The only response to the Longevity Ancestor was the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror in Zhang Chen's hand, shining with divine light!
The Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror isn't highly destructive; its functions are primarily supportive. The only ones that can be called offensive divine powers are probably two: first, capture and seal. Second, trace the celestial secrets to reveal the past. Third, reflect the form to reveal the true nature and immobilize the opponent's Primordial Spirit.
These are the three functions Zhang Chen has discovered so far. As for whether there are other functions, he does not know.
The Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror burst forth with green light, shining towards the Ascension Pool, shaking its origins, giving the Innate Peacock an opportunity to continuously struggle within the Ascension Pool, trying to seize control of it.
"You damned beast, behave yourself!" At this moment, the Ancestral Master of Longevity was finding it increasingly difficult to cope, showing a hint of embarrassment in his eyes. Not only was the Ascension Pool failing to become an aid, but due to the resistance of the Innate Peacock, it was starting to distract him.
"Long live thief dao, you are doomed today!" Zhang Chen's voice was full of ferocity. For more than ten years, the Ancestral Master of Longevity was like a great mountain weighing on his mind, making his life uneasy. Today, after careful planning, he finally managed to suppress him. The frustration in his heart was finally released.
"Do you really think that after your resurrection, you can kill me?" At this point, the Ancestral Master of Longevity had lost his immortal aura, his face filled with ferocity. In moments of life and death, there was great horror, hard for even immortals to fully master.
The Ancestral Master of Longevity pulled his robe, sat cross-legged above the Ascension Pool, performing hand seals and chanting incantations, suppressing the Innate Peacock within the Ascension Pool on one hand, while resisting the green light of the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror and the encroachment of the Blood God Child.
His main focus was still on suppressing the Innate Peacock; the pressure it exerted was simply too immense. Another part of his focus was on dealing with Zhang Chen's Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror, which constantly exerted a force trying to pull him into it.
The two sides engaged in a tug-of-war for a time, the situation in the field was very intense.
The Nine Bends Yellow River Array was filled with sandstorms, raising winds that howled in fury, causing the Ancestral Master's aura to continually decline, appearing quite beleaguered and hard-pressed.
At this critical moment, no one spoke, instead silently operating their divine technique formulas, preparing to fight to the death and determine victory or defeat.
Three days later, under the erosion of endless sandstorms, even with the Ascension Pool providing aid, the Ancestral Master of Longevity was still exhausted. Suddenly, a crisp sound was heard, and the barrier blocking Xiu Liu suddenly shattered. Xiu Liu was the first to break through the Ancestral Master's protective barrier, lunging directly at him, attempting to possess his physical body.
The Ancestral Master, witnessing this scene, was greatly shocked. He had long collected intelligence on Xiu Liu, knowing his means. If his physical body was possessed, what life would he have left?
In a critical moment, he released the spell, slapping the Ascension Pool. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot out from the pool, hitting Xiu Liu who couldn't dodge in time. A "crack" sound was heard, and Xiu Liu's body was shattered into pieces, falling into the boundless yellow sand and losing movement.
But in this hurried moment, the Innate Peacock seized the opportunity, jumping out from the Ascension Pool, grabbing it, divine light swirling around him, overthrowing the Longevity Ancestor. Seizing the Ascension Pool, he carried it on his shoulder: "Hahaha! Hahaha! From today onward, this Ascension Pool is mine! This Ascension Pool is mine!"
The Innate Peacock laughed wildly, his voice filled with pride, as if he had gained a great advantage.
Zhang Chen looked at the Innate Peacock's demeanor, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes: "What secrets does the Ascension Pool contain, making even the Innate Peacock treasure it so much!"
Zhang Chen's eyes fell on the Ascension Pool, a thought stirred in his mind. The Ascension Pool within the Spiritual World was difficult for him to grasp since it was in the hands of the Old Peacock, but the one in the Material Realm, he could still contemplate.
He now mastered the Five Elements Escape Technique; relying on the characteristics of this technique, there was a great chance he could take that treasure into his grasp.
"What secrets does the Ascension Pool truly contain?" Zhang Chen manipulated the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.
"Return my Ascension Pool!" the voice of the Longevity Ancestor filled with rage was heard. His eyes glared angrily at the Innate Peacock, ready to perform hand seals and incantations to seize the treasure back, but unfortunately, the Ascension Pool was already in the hands of the Innate Peacock, suppressed by the Five-Colored Divine Light; how could he retrieve it?
The Innate Peacock's Authority of the Innate Five Elements was not a simple thing; its divine powers were earth-shaking, containing endless might within. Once the Ascension Pool lost the support of its master, it could no longer achieve greatness.
"Die for me!" At this moment, the Ancestral Master of Longevity found himself in a desperate situation, his form flashing as he lunged directly at Zhang Chen, intending to kill Zhang Chen and take back the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror. As long as he retrieved the mirror, he could use it to unravel the hidden secrets of the Nine Bends Yellow River Array, giving himself a chance to escape from it and hope for survival.
"Block him!" Zhang Chen stood immovably like a mountain, his eyes fixed on the Innate Peacock, showing no trace of fear.
The Innate Peacock held the Ascension Pool, stepping forward to block the path of the Longevity Ancestor. A mocking smile appeared in its eyes: "Changsheng, have you thought about how you want to die?"
Seeing the Innate Peacock blocking his way, the Longevity Ancestor couldn't help but halt, his eyes filled with bitterness: "Ancestral Master, could you spare my life? I am willing to return under your command, to toil like a beast or labor as a horse, not daring to disobey in the slightest."
Upon hearing Longevity Ancestor's words, the Innate Peacock let out a sneering laugh: "Do you think that's possible? For the sake of our past friendship, I can allow you to choose your own way to die."
"Must it be this way? If you spare me, I can help you deal with that Immortal! Although you possess Great Divine Techniques, capturing the Immortal entirely would still require considerable effort and trouble." At this moment, the Longevity Ancestor knelt directly to the ground, kowtowing amidst the vast yellow sand.
Zhang Chen watched the scene before him, filled with emotion. Even someone who has lived for countless millennia, when facing the tribulation of life and death, would bow their head with no dignity or confidence.
"If you don't want to choose a way to die, then I shall choose for you." The Innate Peacock said with a smile.
At this point, the Longevity Ancestor looked towards Zhang Chen, extracting the Immortal True Spirit: "Master, why not grant me a path to survival, and I will suppress this wretched creature for you? Otherwise, if this Immortal True Spirit falls into the hands of the Innate Peacock, you may never defeat it in the future,"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen's face was astonished. The Longevity Ancestor's will to live was truly strong; even at this dire moment, he refused to give up hope of escaping. When the Innate Peacock heard itself being repeatedly called a 'creature,' its face turned dark. Calling him 'Master' when needed and 'creature' when not—such was the Longevity Ancestor indeed!
If Zhang Chen were truly possessed by the Immortal True Spirit today, this should align with what the Longevity Ancestor desired, but Zhang Chen was not.
So Zhang Chen stood there unmoved, watching the Longevity Ancestor opposite him, a hint of lament in his eyes: "Stop struggling, just get on with it!"
Hearing Zhang Chen's words, the Longevity Ancestor was struck as if by lightning, staring incredulously at Zhang Chen. He couldn't comprehend why Zhang Chen didn't care about his True Spirit. If he shattered Zhang Chen's True Spirit, it would take tens of thousands of years to reassemble it. How did Zhang Chen plan to confront the Innate Peacock then? This was entirely illogical!
"Why?" The Longevity Ancestor's eyes were filled with disbelief.
No one answered the Longevity Ancestor's question. The Innate Peacock's palm flickered with the light of the Five Elements, ready to strike the Longevity Ancestor, but suddenly the Longevity Ancestor shouted: "You can't kill me! Don't you want to know the whereabouts of Xu Erniu's father?"
The Longevity Ancestor, recognized as a master of emotional manipulation, seeing that Zhang Chen's spirit could not be shaken and the Innate Peacock could not be persuaded, directly targeted Xu Erniu.
"Kill!" Hearing the Longevity Ancestor divert the topic to this, Zhang Chen's heart pounded with fear, not daring to let Xu Erniu know the truth, lest it incite other troubles.
The Innate Peacock, hearing this, continued to strike the Longevity Ancestor. But Xu Erniu spoke up to stop him: "Ancestral Master, wait a moment! I have something to ask him."
The Innate Peacock paused, turning to look at Zhang Chen.
"Kill!" Zhang Chen coldly uttered a single word.
The Innate Peacock began gathering Divine Techniques again. Xu Erniu, now anxious, grabbed Zhang Chen's hand: "Zhang Chen! Quickly tell the Ancestral Master to stop! Tell him to stop! We haven't found out about my father's whereabouts yet!"
Zhang Chen ignored Xu Erniu's pulling. Seeing this, Xu Erniu, in her anxiety, released Zhang Chen's hand and rushed towards the Innate Peacock, attempting to stop him. However, Zhang Chen reached out and directly grabbed Xu Erniu's arm.
Meanwhile, seeing the Innate Peacock gathering Divine Techniques, the Longevity Ancestor, about to be struck, shouted desperately to Xu Erniu: "Xu Fu, I am your father! I am your biological father! I was caught in a disaster years ago, lost my spirit, and inadvertently came to this mortal land outside Yangzhou City and entangled with your mother. I am your biological father; I have proof..."
The Longevity Ancestor hurriedly pulled out a jade lock from his sleeve: "This jade lock is a pair with your mother's jade lock. You should know I am not lying when you see this lock."
He wasn't foolish enough to mention the Ginseng Fruit, realizing such a thing couldn't be exposed. Saying it would have Xu Erniú possibly kill him, let alone acknowledge any father-son bond!
This was the tacit understanding between him and Zhang Chen!