The Upper Heaven Spirit Talisman was an outpouring of sky-scraping resentment! Converging immense soul pressure, it permeated for a thousand li.

The entirety of the Ten Absolutes Firmament Array could not sustain it, developing cracks inch by inch.

At the center of that Celestial Tomb, Tian Du and Lie He were both bleeding from their seven orifices. Yet they continued to chuckle, their expressions maniacal, pouring soul power into that golden disk. They were wringing themselves dry, draining every last trace of vital essence from their bodies.

Neither of them knew if Zong Shou could hold out against Shen Xiao. They only knew that for the Ten Absolutes Firmament Array to last even a moment longer was a blessing. They poured forth their utmost strength, seeking only to completely shut out the electric-type spiritual energy.

Dark clouds surged across the sky, and countless bolts of thunder crashed down ceaselessly. Almost every strike far surpassed the might of a cultivator specializing in the Ninth Order Thunder Arts.

Shen Xiao’s primordial spirit manifested high in the sky, two thousand zhang above. Countless tendrils of violet electricity coiled around his form. He wielded lightning as his sword, gathering it into a blade a hundred zhang long!

His aura continued to climb, his demeanor growing increasingly frenzied. His magical power seemed inexhaustible.

Zong Shou remained silent, his eyelids half-closed, steadily accumulating strength. Again and again, he meticulously refined the connections between the Qi channels of the Blood Cloud Iron Cavalry, constantly optimizing the structure. He unified the strength of several thousand Blood Cavalry, marshalling every single measure of power within the four thousand two hundred and fifty individuals.

Especially within the Blood Cloud Cavalry, those two hundred Fifth Order Spirit Masters—he attempted to weave their soul power together with the internal breath of the others.

If it had been before, he could never have managed this small feat. But now, having achieved perfect mastery over the unity of Spirit and Martial arts, the integration came easily.

Shen Xiao’s desolate yet arrogant laughter continued to echo in the heavens.

"Good, good, good! Dead, all dead. Completely wiped out. Truly excellent. An entire Sect... now only I remain. Master, oh Master, it is Shen Xiao’s incompetence! The seven thousand years of foundation of the Upper Heaven Sect, destroyed in a single day, all gone. Heh heh! Little Zong Shou! Do you realize that destroying another’s lineage constitutes an enmity of life and death?"

His gaze finally fell coldly upon Zong Shou, but without waiting for a reply, his face twisted hideously. His voice turned chillingly sinister, as if grinding his teeth, emanating from the very depths of the abyss.

"Today, I will exhaust the waters of all four seas and five lakes! To shred you into ten thousand pieces would scarcely quell my hatred! This Lord will not let you die so easily! I will strip every piece of your skin! I will carve your flesh away, slice by slice, and feed it to the wild dogs. And your primordial spirit, it shall be eternally roasted by fierce flames!"

With a sudden swing, he brought the sword down! The hundred-zhang violet sword abruptly expanded another thousand zhang, crashing down heavily. Boundless electricity leaped out in all directions, stirring up dust and threatening the annihilation of all creation!

Zong Shou and the Blood Cloud Cavalry behind him were instantly submerged. But in that very instant, a gleam of halberd light abruptly soared into the air. Beyond the crimson glow enveloped a layer of yellow light, faintly taking the form of a dragon! Its imposing might was in no way inferior to that grand Thunder Sword.

He integrated the Nine-Nine True Dragon Sword Intent into his halberd technique, still condensing his blood energy.

This strike—the Profound Yellow Blood Halberd!

The lightning struck the yellow light, instantly scattering in all directions and being channeled into the earth.

By the time this layer of earth energy, gathered by the Halberd Intent, was forcefully broken through and clashed with the crimson light, its momentum had already significantly weakened.

With a resounding BOOM, the entire heaven and earth shuddered. Nearly the whole of Mount Upper Heaven seemed ready to collapse.

Fortunately, this being a spiritual realm domain, the space atop the peak merely flickered momentarily before restoring itself.

And when the spiritual explosions and lightning covering the sky completely dissipated, the four thousand two hundred Blood Cavalry stood completely unharmed.

As for Zong Shou, the pair of thunderous wings behind him had expanded a little further.

He chuckled, utterly unconcerned, laughing wildly.

"Die! Die! Go to hell, all of you, die!"

After one strike came another. The might was even more immense, and the violet lightning contained within the Thunder Sword had increased by nearly thirty percent! Strike after strike descended relentlessly, hacking down like a relentless storm.

There was no discernible pattern, yet even a Martial Dao expert at the Spirit Realm or Immortal Realm watching this would feel their scalp tingle.

The massive violet sword shadow appeared again and again without cease, requiring virtually no breath recovery.

From a distance, the Heavenly Artifact cultivators broke out in cold sweat. With such continuous bombardment, the Blood Cloud Cavalry covered in lightning must surely be completely annihilated—

He looked up again uneasily toward the sky: "Using Spirit Realm strength to descend upon the Cloud Realm violates the ancient covenant established long ago. Why have those Venerables not arrived yet?"

If they allowed this madman to continue raging like this, not a single person within the Ten Absolutes Firmament Array would survive.

"It’s not that they haven't arrived; it’s normal for them to arrive late!"

Shui Lingxiao shook her head; she understood the situation in her heart. She feared that only after Zong Shou died would those few finally arrive belatedly.

Who was it that Zong Shou had sworn allegiance to within the Dao of All Living Beings?

Tian Qi was confused, but his unease only deepened. The others, Xuanyuan Tong and the rest, also wore worried expressions. But given the current situation, they had absolutely no way to intervene.

Yet, in the very next instant, just as everyone assumed that even if Zong Shou wasn't dead, his situation must be dire, a streak of blood-red halberd light suddenly shot out from within the lightning.

It was still yellow light enveloping the crimson glow, using the profound and heavy nature of Earth to shatter the explosive lightning.

However, this halberd strike carried a trace of rich golden light. Kong Yao’s eyelids twitched—it was Emperor Martial Dao!

The regal energy of the entire East Lin Cloud Continent was gradually gathering around Zong Shou, causing his imposing aura to gradually break past the limits of the Spirit Realm!

She knew that although Heaven and Earth had no consciousness, they spontaneously maintained balance and self-preserved unconsciously.

Since the suppressive force could not subdue Shen Xiao, the 'Dragon Qi' within this world was now accelerating to converge upon Zong Shou!

With the thrust of this halberd, all the myriad lightning flashes were instantly scattered into nothingness!

And the four thousand two hundred and fifty Blood Cavalry still stood in place, completely unharmed, though their complexions were slightly pale.

Zong Shou’s wings expanded once more to fourteen hundred zhang. Mixed with countless strands of blood energy, they were now exhibiting a purplish-red hue.

Accumulating lightning on such a massive scale should have resulted in a violent backlash. But Zong Shou felt that he still had reserves of strength left and could expand even further.

He wasn't sure if this was due to the Blood Cloud Cavalry Formation or the attraction of the Emperor's Aura bolstering him—

And the halberd in his hand felt increasingly natural to wield!

Indeed, in Martial Dao, all weapons and all principles ultimately converged into one, mutually connected.

The more he commanded it, the more he was pressured by Shen Xiao, and the more familiar this halberd felt. A large portion of the Sword Intent he had mastered could already be displayed upon this blood-colored halberd!

Shen Xiao was visibly stunned upon seeing this, then grew even more enraged, his manner becoming even more deranged.

"Why aren't you dead? Why aren't you dead yet?"

His aura climbed again, and the boundless dark clouds continued to expand. Countless violet currents converged, bombarding the Blood Cloud Cavalry Formation, while the sword in Shen Xiao’s hand continued to hack down relentlessly.

He was no longer limited to Thunder Arts; he employed all sorts of spiritual techniques effortlessly, continuously striking down with the momentum of a surging tide, overwhelming the sky.

Once again, the figures of the Blood Cavalry were entirely enveloped. The sounds of spiritual explosions were incessant.

In Zong Shou’s eyes, a cold glint flashed, containing a hint of amusement. Then, a growing excitement rose, his battle intent surging like a tide!

A worthy opponent was hard to find; someone like Shen Xiao was perfect! He could use this man to temper his Martial Dao!

With a sweep of the halberd, the sky instantly fell silent again. All the lightning, all the spiritual techniques, were sliced apart!

Shen Xiao, high above, froze once more.

Tens of thousands of zhang away, Tian Qi sucked in a sharp breath.

This was clearly the Martial Dao Soul of the Halberd!

As far as he knew, those who could master the Soul of Martial Dao were either at the mid-stage or peak level of the Spirit Realm.

Understanding dawned in his mind. No wonder the Blood Cloud Cavalry could hold out for so long. The situation, surprisingly, was only slightly unfavorable.

Unifying the Blood Cloud Cavalry Formation with a Martial Dao intention at the level of the 'Halberd Soul' could indeed allow them to contend with the Spirit Realm!

However, a sense of terror gripped his heart.

"Daoist Friend Lingxiao, I recall that His Majesty, the Demon King, specialized primarily in swordsmanship, correct?"

Shui Lingxiao hummed in response but offered no explanation. Tian Qi’s voice continued, hushed, "My Lord's Halberd Arts have already entered the Soul Realm! Then, what level is his Sword Intent?"

Shui Lingxiao turned her head. She knew that when Zong Shou fought Yuan Wushang, his Sword Soul had actually already broken through to the intermediate level.

But it was better not to voice these things: "I don't know either! Perhaps His Lord always used the sword to conceal his true abilities; it's not certain."

Tian Qi fell silent, then fixed his gaze on the distance. He felt that Shen Xiao's momentum in the void was growing increasingly formidable and inscrutable, filled with irritability and impatience.

This was already the peak of the Spirit Realm, bordering on the Immortal Realm—

Simultaneously, outside the void, at the location where the two women stood.

The palace-clad woman let out a faint sneer.

"Half-step Immortal Realm, this Shen Xiao has truly gone mad. How laughable—"

"Doesn't that suit Senior Sister’s intentions perfectly? We need him to disregard everything for this play to continue,"

The other young woman slightly shook her head, her expression unreadable, though a hint of mockery lingered in her eyes.

"Now, we just watch how the other side will decide?"

"How else can they decide? They can only continue to hold on."

With a slight wave of her sleeve, a red needle shadow, as fine as a strand of ox hair, materialized before her.

If any other Saint Realm cultivator were present, upon seeing it, they would perceive that it was laced with immeasurable foundational laws such as 'Annihilation,' 'Frost Chill,' and 'Fierce Flame.'

Yet, when sensing it with spiritual awareness, its form could not be detected.

In the palace-clad woman's eyes, an unyielding ice-coldness resided.

"I still remember when Senior Brother fell in the Cloud Realm, those six would not permit even the slightest transgression of the line. Compared to today, is this not unfair—"

The young woman's expression also darkened slightly, then she spoke with a teasing undertone: "It's a pity Yuan Wushang is far from the Cloud Realm. If those few on the other side knew that Eldest Sister's disciple is not only at the mid-stage of Sword Soul but has also mastered the unity of Spirit and Martial Arts, they would likely regret today's actions! Little Sister is looking forward to it immensely!"

"The very point is that they don't know!"

The woman then glanced down at what was before her, her coldness intensifying: "They probably won't get the chance to regret it!" (To be continued)