154: Revisit the Ancient Realm

“Sizzle—!”

Di Jingzhe's figure transformed into a streak of distorted, pale golden-purple lightning that skimmed across the ground. He narrowly brushed past the edge of the soaring torrent of earth and stone. Using the cover of the shockwave and the dust-filled sky, he shot like a ghost toward the deeper, darker, and more winding side paths of the rift, where the Aura of yin thunder was even denser!

He vanished instantly into the shadows of the jagged, strange rocks and the pervasive thunder mist!

“Ah—! After them! Dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but find them! I will tear them into ten thousand pieces!!” Zhou Zhao's wild, furious roar erupted from the collapsing earth and chaotic lightning, filled with endless rage and humiliation.

Lightning exploded around his body, instantly vaporizing and blasting away the earth and stone that had encased him, revealing his somewhat disheveled figure.

Looking down at the messy, empty cave entrance and the faint afterimage of lightning vanishing into the dark side path, Zhou Zhao's eyes burned with unprecedented killing intent and... a trace of hard-to-detect wariness.

These two juniors, heavily injured and on the verge of death—one could devour his formation lightning to break the array, and the other could use zither music to detonate ley lines and stall the enemy... Their bizarre methods, their seamless cooperation, and their tenacious will far exceeded his estimations!

Especially that boy with the Thunder Spirit Body... that wooden sword, that Cultivation Technique... he must not be allowed to live!

“Notify all Crimson Thunder Guards to seal off all exits of Ghost Cry Ridge! Inform the subordinate families to mobilize the ‘Thunder-Attracting Boats’ and blockade the sky! Increase the intensity of the ‘Heaven-Searching Mirror Shadow Array’! They were hit by Soul-Eroding Ice Soul Needles and forced their power; they won't get far! Search every inch for me!”

Zhou Zhao's voice was like a cold wind from the nine netherworlds as he issued his ruthless orders.

He stared in the direction where Di Jingzhe had disappeared, his lips curling into a cruel arc.

“Breaking the teeth of my Zhou Family? Little brat, I want to see just how hard your teeth are! Let's see how long you can run in this Thunder Prison!”

His burly figure, wreathed in violent lightning, took the lead and charged into the dark side path where Di Jingzhe had vanished, like an ancient thunder beast tracking its prey.

A cruel pursuit in the yin thunder wasteland, where the roles of hunter and prey could switch at any moment, had just begun its bloody prelude.

Red Desolate Province, Burial God Ancient Domain.

The sky looked like congealed, foul blood, pressing heavily down upon the shattered earth.

Astral winds like blades, carrying an indescribable ancient and decaying Aura, howled past jagged rocks and bottomless fissures.

The ground was scorched black, covered with massive craters and battle scars that looked like they were carved by blades and axes. In some places, dim patches of light remained—weak energy left behind after Law collisions, silently recounting the tragedy of that ancient war.

Occasionally, distorted shadows emitting an ominous Aura flickered across the broken ridges or deep within the dark canyons. These were eerie existences nurtured by the malevolent energy of the ancient battlefield, greedily watching every living soul that intruded.

This was the Burial God Ancient Domain battlefield, a perilous place where countless ancient powerhouses were buried, and where unyielding battle cries still echoed today.

It was also an asura field that countless contemporary Prodigies and even Law Realm experts flocked to, yearning for Opportunity and Breakthroughs.

“Whoosh—!”

A streak of crimson-gold light tore through the grey astral winds, carrying an indomitable sharpness, and landed steadily on a relatively high cliff.

As the light faded, a tall and straight figure appeared.

It was Di Jintian.

He wore black martial attire that outlined his lean, powerful frame. His black hair was tied back with a simple cloth strip, with a few strands blown by the wild wind across his sharply defined face.

At this moment, his Aura was as deep and steady as an abyss. His eyes sparkled with brilliant light when they opened and closed; compared to when he last left the Red Desolate Province, he was like a completely different person.

A powerful pressure faintly emanated from him, stirring the surrounding air. He had actually reached the cultivation of the Eighth Layer of the Purple Mansion Realm!

During his time with the clan, he had used all the resources at his disposal to break through the shackles of the Seventh Level of the Purple Mansion Realm in one go, stepping into the eighth layer.

This was not just an increase in cultivation, but also a deeper resonance and transformation between his God-Demon Nirvana Body and the Divine Demon Transformation technique under repeated extreme pressure.

He could clearly feel the Yin and Yang twin fire Origins within his body, like two dormant God-Demon Dragons, becoming more refined and active. Every heartbeat drove an unstoppable power to surge and roar through his Meridians.

“So this is the eighth layer of the Purple Mansion... I'm not far from the tenth level now.” Di Jintian lowered his head and clenched his fist, feeling the surging, unprecedented power within him.

His knuckles emitted slight pops, and the air in his palm was squeezed into fine ripples. This power gave him peace of mind.

He looked up, his sharp gaze scanning the ancient battlefield shrouded in blood-red and grey. As far as he could see, various streaks of light occasionally crossed the distant horizon—some swift as lightning, others with majestic Auras. They were clearly Cultivators who had entered the ancient Domain to find opportunities or to train.

Further away, he could even sense several obscure and powerful Auras lurking in the depths. Those were the Domains of Law Realm experts, which made one's heart tremble.

Amidst the ruins and broken walls, figures could occasionally be seen moving, with brief flashes of battle and energy fluctuations erupting before returning to silence, like stones thrown into a pool of stagnant water.

“It's more dangerous than last time, and... as expected, it's exceptionally lively.” Di Jintian whispered, his voice sounding cold in the astral wind.

This “liveliness” was an Opportunity, but even more so, a fatal crisis.

He took a deep breath of the air mixed with the smell of blood and saltpeter. There was no fear in his eyes; instead, a burning Battle Intent ignited within them.

Only through tempering on the edge of life and death, and under the pressure of being surrounded by powerful enemies, could he break his limits faster and gain the power to protect his Family sooner!

He didn't stay any longer. With a flicker of his body, he became like a streak of black lightning skimming the ground, heading toward the deeper parts of the ancient battlefield.

His goal was clear—the core areas where energy fluctuations were exceptionally violent and residual Law fragments were denser. That was where true opportunities and dangers coexisted... Di Jintian's speed was extremely fast, his figure nimbly weaving through massive skeletons, collapsed palace pillars, and bottomless ravines.

He deliberately restrained most of his Aura, acting like a ghost blending into the environment.

In this ancient Domain filled with hidden dangers, exposing one's strength too early was no different from seeking death.

He personally saw a team of Cultivators led by several Purple Mansion Realm and one Heaven-Reaching Realm expert attempt to approach a black pond that seemed calm but actually emitted a subtle suction. As a result, before they could even scream, they were instantly dragged into the abyss by massive tentacles covered in suckers that suddenly reached out from the pond, barely leaving a splash.

He also encountered a “Malevolent Spirit” condensed from the battlefield's malevolence and broken Laws. It looked like a distorted giant wolf, its entire body composed of dark red energy, with savage fangs. Its strength was comparable to the Purple Mansion Realm Tenth Level.

Di Jintian did not avoid it; it was the perfect chance to test his power after his Breakthrough.

“Roar!” The Malevolent Spirit pounced with a roar, its stench filling the air, carrying negative energy that could erode the Divine Soul.

Di Jintian's eyes narrowed, and instead of retreating, he advanced.

The Divine Demon Transformation technique within him operated rapidly, and the Yin and Yang Twin Fires in his Dantian suddenly flared up. He didn't use any complex Divine Ability, but simply threw a punch!

The Yin and Yang Twin Fires were the Nirvana Fire.

Upon his fist, crimson-gold and dark fire patterns instantly intertwined, covering his entire hand.

A contradictory Aura containing creation and destruction, heat and cold, erupted violently.

“Bang!”

The fist's shadow collided heavily with the Malevolent Spirit's head.

There was no world-shaking explosion, only a dull, heavy thud.

The seemingly fierce Malevolent Spirit wolf was like a block of ice thrown into a furnace. Its massive body suddenly stiffened, and the dark red energy that composed its body actually emitted a “sizzling” wail upon contact with Di Jintian's fist, rapidly melting and being annihilated!

In just a single breath, this Malevolent Spirit, which was enough to leave an ordinary Purple Mansion Realm Cultivator in a frantic state, was completely blasted into a sky full of drifting light spots by Di Jintian's punch.

“God-Demon Power seems to have a natural suppression against this type of negative energy entity.”

Di Jintian withdrew his fist, watching the flame patterns slowly fade from his hand, his heart understanding. The power of this Divine Demon Transformation became increasingly unfathomable as his Realm improved.

He continued forward, his goal locked onto an area in the distance shrouded in thick blood mist, from which the faint sound of clashing metal could be heard.