Chapter 1040: Ying Devours the Sage

The battle in the Heavenly Court raged on.

Two more days passed, and Zhong Shan had fully recovered from the side effects of the Heavenly Demon Body Refinement technique. The fatigue he felt had completely dissipated thanks to the nourishing effects of the Divine Realm.

He watched the massive black hole from a distance, unable to see inside. Zhong Shan couldn't glimpse the battle within, but Kong Xuan could. Occasionally, Zhong Shan would glance at Kong Xuan's expression, hoping to glean some insight into the battle's progress.

Unfortunately, Kong Xuan's expression remained unchanged, giving nothing away. However, just moments ago, Kong Xuan's face suddenly shifted, and a brilliant green light flashed from his eyes.

Had the balance within been broken?

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"

A deafening explosion echoed across the heavens and earth. This wasn't a sound coming from within the black hole, but rather, it reverberated across all four corners of the world.

At the same moment, in the underworld, in the secluded region of Zhuanlun, the same thunderous sound was heard.

The blast echoed through the entire universe—not just the Four Great Continents, but the entire world, including the underworld!

A sound that shook the heavens! Then, all across the land, blood clouds suddenly began to gather, rolling in from all directions. A profound sense of sorrow washed over every heart.

Countless mortals dropped to their knees, as if heaven itself was preparing to unleash a divine punishment upon the world.

Some, overcome with emotion, began to weep uncontrollably without understanding why. It was as if an overwhelming sadness had gripped their hearts, compelling them to cry.

The blood clouds thickened, and soon, crimson raindrops began to fall from the sky. The entire world was bathed in a rain of blood.

The earth began to emit a faint blood mist, and in the distance, the mournful sound of a horn, like that of a bull's, could be faintly heard. The entire world was enveloped in an atmosphere of profound melancholy.

It was a day that no one would ever forget.

"A sage has fallen, and the heavens mourn," Zhong Shan murmured, his eyes narrowing.

The powerful figures gathered around all seemed to realize this at the same moment. They held their breath and stared up at the sky.

A sage had fallen? Before, the thought of a sage's death might have been something people hoped for, but now that it had happened, the realization brought a shift in their hearts. If even a sage could die, was there any such thing as true immortality in this world?

The onlookers remained silent, each weighed down by their own heavy thoughts as they gazed skyward.

In the distance, the black hole surrounding the Heavenly Court began to shrink, as if the battle there had finally come to an end. Slowly, the scene within became visible.

The array of forty-nine Heavenly Daos still surrounded the center of the Heavenly Court, though it was now in ruins. Though it hadn't been completely destroyed in the black hole, it was badly damaged, with some sections dangling precariously, barely held together by the remaining structures.

At the very center was the Heavenly Vein, the "Lin" Heavenly Vein, that Zhong Shan had seen before. The shadow of Hongjun that had once hovered over it was now so faint it was almost invisible. Clearly, the battle had nearly obliterated Hongjun's imprint.

Nearby, the Sage Mitian leaned against the Lin Heavenly Vein, standing atop a massive white altar. The altar's runes shimmered with brilliant light.

Zhong Shan recognized it immediately—it was a Heavenly Altar, a structure recognized by the heavens that could only be accessed once one had reached the rank of a "living position" in the heavenly hierarchy.

The altar was a tool of great power. Those with a lower position in the heavenly order who dared to attack Zhong Shan while he stood upon his altar would suffer a form of heavenly backlash, though the effect was minor.

But that wasn't the most important detail. What really caught Zhong Shan's attention was that Mitian was leaning heavily against the Heavenly Vein, his face pale and his body trembling.

Across from Mitian, Ying stood tall and imposing, his form even more fearsome than before. His demonic transformation had fully taken hold, his eyes blazing with red fury as the massive dragon wings on his back unfurled, casting a shadow over the battlefield.

And then, with a predatory glint in his eyes, Ying opened his mouth wide and inhaled deeply.

A powerful suction force surged from Ying, and before anyone could react, Mitian's body began to disintegrate into countless particles of light, which were swiftly drawn into Ying's gaping maw.

"Sage Mitian...!" someone whispered in horror.

Ying was devouring a sage.

The sight was both terrifying and mesmerizing, leaving those who witnessed it in stunned silence.

As Mitian's essence was absorbed, the blood rain intensified, and the sorrowful cries of the heavens grew louder. The world itself seemed to weep for the loss of one of its mightiest beings.

Zhong Shan watched, his expression unreadable. The implications of this act were profound—Ying wasn't just defeating his enemies, he was consuming them, assimilating their power.

And with each sage he devoured, his own strength would only grow. This was not just a battle for supremacy; it was a battle that could reshape the very fabric of the world.

A sage had fallen, and Ying had devoured him. The era was changing, and with it, the destiny of all who lived in this world.

And the sage, the "Habit Position" of the Heavenly Position, the supreme position, how could it not have a Heavenly Altar?

The massive white Heavenly Altar before them belonged to the Mitian Sage.

The Mitian Sage stood atop his Heavenly Altar, a vast avenue covered in runes enveloping both the sage and the altar. His clothes were tattered, and he appeared somewhat battered, but he was still alive.

Surrounding him were the Jade Emperor, Taishang, and Jieyin!

These three formidable beings had managed to force the Mitian Sage into such a dire state.

While this scene was significant, it was ultimately just a sideshow.

The true focus of everyone's attention lay elsewhere.

On the other side, there was another massive Heavenly Altar.

Outside, Zhun Ti held a multicolored tree, staring into the Heavenly Altar.

Inside the altar stood Confucius.

Confucius had merged with the Grand Dao of Confucianism, standing atop his Heavenly Altar. But even this could not stop Ying.

Ying's entire body was shrouded in blackness, with a pair of massive dragon-bone wings sprouting from his back. His eyes were blood-red, and his mouth bore two massive blood-red fangs. His powerful hands were deeply embedded in Confucius's chest.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Ying had indeed found the flaw in the Grand Dao of Confucianism; otherwise, how could he have penetrated it?

Even more shockingly, Ying had actually slain Confucius!

A sage, just like that, slain by Ying? With the heavens already weeping blood, no one believed that Confucius was still alive.

A Grand Immortal killing a sage?

The shock in people's hearts was overwhelming, and Ying's powerful image was indelibly imprinted in their minds.

That domineering figure, the poise of a sage-slayer!

The world's mightiest person, a sage? And now he lay dead beneath Ying's hands?

"Master~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"

From the distant horizon came a cry of grief!

This cry seemed to snap everyone out of their stunned thoughts, and almost everyone turned to look.

A white-robed man, weary from travel, had just arrived. But what he saw upon arrival was a sight he couldn't bear to accept. Tears flowed uncontrollably from his eyes.

Zhong Shan recognized him—it was one of the Grand Immortals who had fought in Xianyang.

"The weakest Grand Immortal of the Confucian sect, Zixia," said the Western Poison Emperor.

Zixia, the weakest of the Confucian Grand Immortals, was also the one who had received the most direct teachings from Confucius. Some even noticed that over the years, Zixia's appearance had gradually started to resemble a younger Confucius.

Confucius had many disciples, but he was excessively kind to Zixia. While he wouldn't give Zixia treasures, any heavenly elixirs or medicines that could improve one's constitution would always be Zixia's to use if there was only one available.

Even Confucius's living descendants were envious of this.

Zixia's natural talent was average at best, but Confucius had forcibly elevated him to the level of a Grand Immortal using countless heavenly medicines.

Zixia was deeply grateful to Confucius. When he wasn't allowed to join the battle, Zixia had been frustrated. When Sikong offered to sit in the Confucian Holy Palace for him, Zixia had eagerly rushed out, determined to reach the Heavenly Court as quickly as possible to fight alongside his master.

But as he flew toward the Heavenly Court, Zixia felt as though a heavy stone was pressing on his heart, growing heavier with each passing moment.

Finally, as he neared the Heavenly Court, his ominous premonition was confirmed.

The heavens thundered, and vast quantities of blood rain began to fall.

A sage had fallen, and the heavens mourned?

This wasn't the first time Zixia had witnessed such an event, so he knew exactly what it meant. But he still clung to a shred of hope, because there were two sages; it couldn't possibly be his master, it couldn't be...

Flying faster and faster, Zixia finally arrived outside the Heavenly Court, only to witness the most unbearable sight. Confucius had fallen!

"Master!" Zixia cried out in anguish, rushing forward.

Ying's body was also covered in wounds, but he had finally succeeded in killing Confucius. Confucius was dead!

Just as Ying was about to laugh triumphantly, Zixia's sorrowful cry reached him, and in an instant, Zixia was right in front of him.

At this moment, the Grand Dao of Confucianism was slowly dissipating, but Confucius's "Heavenly Altar" still floated in the air.

Ying, still in the posture of having pierced through Confucius, turned his head to see Zixia charging at him with bloodshot eyes, holding the Chunqiu scroll.

Ying's nose twitched as he opened his mouth and roared at Zixia.

"Roar~~~~~~~~~~!"

The roar shook the very space around them, and the terrifying sound caused the Chunqiu scroll in Zixia's hand to crack. The frenzied Zixia was forcibly stopped in his tracks by the roar, unable to advance any further.

"Splat!"

With a thunderous sound, everything fell silent as one of Ying's wings viciously pierced through Zixia's throat.

"Boom!"

With a single flap of his dragon-bone wing, Ying ripped Zixia in half.

The countless powerful beings watching from a distance felt their scalps tingle with fear.

Zixia was a Grand Immortal, even if he was one of the weaker ones, but to think that Ying could tear him apart with just one wing?

Ying's terrifying power left an indelible impression on everyone.

"Roar!"

Lowering his head, Ying let out another earth-shaking roar at Confucius's corpse, then suddenly sank his two fangs into the body.

"Sssssss!"

Confucius's body rapidly shrank, and within just six seconds, it was gone—absorbed, devoured by Ying!

Even the blood on Ying's hands, which had pierced through Confucius, seemed to be absorbed as if by his very skin.

This scene left everyone breathless; it was too horrifying. This Ying was too terrifying, too monstrous!

"Roar~~~~~~~~~~!"

Ying let out another roar, and a Heavenly Altar suddenly appeared beneath his feet.

Zhong Shan recognized it as the "Living Position" Heavenly Altar—one he also possessed. The only difference was the style and runes.

The thousand-zhang-sized Living Position Heavenly Altar beneath Ying's feet suddenly descended onto Confucius's "Habit Position" Heavenly Altar.

Ying's Heavenly Altar was black, while Confucius's was white. As Ying's altar descended, it strangely merged with Confucius's, creating a fusion of countless new runes. The enormous white Habit Position Heavenly Altar slowly turned into a jet-black jade color.

Magnificent, majestic, vast, and powerful!

A new Heavenly Altar was born!

Standing atop this new Heavenly Altar, Ying let out a long howl to the sky!

"Roar~~~~~~~~~~!"

Ying's Grand Dao suddenly appeared, towering to the heavens, pushing everything around it away with overwhelming dominance, even forcing Zhun Ti to step back slightly.

A million-li-long black jade dragon coiled around the Grand Dao, roaring in harmony with Ying's roar, letting out a deafening dragon's cry.

"Roar~~~~~~~~~~!"

Ying's dominance was unparalleled. Countless powerful beings around them unknowingly knelt down in submission, as if their very souls were compelled to bow.

On this day, a sage had fallen, and the heavens wept. From this day forward, Confucius would be consigned to history.

But today was also Ying's most glorious day. Sage-slayer! Bloodthirsty sage-slayer! He had succeeded, and even the Heavenly Altar beneath his feet had undergone a monumental transformation. A brand new "Habit Position" Heavenly Altar had been born.

To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8