r18novel Chapter 48 Holy War
Chapter 48 Holy War
Taiwei Realm, Starfield Battlefield.
The gods unleashed their power across the endless starry sky, tearing apart the void and grinding away star debris with their supreme divine strength, carving out a meteorite belt stretching for billions of miles. The area was a battlefield where fierce winds howled, stardust swirled like knives, and spatial turbulence appeared and disappeared intermittently. This was a battlefield exclusively for cultivators below the divine realm in the Heavenly Court and Hell realms; the gods were not allowed to enter without permission, but could only stand guard and oversee the battle from high above. The outcome was entirely determined by the holy realm cultivators.
"Look! That's the Heavenly Camp of the Temple of Light, and the Flying Army of the Great Shang Dynasty!"
A cultivator from outside the boundary cried out in surprise, his voice piercing through the chaotic starry sky and drawing the attention of cultivators from all directions.
Everyone looked up and saw thousands of holy ships, inscribed with holy runes of light and merit, arrayed in a profound battle formation within the Heavenly Realm's camp. Their hulls shimmered with light, their holy might surging like a tide, overwhelming the entire star field. The two leading flagships possessed the most imposing aura. One was covered in gilded metal, its five-colored aura of merit vast and boundless; seated atop it was Shang Fu, the direct descendant of Shangqiu and the divine son of the Great Shang Dynasty. The other was pure white and holy, surrounded by radiant feathers; standing there was the Archangel of the Western Yili under the Temple of Light, whose outstretched wings resonated with the cosmic rules of light.
The Heavenly Realm mobilized its entire force, sending over three thousand Great Saints from its own domain alone. Combined with its vassal realms such as the Spirit Realm, Soul Realm, Yin-Yang Realm, Rhea Realm, Black Demon Realm, and Myriad Evil Realm, the total number of Great Saints exceeded ten thousand. Their holy aura intertwined, forming a domain that nearly completely occupied the starry sky on one side of the meteorite belt. The foundation of the Western Universe's dominant world was revealed in its entirety at this moment. Even the Eastern Pangu Realm, Southern Demon God Realm, and Northern Myriad Ruins Realm, all other dominant worlds, might not be able to assemble such a terrifying army of Great Saints.
At the front of the Primordial Realm, top Great Saints such as Xue Renxian, Bai Kuotian, Huang Xianlu, and Qiu Cangyu stood side by side, looking at the overwhelming Holy Army of the Heavenly Realm, all with solemn expressions.
Xue Renxian sighed softly, his tone filled with emotion: "The Heavenly Realm truly lives up to its reputation as the ruler of the Western Universe. It can even form a battle formation with Great Saints. Such worldly power is enough to crush more than 90% of the realms in the universe."
Bai Kuotian, the patriarch of the Bai Li clan, had a look of reminiscence and melancholy in his eyes: "Back then, the Jiuli Holy Army of my Jiuli Divine Temple was also composed entirely of Great Saints, and its power was even greater than that of the Heavenly Camp of the Temple of Light. It's just a pity that all of those predecessors perished in the Endless Abyss."
Chess Master Huang Xianlu's eyes were cold and his aura was restrained. He calmly said, "The Heavenly Realm is powerful, and we need to avoid its sharp edge for the time being. If we fight one-on-one, we are not afraid of the likes of Shang Fu and Yili west. However, if we are surrounded and attacked by more than 10,000 Great Saints, even a True God will be instantly crushed into ashes."
Qiu Cangyu looked towards the other side of the meteorite belt, where the black mist surged and the murderous aura soared to the sky at the Hell Realm's main camp, and said in a deep voice, "Now is not the time to fight with the Heaven Realm internally. All the gods' eyes are on the battlefield. We should break through the main force of the Hell Realm first. If the Heaven Realm takes the initiative to provoke us, it will not be too late to make a move. I hope their Great Sage understands this principle and does not lose his composure."
Xue Renxian's expression darkened, and his tone became more cautious: "Our Primordial World has a weak foundation, with most of the Great Saints having recently broken through. Including you and me, there are only about two hundred in total. Most of them are newly promoted Great Saints who have just stepped into the Immortal Realm, and there are only a dozen or so Supreme Realm experts. Most of these juniors are still young. In weaker worlds, they would all be seeds of True Gods and the pillars of the Primordial World's future. Every one of them who dies in battle is an irreparable loss for the Primordial World. We must proceed with caution and never act rashly."
As soon as the words were spoken, the Saint-Sealing Array covering the asteroid belt was activated with a roar. The array patterns intertwined like a net, isolating the divine realm from interference and allowing only the rules of the saint realm to flow. Saint realm cultivators from both the Heavenly Court and Hell realms leaped like fish over the dragon gate, transforming into thousands of streams of light and surging into the asteroid belt. Shouts of battle, the clash of weapons, and the explosion of holy techniques instantly resounded throughout the starry sky.
Above the asteroid belt, the gods stood suspended in mid-air, their auras clashing, their gazes fixed on the battlefield below. They were all waiting for the wager between the Temple of Destiny and the God of Bright Virtue to begin. At that time, each side would select twelve of the most outstanding geniuses in the Saint Realm to fight to the death and determine the superiority of the younger generation; and the current battle was merely an appetizer before the great war.
"Boundless, watching these juniors fight is far too boring."
The voice of the Thousand Star Civilization's Thousand Star Ancestor resounded throughout the universe. His star robes fluttered, and billions of starlight flowed around him. His gaze fell on the black temple opposite him that devoured light. It was none other than the Dark Temple Master, Boundless.
Wubian sat enthroned at the heart of the temple, his pitch-black throne like a black abyss, swallowing the light and heat of heaven and earth, impenetrable even to divine sense. His voice was indifferent, carrying the chilling quality unique to the underworld: "Since Old Man Yu is in such high spirits, I'll add a little something extra. Let's see which side, the talents of Heaven or Hell, truly prevails."
Before the words were finished, several divine treasures, including sacred artifacts and sacred medicines, shot out from the dark temple, which was thousands of feet high. They hovered in the center of the asteroid belt, their sacred power intertwined, attracting the attention of the cultivators below.
The Thousand Star God Ancestor laughed heartily, flicked his finger, and several Great Saint Realm treasures shot out, facing off against the treasures of the Dark Temple: "Boundless, you are still so arrogant. Don't look too bad when you lose."
A scornful laugh echoed from within the black temple: "A few mere treasures, I can afford to lose. But you, old fish, the Thousand Star Civilization doesn't even have a single outstanding talent to show for it this generation, yet you dare to gamble with me? You certainly have a thick skin."
These words struck a nerve with the Thousand Star God Ancestor, who immediately said coldly, "Boundless, how strong is your Dark Temple? You've only produced one of the Four Dark Masters, yet you dare to boast here? Others may not know, but I do. With your tone, those who don't know the situation might think that your Dark Temple has nurtured a Yuanhui-level genius."
The Four Dark Masters are the four pillars of the Dark Temple in the contemporary mortal world. They are all top-tier Great Saints of the Dead Clan and Ghost Clan, with cultivation reaching the peak of demigods. They are firmly ranked in the top tier of the God's Heir Ranking and are the top-tier combat power of the Holy Realm in the Hell Realm.
Upon hearing this, Wubian ceased arguing and secretly nodded in agreement. The current Great Sage of the Dark Temple was indeed inferior to those of the Asura Temple and the Temple of Destiny. Of the three races in the Hell Realm, only Jiang Tianfang of the Underworld Temple represented the Yuanhui level. He had long harbored the desire to take on a disciple, but Jiang Tianfang was a direct descendant of the Lord of the Underworld City, of noble status, making it impossible for him to become a disciple of the Dark Temple. This matter ultimately remained a regret.
"Although the Four Great Saints of Darkness are not the most outstanding Great Saints in the universe, they are more than capable of dealing with the weak Great Saints of your Thousand Star Civilization." Wubian's eyes sharpened, and he secretly issued a divine decree, with the Great Saints of the Dark Temple focusing their efforts on the cultivators of the Thousand Star Civilization.
"I'd like to see how many of your Great Saints from the Thousand Star Civilization can survive!"
The divine decree was transmitted to the Dark Temple army, and all cultivators instantly locked onto the Thousand Star Civilization camp, their killing intent surging.
Within the meteorite belt, stellar debris lies scattered, and danger lurks everywhere.
The dukes of the Great Tang Empire in the Primordial World—the Duke of Wei, the Duke of Hu, the Duke of Ying, the Duke of Lu, and others—were traveling through the crevice of the meteorite when they suddenly felt an extremely dense dark aura rushing towards them, accompanied by a pure dark power, which was the signature aura of the cultivators of the Dark Temple.
The leader, clad in a black robe, with a pale face and eyes like deep pools, surrounded by a swirling mist of soul energy, was Cang Ya, one of the four great masters of the Dark Temple, born into the Death Clan. Her spiritual power had reached the sixty-ninth and a half level, and she also cultivated the Illusion and Talisman paths. Her Soul Devouring Secret Technique had buried countless Heavenly Saints. She had originally been searching for cultivators from the Thousand Star Civilization, but had unexpectedly stumbled upon the Tang Dynasty Duke's delegation.
"kill!"
Without a word, Hell and Heaven were locked in a life-or-death struggle. The moment they met, the rules of the Holy Path collided violently, meteorites exploded, and stardust flew everywhere.
The dukes of the Tang Dynasty were all outstanding individuals personally trained by the Demon Emperor when he was honing his avatars. Having experienced countless battles, their cultivation was profound, and all of them had reached the level of "ten thousand deaths and one life" or above. Among them, the Duke of Wei and the Duke of Hu even broke through to the Supreme Saint realm, wielding supreme sacred artifacts. When they joined forces, their combat power was even stronger than that of a top-tier Great Saint whose cultivation had reached the peak of demigod.
Duke Hu wielded two golden maces, one long and one short, their surfaces engraved with divine runes. Each strike possessed the power to cleave rivers and shatter mountains, to destroy souls and spirits. His holy power surged like a raging torrent, his mace techniques flowing endlessly. This pressure forced Cangya to even unleash his soul techniques, leaving him only able to defend passively, his heart filled with extreme frustration.
Cangya's greatest strength wasn't martial arts, but rather her spiritual power at the sixty-ninth and a half level and her illusionary techniques. However, whenever she unleashed her soul power and illusionary energy in a surprise attack, it was blocked by the Seven-Colored Glazed Seven-Aperture Exquisite Pagoda summoned by the Duke of Wei. This pagoda was a sub-divine supreme artifact, a weapon once used by the Five Patriarchs of Buddhism, specifically designed to counter soul magic and illusionary sorcery. With a single ray of divine light, the soul mist would dissipate and the illusionary mirror would shatter. No matter what she used, she couldn't harm the two of them in the slightest.
Seeing her Great Saints being killed one by one by the Duke of Yingguo, the Duke of Luguo, and others, their souls scattered, Cangya's face turned pale, and an uncontrollable fear surged in her heart—only then did she realize that the people from the Primordial World she had encountered were actually so powerful, and the fact that almost everyone had a Supreme Sacred Artifact made her feel even more absurd.
"Hahaha! That was exhilarating! After a century without war, we've finally had our fill of slaughter!"
Duke Hu wielded his double maces with incredible agility, his movements as swift and decisive as a dragon soaring through the void. With a single sweeping strike, he shattered the dark force field shield that Cangya had condensed. Immediately following, another mace struck her shoulder with a force comparable to the explosion of a star, sending Cangya flying thousands of feet away. Her right arm was shattered, and her soul energy became disordered.
Seizing the opportunity, the Duke of Wei shouted, "The tower will suppress the world!"
The Seven-Aperture Exquisite Pagoda flew out of his hand, growing to a hundred feet tall in the wind. Seven-colored divine light erupted from its seven orifices, transforming into countless sacred chains that bound Cangya tightly like a cage, dragging him into the pagoda and instantly suppressing him. The pagoda flashed, shrinking back to the size of a palm, returning to the Duke of Wei's hand. From within the pagoda came Cangya's unwilling roar, but he could no longer break free.
Duke Lu, wielding a supreme-grade holy artifact-level axe, its blade gleaming coldly, glanced at the small tower in Duke Wei's palm and laughed heartily: "These four Dark Masters are nothing special! Claiming to be top experts of the Hell Realm, they were swiftly defeated by us. It seems the Dark Temple is all talk and no action!"
The Duke of England, a man of composure, waved his hand to dispel the holy power around him and calmly analyzed, "We must not underestimate our opponent. We all wield supreme holy artifacts, and our overall cultivation level is a notch above theirs. Furthermore, we have the Seven Aperture Exquisite Pagoda to counter the Soul Illusion Dao, which is why we were able to win so easily. The Great Saints of the Hell Realm are full of hidden talents; if we underestimate them, we will suffer a great loss."
Duke Wei nodded in agreement: "Duke Yingguo is absolutely right. Without the protection of the Seven Aperture Exquisite Pagoda, suppressing this woman would require at least several people being seriously injured."
He paused, a glint of strategy in his eyes: "This woman is one of the Four Dark Masters, and knows the main deployment of the Dark Temple. I have already sent a message to the cultivators of the Great Han Empire, and the Chess Sect Master Huang Xianlu is also leading his people here. After the three parties meet, they can work together to besiege the various departments of the Dark Temple, capture the remaining three of the Four Dark Masters one by one, and cut off the Dark Temple's line of operations for this generation."
The dukes were all seasoned veterans of the battlefield and knew that such opportunities were rare. They immediately nodded and stood guard in the crevice of the meteorite, waiting for reinforcements to arrive.
Outside the meteorite belt, a place where gods confront each other.
Boundless surveyed the battlefield with his divine sense and witnessed Cangya being swiftly suppressed by several "unknown juniors" from the Primordial World. The dark rules around him suddenly surged, the black temple trembled violently, and the temperature of the surrounding starry sky plummeted, even freezing the light.
"Hahaha! Boundless, so this is the Dark Four Absolutes you've been boasting about? They're nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs, easily suppressed in one blow. Doesn't your face hurt?" The Thousand Star God Ancestor seized the opportunity to mock loudly, but inwardly he was shocked. Cangya's combat strength was not weak, and no one in the Thousand Star Civilization could defeat them with certainty. Yet they were so easily defeated by these unknown Great Saints from the Primordial World. Considering the weapons in their hands, his original guesses became even clearer.
Boundless's face was ashen, his divine sense like a knife, but bound by the rules, he could not intervene in the Holy Realm battlefield. He could only suppress his anger and secretly issue another divine decree: "All cultivators, when encountering forces from the Primordial World, temporarily avoid their sharp edge and do not engage in direct combat! In addition, send a message to Jiang Tianfang of the Underworld Palace, asking him to take action against the Primordial World and rescue Cangya."
Having just boasted about the power of the Four Dark Masters, he was immediately proven wrong. Wubian felt utterly humiliated. However, the Holy Realm Battlefield was bound by the Covenant of the Gods, so even as the Lord of the Dark Temple, he could not act rashly. He could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger, placing all his hatred on the Primordial World and the Thousand Star Civilization.