With a sudden closing of his eyes, Changkong held the prayer beads suspended before him. What had been a string now stretched into a perfect line, instantly unleashing an eruption of golden light and boundless, surging power.

"Oh? You have a final move as well?" Xiantian He watched intently, not daring to relax his guard. As his gaze shifted, the stone walls surrounding Changkong began to converge upon him from all directions.

With a casual lift of his hand, Changkong parried the stone wall directly in front of him. Just as he leaped into the air, turning to kick away the wall behind, he suddenly realized that the Jing Men (Shock Gate) was exactly where he stood. Countless hidden weapons rained down upon him like blossoms. He let out a slow breath, silently chanting the ultimate technique of the Fanhai Jitian Yin: "Buddha's Sound Barrier." In an instant, warm golden light cascaded like a waterfall, submerging every incoming projectile. Even Xiantian He, standing coldly composed behind the stone wall, was startled and subtly shifted his position.

With a resounding crash, the Sheng Men (Life Gate) fell silent once more, and Changkong vaulted into the next threshold, the Jing Men.

The golden light wrapping around the prayer beads grew denser, and Changkong’s emotions surged higher. Yet, within the Jing Men, he found himself surrounded by a sea of fire and churning magma that already stained his face a deep crimson. Changkong inhaled deeply, surveying his surroundings. He stood atop a sheer precipice overlooking a blazing ocean of magma. Stones from the cliff face occasionally crumbled and vanished the instant they touched the inferno below. Across the molten expanse lay the exit of the Jing Men, a distance far too vast for any man to simply leap across.

"Monk, can the Seal of the Boundless Sea manage to traverse this sea of fire?" Xiantian He's voice descended along with an endless barrage of falling stones, which were instantly annihilated in the magma below. This formation, he was confident, was impassable for Changkong, even without his interference.

"Hmph, how will you know if you don't try," Changkong managed a breathy chuckle. He swiftly spun the prayer beads before him, unleashing another hidden move of the Fanhai Jitian Yin: "Golden Seal Rising Wind." Immediately following this, a gentle breeze stirred among the towering cliffs. He did not cease his motion, continuing to rotate the beads above his head, pausing slightly at each point until he had marked five distinct stops in the air. These points materialized into a luminous golden pentagram. With two sharp swishes, the previous gentle air currents surged into a powerful, unified stream rushing toward the prayer beads. Changkong gently angled the beads toward the sea of fire and leaped into the void.

Instantly, the magma in the fire sea stirred actively, forming countless fireballs that rocketed toward Changkong. However, just as they neared his body, each was ruthlessly repelled by an unseen current of air. It turned out the fierce gale had long merged with the prayer beads, forming an envelope around Changkong’s body, securely suspending him as he soared above the flames.

Xiantian He, watching from within the collapsing stone structure, became enraged by the sight. He unleashed another volley of hidden weapons, attempting to halt Changkong's progress.

"Useless! Water Marquis, is this the limit of your power?" Changkong grinned wide. "Heh heh! Don't you think this is like an ant trying to shake a giant tree?"

"Ugh..." Xiantian He's eyes widened as the projectiles he launched were scattered and torn apart by the surging current. He had never imagined that a mere monk could command the very force of the wind.

Changkong used the energy from his prayer beads to shatter the surrounding stone walls one by one. In no time, he entered the next threshold, the Shang Men (Injury Gate).

"Southern Underworld Water Marquis, perhaps the power of the Kṣitigarbha Sarira Seal has weakened you. This is not the array technique I anticipated," Changkong’s excitement grew. Surprisingly, the Shang Men held no stone walls; instead, seven black-clad figures armed with swords stood ready.

"Xiantian He, you refuse to face me yourself and send these pawns to die needlessly." Changkong scoffed, gesturing toward the low-level adversaries before him. "Buddhas do not seek to kill; they seek only to sever karma!"

"Hmph! Then let my disciples greet the monk and break the formation. Execute the Seven-Pointed Star Radiance Array!" Xiantian He's voice boomed like a great bell. At his command, the seven swordsmen within the Shang Men immediately swung their blades and stepped onto their designated positions on the ground.

"This is the Seven-Pointed Star Radiance Array?" Changkong scrutinized it, finding it rather standard. "Water Marquis, this is nothing more than another Bagua formation. You underestimate me too greatly."

"Oh? Can the monk break it?" Xiantian He suspected Changkong was bluffing.

Changkong shook his head with a knowing smile, spreading his hands as he advanced. "If one can recognize it, one can break it. Your Seven-Pointed Star Array is nothing more than the first formation among the ancient Forty-Nine Arrays. It merely requires the leader of the black-clad figures to stand in the Qian position, followed by Kun, establishing Kan, guarding Zhen, sealing Li, protecting Dui, defending Xun, and leaving the Gen position open for entry and exit. The seven men’s swordsmanship is nearly identical, their senses linked, their minds intertwined, allowing them to combine their attacks and respond to each other seamlessly. Thus, the total force they exert surpasses the mere sum of their seven individual powers. At a glance, it appears extraordinarily agile. A pity you ran into me..."

"What can you do?" Xiantian He was taken aback that his formation had been so easily discerned, yet he remained unconvinced. "I await your instruction."

Changkong’s lips curved slightly upward. He strolled casually into the Gen position, then held his prayer beads horizontally again, casually uttering, "Jitian Five Dragons."

Instantly, the seven swordsmen raised their weapons and moved to strike Changkong on their array positions. Suddenly, a cool wind swept through. In the space between heaven and earth, there was a brilliant flash, akin to the sudden glare of the rising sun, which vanished as quickly as it appeared. In the aftermath, Xiantian He's seven disciples had entirely dissipated under the illumination of the golden light and the weaving motion of the five dragons. The only sensation remaining was the faint, metallic scent of blood permeating the air.

"This... impossible!" Xiantian He, observing everything quietly from outside the array, could not believe that the meticulously laid Seven-Pointed Star Radiance Array had been shattered so effortlessly by Changkong.

Changkong coldly moved toward the next gate. It turned out that the technique, Jitian Five Dragons, was the very essence of the Fanhai Jitian Yin. Those five golden dragons had soared forth from the prayer beads. At that moment, they were completely untethered from any mortal constraints, traversing the narrow confines of the sword formation at a speed approaching that of light, repeatedly slicing through the bodies of the black-clad men. Even the swords in their hands had been ground to dust. The brief flash of golden light was merely proof that the five dragons had momentarily achieved the speed of light.

"Xiantian He, your array is broken." Changkong strode recklessly into the Si Men (Death Gate). Practitioners of the Treasure Bead attached to the Buddha's Realm utilize the breaking of formations via hand seals for their cultivation. In his view, the arts of the Southern Underworld Water Marquis had always been legendary—truly something he desired to surpass.

"The people of the Buddha Realm truly live up to their name," Xiantian He’s voice finally registered clearly in Changkong's ears.

Changkong let out a slow breath. It was only upon stepping into the Si Men that he realized he had returned to the real world. He looked up; Xiantian He had remained in his original spot the entire time, never drawing closer. And Ye Xiu had coincidentally appeared directly behind him.