Chapter 899: The Unfathomable Zhong Shan

"How could this be? Your Spacetime Dojo has been razed to the ground. From now on, the Spacetime Dojo is erased from the world!" Zhong Shan declared firmly.

"Razed to the ground? Impossible! Your Da Jing doesn't have the power to simultaneously confront the eight celestial dynasties and also annihilate the Spacetime Dojo in such a short time!" Luo Xingchen's eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Confront the eight celestial dynasties? Do you think we still need to deal with them now? Almost all of Da Jing's elites are concentrated at your Spacetime Dojo—every elite wolf warrior, nearly all the powerful figures from the Great Bright Temple. I, Zhong Shan, who command the Small Thousand World, am absolutely not inferior to your Grand Thousand World's ordinary dojos. Three thousand Tianxians! Isn't that enough to destroy you?" Zhong Shan declared with utmost confidence.

"Three thousand Tianxians? How can your Da Jing have three thousand Tianxians? Da Jing has been established for less than a thousand years. In the Small Thousand World, those who reach the twelfth level of Tianxian are exceedingly rare. How can you have three thousand?" Luo Xingchen's eyes showed extreme disbelief.

Three thousand Tianxians—this might not be a significant number in the Grand Thousand World, but in the Small Thousand World, it was astounding. To produce even ten Tianxians would be remarkable, but three thousand? In such a short time?

How could Da Jing possess such strength?

That's because Da Jing had heavenly demons—beings controlled for refining the heart and cultivation. Using immeasurable merit and boundless Qi to refine the body and the resources of Da Jing to cultivate techniques and Tao, producing a large number of powerful figures in a short time was not difficult, especially for those with exceptional talent.

For the last two hundred years, although just two centuries, due to the effects of Qi and merit, their cultivation speed was dozens of times faster, equivalent to nearly ten thousand years of cultivation, along with the heart-refining methods of Huan Ji's heavenly demons.

Three thousand Tianxians! More than enough for Zhong Shan to conquer the Zhuanlun Domain.

The eight celestial dynasties? Even if all their Tianxians combined amounted to three thousand, it would be impressive. Why would Zhong Shan fear them?

"Even so, three thousand Tianxians wouldn't be enough to destroy my Spacetime Dojo in such a short time," Luo Xingchen said incredulously.

"What about with help from inside the Spacetime Dojo?" Zhong Shan smiled.

"What do you mean? You bribed someone inside my Spacetime Dojo?"

Reaching this conclusion, Luo Xingchen felt a chill. Yes, wasn't it Zhong Shan's informants who revealed the matter about his wife?

Internal cooperation meant the Spacetime Dojo was caught off guard. Even if many members of the dojo survived, the dojo itself was destroyed, and with the Great Bright Temple's Spirit Tower not taken away by Zhong Shan, seizing the merit, the Spacetime Dojo fell instantly.

Luo Xingchen's eyes turned slightly red. His wife's betrayal, his disciple's death, the disloyalty of his followers, and the destruction of his dojo—all of this ignited a raging fire in Luo Xingchen's heart.

Was he really that much of a failure?

No, it was all because of Zhong Shan. If not for him, the dojo wouldn't have fallen, his disciple wouldn't have died. Luo Xingchen even forcibly blamed his wife's betrayal on Zhong Shan, as if all his misfortunes stemmed from him.

Seeing through Luo Xingchen's thoughts, Zhong Shan shook his head. "It's useless. These problems have been accumulating for a long time. Even without me, they would have surfaced sooner or later."

"No! If I kill you and destroy Da Jing, my Spacetime Dojo will be restored!" Luo Xingchen said coldly.

"You are not my match!" Zhong Shan shook his head.

"Time Reversal!"

Luo Xingchen let out a roar, initiating another time suspension.

As time halted, the void became still, as if everything had frozen. Luo Xingchen's figure flickered as he charged towards Zhong Shan, aiming a fierce strike at him.

"Whoosh!" Zhong Shan swiftly moved, escaping the suspended time zone. Luo Xingchen's strike hit nothing but air.

Luo Xingchen's eyes twitched in disbelief as he turned to look at Zhong Shan.

"How did you escape? How did you get out?" Luo Xingchen asked, genuinely shocked.

For the first time, Luo Xingchen found his supposedly invincible time manipulation had been rendered ineffective. The time prison—how had Zhong Shan escaped from it?

"It's useless. Time manipulation may be powerful, but it's ineffective against me. Luo Xingchen, I ask you now, will you join my Da Jing?" Zhong Shan formally invited.

Luo Xingchen was still in a state of shock and disbelief, unable to fathom how Zhong Shan had escaped. To break the time prison, one needed immense power to shatter the void, yet Zhong Shan hadn't shattered the void—he had simply walked out. Could it be that Zhong Shan also understood time manipulation?

Of course, Zhong Shan didn't. His escape from the time prison was due to his shadow body, which ignored any formations and could bypass the time prison.

In every aspect, Zhong Shan seemed to have the upper hand over Luo Xingchen: wealth, companions, techniques, and territory.

This realization dealt a heavy blow to Luo Xingchen.

Looking down at Luo Xingchen, Zhong Shan's gaze was cold and pressing.

As he stared at Zhong Shan, Luo Xingchen realized how laughable his previous thoughts were—this wasn't just a lucky individual from the Small Thousand World or a mere Tianxian. Zhong Shan was now compelling him to submit.

It was impossible. Luo Xingchen's pride couldn't be broken by a single defeat.

"Time Reversal!" The blue gemstone on Luo Xingchen's forehead flashed continuously.

Time after time, he trapped Zhong Shan in a suspended time zone.

But 'time suspension' was not the same as 'time stop'! This crucial distinction meant the difference between heaven and earth. Luo Xingchen was far from achieving true time stop; he could only create a time prison.

No prison could hold Zhong Shan!

Luo Xingchen's formidable divine ability was rendered futile, time after time.

"Roar!"

Luo Xingchen let out a long howl, blue light radiating from his body, his hair floating behind him.

"What's this? Do you have another technique?" Zhong Shan narrowed his eyes.

The abilities Luo Xingchen had already displayed were impressive enough to satisfy Zhong Shan. Did he have an even stronger technique?

"I can't deny that you, Zhong Shan, are the strongest opponent I've ever faced. If it were before my last retreat, I would have had no chance of victory. But during my last retreat, I comprehended a great technique, one I haven't fully mastered yet. But the pride of an Ancient Immortal cannot be extinguished. You, a mere Tianxian, think you can subdue me? Dream on! Today, either you die or I perish!" Luo Xingchen roared.

Zhong Shan's expression changed, sensing danger.

"Reverse Time!" Luo Xingchen shouted.

With a thunderous shout, blue light erupted in all directions, filling the entire Reincarnation Channel. The terrifying blue light was directed straight at Zhong Shan.

The surging blue light enveloped Zhong Shan, once again immobilizing him in the time prison. Zhong Shan found himself unable to move, and to his horror, he realized that his cultivation was rapidly decreasing.

His cultivation level was dropping:

Tianxian Eightfold HeavenTianxian Sixfold HeavenTianxian Threefold HeavenTianji Twelvefold HeavenDiji RealmHuangji RealmIntegration StageNascent Soul StageGolden Core Stage

The terrifying regression of his cultivation level—reverse time? This horrifying manipulation of time was reducing Zhong Shan's cultivation from Tianxian back to a mortal, and it continued downward towards the Golden Core Stage.

Zhong Shan was horrified. Would this regression continue until he was a mere mortal, then an infant, and eventually a single cell, or even to non-existence? This time divine ability was too terrifying. If it couldn't be obtained, it must be destroyed.

Could Zhong Shan still have a chance?

As Zhong Shan trembled in fear, he noticed that Luo Xingchen's face had become deathly pale, indicating that this reverse time technique consumed an enormous amount of energy, even for an Ancient Immortal.

The blue light suddenly dispersed, and Luo Xingchen, his face gray with exhaustion, quickly swallowed some pills.

It was over!

Despite the massive energy consumption, Luo Xingchen had succeeded. Zhong Shan was now at the Golden Core Stage.

Looking at Zhong Shan, now at the Golden Core Stage, Luo Xingchen allowed himself a bitter smile. Before the battle, he had never anticipated such a difficult fight.

Zhong Shan had repeatedly shown cards that left Luo Xingchen feeling utterly defeated. It wasn't until he used his final technique that he managed to turn the tables.

The Reincarnation Channel around them slowly weakened. If Zhong Shan hadn't initiated it, he might have been crushed by it.

"You've lost!" Luo Xingchen declared weakly.

Despite his exhaustion, Luo Xingchen remained an Ancient Immortal, while Zhong Shan, now at the Golden Core Stage, was no match for him.

Zhong Shan, still shocked, showed no fear. He hadn't lost yet.

He extended his right hand, placed two fingers on his forehead, and then moved them to his chest.

"Ascend!"

With a shout, a tremendous amount of energy surged into Zhong Shan's body, forming a large whirlwind around him.

"Whoosh!"

Golden Core StageNascent Soul StageIntegration StageHuangji RealmDiji RealmTianji RealmTianxian Threefold HeavenTianxian Fivefold HeavenTianxian Sevenfold HeavenTianxian Eightfold Heaven

Zhong Shan's cultivation surged back rapidly.

Luo Xingchen was stunned, his mouth agape in disbelief. How was this possible? How could this be happening?

Luo Xingchen could see clearly that there was no time attribute around Zhong Shan, meaning he wasn't using time manipulation. It was solely his own root bone that allowed his cultivation to skyrocket back.

Was he even human? Was there such a monstrous root bone in existence? Luo Xingchen, dragging his exhausted body, was completely shocked!