At this moment, Shenxiao’s mind, beyond the rage, beyond the hatred, beyond the will to destroy everything, was beginning to feel strained. He perceived the group below, who appeared like mere ants in his eyes, as stone—unbreakable, uncrushable.

No matter how he bombarded them, no matter what spirit-arts he deployed, it was useless. That Zong Shou always seemed to have a way to counter.

The Blood Halberd shifted and morphed, invariably shattering his spirit-arts. He appeared to be suppressing them, leaving them defenseless.

Yet, it was like silk concealing needles; every strike rebounded with a tidal surge of opposing force. He could only continue to escalate his own power, pressing the suppression further!

And the pair of thunderous wings behind this man—they had now unfurled to over two thousand zhang! Not only did they securely shield the thousands of Blood Cavalry behind him, but they also inexplicably emanated a sense of profound danger, one that resonated from the very depths of the soul.

This sensation managed to pull Shenxiao’s near-frantic divine sense back to a sliver of lucidity. How could this be?

How could Zong Shou have mastered the Halberd Soul? Impossible.

Absolutely impossible— And those twin lightning wings, why did they feel so threatening! No matter!

Yes! No need to fear; even unleashing his full strength would amount to little more than a single blow from a peak Spirit Realm cultivator.

Why worry? I must kill this man!

I absolutely must kill him! “The Soul of Halberd Intent?

A good Halberd Intent Soul Realm! Worthy of being the one who could destroy my Shangxiao Xuanling Sect!

To think such a genius still exists in this world. This is better; killing you will be interesting!

You, Zong Shou, were destined for limitless prospects, perhaps even reaching the Saint Summit one day! What a pity, what a pity—ha ha ha—” Speaking incoherently, his words failing to match his thoughts, Shenxiao’s eyes were once again consumed by madness.

He abruptly stepped forward half a pace, and the space around him instantly collapsed. Amidst countless shards of spatial fragments, wisps of blood-red aura continuously surged in.

That was the residual blood essence he had left outside the domain; even though Ao Kun had violently destroyed most of it, some remained, still subject to his control even after shattering. The repressive force in the heaven and earth grew exponentially stronger, seemingly exerting its utmost to expel him from the Cloud Realm.

But Shenxiao felt no fear. Since the moment the Shangxiao Sect perished, there was little left in this world he dreaded.

Only one thought remained: vengeance. Anything blocking his path would be obliterated!

Boom! The primal energy in the heavens and earth erupted and swirled; the Ten Absolutes Sky Array could finally hold no longer and began to shatter inch by inch.

From Tian Du Liehe and the mouths of the cultivators of the Talisman Sect, streams of bloody foam, mixed with fragments of internal organs, were spat out. Fortunately, at this moment, a tide of magical power flooded in from an unknown source in the heavens and earth.

It was vast beyond measure, restoring the shattered Sky Array once more. This prevented the fierce, raging winds of this place from spilling outwards.

Below, Tian Qi could not help but clench his fists. He sensed a mental pressure expanding and permeating the area, now more than ten times stronger than before.

The entire expanse of earth seemed to have been pressed down by a full several chi under the immense soul pressure! Moments ago, the cultivators under his command could still barely resist.

Now, most of them stood with vacant eyes. Immortal Realm.

His power must have broken through to the Immortal Realm! Then, whether Zong Shou lived or died?

Just as this thought crossed Tian Qi’s mind, high above the clouds, in the unseen space, the man in the monk’s robe frowned. “This Shenxiao is perhaps going too far—” If it were only Spirit Realm strength, it could still be excused by the obscuring effects of the Ten Absolutes Sky Array and the Shangxiao Spirit Abode, which prevented timely arrival.

Breaking through the limit of the Immortal Realm now could no longer be feigned ignorance. The other three also fell silent.

The situation had gradually slipped beyond their control. “To actually comprehend the Halberd Intent Soul Realm.

Why is this Zong Shou a disciple of the Cangsheng Dao? The Master of the Sword Sect is usually extremely astute; how could they have misjudged him so severely this time—” The old man in the Taoist robe frowned.

Compared to the Cangsheng Dao, he would have preferred this youth to hail from the Sword Sect, which was gradually reaching parity with the Daoist schools. “I, however, couldn't care less!” The youth smiled faintly, unconcerned.

Whether in the Cloud Realm or the myriad worlds of this domain, the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth always prioritized balance. Where there is light, there is darkness; where there is righteousness, there is demonic influence; where there is good, there is evil.

If the Cangsheng Dao harbors a talent like Zong Shou, then the Demonic Path must also produce someone capable of opposing him. This is the rule of Heaven, established from the moment this domain’s void was first carved out.

And to him, whether righteous sects or the Cangsheng Dao, they were all formidable enemies. Thus, it truly mattered little which sect Zong Shou originated from.

“In my view, this matter should cease! Allowing Shenxiao to rampage like this further will be difficult to explain—” The Daoist and the Monk said nothing, turning their gaze to the woman in green, seeking her opinion.

Her expression, however, broke into a knowing smile: “According to the three of you, how much longer can Zong Shou hold out against Shenxiao?” At these words, the youth instantly understood her intention and countered with a smile, “Then, does the Fairy intend to wait longer, wishing this child to perish here?” With Zong Shou’s Halberd Intent Soul Realm, he might have fought Shenxiao while the latter was in the Spirit Realm. But once Shenxiao entered the Immortal Realm, Zong Shou likely wouldn't last three breaths.

A trace of coldness surfaced on the green-clad woman's face: “If this child remains alive, this Palace will feel deeply uneasy. It is best he dies.

Whatever the consequence, I shall bear it—” The Monk and the Daoist both raised their eyebrows slightly, then returned to calm. —Yes, it is better that such a brilliant figure does not exist in the world.

Such shocking, peerless genius is envied even by Heaven; it defies all norms. Delaying a few more breaths would not matter greatly.

Yet, though their minds were set, both felt a faint unease. Especially the latter, who frowned slightly.

He felt that something was amiss, but no matter how he thought, he could not grasp what it was. He only knew that Zong Shou at this moment was too calm.

He seemed to be permitting Shenxiao to continue enhancing his power. Shouldn’t he stop it completely?

The thunder wings, already expanded to two thousand four hundred zhang, remained poised without striking. The power of the Blood Cloud Cavalry formation was also condensing, growing ever more concentrated.

Everyone was utterly serene. In contrast, Shenxiao’s thoughts were chaotic.

During the breakthrough of his realm, his power and soul force were inevitably destabilized. Merely resisting the repressive force of the heaven and earth consumed nearly ninety percent of his strength.

Almost all his potential, all his vital essence, was drawn out solely to counter the pressure. All for one final strike after reaching the true Immortal Realm— “Hm?

Something is wrong—” Suddenly, the old man in Taoist robes lost his composure and stood up abruptly, focusing his gaze once more on the four thousand Blood Cavalry. They were subtly different from before.

Now, the Spirit Masters within the cavalry formation, who had initially been somewhat isolated, were merging their spiritual consciousness with the surging blood essence. The aura was muted now, but the elder could clearly perceive it: once the martial artist’s internal energy blended and fermented with soul force, the resulting power expansion was almost explosive!

“——This is Spirit-Martial Union!” Suddenly, the Taoist elder understood. It turned out Zong Shou had held back his strength from the very beginning!

He appeared utterly helpless, but in reality, he had been subtly pressuring Shenxiao to continuously increase his power, until the majority of his strength was spent resisting the inhibitory force of the world. What cunning viciousness!

Just as he was about to speak, an even more majestic pressure suddenly permeated from beyond the heavens. In a fraction of a breath, it enveloped the entire void.

The Daoist robe elder could speak no more, hearing only a woman’s voice giggle lightly: “What a fine show! You always claimed that as the sovereign of a realm, you treat all sentient beings in the world equally, viewing them without bias.

Turns out this is the nature of your ‘equal treatment.’ Now, what have you lot to say?” The Monk and the Youth sitting opposite him changed expression. The green-clad woman’s face lost all color.

Without exception, a streak of spiritual light flashed, striking down towards Shenxiao. Only the old man sighed helplessly.

At almost the same moment, the area spanning several hundred li around Shangxiao Mountain suddenly darkened, shrouded in gloom. Even being nearby, one could not see anything.

Tian Qi felt even more lost; not only could he not see with his eyes, but his spiritual sense could not extend either. He could only vaguely sense that ferocious, blazing existence.

He could only marvel inwardly: Is this the divine might of an Immortal Realm cultivator? On the mountain peak, Zong Shou suddenly let out a long, stale breath.

He did not know who had concealed this place and shielded the heavens, but the timing was perfect! The pair of thunder wings behind him abruptly dissolved into thousands of currents of electricity, converging upon the halberd.

All the blood essence was drawn in, and at the tip of the halberd formed an invisible dark point—this strike was the Spirit-Martial Union of the Blood Cloud Cavalry! It was also the Primordial One Dark Halberd!

Boom! With a violent detonation, the halberd shadow shot forward, striking before Shenxiao, who had just crossed the threshold into the Immortal Realm.

First came the collision of lightning and electrical sparks, followed by the fierce impact of blood essence and internal energy. The halberd in Zong Shou’s hand moved almost entirely by feel, slicing into the chaotic internal energy and soul sense.

It maneuvered and cut within, seemingly with ease. Only when it could advance no further did the black hole manifestation at the tip of the halberd erupt.

From the other side came Shenxiao’s sudden, agonizing howl of depleted strength. Boundless blood essence, primal energy, and even soul sense suddenly surged from the halberd into Zong Shou’s body.

This influx was so immense that Zong Shou’s body could not bear it entirely. He could only channel it through the surrounding spiritual conduits into the bodies of the thousands of Blood Cavalry behind him.

He sensed Shenxiao’s aura rapidly dissipating—falling from the Immortal Realm, down to the peak of the Spirit Realm, then to the mid-stage, and finally to the Ninth Rank. Zong Shou remained utterly cold-hearted, expressionless.

He was already preparing for the next strike: the Primordial One White Halberd. —After endless darkness comes boundless light!

But at the last moment, he paused, startled. Huh?

As the great halberd was withdrawn, Shenxiao’s consciousness had completely vanished. Even the residual vital essence had been extracted by him.

He found it incredibly strange. Had this Divine Realm cultivator truly been this weak?

But high in the sky, the man in the monk’s robe was already mesmerized: “Endless Darkness, Boundless Light! The one who draws the celestial omen… it is him—” It was an indescribable mix of ecstasy and regret.