Chapter 22: Bodhi

"Who are you?" All three Mother Queen avatars spoke, their eyes filled with vigilance. The old man in the Daoist robe had appeared through terrifying means. Some special techniques could tear through the void to arrive directly, but this old man had formed a vortex in the void, as if creating a passage, and then crossed over with ease.

There was no trace of worldly aura... Such means were beyond the reach of the three Mother Queens even if they risked their lives.

The Seven Radiance Celestial, upon seeing the old man in the Daoist robe, showed ecstatic joy.

"Bodhi is here."

"I knew it. With such a monstrous disciple, Bodhi would surely come to save him."

"Haha, we are saved."

Even the most composed among the Seven Celestials, Red Snow Celestial, felt relieved. They never doubted Bodhi's ability to save them, for Patriarch Bodhi stood at the pinnacle of the Three Realms and was the most mysterious of all Dao Ancestors. San Shou Daoist was far inferior to him.

"This is our Broken Horn World. We three sisters do not wish to be your enemy." The three Mother Queen avatars stared fixedly at the old man in the Daoist robe, ignoring the Seven Radiance Celestial entirely.

The old man in the Daoist robe glanced at them and said calmly, "Beasts!"

Hum~~~

The moment the word 'beasts' left his mouth, an invisible sound wave instantly crossed the distance and reached the three Mother Queen avatars. At their location, time and space began to twist and shatter. The three avatars let out furious howls, their bodies radiating green light as they tried to break free, but they could not withstand the twisted, shattered spacetime. Their avatars shattered into pieces and then completely annihilated.

All was silent.

Only Patriarch Bodhi, Ji Ning, and the Seven Celestials remained in the void.

"This..." Ji Ning stared in disbelief.

"This is Patriarch Bodhi's power?" The Seven Celestials were also stunned. Red Snow Celestial stood at the very peak of Celestials, close to a Dao Ancestor. The seven of them together formed the 'Seven Radiance Celestial,' barely reaching the threshold of a Dao Ancestor. The three Mother Queen avatars were on par with them.

Yet Patriarch Bodhi merely spoke the word 'beasts,' and the invisible sound wave annihilated the three Mother Queen avatars without harming the Seven Celestials in the slightest.

Such skill and control filled them with awe.

"As expected of Bodhi, the most mysterious Dao Ancestor in the Three Realms."

"Truly powerful."

"Too terrifying."

The Seven Celestials were deeply shaken.

Patriarch Bodhi was too mysterious and rarely acted in the Three Realms. The Seven Celestials had never seen him before. They only knew from their former God King, San Shou Daoist, that Patriarch Bodhi was far stronger than him. How strong? Few in the Three Realms knew... The impression Patriarch Bodhi left on countless experts was simply 'mysterious'!

Even his creation, the 'Slanting Moon Great World,' could not be found without his permission. Such means alone were unimaginable.

...

In truth, the one with the most turbulent emotions was Bodhi's disciple, Ji Ning.

From the despair of being besieged, to the silent endurance of eighteen years of fierce battle, to the desolation of capture, the surprise of the Seven Celestials' arrival, the despair of the Mother Queens' power, and finally his master's appearance—the mere word 'beasts' killed the three avatars.

Even with Ji Ning's Dao-heart, he felt as if the world had changed.

The void was still the void.

But Ji Ning now found the void beautiful and splendid.

"Greetings, Patriarch." The Seven Radiance Celestial dissolved into the Seven Celestials, who bowed respectfully.

"Not bad." Patriarch Bodhi nodded lightly.

The Seven Celestials felt a surge of joy.

They understood the meaning of 'not bad.' According to San Shou Daoist's orders, if his successor had not reached the Celestial level, they need not concern themselves with life or death. But for Patriarch Bodhi, Ji Ning was his disciple. So their protection of Ji Ning pleased Bodhi.

"Disciple." Patriarch Bodhi looked at Ji Ning, took a step, and space shifted. He was before Ji Ning.

"Master." Ji Ning bowed respectfully, tears glistening in his eyes. "Thank you, Master."

"Haha..." Bodhi laughed. "Come, it's time to return."

"Mm." Ji Ning nodded heavily.

"Aren't you seven returning?" Bodhi looked over.

The Seven Celestials quickly flew over, bowed respectfully to Bodhi, then vanished one by one, entering the 'Star Picking Mansion.' Ji Ning, its owner, sensed nothing. Clearly, he had not yet fully mastered the mansion.

Ji Ning looked back at the endless void.

This Realm of Annihilation...

Had indeed been an ordeal for him. Here, he had endured the karmic fire, his heartforce reached the 'Dominator' level, he comprehended the method of channeling heartforce through his sword-finger, and grasped a trace of sword-force...

Fortune and misfortune depend on each other.

"Whoosh~~~" A void vortex appeared beside Patriarch Bodhi, like a whirlpool in the sea. Bodhi led Ji Ning, one after the other, into the vortex, and they vanished from the Realm of Annihilation.

...

Ancient Ruins, Broken Horn World.

Endless dark space.

Three minds collided and communicated, now filled with terror.

"Who is that old man?"

"We've never seen him, not even in that great war."

"If we had encountered him in that war, we would have died long ago."

"He seems to be a human from the Three Realms. From how he dealt with us, he must be on the side of the Three Realms."

"The Realm of Annihilation should make void travel impossible, but he did it! And earlier, he killed our three avatars just by manipulating spacetime. Such means are inconceivable."

The three Mother Queens were terrified and uneasy.

Too powerful.

His strength far surpassed theirs. In that great catastrophe, they were mere small players who survived by luck. Any true overlord from that catastrophe could crush them. Clearly, that old man was one of those overlords, a top combatant who could influence the course of the catastrophe!

"I wonder if that old man from the Three Realms has left."

"I hope he leaves soon."

"May he never come to our Broken Horn World again."

The three Mother Queens prayed. Their courage had been shattered by the word 'beasts.' They only hoped never to see that old man again.

"What's wrong?"

"No!"

"He's here!"

The minds of the three Mother Queens permeated the entire Broken Horn World, maintaining strict control. So when that terrifying being invaded, they immediately detected it.

...

The Broken Horn World, on the edge of the endless Ancient Ruins, was a realm unto itself, vast and teeming with countless horned tribesmen. But now, all horned warriors felt their world tremble and shake, the earth quaking, mountains collapsing.

"What's happening?"

"What's going on?"

Countless horned tribesmen looked up at the sky. Some were children and youths, not yet qualified to join the army. Only those who reached the basic 'Earth' level could become warriors. Now, countless tribesmen, including elders of the Elder Hall and various armies, looked up.

"Rumble~~~"

From outside the Broken Horn World, a giant hand appeared.

This hand was nearly half the size of the Broken Horn World's territory. As it struck toward the world, layer after layer of the world's barriers shattered. Even spacetime was crushed, becoming layered in a bizarre way.

Layer upon layer of spacetime pressed downward.

The hand descended, shattering each layer.

"No!"

"Flee."

"Flee."

From deep beneath the Broken Horn World, three colossal creatures burst forth.

They had enormous bodies covered in dark green scales, far fatter than normal horned warriors. Their bellies took up nearly half their bodies, and their ugly eyes emitted black light that tried to tear the void.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~~

The giant hand descended, pressing down layer after layer of spacetime, making the lower spacetime increasingly stable. The three Mother Queens, despite their desperate efforts, could not tear through the void to escape.

"Mercy."

"Mercy."

"Mercy."

The three Mother Queens cried out, their voices echoing through the Broken Horn World.

But the giant hand continued its cold descent.

"No..." Countless horned tribesmen were utterly stunned, their hearts chilled. This scene defied their imagination. Just seeing the hand—a hand without end, half the size of their world—was overwhelming. Even Ji Ning, using his Candle Dragon Eye, could not see its end.

They only saw the ravine-like lines on the palm.

Bang, bang, bang~~~ Endless pressure arrived. Countless horned tribesmen on the ground exploded into green and red mist. Only a few purple-cloaked and gold-cloaked warriors barely held on, but cracks appeared on their bodies.

"Old man, do you want to start another war?"

"Damn old man."

"Damn it."

The three Mother Queens, seeing mercy was futile, went mad, cursing with every word they knew. They could not escape and had to face this terrible palm.

Bang, bang, bang~~~

The hand had not even touched them, but the shattered spacetime it brought shattered even the gold-cloaked horned warriors. Now only the three Mother Queens remained. Cracks appeared on their ugly bodies, growing larger. They screamed, cried, and cursed.

Then, silence.

The three Mother Queens were completely crushed, turning to ash.

"Boom~~~"

The giant hand finally stopped.

An aged voice sounded, seemingly with a hint of amusement: "Three little bugs dare speak of starting a war? Interesting." The giant hand vanished.

All fell silent.

The entire Broken Horn World had become an endless sunken basin.