Upon hearing the words of the Innate Peacock, the Ancestral Master of Longevity clutched his severed arm and lowered his voice, filled with bitterness in his eyes.
The Peacock Ancestor remained the same Peacock Ancestor, and he had no hope of victory against the Peacock Ancestor!
At this moment, from afar, Zhang Chen lifted his head to gaze at the firmament. Watching the arm falling from the sky, his eyes brightened: "This is the arm of the Ancestral Master of Longevity. Although I don't know the true form of this old man, being a mighty figure, his bloodline must be extraordinary."
A thought flashed in Zhang Chen's mind, and Xiu Liu secretly acted. A red light flickered at the spot where the arm fell, and with a slight tremor, the light engulfed the entire arm, making it disappear underground.
Zhang Chen nodded with satisfaction, knowing this segment of the arm was enough to enhance the power of his Blood Transformation Divine Saber once more.
"Why did the Ancestral Master of Longevity kneel even without unleashing the Immortal Slaying Sword?" Zhang Chen's eyes showed a trace of confusion; by reason, the Ancestral Master is not one to surrender so easily, right?
As myriad thoughts flickered in Zhang Chen's mind, a change occurred again in the arena. The Innate Peacock strode forward, with a face full of ridicule, approaching the Ancestral Master of Longevity, tauntingly saying: "I said, you little ant, you haven't progressed at all over tens of thousands of years! Even peak immortals couldn't rival me. You only received a fragmented piece of immortal inheritance. How dare you oppose and contend with me?"
The sharp blade in the Innate Peacock's hand shimmered with a fierce glow, slashing directly at the throat of the Ancestral Master of Longevity.
The Innate Peacock's move was ruthless, showing no mercy at all, not an ounce of hesitation, as this grudge had been harbored for tens of thousands of years.
Seeing the era of the Ancestral Master of Longevity coming to an end, a resplendent sword light, carrying an earth-shattering killing intent from his sleeve, aimed at the Innate Peacock: "Die for me!"
The sword light was extremely dazzling, moving at an incredible speed, yet it was still inadequate for the Innate Peacock. Facing the Immortal Slaying Sword, radiating pure killing intent, the Innate Peacock sneered contemptuously: "This sword cut down my flesh body tens of thousands of years ago. Do you think I wouldn't be prepared?"
"If not for your surprise attack, denying me the chance to use the Five-Colored Divine Light, how could you have harmed my flesh body?" The five-colored brilliance shimmered behind the Innate Peacock, and with a gentle sweep, the Immortal Slaying Sword vanished from the Ancestral Master's hand. Then the five-colored divine light swept across the Ancestral Master's body, leaving him struck as if by thunder, collapsing directly on the ground.
"Ant! If you few joined forces, perhaps you'd endure a few more rounds with me. Now, with only you, I wonder where you got the guts to challenge me." The Innate Peacock's voice was filled with disdain. The next moment, he grabbed the Ancestral Master of Longevity's neck, and with a flicker, appeared in front of Zhang Chen: "Kid, how should we handle him?"
"Kill him!" Zhang Chen looked at the Ancestral Master of Longevity, his eyes filled with a menacing killing intent.
"It's you!" The Ancestral Master of Longevity's eyes widened at Zhang Chen and Xu Erniu, filled with disbelief.
"Senior brother, you…" Xu Erniu looked at Zhang Chen in horror, her eyes filled with shock.
Zhang Chen didn't want Xu Erniu to know the truth, fearing what nonsense the Ancestral Master of Longevity might spout, so he said to the Innate Peacock: "Why don't you hurry and kill him to put an end to it!"
Upon hearing this, the Innate Peacock threw the Ancestral Master of Longevity to the ground like a dead dog. Then, turning his back on the Ancestral Master, he smiled at Zhang Chen and said: "Wasn't I thinking of letting you kill him yourself to relieve your anger?"
"No need!" Zhang Chen shook his head.
The Innate Peacock's eyes were full of killing intent: "Lend me the Golden Scissors."
Zhang Chen glanced at the Innate Peacock, understanding his deep hatred. With the power of Reversing Yin and Yang combined with the Golden Scissors, even the Ancestral Master's True Spirit would be torn apart.
As Zhang Chen was about to take out the Golden Scissors, suddenly his pupils constricted, as the Ancestral Master of Longevity suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a familiar object, hurling it towards the Peacock's back.
"Watch out!" Zhang Chen was shocked, but his warning was too late. The Innate Peacock staggered, actually reverted to his true form, pinned under that object.
The object radiated grand divine light, with countless phenomena converging within. It grew with the wind from a tiny grain expelled by the Ancestral Master of Longevity, rapidly expanding to the size of a house, toppling over the Innate Peacock in merely a breath's time.
Looking at that object, Zhang Chen recognized its origin: Ascension Pool!
Though he hadn't seen the Ascension Pool up close in the Material Realm, he had observed its spectacle from afar and absorbed its energy. Upon seeing its true form now, he recognized it with just a glance.
But wasn't the Ascension Pool in the Material Realm? How did it fall into the hands of the Ancestral Master of Longevity?
Zhang Chen's eyes were filled with confusion and shock; then, a sense of dread surged from within: "This is a big trouble!"
The scene of the Innate Peacock colluding with him was caught red-handed by the Ancestral Master of Longevity. No matter how much he might argue, there was no room for explanation.
"When did you start colluding with the Innate Peacock?" The Ancestral Master of Longevity looked at Zhang Chen, his eyes as calm as water, showing no hint of anger. However, those who knew the Ancestral Master of Longevity well understood how furious he was inside.
"Hehe, things have come to this point, why say more?" Zhang Chen's face remained unchanged as he spoke lightly, but inwardly, his thoughts were racing, constantly devising an escape plan.
"Some things need to be clarified," the Ancestral Master of Longevity looked at Zhang Chen with disappointment.
"Is it necessary?" Zhang Chen replied.
"I can't understand! I have treated you well as your ancestor, so why betray me?" the Ancestral Master of Longevity pursued: "If you can give me a satisfactory answer, I can spare your life, send you down the mountain to live as a mortal. But if your answer doesn't satisfy me, even if I reduce you to ashes today, Xu Fu can't blame me."
"What you've done, you should be clear yourself." Zhang Chen grabbed Xu Erniu before she could react, using a Body-Stabilizing Rune to immobilize her.
Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words and watching his actions, the Ancestral Master of Longevity's pupils contracted. He was a smart man and immediately understood why Zhang Chen betrayed him after seeing Zhang Chen's actions and hearing his words.
Zhang Chen had no talent for Qi Cultivation. If he could obtain the Ginseng Fruit, extending his lifespan by 48,000 years, what couldn't he accomplish then?
As for how Zhang Chen got information about the Ginseng Fruit, was there any need to ask? Zhang Chen was assigned to serve tea and water, frequently interacting with a few of the master's good friends. Just a little temptation with words, and the other party couldn't resist the allure of an additional 48,000 years of life.
However, the Ancestral Master of Longevity was also a clever person. Seeing that Zhang Chen didn't expose the matter of the Ginseng Fruit, he naturally saw no reason to do so himself.
"Release Xu Fu! She climbed the mountain with you, yet you dare to harm her and drag her into this. How utterly contemptible!" The Ancestor of Longevity glared at Zhang Chen.
"As long as the master clears the way, I naturally won't harm Xu Fu. Otherwise... we'll hurt them a thousand times while suffering eight hundred ourselves. I can't be mindful of everything right now," Zhang Chen said, implying something.
"Do you think you still have a chance to escape?" The Ancestral Master of Longevity looked down at Zhang Chen, his voice calm, a faint killing intent flickering in his eyes.
Hearing the Ancestral Master's words, Zhang Chen smiled slightly, "How would I know without trying? I can't just surrender and stand here waiting for death, can I?"
The Ancestral Master of Longevity said nothing more, silently stepping aside. He wasn't worried about Zhang Chen escaping—Zhang Chen was merely an insignificant figure. Why would he be able to escape from his grasp?
Were it not for fear that, backed into a corner, the fellow might harm his Grass Returning Pill, he would have crushed Zhang Chen with a single finger long ago.
Zhang Chen took a deep breath, slinging Xu Erniu over his shoulder, looking towards the Ascension Pool, his heart full of resignation: 'That damned Innate Peacock, truly unreliable! It flipped the situation at the drop of a hat.'
"I say, old bird, don't boast next time! Really a bottom-feeder bird!" Zhang Chen taunted the Innate Peacock beneath the Ascension Pool, his voice full of mockery.
Of course, he had another suspicion: could the Innate Peacock intentionally orchestrated this to use the Ancestral Master of Longevity to get him killed?
This speculation wasn't without merit.
However, despite the dangerous situation, Zhang Chen still had an ace up his sleeve: Xiu Liu, so the situation hadn't reached its most critical point yet.
Zhang Chen headed down the mountain, but halfway, he suddenly changed direction, sprinting towards the Nine Bends Yellow River Array, acting as if his lifeline was there.
The Ancestral Master of Longevity saw Zhang Chen trying to flee into the Nine Bends Yellow River Array and, thinking of the other ancestors' setups, couldn't help but feel a jolt of fear: "Damn it, is there another setup in the Nine Bends Yellow River Array? If he escapes inside, it could be troublesome."
"Stop right there!" Naturally, the Ancestral Master couldn't let Zhang Chen escape into the Nine Bends Yellow River Array. His large hand extended infinitely, wrapped in the Power of Law, reaching towards Zhang Chen.
Even if it meant Zhang Chen might harm Xu Erniu, he had to keep Zhang Chen there. If Zhang Chen harmed Xu Erniu, there were remedies, but if Xu Erniu fell into the Nine Bends Yellow River Array, with other ancestors lying in wait, it would create trouble for him.
Besides, Zhang Chen's earlier threat using Xu Erniu was just to express his concern for Xu Erniu and win the girl's heart.
Seeing the impending chaos and further complications, he dared not continue his act.
As Zhang Chen was about to be caught by the large hand, a sudden distortion in the air appeared, and Xiu Liu, dressed in red, blocked the hand's path.
The Blood Transformation Divine Saber sliced through, its blood-colored light slashing towards the Ancestral Master of Longevity.