novelraw Chapter 61 The Grand Starry Sky Competition
Chapter 61 The Grand Starry Sky Competition
Deep within the battlefield of the Taiwei Realm Starfield, a meteorite belt stretches across the Milky Way for countless miles.
In the center of the meteorite belt, thirteen ancient and magnificent stars floated silently, each with a diameter of hundreds of thousands of miles. The core of each star was filled with a gentle and vast divine power of virtue, like a small world of Confucianism and Taoism. Its majestic aura soared to the heavens, causing the entire starry sky to stagnate slightly.
Led by the Wrathful God, a group of powerful figures from the Temple of Destiny stood on the other side of the starry sky.
The Wrathful God-Emperor radiated divine light, instantly manifesting a supreme divine form tens of millions of miles tall. Netherworld light descended from behind his head, and endless illusory images of the Netherworld Kingdom spread out behind him, covering a territory of hundreds of millions of miles. His divine might was like a prison, and his divine will was like an abyss. Simply by standing there, he froze the spacetime of the entire star field.
The Wrathful God indifferently raised his eyes, and a massive hand of nether energy, obscuring the sky and the sun, suddenly shot out.
In the palm of his hand, thirteen dark golden stars formed from the condensation of Netherworld energy slowly took shape, gradually merging with the thirteen Confucian and Taoist stars on the meteorite.
In the next instant, thirteen star-shaped arenas, spanning millions of miles and imbued with both Confucian and Taoist righteousness and the essence of the netherworld, were fully revealed to the world.
Seeing this, Wen Zhiren, the Lord of the Underworld Palace, Bai Shouji, the Lord of the Underworld City and the God of War, all felt a chill in their hearts and a deep sense of apprehension.
The Wrathful God was the master of the White Robe Valley, the holy land of the Underworld Clan. He was of high status and his position was above the three of them. If he had not joined the Temple of Destiny, the Underworld Clan would have been under the control of the Wrathful God.
The sheer scale of the battlefield she had created with a single move revealed the depth of her cultivation and the breadth of her foundation, far exceeding her apparent simplicity. The three silently compared their own strengths and weaknesses, each realizing that they had absolutely no chance of victory in a one-on-one confrontation. The fleeting thoughts that had been stirring within them were instantly suppressed.
"Mingde, it's time to send someone in."
The voice of the Wrathful God was indifferent, yet it resounded throughout the starry sea.
As soon as he finished speaking, the thirteen top-tier Great Saints of the Hell Realm who had been waiting behind him for a long time descended like meteors piercing the darkness, each heading towards a star arena.
The two leading figures, Yan Fuxu of the Yama Clan and Ni Xuan Wuji of the Asura Clan, were the most imposing. Both were nearly invincible among their generation. Although they had both been defeated in the previous meteorite belt, the great saints of the Heavenly Court still dared not underestimate them.
Mingde smiled slightly and raised his hand to signal Xue Renxian, Emperor Xuan, and other powerful figures from the Heavenly Court to step onto the arena.
His gaze fell on the Wrathful God, his smile calm yet carrying a hint of condescending composure: "Senior Kong, knowing you're destined to lose, why insist on fighting? Wouldn't it be better to spare the lives of these junior Great Saints?"
"Mingde! You junior, how dare you be so disrespectful to the Valley Master!"
The War God of the Underworld, Bai Shouji, spoke out fiercely, wanting to show his strength before the Wrathful God. After all, he had cultivated in White Robe Valley and bore the title of the number one War God of the Underworld, so naturally he had to uphold the dignity of the Wrathful God. "How could I, the Great Sage of the Underworld, lose to your bunch of chickens and dogs from the Heavenly Court? I advise you to immediately hand over the Fierce God and the others, and you may still have a chance to live!"
"Shouji, step down."
The Wrathful God spoke calmly, one hand silently resting on the shoulder of the War God, the Underworld God.
With a seemingly casual press, Bai Shouji froze, his divine power stagnating, unable to take another step forward.
The God of War, Netherworld Lord, was greatly alarmed. Through years of arduous cultivation, he had already broken through to the late stage of the Great Freedom and Boundless Realm, and he considered himself not far off from the Wrathful God Lord. Yet that single press, so light and subtle, had rendered him utterly powerless to resist.
Only at this moment did he truly realize that he was still a frog in a well, with a limited perspective. The cultivation level of the Wrathful God was far more unfathomable than he had imagined.
"Valley Master!" The God of War, Netherworld Lord, gritted his teeth, his voice resounding, "Our Netherworld Clan's representatives have died in battle, and thousands of Great Saints are buried here. Such heavy losses have never been seen in tens of thousands of years. Since we razed the Kunlun Realm to the ground, when has our clan ever suffered such a humiliating disgrace? If we do not avenge this defeat, what face will our Netherworld Clan have left!"
Although he had secret connections with the Liang organization, as the number one war god of the Underworld Clan, he valued the reputation of his clan extremely highly. He would never allow the golden signboard of the Underworld Clan to be tarnished.
The Wrathful God looked at him, his expression still calm: "Shouji, you hadn't arrived at the last battle. Mingde's power had already exceeded our expectations, killing three powerful gods from my Hell Realm. You should have heard about this."
He paused, his voice indifferent yet clear: "Your cultivation has improved considerably over the years, but you are still no match for the Ferocious God. Moreover, Mingde has already broken through to a higher realm, and even I am not entirely confident in defeating him. Before we can truly restrain Mingde, recklessly initiating a divine war would come at too high a price."
The God of War's expression grew increasingly grim, his heart filled with resentment. He felt that the Wrathful God was boosting the morale of others while diminishing his own.
Now that all the powerful figures in the underworld have gathered, and there are countless experts, no matter how strong Mingde is, can he possibly fight against a hundred people? Back then, even figures as powerful as the Ten Tribulations Heavenly Monk and the Sumeru Holy Monk were ultimately defeated and killed by their combined forces.
Since the Heavenly God had spoken, he dared not refute him and could only suppress his anger and retreat to the side in a huff.
"Lord of the Underworld, there's no need to be impatient," the Lord of the Underworld City said, trying to smooth things over. He looked solemnly at the towering Confucian and Taoist deity in the distance. "This time, it was the Taiwei God Lord's desperate counterattack. The Three Fiend Emperors and others were all severely injured and have not yet recovered. In addition, Mingde's combat strength has indeed exceeded our expectations. How to handle this matter requires careful consideration."
They saw the Confucian and Taoist deities, towering thousands of miles high, standing amidst the starry sea, their righteous aura sweeping across the eight directions, causing the gods to tremble in their hearts. The Lord of the Underworld City secretly rejoiced, thankful that he hadn't impulsively clashed head-on with Mingde earlier, otherwise they would be the ones who fell here today.
"Mingde's extraordinary rise to power and attainment of the Dao of Perfection in just two or three hundred thousand years must mean he possesses a tremendous secret." Wen Zhiren, the Lord of the Underworld Palace, narrowed his eyes, a hint of undisguised greed and jealousy flashing within them. "I've heard he obtained the complete secrets of the Second Confucian Ancestor, and the Second Confucian Ancestor's Ancestral Realm is very likely on his person. Coupled with the countless treasures left behind in the Kunlun Realm... we must seize Mingde before anyone else."
He was absolutely certain that if he could seize this opportunity, he could break through to the Undying Boundless Realm in one step. The War God Netherworld Lord and the Lord of the Netherworld City exchanged a glance, their eyes also flashing with burning covetousness.
The Wrathful God took all of this in, but said nothing more.
Although the War God and the Underworld Lord came from White Robe Valley, they had grown powerful over the years and held great power in the Underworld Clan. Together with the Underworld Palace Master and the Underworld City Lord, the three of them controlled almost half of the Underworld Clan's power. Although he was the Valley Master of White Robe Valley, he could not forcibly command them.
Moreover, Mingde was by no means an easy opponent. The deadly sense of danger emanating from him surprised even the Wrathful God.
Even when facing Haotian, he had never felt such a clear and fatal sense of crisis. If Bai Shouji and Wen Zhiren dared to harbor any wicked intentions towards Mingde, they would only be courting death.
At that moment, the Wrathful God suddenly changed his expression and looked towards the deep starry sky behind the Hell Realm's camp. A phantom of a Netherworld Purgatory slowly emerged, with the evil Netherworld energy surging like ink, and an ancient Netherworld was born from nothingness.
Deep within the Netherworld, the deathly aura was so thick it seemed impenetrable. The light in the world appeared to have been extinguished by an invisible hand, leaving only boundless darkness and silence. In the center of the densest Netherworld mist, a figure slowly emerged. Not tall, not strong, but emaciated, shrouded in a heavy, dark Netherworld robe. The hem of the robe drooped, seemingly swallowing even the light.
He didn't take a step, yet his figure emerged from the void, each step causing the curse's essence throughout the entire Netherworld to tremble, as if countless souls were bowing in unison. The gray Netherworld mist swirling around him was no ordinary deathly aura, but rather the ultimate, condensed essence of the curse; a mere swirling motion could corrode a god's foundation and extinguish their very soul. Without a word or movement, simply standing there, he was already the absolute center of the entire Netherworld. The newcomer was none other than the current Netherworld Clan Chief, "Gong Xuanzang."
"Xuan Zang, I didn't expect you to come out of seclusion in person as well." The Wrathful God Venerable was slightly surprised. "It seems that the defeat and death of the Fierce and Terrifying God Venerable has finally alarmed you." He could tell at a glance that Gong Xuan Zang's aura was weak and his divine path was disordered. It was obviously the injury caused by the Taiwei God Venerable's self-destruction of his divine source back then, which has not yet been fully recovered.
Gong Xuanzang bowed slightly and said, "Greetings, Valley Master." He was a disciple of Yin Xuetian, and in terms of seniority, the Wrathful God Venerable was above him; in terms of status, the White-Clad Valley Master was in no way inferior to the head of his clan.
The Lord of the Underworld City hurriedly stepped forward, his tone concerned: "Clan leader, your injuries have not yet healed. You should stay in the Underworld to recuperate. We can stay here and oversee things."
Gong Xuanzang smiled faintly: "It's nothing, just a minor injury. Such a rare duel is something you might only encounter once in a whole era, how could I possibly miss it?"
His gaze fell upon the thirteen star-studded arenas, watching the fierce battles between the top Great Saints of the universe, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. The Ferocious God Venerable was unlucky, having run into the monstrous Mingde.
However, being able to test just how strong Mingde, the crocodile lurking beneath the abyss, truly is a terrifying sacrifice, making it all worthwhile. It's better than letting him personally step on this nail. On the other side, Mingde also instantly detected Gong Xuanzang's aura.
A cold laugh escaped his lips.
The old man has finally shown himself.
During the great calamity that struck the Kunlun Realm years ago, this man personally led a large army into the fray, his hands stained with the blood of Kunlun's inhabitants. Now, he has appeared on this battlefield alongside the Three Fiend Emperors, and he intends to collect some interest on this blood debt from this Netherworld Clan Chief.
Each god has their own schemes, and undercurrents are swirling, while the fierce battle on the starry arena is nearing its end.
Xue Renxian and Emperor Xuan were the first to strike, their moves fierce and swift, killing their opponents decisively. On the side of the Underworld, Yan Fuxu and Ni Xuan Wuji were equally unstoppable, each annihilating their opponents from the Heavenly Court with a single sword strike and a palm strike.
The other arenas also saw victories and defeats decided one after another.
Qiu Cangyu activated the Yin-Yang Two Elements Sword Formation, the sword light splitting into Yin and Yang, grinding the Bone Clan's number one secular person, Bone Blade Lord, into ashes.
Huang Xianlu used the Heavenly Chessboard as his weapon, the pieces falling like stars, the chess formation transforming into a dragon, directly annihilating the number one mortal of the Dead Clan from the Southern Life and Death Ruins.
Bai Kuotian's fist intent opened the heavens, his mastery of the Great Dao of Space nearly divine. With a single punch, spacetime folded, engulfing the Ghost Clan's number one mortal in the Heavenly Demon Dark Star Fist. Xuan Gang Buddha Emperor's blade cleaved the rainbow, its aura crushing the entire star. The Stone Clan's number one mortal dared not meet it head-on, yet he was still instantly overwhelmed by the unparalleled blade aura.
However, apart from the powerful figures of the Primordial World, almost all the Great Saints of the Heavenly Court World perished.
The number one mortal in the Pangu Realm had his head smashed by a single punch from Huo Yin, an immortal blood clan member. He then bent down and frantically drank divine blood, his ferocity overwhelming. Shang Fu, the divine son of the Shang clan, died tragically at the hands of Yan Liang, the fourth son of the Yama clan. His corpse still bore traces of extreme horror before being reduced to ashes by the power of time and vanished with the wind.
Upon seeing this, all the gods were shocked. No one had expected that this usually gentle and refined fourth son of Yama was actually a hidden master of the Great Dao of Time.
With the final battle concluded.
Ao Dongyun of the Heavenly Dragon Realm roared to the sky, revealing his true form as a five-clawed golden dragon. With a tear of his claws, the heavens shattered, and he devoured the current number one mortal in the Corpse Clan's Moli City. Thus, the battle of the thirteen star arenas came to a complete end, and this grand international star event quietly came to a close.
"The younger generation has finished their competition. Now it's our turn to take action. The ferocious beast cannot remain in Mingde's hands forever."
Seeing this, the God of War, the Underworld Lord, was already holding his black gold broadsword, ready to fight at any moment. The Lord of the Underworld Palace and the Lord of the Underworld City were also eager to try. A new divine war was about to begin and sweep across the entire starry sky.