Undying Life

Chapter 983: Awakening the God-Child

Zilu stared at Zhong Shan from afar, feeling a rare frustration. It had been a long time since he had encountered such a difficult opponent, especially one with such a low level of cultivation.

He desperately wanted to avenge Yan Hui—could he really just let this go? Absolutely not! But... As these thoughts consumed him, Zilu suddenly closed his eyes.

"Holy King, why hasn't he left yet?" Zhao Suoxiang asked with some concern.

"This isn't good!" Zhong Shan said with a grave expression.

In the distance, Zilu took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes, a bitter smile forming on his lips.

"My master often said that my path in Confucianism was too rigid, lacking adaptability. It seems he was right. The Dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao! What does it mean to be a gentleman? If I can't even follow my heart's desires, how can I claim to be one?" Zilu seemed to have an epiphany.

Focusing his thoughts, Zilu looked at Zhong Shan again, and his eyes suddenly sharpened with resolve.

"Enough talk. Today, I am here to avenge Yan Hui. Zhong Shan, if you are willing to come with me to the Kong family and await my master's judgment, I will spare your life!" Zilu declared coldly.

Zhong Shan let out a cold laugh, "You've finally realized it, haven't you? So shameless, you can even say such words!"

Zilu's eyes widened in anger, and the Xiaojin Beast beside him suddenly let out a roar.

Opening its metallic mouth, the beast bellowed toward the Lingxiao Heavenly Court.

"ROOOOAAARRRR!"

The roar shook the very air, causing the void to tremble. The powerful sonic wave even distorted space itself—such was the might of the Xiaojin Beast!

As soon as Zhong Shan saw the Xiaojin Beast open its mouth, he knew things were about to get bad. With a thought, the myriad divine avatars in the sky suddenly coalesced into two nineteen-clawed Golden Dragons of Fate.

The dragon with the cinnabar mark on its brow also opened its mouth and let out a deafening roar.

"ROOOAAARRRR!"

This was the Golden Dragon of Fate unleashing its full power in a mighty roar, sending a sonic wave to meet the Xiaojin Beast's attack.

"BOOM!"

The two sonic waves collided in mid-air, and the impact created a mirror-like surface at the point of collision, holding back the spatial ripples.

"ROAAARRR!"

With another thunderous roar, the other Golden Dragon of Fate plunged into Zhong Shan's body.

"Citizens of Da Yin, heed my command! I need your strength—raise your right hands!" Zhong Shan shouted.

Raise their right hands?

In an instant, Zhong Shan's voice reached nearly every corner of Da Yin. The citizens, hearing the command, all raised their right hands, and an immense surge of power flowed toward Zhong Shan.

Zhong Shan's body suddenly expanded a hundredfold as he soared into the sky, rising above the Lingxiao Heavenly Court.

Seeing Zilu's determined attitude, Zhong Shan knew that a battle was inevitable today. He had no intention of risking harm to the Lingxiao Heavenly Court.

"Citizens of the Lingxiao Heavenly Court, listen well! A powerful foe approaches—everyone, take shelter in the 'Protective Citizen Formation'!" Zhong Shan commanded as he flew out of the Lingxiao Heavenly Court.

The Protective Citizen Formation! After numerous powerful foes had tried to invade the Lingxiao Heavenly Court, Zhong Shan had taken the threat seriously. He had instructed Nan Gongsheng, the Clay Bodhisattva, Wang Ku, Master Shi, Luo Xingchen, and others to combine their knowledge and create a series of small but extremely sturdy formations throughout the Lingxiao Heavenly Court. These formations were not particularly powerful but were incredibly resilient. Zhong Shan had named them the 'Protective Citizen Formation.'

As soon as the Protective Citizen Formation was activated, the citizens of the Lingxiao Heavenly Court felt immense gratitude. Which other imperial dynasty in the world placed the safety of its citizens above all else?

This only deepened the people's trust in Da Yin. The factions based in the Lingxiao Heavenly Court, which were mostly headquarters or branches of major families, also became more loyal to Da Yin.

Upon Zhong Shan's command, all the citizens quickly took shelter.

The Xiaojin Beast's power was overwhelming. Despite the might of Da Yin's accumulated fortune manifesting as the Golden Dragon of Fate, its roar couldn't completely counter the Xiaojin Beast's sonic attack. Although it managed to nullify much of the force, the lingering effects still caused fierce winds to sweep across the Lingxiao Heavenly Court.

With the power of Da Yin's entire nation behind him, Zhong Shan flew into the distant sky with Zilu, ready for a high-stakes battle between two mighty forces.

Below, Zhong Shan entrusted the remaining Golden Dragon of Fate and the other powerful figures of Da Yin to deal with the Xiaojin Beast.

Luo Xingchen looked at the Xuanyuan Bow in his hands with a sense of helplessness. If only he had a few more days to fully refine it. Once fully refined, the Xuanyuan Bow would certainly be a formidable weapon against the Xiaojin Beast.

"ROOOAAARRRR!"

The Xiaojin Beast let out another thunderous roar, even more powerful than before. The previous shockwave had only caused spatial tremors, but this time, the attack surged forward like a tidal wave. The Xiaojin Beast exerted itself fully, even drawing upon a trace of Heavenly Dao power.

This sonic wave was akin to an attack from a newly ascended Ancestral Immortal.

The Golden Dragon of Fate with the cinnabar mark on its brow narrowed its eyes, revealing a hint of ferocity.

"ROOOAAARRRR!"

With a roar even more powerful than before, the Golden Dragon of Fate sent another shockwave to meet the Xiaojin Beast's attack.

However, the Xiaojin Beast's sonic wave was ultimately stronger. With a massive collision, the dragon's wave was dispersed, and the remaining shockwave surged toward the Lingxiao Heavenly Court.

The grand formation of the Lingxiao Heavenly Court, set up by Nangong Sheng, trembled violently before shattering. Although the shockwave had been significantly weakened after passing through two barriers, it still held tremendous power. Several peaks within the Lingxiao Heavenly Court crumbled, and numerous buildings were reduced to rubble!

The officials could do nothing for the moment.

"Luo Xingchen, can you circle behind the Xiaojin Beast and strike it or at least disrupt it?" Yi Yan asked anxiously.

"It won't work!" Master Shi shook his head.

"Why not?"

"The Xiaojin Beast's body is impenetrable; even an Ancient Immortal couldn't pierce its skin," Luo Xingchen explained.

"Then we can't keep this up. The Golden Dragon of Fate is powerful, but it seems it's no match for the Xiaojin Beast in terms of sonic attacks. If this continues, the Lingxiao Heavenly Court will be destroyed by the Xiaojin Beast!" Yi Yan said worriedly.

Indeed, with each roar exchanged between the Golden Dragon of Fate and the Xiaojin Beast, the damage to the Lingxiao Heavenly Court grew more severe. Only the area around the imperial palace remained intact, thanks to the powerful protective formation.

Master Shi observed the situation before saying, "I'll go. Hopefully, this coffin nail will prove effective!"

"I'll go with you!" Luo Xingchen immediately offered.

"No need. You focus on ensuring everyone else's safety," Master Shi replied.

"Understood!" Luo Xingchen nodded.

It was clear to everyone that while the Lingxiao Heavenly Court was important, the safety of Da Yin's officials was even more so.

Master Shi quietly flew off, taking a roundabout route.

The destruction wrought by the Xiaojin Beast continued to escalate.

"This isn't good... wait, what's that?" Tianlao, who had been observing the situation, suddenly noticed something unexpected.

Yi Yan and the others followed Tianlao's gaze.

Their eyes were drawn to Tianxia Peak!

The powerful sonic wave had just shattered the protective formation around Tianxia Peak—the place where the old monsters of the Tian family were in seclusion. Yet, instead of crumbling, the peak miraculously reflected the force back, almost as if it had absorbed and then repelled the energy.

The Xiaojin Beast, unaware of this anomaly, grew increasingly impatient as it realized that despite its relentless roars, the Lingxiao Heavenly Court remained largely intact. A flash of irritation crossed its eyes.

With another fierce roar, the Xiaojin Beast lunged toward the Lingxiao Heavenly Court. Although the beast was relatively small compared to the Golden Dragon of Fate, its power was far more formidable.

"ROOOAAARRRR!"

This time, the Xiaojin Beast targeted the Golden Dragon of Fate directly, unleashing a colossal shockwave. The force was even greater than before, causing violent tremors in the space around it.

The Golden Dragon of Fate began to waver under the tremendous pressure.

"ROOOAAARRRR! ROOOAAARRRR! ROOOAAARRRR!"

After several successive roars, the Golden Dragon of Fate finally dispersed under the overwhelming impact.

"This is bad!" the ministers cried out in alarm.

But just as the Golden Dragon of Fate began to dissipate, the cinnabar mark on its brow glowed eerily, and the dragon reformed, albeit much weaker than before.

"Pin it down!" Master Shi's voice rang out from above.

"BOOM!"

"ROOOAAARRRR!"

The Xiaojin Beast let out a howl of pain, twisting its head to find the source of its agony. A flash of ferocity flickered in its eyes as it spotted Master Shi.

Knowing better than to face the beast head-on, Master Shi quickly retreated, vanishing behind a nearby mountain.

The coffin nail had done its job—despite the Xiaojin Beast's near-invulnerability, a small hole now marred its previously impenetrable skin.

Enraged, the Xiaojin Beast momentarily forgot about the Golden Dragon of Fate and focused all its fury on the mountain where Master Shi had disappeared. It let out another deafening roar.

"ROOOAAARRRR!"

In the beast's mind, no mountain could withstand its roar. Yet, after its attack, not only did the mountain remain intact, but the sonic waves bizarrely reflected back, shaking the Xiaojin Beast to its core.

"RUMBLE!"

The powerful vibrations caused the Xiaojin Beast to tremble.

Now locked in a one-sided battle with the mountain, the Xiaojin Beast continued to unleash wave after wave of sonic attacks, seemingly determined to destroy it.

The officials of Da Yin watched in astonishment.

Tianlao, in particular, looked on with growing concern. The elders of the Tian family were in seclusion on that peak, and now it seemed the Xiaojin Beast was intent on disturbing them.

There was nothing anyone could do but watch as the Xiaojin Beast continued its relentless assault on Tianxia Peak.

After a while, the relentless attacks finally took their toll on the peak.

"RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!"

A loud crack echoed from Tianxia Peak, and halfway up the mountain, a massive fissure opened. Slowly, a palace began to emerge from within, emitting a blinding golden light that shone like the sun, dazzling everyone who looked upon it.

All eyes widened in shock, especially Tianlao's, whose face was filled with panic.

Had the old ancestors been awakened?

The Xiaojin Beast halted its movements, surprised by the dazzling golden light emanating from the newly revealed palace.

As the blinding golden light receded, the atmosphere grew tense.

"Tap... tap... tap..."

The sound of footsteps echoed from within the palace, each step carrying an urgency and a palpable sense of anger.

"BANG!"

The grand doors of the palace were thrown open with a thunderous crash.

Out stepped a man, draped in what was once a black robe, now nearly in tatters, holding a long, purple staff. His gait was eerie, each step resonating with the onlookers' hearts, filling them with a sense of dread.

The man was emaciated, his body appearing to be nothing more than skin stretched taut over bone. His skin was pitch black, as if he had just emerged from a pile of charcoal, so dark it was terrifying. His eyes glowed a menacing red, and on his forehead, a golden gem was embedded, resembling a brilliant sun, casting an intimidating aura.

This was Tian Shenzi—the last patriarch of the Tian family in the Small Thousand World. He had been awakened once again!

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