Chapter 1378: Xuanhuang Treasure Tower

The moment the Purple霄 Palace appeared in the palm of Chen Mobai's right hand, the entire void of the Tianyang System began to tremble.

Dark Vortex's expression drastically changed. He felt an irresistible force of the Grand Dao surge from all directions, not only solidifying every space he could perceive but also causing the dense and pure Grand Dao of Darkness within him to continuously dissipate. This was because the Grand Dao of Light, being a lower-ranked Grand Dao to the Grand Dao of Saintly Virtue, perfectly countered the Grand Dao of Darkness. Therefore, as the Purple霄 Palace descended, Dark Vortex couldn't even activate his own Grand Dao to desperately fight back.

"Impossible! How could the Purple霄 Palace recognize you as its master!"

With his Natal Grand Dao suppressed and restrained, Dark Vortex could only frantically activate his Eye of Annihilation. Grayish-white divine light continuously bombarded the surrounding void, attempting to tear open an escape route. However, his destructive divine light, which had always been invincible, vanished like a mud ox entering the sea when it met the purifying light of Saintly Virtue, failing to cause even a ripple.

Chen Mobai's expression remained calm as he slowly pressed his right hand downwards. The Purple霄 Palace descended with it, appearing slow but moving as fast as lightning. In an instant, the boundless purifying light of Saintly Virtue suppressed the Eye of Annihilation, which Chen Mobai then collected. At the same time, the Purple霄 Palace, its momentum undiminished, slammed down towards Dark Vortex. This was none other than the renowned Lingzun Palace.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, the Lingzun Palace, radiating boundless golden light, slammed heavily onto the boundless golden halo of the Xuanhuang Pagoda. Dozens of stars in the Tianyang system, including the seventy or so closest to the Diyuan Star, erupted in their final fireworks at that moment, transforming into cosmic dust in the aftermath of the clash between these two great supreme treasures.

Elder Changchun's Rank-Eight divine sense was powerless against Zixiao's destructive methods.

Just before Dark Vortex's death, Deqingguang (Chen Mobai) perceived that the surrounding void was unexpectedly expanding and spreading. It was at this moment that a colossal palace flew from Diyuan Star and landed not far away. Meanwhile, Dark Vortex, who had bought himself a little time using his Natal Artifact, also noticed that the previously sealed void around him had unexpectedly cleared up somewhat amidst the clash of the two supreme treasures.

After Gan Rong recovered his senses, he politely asked Deqingguang, pointing to the ashen-faced Elder Changchun nearby.

Realizing that his Eye of Annihilation had completely lost connection with him, Dark Vortex gritted his teeth, opened his Dharma Realm, and solemnly took out a segment of a broken pagoda. It was not complete, merely the tip of the pagoda. This was the supreme treasure passed down from the Withered Glory Dao Field, the Xuanhuang Pagoda. The Grand Dao of Darkness enshrined within it, just as it was about to erupt, was suppressed by the surging Saintly Virtue power of Chen Mobai, causing no ripples.

Dark Vortex looked up and saw Deqingguang standing in the cosmos, one hand seemingly supporting the Lingzun Palace to suppress the Xuanhuang Pagoda, while his other hand's fingers hung down, silver light like chains at their tips, sealing the void. The Xuanhuang Pagoda, upon encountering Chen Mobai, seemed to awaken from slumber. With its tip as the center, it emanated ring after ring of endless golden halos, which split the universe in two. Above was the boundless light of the Lingzun Palace, while below, Dark Vortex was protected by the pagoda.

He had originally thought this battle could be easily handled, but at that moment, his expression became slightly serious, and he began to take it seriously. Even at this point, Dark Vortex still didn't believe that Deqingguang was a disciple of Lingzun Dao Venerable, but rather a direct lineage descendant of one of the Pure Yang Grand Powers from Lingzun Palace.

"Impossible! How could the Purple霄 Palace recognize you as its master!"

Without any hesitation, he directly abandoned his heavily injured and shattered physical body. His primordial spirit, suppressed by the power of the Grand Dao, sought to escape the Tianyang System and return to the Xuan Palace.

"Pure Yang, please spare my life! I am willing to atone for my crimes through meritorious service, using my remaining limited life to regulate the earth veins for the Immortal Sect and benefit all living beings..." Elder Changchun immediately cast aside his dignity and humbly begged for mercy.

"Too late!" Deqingguang's icy voice rang out.

Dark Vortex activated his lifelong cultivation. His four thousand years of Dao attainment erupted at that moment, and the black and white flag flapped loudly as he employed a secret technique to transfer all the backlash he had suffered onto this Natal Artifact. The Xuanhuang Pagoda had directly withstood the recoil force from the Lingzun Palace, a force that was fundamentally unbearable for a mere Void Refinement cultivator like him.

The silvery void divine chains instantly traversed the distance between Deqingguang and Dark Vortex, firmly binding the latter's primordial spirit, rendering him immobile. Dark Vortex wanted to open his mouth to beg for mercy. But with the Power of Destruction entwining him, he couldn't even open his mouth.

"It seems I haven't introduced myself yet. Since you have received Senior Brother Mercy's legacy, I will let you die knowing who I am."

"Deqingguang of the Lingzun Palace."

"My word is absolute: if I say you die today, you will not live to see tomorrow."

Following this, Dark Vortex's mournful screams echoed through the starry sky as his physical body began to crack inch by inch. With a bang, his Purple Mansion and Sea of Consciousness shattered first, his head exploded, and then his entire body split into countless pieces, turning into clumps of blood mist under the power of Killing Karma. Ultimately, consumed by a faint white light, his primordial spirit along with his Grand Dao were utterly annihilated into nothingness.

"Destruction..."

Feeling that death had already descended upon him, Dark Vortex stared fixedly at Deqingguang, desperate to know the answer.

Deqingguang had nothing to hide from Zixiao and told her that he was now the master of the Lingzun Palace. "Before my cultivation was complete, I dared not claim to be a disciple of the Lingzun Palace. Only after stepping into the Grand Dao of Saintly Virtue did I gain recognition from that Innate Supreme Treasure and refine it..."

Amidst the whistling golden wind, Zixiao had already landed beside Deqingguang. She looked at the Lingzun Palace and the Xuanhuang Pagoda suppressed by it, her face filled with shock. Coming from a prominent background herself, she naturally understood the significance of an Innate Supreme Treasure. Those were the strongest Dharma artifacts in this universe; even if not as potent as true Pure Yang Grand Powers themselves, any single one was comparable to a True Immortal Dao Lord.

"Oh!" Zixiao was utterly dumbfounded: "An Innate... Supreme Treasure!!!"

This was the sacred land for imparting the Dao, belonging to Lingzun Dao Venerable, a transcender. Qianxing and the others stood in the square in front of the grand hall, all looking at Deqingguang with faces full of awe. The onlookers had initially expected a fierce battle between Deqingguang and Dark Vortex. Yet, they never expected Deqingguang to effortlessly suppress and kill a peak Void Refinement expert with a mere wave of his hand.

Deqingguang naturally recognized the Xuanhuang Pagoda, recalling how in the Lingzun Palace, Senior Brother Mercy had maintained classroom discipline with a sword and a pagoda, an awe-inspiring presence that silenced many Dao Lords.

"Pure Yang, how should we handle this one?"

"After all, he contributed to the establishment of the Immortal Sect and participated in the pioneering wars. Let's give him a chance to atone."

Upon hearing Deqingguang's words, Wenren Xuewei's expression was complicated. She accepted with a solemn expression. She hadn't truly wanted it, knowing that after Elder Changchun's death, the suspicion of the other eight branches of the Immortal Sect towards the Jumang Daoist Academy would instead reach its peak. However, Deqingguang's action demonstrated his support for her. Compared to the Yellow Central Plum seed, that show of support moved Wenren Xuewei even more.

Deqingguang's expression was slightly solemn, unsure how his Lingzun Palace would fare in its first battle against Senior Brother Mercy's Xuanhuang Pagoda.

As Deqingguang spoke, he activated his void divine chains to retrieve what Dark Vortex had left behind. He quickly sensed a familiar power—it was precisely Zixiao's Northern Darkness Dharma Realm. Previously, Zixiao had also wondered how Gan Rongqing had found this place, and why the Grand Void Measuring Heaven Ruler had intervened to protect her when they encountered the Jellyfish Palace's Primeval Water Control Flag. The joy of recovering what had been lost filled her with profound emotion. She had originally thought she would never be able to retrieve that Dharma Realm in her entire life.

"Many thanks for the bestowal, Senior Brother Pure Yang!"

"Since you hold the Immortal Sect in your heart, the Immortal Sect will naturally not disappoint you. Take this and refine it; it will help you perfect your Changchun cultivation method."

The Violet Lightning Sword flew out from the Dharma Realm without any hesitation, instantly piercing through Dark Vortex's primordial spirit, which was already bound by the void divine chains. It was precisely the Violet Lightning Sword. This was also considered one of the gains from this battle. Because the Violet Lightning Sword had killed cleanly, the item was perfectly preserved. Deqingguang recognized it at a glance as a seed of the Yellow Central Plum.

This was useless to Gan Rongqing and Gan Rong, but for the Immortal Sect, it was a foundation for ten thousand generations. He might as well directly condense it into a spiritual vein; that way, it wouldn't count as Deqingguang refining the void and wouldn't consume any quotas. By Dark Vortex's Void Refinement standard, he could at least be transformed into a Rank-8 low-grade spiritual vein.

In the Lingzun Universe, various great Dao Fields had quotas for refining the void into spiritual energy. If Dark Vortex were to return to the void, even if the Tianyang System expanded, it would not be a disadvantage to the Immortal Sect. In the professional terminology of the Grand Void Heavenly Book, this was the process of 'Returning to the Void'. Not only would the corresponding Grand Dao become clearer, but even the cosmic void would subtly expand, as if having enjoyed a rich meal. Every Void Refinement cultivator was a crystallization of the Grand Dao. Thus, when they died, it was a 'return of the Dao to Heaven'.

As the Pure Yang Scroll activated, the previously restrained Lingzun Palace suddenly erupted with boundless light and ten thousand feet of golden radiance. At that moment, all darkness in the entire Tianyang System dissipated, as if a thousand suns had simultaneously bloomed, incomparably brilliant.

Deqingguang naturally recognized the Xuanhuang Pagoda, recalling how in the Lingzun Palace, Senior Brother Mercy had maintained classroom discipline with a sword and a pagoda, an awe-inspiring presence that silenced many Dao Lords. Unexpectedly, Gan Rongqing also possessed one. After all, as fellow successors of Lingzun, they wouldn't stand by and watch their junior brother Deqingguang suffer a disadvantage.

"Truly worthy of being a disciple accepted by the Lingzun Palace."

At that moment, Zixiao recalled the Tianhe Realm, which Deqingguang had said was the Dharma Realm of Grand Void Dao Ancestor from the Central Dao Field. Now it seemed that this was probably orchestrated by Grand Void Dao Ancestor, a Pure Yang Grand Power. Could it be that Bai Guang had known this all along, which is why he acted when Pure Yang was young and unable to resist?

Although the Yuanyang Sword was of a higher rank, when it came to dealing with Void Refinement cultivators who had stepped into the Grand Dao, it was far inferior to the Violet Lightning Sword, which embodied the Power of Destruction. One could only wonder which Dao Ancestor's direct lineage he (Deqingguang) was from.

Having witnessed Dark Vortex being slain with his own eyes, he (Elder Changchun) finally understood what kind of existence he was facing. Even with his four thousand years of cultivation, he had only glimpsed the threshold of Killing Karma and Destruction, yet he had never been able to cross it and sublimate his acquired Grand Dao. And this junior before him had not only stepped into the Innate Grand Dao of Saintly Virtue but had even mastered the Power of Destruction, which he himself had sought but could never attain. Was this not the disparity in talent? After understanding everything, Zixiao's gaze towards Deqingguang, this senior, suddenly held a trace of respect.

However, Zixiao's Innate Killing Karma Power had only just begun to manifest and was not yet particularly strong. Thus, after Elder Changchun's death, a golden-yellow seed remained.

Gan Rongqing's mind stirred. He used void divine chains to halt Dark Vortex's process of returning his Dao to heaven.

Finally, Deqingguang looked at the Xuanhuang Pagoda, which was suppressed by the Lingzun Palace. The Immortal Sect members, though they understood the situation, were also surprised as they watched the clash of the two supreme treasures in the cosmic starry sky. Amidst cracking sounds, the peak Rank-8 flag snapped and its surface was torn, completely broken.

It was precisely the Immortal Sect's Lingxiao Treasure Hall. Although the battle had not yet ceased, with Grand Dao power surging and the void exhibiting anomalies, only with the protection of that Rank-8 Dharma artifact could the Immortal Sect members approach.

Of course, this was primarily because the Grand Dao of Darkness, which Dark Vortex had cultivated his entire life, had already been dismantled by the Lingzun Palace.