Chapter 525: Enemy of the World
Beyond the Space-Time Battlefield, in a dimension that ordinary living creatures cannot perceive or reach.
An endless, ceaselessly flowing river spans the universe, with its waters composed of countless shattered fragments of time, each droplet a reflection of a past era.
At this moment, atop the river, more than a dozen blurry figures sit cross-legged. Most of their forms are not composed of real flesh and blood but are projections formed by the Space-Time Law, with auras either deep as the sea, blazing as the sun, or elusive as smoke, all exuding supreme majesty.
The Ancient Ancestors of each major Ancient Clan descend in spirit here, overlooking that independently demarcated area below, where endless blood battles are unfolding on the Space-Time Battlefield.
Their gazes penetrate layers of spatial barriers, dispassionately watching everything within the battlefield.
The slaughter among the many living creatures, in their eyes, is perhaps no more than a trivial chess game that cannot stir up any chaos.
The gaze of Sun-Eroding Cry sweeps past Battlefield Five. As he observes that chaotic Star Domain and sees Xue Qing severely injured, his expression remains calm, like a still ancient well without ripples.
He watches Xue Qing repeatedly face life-and-death challenges, yet there is no trace of worry or anxiety in his eyes, only calmness, even indifference.
The path is chosen by oneself.
Since she chose to participate in the Heaven Burial Ceremony, naturally, all ensuing risks and tribulations must be borne by her alone.
This is the Heaven Burial Ceremony, a rule handed down since ancient times, concerning the flow of the Great Universe's Qi Fortune, with interests and balances behind it so complex as to be unimaginable. Even with his status as the Martial Ancestor, he cannot risk public condemnation by overtly intervening in the ceremony's process.
The consequences provoked by such an action, even he, as the Martial Ancestor, would find it hard to bear.
If Xue Qing can pass this tribulation, she will have a bright future, with limitless prospects on the Martial Path. If not, it could only be said that her fate was meant to be so, her fortune thin and fate shallow, not suited to inherit the Heavenly Fate.
The Martial Pavilion does not lack heirs of Heavenly Fate.
Soon, the attention of the many Ancient Ancestors is attracted by Chu Zheng.
Especially the strange golden talismatic pattern that appears between his fingers, repeatedly disintegrating the Protective Immortal Light and Divine Power Treasures of many True Immortals as if they were decaying wood.
"Hmm?" An Ancient Ancestor shrouded in hazy starry radiance utters a soft murmur, with a trace of inquiry in his tone: "The talisman in this child's hand is quite interesting, as it seems to directly target the foundation of Immortal Path Mana, breaking methods and Immortals, almost reversing Dao laws."
Just after he finishes speaking, a massive figure slowly speaks, without any inflection in his tone: "If this child can emerge alive, I wish to recruit him into my clan, and hope all of you will grant this favor."
Though it seems like a discussion, the tone reveals an air of inevitability, which everyone can hear.
"Zheng Chu... turns out is also a cultivator from the Near Immortal Realm, interesting, such a small Near Immortal Realm has produced two remarkable seedlings on this occasion." Another Ancient Ancestor laughs softly, looking at Chu Zheng's Identity Jade, his eyes flickering, clearly also interested.
The significance of the law-breaking rune held by Chu Zheng is seen with utmost clarity by these ancient monsters who have lived for who knows how many tens of thousands of years.
This is almost akin to holding one of the vital points of the Immortal Path Cultivation system; if this rune can continue to be deepened and refined, even disseminated, it could suppress half of the Human Race in the future!
This would have a revolutionary impact on the power structure among the myriad races of the Great Universe, with a value far exceeding that of ten or even a hundred Great Realms.
Sun-Eroding Cry watches in silence, his thoughts rapidly churning.
The appearance of this talisman is indeed a huge variable, capable of stirring up monstrous waves across the Great Universe. Whichever side Chu Zheng ultimately belongs to implies the potential breaking of the existing balance.
His gaze slowly sweeps across the entire Battlefield Five, chaos spreading like a plague, almost engulfing all living beings in a bloody battle.
Just then, Sun-Eroding Cry's gaze suddenly fixes on an unremarkable corner at the edge of the battlefield.
There, a youth clad in a black tight suit, seemingly young in years, is trapped in an encirclement by over a dozen cultivators. This youth is also a martial cultivator but not from the Martial Pavilion.
His combat techniques are unique, purely primal with grand openings and closings, using strength to overcome skill. His fists and kicks are unparalleled, his momentum like a rainbow.
His opponents, no matter what kind of divine power and magic they wield, are often shattered by his single punch, either dead or seriously injured. His combat strength, compared to martial cultivators of the same rank, clearly surpasses them by a significant margin, carving a path of blood through the chaotic battlefield.
The youth's brows carry a wild and unyielding nature, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's. Though he has just entered the rank of Martial Saint, his entire being has already gathered a grand momentum, which condenses without dispersing, blazing like the sun, not weaker than some Great Saints of the Martial Path.
Sun-Eroding Cry's gaze falls on the name revealed by the youth's Identity Jade, a slight glimmer emerging in his calm eyes:
"Jun Huang..."
He has always wanted to find a disciple to inherit his core legacy; although Xue Qing's talent is unparalleled throughout history, her path seems not entirely aligned with his, and she has explicitly declined.
As for this youth named Jun Huang before him, although his innate root bone talent might slightly fall short of Xue Qing's, his pure understanding of the Martial Path, that innate wildness and domineering spirit, as well as this nascent invincible momentum, all highly match his appetite.
"Another good seedling... this Heaven Burial Ceremony has not been entirely fruitless."
Sun-Eroding Cry notes Jun Huang's name in his mind, secretly keeping an eye on him. If this child can emerge alive from the Heaven Burial Ceremony, he might assess further and consider inducting him as a disciple.