The preface to the first chapter of this novel describes an earth-shattering battle that occurred ten thousand years ago, the time of the protagonist's birth. Respected readers may directly begin reading the main body of the novel from Chapter Two, skipping the content of Chapter One, as it will not affect subsequent understanding. Thank you for your support and readership!
The universe is boundless, containing myriad worlds. Within each world are countless stars.
Ten thousand years ago, in the Taiyin True Realm, on the Xuanling Star, a strange event occurred.
The Void Heaven Immortal Saint mysteriously perished, and his Sect's Dao Lineage was completely wiped out overnight. The sect's greatest treasure, the Divine Spirit Dao Tree, vanished without a trace.
The Divine Spirit Dao Tree is neither wood nor grass; it was born from the corrupted bones of an Ancient Times Deity Figure.
It possesses Spiritual Intelligence and Divine Abilities, capable of deducing the birth and demise of karma, and mastering the power that twists the Law and Fate.
In the Taiyin True Realm, numerous Saint Ancestors coveted its abilities and physical form. However, the Divine Spirit Dao Tree had already achieved Spirit Awakening, and with all its spiritual prowess, even the Immortal Saints' schemes could not easily capture it.
The Dao Tree itself is the Law; it regards these Restriction Formation Arrays as nothing, entering and exiting without obstruction...
Now, after the demise of the Void Heaven Immortal Saint, the unprotected Divine Spirit Dao Tree lay hidden in the Azure Nether Mountain Domain. After more than a thousand years, it was finally discovered by someone with ulterior motives.
In the Azure Nether Mountain Domain, Black Mist churned—a stretch of Demonic Soil. The entire mountain domain was covered in Biyu Trees, whose roots burrowed into the Demonic Soil, absorbing Demonic Qi to produce Spirit Fruits known as Azure Nether Fruits.
A phantom figure quietly coalesced high above the mountain domain, emitting a low murmur like the sigh of the wind. A Cultivator resembling a young man slowly materialized.
He leaned on a long Demon Pestle with both hands, supporting his robust frame, yet he looked sickly, saturated with Demonic Qi.
As he pressed down on the Demon Pestle with his hands, rolling waves of Demonic Qi instantly surged out.
Within a hundred miles, birds and beasts turned into sludge, falling onto the ground. A foul stench permeated the Forest, and there was no Vitality within a hundred miles.
A quarter of an hour later, a massive white snake burrowed out from underground, its eyes bright and focused on the sickly young man.
"Wan Gu, it has been a hundred years since we last met. Your Demonic Qi has become even purer." A grayish-white phantom appeared above the white snake's head; it was a middle-aged man, over nine feet tall, with a gentle bearing, a full forehead, and piercing, bright eyes.
"Yin Pu, your Earth Evasion Spirit Tool has actually gained Spiritual Intelligence. It seems if you refine it longer, it might even advance to a Saint Tool. Why did you summon me here?" The sickly young man, the Demonic Person Wan Gu, narrowed his eyes as he looked at Daoist Yin Pu and transmitted his voice.
"This Azure Nether Mountain Domain was once your old territory. Here, coordinating with the Ghost Beast's Divine Ability, you hunted down the Three Venerables' envoys... it was legendary." Daoist Yin Pu looked at Wan Gu with a smile.
"Spare the flattery... Every time you seek me out, it's never for anything good. Last time, you invited me to hunt Daoist Lord Sang Pu together, which depleted my Essence Blood and damaged one of my Natal Magic Tools. You, however, retreated unscathed and gained considerable benefits. What is the matter today?" The Demonic Person Wan Gu sounded resentful.
"Didn't I share some of the benefits from back then with you? As for Daoist Lord Sang Pu going mad and targeting only you, wasn't that because of old grudges between you? However, I summoned you today to Capture the Divine Spirit Dao Tree!" Daoist Yin Pu stated.
"The Divine Spirit Dao Tree?! Heh heh, no, Capture the Divine Spirit Dao Tree? Are you joking? That tree vanished long ago. Legend says it even developed Spiritual Intelligence. Just relying on you and me?" The Demonic Person Wan Gu retorted sarcastically.
Daoist Yin Pu followed the white snake's lowered head down to the ground, plunged his hands into the soil, and closed his eyes in contemplation.
The white snake's body suddenly shrank, transforming into a Spirit Tool resembling a white snake Puppet, only palm-sized, which zipped into Daoist Yin Pu's embrace.
Daoist Yin Pu continued to contemplate with his eyes closed, then a Sound Transmission entered Wan Gu's ears: "This is the exact location. I summoned Dao Friend in haste partly because I feared leaking the news, and partly because the Divine Spirit Dao Tree requires your abilities. This matter should not be publicized, which is why I didn't inform you beforehand."
"Here? The Azure Nether Mountain Domain is filled with Demonic Qi; how could the Divine Spirit Dao Tree be here! I cultivate the Demonic Path deeply, yet I detected nothing. Are you perhaps trying to amuse me?" A hint of confusion appeared on Wan Gu's pale face.
Daoist Yin Pu withdrew his hands from the soil and said, "The Biyu Tree can absorb Demonic Qi and produce Spirit Fruits; why couldn't the Divine Spirit Dao Tree simply hide here?"
The Demonic Person Wan Gu remained silent, listening as Yin Pu continued, "This is a stretch of Demonic Soil. I investigated beneath a thousand miles of this soil and found it has been transformed into Spirit Land. Only the Divine Spirit Dao Tree has that capability. I confirmed it with another Secret Method—the Dao Tree is right here!"
"With just our abilities, how can we possibly take down the Dao Tree? Don't forget the Divine Spirit Dao Tree regards these Restriction Formation Arrays as nothing..." The Demonic Person Wan Gu grumbled.
"Wan Gu, I have made preparations for capturing the Dao Tree. Look what I have here?" Daoist Yin Pu revealed a demonic box from his sleeve. The eight corners of this demonic box each bore a lifelike, exquisitely carved statue of a True Demon.
"The Eight Demon Sealing Tripod! You actually found this Emperor Artifact of the Demon Ancestor. This Emperor Artifact is extraordinary; it can invert the cosmos and shroud the Demon Realm in darkness. No wonder you summoned me; you have this as your reliance." Wan Gu understood immediately.
"This Eight Demon Sealing Tripod is already damaged, and its power is only comparable to a Saint Tool! But even so, few in this world can activate it. I fortunately learned the method to activate this Emperor Artifact, and Brother Wan Gu's Ming Fan Demonic Art is what can infuse demonic power into the Eight Demon Sealing Tripod. That is why I invited Dao Friend to capture the Divine Spirit Dao Tree together."
"Heh heh, it's true that few in this world have achieved Great Accomplishment in the Ming Fan Demonic Art, but why should I trust you?"
"Naturally, we will each take a Dao Heart Oath and set up a Restriction. If either of us harms Dao Friend or harbors ill intentions, we will naturally be reduced to ashes in the Thunder Tribulation. Any benefits gained will be split equally between us."
Upon hearing Yin Pu propose a Dao Heart Oath, Wan Gu's expression softened, and his eyes darted around. "I can take the oath, but you must compensate me extra for the calamity during the last hunt for Daoist Lord Sang Pu. The benefits from this opportunity will be split three-seven between us."
"Four-six split. Let's not haggle over these details anymore. If the Divine Spirit Dao Tree senses us, it will escape immediately, and we will never have another chance."
"Done!"
With that, the two spat out a mouthful of Essence Blood, muttered incantations, and the Essence Blood manifested a string of Runes that vanished into the foreheads of the other.
Wan Gu and Yin Pu exchanged a deep look, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished from their spot, leaving behind only a Ripple distorting the Void.
The place where they reappeared was the deepest part of the Azure Nether Mountain Domain—the "Azure Spirit Valley."
This Mountain Valley was shrouded in mist and Demonic Qi year-round. It was home to numerous Biyu Trees and was the rooting ground of the "Divine Spirit Dao Tree."
Two days later.
The entire Azure Nether Mountain Domain began to shake. First, a faint, almost imperceptible mournful cry rose from underground, followed by earth tremors that lasted all night. The Mountain Ranges trembled continuously, and Demonic Qi surged out from the deep valley like a tidal wave, obscuring the sky.
Overnight, the Azure Nether Mountain Domain turned into pitch blackness!
The Demonic Beasts near the Azure Spirit Valley became restless. Many Demonic Beasts dwelling in the Forest were startled by this anomaly, soaring into the air and rushing toward the depths of the mountain domain, attempting to ascertain what was happening.
But none of them ever returned.
Whether it was the Spirit Beast Ancestors or the nearby Loose Cultivators, they seemed to have plunged into a black sea, with no news whatsoever.
And in the depths of that mountain domain, the true battlefield, an extremely terrifying confrontation was unfolding.
On the main battlefield, three figures moved across the heavens and earth!
The Demonic Person Wan Gu hovered in the Void, clad in Black Armor, his body covered in Corpse Bone. Blood Qi and Corpse Qi intertwined around him, making him look like a ghost god emerging from the Yellow Springs. He summoned the Corpse Bone Banner; sounds of corpse roars and wails echoed throughout the valley. Every time the banner fluttered, hundreds or thousands of Corpse Bones surged out, forming rivers of bloody bones that rushed toward the Divine Tree!
Daoist Yin Pu, however, looked indifferent, wearing a green Daoist Robe, carrying the Spirit Map on his back, and holding a Formation Array Seal in his hand. With a single thought, the heavens and earth twisted.
"Void Heaven Shattering Earth, Burning Spirit, Kill!"
He raised his hand to Form Hand Seals, and the entire world was sliced apart by the Formation Array. A Killing Formation of Spiritual Light appeared in the Void, intertwining with the branches of the Divine Tree, erupting in bursts of roaring sound.
And opposite them was the main body of the Divine Spirit Dao Tree!
This tree was not tall, only a few dozen zhang high, yet it seemed to prop up the heavens and earth. Its branches were transparent like Glazed material, and it seemed as if a Deity was slumbering within every leaf. Beneath the Divine Tree, its roots pierced through the Mountain Ranges, seemingly spreading throughout the entire Xuanling Star.
"I... seek no conflict. Why do you force me to manifest?"
The Divine Spirit Dao Tree whispered softly, but its voice seemed to enter the depths of the Divine Soul directly, causing the hearts of Wan Gu and Yin Pu to tremble.
Wan Gu sneered, "If you Surrender, I will spare this trace of your Spiritual Intelligence, but hand over this body!"
"In that case, both of you shall remain here!"
"Remain?" Yin Pu scoffed, "Under the restraint of my Eight Demon Sealing Tripod, you have no retreat left! Give up while you can. This trace of Spiritual Intelligence you possess was hard-won; do not destroy your path to survival!"
Boom—!
The battle erupted in an instant!
The Eight Demon Sealing Tripod in the sky struck first, spewing rolling Demonic Qi that transformed into eight Demon God figures charging forward!
The Divine Tree waved its branches, and every branch transformed into the figure of an ancient Deity, wielding divine weapons such as battle halberds, celestial zithers, and prison-suppressing pagodas, fighting relentlessly.
Divine Power surged like a tide, and time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Wan Gu roared and summoned the Corpse Demon Blood Prison. Myriad Corpse Bones clad in Blood Armor charged into the battlefield, fiercely grappling with the Divine Shadows.
Yin Pu deployed a hundred Killing Formations, which intertwined like rotating star orbits, causing the heavens and earth to fall into disorder! The Thousand Spirit Pagoda opened its mouth, spewing countless Rune Spiritual Lights that transformed into thunder pools, seas of fire, and ice prisons, bombarding the Divine Tree wave after wave.
"Roar—!!!"
The Divine Spirit Dao Tree roared in anger, sending roots piercing through the Earth Veins, mobilizing the power of the mountains and rivers, tearing the entire mountain domain apart!
"Bang!"
Wan Gu endured a strike head-on, spitting out a mouthful of black blood, yet his face was filled with excitement. "Hahahaha... Fight! Fight! Fight! Kill!"
He stabilized his physical body and charged back into the battle.
Meanwhile, Yin Pu integrated the Blood Sacrifice technique into the Formation Array, self-wounding his primordial blood, forcibly activating the God-Slaying Thunder Array using his own Essence Blood as the catalyst!
"Puchi—!"
Thunder Light, like dragons, struck the Divine Tree's roots simultaneously, finally causing one of its main roots to explode!
"Ugh... It seems you are destined to perish here."
The Divine Tree sighed mournfully, its branches and leaves dimming slightly. The mountains underground seemed to lament, and cracks appeared on its previously radiant trunk.
As the three fought, with their Divine Abilities fully unleashed, the entire Azure Nether Mountain Domain completely shattered under the astonishing impacts!
Half a day later—
The Azure Nether Mountain Domain was completely erased from the Xuanling Star of the Taiyin True Realm, becoming a black rift valley.
Several days later.
Major Sects, Cultivation Families, and Loose Cultivator forces across the Taiyin True Realm sent people to investigate, attempting to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the Azure Nether Mountain Domain.
"There was residual Corpse Demon energy here, and the traces of battle are extremely deep!"
"There are traces of a Thunder Array?"
"What! Deduction points to the aura of the Divine Tree here... How is that possible!"
Investigators came one after another, but they all left without gaining any concrete results.