Chapter 2057: War Dragon

"How is that impossible?" The Battle Ancestor weighed the shield and halberd in his hand, his blood already surging.

Returning to this world after a long absence, even though vast changes had occurred and the Battle Ancestor Continent no longer boasted its former grandeur, the emotions in his heart were irrepressible.

Despite the complex emotions, the burning desire to fight in his chest could not be restrained.

Having observed most of the battle in the Spatial Slash of the Exalted Emperor, he naturally understood that in his current state, he was no match for Saint Xin, who had returned to zero.

In contrast, Shennong Baicao, despite being constrained from multiple sides and also returning to zero with heavily depleted combat power, was at most on par with himself.

Just as Xu Xiaoshou was in desperate need of external assistance after suffering from his counter-punch, how could the Battle Ancestor not seize this opportunity to make a grand appearance?

What's more, at this moment, the Battle Ancestor's body was riding the Dragon Ancestor, thanks to the Life Wheel Fruit. If he were to shatter it, wouldn't it be akin to personally overthrowing both the Medicine Ancestor and the Dragon Ancestor?

"This Ancestor will not be polite with you."

With flames igniting in his eyes, the Battle Ancestor merely glanced back at Hua Changdeng, muttered a quick word, and then burst forward with a resounding step.

"My life is over!" The Medicine Ancestor was greatly alarmed.

Not only had he not yet grasped the situation, having no idea where the Battle Ancestor came from, but just the combination of the Battle Ancestor wielding the Shattered Jun Shield and the Dragon Painting Halberd was enough to give anyone a headache.

The dragon's head was also huge! With a roar, its long body trembled.

The Medicine Ancestor dared not flee, knowing the Battle Ancestor's strength. Turning his back would be equivalent to awaiting death.

Rather than sitting idly by to perish, it was better to withstand a blow head-on, leveraging the Dragon Ancestor's body imbued with the Life Wheel Fruit.

Perhaps, this was just a dummy created by Xu Xiaoshou, not the true body of the Battle Ancestor at all.

"That must be it!" "No, it definitely is!"

Opening his mouth, a brilliant golden light erupted from the golden dragon's throat, as if it were breathing out the scorching sun. Under the Dragon Pearl's catalysis, the energy instantly surged to its peak. This was not the casual level of combat seen when fighting Dao Qiongcang's Zero; it was a strike unleashed at full power.

"Dragon God's Extermination!"

The golden scorching sun burst forth from its throat, illuminating all corners of the Five Domains and nearly blinding every spectator under the Heavenly Curtain of Apricot Realm's teachings. It then transformed into a golden beam of light, cascading like a waterfall towards the tiny three-zhang figure approaching below.

The Battle Ancestor, an ant before the sky-covering golden dragon, though wielding a shield and halberd, was no different from a mayfly trying to shake a tree.

"You charlatan, reveal your true form to this Ancestor!" the Medicine Ancestor roared in his mind.

But he was insane.

And there was someone even more insane than him.

"Open!"

The Battle Ancestor's true body charged forward, shield in hand, letting out a thunderous roar. All eight acupuncture points in his body burst open, the Seven Mansions of the Sky received power instantly, and the Heavenly Dao mark on his brow suddenly glowed.

As the three-zhang figure charged, it rapidly grew to a hundred zhang, then a thousand zhang... and continued to rise, intending to slay the dragon!

"Three Realms!"

With a tearing sound, as the golden dragon's beam slammed into the Shattered Jun Shield, the Battle Ancestor seemed to discard all reason, his eyes turning crimson. The immense force of the impact failed to make him retreat. It merely caused the Heavenly Dao Battle Ancestor's sturdy body to tremble, but he stood firm as if rooted to the ground, withstanding the scorching sun's assault and maintaining his stance.

Boom, boom, boom— Golden light poured onto the silver shield. With the figure rooted behind the shield, the brilliant golden light scattered outwards, temporarily creating a standoff.

"How is this possible?" The Medicine Ancestor exclaimed in his heart, utterly disbelieving.

If this incarnation was indeed transformed by Xu Xiaoshou and could withstand a direct blow from Dragon God's Extermination, it meant his combat power had recovered at least seventy percent. But just a moment ago, after that "mad dog" punch against Saint Xin, Xu Xiaoshou shouldn't have been able to recover even thirty percent of his combat power in less than half an hour!

"Could it be that the Battle Ancestor has truly revived?"

Thoughts flashed through his mind as the Battle Ancestor, under the Dragon God's Extermination, began to exert force, striding forward with powerful steps, actually pushing against the golden light with the Shattered Jun Shield. He successfully took the first step. The five-clawed golden dragon was pushed back half a step.

A difference of just one step and half a step might not seem surprising to the spectators. After all, the Battle Ancestor still had thousands of steps to cover before reaching the dragon's head, and the Shattered Jun Shield might even be worn away by the golden light in the process. Yet, that single step, in the Medicine Ancestor's eyes, was as shocking as a thunderbolt, stirring up unpleasant past memories and nearly making him turn tail and flee in terror.

"No... there's no need to run..."

He was merely an incarnation of Xu Xiaoshou, not the true body of Battle Ancestor Wu. He couldn't possibly possess the ability of "advancing one step, becoming one Exalted." In fact, ancient martial arts had been lost for so long that Xu Xiaoshou had no idea what "One Exalted" in ancient martial arts meant, and naturally couldn't utter the phrase "Above the Heavens and Below the Earth, I alone am Exalted," which once shattered Heavenly Realm Dao laws.

Just as these thoughts flashed through his mind, after that step, the Battle Ancestor's lips curved slightly:

"That's all there is to it!"

Then, a familiar ferocity surged in his crimson eyes. Immediately after, the heavens and earth resonated with a powerful, rolling thunder of battle intent:

"Above the Heavens and Below the Earth, I alone am Exalted!"

With that shout, the Battle Ancestor's true body seemed to shed all its Yin attributes, embracing absolute masculine dominance, its power becoming incredibly fierce and unstoppable. With a slight lowering of his stance, he instantly shot forward like a cannonball, shattering the brilliant golden light with the Shattered Jun Shield, covering thousands of steps in a single stride, and directly charging head-on to the five-clawed golden dragon's head.

"Whoa!" At this charge, the spectators in Apricot Realm all sprang to their feet, their eyes filled with shock. How was this different from Shen Yi's previous charge against the Blazing Ancestor, or his pursuit of the Demonic Ancestor into the building while wielding a fire lotus? One might even say this was the courageous progression Shen Yi achieved after becoming an Ancestor, even daring to directly charge the Medicine Ancestor's dragon body!

"One Exalted?"

This charge didn't just stun the Apricot Realm spectators. The Medicine Ancestor himself was also completely bewildered. Not only were the shouts and the charging momentum identical to the Battle Ancestor of old, but even the charging method... Even his brief foray into the "One Exalted" method was a few shades more refined than before, like a tiger delicately sniffing a rose, as if he had somehow utilized a state similar to the "Yi" of the Eight Venerables?

Impossible! Who taught him?

No one would provide an answer. And the Medicine Ancestor, who had already missed his chance to escape, could only watch helplessly as the Exalted Battle Ancestor charged before him, directly shattering the Dragon God's Extermination, then flipped his shield and slammed it directly onto his own dragon head.

"Ow!!" The golden dragon cried out in pain, letting out a miserable wail. A dragon tooth, under the amplified impact of the Battle Ancestor's Shattered Jun Shield, was directly knocked out, and even its eyeball threatened to pop from its socket. With a thud, the Medicine Ancestor's skull was concussed.

When he regained his senses, the ten-thousand-zhang tall Battle Ancestor, now equal in size to himself, stood before him with glaring eyes and arms like a Qilin. The Dragon Painting Halberd in his hand erupted with ferocious killing intent and was already thrusting straight forward.

"Awooo!!!" He had no power to parry!

The great halberd directly pierced through the golden dragon's neck, pinning it through the space and firmly embedding it mid-air. The Medicine Ancestor felt death approaching. In his terror, he instinctively twisted his body, about to retaliate. A golden dragon tail whip swept in from behind, lashing powerfully at the Battle Ancestor's back.

But how could an instinctive, pain-driven counterattack contend with a Four Realms battle consciousness? The Battle Ancestor even turned sharply after thrusting the halberd, as if he was precisely waiting for the Medicine Ancestor's counterattack, whose control over the dragon body wasn't even refined enough to be called clumsy.

"Cleave!"

The Shattered Jun Shield was raised high in his hand, then brought down with great force. Like a guillotine, the silver light directly severed the dragon's tail, blocking the remaining force of the dragon's subsequent body attack behind the shield. Golden dragon blood cascaded and splattered across the nine heavens. The Battle Ancestor's body was instantly dyed crimson-gold, and the scent of blood filled the air. Only after being bathed in blood did he seem to truly ignite the ultimate essence of "war." His aura continued to rise infinitely.

Under his tiger-like gaze, the golden dragon trembled, its fear unconcealed, appearing as weak as an earthworm, seemingly unable to withstand even half of the Battle Ancestor's subsequent moves.

He had to run! The Medicine Ancestor was going mad; this person truly was Battle Ancestor Wu. How had he gotten here? How could he revive, and why, at such a crucial moment, was he targeting him?

Fate, it opposed him at every turn! Who had not received Heaven's Mandate, why had it come to this?

"Swoosh..."

Life energy overflowed from the golden dragon. The Medicine Ancestor dared not directly confront the Battle Ancestor's sharp edge. He opted for a gecko's tail-severing tactic: severing the dragon head and retracting the severed tail, while nourishing himself with his own River of Life to extract his remaining body, repairing it as he rapidly fled.

Yes, he didn't want to die, but he also didn't want to directly abandon his Life Wheel Body: Dragon. This was currently his only "power" capable of confronting the Battle Ancestor head-on. Perhaps, by abandoning the dragon body and fleeing, his form would be more concealed. But if he encountered danger again after abandoning the dragon body, who would be there to lend him a hand? No one would help him! He could only help himself!

With a long dragon's roar, it transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the distance. Even the Heavenly Curtain broadcast to Apricot Realm hadn't registered the Medicine Ancestor's decisiveness. The sky-covering dragon body in the image had already become a golden streak, disappearing above the clouds.

"This, this, this..." Inside the Zero body, Dao Qiongcang was utterly dumbfounded, looking at the various "Battle Ancestor" values. What was this thing? Was it transformed by Xu Xiaoshou, or summoned by him? But regardless of whether it was the former or the latter, it seemed that this battle no longer needed him once the "Battle Ancestor" appeared.

Moreover... Zero's gaze shifted, still in disbelief, turning towards the rear of the battlefield, and another glance sent his thoughts exploding. What exactly was this Hua Changdeng? Wasn't he dead!

Hua Changdeng remained motionless, seemingly lost in self-pity, but the Battle Ancestor had clearly had his fun. How could he let a cooked duck fly away?

"Trying to run?"

One could only see the Battle Ancestor's true body, its energy sinking into his dantian. He didn't pursue, nor did he dare; he simply opened his mouth and inhaled. Yet, it was as if he had borrowed the power of the Five Domains' Dao laws with a single breath, integrating it into the Supreme Mortal Dao. At this moment, his status was on par with the myriad Dao laws of the New Heavenly Realm.

With tiger-like eyes wide open, he let out a long roar.

"Hoooh!!!"

A single breath of his overlord's aura shattered the clouds of the nine heavens. At that moment, the Central Domain's land collapsed and crumbled again, its force sweeping across the four seas, stirring up colossal waves thousands of feet high, one surging higher than the next. The towering waves reached the sky, and at the horizon where water met sky, they completely shattered the distant clouds and Dao laws with a roar, as if striking a cow through a mountain, the force impacting the fleeing golden dragon.

"No—" The Medicine Ancestor shrieked miserably. Golden scales on his dragon body burst outwards, as if forcibly ripped off, creating massive crimson-gold blood blossoms. The physical pain was secondary. This "All-Encompassing Battle Sound" primarily targeted one's spirit and consciousness. The Medicine Ancestor felt his mind instantly pulverized as if struck by a celestial hammer, his thoughts briefly shattered, completely losing all combat capability.

"Wake up!" Beihua, parasitic within his body, was also frightened. In this world, there was actually such a brutal person whose roar from afar was even more terrifying than Shen Yi's? Yet it was only an... illusory body? If the Battle Ancestor's true form had personally arrived in perfect condition, in a head-on battle, let alone Shennong Baicao, even Saint Xin couldn't defeat him without activating the Blood Demon Reverse Fate technique, could he?

But such a terrifying Ancestor God had fallen several eras ago, and the Medicine Ancestor's shadow was involved in that... It was too complicated to ponder deeply. There was no time. Beihua had no desire whatsoever to control this shattered dragon body and directly test the Battle Ancestor's combat power. He directly slapped Shennong Baicao, who was dazed from the shock, rousing him awake.

"Die!"

Upon waking, what followed immediately was forced, bloody combat. From afar, the Battle Ancestor's true body threw the Shattered Jun Shield high with all his might. Though clearly a heavy defensive weapon, in his hands it became an offensive divine artifact. The silver light sliced through the void like a rapidly spinning blade, tearing through the myriad Dao laws and cutting an arc to strike the dragon body.

"Heavenly Dao is unfair!" "Heavenly Dao, how unjust!"

The Medicine Ancestor even had a mind to self-destruct. Since his return to zero and achieving Ancestor status, he had been full of vigor, believing everything was within his grasp, even capable of contending with Saint Xin. Yet, unexpectedly, time and again he fell into treacherous schemes, his state being weakened repeatedly. To his current dismal state, he now had to face the greatest enemy he never wished to confront, relying on his least proficient ability—direct combat—to meet the Shattered Jun Shield in the Battle Ancestor's hand.

Why had this Heavenly Mandate fallen upon the Eight Venerables? And why did this Heavenly Dao oppose him at every turn, showing no mercy whatsoever to a former fated individual?

"How could this Ancestor perish today?!"

The thought of self-abandonment, after all, was but a fleeting one. With a hysterical roar, the Medicine Ancestor forcefully regained his spirit, controlling the dragon body to barely evade.

*Rip!*

The Shattered Jun Shield sliced past, plowing through large sections of dragon scales, severing half of the five-clawed golden dragon's flesh and slicing off a hind leg. Fortunately, this narrow escape still averted the risk of being directly cleaved to death. Even though less than forty percent of the dragon body remained, and blood and flesh splattered everywhere, he had, by hook or by crook, managed to cling to life.

Then run! Keep running! The Heavenly Beings sealed off all escape routes! If your Shattered Jun Shield cannot slay me today, then when this Ancestor returns in a future reincarnation, I shall make all of you cultivators pay a price ten thousand times more agonizing than this!

"Awooo—"

The headless golden dragon could also leap into the River of Reincarnation. But just as the Medicine Ancestor made his move, a whistling sound of cutting wind swept through his divine sense.

"Whoosh!"

What was that sound?

The entire golden dragon body no longer had a single intact scale. Yet at this moment, it felt death's grip, a distinct illusion of being anchored. A sweep of his mind instantly brought despair. It turned out the Shattered Jun Shield had sliced past and spun away, blinding him to the Dragon Painting Halberd hidden behind it. The Battle Ancestor had clearly thrown the Shattered Jun Shield to the side, then immediately flung the Dragon Painting Halberd far away. The sequence was seamless, happening in an instant. The Medicine Ancestor's golden dragon body evaded the Shattered Jun Shield, but precisely maneuvered itself into the landing spot of the thrown Dragon Painting Halberd, effectively entrapping itself. Everything was within the Battle Ancestor's control of the battle.

"Boom!"

The Dragon Painting Halberd impaled the golden dragon. The void, centered on the halberd's tip, settled, spreading a net of Heavenly Dao, densely covered with tortoise-shell cracks. Space instantly cracked but did not shatter, clearly indicating that the halberd's throwing force was controlled to perfection, not damaging anything external in the slightest, only revealing a ten-thousand-zhang spatial spiderweb of cracks.

Looking from afar... The five-clawed golden dragon's attempt to leap into the river was futile; the Dragon Painting Halberd had struck its target dead center, and all was settled.

"A great vengeance avenged."

The Shattered Jun Shield, like a boomerang, flew from left to right. The Battle Ancestor's true body caught the silver shield, flipped it with his right hand, and held it by his side. His eyes welled up with three parts of exhilaration, three parts of satisfaction, three parts of pure pleasure, and one part of self-satisfaction for his perfect control over the battle.

With a thud, the Shattered Jun Shield settled into the void. All spectators in Apricot Realm had their hair standing on end, trembling with fear. From afar, the golden dragon's severed tail hung limply, its life force clearly extinguished by the immense power of the Dragon Painting Halberd, utterly lifeless.

And by this point, less than a quarter of an hour had passed since the Battle Ancestor's appearance.

"This..." The Heavenly Curtain broadcast to Apricot Realm split into two halves. One half showed the Battle Ancestor's true body standing with his shield, awe-inspiring in all directions. The other half showed the golden dragon, impaled in the spiderweb, its head bowed in defeat. Compared side by side, how could one describe it as anything but "terrifying"?

Such a ferocious and violent fighting style—if there was anyone in the world who could still overshadow its splendor, it would probably only be Grandpa Shou's "mad dog" punch!

"Who exactly is this?" "Is he a transformation of Grandpa Shou, or Shen Yi's reincarnation?" "Or, was the Battle Ancestor's combat power truly this terrifying back then? But if so, how could he have fallen?"

No one knew the answer. The Battle Ancestor's true body seemed to have completed its mission, gradually dimming before fading into nothingness.

"Unwilling!" "Unconvinced!" "This Ancestor refuses to believe!"

The Medicine Ancestor's remnant spirit and will were completely shattered. He intended to sacrifice himself, risking possession by Beihua, just to desperately carve out a future from this death trap.

But then... the Battle Ancestor was gone?

This was an opportunity! From this, it seemed Battle Ancestor Wu's combat power was limited. At most, he could destroy his Life Wheel Fruit Dragon Ancestor form before becoming powerless.

So... was his reputation more important? Or his life?

The Medicine Ancestor immediately dismissed the idea of self-sacrifice. Seeing that the Battle Ancestor's true body was gone, his remnant spirit and will instantly mobilized, and without a second thought, he rushed towards the River of Reincarnation.

Keep running! As long as he wasn't killed, he would run for his life! This plane was no longer suitable for a zeroed Ancestor God to seek the Dao. Even Saint Xin was shattered, so what shame was there in Shennong Baicao being forced to flee?

As long as there was life, there was hope. When this Ancestor's reincarnation Dao fetus fully matured, and he perfected the Rivers of Life and Reincarnation, comprehending the Seas of Life and Reincarnation... The day of his return would be the day all Ancestors wailed!

"Whoosh!"

As his remnant spirit and will cast themselves into the River of Reincarnation, the sound of the Dao river resonated in his ears, and Shennong Baicao saw new hope. Suddenly, he sensed something was wrong. That Dao sound didn't seem to originate from the Rivers of Life or Reincarnation, but rather...

"Thirty years of comprehending spirits and seeking the Dao, ending a life with a broken halberd in the Underworld."

A faint sigh echoed from afar: "Shennong Baicao, since I have fallen, how are you worthy of eternal life?"

"What?!" The Medicine Ancestor turned his head to look, suddenly losing his voice. From a distance, Hua Changdeng was seen immersed in self-pity, yet a black shadow beneath his feet slowly rose with the sound, transforming into a sky-obscuring phantom grim reaper in a black robe.

*Woo—*

The phantom carried a lantern, its candlelight a mere flicker. As the flame extinguished, gloom descended, as if the Underworld had returned. The entire Sacred Divine Continent shifted from Yang to Yin, plunging into a world of souls. Phantoms rose everywhere, and spirits of the dead revived, resembling a nocturnal parade of a hundred ghosts.

The Dao sound that resonated was indeed not from the Rivers of Life or Reincarnation, but rather... it spread out from beneath Hua Changdeng's feet...

The Medicine Ancestor shrieked, losing his voice: "The River of Spirit Dao?!"