Chapter 2844: Colorful Divine Materials

Crack! Crack!

A crisp, crackling sound echoed throughout Jade Maiden Peak.

Everyone who heard it felt an unprecedented thrill. It was the Zhuxian Jian, its body and fragments, finally being refined. Watching it dissolve was like witnessing the Zhuxian Jian being tortured to death. That wicked sword had finally received its just punishment. For ten years, no one had felt such relief as they did in this moment.

Buzz! Buzz!

The Lingxiao Hall shared in the exhilaration.

In terms of hatred, it was no less than that of the common people. Seeing the Zhuxian Jian fragments being refined, it was so excited it wanted to burst out and roam freely. The sacred body lineage truly produced one talent after another.

"This place should have applause."

"Agreed."

There was no applause, but cheers erupted like a tidal wave. From the peak quasi-emperors to the novice Qi Condensers, everyone shouted at the top of their lungs, releasing a decade's worth of pent-up frustration and rage. The Tenth Emperor of Da Chu was truly domineering, working day and night without rest, enduring for a full ten years to reach this moment.

Crack! Crack!

Back at Jade Maiden Peak, the broken sword and small fragments, wrapped in Chaos Fire and Chaos Thunder, had vanished. They had all transformed into colorful powder—or, more accurately, colorful particles. Each one was smaller than a grain of sand, like wandering star sand, intertwining and weaving into a dazzling array of colorful immortal haze, dreamlike and illusory.

"What material is this?"

The quasi-emperors narrowed their eyes, their vast experience failing to identify its origin, even for figures like Ren Wang. They could be certain it was divine material, an unknown type of qicai shenliao.

"Don't anyone move; I'll handle this."

The Chaos Ding let out a shout, more excited than anyone. Its master had refined for ten years, and it had waited just as long, finally reaching this day.

Buzz!

Accompanied by a deep hum, the Chaos Ding flipped mouth-downward and swallowed up every bit of the colorful divine material in one gulp, then shot straight into the vast void.

At the same time, cultivators from all realms looked up in unison, eager to see what kind of transformation the Chaos Ding would undergo after absorbing the Zhuxian qicai shenliao. It had to become even more powerful, or it wouldn't justify Ye Chen's ten years of madness—nearly losing his life at the half-step to great accomplishment for this.

Ye Chen also tilted his head back, perhaps from sheer exhaustion, nearly losing his balance and collapsing. Fortunately, Ren Wang was attentive and steadied him with one hand, as they both gazed into the boundless sky, ready to witness that historic moment.

"Facts prove you won."

Ren Wang's smile was full of contentment, like that of a senior for a junior. This wasn't just his thought—it was what all the ultimate powerhouses wanted to say. No one had believed Ye Chen could refine it, but he had done it, using a full ten years to destroy the Zhuxian Jian's indestructible will and imprint.

Sometimes, obsession isn't necessarily a curse.

Ye Chen said nothing, his smile weary.

In that instant, he felt a slight sense of peace.

As a father, he had avenged his two children to some extent, making the Zhuxian Jian pay a heavy price. Not just ten years—even a hundred or a thousand—he would be willing to do it, even at the cost of his life.

"Fan'er, Ling'er, have you seen this?"

Not far away, Ji Ningshuang and the others murmured to themselves, their smiles tinged with tears. The current Ye Chen was incredibly frail, barely able to stand, yet his figure was more resilient than ever. He was a devoted father, willing to go mad and risk everything for his children.

"Awesome."

"Awesome."

The two remarks came simultaneously, one from the Heavenly Realm and one from the Nether Realm, happening to coincide at that exact moment as both realms unsealed. The Heavenly Emperor and Nether Emperor had both caught sight of this scene, even someone as reserved as Daozu Hongjun uttering those words.

The common people might not know the true origins of the Zhuxian Jian, but as emperors, how could they not? The Zhuxian Jian's true level far surpassed that of imperial artifacts.

In its peak state, it could even slay great emperors.

Yet such a supreme divine weapon had been shattered, left in ruins.

That was nothing compared to the sheer audacity: that young sacred body had actually refined the Zhuxian Jian's body and fragments. That was the real defying act.

After all, even an emperor would find it extremely difficult to refine the Zhuxian Jian, and might not succeed.

One could imagine the groundbreaking precedent set by that Tenth Emperor of Da Chu.

"Several decades of self-sealing, and it seems a lot has happened in the realms!"

The Nether Emperor spoke leisurely, his imperial eyes gleaming brightly, as if piercing through the barrier between the human and nether worlds, glimpsing a corner of the black hole, seeing both the heavenly demons and the calamity demons.

Daozu's gaze was even deeper, nearly narrowed to slits.

From the depths of the black hole, he saw the remnants of the Zhuxian Jian and the black-robed figure standing beside it.

Perhaps sensing an imperial-level gaze, the black-robed figure suddenly turned and fled into the darkness with the Zhuxian Jian, vanishing so completely that even Daozu could no longer trace them.

After all, the mysterious barrier stood in the way.

"Good kid, still alive."

Daozu murmured, his brows slightly furrowed. From his expression, he recognized the black-robed figure—perhaps an old acquaintance.

He knew the black-robed figure feared not him, but someone else. That might be why he hid in the black hole; stepping out of the darkness could summon even more terrifying beings. And that person was the true supreme of all realms, beyond what emperors could compare to. Great emperors were far from enough, and even the black-robed figure paled in comparison.

"If I'm not mistaken, that's the Lingxiao Hall."

The Nether Emperor stroked his chin, gazing in amazement at Tianxuan Gate. What kind of genius had moved the Lingxiao Hall to Da Chu? And the people inside—it made his imperial eyes shine brightly, spotting figures like Ruoxi, Chu Xuan, and Chu Ling.

"It's coming soon."

Daozu smiled, his smile laced with weariness. After guarding for endless ages, it seemed he finally glimpsed a ray of dawn. He had longed for the three realms to reunite for countless eons.

Buzz!

The Lingxiao Hall trembled lightly, as if sensing the scrutiny, and knowing who was watching.

Daozu smiled faintly and withdrew his gaze from Tianxuan Gate, giving Ye Chen one last look before gently waving his hand, sealing off the Heavenly Realm from the human world once more.

Similarly, the Nether Emperor sealed the boundary between the human and nether worlds, pulling out a jug of wine and sitting atop the Boundary Nether Mountain.

"Emperor, the person has been brought."

Soon, an old nether general arrived, carrying a shadowy figure in his hand. It was a young ghost in soul form. After setting it down, he turned and left.

The young ghost landed, its eyes darting around before timidly looking toward the Nether Emperor. Even with all his pressure restrained, it still felt overwhelming, twisting the ghost's soul and making it unsteady on its feet.

"You, come here."

The Nether Emperor casually tossed the wine jug and beckoned with a finger.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The Chaos Ding hovered in the misty void, trembling with a deep hum. The swallowed qicai shenliao particles, each smaller than sand, merged one by one, dyeing the ding's body with a hint of colorful light. Even the cascading Chaos Qi reflected a colorful waterfall.

"Could it be advancing?"

"Don't joke; it's limited by Ye Chen's cultivation. As long as his master hasn't reached great accomplishment, it can't break through."

"Even if not, it must be undergoing nirvana."

Whispers rose from the crowd, with people crowding every peak of Hengyue and filling the ground below, all gazing upward into the void.

Naturally, they harbored hopeful wishes, expecting the Chaos Ding to grow even stronger, perhaps rivaling imperial artifacts. That way, the realms would gain another supreme weapon, and it might even bring Ye Chen a stroke of fortune, potentially helping the Da Chu Emperor break through.

Crack! Crack!

The Chaos Ding's transformation began, with patches of its iron-like surface peeling off and turning to ash as it fell. Those were impurities from within the ding, refined out by the qicai shenliao. Strands of colorful light lingered around it, etching traces onto its body.

Those were the traces of the Dao.

Buzz!

The Chaos Ding radiated brilliantly, washed clean of its mundane qualities by the qicai shenliao. It transformed repeatedly, independently outlining Dao principles and manifesting visions. A sea of chaos obscured the vast void, where all things flourished within—mountains and rivers, trees and plants—all seeming vividly alive, thriving and withering, then reviving in decay, like a cycle of reincarnation. The interplay of chaos and all things elevated the Chaos Dao to its ultimate form.

"This presence is seriously dazzling."

The Chaos Fire shuddered, clicking its tongue in amazement.

"Probably can't beat it anymore."

The Chaos Thunder gave a dry cough.

"Form an alliance?"

"Sounds solid."

This fire and thunder chattered on endlessly, while everyone else watched the Chaos Ding's transformation. They were already plotting how to take on the Chaos Ding. We worked so hard with our master to refine it for ten years, basically making it a wedding dress—it's not right if we don't give it a good thrashing.

Buzz! Buzz!

As they bantered, the Chaos Ding's hum grew even more powerful, with the sounds of the Great Dao echoing and halos spreading out, making the sky rumble wherever they touched.

What followed was a terrifying sight.

The Chaos Ding began to disintegrate, its massive body crumbling inch by inch until it exploded with a boom, leaving everyone stunned. Was it destroyed?

Clearly not.

The shattered pieces of the Chaos Ding scattered across the void, then regathered and reformed into a divine ding.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The explosive sounds continued nonstop. Each massive shock caused it to shatter once, and each shatter brought a transformation; each destruction led to a nirvana. It exploded repeatedly, only to recast itself, evolving through change and rebirth in nirvana. Not just the onlookers from the realms—even Ye Chen gazed with deepening eyes.

Boom!

After an unknown number of explosions, fragments filled the sky, each glowing with immortal light and etched with Dao principles, like stars scattered across the heavens.

This time, when it recast itself, it did not shatter again.

"So powerful."

Many murmured softly, sensing a fearsome aura from the Chaos Ding. Even quasi-emperors felt suppressed. Without Ye Chen needing to activate it, if that ding came crashing down from the sky, few could withstand it.

"Battle!"

It roared across the heavens, its enormous form charging into the void.

"Is it trying to break through?"

Zao Hua Shen Wang raised an eyebrow, looking astonished.

"That's one ambitious ding."

Ren Wang stroked his beard meaningfully. Even Ye Chen, its master, hadn't broken through yet, but it was boldly attempting to force its way to great accomplishment—a true act of defiance.

"If it advances, I'll strip naked."

Di Lao crossed his arms, speaking gravely.

The old folks all turned to side-eye him, scanning up and down with slanted glances. At your age, don't you have any shame? Who'd want to see that?

"If you say that, the whole Da Chu will get lively."

Ren Wang glanced at Donghuang Tai Xin.

Those words made the elders' eyes light up.

In the end, Ren Wang got on his knees, kicked down by the Jian Shen.

Donghuang Tai Xin followed suit, stomping down as if crushing a cigarette butt, grinding him into the ground. The sound of Ren Wang's bones cracking was quite satisfying.