As the last word left Bai Tian’s lips, the surrounding world instantly froze over in ice. An aura like a crashing tidal wave pressed down, so potent that even the clouds overhead seemed to halt their motion.
Two points of brilliant light shot from Fuxi’s eyes as he sneered, “Trying to silence me? I doubt this mere clone of yours possesses that capability!”
Bai Tian shot him a grim look, then turned his head to survey the assembly in the VIP seats. “Everyone,” he said in a low voice, “I expect absolute secrecy regarding today’s events. Do not let a single word slip outside. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to keep all of you here until I erase this segment of your memory and then permit you to leave.”
Upon hearing this, every person present paled slightly, their expressions fluctuating. Anger flickered in some eyes, yet no one immediately shouted in protest.
They all knew this place was White Spirit Mountain. Even with so many Divine Emperors present, dispatching them all would not be difficult for the formidable Bai Family.
After swiftly weighing the situation, numerous Divine Emperor powerhouses spoke up one after another. “I promise the Patriarch Bai, not a single word of today’s affair will be leaked!”
“Lou promises you!”
“I promise as well!”
The voices of the dozen or so Divine Emperor experts were subdued, clearly restraining their fury. For a Divine Emperor powerhouse to yield under someone else’s threat was undeniably humiliating.
The South Sea Divine Buddha chanted a Buddhist phrase, then sighed. “Patriarch Bai, I hope you do not sink too deeply. This old man promises you, what transpired today will never be mentioned to others.”
For a Divine Emperor expert, a promise was worth a thousand pieces of gold; once given, they rarely broke their word.
Patriarch Bai’s expression was icy. “Since that is settled, please proceed to the rear mountain to rest. I will host you properly after I have finished dealing with these few petty thieves.”
“No need, I have other matters to attend to.” A burly man’s expression turned cold. With a sweep of his hand, he plucked a youth from the contestant seating area and prepared to turn and leave.
“Hold!” Bai Tian’s gaze flashed, and he spoke up.
The burly man felt a surging undercurrent of pressure descend upon the world around him, filling him with secret shock. He turned back, his expression frigid. “What? Does Patriarch Bai intend to detain us here?”
Bai Tian’s expression was indifferent. “Once these thieves are dead, I will naturally let you all depart. If you leave now to fetch reinforcements for the Spiritual Civilization faction, wouldn’t all my efforts be for naught?”
The crowd frowned, feeling his reasoning held some truth, leaving them temporarily unable to refute. They exchanged glances, and finally, they all turned and filed into the rear mountain, leaving only Bai Tian and Fuxi’s group, representing the Spiritual Civilization faction, on the field.
“Hao’er, take good care of them.” Xuanyuan Huangdi, clad in golden armor, spoke with a tone of imposing dignity that brooked no anger. He clenched his five fingers, slowly gripping the enormous golden greatsword in his hand. The entire blade was wreathed in an aura of pure, vast power, shining brilliantly like the midday sun, inspiring awe.
Emperor Shao Hao nodded, then turned and cast a cold glance at Bai Tian. With a sweep of his massive hand, he enveloped Ye Chen and the Heavenly Witch King, retreating thousands of feet backward, placing a vast distance between themselves and the brewing conflict.
The Heavenly Witch King felt a bitter pang in his heart. He, a Divine Emperor of renown, was now reduced to a protected charge, without even the standing to participate in the battle. Especially in front of his most favored junior disciple, this embarrassing situation made his face flush with heat, his expression awkward.
Emperor Shao Hao gave him a peculiar look, then looked down at Ye Chen. “Remember, do not stray outside the vicinity of my body. Otherwise, should their battle commence, even a mere fraction of the resulting shockwave could obliterate you instantly.”
Ye Chen’s expression grew solemn, and he nodded heavily.
At this moment, Bai Tian, standing on the stone steps below the palace, swept his hand forward. The space surrounding the battle platform warped slightly, drawing in all the Bai Family disciples near the perimeter of the arena, causing them to vanish instantly. As for the young prodigies seated in the contestant section, they had already been collected by the various Divine Emperors in the VIP seats.
“Eight Trigrams Mirror!” Fuxi’s expression turned icy. He clenched his hand, and immense energy flooded in from all eight directions, swirling around his body. Slowly, a small, eight-sided mirror emerged from his palm. Potent energy radiated from the mirror, shaking the surrounding void until ripples appeared on its surface.
Rumble—
The sky suddenly dimmed, heavy clouds gathered, and a fierce gale howled past. Thunderbolts roamed the edges of the clouds, converging upon the small mirror in Fuxi’s hand, coiling around it.
As the heavenly thunder and gale struck the small mirror, the entirety of White Spirit Mountain trembled slightly. A surging torrent of fierce flames and thick, earthy currents burst forth from the bedrock and soil, roaring forward to entwine themselves around the small mirror, causing it to erupt in a blinding, ten-thousand-foot radiance.
As Fuxi deployed the Eight Trigrams Mirror, Xuanyuan Huangdi beside him clenched his hand. His golden greatsword pierced upward toward the heavens. A bolt of clear-sky lightning crashed down from the depths of the clouds, striking the golden greatsword. The entire massive blade was instantly crisscrossed with electric light, exuding boundless might.
As the two men individually unleashed their divine weapons, Bai Tian let out a long roar that shook the four directions. He shot into the sky, his body erupting in dazzling, blinding white light, becoming the singular beam of illumination in the heaven and earth.
The white light in his hand condensed, transforming into a long sword as bright as autumn water. He grinned coldly and brought the blade crashing down upon Fuxi and the other.
. . .
With this single strike, the entire world was cleaved in two, splitting open a pitch-black chasm. Space seemed to flow like water, dropping into the abyss as if being devoured by the darkness within.
Fuxi’s expression grew grave. He hurled the Eight Trigrams Mirror, which expanded a thousand feet, soaring forward to meet the light slash.
Bang!
The light slash struck the Eight Trigrams Mirror, flickered momentarily, and was instantly reflected back.
“Good!” Bai Tian laughed wildly, then opened his mouth and sucked the reflected white light slash directly into his belly. He lowered his head and sneered, “The Eight Trigrams Mirror reflects all damage; it truly lives up to its reputation!”
Fuxi snorted coldly. “There is another use you do not know.” With that, he tapped his finger. The entire Eight Trigrams Mirror began to spin rapidly. Numerous symbols emerged around its perimeter, projecting toward Bai Tian. Instantly, within the mirror’s reflection, Bai Tian’s figure appeared, and upon that image, centered over his heart, was a single crimson dot.
“Hmm?” Fuxi frowned. “Only one weakness?”
Bai Tian chuckled coldly. “Legend says the Eight Trigrams Mirror is a Peak Dao Artifact with three primary functions: first, it reflects all damage; second, it calculates the weakness of any person; and third, it can divine Spacetime Vortices. It seems it is nothing more than that!”
“Let’s test mine!” Xuanyuan Huangdi’s expression turned icy. The Golden Divine Sword in his hand shot out suddenly, wreathed in a vast, righteous aura. The sword glowed with a milky white light as it cleaved downward toward Bai Tian’s head.
Bai Tian flickered backward, a small white spot of light appearing on his brow. He said coldly, “The Xuanyuan Divine Sword is nothing special. I hear it is a weapon capable of evolution. Come back when you have evolved it into a Peak Dao Artifact!” With that, he swept his large sleeve, sending a gust of fierce wind rushing toward Xuanyuan Huangdi.
Xuanyuan Huangdi’s eyes were chilling. Instead of dodging the blow, his longsword suddenly burst forth with millions of beams of light, swirling to meet Bai Tian.
Bai Tian’s brow furrowed. His body flickered thousands of times in rapid succession, pulling him out of the vortex created by the sword light.
As the two fought, Ye Chen, upon hearing the name “Xuanyuan Divine Sword,” recalled that in the Xuanyuan World on Earth, the original body of the Xuanyuan Divine Sword was there, suppressing a dark creature. The sword currently wielded by Huangdi shared the same design and aura as the Xuanyuan Divine Sword, only its power was immensely more profound.
A sudden realization struck Ye Chen. “That’s right! This Xuanyuan Divine Sword was forged by Huangdi and his wife, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady, together. If they could create the first one, they could certainly create a second! That original Xuanyuan Divine Sword was lost on Earth; this one must be one he forged anew later, absorbing sufficient energy to grow into a powerful Dao Artifact. Though it hasn't reached the realm of a Peak Dao Artifact, it’s not far off.”
Just then, a loud shout suddenly rang out, causing the clouds in the sky to tremble slightly. Fuxi and Huangdi were seen retreating, the Eight Trigrams Mirror guarding behind them. The mirror’s surface trembled faintly, golden patterns shimmering across it, carrying an aura of inscrutable mystery.
Bai Tian’s black hair, at some unknown point, had transformed, strand by strand, into silver locks dancing wildly in the wind. He looked down with disdain, a cold smile playing on his lips. “Nothing more than that!”
Fuxi’s eyes were sharp as he stared intently at Bai Tian. He said in a low voice, “Let’s retreat first. This is White Spirit Mountain; we won’t gain any advantage here.”
Emperor Shao Hao had been closely monitoring the battle. When he saw Bai Tian suddenly force back his father and Fuxi, his heart seized with shock. He had not realized Bai Tian was so terrifying; a single clone possessed such immense power. He quickly considered his options. “If I used the Pangu Banner, I could probably suppress this clone, but this is the Bai Family headquarters, filled with experts. Prolonging the fight is unwise.”
With that thought, he immediately swept his great hand, enveloping Ye Chen and the Heavenly Witch King, preparing to turn and retreat.
Just then—a mournful cry—
Several figures suddenly shot over from the distance. The one leading them was enveloped in a seven-colored radiance, possessing the demeanor of an immortal sage. He wore a green robe, his spirit vibrant, and he shouted loudly, “Brother Fuxi, we have arrived!”
Fuxi and Huangdi, who were engaged in combat, and Bai Tian all turned their heads upon hearing that grand voice. Fuxi’s eyes immediately lit up. “Brother Zhunti!”
The Daoist in the green robe smiled. “Brother Fuxi, it has been a long time.”
Fuxi nodded slightly, then glanced at the two people accompanying the green-robed elder. To the left was a young maiden dressed in white, with a delicate and beautiful face, red lips, white teeth, eyes as dark as the starry sky, and skin as white as snow. She was surrounded by a layer of precious light, and from her ears hung small white porcelain bottle pendants, making her appear lovely and charming.
To the right sat an elder riding a pale-green ox. His skin was rosy like jade, and his eyes were full of vigor. In his every movement, there was no earth-shattering aura, but rather a feeling of simple, natural ease. At first glance, he seemed ordinary, but in reality, faint ripples of energy constantly manifested across his body—he was not to be underestimated. (To be continued)
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