Chapter 36: Killing God, It's Just a Joke!
Emerging from the depths of the earth, a formidable figure swathed in monstrous lava surged forth, bellowing invincibility to the world.
"Your persistence is quite admirable," Jiang Ping covertly mused, acknowledging the Ant King's determination in the face of an unconquerable adversary.
Under the weight of his two slaps, the once indomitable form of the Ant King fractured akin to delicate porcelain, with intricate fissures spider webbing outward from the epicenter. The Stone Tablet of Truth, held sacred, succumbed to fracture once more under the relentless impact!
Yet, even more crucial was the obliteration of the predominant runes at its core. Unlike the confrontation with the Spear of Destiny, the runes of veracity had remained unscathed!
"The next blow shall decree life or death!" solemnly declared the Ant King.
The Ant King couldn't help but think "This opponent stands as the most extraordinary entity I have ever encountered. Despite meticulous preparations undertaken in advance of this arduous challenge, his overwhelming might remains an implacable obstacle!"
Curiosity kindled within Jiang Ping's gaze as he observed the Ant King. In the face of such an insurmountable chasm, what other trump cards does he have?
"The grand celestial and terrestrial pageantry commences!"
Upon uttering these blood-drenched words, the Ant King summoned six ominous figures, descending with an air of impending doom.
Simultaneously, crimson formations manifested across the vast expanse of the globe, with the most awe-inspiring and pivotal one emerging as the Temple of Heaven.
Down on the earthly plane, hordes of insatiable ants spiraled into a frenzy, as countless millions began on a merciless slaughter, drenched in blood.
The cacophony of battle, shrieks, and lamentations reverberated incessantly.
Jiang Ping candidly beheld the spectacle. The Ant King, standing unyielding beneath his feet, absorbed the escalating miasma, harnessing the essence of thousands of primal threads emanating from every corner of the world.
As tribes engaged in ferocious warfare upon the hallowed altar, hundreds of millions of rivulets of blood converged at the Ant King's feet!
A colossal deluge of sanguine torrents drenched the Ant King's entire being, suffusing the flickering golden fire between his brows with a vibrant scarlet hue!
"Erect expansive sacrificial arrays spanning the globe, harnessing the primordial energies of the world, whilst compelling tribes to exterminate one another. Thus, the power of shared origins shall continue to accumulate within him." Jiang Ping astutely discerned the Ant King's stratagem.
The Ant King's words proved prophetic. The entire primordial realm quaked and plunged into disarray!
This was no mere illusion. For those perceptive enough to witness from the void's periphery, the descent into stagnation was palpable. The relentless surge of energy and even the fabric of the world itself succumbed to a precipitous decline!
Having sacrificed so much, the Ant King gravely wounded the very essence of the world's origins, obliterating any vestige of future advancement. The birth of exceptional beings became an unattainable dream!
In a matter of fleeting seconds, hundreds of millions of voracious ants perished, their formidable souls intermittently converging within the Ant King, accompanied by ephemeral glimpses of arcane sigils.
The Ant King's intricate form mended entirely, undergoing a metamorphosis infused with the crimson essence of blood, as the primal forces of the world surged into him, bequeathing absolute dominion over the entire realm!
Resonant cracks echoed incessantly!
Struggling to contain the overwhelming might coursing through his being, the Ant King's body convulsed involuntarily, unable to contain the surging power. His demonic blood-red eyes remained locked upon his towering adversary with unwavering focus. The blood-red divine fire, nestled between his brows, continued its frenzied and mesmerizing dance.
And in a cataclysmic moment, everything changed!
The ground beneath the Ant King's feet crumbled under the strain, unleashing scorching magma from the subterranean depths, instantly swallowing the Ant King!
In that moment, no trace remained, no resounding boom or echo.
As if traversing the temporal and rending the very fabric of reality, the Ant King reemerged before Jiang Ping's eyes, wielding a spear drenched in crimson fire!
"This strike shall be an oblation to the heavens! An oblation to the earth! An oblation to kin! An oblation of self!"
A voice brimming with murderous intent reverberated in Jiang Ping's ears.
At long last, Jiang Ping's composure faltered. In his gaze, the figure of the Ant King dissipated, leaving behind the unsettling realization of the Ant King's merciless resolve.
To eradicate him, the Ant King spared no expense, sacrificing not only the heavens and the earth, but also his own kin and even himself!
Undoubtedly, the Ant King harbored no desire for swift demise. For with the fall of the a God of Creation, fortunes awaited at the mere flourish of his hand.
Driven by an insatiable thirst for power, the Ant King yearned to reclaim his true form, plotting to usurp the very body of the supreme creator deity and ascend to the unrivaled throne of the world's ultimate god!
Spatial ruptures erupted with alarming frequency, unleashing tumultuous currents of chaotic energy, while the very ground trembled and crumbled beneath the weight of devastation.
Cracks!
Countless volcanoes erupted in unison, spewing forth torrents of molten magma, engulfing the surroundings in a fiery red deluge.
Astonishing!
Monstrous tsunamis crashed upon the continents, reducing them to feeble vessels tossed about in a sea of darkness, swiftly consumed by its watery depths!
Snap!
Fractures appeared in the barriers of the realm, allowing the chaotic forces of the outside world to surge forth and begin their assimilation of the entire primordial domain!
The strike of the ant king shook the foundations of the world, casting the sun and moon into insignificance!
The entire world descended into apocalyptic turmoil, teetering on the precipice of returning to primordial chaos!
Annihilate!
In a swift and dramatic departure, the figure of the Ant King vanished entirely from the realm of heavens and earth, leaving behind naught but a blood-red spear of divine annihilation hurtling with relentless velocity toward the brow of the Creator! This assault resembled a crimson comet descending from the heavens, destined to make an indelible mark upon the earth.
Carving an unyielding path across the celestial canvas, the spear's gleaming tip took aim with unwavering precision at the god's glabella!
Brush!
Jiang Ping's countenance grew solemn, his expression marked by gravity, as he extended two fingers to delicately clasp the blood-stained spear firmly lodged between his brows.
This strike was akin to a swift gazelle displaying its horns or a mighty elephant crossing a treacherous river—seemingly ordinary yet imbued with exquisite grace.
It appeared as the most unremarkable and commonplace maneuver, yet it halted the advance of the blood-stained spear, preventing it from progressing even an inch!
"How... How is this possible?"
The shocked roar of the ant king reverberated from the spear. With just two fingers, Jiang Ping nullified the strike that the ant king had staked his life on.
"Well done," Jiang Ping remarked, casting judgment on the Ant King's desperate gambit. He had merely toyed with his opponent thus far, but even a slight display of genuine effort could plunge the Ant King into despair.
Nevertheless, it was truly no small feat to compel Jiang Ping to assume a serious demeanor with this attack!
"How can this be!"
Thunderous roars of disbelief resounded throughout the heavens and earth, causing the blood-colored spear to surge once more!
Zizzle!
The entire spear transformed into a drill-like bit, relentlessly assaulting Jiang Ping, seeking to break free from the restraint of his two fingers!
Die, die!
Jiang Ping keenly sensed the spear's murderous intent. Not only had the spear expanded to a towering height of a thousand feet, but its blood-red hue deepened, growing ever more scarlet!
Jiang Ping could even discern the scent of blood wafting from it.
A succession of ebony runes materialized upon the scarlet spear, interweaving to form the very essence of the Ant King's being!
The ant spear and the blood-red fire of the ant king converged as one!
The ant king refused to accept defeat!
Even if his body was fragile, he intended to exact a hefty price from the supreme god!
"It ends now," Jiang Ping declared calmly, relinquishing his grip on the god-killing spear with his two fingers. The Ant King exulted, fixing his gaze upon the Creator God's brow with the spear of divine annihilation!
A strike capable of sundering the world itself, enough to obliterate a soul!
However, what greeted the Ant King's consciousness was an enormous pillar resembling Optimus Prime!
Jiang Ping's divine form seemed to grow even mightier, surpassing the capacity of the colossal primordial realm. He extended an index finger and ruthlessly collided with the god-killing spear!
Dimensional compression impact!
The heavens were rent asunder, the earth cleaved in two, and the very fabric of the original world appeared to splinter beneath the weight of his finger!
The murderous spear momentarily halted.
Collapse!
A cataclysmic explosion ensued, shattering the scarlet spear with a single finger. Gradually, the blood hue faded from its tip, transforming into a silvery sheen before dissolving into innumerable wisps of dust, carried away by the wind. The towering figure of the ant king re-emerged, gazing upon a world that could no longer contain his presence. He couldn't help but burst into laughter, his immense stature barely containing his glee.
"So, I was no more than a joke! Hahaha!"
His laughter reverberated across the realm, while the remnants of the devouring ants, gathered at the altar, staring in bewildered awe at the unrivaled king before them.
Reluctantly casting a final glance at his loyal brethren, the towering figure of the Ant King began to disintegrate, fragmenting into myriad luminous particles that vanished forever from the world.
Born to wage war, destined to perish in battle.
The sovereign who forged innumerable legends and defied the boundaries of possibility met his demise in a fierce clash, his adversary wresting his life from his grasp.
All his strategies, the strike that could annihilate the world itself with the culmination of a lifetime's strength, proved futile against the might of a true god.
In the moments before his dissipation, the Ant King's thoughts involuntarily turned to Gai Feng from a thousand years past. Was his demise a result of holding back then, forever burdened by this regret?
Jiang Ping diminished his form, reappearing within the primordial world, gazing down upon the chaos below.
A blood-soaked panorama unfolded before his eyes, with the earth convulsing and tsunamis unleashing their wrath.
The atmosphere reeked of death, the barriers of the world breached repeatedly, as the relentless chaos from beyond encroached upon the realm.
"King! Why have you forsaken us like this?"
The surviving Ant Queen wailed, desperately pursuing the fading specks of light across the heavens, striving to salvage even a sliver of the life of this unparalleled demon king.
The severely wounded Ant soldiers writhed in agony. Each of them had slain millions of creatures and obliterated countless races in the Great War, yet now they wept like forsaken cubs.
Some defiant Ant soldiers even raised their weapons and launched an attack against Jiang Ping.
The Ant King's prestige loomed too large, for within the hearts of the devouring ants, he eclipsed even the creator!
Jiang Ping raised his foot with ease and, with a resounding snap, crushed the insolent insurgent who had dared provoke him.
Tens of millions of devouring ants remained, each one among their elite ranks, having survived the cataclysm that ravaged the heavens and earth.
Especially the hundreds of queen ants, as long as they endured and possessed the necessary resources, another generation of devouring ants would arise within a hundred years.
In truth, these creatures were the sole remnants of the primordial world, having exterminated and consumed all other life forms within their dominion!
The devouring ants regarded the God of Creation with trepidation and reverence, eschewing any foolish provocations.
As the ant queens bowed their heads, one after another, kneeling in submission, the ant soldiers followed suit, imploring for mercy.
Jiang Ping cast a cursory glance at the devouring ants beneath his feet.
"Every being must ultimately answer for its actions!"