Chapter 277: Chapter 277: The Ritual from Three Thousand Years Ago

“Pregnancy Card [Copper]: It’s effective against any being below a Celestial Man, causing instant pregnancy. Within three breaths, the fetus in the womb matures, flies out of the mother’s mouth, and takes with it seventy percent of the mother’s essence, energy, and spirit.”

This was undoubtedly an extremely powerful special skill card. Being pregnant during combat was already a significant weakening, and after giving birth, losing seventy percent of one’s essence, energy, and spirit was equivalent to sustaining a critical injury on the spot.

At the same time Zhou Heng used the Pregnancy Card, the Taoist Shande, who was about to kill Zhu Zhenzhen, was suddenly frozen stiff, unable to move, with an incredulous expression on his face, pupils suddenly constricting in horror.

Through Divine Sense Perception, he felt an additional heartbeat inside his body, right in his abdomen. In the span of a single breath, this heartbeat grew from faint to strong, vigorous, and powerful.

Following that, Taoist Shande’s abdomen swelled, and the middle-aged man in his forties began to look as though he was pregnant, his belly bulging.

Moreover, as his belly rose, Taoist Shande’s essence, energy, and spirit rapidly declined, as if being viciously drawn away.

By the third breath,

His mouth opened involuntarily, vomiting a large amount of viscous liquid. Then two small palms emerged from his mouth, grabbing his teeth and forcefully prying them apart.

Crack!

Taoist Shande, a Fifth Rank Sect Master, had his jaw dislocated by those small hands. Then, an infant the size of a palm flew out of his mouth.

At the same time, Taoist Shande’s essence, energy, and spirit plummeted like an avalanche, instantly diminishing to less than a third of what it was before.

His entire body became emaciated and lifeless, his face lined with new wrinkles, and his hair streaked with more white, clearly having suffered a great loss of vitality.

The infant that had flown from his mouth, though, was lively as a dragon. It landed on the ground, laughing ha-ha, growing rapidly.

In less than three breaths, the infant grew to the size of a five or six-year-old child, shedding the mucus on its body and becoming rosy, smooth, and adorable.

“Ah, ah, ah!” The infant cried out, its bright eyes fixated on Taoist Shande, seemingly very eager.

However, it couldn’t speak, only opening its mouth and crying out.

At this time, the infant’s mouth was already full of teeth, and after crying out, it charged towards Taoist Shande, pounced on the Fifth Rank Sect Master, and bit towards his ears with an open mouth.

This was no ordinary infant; it was essentially the condensation of seventy percent of Taoist Shande’s essence, energy, and spirit. Even without using this Grandmaster’s power, it gave him incredible strength, rendering him indestructible.

Thus, with one bite, he tore off Taoist Shande’s ear, causing blood to flow and leaving him in utter disarray.

Taoist Shande tried to shake the infant off but found that the mana remaining in his body was insufficient to contend with the infant, completely ineffective.

Then, he tried to physically pull the infant off himself, but the baby grabbed his hand and twisted it around over a hundred times, mashing all the bones and flesh in his arm to pulp, leaving him with no chance to resist.

Nevertheless, Taoist Shande was an experienced Fifth Rank Sect Master after all. Even if the infant had great strength, it still had a distinct disadvantage in terms of technique.

So for the time being, the infant probably couldn’t kill him.

Meanwhile, Tianyizi, who had looked assured of victory since the fight began, was dumbfounded.

His expression was one of utter astonishment as he watched Taoist Shande become instantly pregnant, give birth, and rise to the status of a male mother, finding the spectacle before him absurdly bizarre. Despite being well-traveled and knowledgeable, he had never heard of such an inconceivable tactic.

Just how many more unbelievable methods did Zhou Heng possess?

With this thought, Tianyizi looked again at Taoist Shande, who was entangled with the infant, and then said to Zhou Heng, “Truly a brilliant move. Since you have such strength, let’s sit down and have a proper talk.”

“Since when has the world operated on the principle that you can fight when you wish and talk when you suggest?” Zhou Heng retorted with a cold laugh, his figure slightly flickering as he immediately charged in front of Tianyizi.

“To your death!!”

At the same time, he raised his hand, fingers spread open, gathering a force as if encompassing all things under heaven, akin to a divine being embracing the Heavenly Pillar, with the might to crush the earth and the heavens, bearing down overwhelmingly.

Overturning Heaven Three Palms!

Heaven and Earth turn upside down!!

…

In the Da Qi Imperial Palace, within the Palace of Divine Light.

Zhao Zhen and Zhao Qin were still respectfully kowtowing, continuously chanting the precious edicts, anticipating the divine idol’s spirit to awaken further.

But the idol showed no sign of change.

This meant the two sacred reincarnations they needed had not yet met.

Quite some time had already passed.

“What’s going on, why haven’t Zhou Heng and Zhou Yin met yet?” Zhao Qin was somewhat frustrated, he looked around and said, “We’re running out of time.

“If we drag on, the Celestial Men from the Pure Yang Palace, Infinite Temple, Longevity Way, and Qing Emperor Palace will surely notice something. If their Celestial Men arrive, it will be too late for us.”

“No need to worry. Continue chanting the Lord Protector’s Edict with me,” Zhao Zhen replied, his expression calm as he knelt obediently before the idol and said indifferently, “The cooperation between Taixu Viewpoint and the Southern Jin royal family isn’t just limited to returning this Lord Protector idol to us.”

“Does big brother mean that they will make a move?” Zhao Qin’s eyes lit up.

“We’ll just wait and see,” Zhao Zhen said indifferently.

At this very moment, outside the Hall of Divine Light, the Da Qi Imperial City was still resplendent with gold and splendor, grand and solemn.

As if nothing had happened at all.

…

At the Golden Peak of Jade Void Peak on Taihua Mount.

Yan Shouyi, who was sitting cross-legged as if traveling beyond the heavens in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes, a frown creasing his forehead as he looked towards Zhongzhou and wondered, “The situation with Pure Yang is changing, and it seems to be connected to Zhongzhou?

“But, at this moment, the Imperial City of Zhongzhou should be hosting the Morning Sun Wine Gathering. What kind of incident could occur? Could it be related to my junior disciple?”

At this thought, he retracted his Divine Sense, stood up, and decided to head to Zhongzhou.

Just then, a young Taoist in his twenties hurried over, bowed respectfully, and said, “Master, Yang Wuji, the leader of the Taixu Palace, has come to visit. He says he would like to have tea and discuss the Tao with you.”

This young Taoist named Chen Xuan was Yan Shouyi’s disciple, who had been part of the Pure Yang for over a hundred and thirty years and had achieved the rank of Fifth Rank Grandmaster.

“Oh?” Hearing this, Yan Shouyi’s eyebrows lifted slightly as he gazed down the mountain, then smiled and said, “Good, I shall go shortly. Go to the Purple Void Hall on the back mountain and find your Uncle Master Fengming, tell him to make a trip to the Imperial City of Zhongzhou.”

“Yes, Master,” Chen Xuan replied with a nod.

…

…

Similar situations were unfolding in the Infinite Temple, Qing Emperor Palace, Longevity Way, as well as among the influential clans of Fengzhou.

However, the Celestial Men who went were different; some came from Taixu Viewpoint, others from the prominent families of Southern Jin.

Their origins were diverse, and their strength varied.

…

High above the clouds, Zhou Danqing carried Zhou Yin on a cloud, swiftly traversing thousands of mountains and rivers in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, the expressions of both individuals were extremely grave.

Underneath a ruined town they had previously explored, they discovered many things akin to archival records and a will signed by the name “Xie Yang.”

From these archival records and the will, Zhou Yin and Zhou Danqing learned of things that were horrifying and terrifying in their eyes.

This place was once a Cave Sky world, belonging to the master of the Zhi Xu Sect from three thousand years ago, “Yuan Zhenzi.”

Yet it was stripped away by the then strongest Divine First Rank, the ruler of the Central Dynasty, “Emperor Taiyang,” who captured numerous Sects and their disciples, as well as the civilians from the states and counties, using them as a vessel for a sacrificial ceremony.

The time was the year 824 of the Taiyang era.

This ceremony sacrificed the entire Zhi Xu Sect, along with the Sword Pavilion, Shangqing Way, Pure Land Sect, Wanfa Guiyimen, and many other top-tier Sects, dozens of Celestial Men, and nearly ten Tao Lords.

In addition, there were nearly ten billion civilians, roughly equivalent to the population of ten states today.

This act was utterly insane.

What motive did the last sovereign of the Central Dynasty, the formidable Divine First Rank, have to initiate such a sacrificial ceremony?

And how did he deceive everyone, making them believe that these Sects had mysteriously disappeared?

Zhou Yin and Zhou Danqing were unaware of these things, but they knew that this Cave Sky world was extremely dangerous.

Three thousand years later, Zhao Qin and Zhao Zhen had once again activated this Cave Sky world, and although their purpose was not yet clear, it definitely was not for anything good.

They had to leave this Cave Sky world as soon as possible.

The exit was located within the former mountain gate residence of the Zhi Xu Sect; reaching that place would give them a chance to leave.

Since Zhou Danqing had gradually harmonized with the rules and laws of this Cave Sky world, restoring approximately seventy to eighty percent of his strength, he flew extremely fast and soon arrived in the mountains where the Zhi Xu Sect’s mountain gate resided.

They saw ruins of buildings.

They also saw the Taoist Shande entangled with a peculiar child, as well as Zhou Heng and Tianyizi engaged in an intense battle, nearly inseparable in their fight.

Cheng Jianjian was on the side, activating one Secret Six Rank Magic Weapon after another, assisting the child in attacking the Taoist Shande.

“Tianyizi!”

Zhou Yin shouted harshly, filled with anger, while having Zhou Danqing carry him in a dive.

Although Tianyizi had also arrived in this world, Zhou Yin was more inclined to believe that Tianyizi had an ulterior motive, rather than being outwitted by Zhao Zhen and Zhao Qin.

After all, during the event at the Palace of Divine Light, Tianyizi was very much aware of what was about to happen.

From beginning to end, only the Southern Jin’s side was in the dark.

He was certain in his heart that he had been conspired against by Tianyizi and Tang Kaiyun.

Meeting an enemy, his eyes reddened with enmity.

Zhou Heng, engaged in combat with Tianyizi, heard the roar from above and also sensed the massive momentum and power diving down towards them.

He made a decisive choice and slapped out with his palm, using the rebound force blocked by Tianyizi to quickly retreat backward, distancing himself from Tianyizi.

The next instant, a beam of light descended from the sky, directly striking Tianyizi, the terrifying might pierced into the mountain, drilling through the peak in an instant.

After drilling through the peak, the beam fell onto a nearly thousand-zhang-tall distant mountain, and in just a blink of an eye, the entire mountain was enveloped in dazzling light and subsequently crumbled into billions of fragments, collapsing entirely.

If the mountain which Zhou Heng and the others were on had not once been the mountain gate of the Zhi Xu Sect, with special reinforcements, it might well have been shattered on the spot like the mountain that had just been destroyed.

Zhou Heng watched the scene, his heart still pounding; it was a good thing he had retreated quickly, otherwise, he might have had to use a Resurrection Card.

The power of a Grandmaster was undeniably too strong.

With a mere gesture, rivers could be made to flow backward and mountains to collapse; it was genuinely terrifying.

At the same time, he was also grateful that he didn’t hesitate to use the Pregnancy Card, which restrained the Taoist Shande.

Otherwise, if Taoist Shande had truly made a move, none of the three of them would have escaped.

The might of a Grandmaster was truly fearsome.

As for Tianyizi, who had taken the full brunt of the Grandmaster’s attack, he was probably dead beyond any hope of Resurrection.

Reduced to ashes?

Zhou Heng, rather interested, released his Divine Sense to explore, but he quickly sensed an incredibly powerful force rising from the spot where Tianyizi had been.

It made him feel apprehensive.

This was not a simple fusion with the natural energy of heaven and earth, nor a manipulation of the laws and principles; it was more like touching the root of the Dao, the source of laws—a mysterious and profound presence of extremely high essence and nature.

Transcending the mundane to become sacred, lifted above the heavens!

Zhou Heng had felt a similar presence before, on the Loose Immortal Yu Long and on the Great Saintly Merciful Immortal.

This was the aura and might that belonged to a Celestial Man!

“How is this possible?!”

Zhou Heng couldn’t comprehend the situation; why would the aura of a Celestial Man suddenly appear where Tianyizi had been—could it be that Tianyizi was actually a Celestial Man in disguise?

Then why had Tianyizi fought him to a standstill just now?

If he were really a Celestial Man, wouldn’t it be better to manifest his true form and overpower everything?

What’s going on?

This sudden appearance of a Celestial Man’s mighty aura did not only startle Zhou Heng but also Zhou Danqing and Zhou Yin, who had descended from the sky.

They even stopped mid-fall and hovered in the air, incredulously watching the gradually dissipating column of light and the figure walking out from within.

Tianyizi walked out from the column of light, but now he was no longer the handsome Taoist in feathered garments with a starry crown; instead, he had become a shadowy human-like figure, a mixed blur of black and white, chaotic and twisted.

On him radiated an extremely negative spiritual force, with emotions such as resentment, anger, sorrow, helplessness, and despair mixed within, distorting the shape of the shadow and causing constant contortions and changes.

After a while, this humanoid shadow’s state barely stabilized, and with gradual adjustments, he reverted to a human appearance.

This time, he became a middle-aged Taoist in his thirties wearing a black and white Taoist Robe, with plain features and a head full of white hair, which gave him a somewhat sinister air.

“Interesting, so that’s how it is. If I destroy the reincarnated body here, I will have the chance to revert to my previous life’s Primordial Spirit form,” the Taoist said as he looked at his hands, then turned his gaze towards Zhou Danqing and suddenly cracked a smile, “Thanks for that.”

No sooner had his words fallen than Zhou Danqing’s entire body stiffened, followed by a light ‘pop’ sound; the Fifth Rank Sect Master exploded into a cloud of dust that scattered with the wind.

Not even a trace of blood.

“Primordial Spirit form, who are you exactly?” Zhou Heng asked in a deep voice.

“I know, I know!” Zhou Yin seemed to have realized something and exclaimed, “Yuan Zhenzi, you are Yuan Zhenzi, the head of the Zhi Xu faction during the last years of the Taiyang Empire!!”