Chapter 489: The Ancestor Is Injured

Below the Demon Marshal, the Ancestor looked grave, his silver-white long sword moving swiftly in his hands. As the sword energy spread, it formed a silver curtain resembling a shield, which instantly expanded to over ten zhang in size before floating upward.
The two sides were on the verge of colliding—spear against shield. Whether the spear was sharper or the shield stronger remained to be seen, leaving everyone on edge once again!
This was a clash between spear and shield—the Ancestor was the strongest shield, while the Demon Marshal was the sharpest spear.
Rod and the others had even more complex expressions. Different from those in the distance, they had their own judgment. It was clear that the Ancestor was already at a disadvantage in this battle; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been forced into such a desperate defensive position.
After all, in a fight between strong opponents, it’s always the sharpest attack against the sharpest attack. If one side starts to defend, it means they can no longer withstand the opponent’s attacks and have fallen behind.
There is no perfect defense in this world. As long as you’re on defense, there will always be gaps. Even the best defenses will eventually have flaws—it’s just a matter of time.
Attack, on the other hand, is the best form of defense and also the most effective way to fight. Watching the scene unfold, Rod, Andrews, and the others couldn’t help but worry deeply for the Ancestor, their gazes toward the Demon Marshal growing increasingly complicated.
Had he truly reached such a level of strength? Was he really that terrifying? If so, if the Ancestor really failed, who else could stop him?
At that moment, Rod seemed to understand why this guy dared to appear here so confidently. He knew full well that this meeting was aimed at him, yet he still showed up—perhaps because he already possessed enough strength to dominate the world. With no worthy opponents, he decided to take risks.
Demons are naturally like this, just like demon generals—they are unrestrained, straightforward, seeking thrills, and obsessed with opponents. Opponents are more important than life itself.
So, Rod couldn’t help but feel a hint of admiration for such people. They were far better than those hypocrites. At least they weren’t two-faced and annoying like hypocrites.

“Boom… boom…” A massive explosion sound rang out, deafening! The spear and the shield finally collided in such a scene.
Flames erupted everywhere, and an intensely blinding light began to spread from the point of impact, rapidly covering the entire town! Everyone couldn’t help but close their eyes—the intense light left them in brief confusion.
Creak… A sharp sound came, followed by dull cracking noises!
The ground began to shake, causing Rod and the others to worry. Moments later, centered around the Ancestor, cracks spread in all directions like a spider web, reaching hundreds of meters in an instant.
The ground started collapsing with a roaring sound, while the spear and the shield continued their fierce clash for a long time.
Sharp screeching sounds kept coming from the collision of the two weapons, making people’s skin prickle and their teeth feel weak.
“Break through!” A loud voice rang out as the Demon General exerted all his strength! Instantly, his long sword seemed to gain new power, shining brightly once again as it spread in all directions.
Boom… It was as if the universe had exploded—a huge roar echoed. The shield formed from energy finally couldn’t bear the pressure; it shattered with a crisp sound during this collision, turning into fragments.
His body was flung away, leaving behind a gorgeous trail of blood in the air, extremely vivid.
“Ancestor!” Rod and the others couldn’t help but exclaim in shock. The Ancestor had been flung away—during this clash between the spear and the shield, his shield ultimately lost, and the spear emerged victorious.
Yet even so, it seemed the Demon General was also suffering. A trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth, his veins bulged on his head, giving him an indescribably fierce appearance. His eyes turned blood red, and a visible dark-red aura surrounded him, resembling combat energy—this was demonic energy. The unique demonic energy of the Demonic Clan, appearing only when one reaches their peak strength.
It seemed he too had suffered a significant shock from this battle. Now, he stood still in place, holding his sword in one hand without pursuing the Ancestor, instead panting heavily.
Everyone widened their eyes—had the Ancestor failed? He had been flung away? Had he lost?

These thoughts spread and proliferated in everyone’s minds in an instant! Panic ensued—if the Ancestor failed, who else in this world could stop the Demon Marshal? No one dared imagine such consequences.
Boom… A dull sound came as the Ancestor’s body crashed through eleven trees before finally stabilizing.
Blood kept flowing from the corner of his mouth; his face was pale, and he gasped for breath. Using his long sword to support himself, he stood up and stared at the Demon Marshal with a grave expression.
“You’re done!” The Demon Marshal faced the Ancestor’s gaze calmly and said with a sinister smile.
“If you don’t want to die, send someone else!” Though these words seemed arrogant, it seemed to be the truth.
After a long and intense battle, the Ancestor had exhausted much of his combat energy. Coupled with his severe injuries, continuing to fight would only lead to death. It seemed his injuries exceeded everyone’s imagination—his internal organs must have suffered fatal damage.
“Ancestor!” Rod and the others quickly gathered around, protecting him tightly and calling out worriedly.
The two warriors seemed evenly matched, but who could have imagined such a huge gap after the fight?
“Cough… cough… I… it seems I can’t go on anymore!” The Ancestor didn’t force himself and said with a bitter smile.
He knew his own body best—whether he could continue was uncertain. Even if he forced himself, it would only be self-destruction.
“How are you?” Rod asked sternly.
“My internal organs are displaced; I’ve suffered serious injuries!” With a sigh, the Ancestor replied helplessly.
These words silenced everyone. Now that the Ancestor had failed at this critical moment, who could take his place? They had thought the Ancestor would surely succeed if he stepped in—who could have predicted such an outcome?
“What’s going on?” The Wolf King asked, puzzled.
The two warriors were nearly equal in strength, but from the earlier battle, it seemed the Ancestor wasn’t even on the same level as his opponent. Could it be that the opponent had reached the Xuanhuang realm? The true Xuanhuang realm? If that were the case… no one dared imagine it.
“You all know about the curse upon our troll race—trolls can never reach the Xuanhuang realm! That was the curse from back then!”

Since then, none of our troll clan has produced a warrior who has reached the Xuanhuang realm. Even if someone does manage to reach it, they end up either dead or severely injured. The same goes for those at the quasi-Xuanhuang realm. So it seems the Ancestor has reached the quasi-Xuanhuang realm, but his power still remains at the peak of the later stage of the Yangxuan realm—just very close to the quasi-Xuanhuang level!” Seeing everyone’s confusion, Andrews said helplessly.

With such strength, an ordinary quasi-Xuanhuang warrior wouldn’t be a match for the Ancestor. But this time, they were facing the Demon Marshal—a supremely powerful figure who was once a master of the Xuanhuang realm.

Everyone fell silent. If that was the case, what more could be said?

“Rod, you go. Only you can fight him. None of the others can!” After a moment of silence, the Ancestor spoke in a deep voice.

All eyes turned to Rod, filled with concern.

“In the battle just now, this guy must have used up at least four layers of his combat energy. You just need to buy time. When his combat energy is almost depleted, that’s when we’ll win. There’s no need to fight head-on! You’re no match for him. Also, don’t use your divine essence until you’re sure of victory. You can’t trap him. If your divine essence is shattered, you…” The Ancestor didn’t finish, only looking at Rod worriedly.

The divine essence was now closely tied to their lives. The consequences of its destruction were dire—immediate death at worst, severe injuries at best, and no further progress possible. This was a fatal blow for warriors.

“I know!” Rod took a deep breath and spoke firmly.

“What, no one to fight? If you don’t mind, I’ll leave first!” Seeing no one step forward, the Demon Marshal smirked disdainfully. Among those present, only the Ancestor was worth his attention. He didn’t even consider Rod seriously—the gap between the two was simply too vast.

Those behind grew anxious. Was the Demon Marshal really going to leave like this? If given more time to recover, the consequences would be unimaginable. He’d become truly invincible. Would such a great opportunity be lost?

Everyone watched him resentfully, worried about the Ancestor, Rod, and the others. They wanted to help but were powerless. If they went up, they wouldn’t stand a chance. What could they do? They could only watch helplessly.

“Heh heh, it seems you’re really desperate. That’s good too. My Heavenly Demon Army won’t have to fight a big battle when it returns!” With a smirk, the Demon Marshal turned to leave.

Everyone clenched their fists, but couldn’t say a word—who could stop his progress? Who could halt his momentum?