The Eternal God Emperor and the Demon Ancestor

Chapter 4 Struggles Beyond Territory

Beyond the Kunlun Realm, the God of Fortune and Prosperity stood majestically, holding the Heavenly Pivot Needle. Behind him, the Gate of Destiny, millions of miles high, suddenly manifested, and countless obscure divine runes, like silver snakes, danced wildly, surging into the needle. Activated by the power of destiny, the Heavenly Pivot Needle instantly erupted with dazzling divine light, a brilliant needle beam piercing through the air and striking the Kunlun Realm. The God of Fortune channeled all his divine power, pushing the Heavenly Pivot Needle's power to its limit. Countless streams of light tore through the universe, forcefully eroding a deep spatial cavern in the endless array patterns surrounding the Kunlun Realm.

The God of Fortune and Prosperity was drenched in sweat, his divine power surging into the Heavenly Pivot Needle like a river bursting its banks. The Kunlun Realm was an eternal, indestructible world, its heritage exceeding tens of thousands of eons. More than one Heavenly Venerable had appeared there throughout history, and its outer star field was already covered with countless Heavenly-level array patterns. Furthermore, since the Venerable Monk Sumeru's sacrificial ceremony, all the previously dormant protective arrays had been activated. In recent days, setting foot in the Kunlun Realm had been virtually impossible.

At this moment, the God of Fortune and Prosperity was opening a spatial passage, essentially confronting the Heavenly-level array patterns outside the Kunlun Realm head-on. Even with his flawless spiritual power, it was a pipe dream to contend with these energy-rich Heavenly-level or even Primordial-level array patterns. Only by relying on the power of the Heavenly Pivot Needle and integrating a large amount of the mysteries of destiny from the Temple of Destiny could he barely manage to open a narrow passage that could only accommodate beings at the Saint Realm.

Seeing the passage firmly established, the God of Fortune and Prosperity proclaimed in a resounding voice, "All Saints of the Temple of Destiny, heed my command! The primary purpose of our entry into the Kunlun Realm is to investigate the ancient ruins that fell to this realm a thousand years ago, and secondly, to retrieve the traces of the Hell Realm gods who perished in the battle of Kunlun. The Kunlun Realm is an eternally indestructible great world, its foundations unfathomable. After entering the realm, you must proceed with extreme caution and prudence! If you encounter any life-or-death danger, immediately activate the Destiny Decree upon yourselves, which will protect you!"

Upon hearing this, all the saints of Hell bowed their heads and knelt in unison, replying, "We will obey the divine decree!"

After speaking, guided by the priests of the Fortune and Prosperity Palace, the crowd filed into the spatial cavern. Only after the last Great Sage of the Hell Realm had completely disappeared at the end of the passage did the Fortune and Prosperity God slowly withdraw his divine power, taking the Heavenly Pivot Needle into his palm. Without the support of the Heavenly Pivot Needle, the spatial cavern that had been forcibly torn open was instantly covered by layers of the protective array patterns of the Kunlun Realm, healing itself in the blink of an eye, as if it had never existed.

"I don't know who that spy was, but with the power of gathering most of the mysteries of destiny to unleash an attack, even Ji Wang couldn't easily withstand it. I suppose that person has already been injured by my divine light of destiny," Fu Lu God Venerable guessed that the one spying on him was Dragon Lord Ji Wang. In the Kunlun Realm, only Ji Wang still has the ability to spy on a God Venerable without being discovered.

Suddenly, ripples spread across the distant void, and a burly figure dressed in a crimson robe embroidered with gold slowly emerged from the depths of the ripples. The newcomer was a middle-aged man with black hair and a red beard. As soon as he appeared, the temperature of the entire starry sky suddenly soared, and scorching waves of heat swept in all directions, even causing the surrounding stars to tremble slightly.

"God of Fortune and Prosperity, what brings you to the Kunlun Realm?"

He questioned sharply, and a vast divine might suddenly erupted, covering millions of miles of starry sky. The surrounding stars trembled, and an unparalleled aura pressed directly towards his opponent.

A terrifying pressure swept over, seemingly threatening to grind this entire starry sky into dust, yet the God of Fortune and Prosperity remained unmoved, even displaying a leisurely smile on his face as he calmly said, "Old Ghost Shang, I never expected Haotian to be so willing to let you guard the outer starry sky of Kunlun Realm. Such an arrangement is no different from inviting a wolf into the house!"

Before he finished speaking, he revealed the origin of the newcomer to everyone: the supreme being of the first world of the Western Universe, Heaven Realm—the Ancestor of Merchants.

"Kunlun Realm is a great world of the Western Universe, and naturally falls under the jurisdiction of my Heavenly Realm. Fulu, you overstepped your bounds first today." Shang Zu's expression remained unchanged, his tone calm and even, as if stating a matter of course.

"Oh? Is that so?" The God of Fortune smiled faintly, then abruptly changed the subject, his words sharp as knives. "How could I not recall that among those remnants who escaped from the Kunlun Realm back then, several have yet to return? They went straight to your Heavenly Realm seeking help, only to mysteriously disappear. Later, some cultivators found their remains in the Death Star Belt of the universe, and those bones still emanated a rich aura of the Path of Light."

His words were like a thunderclap, revealing a long-buried, earth-shattering secret.

Back then, the gods of the Kunlun Realm, led by Lord Wentian, secretly crossed the Yellow Springs Galaxy, sacrificing their own Dao foundations to destroy the galaxy's power source. However, their plans had already been leaked, and the strongest beings of the ten races of the Hell Realm mobilized in full force, laying a trap. The gods of the Kunlun Realm were completely surrounded, and most perished on the spot. Only a few great gods managed to escape, thanks to a sliver of hope torn open by Lord Wentian's desperate struggle.

These survivors all came from the Tongtian Divine Palace. At that time, the Heavenly Realm and the Kunlun Realm were allies, and even Princess Ba, the goddess of love for the Ten Tribulations Heavenly Lord, had married Xuan Yi, a prodigy from the Heavenly Realm. Therefore, after escaping from Heaven, they immediately rushed to the Heavenly Realm for help, but ultimately disappeared without a trace. When their remains were discovered in the Death Star Belt, it was clear to everyone that the Heavenly Realm was responsible. However, the Heavenly Realm vehemently denied it and even pinned the blame for this bloodshed on the Hell Realm.

"I've heard that in recent years, the old forces of the Kunlun Realm have either been ruthlessly suppressed by your Heavenly Realm or have simply surrendered. Several subordinate Great Worlds, simply because their guardian deities died in battle and left leaderless, were directly swallowed up and seized by your Heavenly Realm." The God of Fortune and Prosperity sneered, his gaze sharp as torches. "So it seems the Kunlun Realm has long been yours for the taking. Old man Shang, you, a giant of the Western Universe, have condescended to sit in this outer space of the Kunlun Realm—isn't it because you fear the Kunlun Realm might rise from the ashes, and that you've come here specifically to keep an eye on it?"

The questions posed by the God of Fortune and Prosperity were barbed, but the Ancestor of the Shang Dynasty remained unmoved, his tone carrying a hint of indifference as if looking down upon all living beings: "The law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, is the ultimate truth of the universe. Throughout history, countless once-powerful hegemonic forces have been unable to escape the fate of being crushed by time. The so-called eternal immortality is nothing but empty self-deception. The Kunlun Realm is now in complete decline, having long lost its right to stand among the heavens, and is destined to be eliminated by the times."

Then, the tone suddenly changed, and Shang Zu coldly shouted, "Fu Lu, enough of the idle talk. Since you're here, you'll stay here forever! Back then, you, the God of Destiny, were killed here by the Sumeru Time Sword Technique and fell in this starry sky!" As soon as he said this, his killing intent was revealed. Shang Zu made it clear that he wanted to keep the God of Fu Lu here.

"Old Ghost Shang, you think you can keep me here? It's not that easy!"

The God of Fortune and Prosperity showed no fear, but was already on high alert. He gripped his divine staff tightly, and the divine power of destiny surged around him, ready to fight at any moment.

Just as the two were about to clash, the starry sky churned, and a chilling aura tore through the sea of ​​stars. A tall figure riding a giant black jade wolf stood in mid-air. The wolf's fur was as black as spilled ink, and with each step it took, stardust fell in a flurry. The aura of annihilation surrounding it caused ripples to appear in the surrounding star field.

Just as Shang Zu was about to attack the God of Fortune and Prosperity, his pupils suddenly contracted. His fingers, which were forming a hand seal, paused slightly, and a trace of solemnity flashed in his eyes. He sneered, "I didn't expect the God of Wrath to come as well. It seems that the Temple of Destiny attaches great importance to the Kunlun Realm, actually sending two Gods here."

The Wrathful God, clad in pristine white robes, stood tall and straight like an ancient pine, his imposing figure seemingly capable of supporting the entire collapsing starry sky. He stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering in the fierce wind, his gaze sweeping over Shang Zu, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "Old man Shang, I'm not the only one here today."

Before the words were finished, a phoenix cry, piercing through gold and splitting rocks, echoed from afar, shaking the entire starry sky. Everyone looked up and saw a phoenix, its wingspan obscuring the sun, hurtling through the stellar barrier amidst raging black flames. Its body, millions of miles tall, moved through the cosmos like a star burning with deathly fire. Where its wings swept, stars shattered, spacetime distorted, and an overwhelming aura of death permeated the air, shrouding the entire starry sky in a gray, lifeless stillness, swallowing even the light itself.

"The God of Death?!"

Shang Zu's expression changed drastically, and he shouted in disbelief. Without the slightest hesitation, divine power surged around him, veins bulging like writhing dragons across his arms. He then rapidly formed hand seals and roared, "Great Dao Heavenly Desolation Seal!"

In an instant, a vast and ancient aura of desolation swept across the entire starry sky, as if to revert all things to the primordial chaos. Boundless divine power coalesced in his palm, transforming into a gigantic, illusory seal that seemed to overwhelm the entire cosmos like a phantom world. Its surface was inscribed with obscure ancient runes; as the runes swirled, galaxies reversed, and the sun and moon lost their light. The seal, spanning tens of thousands of miles of space, carrying a world-shattering force, crashed down upon the black phoenix that blotted out the sky!

Black Phoenix's eyes sharpened, and it prepared for battle. Its wings suddenly flapped, and its body, spanning millions of miles, abruptly closed, transforming into a black rainbow in an instant, avoiding the direct impact of the Heavenly Desolation Seal. At the same time, its beak slightly opened, and a jet-black beam of light shot out, obliterating space wherever it passed, directly striking the side of the illusory seal.

"Bang—"

With a deafening roar, the illusory seal trembled violently, the runes on its surface shattered inch by inch, and the desolate aura instantly dissipated by more than half. Then, the black phoenix flapped its wings and unleashed a storm that completely annihilated the remaining energy.

"Feng Caiyi, I never expected that after tens of thousands of years, your cultivation has improved so much. It seems that you are not far from breaking through to the Immortal Realm."

As Shang Zu gazed at the annihilated Great Dao Heavenly Desolation Seal, his aura fluctuated slightly, clearly indicating that the collision had not been without its damage. Yet, his expression remained calm, his eyes utterly undisturbed, as if having his divine power broken was merely a trivial matter, and nothing in the world could disturb his eternally unchanging state of mind.

He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Feng Caiyi's blood-stained lips before finally settling on the wrathful God Venerable and the fortune-bringing God Venerable, their auras heavy and composed. The two figures, one forceful and the other gentle, their divine laws subtly manifesting around them, had already formed an encirclement, clearly having been prepared beforehand. Shang Zu immediately understood, and a desire to retreat surged within him like a tidal wave.

He immediately declared loudly, "Since all the deities of the Temple of Destiny are here, I will not linger any longer. I hope you will all act prudently and refrain from rash actions. You should know that the price of another divine war that sweeps across the heavens would be unbearable for anyone in the entire universe."

The moment his words fell, Shang Zu's Dao power surged violently, and he formed an obscure boundary-breaking hand seal in his palm. With a flick of his wrist, the void before him shattered like glass, revealing a deep, dark spatial rift. He vanished into the rift in an instant, leaving only a lingering echo that reverberated between heaven and earth.

"Trying to leave?"

The Death God's phoenix eyes narrowed, and the deathly still divine laws surrounding him suddenly erupted. His vast and magnificent body, like a galaxy, suddenly stretched out, about to transform into a stream of light and chase into the crack.

"There's no need to chase after them."

The deep voice of the Wrathful God Venerable rang out at the right moment. He raised his hand to stop the Death God Venerable and said in a deep voice, "That old man Shang has been in the Undying Boundless Realm for hundreds of thousands of years. His cultivation is unfathomable. The Eight Heavenly Desolate Techniques he created have been refined to the point of returning to simplicity. Since he intends to retreat, he must have a backup plan. Forcibly pursuing him would probably be a losing proposition."

Upon hearing this, the killing intent in the eyes of the Goddess of Death slowly faded. She remained silent for a moment, then finally let out a cold snort of resentment. The starlight flowing around her gradually subsided, and her divine body, which spanned the heavens and earth, rapidly shrank, eventually transforming into a woman with an unparalleled beauty, dressed in a long black dress.

Just then, the God of Fortune and Prosperity gently shook his staff, the seven-colored rays of light hanging from its tip swaying in the wind. He spoke slowly, his tone tinged with solemnity: "Now, the people we sent have successfully entered the Kunlun Realm. All that remains is to wait for their news. More than a thousand years ago, the secrets of the Kunlun Realm were completely disrupted, and even the divination techniques of my Temple of Destiny could hardly discern the slightest discernment. The spies that various races secretly sent into the Kunlun Realm back then have all disappeared without a trace."

He paused, his gaze fixed on the distant star field enveloped by layers of endless array runes. The runes shimmered with ancient and mysterious light, protecting the Kunlun Realm completely: "What kind of change has occurred in the Kunlun Realm that has prevented the heavens from prying into our view? We must thoroughly investigate the secrets behind this."

The Wrathful God and the Death God followed his gaze, both frowning slightly and remaining silent. Their eyes were deep and fixed on the world shrouded in array runes, their thoughts churning within them, and no one knew what they were plotting.