Chương 144: The Eldest Senior Brother of Falling Emperor Mountain (Part 9)

"Refreshing—truly refreshing!" Su Chen and Mo Qianren laughed heartily. After months of relentless battle, a mutual respect had grown between them. Yet now both had reached the point of utter exhaustion, their lamps burning low. Mo Qianren spoke.

"Nangong Chen, let us decide this with one final strike!" Su Chen nodded.

"Agreed." In those months of combat, both had gained profound insights into the martial path. Mo Qianren plunged his hand into his own chest. Countless laws from the demon-god remnant bones condensed into a shattered long blade. In that instant, his aura plummeted, leaving him frail and weak, yet the demonic blade in his grasp effortlessly tore a rift through the starry void. He had poured every ounce of his comprehension into the Emperor Bone, forging it into a blade that attacked without defense.

The sight brightened Su Chen's eyes.

"If you had been born in a great era, you would surely have claimed your place among the peaks!" Su Chen sighed with genuine admiration. His Innate Supreme Sword Body erupted once more. Golden lines appeared across his body, illuminating the void. His will coalesced into a divine sword covered in runes. Countless Daos and laws were engraved upon its blade. The moment the sword was unsheathed, time and space seemed to freeze. Two terrifying waves of power swept through the starry sky.

Countless stars were extinguished in their wake. In the depths of the starfield, Su Chen's face turned deathly pale. His divine soul resembled fragile porcelain on the verge of shattering. Mo Qianren's body exploded outright. A single bone wrapped around his fleeing soul and shot toward the Black Nether Demon Domain. At that very moment, a pitch-black, golden-scaled claw ripped through the void, reaching for Mo Qianren's Emperor Bone.

From the direction of the Black Nether Demon Domain came an earth-shaking roar of fury.

"You dare?!" A terrifying aura awakened. Two Great Saint-level powerhouses clashed in an instant.

"Little Chen, that's an Emperor Bone—you absolutely cannot let it escape!" A familiar voice rang in Su Chen's mind. Su Chen steadied his breathing and gave chase. Even he coveted such a bone. The opportunities within it were boundless. If he could comprehend its secrets, he would undergo another terrifying transformation—perhaps even qualify as a prover of the Dao in a great era! Powerhouses from both the Black Nether Demon Domain and Azure Nether Dao Domain surged forward.

But just as Su Chen prepared to deliver the killing blow, the void trembled violently. From the depths of the Black Nether Demon Abyss emerged a demonic shadow. It towered over the heavens, causing every living soul to shudder in primal fear. Su Chen halted. Because this was a Quasi-Emperor. The Quasi-Emperor moved to retrieve Mo Qianren. At the same moment, atop Falling Emperor Mountain, the hemp-robed elder chuckled softly. He drew the Sword of Destruction from the Land of Ruin and swung once.

Across endless space, the sword light blazed with unparalleled brilliance, illuminating the stars and making the myriad races tremble. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Another Quasi-Emperor had acted—one of terrifying strength!

"Black Nether Demon Domain… you have broken the rules!" With a single slash, the arm extended by the Quasi-Emperor from the Black Nether Demon Abyss was severed. Quasi-Emperor blood spilled across vast swathes of star seas, extinguishing countless lives. The Quasi-Emperor from the Black Nether Demon Abyss let out a muffled grunt.

"Old ghost, we want that Emperor Bone. State your price!" The projection of the hemp-robed elder appeared across the boundless star sea. Su Chen stared in astonishment at the elder of Falling Emperor Mountain.

"That's… Master? He is actually this powerful?" To wound a Quasi-Emperor with one strike placed him among the strongest, even among Quasi-Emperors. The hemp-robed elder spoke.

"An Emperor Bone is no small treasure. What can you offer in exchange?" The Quasi-Emperor from the Black Nether Demon Abyss pressed down with his aura across the stars.

"A Quasi-Emperor scripture." The hemp-robed elder shook his head.

"Not enough. I want the scripture left behind by the Demon Emperor in ancient times!" The Quasi-Emperor's expression changed drastically.

"Impossible!" The hemp-robed elder continued calmly.

"Something your domain has failed to comprehend for a million years is useless to you anyway. You know full well the value of an Emperor Bone." The Quasi-Emperor from the Black Nether Demon Abyss hesitated. Then, from deep within the Black Nether Demon Abyss, another ancient voice sounded.

"Agreed." The starry void stretched vast and endless. A rune too intricate to discern flew out from the depths. The hemp-robed elder reached out and caught it in his palm. He watched impassively as the Quasi-Emperor from the Black Nether Demon Abyss departed with the demon-god remnant bone, making no move to stop him. The elder extended his hand toward the void once more. A sacred herb appeared in his grasp. He passed the herb to Su Chen. Su Chen paid the sacred herb no mind.

His eyes were fixed on the demonic rune in the elder's other hand. A single glance left him entranced, utterly captivated. The hemp-robed elder sighed helplessly and waved his sleeve, severing Su Chen's perception of the rune.

"This is not something you can comprehend at your current level." He stored the rune away, ignoring Su Chen's longing stare, and vanished into the depths of the starfield. Su Chen let out a soft sigh. He returned to Heavenly Pass and refined the sacred herb. A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye. The Azure Nether Dao Domain had undergone sweeping changes. One genius after another rose to prominence, their names resounding far and wide.

The fusion between the Azure Nether Dao Domain and Black Nether Demon Domain deepened steadily. More and more spatial rifts tore open across the Azure Nether lands. Creatures from the Black Nether Demon Domain invaded with increasing frequency, while Azure Nether powerhouses constantly suppressed and sealed the passages. Over the course of a century, Su Chen finally restored his divine soul to near full recovery. His cultivation advanced from the first layer of the Saint realm to the fourth.

"The suppression of this heaven and earth has grown heavier still!" Su Chen keenly sensed that breaking through realms in this world would only become more difficult with time. Fang Bubai had entered the Demon Abyss forbidden zone. His strength had grown even more terrifying. Upon emerging from seclusion, Su Chen found Ji Changkong waiting for him.

"Your state is unstable." Su Chen frowned the moment he saw him. Ji Changkong now had half white hair and half black. One pupil remained clear and bright; the other gleamed with cold indifference. Ji Changkong gave a bitter smile.

"Senior Brother's eyes miss nothing. It won't be long before I disappear entirely… In the end, I will fail." He continued, voice low.

"When I was young, my father discovered an unhatched Innate Holy Spirit embryo. He fused my consciousness into it, allowing me to be born. All these years, I have been fighting against the Innate Holy Spirit's own will, trying to fully seize control of this body. Now… it seems I am about to lose." A trace of loneliness flickered in Ji Changkong's eyes. The power of an Innate Holy Spirit far exceeded what he could master at present.

"Senior Brother, I came to bid you farewell. I intend to sever my cultivation and seal myself within the divine source for one final gamble. When I emerge, it may be me… or it may be 'him.' The years stretch long ahead. Take care of yourself, Senior Brother." Ji Changkong smiled faintly. Su Chen shared one last pot of wine with him. Afterward, Ji Changkong returned to the Ji Clan and entered a deep slumber, sealing himself inside a divine source. … Several months later, Xiao Qianling came seeking him.

"Senior Brother, something terrible has happened!" Su Chen rubbed his temples, already feeling a headache coming on. Xiao Qianling spoke urgently.

"Senior Brother, we've finally located traces of Second Senior Sister. But every force that went to rescue her has been trapped inside a forbidden zone." After a full century, they had at last found news of Ye Jinghong.