"A wisp of primordial spirit, how can it stand before me!"
"Disperse!"
A deep, resonant voice descended like divine thunder from the nine heavens. Before Zuo Geng's terrified and stunned eyes, it fell with immense power. Countless divine thunders exploded, the void churned, and it rapidly vanished.
...
An hour after Shuiyue Tian's Zuo Zi'an and others perished, in the territory of the Great Han Imperial Dynasty, to the northeast, nine thousand *zhang* from Sea God Island, lay the territory of the Changhe Sect.
A figure clad in dark, gluttonous armor, wielding a Refining Furnace Spear, his divine power surging and blood qi suffusing his being, rode a Thunder-Summoning Leopard towards the ancestral grounds of the Changhe Sect's power, a bloody apparition.
The Thunder-Summoning Leopard beneath him, its dark aura faintly flashing, its illusory form flickering, seemed imbued with the soul of a gluttonous beast. Black light flashed, covering a distance of a thousand *zhang*.
Shang Shitu, having entered the Void God realm, had a Refining Furnace Spear upon which dark light burned with bloody red threads. His physical body bore twelve golden-red divine fires, drawing upon the spiritual energy of the void over ten thousand *zhang*.
A glint of dark light flickered in his eyes, yet he suppressed the killing intent within, appearing as a god of the apocalypse descended from an endless abyss in the heavens, gazing upon the Changhe Sect as if it were an ant.
As he rode his leopard across the skies above the Changhe Sect's domain, a black storm erupted from his spear, transforming the void of the Changhe Sect, ten thousand *li* away, entirely into night. Blood qi coursed through the dark clouds, and terrifying killing intent, like that of an supreme god of slaughter from an abyss ten thousand *zhang* deep, surged across ten thousand *li*, descending directly upon the site where the Changhe Sect's mountain gate stood.
A terrifying, oppressive majesty, so heavy that the beings of the entire Changhe Sect could scarcely bear it, caused every disciple within the sect to spit out a mouthful of blood, their hearts pounding wildly.
Hundreds of beings in the Divine Fire realm had their gathered divine fires forcibly dispersed by the blood-colored qi of the void. Their flames were extinguished, their faces turned pale, and some even bore bloody cracks on their physical bodies.
"The Great Han Imperial Dynasty, General Zhenyuan Shang Shitu is here! Who among the Changhe Sect dares to fight!!!"
"Who dares to fight!"
A thunderous roar, like divine thunder from the nine heavens, erupted in the core region of the Changhe Sect. Layer upon layer of sound waves propagated outwards through the void, spanning ten thousand *li*, churning the boundaries of the Changhe Sect's territory, raising waves ten thousand *zhang* high, crashing fiercely towards the depths of the sea.
"Who dares to fight!"
The sound continued, pushing forward wave after wave, accompanied by rumbling roars. Structures of exquisite design collapsed thunderously, dust billowed, and streams of Void God divine power pressed down like divine mountains ten thousand *zhang* high upon the entire Changhe Sect!
In an instant, an area of a thousand *zhang* around the Changhe Sect's mountain gate was directly pressed down by a *zhang*. The entire Changhe Sect seemed to be built within a deep pit. The residual sounds of thunder, carrying the frigid, blood-infused roars of an angered deity, turned countless lower-level beings into wisps of bloody mist, bloodily cleansing this ancient sect that had stood on the sea for millennia.
All beings in the Divine Fire realm lay prostrate on the ground. Whether they were those who had broken through their limits with twelve divine fires or others in the Divine Fire realm, all the divine fires on their bodies ceased to gather. Streams of blood flowed from their seven orifices, some even bursting outwards!
"Release..."
A Void God being, enraged, charged upwards, directly confronting Shang Shitu's thunderous roar. It was like colliding with a celestial barrier, and they were suppressed by a tremendous force, falling like an explosive shell into the Changhe Sect. The deep pit was unfathomable, and amidst the swirling dust, no one dared to utter another word!
High above the nine heavens, the Thunder-Summoning Leopard's dark aura obscured the sky. Upon it, Shang Shitu, in the Void God realm, held his Refining Furnace Spear, looking down with a gaze that suppressed an entire sect with the sound of thunder!
The terrifying divine power stirred the void, causing the dark clouds to press downwards incessantly, as if they would descend at any moment and shatter this place entirely.
Shang Shitu, having entered the Void God realm, possessed terrifying combat power capable of surpassing an entire major realm. Even a True God here, relying solely on his pseudo-divine power, could be forced from the nine heavens and pierced through!
At this moment, with a Void God of the Changhe Sect crushed like an ant, countless beings of the Changhe Sect, enduring unbearable pain, dared not make a sound, lest they provoke the divine punishment of the god above them, leading to the annihilation of all things.
...
"Pfft!"
"Who?"
"Who disturbs my heart!!"
Within the back mountains of the Changhe Sect, an elder with a three-foot white beard suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. The twelve divine fires burning on his physical body completely dissipated. The aura of the Void God realm, which he had just entered at the fifth level, rapidly declined and retreated, returning to the fourth level of divine power.
"Who dares to be so presumptuous in the Changhe Sect!!"
The elder was furious. An opportunity, unattainable for tens of thousands of years, was now scattered. Without tens of thousands of years, he would not be able to break through again!
Outside the secret chamber, the Sect Master of the Changhe Sect, Han Tao, who had painfully crawled out of a deep pit, had black, clotted blood flowing from his pupils. His face was filled with horror as he scanned the skies above the nine heavens, where a powerful being resided, preventing him from speaking.
Han Tao, the current Sect Master of the Changhe Sect, had achieved the pinnacle of the Void God realm with twelve divine fires and was highly regarded by the current Old Ancestor, inheriting the position of Sect Master of the Changhe Sect. For a million years, with his third-level Void God cultivation, he could preserve the Changhe Sect from destruction even at the hands of the three Void Gods of Shuiyue Tian.
He believed that being able to protect the Changhe Sect for a million years without decline under the hands of the three Void Gods of Shuiyue Tian was already quite remarkable, even surpassing what the Old Ancestor behind him had achieved. Among the past Sect Masters of the Changhe Sect, he had reached the peak of the Changhe Sect's history.
But at this moment, powerless, he crawled out of the deep pit. To this day, he still did not know what Shang Shitu looked like, nor what his realm was!
With just a single roar, without even exerting force or launching an attack, he, the foremost figure in the history of the Changhe Sect, was suppressed to the ground like an ant by that thunderous pronouncement, nearly losing his life!
"The Great Han Imperial Dynasty, a force that has just ascended to this plane, how can it produce such a supreme deity!"
"Even a Void God of the Blood Yuan Imperial Dynasty is no more than this!!" he stammered, thick blood flowing from his mouth, and several white teeth slowly falling out.
A force from a lower plane, wielding an immortal artifact, had even surpassed him, a Void God who had cultivated for a million years. It was no exaggeration to say that this was the first time in his cultivation journey that he had encountered such an extraordinary Void God, who suppressed everything!
Shang Shitu of the Great Han Imperial Dynasty!
"The Old Ancestor is in a critical juncture. The Old Ancestor is the unshakeable foundation of the Changhe Sect. What should we do? How can we resist this powerful being from the Great Han Imperial Dynasty!"
He turned his head to look at the slightly loosened seal of the secret chamber. That was a seal suppressed by successive Sect Masters of the Changhe Sect, reinforced by Void Gods of successive generations. Could it not even withstand a single word from Shang Shitu?
"Ssssss~~"
Threads of the seal continuously broke down. The stone door of the secret chamber was covered in dense cracks.
"What is the origin of the Great Han Imperial Dynasty? It is by no means a true lower-plane force."
"With an immortal artifact in hand, a Void God suppresses my entire sect!!"
He struggled to stand up. His clothes were already tattered, and blood flowed all over his body. His knees trembled violently, as if about to fall off.
"Boom!!"
With a great roar, the seal of the secret chamber behind Han Tao completely shattered, and the stone door exploded. An elder, disheveled and with a grim expression, his eyes filled with irrepressible rage, looked at Han Tao before him.
"Han Tao, you..."
The Old Ancestor of the Changhe Sect was about to question him when he saw Han Tao, bloodied and weak, his gaze shifting. The once magnificent and imposing sect was now half ruined, engulfed in dust!
Then, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and he horrifyingly moved his head, his body trembling slightly as he looked towards the endless, cloud-shrouded, blood-red void above the nine heavens!
In that place suffused with dense blood qi, an incredibly terrifying divine power caused his divine power to cease flowing.
Though he was also in the Void God realm, upon seeing Shang Shitu, he himself became like an ant, while Shang Shitu, riding the Thunder-Summoning Leopard and holding the Refining Furnace Spear, was the true Void God expert!
The divine power churned the void, and countless beings of the Changhe Sect breathed with Shang Shitu's breaths, daring not make the slightest mistake.
"He... he... who is he??"
The Old Ancestor of the Changhe Sect's mouth trembled incessantly. His entire body was pressed down, unable to straighten. Gods above, how could mortal beings not revere them!
"What?"
"A force from a higher plane, and yet none dare to respond to me?"
Shang Shitu's eyes shot out two beams of blood-red light, like two unmatched blood-colored divine thunders, sweeping from the east end of the Changhe Sect to the west end. The earth rumbled, dust swirled, and a massive chasm divided the Changhe Sect's territory in half!
"The Great Han Imperial Dynasty, General Zhenyuan Shang Shitu is here! Who among the Changhe Sect dares to fight!!!"
Shang Shitu was somewhat angered and roared again with thunder!
"Boom Kacha~~"
With a second pronouncement, it was like ten thousand divine thunders from the nine heavens raging above the Changhe Sect. Dozens of beings in the Divine Fire realm exploded. At this moment, with the demise of half of the Changhe Sect's beings in the Divine Fire realm, the sect's foundation was truly wounded!
With the deaths of dozens of beings in the Divine Fire realm, the Changhe Sect no longer possessed the powerful foundation to stand in this sea. Even if Han Tao and the Old Ancestor of the Changhe Sect survived, it would be difficult to turn the tide for the Changhe Sect, whose foundation had been lost.
Dozens of beings in the Divine Fire realm were the next generation cultivated by the Changhe Sect over a million years, using countless spiritual materials and precious medicines.
Now that more than half had been lost, even if the two of them struggled to support the half-dead Changhe Sect across the river of time for a million years, they would not see the Changhe Sect fully recover.
"Pfft!"
With a roar, blood shot out from Han Tao's seven orifices. His entire chest seemed to have suffered a severe blow, collapsing completely. He was flung directly towards the mountain behind him.
"Han Tao!!"
"Pfft!!"
"Ah......."
The Old Ancestor of the Changhe Sect's clothes were tattered, revealing his skin-and-bones body. Streaks of blood, like the thunderous roar in the void, as if carrying blades, easily tore through his powerful Void God body. Blood poured out, and the divine power-infused blood was rapidly swallowed by the earth.
"The Great Han Imperial Dynasty, where did this force come from?"
"Han Tao, when did my Changhe Sect offend such a powerful force!!! Who? Who wants to put my Changhe Sect to death!"
The Old Ancestor of the Changhe Sect raged in all directions, feeling the unbearable divine power of the Void God. His twelve divine fires and Void God divine power seemed like a joke.
With boundless unwillingness and rage, no being in the entire Changhe Sect could respond!!
Most were half-dead, lying in pools of blood, groaning weakly!
"Hmph??"
His frantic roar was locked onto by Shang Shitu in the void. Seeing the bloodied Old Ancestor of the Changhe Sect, Shang Shitu's killing intent dissipated. A stooped, old man, who could not even withstand the force of his single roar, how could he withstand his spear! Killing him would only dirty his blade!
"Void God fourth level!"
"It seems to be the true master of the Changhe Sect!"
Shang Shitu extended his palm and lightly grasped the void. Immediately, the space around the Old Ancestor of the Changhe Sect distorted. A giant black spiritual energy palm grabbed the Old Ancestor of the Changhe Sect and brought him before Shang Shitu in the next moment.
"Why do you not respond to me?"
Shang Shitu's words were icy cold. A cold divine light flashed in his eyes, startling the Old Ancestor of the Changhe Sect into silence for a long time, like a lamb awaiting slaughter from the hand that held the knife.
"Old... Old..."
"Hmph?"
Shang Shitu's eyes widened in anger, and he applied a little force. The lower half of the Old Ancestor of the Changhe Sect directly exploded.
"No... I... I...!!"
The Old Ancestor of the Changhe Sect immediately changed his address, his words trembling. The shattering of his lower body caused him unbearable pain.
"Nonsense, I have no patience to listen."
"Boom!"
Shang Shitu, with an impatient grip, caused the Old Ancestor of the Changhe Sect's body, along with the primordial spirit within, to completely explode within the black giant hand. Divine blood poured out, dyeing the black giant hand a deep crimson.
The Old Ancestor of the Changhe Sect, a powerful being at the fourth level of the Void God realm, died in the void's black hand like a joke.
Countless beings of the Changhe Sect lying prostrate among the ruins tightened their lips in fear. Their formerly immensely powerful Old Ancestor, who seemed like the master of this world, was no different from an ant in the hands of Shang Shitu of the Great Han Imperial Dynasty.
"Old Ancestor... Old Ancestor..."
"Clang~~"
Han Tao, who had burst out from the shattered mountain, due to his severe injuries, fell heavily to the ground after only a few *zhang*. He weakly extended his palm, attempting to grasp the divine blood from the nine heavens.
"Boom!!"
"Stomp stomp~~"
Shang Shitu dismounted from the Thunder-Summoning Leopard and walked towards Han Tao, treading on the nine heavens step by step.
"Lord... has my Changhe Sect offended the Great Han Imperial Dynasty!"
"Has my Changhe Sect offended you, my Lord!!"
Han Tao knelt on the ground, his weak body unable to stand.
"Those who covet the Imperial Artifact!"
"Perish!"