ying to participate in the assault. He had even held back the location—the Black White Deity Mountain—from Xue Ying. From Palace Head Chen's point of view, Xue Ying could not help in any way unless, perhaps performing a sneak attack from the Mirage? He was worried Xue Ying might be the one to die instead!

The enemies this time around were just that formidable!

Si Kong Yang was forced to rely on the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor, while the other Demigods were similarly unable to clash with the team from the Dark Abyss head-on and had to depend on the clan protection treasures of the Xia Clan!

"Brother Dong Bo, those of the Dark Abyss have already killed their way into the Black White Deity Mountain! After slaughtering countless mortals of our Xia Clan, they even demanded thirty Deity grade scrolls from us! Senior Feng Dong was killed in a single move by someone called Lord You Lan!"

"Brother Dong Bo, they've already begun to fight over at the Black White Deity Mountain! Senior Feng Dong's death was truly tragic… He was forced to beg for his life, but he said he would rather die than give in. He was killed instantly."

"Xue Ying."

More and more news arrived.

They were all coming from various onlookers. The Transcendents at the Black White Deity Mountain who were watching the battle were all mad with anger and had naturally spread the news across the world. Palace Head Chen had sent an order that other Transcendents were forbidden from participating in the battle; the Demigods had already entered the fray! Despite being unable to join, the Transcendents continued passing the news along, and, naturally, they eventually reached Xue Ying!

As soon as Xue Ying received the information, he finally understood what was going on. His expression was turning uglier and uglier, his face ashen-gray and gloomy.

Black White Deity Mountain!

Xue Ying waved his hand, tearing space apart to enter the void and rush over to the Black White Deity Mountain.

As he flew through the space tunnel, his figure was shrouded with the True Meaning of Extreme Piercing, which let him penetrate any obstacle along the way. At the same time, he took out a wine flask and gulped down some of the Hundred Bitter Restoration medicine. As it entered its body, the pain he felt was rapidly suppressed. Although some pain remained, it would not affect his battle.

      

Book 10: Chapter 16 - I'm Also a Xia Clan Transcendent

"Nuo Nuo An, go ahead and block him," Lord You Lan ordered upon seeing the charging Si Kong Yang.

"Yes," the black-robed Nuo Nuo An immediately acknowledged.

Facing a figure that was akin to a dazzling sun and a raging inferno, the black-robed Nuo Nuo An's pair of green eyes were filled with sinister intent. Accompanied by a sinister laughter, hua—he suddenly flew towards Si Kong Yang. As he barreled forward, Nuo Nuo An's body dissolved into a black fog made up of no fewer than a hundred misty spheres.

Each of those spheres then turned into an evil spirit—some handsome, some ugly, some alluring, and some strange.

These evil spirits, a hundred in total, all shrieked out simultaneously, "Si Kong Yang, die!"

Despite the hundred spirits being the ones shrieking, it felt instead as if a single person was snarling. In reality, Lord Nuo Nuo An was the one snarling! He divided his body into a hundred different parts, with each of the spirits counting as a fragment of his original figure. Naturally, with his body split into so many parts, the overall combat power of the evil spirits had also increased.

Hua, hua, hua. The hundred evil spirits surrounded Si Kong Yang and charged him all at once.

"Distinguish!" Si Kong Yang sent a slap directly at the spirits. His dazzling golden palm akin to a raging inferno slammed straight into the incoming spirits.

"Hahaha…"

"Is this all your strength? You're truly too weak."

The evil spirits kept revolving around Si Kong Yang, and no matter how Si Kong Yang attacked them, they would remain completely unharmed. The strongest among them barely reached the top ten ranking Demigods, while the majority were merely at the level of an ordinary Demigod, but they all possessed Undying Bodies and could not be so easily destroyed. With them working together as they did now, Si Kong Yang had virtually no way of destroying them.

Ao!!! All of a sudden, the evil spirits let out a collective howl able to penetrate the soul.

Si Kong Yang's body was raging with fire, allowing him to shave off half the power of that terrifying howl. Another 80-90% of the energy was then blocked by the armor he was equipped with. As soon as he felt the howl's remaining power enter his soul, he completely isolated its effect with a single thought.

"Truly troublesome. Whatever I try, I can't seem to damage this Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor." Lord Nuo Nuo felt truly irritated. Even if he were to meet an Era Suppressor, he would have to first fight them to determine which of them was stronger or weaker. As for Si Kong Yang…he could not penetrate his defenses no matter what he did. Even Lord You Lan would have reached the same outcome if he had attacked Si Kong Yang, so he couldn't be bothered to act.

"There must be a Deity grade armor protecting this Xia Clan Transcendent's body. What else could allow him to withstand Nuo Nuo An's Ten Thousand Ghost Resentment." General Ku Meng sneered, "The Ghost Resentment poison alone would have been enough to turn him mad."

"He's using the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor. A powerful Deity grade armor like that is wasted on his body. It's a pity these treasures were left behind by those Xia Clan ancestors, making them impossible for us to refine and use. Taking some of them along would have otherwise been beneficial for us." Despite saying that, Lord You Lan wasn't bothered with Si Kong Yan in the least, his eyes instead glued to the Battleship D9.

The reason for that was because Si Kong Yang had, at most, the combat power of an Era Suppressor. He didn't pose the slightest threat to him.

What was an Era Suppressor?

They were the Transcendents who had condensed a True Deity Heart via a grade three True Meaning or reached the stage three realm of a grade two True Meaning, while also possessing a Deity treasure! Once they met these criteria, a Transcendent would be considered an Era Suppressor.

The two necessary aspects were 'Power' and comprehension of the Laws of Profound Mysteries.

Si Kong Yang, for example, could reach the power of the Deity realm through the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor. His comprehension of the Laws of Profound Mysteries, however, had merely reached the level of a grade four Deity Heart!

"Si Kong Yang is being entangled by Nuo Nuo An!" The Xia Clan Transcendents within the main hall of Battleship D9 were feeling anxious. The original plan entailed having Lord You Lan divide his attention by fighting Si Kong Yang.

"We've no other choice!" Palace Head Chen frowned. "Let's try this first. Begin!"

"Mn." Mountain Lord He nodded.

A Deity Crystal had the shape of an azure rhombic prism. Its beauty was such that it could shake the heart.

Such a crystal was just imbedded into Battleship D9's propulsion channel. Previously, Mountain Lord He had controlled the battleship using his own magic power, but now, he recalled his magic and instead began directing the power of the Deity Crystal. Mountain Lord He started to operate the battleship's complex arrays. As they were meant for Deities, however, he could only understand part of them, allowing him to unleash only a portion of their full strength.

Pa!

A streak of lightning arced through the sky like a titanic azure-colored snake. As soon as it appeared, it caused the entire world to tremble faintly. Everywhere it passed, the sky turned to void, leaving behind only pitch-black cracks. Nuo Nuo An, General Ku Meng, and even Lord You Lan inwardly trembled at the sight of its power.

This was the Xia Clan's strongest attack, unleashed by a battleship originally from the Deity world! Although the demons had prepared themselves to fight the Xia Clan head-on before making their decision, they could still feel their lives being threatened!

Fast!

It was extremely fast!

In mere moments, the azure-colored snake was almost upon Lord You Lan.

"A battleship from the Deity world!" Lord You Lan was always on alert. His pupils contracted, and the time in the area surrounding him, especially the region from where the azure snake was approaching, suddenly slowed down. At the same time, the titanic snake of lightning similarly began to slow down.

Despite having slowing down, however, it was still shockingly fast as it swept across Lord You Lan's body!

Hu.

Only then did Lord You Lan's body started evaporating.

In the distance, tens of meters away, Lord You Lan's figure reappeared.

As the azure-colored streak of lightning traveled, the upper half of a nearby mountain turned to nothing without the slightest sound. In the blink of an eye, the lightning crossed a distance of five hundred meters before finally striking the ground and creating an enormous gouge, over five hundred meters deep. It then finally dissipated under the unseen laws underground.

Lord You Lan sighed inwardly. It was fortunate that his True Meaning of Time Deceleration had worked, sparing him from having to use his life-saving method.

"Damn! He actually avoided it!"

"Just a little bit more!" The Xia Clan Demigods on the Battleship D9 felt anxious and refused to believe it.

"The arrays on Battleship D9 are too complex and mysterious, and I've only comprehended them partially" Mountain Lord He growled. "If only my comprehension of the realms had been deeper…the power I could unleash would have been higher as well."

"He Yuan, this battleship's originally from the Deity world, and even the Deities over there have to contemplate and research the arrays before they can fully unleash its power. You're still the only person in the Xia Clan who can unleash the highest portion of its might. You can't be blamed, especially since the True Meaning he comprehended is that troublesome True Meaning of Time Deceleration." Palace Head Chen was sharing his anxieties. "He was able to slow down time the moment we attacked, giving him enough time to react!"

Some other grade two True Meaning, an offensive or purely defensive one for instance, would have almost certainly been unable to block this attack. Faced with this terrifying strike from Battleship D9, the user would have been unable to dodge, most likely ending up dead!

"Hahaha! Xia Clan, you're certainly willing to spend resources. This attack should have used up a Deity crystal, right?! Come, let's continue. I want to see how many techniques you have remaining!" Lord You Lan let out a cold sneer.

Xue Ying was currently travelling inside the Mirage, still searching for that Dark Abyss team.

Hua.

He returned to the real world once again, landing atop a beautiful and peaceful mountain peak.

As he searched for the team, he would occasionally re-enter the real world so as to receive any external transmissions.

"Xue Ying, the team from the Dark Abyss has been found. Let us handle matters from this point forward." This transmission had been sent over by Palace Head Chen, who clearly did not want Xue Ying to participate in the assault. He had even held back the location—the Black White Deity Mountain—from Xue Ying. From Palace Head Chen's point of view, Xue Ying could not help in any way unless, perhaps performing a sneak attack from the Mirage? He was worried Xue Ying might be the one to die instead!

The enemies this time around were just that formidable!

Si Kong Yang was forced to rely on the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor, while the other Demigods were similarly unable to clash with the team from the Dark Abyss head-on and had to depend on the clan protection treasures of the Xia Clan!

"Brother Dong Bo, those of the Dark Abyss have already killed their way into the Black White Deity Mountain! After slaughtering countless mortals of our Xia Clan, they even demanded thirty Deity grade scrolls from us! Senior Feng Dong was killed in a single move by someone called Lord You Lan!"

"Brother Dong Bo, they've already begun to fight over at the Black White Deity Mountain! Senior Feng Dong's death was truly tragic… He was forced to beg for his life, but he said he would rather die than give in. He was killed instantly."

"Xue Ying."

More and more news arrived.

They were all coming from various onlookers. The Transcendents at the Black White Deity Mountain who were watching the battle were all mad with anger and had naturally spread the news across the world. Palace Head Chen had sent an order that other Transcendents were forbidden from participating in the battle; the Demigods had already entered the fray! Despite being unable to join, the Transcendents continued passing the news along, and, naturally, they eventually reached Xue Ying!

As soon as Xue Ying received the information, he finally understood what was going on. His expression was turning uglier and uglier, his face ashen-gray and gloomy.

Black White Deity Mountain!

Xue Ying waved his hand, tearing space apart to enter the void and rush over to the Black White Deity Mountain.

As he flew through the space tunnel, his figure was shrouded with the True Meaning of Extreme Piercing, which let him penetrate any obstacle along the way. At the same time, he took out a wine flask and gulped down some of the Hundred Bitter Restoration medicine. As it entered its body, the pain he felt was rapidly suppressed. Although some pain remained, it would not affect his battle.

      

Book 10: Chapter 17 - Strength

Lord You Lan, General Ku Meng, and Nuo Nuo An witnessed their surroundings change as their minds were forced into the Mirage.

Lord You Lan snorted. "Hmph! Are you seriously trying to confuse me with an illusion of this level?" He emitted a strong spiritual wave of willpower to forcefully break the illusion, shifting the scenery back to the one in the real world. Back in the Dark Abyss, You Lan had started off a weak demon crawling about and had slaughtered his way up to his current level. On his road to power, he had witnessed a myriad of charming attempts and countless enticements.

General Ku Meng and Nuo Nuo An were similar in that they could not so easily be trapped inside the Mirage. In but a short moment, they had also broken their way outside through force.

"This…"

Despite having broken free, their expressions paled ever so slightly.

And that was because they could only see mist surrounding them, a white fog stretching for thousands upon thousands of kilometers all around them. The shrouding mist was so thick it could even block sunlight.

"We're still trapped inside an illusion." Waves began rippling from Lord You Lan's body, spreading out uniformly and shaking the layer of space as it passed along. The white mist surrounding him slowly dispersed until there was none left in a radius of five hundred meters around him.

Not too far from Lord You Lan, General Ku Meng and Nuo Nuo An spread the Laws of Profound Mysteries around them to protect their bodies and block the fog.

"My Time Domain is only able to reflect this illusory white fog," Lord You Lan began, his demeanour calm. "The illusion is spread over more than a thousand kilometers. It seems his True Meaning is not the True Meaning of Shadow, but that of Mirage. Considering its range, he must have reached at least the stage two realm in it, which means that before he moves, we can't find any trace of him. The most we can do is wait for him to make his move; only then can we counter it and kill him!"

As long as he didn't attack, Xue Ying was undetectable.

But the moment he unleashed a strike, he would also become vulnerable!

"Leader, this Dong Bo Xue Ying's attacks have no power backing them. Even with this illusion, he still has no way of hurting me," General Ku Meng said, confident in his ability.

"Hehehe, Dong Bo Xue Ying dared say he would kill me. He was even arrogant enough to call me out as the first target. Leader, just leave him to me." The black-robed Nuo Nuo An looked around. His eyes radiated with a green light tinted by killing intent.

Lord You Lan nodded. "Fine."

During his time in the Dark Abyss, Lord You Lan had faced plenty existences Xue Ying couldn't compare to. He calmly faced the current situation; in his opinion, his subordinate was more than enough to handle it.

Battleship D9 had also been surrounded by the white mist.

But the observation tools of a battleship from the Deity Realm allowed them to see through it, giving those inside a clear view of Lord You Lan's group.

"Is this Xue Ying's True Meaning of Mirage?" Palace Head Chen, Mountain Lord He, and the other Transcendents all watched with bated breaths.

Without any warning, a voice resounded inside the battleship's main deck. "Palace Head Chen, please isolate the surrounding thousand kilometers of space."

"Isolate?" Palace Head Chen replied in confusion.

"Once the space is sealed, they will have no way of instantly escaping. That way, I'll have enough time to take them on one by one," Xue Ying explained.

"Alright." Palace Head Chen agreed, prompting Mountain Lord He to quickly put Battleship D9 into operation. This type of action only consumed his personal magic power as a Demigod and had no effect on the ship's energy reserves or other sources of power.

Weng~

The space in a thousand kilometers around Battleship D9 seemed to freeze solid as the World Energy moved to seal and isolate the area from the outside.

Chi Qiu Bai worriedly whispered, "This… isn't Xue Ying being a bit overzealous?"

"Indeed, his actions are too risky. Although his True Meaning of Mirage has a bewildering effect, is it really sufficient to deal with Lord You Lan and his group?" Palace Head Chen shook his head. "I tried warning him, but it was for naught."

Si Kong Yang frowned. "From my exchange of moves with Nuo Nuo An, I could tell he has an Undying Body. I couldn't do anything to hurt him."

City Lord Bu laughed bitterly. "There's no use arguing! Xue Ying will keep going regardless of what we say. We can only wait and hope he'll somehow kill Nuo Nuo An."

The atmosphere turned heavy. The Xia Clan Transcendents all put their hopes on Xue Ying, on him somehow being able to suppress and kill them—even just one if at all possible! But they were aware of just how hard it was to kill an Era Suppressor. Even with the Nine Dragon Fire Deity Armor boosting his power to the level of an Era Suppressor, Si Kong Yang had been unable to put even the slightest of scratches on Nuo Nuo An, far from killing him.

The Transcendents were far more concerned with Xue Ying's safety, as they were afraid Xue Ying would die before he even got the chance to kill the enemy.

Surrounded by his spell waves, Lord You Lan hovered high in the sky, joined by General Ku Meng standing calmly nearby. Nuo Nuo An carefully inspected his surroundings through his green pupils, which brimmed with killing intent. He let out a cold laugh.

"Come, Dong Bo Xue Ying. Come and let me see how—" He had yet to finish his phrase when the shaft of a fiery-red spear flashed before him. It shot forward fueled by an oppressive killing intent, piercing even space as it directly impaled Nuo Nuo An's head!

Si la—

Unexpectedly, Nuo Nuo An had not even attempted to dodge. Despite the spear stuck between his eyebrows, he merely let loose an evil laugh.

"Die for me!" He spread his mouth wide to release a terrible growl. His snarl was accompanied by a quiet wave of sound which spread along the Stellar Fire Cloud Spear and pushed directly into the Mirage! Considering the power of the three from the Dark Abyss, they could forcefully attack and affect the Mirage.

Inside the Mirage, Xue Ying watched indifferently as the soundless wave approached. To break into the Mirage, the wave of sound had expended 90% of its power, while the remainder energy was too weak to even shake Xue Ying's protective True Meaning of Star.

The True Meaning of Star was famous for its defensive ability and its power. Even without the Mirage, the sound wave would have still been too weak to bother him, not to mention this weakened version.

"Ah!" After unleashing his growl, Nuo Nuo An's complexion paled. "Damn it!"

Pu! His body exploded into hundreds of chunks, and each individual part transformed into an evil spirit. One had the appearance of a seductress, one a wicked youth, one an old man—there were many kinds. They spoke simultaneously, "Lord, this Dong Bo Xue Ying's spearmanship has a terrifying destructive ability. My body can't withstand it—" He was still speaking when the spear struck once more out of thin air with lightning speed. Setting aside its speed, the spear possessed incredible sharpness. As soon as it appeared, it would instantly pierce the body of an evil spirit and cause it to immediately begin dispersing.

Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu!

长枪一次次从虚无中出现，每一次必定刺中一头恶鬼，且必定幻灭。诺诺安附身都无用。The spear appeared time after time, each instance signifying another evil spirit being stabbed. A single strike was enough to slay a spirit, no matter what Nuo Nuo An did to control them.

"Fierce! He's too fierce!" The Transcendents inside the battleship were in a frenzy. They had been worried over Xue Ying's safety, but they could now see the ease with which he slayed those evil spirits!

Si Kong Yang exclaimed in surprise, "Xue Ying can kill those spirits I was unable to scratch in a single strike. Incredible… Simply describing 'space' to be powerful is truly a joke. In the end, only the Laws of Profound Mysteries truly matter. Without them, even if they were more powerful, they still couldn't use that power. Xue Ying's True Meaning of Extreme Penetration certainly allows him to destroy that Undying Body. There's not even a need for multiple moves, he can simply annihilate one with each attack."

"I had no idea Xue Ying's power increased so much over the years." Palace Head Chen gave a slight chuckle. They had guessed Xue Ying would display some growth, but they were surprised to see his progress far exceeded their estimates. As soon as they saw his ability, they realized how much they had underestimated him.

General Ku Meng was startled. "A single stab is enough to destroy one of the spirits? How can he have such power?"

Lord You Lan frowned. "The power of his strikes is comparable to a grade two True Meaning with a comprehension at the stage three realm! But Extreme Penetration is a purely offensive True Meaning, so my assumption is that Dong Bo Xue Ying has, at most, reached the peak of the stage two realm."

"It might only be at the peak of the stage two realm, but its destructive power is already comparable to an ordinary grade two True Meaning at the stage three realm," General Ku Meng, said, voice filled with worry. "Even now, it has a terrifying destructive power—one at an even higher level than the Xia Clan's most powerful Demigod. His and Nuo Nuo An's might are only separated by the Deity treasure."

A powerful existence whose comprehension reached the stage three realm with a grade two True Meaning would reach the level of an Era Suppressor once they wielded a Deity treasure. With Xue Ying's Extreme Penetration being a grade two True Meaning with power comparable to the stage three realm, he now only lacked a Deity treasure! A common Deity treasure would usually double one's power.

Although Xue Ying lacked such a treasure, it only made him slightly inferior. Both parties were still well-matched, without any major disparities in their levels.

"That's wrong. You're underestimating this Transcendent afflicted by the hexing poison," Lord You Lan said, his tone solemn. "He's stronger than Nuo Nuo An. True, if he only had the True Meaning of Extreme Piercing, he would have been weaker than Nuo Nuo An. But don't forget he also has the True Meaning of Mirage! With the two combined, he can really guide his opponents into despair."