At this moment, Jiyuan let out a long breath, a smile finally appearing on his face.
"I was genuinely afraid before," Jiyuan said. "Afraid that you spineless cowards wouldn't have the courage to face me. Every extra year, day, or even moment of delay would be a disaster for heaven and earth. But thankfully, you've finally arrived."
As Jiyuan spoke, Yue Cang and the others continued their actions. The dark clouds in the sky dissipated, revealing a massive Moon Cang Mirror. Unmanned figures appeared from all sides, and everything around them became severely distorted as streaks of light swirled towards Jiyuan and Xiezhi.
Xiezhi countered with his fists, while Jiyuan swept the lights away with a flick of his sleeve. However, these lights gradually morphed into narrow, living streaks of light and shadow. Yue Cang and the others, stepping on these luminous paths, closed in on Jiyuan and immediately attacked.
The Moon Cang Mirror above possessed an exceptionally strange power. At times, Jiyuan would face a frontal assault, only to find the scene before him distorting the moment he swung his sleeve. While the attack still appeared ahead, a sense of danger would suddenly emerge from behind. He barely managed to block the strike by raising his sword scabbard. Such attacks occurred dozens, even hundreds of times, per breath.
"Jiyuan, stop bluffing. Within this formation, even the starlight from the River of Heaven cannot penetrate. It's delusional to think you can use the power of heaven and earth against us."
"Hmph, you aspire to unilaterally command the Heavenly Dao and govern all creation. Your ambition is vast, but you utterly lack the capability to achieve it!"
"Rumor has it you possess a spiritual root tree. Rest assured, even if we transcend and depart from this realm, we will take that spiritual root with us..."
Yue Cang, appearing somewhat more "benevolent" than the others, addressed Jiyuan, who was still resisting.
"Mr. Ji, you and I are acquainted. Although we cannot be fellow Daoists, there is a connection between us. If heaven and earth are ultimately shattered, I can protect those you cherish when I depart. What do you say?"
Xiezhi, unable to bear it any longer, roared loudly in frustration.
"Roar! This old master is about to vomit! You foul creatures, do you genuinely possess such goodwill? You merely wish to shake Jiyuan's resolve! Keep dreaming!"
"Boom..."
The mountain beneath Jiyuan and Xiezhi disintegrated. Both ascended directly into the sky, continuously maneuvering under the formation's oppressive force while engaging their opponents.
Within the formation, mountains collapsed, forests were ruined, the earth fractured, and the sky crumbled...
The impact intensified and expanded, the power of their clashes growing more exaggerated with each strike, and their frequency increasing.
"Jiyuan, are you ready? They're trying to exhaust us to death!"
From the outset, the primary pressure fell upon Xiezhi. Although Jiyuan retaliated occasionally, his greater focus was on observing this "Four Directions Fierce Fiend Grand Formation of the Middle Primordial." Without a clear understanding of its layout, his sword array might not fully encompass it, allowing the opponents an opportunity to escape.
However, the moment the Fusang tree collapsed, Jiyuan's Dharma Eye began to glow, and the sun and moon faintly appeared in his gaze. He could discern the profound mysteries of all universal laws in an instant, and likewise, he quickly reconstructed the diagram of the fierce fiend formation in his mind, understanding it with complete clarity.
"Ready."
With a light reply to Xiezhi, Jiyuan manifested the Sword Intent Scroll and the Sword Book in his hands. With a gentle toss, the two scrolls instantly transformed into streaks of light. Before Yue Cang and the others could react, one soared towards the sky while the other descended to the earth.
The scrolls materialized, instantly seeming to stretch to the very limits of heaven and earth, then slowly unfurled. Their contents were not the original text from the Sword Intent Scroll, nor the original content Jiyuan had written in the Sword Book, but rather two pure, unadorned surfaces: one white and one black.
Heaven was pure white, earth was pure black, and these two primal energies manifested as the harmonious fusion of the cosmos.
"Buzz—"
The Green Vine Sword, which had remained sheathed until now, slowly began to rise. Dozens of distorted streaks of light launched by Yue Cang's followers vanished into thin air before Jiyuan and Xiezhi, causing them to retreat sharply and look towards the heavens and earth.
"What's happening?"
"Is Jiyuan doing this?" "Is he setting up a formation?"
"How is this possible? How can he set up another formation *within* our Middle Primordial Four Directions Fierce Fiend Grand Formation?"
"What kind of formation is this?" "Attack now! Don't let him complete it!"
Yue Cang and the others were no fools; they had long anticipated that Jiyuan might use a formation to trap them. Thus, prior to their appearance, they had spent months scouting the surrounding area and had already devised their own strategy to ensnare and kill Jiyuan within a formation.
Yet at this very moment, a formation was being established within their own formation—specifically, within Yue Cang and the others' Middle Primordial Four Directions Fierce Fiend Grand Formation. This absurd scenario was unfolding before them. A flicker of panic in their hearts only fueled their increasingly ferocious attacks.
However, unlike before when they could put Jiyuan and Xiezhi in perilous situations, the malevolent lights within the formation now frequently dissolved under the sword's radiance before even reaching the two.
Jiyuan formed a sword incantation with his hand, causing the Green Vine Sword to slowly ascend. The immortal sword hadn't fully emerged from its scabbard, yet its radiance was already so intense that the sword itself was obscured, vanishing into the air along with its sheath.
"This is the Heaven-Slaying Sword Array, and it is my gift to you."
As Jiyuan's cold words concluded, the entire area within the formation transformed, shedding its previous twisted and dim hues. Streaks of vibrant, colorful light began to ascend throughout the heavens and earth.
Within the sword array, there was no conventional sword intent or sword qi. Instead, a sensation brimming with vitality arose within the formation. Yet, for Yue Cang and the others, and even for Xiezhi, an indescribable aura of absolute destruction welled up within their hearts, creating a stark, heart-stopping contrast with the vibrant exterior.
"Hahahahahahaha..."
Xiezhi erupted into wild laughter.
"You spineless fools! Do you even know how Zhu Yan's avatar died back then? Idiots! Trying to contend with this old master? Hahahahahahaha..."
As Xiezhi roared with laughter, high above, the Malevolent Sun Star still hung. The Golden Crow residing within it had witnessed the Fusang tree's collapse, crushing heaven and earth before being halted by Mount Wuliang. It had also observed Yue Cang and the others deploying their formation to ensnare Jiyuan, only for Jiyuan to cunningly turn the tables and trap them within his own array.
Suddenly.
"Caw—"
A crow's cry from the Malevolent Sun pierced through heaven and earth. The instant the cry echoed, Jiyuan abruptly looked up, his heart leaping. A sensation akin to losing his footing and plummeting from a cliff then seized his mind, as the Malevolent Sun in the sky began to move.
Unlike the True Sun, which traversed from east to west, the Malevolent Sun Star moved from south to north, rapidly accelerating and growing larger. All living beings across the land could witness its movement simply by looking up. Eventually, those with keen sight could even distinguish a massive, rolling fireball traversing the heavens.
As Yue Cang and the others desperately held on within Jiyuan's sword array, an hour passed, then two...
"Caw—"
Another crow's cry echoed, and the Malevolent Sun Star collided with the supposedly invisible Heavenly Wall.
"Rumble, rumble, rumble..."
After the Fusang tree fell and Mount Wuliang descended, the world was once again rocked by a third tremor. The Malevolent Sun Golden Crow directly hurled the sun star against the Heavenly Wall. The Heavenly Wall, already repeatedly battered, could not endure the impact of an entire sun.
A colossal hole was punched through the sky, and an impossibly huge fireball plummeted from above. Perched atop this fiery sphere was a gigantic Golden Crow.
At this very moment, in the warring desolate lands, in the Buddhist realm, within the various grotto-heavens, in the Jade Fox Grotto-heaven, across all continents, and inside Jiyuan's sword array...
Everyone's gaze, or their heightened senses, turned towards the "sun" plummeting from the sky.
Although seemingly insignificant compared to the sun star itself, the Golden Crow's wingspan stretched for dozens of miles, and its aura obscured the heavens. The entirety of the sun star's fiery intensity was being channeled by the Golden Crow.
The sun star smashed through the Heavenly Wall, then plunged into the realm of the River of Heaven. Heavenly God Zhao De, who was currently drawing starlight from it, was utterly powerless against such force. He could only quickly cast a spell, seize the Heavenly Realm's boundary monument, and flee.
"Boom..."
A colossal roar tore through the sky, the Heavenly Realm was breached, and starlight across the world became chaotic. Even Qin Zizhou, who was guiding starlight within Mount Wuliang, felt a tremendous impact, directly assaulted by the pressure. Had Zhong Pingxiu and Huang Xingye not pulled him back, he would have been hurled out of Mount Wuliang.
But this was not the end.
"Caw—"
The Golden Crow cried out once more, its three talons pressed against the sun star. The enormous fireball then surged towards Mount Wuliang, horrifying Huang Xingye, Zhong Pingxiu, and Qin Zizhou.
"My friends, we must stop it!"
"We must risk our lives to stop this Malevolent Sun Star!" "We cannot retreat, even if it means death!"
A mountain god, a true immortal, and a divine lord unleashed their lifelong cultivation. While Mount Wuliang still held residual starlight, they pooled the mountain's very momentum to resist that colossal celestial star, whose flames had already extinguished.
Ultimately, the Malevolent Sun Star crashed into Mount Wuliang.
In that instant, time and space seemed to compress, all sounds faded into nothingness, and all colors were stripped away, leaving only black and white.
The three powerful masters were all flung back by the blinding light. The front half of the indestructible Mount Wuliang trembled and collapsed, causing earthquakes, mountain quakes, and the evaporation of vast sea areas.
Heaven and earth continued to quake. The Golden Crow stood high in the sky, wings spread, suspended like a sun descended upon the mortal realm, its eyes gazing down upon all beings with endless mockery.
Countless people were left in a daze, wondering what had truly befallen the world.
Deep within the Black Desolation, inside the Heaven-Slaying Sword Array, Jiyuan was now plunged into endless despair. For years, he had always possessed significant confidence, never lacked the conviction of victory, and had always been one step ahead.
Yet at this moment, Jiyuan's composure wavered. Even the terrifying sword energy within the array grew chaotic due to his inner turmoil, granting Yue Cang and the others, who had been desperately holding on, a moment to breathe.
"Jiyuan, now that the Golden Crow has descended and the sun star has shattered your so-called Mount Wuliang, all beings from our era will return. This heaven and earth has no chance left!"
"Jiyuan, release your sword array and join forces with us! Stop dreaming your grand dreams of governing heaven and earth!"
"Jiyuan, we are willing to set aside our prejudices and coexist peacefully with you. If you wish to shelter some beings, we can help you create new grotto-heavens!"
"Jiyuan, we are truly sincere; there is no deceit in our words!"
Realizing Jiyuan's mental instability, Yue Cang and the others spoke urgently. This sword array was truly terrifying; even by combining their strengths, they had faced death multiple times in a short span. They were utterly incapable of resisting it, let alone breaking free. Even if the Golden Crow now stood supreme outside, they would likely perish within Jiyuan's sword array first.
No one would willingly die just before achieving their goal, even if their true forms endured and could return. Considering the Golden Crow's nature, it certainly wouldn't kindly wait for them to recover. The mere thought of their own potential death, and the prospect of one Jiyuan being replaced by a potentially even more terrifying Golden Crow, made Yue Cang and the others' pleas genuinely sincere. Only the fierce demon's eyes, at this moment, were filled with wild madness and exhilaration.
"Jiyuan!"
Xiezhi patted Jiyuan's shoulder, then paused, slightly startled, noticing that the light in Jiyuan's eyes had dimmed.
"Even a wise person's thousand considerations can be undone by a single misstep, leading to overall defeat..."
Jiyuan's voice carried a slight tremor.
[14 seconds ago] Chapter 1042: Unbroken Past Eleven
[2 minutes ago] Chapter 4894: Massive Battle
[12 minutes ago] Chapter 1041: Unbroken Past Ten
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