The Dao of Reincarnation (141-143) (Patreon)

Chapter 141: The Eldest Senior Brother of Falling Emperor Mountain (Part 6)

The next day, the elder from the Water God Palace died. He had charged the demon rampart in a fit of rage, only to be torn apart by the great array. His death was absolute.

Grief and fury deepened among the people of the Azure Nether Dao Domain.

The second match began.

Faced with a crowd of indignant cultivators clamoring to fight, Su Chen personally selected one from among them.

The first battle could be lost. It served to teach them a hard lesson: the prodigies of the Black Nether Demon Domain did not rely solely on trickery. Underestimating them meant a brutal death.

But the second battle could not be lost.

"Yuwen Wushuang, you will fight the second match."

All eyes turned to a man lounging lazily on a bluestone slab behind them. He seemed mildly surprised to hear his name called.

Still, he rose, stretched, and sauntered forward. A long saber hung at his waist beside a wine gourd; his brownish hair stirred in the wind.

"You're putting that much faith in me?" Yuwen Wushuang asked Su Chen.

The Yuwen Clan ranked among the supreme powers of the Azure Nether Dao Domain—no weaker than the Nangong Clan to which Su Chen belonged.

Yet the Nangong and Yuwen clans had always been bitter rivals. Nangong Chen and Yuwen Wushuang had clashed before.

Nangong Chen had won.

Three moves. That was all it took to defeat Yuwen Wushuang.

After that day, Yuwen Wushuang became the laughingstock of the Azure Nether Dao Domain. He had sunk into obscurity ever since.

Doubt lingered in the eyes of the others.

"Young Master Nangong, let me take the second match instead."

"This battle is too important—we absolutely cannot lose!"

Heirs of ancient lineages stepped forward to plead their case.

Su Chen glanced at one of them.

"You would not win."

The blunt words drained the color from the prodigy's face. He clenched his jaw in cold resentment. "Nangong Chen, I respect you as the leader of our generation in the Azure Nether Dao Domain, but that does not give you the right to humiliate me at will!"

Su Chen raised a single finger.

"One move? Nangong Chen, are you saying you could defeat me in a single strike?"

The prodigy felt the sting of profound insult.

Then… he was slammed face-down into the ground, pinned there, unable to move.

The crowd gasped in shock. Anyone bold enough to challenge Su Chen could not possibly be weak. Yet he had been suppressed without the slightest warning. How terrifying was this power?

Ji Changkong, meanwhile, looked completely unsurprised.

"Daring to provoke Senior Brother—commendable courage, I suppose."

He genuinely admired the foolhardiness. He had personally witnessed the entire younger generation of the Purple Firmament Dao Sect—along with ancient monstrous prodigies who had reawakened—being effortlessly crushed by Senior Brother.

Su Chen turned to Yuwen Wushuang. "You will not lose. What you need is a battle to prove yourself."

Yuwen Wushuang's eyelids twitched. He gave a slow nod. "Fine. I'll fight this one for the Azure Nether Dao Domain."

A wry, bitter smile curved his lips. "Never thought the one who understands me best would turn out to be you."

Atop the demon rampart, Zhu Huangtian dragged forward another bronze pillar. Once again, a Azure Nether Dao Domain prodigy was bound to it.

Soon, the second battle commenced.

The Black Nether Demon Domain sent forth a prodigy with the bloodline of the Six-Winged Demon Peng. Demonic qi surged around him like a storm.

Beside him, Yuwen Wushuang appeared tiny—little more than a small boat adrift on a raging sea, ready to capsize at any moment in the tempest.

Yuwen Wushuang drew his saber.

The blade moved with blinding speed, slicing through space itself and leaving a deep gash across the Six-Winged Demon Peng prodigy.

Just as the second slash aimed for the neck, the demon finally struck back. He clearly had not expected Yuwen Wushuang to be so fast… yet the Six-Winged Demon Peng Clan was renowned above all for speed. Legend claimed their ancient ancestor could race against time itself and rival the speed of the ancient Great Emperors.

In midair, man and peng clashed at incomprehensible velocity. Both sides traded wounds for wounds, tearing into each other without reserve.

"Yuwen Wushuang is actually this strong!"

The onlookers were stunned. They looked at him with renewed respect. But it was not enough. In a contest of trading injuries, Yuwen Wushuang could never outlast the Six-Winged Demon Peng prodigy.

Yet just as Su Chen had said, Yuwen Wushuang needed this battle to prove himself.

Losing to Su Chen in three moves was no disgrace.

Blood stained the sky.

The clash shook countless hearts.

Then, white flames suddenly bloomed along the edge of Yuwen Wushuang's saber, wrapping the blade in flickering light.

"He… he has comprehended the Yuwen Clan's Secret of Time?"

The white flames danced.

Yuwen Wushuang swung once more.

Space was split from a single point.

The demon peng fell.

Yuwen Wushuang retrieved the demon peng crystal core. He divided the corpse among the gathered cultivators of the Azure Nether Dao Domain, who began openly discussing recipes right in front of the stunned Black Nether Demon Domain forces.

The sight sent the prodigies of the Black Nether Demon Domain into a furious rage.

"Lord, we absolutely cannot return any of the Azure Nether Dao Domain people!"

Zhu Huangtian's face remained expressionless. His eight arms moved in a blur, tearing the outspoken demon prodigy limb from limb.

"Trash. Take him away. This round, I, Zhu Huangtian, can afford to play. Second time you got lucky. The third time won't be so fortunate!"

Zhu Huangtian gazed coldly down at the Azure Nether Dao Domain cultivators who were carving up and devouring the Six-Winged Demon Peng right in front of them.

The third day arrived.

Zhu Huangtian dragged yet another bronze pillar forward.

Bound to it was a young woman.

The moment Ji Changkong saw her, he trembled with excitement.

"It's my little sister! Senior Brother, we absolutely cannot lose this one!"

Su Chen fixed his gaze on Ji Changkong.

Ji Changkong suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine.

"Senior Brother, I'm only at the peak of the ninth layer of Void Refining—I haven't even reached the Nirvana Realm yet…"

Su Chen looked at him steadily. "Junior Brother Ji, I believe you can win."

Ji Changkong swallowed hard. "Senior Brother, I really can't do this."

Su Chen shook his head. "You can. If I remember correctly, you've been stuck at the ninth layer of Void Refining for thirty years."

Ji Changkong muttered, "Your junior brother is simply too dull-witted."

Su Chen gave him a long, deep look.

"Junior Brother Ji, you have no choice but to fight now."

With that, Su Chen hoisted Ji Changkong up and tossed him straight into the arena.

As the heir of both Falling Emperor Mountain and the ancient Ji Clan, how could his talent possibly be weak?

Ji Changkong was afraid.

Su Chen wasn't entirely sure whether the fear came from the prospect of dying in battle or from some deeper secret. One thing he knew for certain: Ji Changkong's talent was extraordinary. The bottleneck of the Nirvana Realm could never trap him for thirty years.

From the Black Nether Demon Domain side, the moment they saw an opponent who hadn't even reached the Nirvana Realm step forward, mocking laughter erupted.

They thought the Azure Nether Dao Domain had gone mad. The woman bound to the bronze pillar looked up and saw her own brother entering the arena. Despair washed over her face.

It was over.

Not just the Black Nether demons—even the Azure Nether Dao Domain prodigies fell into despair.

"Has the Azure Nether Dao Domain run out of people? Sending someone who hasn't even reached Nirvana Realm?"

The Black Nether prodigy chosen for the fight grinned wickedly.

Ji Changkong edged forward cautiously. "How about we settle this peacefully? You release the hostage, and I surrender?"

The Black Nether prodigy sneered. "I'll eat you piece by piece. But I'll keep just enough of your consciousness alive so you can watch me devour her the same way—one bite at a time."

Ji Changkong let out a helpless sigh.

"In that case… you'll have to die."

Ji Changkong's body suddenly turned snow-white and crystalline, radiating boundless immortal radiance. Countless law runes descended from the sky, transforming into chains that locked the heavens themselves.

"A Holy Spirit… an Innate Holy Spirit!"

Chapter 142: The Eldest Senior Brother of Falling Emperor Mountain (Part 7)

An Innate Holy Spirit!

Innate Holy Spirits belonged to no race. They had neither father nor mother. They were miracles birthed by the heavens and earth themselves—absorbing millions of years of the world's purest essence. Born supremely powerful, their Dao hearts remained flawless and pure. They were destined to ascend to the pinnacle of the Great Dao.

Such beings carried unparalleled arrogance. They looked down upon all living creatures and acknowledged only the will of heaven and earth. Yet… the fourth disciple of Falling Emperor Mountain had always been timid, obscure, and utterly unremarkable. How could someone like that possibly be an Innate Holy Spirit?

Su Chen felt genuine astonishment.

In all the long tens of thousands of years he had lived, this was the first time he had encountered one. He had suspected Ji Changkong was hiding something, but he never imagined the secret ran this deep. An Innate Holy Spirit had been lying dormant within Falling Emperor Mountain all this time… What exactly was his purpose?

Even the Ji Clan elder stood dumbfounded. Their young master… was an Innate Holy Spirit? But Innate Holy Spirits had no parents.

"How is this possible?"

The creatures of the Black Nether Demon Domain were equally stunned.

The white-haired Ji Changkong had completely transformed. With a single punch he unleashed, it seemed as though he intended to shatter the very heavens. Overbearing and unmatched, the Innate Holy Spirit physique was the strongest holy body in existence. Even at the Void Refining realm, his aura completely suppressed the Nirvana Realm Black Nether prodigy, rendering him immobile.

One punch alone shattered half the demon's body. The sheer, terrifying force demonstrated what true physical supremacy meant.

Then, in full view of the crowd, Ji Changkong tore the Black Nether prodigy in half with his bare hands. Fresh blood rained across his white hair and face. His cold, indifferent pupils flickered with an eerie red glow.

From atop the demon rampart, the many Black Nether prodigies watched as the white-haired figure turned his gaze toward them. That strange crimson light in his eyes sent chills racing through their bodies, as though they had plunged into an icy abyss.

But the red glow soon faded from Ji Changkong's eyes. His face turned deathly pale. He returned to the Azure Nether Dao Domain side.

Under the stares of everyone present, Ji Changkong scratched his head awkwardly. "Actually… I'm a good person."

The trembling Ji Clan elder asked, "Are you truly our Young Master Changkong?"

Even Ji Mingyue, now released from the bronze pillar atop the rampart, looked at him curiously. "Are you really my brother?"

Ji Changkong's face darkened with black lines.

"I carry the bloodline of the Ji Clan, and I am indeed Ji Changkong—there's no mistake. But something unexpected happened… perhaps some fortunate encounter turned me into what I am now. Senior Brother, you have to believe me!"

Su Chen nodded. "Junior Brother Ji, I believe you… Though right now, you don't exactly seem human."

Ji Changkong gave a wry smile. "Thank you for your trust, Senior Brother."

He deliberately ignored the second half of the remark.

The myriad world was full of wonders. Ji Changkong's fortune ranked among the absolute highest across all races.

The battles between the Azure Nether Dao Domain and Black Nether Demon Domain continued afterward. Both sides traded victories and defeats.

One month later, Zhu Huangtian descended from the demon rampart.

"I've waited a long time for this fight!"

A cruel smile twisted across his face. "Do you know? For this moment, I endured an entire month. Every inch of my body felt as though ants were gnawing at it from the inside. Every second was pure torment. The finest delicacy should always be saved for last."

Su Chen gave him a calm glance.

"You've been stalling for time."

Zhu Huangtian's smile froze. "What are you talking about?"

Su Chen continued evenly, "From the very beginning, you planned to use the people of the Azure Nether Dao Domain to buy time—for someone else's sake. Is Mo Qianren about to break through to the Saint realm?"

The cultivators of the Azure Nether Dao Domain felt a chill crawl up their spines at Su Chen's words.

"Mo Qianren is about to become a Saint?"

If Mo Qianren succeeded in becoming a Saint, it would spell disaster for the Azure Nether Dao Domain. In this era, a near-invincible Saint was no different from a living nuclear weapon. Unless a Great Saint appeared, even a Saint King might not be his match!

Zhu Huangtian's expression grew grave. He had never expected the young leader of the Azure Nether Dao Domain to possess such keen insight. He offered no reply, which only confirmed Su Chen's suspicions.

Far from feeling fear, Su Chen felt his blood surge with excitement. His instincts had been right. Mo Qianren would prove an excellent opponent.

"Tell me where Mo Qianren is right now."

Su Chen cast a glance at Zhu Huangtian. By this point, everyone from the Azure Nether Dao Domain who deserved rescue had been saved. Those who did not had already died.

Su Chen had no intention of continuing to indulge Zhu Huangtian in childish games.

The casual disdain ignited fury in Zhu Huangtian. "Your opponent right now is me!"

His eight arms spread wide like those of a demon god, severing space itself.

As one of the Four Lords of the younger generation in the Black Nether Demon Domain—second only to Mo Qianren in power—his strength was not to be underestimated.

That single move alone turned the faces of the Azure Nether Dao Domain prodigies deathly pale. Apart from a handful who managed to remain composed, most felt they would have no chance of surviving the blow.

Su Chen moved neither quickly nor slowly. A golden great seal materialized in his palm. With a casual downward slap, mountains and rivers trembled and sank.

"Suppress!"

Ji Changkong's eyes lit up the moment he saw it. "It's the Emperor Suppression Seal! Senior Brother has actually cultivated the Emperor Suppression Seal to such a terrifying level!"

The Emperor Suppression Seal was one of the signature arts once wielded by the Desolate Ruins Great Emperor of Falling Emperor Mountain.

Ji Changkong had also practiced it, yet he knew his own comprehension of the technique did not even reach one-tenth of his senior brother's.

Beneath the seal, Zhu Huangtian struggled in agony.

From the Azure Nether Dao Domain side, every cultivator watched with complex expressions. Their gazes toward Su Chen were now those reserved for a deity.

"This guy is seriously a freak."

Yuwen Wushuang's lips twisted in a bitter smile. He had never stopped thinking about challenging Su Chen again one day. But now… he realized the gulf between them had grown wider still—vast as the heavens themselves.

Su Chen remained calm and unruffled. Even he no longer knew exactly how terrifying he had become. In the same realm, it would take him fewer than ten moves to kill the version of himself from his previous life. Zhu Huangtian was strong—nothing more.

Su Chen turned his gaze toward the demon rampart, where the Black Nether prodigies stood frozen in terror.

"If you want him to live, have Mo Qianren come out and fight me. If I do not see Mo Qianren within three days, I will kill him."

Su Chen pointed at Zhu Huangtian, who now lay limp like a dead dog.

The Black Nether prodigies atop the rampart did not dare delay.

But at that moment, several figures appeared on the rampart. The Black Nether demons' faces lit up with wild joy. They bowed reverently.

"We greet Lord Mo Qianren."

At their head stood a being wreathed in torrents of demonic qi. Each strand carried endless destructive power. His presence dominated the surroundings. Merely standing there, he seemed the sovereign of heaven and earth—a demon god descended into the mortal world, inspiring awe and dread in equal measure.

What drew Su Chen's attention most were the ancient, profoundly mysterious scriptures carved into his body. They were tyrannical enough to devour the myriad things of the heavens—rules that stood above all living beings.

Innate Emperor Bones!

This was the most terrifying prodigy Su Chen had encountered since Wang Yunfei… or rather, not a prodigy at all. This was a monster. A monster that should never have been allowed to exist.

Chapter 143: The Eldest Senior Brother of Falling Emperor Mountain (Part 8)

Mo Qianren turned his gaze toward the cultivators of the Azure Nether Dao Domain. His eyes carried absolute indifference.

Once these people were eliminated, in a thousand years, the Black Nether Demon Domain would be able to launch a counteroffensive against the Azure Nether Dao Domain.

"Nangong Chen, I genuinely admire you. Unfortunately, we will never have the chance for a fair fight."

Mo Qianren spoke with faint regret.

The aura of a Demon Saint radiated from him like a black sun, blanketing the sky.

"Young Master Nangong, this is bad—Mo Qianren has broken through to the Saint realm!"

The faces of the Azure Nether Dao Domain cultivators turned grim. Because Mo Qianren truly had become a Saint. The Saint Kings and Great Saints of the Azure Nether Dao Domain were bound by ancient agreements and could not intervene. In this era, Mo Qianren stood as the undisputed strongest.

Su Chen remained calm and asked evenly, "What about the person from my Falling Emperor Mountain? You captured him to lure me out. Now I'm here."

Mo Qianren shook his head with genuine pity. "I no longer know whether he is alive or dead. Perhaps he is already gone. Even if he still breathes, it makes little difference—he is as good as dead. But his fate no longer matters. You will become nourishment for my Emperor Bone, a stepping stone on my path to the Great Dao!"

Mo Qianren attacked.

Torrents of demonic qi surged like a heavenly river pouring down from above the demon rampart. A demon god had descended into the mortal world.

Ji Changkong shuddered, his voice tinged with grief. "Senior Brother… Third Senior Brother might really be dead!"

Su Chen nodded, expressionless. "I will avenge him."

From atop the rampart, countless powerhouses rushed out, intent on annihilating every living being from the Azure Nether Dao Domain in one decisive strike.

Mo Qianren watched the slaughter between the two domains with interest. "You want revenge? What means do you have to oppose me now? We in the Black Nether Demon Domain learned of your existence long ago, Nangong Chen. From the beginning, our true target has always been you. Your strength is impressive. At the peak of Nirvana Ninth Layer, perhaps you and I could have fought a world-shaking life-or-death battle. But now? You are no match for me."

Mo Qianren regarded Su Chen with the amused mockery of a cat toying with a mouse.

Su Chen shook his head and spoke softly. "Becoming a Saint… is it really so difficult?"

A terrifying aura erupted from within Su Chen's body.

Countless chains of order descended from the heavens. Vast purple qi flooded the surroundings. It was as though a young ancient Great Emperor had awakened. Across millions of li, the world rang with the endless hum of sword cries. Every blade of grass, every mountain, every river—everything in heaven and earth could serve as a sword, and everything bowed in submission!

Ji Changkong's face lit with wild joy. "I knew it! Senior Brother is invincible! Senior Brother is about to become a Saint! Reincarnation of a demon god or whatever—he'll suppress them all!"

The cultivators of the Azure Nether Dao Domain burst with renewed hope. Just when despair had gripped them, light broke through the darkness once more.

The joy on the Azure Nether side stood in stark contrast to the stunned silence of the Black Nether Demon Domain.

This was the Saint tribulation! Nangong Chen was becoming a Saint?

Even the suppressed Zhu Huangtian looked horrified. The Black Nether Demon Domain had schemed for so long, sacrificing everything—including him—to strangle this future threat in the cradle.

Was it all about to collapse into nothing?

Mo Qianren's expression froze. Realization dawned, and his voice dropped low. "You've been suppressing your realm… You were waiting for me?"

Su Chen stood bathed in lightning, resembling a supreme deity. His three thousand strands of black hair danced wildly. The terrifying aura he exuded was enough to make anyone's soul tremble.

"Mo Qianren, you did not disappoint me!"

Su Chen laughed aloud. "If I became a Saint while you remained below that realm, how boring would this battle have been?"

His words struck Mo Qianren deeply. A flicker of genuine admiration rose in the demon's heart.

Facing the ascending Su Chen, Mo Qianren set aside every scheme and calculation. He threw his head back and laughed with bold sincerity. "Nangong Chen, you are right. If the two of us cannot fight on equal footing, it would be the greatest regret of this era. How laughable—my Black Nether Demon Domain schemed so meticulously, only to fall into the inferior path!"

A piece of demon-god remnant bone rested against Mo Qianren's chest, pulsing with terrifying power. "Then let the two of us fight a fair and upright battle!"

Su Chen swung his sword and cleaved the tribulation lightning in two.

Mo Qianren descended like a true demon god, unleashing his Demon God Domain. Billions of demonic runes surged like an ocean.

The two clashed.

From the demon rampart, they fought all the way to Heavenly Pass, alarming the great powers of the Azure Nether Dao Domain.

"It's Nangong Chen of Falling Emperor Mountain… but who is fighting him?"

"Such terrifying auras. They are only in the Saint realm, yet their clash rivals two Saint Kings battling!"

"…"

On Falling Emperor Mountain, an old man in coarse hemp robes narrowed his eyes. With one hand, he scooped up the soundly sleeping old loach.

"Old thing, what are you grabbing me for?"

Long Qiu jolted awake from his slumber, thoroughly displeased.

The hemp-robed elder said, "Little loach, want a treasure?"

Long Qiu's drowsiness vanished in an instant.

The old man pointed toward Mo Qianren, who was locked in battle with Su Chen far below.

"If little Chen falls, kill him. There's an Emperor Bone on his body."

Long Qiu's eyes instantly gleamed.

The hemp-robed elder continued, "If little Chen wins, find an opportunity to kill him anyway. That Emperor Bone will be yours."

Long Qiu vanished with a whoosh.

Su Chen and Mo Qianren shattered one stretch of heaven and earth after another until their battle finally reached the edge of a forbidden zone.

The violent shockwaves stirred the forbidden land. Within the zone, several terrifying gazes snapped open.

"It's the Innate Supreme Sword Body and the Emperor Bone!"

The ancient existences inside the forbidden zone stared with naked greed. The two torrents of condensed blood qi made their withered bodies ache with hunger.

Kill!

Unable to hold back any longer, the forbidden zone powerhouses struck, attempting to ambush the pair while they were engaged.

"Suppress!"

Su Chen held his sword in one hand and formed the Emperor Suppression Seal with the other. An old Saint King was crushed on the spot, his blood staining the sky.

Mo Qianren refused to fall behind. Demonic flames roared to the heavens as the ancient demon-god remnant bones manifested into a towering demonic deity. One massive hand crushed the body of another forbidden zone powerhouse, then opened a gaping maw and swallowed him whole.

The sight left the remaining creatures of the forbidden zone questioning who the true monsters inside were.

The last two Saint Kings—already withered and decayed—watched their companions die. It was as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over them. The greed that had burned so fiercely moments ago dissolved into boundless terror.

This was no free feast delivered to their doorstep. This was heaven itself coming to collect their lives!

Su Chen and Mo Qianren exchanged a glance. Without a word, both decided to eliminate these nuisances first. Neither the beings of the Azure Nether Dao Domain nor those of the Black Nether Demon Domain held any goodwill toward forbidden zones.

Realizing the danger, the two remaining Saint Kings turned to flee.

Su Chen and Mo Qianren gave chase. They pursued the fugitives into the outer starry void and cut them down.

The terrifying shockwaves rippled outward, causing the myriad races in the domain beyond to tremble in fear. It was too horrifying—Saints slaughtering Saint Kings like dogs.

With the forbidden zone's ancient monsters dealt with, Su Chen and Mo Qianren resumed their duel.

Somewhere amid the starlit void, an ancient being sighed.

"If these two had been born in a great era, both would surely have had the qualifications to attain the Dao… What a pity they were born in this one…"