Chapter 326: Chapter 326: Not Just Ordinary Strong
The Purple Gold Divine Clan was very domineering, and so was the Emperor Son. It seemed they had no intention of letting Chen Pingping and Guang Xiaoyu live, regardless of whether the two of them fought.
Actually, upon reflection, it made sense. Chen Pingping had repeatedly provoked the Divine Clan. He even broke into their ancestral land, cutting down their foundation and inheritance. How could the Divine Clan not be enraged? In addition, there were the Tao Seeds—what a remarkable treasure!
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense. A palpable killing intention began to spread quietly, as if a bloodbath could erupt at any moment.
But no one knew that while the entire Spirit Realm’s focus was concentrated here, Lan Xiuzhi, the youngest princess of the Heavenly Phoenix Imperial Dynasty, had sneaked back to the academy behind the old dean’s back.
Panting, she asked, "Dean, what exactly are you planning to do?"
"When you believe in someone, have you ever thought about regretting it?" The dean looked at her.
"No. Why do you ask?" she asked, her face full of doubt.
"The beliefs you cherish are often scorned by others, yet you resolve to follow them, don’t you?"
"Yeah, more or less!"
Hearing this response, the dean smiled, just as he had when he first met Lin Yuexin. This was also why he had insisted on taking Lin Yuexin as his disciple, no matter the cost. Because in her, he saw his own Shadow.
The dean spoke, "Alright, child, your mission is over. You may go now!"
Lan Xiuzhi widened her eyes. "Huh? But Pingping asked me to stay with you. I can’t leave."
The dean smiled. "It’s okay, you can go! Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. We will meet again." After saying that, he dragged his heavy, weary body step by step toward the depths of the academy.
Within that dusty and ancient courtyard lay buried stories from ages long past, unknown and unrevealed to all. He was perhaps the only one left in the entire Spirit Realm who knew.
About Heng Ba, and about *that* individual.
Ever since his youth, when he first learned of them, he had harbored a dream: to meet the master Heng Ba spoke of and follow her into battle.
That would surely be a magnificent and glorious life, wouldn’t it? However, beautiful things are often confined to imagination. Reality is rarely so kind; in fact, it is quite cruel. He had missed his chance to meet ’the master.’
This was the dean’s greatest regret.
I was once spirited and ambitious, swearing to walk the path of invincibility. I inherited my ancestor’s dying wish, yet I never managed to await that person. No regrets... The conviction I held, I have always held it firm.
The elderly dean slowly opened his eyes. His murky orbs suddenly blazed with a brilliant light. It was the fervor of his youth, the dream of his younger days. At this moment, he seemed to have returned to his younger self—brimming with vitality and life force. He, too, had once been a young genius admired by the world—handsome, heroic, with an exceptional air...
"Ancestor!" The dean stepped onto the altar.
"You’ve come back!" a low and hoarse voice came from the darkness.
A flash of Divine Brilliance bloomed from the depths as a figure slowly walked towards him.
The dean choked up, "I... I failed."
Heng Ba said, "No, you haven’t failed. I can help you." He finally came to a stop before the dean.
How many years had passed. This was the first time the dean had clearly seen his ancestor’s face. He was gaunt, his bones protruding like kindling. His face was sallow and wrinkled, with only a few strands of white hair clinging to his head, giving him a somewhat comical appearance. His murky eyes, though filled with the weariness of ages and exhaustion, held a smile.
Because he knew that the master was still alive, and the master’s disciple was in the Spirit Realm.
That was enough. After such a long wait, this day had finally arrived.
Heng Ba was dispatched on orders to quell the unrest in the Spirit Realm and suppress the Purple Gold Divine Clan. Alas, I was outnumbered and have failed my master! I, Heng Ba, also wish to see the master again. I... am so tired... He murmured, a strange smile on his lips, his emaciated body trembling.
As he laughed, he suddenly broke into heart-wrenching sobs, overcome with grief.
Heng Ba seized the dean’s shoulders and barked, "Answer me! Do you have a successor?"
A successor? Lin Yuexin?
The dean replied, "Yes, one disciple."
Heng Ba nodded. "Good. In that case, I will give you everything I possess to aid you."
"Ancestor! You—!" Before the dean could protest, Heng Ba’s hands on his shoulders erupted with Divine Brilliance. An unending stream of Vitality Power and strength surged madly into the dean’s body.
The injuries within his body healed one by one, his shattered Dantian began to reform, and his Divine Sense reconsolidated.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
His realm broke through at an inconceivable speed.
The dean struggled to breathe.
"I am War God Heng Ba!" His last roar was filled with desolation and unwillingness.
So many long years had passed. In the end, he was exhausted. He had not managed to wait for his master, nor for a companion. He had lived alone, facing this dark world.
「 」
BANG!
Slaughter was imminent. Chen Pingping attacked first, unleashing the Six Tao Reincarnation Fist. Its Power Path was immense, causing the Void to ripple. At that moment, he resembled a War God in action, his hair bristling with fury. His combat power was very strong, far exceeding the scope of the Sixth Heaven.
Unfortunately, he faced an Emperor Son, one in whose veins flowed Emperor Blood, who cultivated a complete Emperor Scripture and wielded Supreme Skills. The resources and foundation the Emperor Son possessed were far beyond anything Chen Pingping could compare to.
With just a press of a finger, the Emperor Son shattered Chen Pingping’s Reincarnation Fist.
The Emperor Son mocked, "Is this the legendary Six Tao? It’s nothing special!"
"What’s happening?" Huang Mingzhi gasped. "That bastard Chen Pingping is so powerful, yet he can’t even faze the Emperor Son in the slightest?"
The situation unfolding before them surpassed everyone’s imagination. Not long ago, Chen Pingping had suppressed Emperor Tian with an absolutely dominant display. Since then, he had been stamped with the title of "Peerless Genius." But now, his mighty strike couldn’t even shake the Emperor Son in the slightest.
"An Emperor Son is an Emperor Son, after all." An onlooker remarked with a solemn expression, "Such an existence has long surpassed the scope of ’Peerless Genius.’ It’s only natural that Chen Pingping is no match for him."
"But should the gap be this huge?"
They are both at the Sixth Heaven. Isn’t this disparity too great? It was simply despair-inducing.
This is bad!
Guang Xiaoyu, observing from the sidelines, tensed up, her heart filled with worry. Once a Demon Emperor and a powerhouse of the Emperor Realm, she naturally knew how strong the offspring of Emperor Realm beings were. This was without even considering their innate Bloodline Power. From birth, they were baptized in the radiance of the Emperor Realm, their physical bodies far surpassing those of ordinary people. Even a Divine Body would find it difficult to compare. This strength was beyond imagination. For Chen Pingping to defeat the Emperor Son would be extraordinarily difficult.
Guang Xiaoyu whispered, "Just a bit more."
However, in Chen Pingping’s second attack, the force that erupted managed to repel the mighty Emperor Son.
Everyone was stunned.
"Senior Brother!" Guang Xiaoyu’s heart shook, her gaze fixated on Chen Pingping...
Her earlier judgment was "just a bit more." In reality, that "bit" was the gap between a god and a mortal, like the chasm separating heaven and earth—utterly insurmountable. Yet, she hadn’t expected that in the very next moment, Chen Pingping would actually push back the Emperor Son.
Wei Xiaoxi said with a serious expression, "His cultivation is different from others."
Mo Lai, also observing nearby, took a deep breath and added, "His physical body is extraordinarily powerful."
"No, it’s his belief," Wei Xiaoxi contradicted.