Chapter 381: The Ancestor Has Arrived! The Ancestor Is Dead!

Chapter 381: The Ancestor Has Arrived! The Ancestor Is Dead!

Three million Divine Martial Guards.

Their advance was like a torrent, unstoppable.

In just three days,

Gu Sheng'an led the Divine Martial Guards to the gates of Xiaoshan City.

Xiaoshan City.

Its terrain was perilous.

Steep cliffs and precipices surrounded it on all sides except the front, making Xiaoshan City stand like a fortress atop a solitary peak, overlooking the vast expanse of the land.

One could say,

Xiaoshan City's geographical position was extremely dangerous. Coupled with the strict defenses maintained by the Xiao Family, it was nearly impossible for other cultivators to enter the city without permission.

Even though Divine Transformation Realm cultivators could fly, the Xiao Family was well-prepared.

For a hundred miles around Xiaoshan City, the sky was protected by top-tier formations. Not only Divine Transformation Realm cultivators, but even Saints, who could commune with heaven and earth, found it difficult to truly fly through these defenses.

For these reasons, Xiaoshan City, as the ancestral land of the Xiao Family, had stood firm for ages.

From the Primeval Era to the present day.

The Xiao Family had repelled countless enemies and secured countless opportunities for survival with the help of Xiaoshan City.

Even when an Empire Aspirant personally led an attack, slaughtering many ancient Sage Kings of the Xiao Family, the family still managed to rally its strength and drive the invader back, thanks to Xiaoshan City.

However,

Despite such formidable defenses,

The Divine Martial Guards still managed to reach Xiaoshan City in just three days.

No—

To be precise,

It took only an hour.

For the majority of the time, the Divine Martial Guards were on the march. They only entered the hundred-mile radius of Xiaoshan City an hour ago.

But after that hour,

The entire army had arrived at the city gates.

On the city walls,

The high-ranking members of the Xiao Family looked grim. The aura emitted by the three million Divine Martial Guards below made them inwardly tremble.

"This is the Divine Martial Guard... the weakest among them is at the Ninth Stage of Divine Transformation!"

Xiao Xuan took a deep breath, his mind reeling.

Ninth Stage of Divine Transformation!

In the face of the Xiao Family, this was not much of a concern.

As a Primeval Era family, the Xiao Family's strength was formidable.

Even though the Xiao Family had declined somewhat, a lean camel was still bigger than a horse.

The current Xiao Family

Was still a force to be reckoned with.

However,

Even the Xiao Family

Could not muster an army of three million, all of whom were at least at the Ninth Stage of Divine Transformation, in a single breath.

In the current Era of Decline, any Ninth Stage of Divine Transformation cultivator could be considered formidable.

Even within the Xiao Family, cultivators of this level held significant status.

But now,

Ninth Stage of Divine Transformation

Was the weakest rank in the Divine Martial Guard.

Xiao Xuan also noticed that there were no fewer than five Palace of Dao Realm cultivators among these guards.

It was hard to imagine

Such a formidable force being in the hands of an imperial dynasty that was less than a hundred years old.

The many elders of the Xiao Family also looked astonished.

"Three million Divine Martial Guards!"

"The weakest among them is at the Ninth Stage of Divine Transformation... where did the Divine Martial Imperial Dynasty get such strength?!"

"I've heard that the Gu Family's ancestor once killed four Demon Emperors and used their inner cores to aid the cultivation of the Divine Martial Imperial Dynasty's soldiers, which is how they managed to amass three million Divine Martial Guards!"

"Whistle—"

When the elders heard this secret, they all drew in a sharp breath.

Demon Emperor inner cores!

These were comparable to Empire Aspirants.

The reason the Xiao Family had endured for so long was that, during the Primeval Era, they had produced an Empire Aspirant.

Even after the fall of that Empire Aspirant, the blessings and protection it provided had sustained the Xiao Family for over ten million years.

This showed

How terrifying an Empire Aspirant truly was.

Now, the Divine Martial Imperial Dynasty was using Demon Emperor inner cores to enhance the strength of its soldiers, making it reasonable to have an army of three million Divine Martial Guards.

After all, no matter how powerful a Ninth Stage of Divine Transformation cultivator was, they were still like ants before an Empire Aspirant.

An Empire Aspirant could crush them with a mere glance.

The inner cores of such powerful beings were naturally extraordinary.

Xiao Xuan took a deep breath and said in a solemn voice, "There's no need to panic. Although the three million Divine Martial Guards are formidable, the Xiao Family is not made of clay."

Today, even if the Xiao Family exhausts all its resources, we will not let the Divine Martial Guard set foot in Xiaoshan City!

Xiao Xuan's words were resolute, and they steadied the hearts of the other Xiao Family members.

At this moment,

Xiao Xuan looked down at the massive army below, his gaze landing on Gu Sheng'an at the forefront.

"The Xiao Family has never been an enemy of the Divine Martial Imperial Dynasty. Commander Gu, what is your intent by leading this army here today?"

"Hmph, the Xiao Family has rallied many forces to form the Anti-God Alliance. Can this not be considered opposing the Divine Martial Imperial Dynasty?"

Gu Sheng'an sneered, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he looked at Xiao Xuan.

"Today, I have only one purpose in leading this army here, and that is to raze Xiaoshan City to the ground!"

"Outrageous!"

Xiao Xuan's anger flared.

"The Xiao Family has always refrained from external conflicts. Now, the Divine Martial Imperial Dynasty seeks to conquer the three provinces and suppress our noble clans and sects. Does this mean the Xiao Family cannot resist!?"

"Evil Spirits are causing chaos, and demons are invading. The human race is at the brink of survival."

"The Divine Martial Imperial Dynasty, as the imperial dynasty of the human race, is now recklessly unleashing a great calamity, disregarding the survival of our people. If this news spreads, it will surely lead to a human uprising against you.

Commander Gu, if you withdraw your army now, I will pretend nothing has happened!"

Xiao Xuan spoke with righteous indignation, as if the Divine Martial Imperial Dynasty's actions against the Xiao Family would disrupt the internal peace and stability of the human race, an act that would anger both gods and humans.

However,

Gu Sheng'an's expression remained cold from start to finish.

"Victory and defeat have always been determined by strength. The Xiao Family should understand this after so many years. So-called righteousness of the human race is nothing more than having enough power.

If your Xiao Family has the strength to defeat three million Divine Martial Guards today, then I will turn back without a word and ensure that the Divine Martial Imperial Dynasty will never target the Xiao Family again.

But if the Xiao Family cannot, then after today, not only will Xiaoshan City cease to exist, but the Xiao Family itself will be no more!"

With that,

Gu Sheng'an waved his hand and issued a commanding order.

"Attack the city!"

The simple two words fell, and three million Divine Martial Guards immediately launched a fierce assault.

Xiao Xuan didn't even have time to speak before the three million Divine Martial Guards surged forward like a flood, their terrifying power shattering space, as if they intended to completely destroy Xiaoshan City.

"Activate the city defense array!!!"

Xiao Xuan roared.

Almost instantly, the array defenses of Xiaoshan City rose, and various divine techniques and arrows shot out from the city, covering the attacking army.

In just a moment,

hundreds of soldiers were unable to evade and were instantly killed by the powerful forces that penetrated their bodies.

However,

the majority of the Divine Martial Guards charged forward, their powerful attacks hammering against the city defense array, causing the ancient array to shake violently as if it were under a terrifying assault.

In just a short while, the array visibly dimmed.

Seeing this,

Xiao Xuan's expression grew increasingly grim.

"Divine Martial Guards—"

He hadn't expected the three million Divine Martial Guards to be even more formidable than he had imagined.

This massive army was not only powerful but fearless in the face of death. Even with Xiaoshan City's city defense array, it was struggling to hold them back.

The reason was that Xiaoshan City's array was not in perfect condition.

Dozens of thousands of years ago,

an Empire Aspirant had personally broken the city defense array.

Despite the Xiao Family summoning many top array masters to repair it, they could only restore it to about 60-70% of its original power.

Of course,

even at 60-70%,

it was enough to make it difficult for a Saint to truly break through.

A mere three million troops naturally couldn't compare to a Saint.

However,

the Divine Martial Guards were different.

Not only were the three million Divine Martial Guards all at the Ninth Stage of Divine Transformation or higher, but more importantly, this massive army had a terrifying military spirit. When the army moved, all the soldiers' strength converged, creating a power that far exceeded the Ninth Stage of Divine Transformation by a million times.

Such formidable power would make even a Saint turn and run.

"Call upon the Ancestors!"

Xiao Xuan, seeing the city defense array on the verge of collapse, issued an order.

He knew very well that at this point, only the intervention of the Xiao Family's Ancestors could save the situation.

Otherwise,

once the city defense array was breached, the entire Xiaoshan City would be in grave danger.

At that time,

the number of casualties in the Xiao Family would be incalculable.

However,

just as Xiao Xuan gave the order, the city defense array, already riddled with cracks, seemed on the verge of shattering at any moment.

Gu Sheng'an, sitting at the center of the army, saw this and ordered,

"Deploy the Star Annihilation Cannons and Sky Piercing Crossbows. Break through Xiaoshan City's city defense array as quickly as possible to prevent any unforeseen circumstances!"

Pausing for a moment, Gu Shengan turned to look at the Great Sage Huang Jie.

"Additionally, I request that Senior Huang Jie remain in command of the army. If any ancient powerhouses from the Xiao Family reveal themselves, please take action and eliminate them!"

"Agreed!"

Huang Jie nodded.

As he spoke, Huang Jie gazed in the direction of Xiaoshan City, where an ancient aura was beginning to awaken. It was evident that the Xiao Family, seeing their resistance waning, could no longer hold back and had decided to rouse their ancient powerhouses.

Thinking of this, Huang Jie felt a surge of excitement.

As an ancient Great Sage, Huang Jie had been dormant for far too long. He yearned for a proper battle.

The battle at the Heavenly Pivot Mansion had left him unsatisfied.

In that battle, he had been completely overwhelmed by the Deceptive Heavenly Emperor, leaving him with no room to fight back.

A fair fight and being one-sidedly crushed were two entirely different concepts.

Since then, Huang Jie had not engaged in any more battles.

Now, with the Xiao Family on the brink of awakening their ancient powerhouses, Huang Jie naturally felt a sense of anticipation.

On the other side, as Gu Shengan's orders were relayed, a hundred Star Annihilation Cannons were rolled out from the rear of the army, along with ten massive Sky Piercing Crossbows, each several dozen feet in size.

These crossbows, entirely black, emitted a dark, unsettling glow that filled the heart with dread just from a single glance.

Even the Great Sage Huang Jie, upon seeing these crossbows, felt a flicker of apprehension deep in his eyes.

This apprehension was not for the Sky Piercing Crossbows themselves, but for the Taiyi Divine Dynasty.

The Sky Piercing Crossbow was a product of the Taiyi Divine Dynasty.

Unlike the Star Annihilation Cannons, the Sky Piercing Crossbow was named for its terrifying power, capable of rending the heavens and earth.

Huang Jie had once tested the power of the Sky Piercing Crossbow. Below the level of a Great Sage, even a Ninth Stage Saint would face the possibility of death if caught in its direct path.

This was the true terror of the Sky Piercing Crossbow.

However, this was just one of the many weapons at the Taiyi Divine Dynasty's disposal.

A single Sky Piercing Crossbow might not be able to stop a Ninth Stage Saint who was determined to escape, but a hundred or a thousand firing in unison could bring even a Ninth Stage Saint to their knees.

Especially on a chaotic battlefield, the Sky Piercing Crossbow could unleash its full potential with devastating results.

In Huang Jie's view, if the Taiyi Divine Dynasty possessed weapons capable of slaying Ninth Stage Saints, they might also have something that could bring down a Great Sage.

This was a source of deep concern for Huang Jie.

At that moment, the hundred Star Annihilation Cannons and ten Sky Piercing Crossbows were simultaneously activated, their terrifying forces tearing through space and obliterating everything in their path.

The protective array of Xiaoshan City, which had been barely holding up, was immediately torn apart by this onslaught.

"Boom—"

The array shattered.

The residual force continued to strike the city, vaporizing a significant portion of the ancient walls that had stood for countless years. Countless cultivators perished in this single strike.

Seeing the empty, desolate walls and the many Xiao Family elders who had vanished, Xiao Xuan felt a chill as cold as ice. His face turned pale, and his heart trembled uncontrollably.

They were dead!

All dead in a single strike!

The array that the Xiao Family had once been proud of was now reduced to ashes.

The terrifying power of the Divine Martial Guard sent shivers down Xiao Xuan's spine.

At that moment, he deeply regretted his decision.

Had he known that Gu Shengan would act so recklessly, and that the Divine Martial Guard would be so formidable, Xiao Xuan would never have dared to oppose the Divine Martial Imperial Dynasty.

Just then, an ancient and terrifying aura erupted from deep within Xiaoshan City. An old man in a black robe stepped out, his presence overwhelming, as if even the great principles of the universe were mourning.

"Who dares to act so presumptuously, killing my Xiao Family's people—"

Before the old man in black could finish his sentence, Huang Jie, who had been watching Xiaoshan City closely, struck with overwhelming force, his Ninth Stage Great Sage cultivation pushed to its limits.

His tyrannical punch seemed to eclipse the sun, extinguishing the light of the three thousand great principles and instantly reducing a hundred miles of sky to dust and chaos.

The old man's calm expression turned to shock.

"Ninth Stage Great Sage... You are Huang Jie—!!!"

Boom!!

Before he could finish his sentence, the old man's body exploded, a rain of blood scattering through the air, silencing the many Xiao Family members within Xiaoshan City.

The ancestor had come!

The ancestor was dead!

The hope that had been rekindled in the hearts of the Xiao Family members, upon the awakening of the old man in black, was now extinguished by Huang Jie's single punch.

No one could have imagined that their revered ancestor, a Great Sage from hundreds of thousands of years ago, would be killed in a single strike by a powerhouse from the Divine Martial Guard.

This punch not only ended the life of the Xiao Family's ancestor but also crushed the last bit of morale they had. (End of Chapter)

Chapter end