Although Zilu couldn't merge fully with the Heavenly Dao, it wasn't difficult for him to wield its power!
As he charged forward, a terrifying pressure descended upon everyone.
"Crash!"
The grand hall leading to the Blood Pool of Evil Spirits collapsed with a thunderous roar. Nangong Sheng's Skybane Chess Formation was utterly powerless against Zilu. With a wave of his golden arm, a terrifying force descended from the heavens—the power of the Heavenly Dao!
Under the Heavenly Dao's power, there was no room for resistance; everyone was immobilized.
Mr. Corpse couldn't move, but in an instant, he managed to summon hundreds of zombies to shield their group. Nian Youyou, already weakened, was unable to resist and suffered severe injuries under the immense pressure. Nangong Sheng and Mr. Corpse both spat out mouthfuls of blood from the strain.
Ancestor Immortal Zilu was far too powerful—his killing intent alone was enough to render them immobile.
"Time Reversal!"
Luo Xingchen shouted.
The overwhelming pressure abruptly ceased.
Time manipulation! Zilu had never anticipated that Luo Xingchen could reverse time.
He had been too careless, far too careless!
Luo Xingchen, pushing himself to the limit, used the momentary pause to his advantage. The pressure around him dissipated briefly, allowing him to appear right in front of Zilu. Placing his palm on Zilu's chest, he shouted, "Reverse!"
The energies Zilu was expelling clashed violently with the reverse flow of energy Luo Xingchen had forced into him.
"Boom!"
With all the negative effects exacerbated within Zilu's body, a deafening explosion reverberated as chaos erupted within him. Zilu, overwhelmed by the internal turmoil, coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Argh!"
Despite having considered countless possibilities, Zilu had never imagined he would end up in such a dire situation!
"Explode!" Luo Xingchen, eyes wide, poured all his remaining strength into the attack.
"Impudent wretch! You dare?"
Zilu, now sustaining further internal injuries, swung his golden arm, unleashing a terrifying force of the Heavenly Dao.
"Boom!"
Luo Xingchen was violently slammed into the ground, embedded deep beneath the earth, unable to move!
Mr. Corpse and Nangong Sheng, both severely injured, were sitting on the ground, blood streaming from their mouths, while a horde of zombies surrounded and protected Nian Youyou and the two men.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
In the sky above, countless bolts of lightning rained down on Zilu—an assault from Nangong Sheng's Skybane Chess Formation. Although it didn't cause significant damage, it left Zilu in a desperate state, his body scorched, blood pouring from his mouth, his arms turning to gold, and an unbearable heat raging within him. He was gravely injured.
Zilu had never been in such a pitiful state before!
But worse was yet to come. On the other side, Zhong Shan's Heaven-Opening Strike finally broke through the formidable defenses of the Spring and Autumn Tome.
"Awuu!"
The ferocious Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail, caring little for the consequences, lunged forward and swallowed the enormous tome in one bite.
Panic surged through Zilu as he tried to reestablish his connection with the Spring and Autumn Tome. The tome wriggled desperately in the grip of the Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail, but the monstrous tail refused to let go.
Endless sword energy erupted forth—four swords of absolute annihilation from the Four Swords of Immortal Slaying aimed at Zhong Shan, slicing through the air towards Zilu.
Zilu was consumed with rage!
Zilu never imagined the battle would turn out like this. Anger surged within him, and with bloodshot eyes, he ignored everything else and unleashed another golden hand strike towards Nian Youyou and the others. Even if he couldn't kill Zhong Shan, he was determined to annihilate this group first.
As Zilu struck, his eyes burned with rage. The terrifying power of the Heavenly Dao surged down like a torrential flood.
From afar:
"Die!" Zhong Shan roared, unleashing the Heaven-Opening Strike once more. Simultaneously, the Four Swords of Immortal Slaying descended upon Zilu with devastating force.
The sheer power of the attacks caused the void to tremble violently, distorting the space around them.
"Boom!"
The void quaked, obscuring the scene from outside observers. When the tremors finally subsided, Zilu was revealed once more—missing an arm. The Heaven-Opening Strike had severed his limb, and his abdomen had been pierced by one of the Immortal Slaying Swords, leaving him grievously wounded.
His severed arm was clenched in the jaws of the Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail, which stared at Zilu before swallowing the arm whole.
Zhong Shan's heart was filled with fear as he realized Zilu's attack had been aimed directly at Nian Youyou, Mr. Corpse, and Nangong Sheng. How had they fared?
To his amazement, they were still alive. Although Mr. Corpse's zombies had all exploded, using the blast to mitigate Zilu's attack, the group had managed to survive. Despite being severely injured, the three of them lay there, battered but intact, their faces pale with the strain.
Alive? How had they survived such a powerful strike?
"Chirp chirp chirp...!"
A familiar voice suddenly called out. A small blue furball stood before the three, waving its tiny limbs, tears welling up in its eyes as it emitted pitiful cries. Then, with a dramatic flop, it fell back as if injured, clearly seeking sympathy from Zhong Shan.
It was Nian Youyou's ancestral beast—the one Zhong Shan had helped her capture in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss in the Small Thousand World. It had been absent for some time, only to appear at the last critical moment.
"Xiao Qing, you've done well! I'll reward you later!" Zhong Shan shouted excitedly.
Relieved that his companions were safe, Zhong Shan turned his gaze, now filled with fury, toward the badly injured Zilu.
At this moment, Zilu had suffered unimaginable damage. How could he have anticipated that this group of "ants" would be so formidable? That he would be wounded to this extent?
His arm was severed, his body burned with inexplicable heat, his internal organs were severely damaged, misfortune clung to him like a curse, and his Spring and Autumn Tome had been destroyed, leaving his mind in disarray.
And now, Zhong Shan was charging at him with renewed ferocity.
Heaven-Opening Strike!
The Four Swords of Immortal Slaying!
"Boom!"
A powerful spatial shockwave surged towards Zilu.
Had he been at full strength, Zilu wouldn't have considered this a threat. But now, it felt like the harbinger of his demise.
In a fit of rage and desperation, Zilu made the only choice left to him—he turned to flee, his figure shooting away into the distance.
But Zhong Shan's power had already locked onto him!
"Boom!"
In the distance, a small black hole formed, accompanied by a pained scream from Zilu as his figure shot away into the distance.
An Ancestor Immortal, especially one as powerful as Zilu, was nearly impossible to stop once they decided to flee, even while heavily injured. Zilu, now bearing grievous wounds, managed to escape the battlefield, leaving the fight behind.
The battle was finally over!
Zhong Shan immediately turned to check on his companions' injuries. At the same time, within the Yan Luo Hall, all the onlookers trembled with fear, barely daring to breathe.
With a wave of his hand, Zhong Shan summoned Luo Xingchen from the deep pit where he had fallen. Luo Xingchen was pale, barely clinging to life.
Zhong Shan then gestured with his sleeve, and he, along with the others and the ancestral beast Xiao Qing, vanished from the scene.
Silence lingered around the Yan Luo Hall for a long time. Nearly an hour passed before the doors slowly creaked open again.
Judge Lu stepped out first, cautiously surveying the surroundings. "King Yan, they've all left!"
Supported by his attendants, King Yan Luo slowly emerged, though his heart was still gripped by lingering fear. It wasn't just him—everyone else felt the same.
"Too powerful… Zilu, an Ancestor Immortal, was almost killed by Zhong Shan and ended up fleeing in such a miserable state?" Meng Po murmured, swallowing hard.
"King Yan, what about the memorial we were preparing to send to the Heavenly Court?" Judge Lu asked in a low voice.
"What memorial?" King Yan Luo, still shaken, didn't immediately understand.
"The one we discussed earlier, to report Zhong Shan's rampage in the underworld to the Jade Emperor, requesting that he send heavenly soldiers and generals to capture Zhong Shan," Judge Lu reminded him quietly.
Capture Zhong Shan? The others looked at Judge Lu as if he had a death wish.
"Get out, get out of my sight!" King Yan Luo shouted, suddenly snapping out of his daze and berating Judge Lu.
Meanwhile, the ghost cultivators who had retreated to watch from a safe distance were equally shocked. None of them had expected Zhong Shan to be so incredibly strong.
During the battle at Sacred Corpse Mountain, only those with keen interest knew of Zhong Shan's prowess. His disruption of King Yan's wedding and the defeat of an Ancient Immortal had already spread his name across the Four Great Continents. But after today's battle, everyone would recognize Zhong Shan as a fearsome figure.
These people were monsters!
In a secluded valley, Zhong Shan examined the condition of his companions.
Mr. Corpse, Nangong Sheng, and Nian Youyou were all severely injured, unable to move. The ancestral beast, Xiao Qing, was also in a weakened state, letting out pitiful cries.
As for Luo Xingchen, he was in the worst condition, seemingly on the brink of death.
"Saint King, I'm a cripple now. My strength is gone, my body is about to collapse, and my divine abilities have been shattered. I have nothing left to ask for, except that you… please take care of—" Luo Xingchen struggled to speak.
"Don't talk!" Zhong Shan immediately silenced him.
"I'll heal you all right now. I'll be weak for a few days afterward, so protect me during that time!" Zhong Shan instructed.
Without waiting for a response, Zhong Shan closed his eyes. When he reopened his left eye, it was completely blood-red. The others, exhausted and injured, watched him intently.
"Fortune Eye, activate!" Zhong Shan commanded softly.
A burst of red light erupted from his left eye, enveloping the four people and the ancestral beast in the corner.
As the red light surrounded them, Zhong Shan grew visibly weaker, staggering as he made his way to a corner, where he sat down cross-legged and promptly lost consciousness.
While Zhong Shan fell into a deep slumber, the others stared in disbelief. The red light was infusing them with boundless energy, rapidly healing their injuries. Even the shattered sapphire on Luo Xingchen's forehead began to regenerate, growing stronger than before.
Expressions of astonishment spread across their faces, and even Xiao Qing couldn't stop chirping excitedly.
In the Zhuanlun Territory, in Changjing, Zhong Shan had suddenly gone into seclusion again. Having witnessed this before, his ministers were not concerned.
Ten days later, the gates of the Immortal Hall opened, and the Saint King emerged!
At the same time, Zhong Shan's true body also awoke fully.
Zhong Shan didn't immediately open his eyes. Instead, he focused inward, sensing the changes within himself. Having devoured the Spring and Autumn Tome, his cultivation had advanced another level.
Great Immortal, Sixth Heaven!
He breathed a sigh of relief before slowly opening his eyes.
To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8