“So, are you saying that all the people from our village were actually killed by a heavenly tribulation?”

“We… We are all descendants of the Chen Ancestor!”

It took a long while before the villagers came to this realization.

“Chen Zheng, stop your arrogance! If you continue this rampage, we will contact the powers outside the Immortal Realm. We will unite with them to besiege you, and I refuse to believe we can’t kill you! Hmph! Do you really think that besides us, every other living being in this realm is dead? You have no idea what kind of world lies beyond this one! Beyond this realm is another world, known as the Immortal Wu Great World! That world has True Immortals, experts at the Golden Core and Nascent Soul Stages, and even more formidable beings at the Transcendence Tribulation Stage and beyond! Chen Zheng, no matter how wild or domineering you are, you are nothing more than an ant at the Golden Core Stage! The cultivators from our three Immortal Realms could send a single master at the Transcendence Tribulation Stage to annihilate you, or a True Immortal to slaughter your entire Chen lineage! I advise you to hand over the Holy Emperor’s Seal immediately, kneel, and beg for mercy. You might be able to keep your life! Otherwise, you and your family will all die!” the woman in the purple dress finished, her voice low and deliberate.

She knew full well that Chen Zheng was an anomaly, but no matter how exceptional or heaven-defying he was, he was still just an ant at the Golden Core Stage. Therefore, she was convinced that he would never dare to make enemies of all the powers beyond the Immortal Realm.

“The Immortal Wu Great World… So there are other great worlds besides the Prime Immortal Dynasty. But it doesn’t matter what world it is. If I wish to destroy it, I only need a minor spell. It’s just a greater world, after all, something I can obliterate with a flick of my finger,” Chen Zheng murmured softly to himself. He suddenly paused and pressed his right hand toward the empty air.

CRACKLE! CRACKLE!

Amidst the crackling sounds, a purple mystical light flickered.

“You! What are you doing?!”

The woman in purple, the green-robed old woman, and the husk of the Chen Ancestor all stared at Chen Zheng in utter horror, seeming to understand what he was planning.

BOOM! BOOM!

At that very moment, a gigantic phantom of a sacrificial altar emerged above the Chen family’s ancestral burial grounds.

“Sacrifice the Chen clan to summon the will of the Chen Ancestor!”

“Sacrifice the Chen clan!”

“Sacrifice the Chen clan!”

The sound of sacrificial chanting rose and fell.

SWISH!

In that instant, a pair of crimson, blood-red eyes opened.

ROAR!

Above the ancestral hall, the will of the Chen Ancestor materialized—ferocious and terrifying.

ROAR!

The ferocious and terrifying will of the Chen Ancestor pounced toward Chen Zheng.

WHOOSH!

A seven-colored sword light flashed from between Chen Zheng’s eyebrows, slashing at the monstrous will. In the blink of an eye, it completely obliterated the apparition.

THUD!

Figures collapsed to the ground one by one, their faces ashen. They had sacrificed the Chen clan to summon the will of the Chen Ancestor, but to their dismay, Chen Zheng had destroyed it. They had sacrificed their own clan, and now they would all die.

“You ants! I will kill you and refine you into puppets! Although your Chen clan are not direct descendants of the Chen Ancestor, you still carry his blood! Your flesh and blood can help me resurrect! Hahaha! HAHAHAHA!”

Though the ferocious will of the Chen Ancestor was destroyed, its brutal, ruthless aura lingered.

WHOOSH!

After glaring at Chen Zheng and muttering something, the will transformed into a dark flame and dove into the Nine Nether Ancient Well.

FWOOSH!

Eerie, dark flames surged out of the Nine Nether Ancient Well, churning tumultuously.

“Is this… the Chen Ancestor’s curse?”

“Will our Ancestor not spare us?”

“Run! Run now!”

The villagers were gripped by panic.

“Xiao Gu, devour the essence of their souls,” Chen Zheng said, seemingly having anticipated this, and called out to the small skeleton.

“Oh!” Xiao Gu acknowledged before taking a single step, enveloping all the Chen descendants.

In a matter of breaths, the villagers were reduced to skeletons.

“Heh heh! Master, Xiao Gu likes it when you let me help eat things!” Xiao Gu grinned.

“Hm? Where is Chen Zheng?”

Suddenly, the remaining cultivators were shocked to find Chen Zheng gone. He had vanished! Stupefied for several seconds, they finally came to their senses and searched frantically. At the mouth of a cave at the village’s edge, they saw a head suspended in mid-air. It was Chen Zheng’s head!

What happened to Chen Zheng? Where had he gone?

WHINE…

Inside the ancestral tomb at the center of the village, the skeleton of the Chen Ancestor began to tremble violently.

WHINE…

Then, an eerie and sinister cackle echoed from within the grave.

“You… You’re a demon!”

“Chen Zheng! You are defying the majesty of the Chen Ancestor!”

“Great Chen Ancestor, please grant us the power to slay this fiend!”

The cultivators from the various clans in the village looked on in terror, falling to their knees to pray.

CRACK! CRACK!

However, the trembling of the Chen Ancestor’s skeleton only grew more intense.

“You beast! Today, I shall discipline you on your father’s behalf!” a sudden roar erupted from within the ancestral tomb.

ROAR!

Immediately after, an ethereal manifestation of the Chen Ancestor’s will descended.

“Ah!”

“Chen Ancestor!”

“It’s the Chen Ancestor!”

The cultivators of the various clans were first stunned, then dumbfounded. This was not the true will of the Chen Ancestor, but merely a sliver of his soul. However, this sliver was far mightier than the ferocious will from before. The terrifying pressure it released suppressed all the cultivators in the village, including the youth in the green robe. Having felt that will from such a close distance just moments before, the youth was scared witless and utterly incapable of withstanding it.

BOOM!

The ethereal will struck out with its palm, and the green-robed youth instantly disintegrated. But it wasn’t over. The ethereal will turned and charged toward Chen Zheng.

“HOWL!” the ferocious will that had possessed the cultivators roared.

“ROAR!”

However, the ethereal will paid it no mind. In an instant, it passed through Chen Zheng’s body and merged into the space between his eyebrows.

“Ah! You… You’re not Chen Zheng!” the ferocious will shrieked in astonishment. The next moment, it screamed miserably as its body exploded. “Chen Zheng… you… you’re not… you’re not Chen Zheng! It was you who stole the Chen Ancestor’s inheritance… You… you… I… I refuse to accept this! I… I will devour your bloodline and seize your destiny!” the last remnants of the ferocious will roared in madness.

WHOOSH!

The ethereal will, having completely devoured Chen Zheng’s avatar, transformed into dark flames and flew into the Black Coffin above the ancestral temple. The Black Coffin shook, and a faint silhouette began to materialize. At this moment, the faint silhouette gazed down at Chen Zheng’s corpse below, its eyes filled with greed.

“HEH HEH HEH!”

Suddenly, a sinister laugh echoed through the area.

“Who’s there?” the faint silhouette shouted, looking up sharply.

BOOM!

A boundless divine consciousness swept across the land in all directions.

“Hm?”

The next second, a look of confusion appeared on the silhouette’s face. It had found no trace of any living being.

“Damn it! Damn it all!”

The faint silhouette suddenly grit its teeth, letting out a hateful, low growl before spitting out a glob of black blood. The blood landed directly on the Black Coffin above the ancestral tomb, which began to emit a sinister black fog, as if something within was stirring.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

At this moment, a great noise erupted. The sky above the village was covered with roiling dark clouds, and the sound of thunder reverberated. Above the village head’s giant ancient tree, more dark clouds gathered. The sky above the central ancestral tomb was also filled with thunderclouds.

“This…” All the villagers wore looks of panic.

RUMBLE!

Suddenly, a thick bolt of lightning struck down with a deafening crash, hitting the Black Coffin that the faint silhouette had become.

CRACKLE! CRACKLE!

Countless runes materialized on the surface of the Black Coffin. However, they were not enough to block the lightning strike.

BOOM!

Another bolt of lightning roared down.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep