Undying Life

Chapter 1002: Extermination

In the Blood Pool of Evil Spirits, at Zhong Shan's residence.

Everyone gathered around Zhong Shan as he gently pointed with his right hand. Before him, a mirror-like surface appeared, though it was slightly blurred.

Within the mirror, a man dressed in white robes could be seen. The man had his eyes closed, seemingly calculating something. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.

"Boom!"

The mirror shattered, and the image within it abruptly vanished.

"It's Zilu!" Luo Xingchen exclaimed, looking towards Zhong Shan.

Zhong Shan nodded, "Indeed, it is Zilu. He still harbors a deep grudge from our last encounter. It's clear that he has been divining my whereabouts. It seems that our location was leaked by the people outside the Yan Luo Hall more than half a month ago."

"Saint King, what should we do now?" Luo Xingchen asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Since Zilu is still fixated on his grudge, he won't let this go easily. We should leave this place as soon as possible," Zhong Shan replied with certainty.

"Understood!"

Everyone nodded in agreement and began to step out of the palace.

As Nangong Sheng began to retract the protective formation and was about to notify the Ksitigarbha King, a powerful and overwhelming aura suddenly erupted from the direction of the Ksitigarbha King's palace.

Almost simultaneously, the Ksitigarbha King stepped out of his palace.

He looked up at the sky and took a deep breath.

"They've finally arrived," the Ksitigarbha King said softly, his voice calm but his eyes flashing with a sharp intensity.

With a single step, the Ksitigarbha King appeared in front of Zhong Shan and the others.

"Is the calamity upon you?" Mr. Corpse asked.

The Ksitigarbha King nodded, "Inescapable doom, I have no choice but to confront it head-on. But before that, there is one thing I would like to ask of you, Saint King Zhong."

"Oh?" Zhong Shan responded, intrigued.

"As this calamity approaches, I may be forced into a dire situation, and my influence could be utterly destroyed. This jade slip, I implore you to deliver it to the Jade Emperor. Once in his hands, the Jade Emperor will be grateful to you," the Ksitigarbha King said, suddenly producing a jade slip.

The jade slip was sealed with a restrictive spell, clearly a private message intended for the Jade Emperor.

Zhong Shan studied the Ksitigarbha King for a moment before nodding, "I happen to be heading to the Heavenly Court to visit an old friend. I will see to it that this is delivered."

"Thank you," the Ksitigarbha King nodded.

After handing the jade slip to Zhong Shan, the Ksitigarbha King's figure blurred and vanished, and his presence in the Blood Pool of Evil Spirits disappeared entirely.

"The Ksitigarbha King has left," Nian Youyou noted.

"Yes, we should leave as well!" Zhong Shan quickly responded.

The group followed Zhong Shan, swiftly exiting through the entrance from which they had come.

As they emerged from the Blood Pool of Evil Spirits, an overwhelming aura surged towards them, pressing down like a tidal wave.

The group did not immediately leave the great hall but instead observed the outside world from within.

Outside, fierce winds howled as three towering pillars of the Heavenly Dao appeared, their presence so oppressive that it seemed to choke the very breath from all living beings.

"What an intense aura!" Nangong Sheng remarked in astonishment.

In the distance, the Ksitigarbha King stood within one of the blood-colored pillars of the Heavenly Dao, facing two other pillars.

Within each of these pillars stood a figure, radiating an aura of overwhelming power.

A thick aura of chaos emanated from one of the figures, while the other exuded an overwhelming allure that seemed to draw one into an irresistible enchantment.

"Magu? Baosi?" Zhong Shan immediately recognized the aura of endless seduction as that of Baosi.

Magu, once the most beautiful woman in the world, had her previously disfigured face restored. She now appeared stunningly beautiful and bewitching, so much so that just one glance could cause someone to fall into a deep, unshakable infatuation. What a peerless enchantress she was! However, the hollow expression in her eyes revealed the tragic truth—she had been entirely obliterated, transformed into a puppet, a soulless, emotionless humanoid puppet.

A puppet of the Mitian Saint?

Within the two Heavenly Dao pillars stood Chimei, embodying deception and allure.

The Mitian Saint seemed to be recreating the great formation of old, the Four Ghost Heavenly Dao Formation.

With Chimei and Baosi already in place, were they now seeking the third?

Wang—the Earth Burial Wraith?

Was the Ksitigarbha King the third "Wang"?

"Boom—"

A deafening explosion shook the heavens and the earth as Yan Luo City was once again struck by a massive impact, this time far more powerful than before. Previously, it had been the battle of Ancient Immortals, but now, Ancestor Immortals and even a Saint were involved.

Although the Mitian Saint himself did not appear in the sky, the sheer power of Chimei and Baosi was on full display.

Under the relentless assaults, the sky tore open with countless black holes, space itself trembled, and all of Yan Luo City faced an unprecedented onslaught.

Tidal waves surged, and everything was ground into dust.

"Mitian Saint? So, he really hasn't descended into the underworld!" Luo Xingchen remarked.

"Sacred beings of the yang world rarely descend into the underworld unless absolutely necessary. Mitian is trying to force the Ksitigarbha King out of the underworld with these two Ancestor Immortal puppets," Nangong Sheng explained.

Zhong Shan shook his head. "Saints may be reluctant to cross realms, but that doesn't mean they can't. The Ksitigarbha King is facing an inescapable doom—Mitian will undoubtedly come down."

"The Saint King is right!" The others nodded in agreement.

In a battle of Ancestor Immortals, especially one involving a Saint, Zhong Shan and his companions were in no position to intervene. They could only stand in the grand hall, observing from afar.

As the battle raged on, the distance between the combatants and the hall grew, leaving the structure intact.

The fight continued for three full hours.

The Ksitigarbha King neither won nor lost. Chimei and Baosi were formidable opponents, and under the Saint's control, they unleashed unprecedented power.

Perhaps the Mitian Saint grew impatient.

Suddenly, a massive beam of white light descended from the sky, illuminating the entire world. The distant battle came to an abrupt halt.

"Mitian Saint, you've finally arrived!" came the cold voice of the Ksitigarbha King from afar.

Sure enough, the Mitian Saint, who appeared as a youthful figure, suddenly materialized beside Chimei and Baosi.

Countless onlookers gazed up at the sky.

A battle between a Saint and the Ksitigarbha King? The spectators were bewildered, their breaths held in suspense.

With the appearance of the Mitian Saint, a vast and oppressive force pressed down on the very souls of all present. A Saint represented the heavens, an entity beyond defiance.

At that moment, Zhong Shan suddenly felt the weight of a piercing gaze upon him.

He turned his head, his gaze sharpening as he looked into the distance.

Everyone around Zhong Shan turned to look in the same direction.

"Zilu?" Luo Xingchen raised an eyebrow.

"This is bad. While the Ksitigarbha King was here, he might have been able to hold off Zilu, but now?" Nangong Sheng's face showed a trace of concern.

"Close the doors!" Zhong Shan commanded.

"Bang!" Nangong Sheng immediately shut the palace doors.

Zilu was approaching? The Ksitigarbha King would undoubtedly struggle against the Mitian Saint, and once the Ksitigarbha King was defeated, Zilu would likely turn his attention to them.

Everyone looked at Zhong Shan, waiting for his decision.

Reaching into his robe, Zhong Shan retrieved a black book—the Book of Life and Death.

The book was extremely mysterious. Over the past few days, no matter what Zhong Shan tried, he could only open a single page. On that page, there was a large "Life" character on the left and a large "Death" character on the right.

"Zhong Shan, give it a try. I've heard from the Wuxiang Saint King that this Book of Life and Death can determine a person's fate—it's a secret tome of the Curse Masters. Even though we can only open this one page and don't fully understand its workings, writing Zilu's name might be better than doing nothing," Nian Youyou suggested.

Zhong Shan nodded, "That was my thought as well."

Taking out a brush, Zhong Shan began to write under the "Death" character—Zilu.

As he wrote the name, Zhong Shan immediately felt a massive pressure, causing even his steadfast heart to tremble slightly.

"How do you feel?" Nian Youyou asked curiously.

"I'm not sure—it feels strange," Zhong Shan replied, shaking his head as he put the Book of Life and Death away.

While Zhong Shan felt uneasy, Zilu, who was observing the battle from afar, also felt a sudden, inexplicable weight on his heart.

For some reason, an oppressive feeling had suddenly arisen within Zilu.

The battle at Mount Shengsi had revealed Zhong Shan's presence in the Four Great Continents, and Zilu's first instinct was to capture Zhong Shan and avenge the old grudge. However, Zhong Shan had vanished shortly thereafter, only to resurface recently in Yan Luo City, where he had entered the Blood Pool of Evil Spirits. Zilu had rushed there without delay.

He had been in the area for two days, but due to the presence of the Ksitigarbha King, he had held back from making any moves. Then, just moments ago, the Ksitigarbha King had emerged to battle the two Ancestor Immortals, and the Mitian Saint had unexpectedly descended into the underworld, piquing Zilu's curiosity.

At the same time, Zilu had spotted Zhong Shan and his group in the distance!

As Zilu sneered coldly, Zhong Shan suddenly shut the palace doors in the distance.

In that moment, the oppressive feeling in Zilu's heart intensified.

No longer concerned with watching the distant battle, Zilu quickly found a secluded spot to meditate.

"A curse? Someone is actually trying to curse me?" Zilu muttered as he continuously performed incantations on himself.

Yet, no matter what he tried, the curse clung to him like a shadow, refusing to dissipate.

"Boom!"

In the distance, the Ksitigarbha King engaged the Mitian Saint, but unfortunately, the Saint's power far surpassed that of an Ancestor Immortal.

With a mere wave of his hand, a massive black hole engulfed the two of them.

The black hole flickered, a sign of the fierce battle taking place within.

After a single incense stick's time, the black hole slowly dissipated.

The Ksitigarbha King was gone.

Only the Mitian Saint remained, who casually reached out and retrieved the humanoid puppets, Chimei and Baosi.

With a wave of his sleeve, the Mitian Saint disappeared from sight.

The battle between Ancestor Immortals, seemingly concluded just like that, had left the vast Yan Luo City in ruins. Only the few palaces near the Yan Luo Hall remained standing.

Countless ghost cultivators were crushed to dust, and those who survived were filled with terror.

Inside the Yan Luo Hall, King Yan Luo, Meng Po, Judge Lu, and the others trembled in fear.

The Ksitigarbha King? The Ksitigarbha King, whom they regarded as omnipotent, was just... dead? Taken down by a Saint with a simple gesture?

And he was an Ancestor Immortal!

No one dared leave the hall for a long time. They exchanged glances, unsure how to express their current emotions.

"Zhong Shan, come out!"

As the surviving ghost cultivators remained paralyzed with fear, a deep voice echoed through the heavens.

"It's Zilu. Another Ancestor Immortal?" Judge Lu swallowed nervously.

Meng Po and the others looked up, and sure enough, there was a man in white standing in the void, coldly staring down at one of the palaces.

"Isn't that the entrance to the Blood Pool of Evil Spirits?" Judge Lu immediately recognized the location.

"Zilu? Ancestor Immortal Zilu? Does he have a grudge against Zhong Shan?" A glimmer of excitement flashed in King Yan Luo's eyes.

The remaining ghost cultivators turned their attention to the closed palace.

"Zilu, do you really intend to exterminate us all?" Zhong Shan's deep voice rang out from within the distant palace.

To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8