164: The holy war breaks out, the secret of heaven is hidden

In the core area of the Netherworld Hall, the aura of death was so dense it was almost tangible, and the air was filled with nauseating blood and decay.

Xiao Chen and Flame Heart, like phantoms merged with shadows, stealthily moved between the massive black stone pillars, rapidly approaching the source of the fluctuations from the Netherworld Blood Pool.

The closer he got to the blood pool, the stronger the warning signs in Xiao Chen's heart became.

His Great Perfection of the Heaven Realm soul sensed that not only was a violent, evil energy gathering in the direction of the blood pool, but there was also an extremely subtle, yet spiderweb-like, power of destiny enveloping the surroundings!

This power was cold and sticky, as if countless invisible eyes were secretly watching, which was precisely the signature method of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion!

"The Heavenly Secret Pavilion has indeed intervened, and they've set up a destiny trap!" Xiao Chen transmitted to Flame Heart, his voice grave, "Be careful, don't be led by any seemingly coincidental accidents; our actions might already be within their calculations."

Flame Heart's heart tightened, and she nodded heavily, her flame Dou Qi restrained to the extreme, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

The two continued to stealthily advance for some distance, and ahead, a massive circular plaza appeared.

In the center of the plaza was the Netherworld Blood Pool, a thousand zhang in diameter, with blood waves surging!

At this moment, although the blood pool no longer had the overwhelming energy of last time, deep within its bottom, faint dark-red light flickered, and a resentful grievance and a nascent evil were brewing!

By the pool, several figures with powerful auras stood!

Leading them was an old man wearing dark bone armor, with a face as withered as a skeleton, and green ghost flames flickering in his eye sockets.

His aura was as vast as an abyss, having reached the early stage of Fighting Saint!

He was none other than Hun Qianmo, the Grand Elder of the Soul Hall who was stationed at the main hall!

Behind him stood two Soul Hall Elders whose auras were at the Dou Zun Peak of the First-Turn Dou Sheng (Battle Saint), as well as more than ten Soul Hall Venerables at the Dou Zun Peak!

What made Xiao Chen's pupils constrict even more was that beside Hun Qianmo, a blurry phantom, woven from countless black and white threads, floated!

The phantom had no concrete form, yet it exuded a strange aura of manipulating karma and distorting destiny—it was a powerful expert from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion!

Its aura had actually reached the level of a Second-Turn Dou Sheng (Battle Saint)!

"As expected, there's an ambush! And such a powerful lineup!" Xiao Chen's heart sank.

One Fighting Saint, one Second-Turn Dou Sheng (Battle Saint) (Heavenly Secret Pavilion), and two First-Turn Dou Sheng (Battle Saint) at their peak!

Such a lineup was enough to sweep through a region!

Clearly, the Soul Hall and the Heavenly Secret Pavilion had long anticipated his arrival and set up a deadly trap!

"Junior Xiao Chen, this venerable one has been waiting for a long time!" Hun Qianmo let out a hoarse, cold laugh, green ghost flames flickering, "Do you think that by advancing to Dou Sheng (Battle Saint), you can come and go as you please?

Today, this place will be your burial ground! This blood pool will be re-refined with your holy blood!"

The Heavenly Secret Pavilion phantom also emitted an ethereal voice: "The web of destiny has been cast; every step you take is within our calculations.

Surrender, and you can avoid the suffering of soul searching and refining."

"Just you?" Xiao Chen's eyes were icy, and he took a step forward, his figure instantly appearing above the plaza, releasing his Dou Sheng (Battle Saint) pressure without reservation!

Chaos Qi flowed around his body, with stars in his left eye and chaos in his right, like a god descended upon the world!

"Flame Heart, fall back and set up a protective formation!" He roared, simultaneously transmitting a soul message to Ao Zhan and the others on the periphery, "Act according to the plan and destroy the nodes supporting the formation!"

"Yes!" Flame Heart did not hesitate, flying backward and forming hand seals, the Flame Dragon Burning Heaven Array instantly unfolding, protecting herself within it.

Ao Zhan, Flower Without Shadow, and the Wonderful Sound Emissary also acted simultaneously, attacking the various energy hubs of the Netherworld Hall according to Xiao Chen's pre-planned scheme!

"Stubborn fool! Form the Myriad Souls Devouring Saint Array!" Hun Qianmo roared, forming seals simultaneously with the two Soul Hall Elders!

Around the plaza, countless resentful souls surged from the ground, howling as they condensed into a massive ghostly face array that enveloped the entire plaza!

Within the array, death energy surged, devouring vitality and corroding holy power!

The Heavenly Secret Pavilion phantom, with both hands, made illusory gestures, and countless black and white threads of karma silently entangled Xiao Chen, attempting to alter his attack trajectory and guide him into a desperate situation!

"Petty tricks!" Xiao Chen snorted coldly, facing the overwhelming attacks without dodging, slowly raising his hands!

"Chaos first opened, heaven and earth established! With my holy body, I shall evolve the world! Chaos Sacred Realm, open!"

He roared, and the miniature chaotic world phantom within his Qi Sea suddenly expanded!

A supreme artistic conception of opening up heaven and earth and establishing the primordial wilderness erupted from him as its center!

The surrounding space violently twisted and reorganized!

The ghostly face of the Myriad Souls Devouring Saint Array, upon contact with this heaven-opening artistic conception, let out a mournful scream, instantly melting and collapsing like ice and snow under the sun!

Even the karmic threads of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion were forcibly severed and twisted!

"What?! Domain transforming into a world?! How is this possible?!" Hun Qianmo and the Heavenly Secret Pavilion phantom simultaneously paled in horror!

A domain was the mark of a Dou Sheng (Battle Saint), but to evolve a domain into a nascent, true world was simply unheard of!

Only those peak Dou Sheng (Battle Saint) who had touched the edge of the Emperor Realm could possibly achieve this!

Little did they know that Xiao Chen's Chaos Sacred Realm was created based on the Source Qi Origin and the will to open the heavens, possessing an extremely high essence.

Although its range was not large, it contained the seeds of world laws, giving it a natural suppression over all lower-level powers!

"The first one!" Xiao Chen's gaze locked onto the Second-Turn Dou Sheng (Battle Saint) phantom of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, and his figure instantly vanished!

The next moment, he appeared before the phantom!

On his fist, chaotic energy condensed, and the four artistic conceptions of stars, flames, dragon-phoenix, and heaven-opening perfectly merged, unleashing a simple and direct punch!

"Chaos Heaven Opening Fist!"

With the punch, space solidified, and time slowed!

The Heavenly Secret Pavilion phantom wanted to escape, but found that all the karma around its body was forcibly suppressed by this punch!

He desperately activated the power of destiny to resist, but in the face of the fist intent that shattered all laws and re-established the universe, all resistance was futile!

"No!!!" The phantom let out a desperate roar!

"Pfft—!"

Where the fist passed, the phantom burst apart like a bubble, turning into black and white threads scattering across the sky, eventually completely annihilated!

The Heavenly Secret Pavilion's Second-Turn Dou Sheng (Battle Saint) was instantly killed!

"Bastard!" Hun Qianmo was both shocked and enraged, wildly pouncing forward with the other two Soul Hall Elders!

Nether Bone Claw, Soul-Corroding Death Ray, and Yellow Springs Ghost Howl—three major killing moves simultaneously struck Xiao Chen!

"Good timing!" Xiao Chen's battle intent surged, his Chaos Sacred Realm contracted to protect his body, and he unleashed both fists, sending countless fist shadows flying!

Each punch contained the will to open the heavens and split the earth, defeating the attacks of the Soul Hall Elders one by one!

The terrifying aftermath of the collision blasted the entire plaza into a mess, and even the Netherworld Blood Pool violently shook!

Although Xiao Chen was a First-Turn Dou Sheng (Battle Saint), his foundation was incomparably solid, his Chaos Sacred Power was of extremely high quality, and with the blessing of the Sacred Realm, he actually fought evenly with three veteran Dou Sheng (Battle Saint), even subtly gaining the upper hand!

"This child must not be allowed to live!" Hun Qianmo's heart was filled with dread, knowing he could no longer hold back.

He bit the tip of his tongue, spraying a mouthful of vital essence blood onto a skull scepter in his hand!

"With my blood, I sacrifice myriad souls! I invite the Lord of the Netherworld to descend with world-destroying power! Yellow Springs Descent!"

At the top of the scepter, a ferocious skull erupted with monstrous black light!

Within the black light, a turbid, yellow river phantom, exuding endless deathly silence, surged forth, and wherever it passed, space decayed and all things withered!

This was a forbidden technique of the Soul Hall, summoning a projection of the Nine Nether Yellow Springs, its power enough to severely wound a Fourth Revolution Dou Sheng!

"Xiao Chen, be careful!" From afar, Flame Heart, who was forming the array, cried out, her face paling in shock.

Facing this world-destroying blow, Xiao Chen's eyes were extremely solemn, but he showed no fear.

He took a deep breath, pushing the power of the Chaos Sacred Realm to its limit, while also activating the wisp of Source Qi Origin deep within his glabella!

"Source sacrifices all living beings, purifies all things! Chaos returns to the void, reverting to origin! Ultimate Profound Truth—Source Qi Purification, Yellow Springs Returns to Void!"

He pressed his palms together, and a pure, ultimate chaotic white light, as if capable of cleansing all filth in the world, erupted from his palms, meeting the surging Yellow Springs phantom!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only an annihilation and purification at the level of laws!

The moment the chaotic white light touched the Yellow Springs phantom, the turbid Yellow Springs water visibly became clear, its death energy and resentment forcibly stripped away and purified!

Finally, the entire Yellow Springs phantom transformed into the most fundamental heaven and earth energy, dissipating into nothingness!

"Pfft—!" With the forbidden technique broken, Hun Qianmo suffered a backlash, spitting out blood wildly, his aura instantly weakening!

The other two Elders were also swept by the aftershocks of the purification power, screaming as they flew backward!

"It's time to end this!" Xiao Chen, seizing the advantage, moved like lightning, instantly appearing before Hun Qianmo, and unleashed the Chaos Heaven Opening Fist once again!

"No!!!" Hun Qianmo let out a desperate roar!

Just at this critical moment, an unforeseen change occurred again!

"Om—!"

The entire Netherworld Hall suddenly vibrated violently!

A terrifying pressure, far surpassing Hun Qianmo's, and even beyond Xiao Chen's imagination, descended from the deepest part of the Netherworld Hall like a slumbering primeval beast awakening!

At the same time, Xiao Chen felt that the space around him was completely confined, and even the operation of his Chaos Sacred Realm became sluggish!

"This is... Hun Tiandi's true body's aura?! He's awakened?!" Xiao Chen's face drastically changed, and alarm bells rang in his heart!

"Hehehe... Xiao Chen... you finally came..." An ancient, majestic voice, filled with endless death and madness, echoed throughout the entire underground space, "My... blood food..."

Before the voice finished, a colossal netherworld hand, covering the sky and sun, seemingly condensed from countless bones and resentful souls, tore through space, bringing with it an Emperor Realm pressure that crushed everything, and grabbed down towards Xiao Chen's head!

The power of this strike had already surpassed the scope of a Dou Sheng (Battle Saint)!

"Not good!" Xiao Chen's scalp tingled, and he felt a fatal threat!

Hun Tiandi's true body had actually awakened!

Although he might not be in a complete state, his strength had definitely reached the high-level Dou Sheng (Battle Saint), or even semi-Emperor Realm level!

"chaos star raft, protect!" He roared, summoning the star vessel, simultaneously injecting all his power into the Chaos Sacred Realm, attempting to resist!

"Boom—!!!"

The giant hand and the Sacred Realm fiercely collided!

An indescribable terrifying energy storm swept out!

The entire core area of the Netherworld Hall began to collapse!

Flame Heart's protective formation instantly shattered, and she spat blood as she flew backward!

Ao Zhan and the others were also shaken, stumbling and falling!

Xiao Chen's Chaos Sacred Realm violently twisted, emitting a groan of unbearable strain, and finally shattered with a bang!

He himself was heavily struck, spitting out blood wildly, his body shooting backward like a meteor, heavily smashing into the distant stone wall!

"Brother Chen!" Flame Heart cried out mournfully, rushing over despite her injuries.

"Go... quickly go..." Xiao Chen struggled to get up, his face ashen, his aura extremely weak.

A single blow from Hun Tiandi's true body had almost cost him half his life!

He grabbed Flame Heart, forcibly tearing space, and simultaneously transmitted a message to Ao Zhan and the others: "Retreat! Retreat immediately!"

The chaos star raft transformed into a streak of light, sweeping up everyone, and hastily fled into the spatial turbulence!

Inside the Netherworld Hall, Hun Tiandi's giant hand slowly retracted, letting out a cold snort of lingering dissatisfaction: "You ran quite fast... but your destiny... is already sealed... when this Emperor fully recovers... that will be your death day..."

With the escape of Xiao Chen and the others, this sudden holy war ended in mutual injury.

Xiao Chen was severely wounded and fled, the Soul Hall lost a Second-Turn Dou Sheng (Battle Saint) from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, and the Grand Elder was severely wounded, but Hun Tiandi's true body, due to this confrontation, accelerated its awakening process!

The ultimate storm of the continent, triggered by Xiao Chen's attack, was completely ignited!

And the hidden hand of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion behind the scenes was about to reveal an even more ferocious face!

The true decisive battle was already not far off!