Chapter 1023: Mountain Divides Two Realms, Nothing Can Pass

The ocean's whirlpools were multiplying and intensifying. The world was clearly expanding, not merely growing, akin to a terrifying current that relentlessly battered and tore apart the seafloor. Dragons and many other aquatic beings were like small leaves caught in this torrent, bewildered by the world's rapid expansion and swept away by the surging flow.

The intensity of this tremor instantly reverberated across the land and sky. Even on Fangtai Island, the furthest point from where Fusang had fallen, everyone could feel the world shaking, and their minds were filled with a sense of disorientation and ominous premonition.

The sensation was particularly acute for those in the Southern and Black Desolations, the two largest battlefields where the majority of the world's experts had converged.

Both demons and righteous cultivators subconsciously slowed their pace.

At the Celestial Mechanism Array in the Southern Desolation, Ju Yuanzi and the immortal cultivators from Changjian Mountain, who had just returned for a brief rest, along with Rong Yun and other experts still enveloped in demonic energy and flames, all turned their gaze northeast. Some demons did the same.

"What's happening, Daoist Xuanjizi?"

"This is... the Desolate Realm..."

Xuanjizi, who was controlling the Celestial Mechanism Wheel, looked aghast. He gazed up at the wheel, its brilliant light spreading in waves, revealing the movements of the world's spiritual energy within its glow. The cosmic order, already in disarray, was now being violently impacted by a surging current from the Desolate Realm, making the entire world appear to tremble incessantly.

At Mount Heng, its mountain god let out a pained cry, almost a roar.

"Ah—"

The divine power permeating Mount Heng instantly withered. The tremors, however, grew increasingly distinct, and all the mountain spirits and goblins within the peaks displayed alarm. Fortunately, Old Ox and Lu Shan Jun remained remarkably valiant, not even momentarily distracted by the world's convulsion. Instead, they seized the opportunity to ruthlessly slaughter demons. Lu Shan Jun, in particular, opened his maw and devoured a significant number of nearby demonic creatures.

"Old Lu, do you know what's happening?"

"The world might have fractured, or perhaps the ancient Desolate Realm is returning."

Old Ox, trailing a hurricane, galloped wildly beyond the mountain. Wherever he passed, he simply used his massive body to crash into and kill countless demons and monsters, all while fighting and simultaneously communicating with Lu Shan Jun.

"What will happen? Explain it more clearly."

"Nothing much. The Desolate Realm is back, but the evil creatures within won't return. Master will have arrangements. We just need to eliminate the demons and monsters before us!"

"Hahahaha, good! Old Ox prefers simple and direct!"

High above Yunzhou, the phoenix Xihuang, who had managed to fly all the way there, suddenly lost all her strength.

"Hoh..."

Xihuang swayed, then plummeted from the sky, landing with a "thud" into the Chunmu River. People by the riverside, who hadn't seen Xihuang fall from above, only heard the splash and saw the disturbance as something sank beneath the surface, quickly shouted for help.

"Someone fell into the water—!" "Quick, save them!"

However, there were no boats in this section of the river at the moment, and the Chunmu River was high and turbulent, making a rescue attempt extremely difficult.

Nevertheless, a streak of green darted through the river, quickly supporting the descending Xihuang from the riverbed. In the eyes of the large green fish, this woman who had fallen into the water was peculiar; she showed no signs of the pain or oxygen deprivation typically associated with drowning, merely a profound weakness.

Xihuang opened her eyes slightly, a flicker of phoenix fire still visible within them. She could sense that while the green fish's cultivation wasn't deep, its aura was undoubtedly extraordinary; such a profound Dao presence was far beyond what an ordinary demon cultivator could possess.

"Do you know Mr. Ji? Do you know where the spiritual root is? Take me... there..."

Upon hearing the woman mention "Mr. Ji," the large green fish perked up. It realized it couldn't simply take the woman to shore and decided to seek out Old Tortoise, believing he would have a solution. However, by the time Old Tortoise saw the large green fish, the woman on its back was entirely enveloped in a red halo, appearing indistinct as if about to dissipate. Within this halo, a phoenix was gracefully soaring.

Witnessing this scene, Old Tortoise instantly realized the urgency and swiftly guided the large green fish towards Ning'an County. He mistakenly believed the phoenix sought the spiritual root to prolong her life, when in fact, the opposite was true.

In the depths of the Black Desolation, Ji Yuan stood atop a tall mountain, naturally sensing the world's tremor. He had waited there for a long time, having slain countless demons, yet Yue Cang and the others had still not appeared. Perhaps they were waiting for this precise moment.

However, if they believed this moment would allow their true spirits to merge with their true bodies and then launch an attack, they were gravely mistaken.

Ji Yuan merely stood on the mountain peak, not even glancing back towards the northeast. He calmly uttered a decree, and his voice, upon leaving his lips, instantly transformed into a thunderous roar that resonated across the heavens and earth. Only in the reverberations of the thunder could Ji Yuan's words be discerned.

"By decree, Huang Xingye is hereby appointed as the True God of Mount Wuliang; swiftly sever the two realms."

Boom—!

In the ears of some, Ji Yuan's voice even drowned out the current tremors shaking the world. Originating from the depths of the Black Desolation, it disregarded geographical limitations, instantly spreading across the land and reaching Mount Wuliang.

At this very moment, Shi Jiu had only recently returned to Mount Wuliang and was being severely reprimanded by Song Lun. However, given their past as master and disciple, despite the harsh words, Shi Jiu was not immediately expelled.

Upon returning to Mount Wuliang, Shi Jiu's heart immediately settled. While the outside world was trembling violently, here at Wuliang Mountain, he could only faintly perceive it, and the ground felt incredibly solid, as if the world's convulsions were merely illusions.

Being reprimanded or even struck forcefully was irrelevant to him; with the world in such turmoil, Shi Jiu was merely relieved to be safely hidden on Mount Wuliang. He continuously affirmed "yes" to Song Lun and expressed remorse, all while observing the situation on Mount Wuliang. He also noticed Zuo Wuji seated cross-legged on a distant peak and Jin Jia standing tall like an ancient pine.

"Uh, Master... that's Mr. Ji's Guardian General, isn't it? And who is that warrior beside him? His aura is remarkably unique!"

"Silence! I am not your master!"

Song Lun cursed angrily, then glanced back at the quietly seated Zuo Wuji.

"That is the Martial Saint."

'The Martial Saint, Zuo Wuji? Why is he on Mount Wuliang? He should be on the front lines of the two Desolations, or perhaps roaming the world to purge demons!'

Shi Jiu was stunned. 'Is Zuo Wuji a coward? That's impossible...'

It was at this very moment that Ji Yuan's voice echoed through Mount Wuliang.

"By decree, Huang Xingye is hereby appointed as the True God of Mount Wuliang; swiftly sever the two realms."

Huang Xingye materialized out of thin air at the summit of Mount Wuliang's highest peak, cupped his hands, and bowed to the sky.

"Huang Xingye, I accept the decree!"

A profound yellow light descended from the Heavenly Realm, piercing through the ocean and the Wuliang Mountain Suspended Magnet Array, settling upon Huang Xingye. In that instant, his divine light intensified dramatically; golden threads emerged from within the glow, ultimately forming a resplendent robe woven from golden silk. Divine light converged above his head, manifesting into a tall crown, and a golden seal and jade scroll appeared in his hands. The entirety of Mount Wuliang became inextricably linked to Huang Xingye.

"Daoist Zhong, Divine Monarch Qin, let us proceed to sever the two realms."

"Let's go!" "The time is now!"

Huang Xingye's spiritual power and divine light surged explosively, permeating the entirety of Mount Wuliang. Zhong Pingxiu and Qin Zizhou combined their efforts to cast spells, directly disabling the Two Poles Suspended Magnet Array.

At that instant, the gravity throughout Mount Wuliang intensified dramatically. Both Mo Yu and Li Feng felt a sudden, profound heaviness, as if they had suddenly been burdened with a dozen large sacks. They nearly stumbled and fell.

But in the next moment, the Mountain of Two Realms astonishingly lifted from the ground and hovered, and then, in the blink of an eye, it vanished into the sea.

At the site where the Fusang tree had collapsed, the world's primordial energy had turned chaotic, creating a sense of spatial and temporal distortion. Within the Desolate Realm, fervent roars erupted. Beings clinging to existence with death qi awakened from their ancient slumber. They could all sense that aura – the aura of breaking free from their shackles. Some fierce beasts had already begun charging towards the distant light.

At this moment, Mount Wuliang appeared out of thin air in the sky, eclipsing the light, and then descended with unparalleled might.

Boom—!

Less than an hour after the tremor caused by the Fusang tree breaking through the world's barrier, another vibration emanated from the same location, spreading outwards. This particular tremor wasn't detectable everywhere in the world, but Ji Yuan could feel it, as could Yue Cang and his companions.

Concurrently, Qin Zizhou, positioned towards the rear of Mount Wuliang, continuously channeled starlight and profound yellow energy from the Heavenly Realm into the mountain. Zhong Pingxiu and Huang Xingye jointly stabilized the mountain's formation. Mount Wuliang appeared to extend infinitely within the starlight's shadows, and though it was a mountain, it acted as an impenetrable barrier, directly severing the two realms and becoming, in truth, the Mountain of Two Worlds.

Mount Wuliang's formidable presence transformed into an insurmountable iron wall, preventing the fierce and demonic beasts that first charged towards its base from even drawing near. The closer they approached, the greater the resistance, ultimately rendering them unable to take a single step towards the Mountain of Two Worlds. They could only roar ceaselessly at the mountain and the light beyond it.

On Mount Wuliang, Zhong Pingxiu, Qin Zizhou, and Huang Xingye gathered together, their spiritual eyes observing the terrifying aura emanating from the Desolate Realm. Even with prior preparations, they were still deeply affected.

"It's fortunate that Mount Wuliang is here; otherwise, if these creatures were to surge through, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

"Exactly. Originally, Mount Wuliang might have had some vulnerabilities, but Mr. Ji had long ago established the Heavenly Realm, using the various earthly regions as mirrored star positions, harnessing the power of the world's terrain to collectively reinforce Mount Wuliang. It's not just that they can't cross over to this side of the world; even attempting to ascend the mountain is a fool's errand!"

Shi Jiu and Song Lun were on a nearby hilltop and could overhear the conversation of the three esteemed experts. This eased Shi Jiu's recently heightened anxiety; though his position seemed less than ideal, Mount Wuliang was indeed the safest place. He then looked towards Zuo Wuji, noticing that while Jin Jia was gazing into the distance, Zuo Wuji remained seated cross-legged with his eyes closed. His aura was even growing weaker, making him appear like an ordinary mortal, utterly unresponsive to the outside world.

"Master, why is the Martial Saint showing no reaction?"

To Shi Jiu, Zuo Wuji, in terms of age, was barely more than a child. Yet, facing Zuo Wuji now, even with the latter displaying no aura whatsoever and appearing like an ordinary mortal, Shi Jiu found himself filled with increasing reverence, vaguely reminded of how he felt in the presence of Ji Yuan.

Song Lun's expression was equally solemn. He knew that the three esteemed experts, including his own master, though conversing with apparent ease, were all keeping a close watch on Zuo Wuji.

"The Martial Saint, he is gathering his strength..."

In the depths of the Black Desolation, Ji Yuan stood atop the high mountain. He took out his brocade pouch. When the little paper crane tried to emerge, he gently pressed it back inside, then tossed the pouch backward, watching it shoot away like lightning and vanish into the horizon.

"Still not revealing yourselves? As long as I, Ji, am here, Mount Wuliang will forever block the two realms. Those nefarious beings permeated with death energy cannot ascend this mountain, and there is no second Fusang tree left to fall."

Ji Yuan's voice carried outwards, but this time it neither employed the resonant Dao sound nor spread to all corners of the world.

A shadow first appeared above Ji Yuan's head. Unnoticed, a mass of dark clouds had gathered overhead, followed by strong winds from the south, and then the thousand-mile swamp began to boil.

"Yue Cang, it seems there's no way we can retrieve our true bodies before fighting Ji Yuan!"

"Mr. Ji is profoundly far-sighted; he naturally would have anticipated our intentions. This was merely an attempt."

"Hahahahaha, then what more is there to say? He no longer has much profound yellow energy to protect him, and his injuries haven't healed. Now is the time to act."

Yue Cang, Yayu, Fierce Demon, Xiangliu, and Hou appeared respectively in the sky and from distant directions. These were not illusory forms, but their true bodies, imbued with potent spiritual aura. For this moment, to confront Ji Yuan, they would likewise commit fully, holding nothing back.

"Ji Yuan, your cultivation is indeed slightly superior to ours, but excessive arrogance is the path to self-destruction. We have already prepared a gift for you!"

After Xiangliu spoke, Fierce Demon sneered and immediately transformed into a shadow, charging towards Ji Yuan.

"The Zhongyuan Four Directions Malignant Array has been invoked solely for you, Mr. Ji!"

"Hahaha, what a pity those righteous cultivators didn't charge in with them; otherwise, it would have been better to eliminate them all at once!"

"Enough talk, this is already sufficient. Activate the array!"

The five great formidable beings coalesced into their array, yet Ji Yuan stood on the mountain seemingly unperturbed. While this instilled a degree of doubt in the five, the situation had reached a point of no return. Before absolute power, all schemes and tricks are hollow, and Ji Yuan would be no exception.

Twisted demonic light and energy instantly obliterated everything within a thousand-mile radius, severing the outside world. The five positioned their array, enclosing Ji Yuan within it. In that very instant, Ji Yuan even found his breathing becoming somewhat constricted. He had established his Dao with a balanced and pure essence, and ordinarily, his Dao suppressed all defilement, but now, it seemed the roles were reversed.

"Finally, I can come out. It seems they truly didn't know I was here?"

As Xie Zhi's voice rang out, the scroll flew from Ji Yuan's sleeve, transforming into a heroic, burly man.

"Xie Zhi? So that's it."

"Hahahahahaha, so it's Xie Zhi!" "Heheheh..."

Yue Cang and the others suddenly burst into laughter. So Ji Yuan's reliance was Xie Zhi; unfortunately, even with Xie Zhi, he wouldn't be able to turn the tide.