Living in the deep palace

"Ancestor of the Underworld".

Su Chen's voice, amplified by the Longevity Tree, transformed into rolling thunder, piercing the darkness of the abyss and resounding deep within the Ten Thousand Demon Cave.

"I will give you three breaths."

"Get out here and kneel down."

"Or... I will uproot your Ten Thousand Demon Cave."

boom!
overbearing!

Extreme dominance!
The abyss below fell into a deathly silence for a moment, then erupted with a deafening roar.

"Arrogant brat!!"

"This is the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons! A sacred place of demonic cultivation! How dare you run wild here!!"

Rumbling--

From the depths of the abyss, countless beams of demonic light shot into the sky.

A massive black array of light rose up, enveloping the abyss that stretched for thousands of miles.

On the screen of light, countless hideous demonic souls roamed about, emitting shrill screams powerful enough to shatter the souls of even a Golden Immortal.

The Great Demon Devouring Soul Formation!

The figure of the Netherworld Ancestor appeared in the center of the formation. He was dressed in a black robe, surrounded by a chilling demonic aura, and behind him stood twelve demons at the Golden Immortal level.

"Su Chen! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you killed the Dragon Emperor!"

The Netherworld Ancestor roared, his voice stern yet weak, "My great formation is connected to the source of the turbid energy underground, and it is inexhaustible! Even if a true Grand Luo Golden Immortal came, he wouldn't be able to break it!"

"If you leave now, we'll leave each other alone! Otherwise..."

"How else?"

Su Chen interrupted him, the purple light in his eyes growing stronger.

"Connecting to the source of turbid energy?"

"very good."

"Then I'll... eat the source of that turbid energy too."

Su Chen stopped talking and slowly raised his right hand.

In his palm, the grayish-white "Fruit of Withering and Flourishing" was slowly rotating.

"The Second Branch of Immortality: The Boundary Between Withering and Flourishing!"

"All things...wither and die!"

---
As Su Chen pressed down with his palm.

A gray wind seemed to sweep across the world.

This wind has no sound, no temperature, and not even a physical touch.

But when it blew through the so-called "unbreakable Great Luo Soul Devouring Array," a terrifying scene unfolded.

sizzle...

The black light screen, which was originally soaring with magical light and seemingly indestructible, actually began to... fade!
It's like an ancient painting that has been eroded by millions of years, with its colors peeling away and its brilliance fading.

The demonic souls on the formation, which were originally extremely ferocious, now let out terrified howls.

Their souls became transparent and aged, eventually turning into wisps of green smoke and dissipating into the void.

"What's going on?! My formation... my formation is aging?!"

The Netherworld Ancestor stared in horror at the array plate in his hand.

The array plate, crafted from ten-thousand-year-old demonic jade, was now covered in cracks and even began to crumble!
"The laws of time?! No! This is... the cycle of life and death?!"

"How can there be such a domineering law in this world! It can even cause inanimate objects to wither?!"

"Crack——!"

In just ten breaths.

The great array that had protected the Demon Cave for tens of thousands of years was like a weathered eggshell, falling beneath Su Chen's palm...

Completely shattered!

The demonic energy dissipated, revealing the naked abyss below and countless demonic cultivators with blank expressions.

"The formation... is broken?"

"Run!"

Someone shouted something, and the Demon Cave instantly erupted into chaos.

Countless demonic cultivators attempted to escape using their escape lights.

"Don't even think about leaving."

Su Chen stood atop the bone dragon, his expression indifferent.

"Eternal Life - Realm of the Underworld!"

Om-!
The illusory image of the Longevity Tree behind him suddenly swelled, growing to a height of ten thousand feet, directly suppressing the sky above the Ten Thousand Demon Cave.

Countless bronze roots descended from the sky like a net, instantly sealing off all space within a thousand miles!
puff!puff!puff!

Those demonic cultivators who had just taken flight were like insects that had crashed into a spider web; they were instantly pierced by the roots and left hanging in mid-air.

In just a few moments, the Demon Cave was transformed into a "human flesh forest".

"Su Chen!! Ancestor, I'll fight you to the death!!"

Seeing his foundation destroyed, the Netherworld Ancestor let out a desperate roar.

"Demonic Divine Power: Myriad Shadows Devour the Body!"

boom!
His body exploded instantly, turning into thousands of pitch-black shadows that swept towards Su Chen like a tidal wave!

Each shadow contains deadly poison and curse; even a trace of it will cause the Golden Immortal's body to rot.

This is his innate divine power as a Soul Devouring Shadow Demon; physical attacks are ineffective against it, and one can only withstand it with their soul!

"Desperately?"

Faced with the countless demonic shadows, Su Chen didn't even lift an eyelid.

He simply opened his mouth.

"That's right, I'm hungry too."

Roar--! ! !
From deep within Su Chen's throat came a roar that sounded like that of an ancient behemoth.

A terrifying suction force erupted from his mouth, forming a visible black hole vortex in front of him!

【Eternal Life - Devouring Heaven】!
woohoo-

The countless demonic shadows rushing in from all directions were like smoke from a tornado, unable to control their own bodies. They were all forcibly pulled and twisted by the suction force and squeezed into Su Chen's mouth!

"No...what is this...let me go..."

"Ahhh-"

The countless avatars of the Netherworld Ancestor let out mournful screams, but to no avail.

Gudong!

Su Chen swallowed all the demonic shadows in one gulp, and even let out a satisfied burp.

"Pooh."

The next second, Su Chen frowned and exhaled a breath of black, turbid air.

"It tastes terrible."

"Full of resentment, filth, chaos...it was like moldy, spoiled food."

Su Chen looked disgusted.

Although this Netherworld Ancestor was a half-step Taiyi, his power was mixed and impure, far less delicious than the pure immortal essence of the Thunder Punishment Heavenly General.

"However... although it tastes terrible, it's also very nutritious."

As the Netherworld Ancestor was refined, the Longevity Tree within Su Chen's body trembled once more.

Streams of black soul power were extracted and poured into the tree trunk.

Click!

The third branch slowly sprouted a tender bud.

This branch is entirely black, like a piece of black jade, and it seems to have countless faces changing on it, emanating an aura that makes one's soul tremble.

[The Third Branch of Immortality - The Soul-Capturing Branch]!
Effects: Primarily cultivates the soul, can forcibly absorb and enslave the souls of all things, and can even refine the souls of enemies into "soul fruits," which can be consumed to strengthen the primordial spirit!
"Soul-stealing..."

A glint flashed in Su Chen's eyes.

This is exactly what he needs right now!

Although his physical body is invincible, his primordial spirit has fallen from its peak. With this Soul-Seizing Branch, his weakness will be completely overcome!

"The City Lord is mighty!!"

Seeing their city lord swallow the Netherworld Ancestor whole, Lady Dry Bones and her subordinates were already kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear and filled with awe.

"Clean up the battlefield." Su Chen waved his hand. "Empty all the resources of the Ten Thousand Demon Cave, and plant the 'Longevity Seed' on all the surrendered demon cultivators and incorporate them into the suicide squad."

"Yes!"

Su Chen did not linger; his gaze turned to the southern horizon.

There, there is a valley shrouded in a blood-red mist all year round.

Fallen God Valley.

"The demon ate it, now..."

"It's time to try the taste of 'God'."

Fallen God Valley.

This place, located on the outskirts of the Ruins, is more mysterious and forbidden than Corpse Dragon Ridge and Ten Thousand Demon Cave.

Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a primordial deity from the "divine realm" whose combat power was comparable to that of a "Great Immortal." He perished in a war with the Heavenly Court, and his body fell here, creating this enormous valley.

Though the deity is dead, his divine power remains.

The valley is permeated with "divine evil energy" all year round. Any cultivator who enters will have their cultivation suppressed, or even have their mind corrupted by the divine evil, turning them into "divine monsters" who only know how to kill.

But at the moment.

Su Chen stood alone at the entrance of Fallen God Valley.

The army of immortal beings behind him did not follow. Because for those kinds of divine beings, apart from Su Chen, going in would be suicide for anyone else.

"Such a rich sense of divinity..."

Su Chen took a deep breath, and the rusty, bloody smell in the air smelled like fine aged wine to his nose.

The Longevity Tree within his body was more active than ever before, even somewhat...greedy.

If the previous Void Beasts and Demonic Cultivators were just simple meals, then the "Divine Corpse" here is a true Manchu Han Imperial Feast!
"However... there seems to be something alive inside."

Su Chen frowned slightly.

His divine sense probed into the valley, only to be repelled by an invisible force. Deep within the mist, he sensed a malevolent gaze watching him.

"Pretend to be a ghost."

Su Chen snorted coldly, a golden light flashed on his body, and the patterns on his Heavenly Emperor Bone lit up.

"Eternal Life - Heavenly Emperor's Suppression of Evil!"

Om-!
A pale golden aura of order emanated from him, and the red divine demons that would drive even a Golden Immortal mad instantly vanished upon contact with this aura, like ice and snow melting away.

Su Chen strode into the valley.

The further you go in, the more bones you find on the ground.

There were huge skeletons of strange beasts, as well as the corpses of cultivators wearing ancient armor.

until……

He arrived at the deepest part of the valley.

Here stands a colossal altar, upon which lies the corpse of a giant, a thousand feet tall.

The giant was entirely purple-gold, and although he had been dead for countless millennia, his skin still shone like jade, radiating a suffocating aura of power.

And in the giant's chest was a broken black spear.

A large amount of divine blood flowed from the wound, pooling into a huge pool of blood.

In the center of the blood pool sat a figure dressed in a blood-red robe with long hair covering his face.

"You finally came."

The man in the blood-red robe slowly raised his head, revealing a face that was half handsome and half rotting.

His eyes were one gold and one black.

"Su Chen."

The man in the blood-red robe called out Su Chen's name in a hoarse and strange voice, as if two people were speaking at the same time.

"The smell of you... I hate it, yet I crave it."

"The scent of Heaven... and... the scent of that person."

Su Chen looked at him, or rather, at the pool of blood beneath him.

"Are you the intelligence born from this divine corpse? Or a wandering ghost that has possessed the divine corpse?"

Su Chen asked calmly.

"who am I?"

The man in the blood-red robe cackled, "I am the master of this Fallen God Valley, I am the 'Blood God Child'! And also... the future controller of this divine body!"

“Su Chen, I know what you’re trying to do. You want to devour me, just like you devoured the Dragon Emperor and the Netherworld Ancestor.”

"But...you've come to the wrong place."

boom!
The man in the blood-red robe suddenly stood up, and the pool of blood beneath him began to boil.

"This divine corpse was once the king of the 'Giant Spirit Clan'! Although he is dead, his will remains!"

"And I... have already refined his heart!"

Boom!Boom!
The giant's corpse, which was a thousand feet tall, suddenly emitted a deep, muffled heartbeat.

A terrifying shockwave, comparable to the late stage of a "Great Luo Golden Immortal," instantly swept across the entire valley!

"The dead have come back to life?"

Su Chen looked at the giant's corpse that was slowly opening its eyes. Instead of fear, he saw a hint of wild joy in his eyes.

"Very good……"

"Live ingredients taste better!"

"And... the Giant Spirit Clan?"

Su Chen licked his lips, feeling the vibration of the Heavenly Emperor Bone within his body.

"If I remember correctly, the warriors of the ancient Heavenly Court loved to eat the flesh and blood of these gods to refine their bodies."

"This is simply a tonic tailor-made for my 'Heavenly Emperor Bone'!"

boom!
Su Chen stopped wasting words, and the illusory image of the Longevity Tree appeared behind him, with its three branches lighting up simultaneously!

Star Branch Evolves into Star Armor!
Withered and flourishing branches diminish divinity!
The Soul-Capturing Branch locks onto the soul!
"Come on! Let me see just how tough these so-called innate deities really are!"

Su Chen transformed into a golden meteor and crashed fiercely into the thousand-foot-tall divine corpse that had stood up!

This will be his last and grandest "feast" on the outskirts of the Ruins.

After finishing this meal, he would have... the real capital to challenge the Heavenly Court!

"Roar--!!!"

The colossal, thousand-foot-tall corpse of the spirit god let out its first roar after its resurrection.

This roar had no laws, no supernatural powers, only a pure and extreme sonic impact.

Bang bang bang!
The red rock walls surrounding Fallen God Valley, which had stood for thousands of years, shattered into dust like fragile glass under the force of the sound.

The ground of the entire valley undulated violently like waves, and countless ancient corpses buried deep underground were shattered.

This is the Giant Spirit Clan.

In ancient times, they were the strongest "warriors" in the Heavenly Court. They did not cultivate their primordial spirit or comprehend the Great Dao; they only cultivated their physical bodies.

Legend has it that a fully grown giant spirit can lift up a star field with its bare hands and shatter the void with its physical strength alone.

The strongest among them can rival the Great Immortal.

Even the weakest among them possess the Golden Immortal realm.

Among those who follow the rules and regulations, there are many who are like immortals.

The [Emperor] who ascends to the top of their race is the Eternal One of the Fifth Realm! There can only be one.

"die--!!"

Although the divine corpse controlled by the Blood God Child lacked the intelligence it possessed in life, its ingrained fighting instinct remained.

It raised a gigantic purple hand that blotted out the sky, its palm lines as clear as ravines, and with a terrifying sonic boom that squeezed and exploded the air, it slammed down on Su Chen, who was rushing towards it like a golden meteor!
That palm strike was too fast and too powerful!
Space was compressed into a solid crystal under his palm, and then shattered.

Su Chen felt like a flying insect crashing into a mountain, the surrounding space completely locked, with no way to escape!

"What a domineering power!"

"Is this the path to pure physical sanctification?"

Su Chen's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Facing a palm strike that was enough to kill someone in the early stage of Taiyi, he did not back down at all. Instead, it aroused the pride of the Heavenly Emperor Bone within him.

"A contest of strength?"

"My Heavenly Emperor Bone is the ultimate weapon to subdue all dissent!"

boom!
Su Chen's bones crackled and popped, and golden divine runes of order burst forth from his body, condensing into a blurry imperial phantom behind him.

He neither dodged nor avoided, but clenched his right fist and met the descending giant palm with a thunderous punch!
"Eternal Life - Heavenly Emperor's World-Shaking Fist!"

Boom-! ! !
One large, one small; one purple, one gold—two terrifying forces collided in mid-air without any fanfare. (End of Chapter)