The Zisha teapot hovered mid-air, a single spot of red fire glaring like a giant, coiling beneath the tea belt’s hearth plate. The mountain spring water, sourced from the ground beneath the pot, hissed continuously, sounding like fine oil. A plume of white vapor jetted from the spout, and a soul-refreshing tea aroma drifted out, weaving around the surroundings.

Gu Xiechen slowly rubbed a small teacup between his palms, squinting with a smile as he watched the blood-soaked slaughter of nearly one hundred thousand cultivators hundreds of miles away.

One hundred thousand cultivators, the weakest among them at the Nascent Soul stage, included fifty cultivators at the Tai Huang Huang Zeng Tian realm alone. There were over two hundred whose strength was equivalent to a Six Tribulation Loose Immortal of the Tai Huang Huang Zeng Tian realm. Coupled with a large contingent of Five Tribulation Loose Immortals and Tribulation Passing stage cultivators, this chaotic brawl was utterly magnificent to behold.

So many cultivators were jammed together in an airspace less than a hundred miles wide; they had absolutely no room to dodge. Any single spell would simultaneously affect hundreds of opposing cultivators, and a casual beam of sword light might slay dozens of enemies at once. If a Celestial Immortal or a high-stage Loose Immortal had intervened, a single ordinary lightning spell could have annihilated nearly a thousand Daoists on the opposing side. In the span of just one cup of tea, more than half the cultivators on both sides were already lost.

Gu Xiechen’s eyes narrowed into slits from smiling; this farce was too exhilarating.

Eternal Starlight, hidden within the drapery, let out excited, sharp cries. He squeezed the body of Yama Dance Asura forcefully; the intense pain caused Yama Dance Asura to let out pitiful howls.

When Heavenly Corpse Venerable and Daoist Mu could no longer restrain themselves and personally attacked, their initial clash accidentally killed nearly ten thousand surrounding cultivators. Heavenly Corpse Venerable’s exhaled accumulated corpse miasma poisoned nearly five thousand cultivators, while the Great Wood Divine Thunder blasted out by Daoist Mu disintegrated another nearly five thousand, leaving not even bones behind. Both sustained minor injuries and retreated, exclaiming in shock: “You are also at the Tai Ming Yu Wan Tian realm? Second-grade Celestial Immortal cultivation?” After a harsh rebuke, they swiftly withdrew.

Mei Lin gasped out loud; the cultivation Daoist Mu displayed was truly difficult for her to comprehend.

Heavenly Corpse Venerable angrily pointed at Mei Lin and berated her. He blamed her for misleading him; he had truly believed Daoist Mu was just an ordinary First-grade Celestial Immortal.

Daoist Mu burst into loud laughter. He glanced strangely at Mei Lin, then roared sharply: “Array! Array! Array!”

With three successive shouts, the less than forty thousand cultivators remaining behind Daoist Mu simultaneously launched themselves upwards, transforming into streaks of brilliant light and surging toward the high heavens. Daoist Mu flicked his right hand, and a formation diagram, thirty-six feet long with red jade as its axle, inscribed with countless patterns of mountains, rivers, birds, flowers, ghosts, and gods, suddenly transformed into a black gust, soaring heavenward and enveloping the more than thirty thousand cultivators in one sweep.

After roaring with laughter three times, Daoist Mu pointed at Mei Lin and shouted furiously: “Mei Lin, you, you, you—”

His body shook violently. Daoist Mu sputtered “you” for a long time without managing to finish his sentence. Finally, he stamped his foot and roared sternly: “Do you dare to challenge my Myriad Immortal Array?”

With a clatter, the teacup in Gu Xiechen’s palm suddenly fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. “Myriad Immortal Array? Did I hear that correctly? Is it truly the ‘Myriad Immortal Array’? The sect-guarding grand array of the ancient Jie Sect? Which Jie Sect master perished in a battle with an outer-realm Primordial Great Sage, resulting in the array diagram being passed down? This is too incredible!”

Heavenly Corpse Venerable let out a great roar of laughter, shouting wildly: “So what if it’s the Myriad Immortal Array? Do you think you’re the only one who knows it? My children, set up the Myriad Immortal Array!”

Similarly, an array diagram with red jade as its axle flew toward the sky. The disciples under Heavenly Corpse Venerable transformed into streams of ghostly fire and black energy, plunging into the diagram, establishing another murderous, profound, and mystical grand array high in the air. The array was filled with countless shadows, with groups here and there—it was impossible to tell how many perils lurked within.

Daoist Mu Mingyan was completely startled. He stared blankly at the Myriad Immortal Array set up by Heavenly Corpse Venerable, then let out an almost hysterical howl: “Impossible! How do you have that diagram? I, I, I paid such a heavy price, bringing over a hundred thousand comrades, just to obtain the Myriad Immortal Array diagram from the ancient battlefield in the ‘Bewildering God Triangle Star Region’! Where did your diagram come from?”

Gu Xiechen and Eternal Starlight both nodded in sudden understanding. No wonder Daoist Mu had led so many cultivators off to who knows where; they had gone treasure hunting in that ancient battlefield in the Bewildering God Triangle Star Region. It turned out Daoist Mu had discovered the existence of the Myriad Immortal Array diagram long ago, and this time, he had gathered all his strength to retrieve the diagram from that place. For this legendary formation, sacrificing his entire family seemed worth it. As long as he lived, the family could be rebuilt!

After a few cold sneers, Gu Xiechen produced another teacup, poured himself a drink, and began to savor it slowly.

Heavenly Corpse Venerable pointed at Daoist Mu and laughed loudly. He deliberately pulled Mei Lin into his embrace, his two hands groping and kneading her body forcefully. He chuckled sinisterly: “How strange. My Nine Nether Lineage inherited the orthodox succession of the ancient Jie Sect. Our Patriarch left behind the Myriad Immortal Array diagram. Do I need to explain it to you? Isn't that right, my beautiful Empress?” Grasping Mei Lin’s cheek, he gave her a deep, wet kiss and said proudly: “Eliminate this fellow, and you will become the Empress Dowager of the Polaris Empire. I, naturally, will become the Grand Emperor of the Polaris Empire. Heh heh, what a perfect pair?”

Daoist Mu’s eye corners nearly burst open, and two streams of blood quickly flowed down his cheeks. He trembled violently while pointing at Mei Lin for a full minute. After a long pause, he roared angrily: “You, you are so unchaste…”

Mei Lin suddenly sprang up like a mother cat whose tail had been stepped on, cursing him almost madly: “Unchaste? What right do you have to speak to me about that? I bore you a daughter, and you still sent me into the imperial palace to another man! When Eternal Starlight was on top of me, why didn’t you tell me to be chaste? Do you think you’re the only one who can assign me a man, and I can’t find one for myself?”

After a frenzied tirade, Mei Lin proudly clung to Heavenly Corpse Venerable’s muscular body and sneered: “Eternal Starlight’s cultivation technique has a hidden flaw, and he doesn’t know where he’s hiding, plotting against people. Today’s Seven Yin Seven Fiends Soul Slaughtering Curse must be related to him. Hee hee, Mu Sha. Once we kill you, we will use the Myriad Immortal Array to trap and kill Eternal Starlight. Then the Polaris Empire will be mine. My good son will become the Emperor!”

After a few wildly exhilarated bursts of maniacal laughter, Mei Lin dragged Heavenly Corpse Venerable into the Myriad Immortal Array above.

Daoist Mu stared at Mei Lin with a face ashen as death, his gaze never leaving her body for a moment. He suddenly spat out a jet of blood, and he shrieked word by word, like a cuckoo crying blood: “Mei Lin, you are mine! Your entire life is mine! Anyone who dares touch a single strand of your hair, I will kill them!”

Mei Lin, who had just taken her stable position on the central platform of the Myriad Immortal Array, suddenly trembled. She looked down at Daoist Mu with a complex expression, then suddenly gave a sinister, cold laugh: “Someone has touched more than just my hair. They’ve touched every part of me, even the parts they shouldn't have. Are you pleading for mercy now, or are you planning to beg for your life should you be defeated?”

Daoist Mu let out a strange, cackling laugh. He pointed at Mei Lin and grinned hideously: “Defeated? Begging for mercy? How could such things happen? Heavenly Corpse Venerable, I will grind your bones to dust and scatter your soul, so you know that Mu Sha Duoltuo’s woman is not someone a bastard like you can touch!”

Heavenly Corpse Venerable laughed wantonly. He triumphantly lifted Mei Lin’s body and placed her on the platform, roaring with laughter: “I not only touched her, I’ve enjoyed her! What can you do about it? Right now, I’m going to enjoy her in front of you! My precious Empress, come on, cry out louder!”

In front of so many cultivators, Mei Lin indeed cooperated perfectly, letting out delicate, sweet moans. Heavenly Corpse Venerable excitedly lifted her petite body and proudly displayed their tightly entwined forms to the surrounding cultivators. Her pure white body contrasted intensely with his cyan-blue that part. Daoist Mu felt his vision go black, and blood erupted simultaneously from all seven orifices.

With a desperate howl, Daoist Mu suddenly charged into the Myriad Immortal Array above, commanding tens of thousands of cultivators to simultaneously unleash their flying swords and magical treasures, stirring up a sky full of treasure light to bombard the Myriad Immortal Array set up by Heavenly Corpse Venerable. Heavenly Corpse Venerable was not to be outdone; while indulging fully with Mei Lin, he directed his grand array to meet Daoist Mu’s array head-on.

The two Myriad Immortal Arrays clashed. The massive immortal power and magical energy churned up by the formations collided. Starlight No. 1 Star shook violently. The side of the planet facing the two great arrays suddenly sank nearly a hundred miles, followed by towering tidal waves erupting from the sea. Countless magma, fierce flames, and black smoke surged out from the ruptured earth, and rolling dust rapidly blanketed the entire planet.

At some unknown point, the Ten Heavenly Lords had arrived behind Gu Xiechen.

Gazing at the two Myriad Immortal Arrays emanating infinite pressure, the Ten Heavenly Lords simultaneously shook their heads in derision. In their eyes, the two Myriad Immortal Arrays before them only possessed the skin of the true sect-guarding formation of the Jie Sect; they had inherited none of its essence. The real Myriad Immortal Array killed without visible means; when activated, only a faint, pale green light would seep out, fully embodying the profound subtlety of immortal Daoist methods. These two arrays, however, nearly shattered the planet beneath their feet just by touching—they were simply two butchers wielding cleavers to hack at each other!

“Low-class!” Qin Heavenly Lord frowned and shook his head.

“Trashy,” Yao Heavenly Lord sighed with a frown.

“A disgrace to our Jie Sect,” the other Heavenly Lords sighed in unison, glaring angrily at the two arrays whose killing intent filled the air.

Gu Xiechen smiled. He took out a few small teacups and poured a drink for each of the Ten Heavenly Lords, then slowly asked: “How is the array operation progressing?”

The Ten Heavenly Lords smiled and nodded simultaneously, but offered no words. They merely picked up the small teacups, devoid of any worldly air, and carefully savored the taste of the immortal tea. The Ten Ultimate Arrays were the foundation of the Ten Heavenly Lords. Gu Xiechen had given them four months to reforge the Ten Ultimate Arrays, and everything was ready. Although their cultivation was only at the Initial Celestial Immortal stage, they possessed absolute confidence: if anyone dared enter their array, anyone below the Third-grade Celestial Immortal would surely never return. Anyone below the Golden Immortal stage who dared enter would suffer a severe setback.

The fearsome reputation of the Ten Ultimate Arrays needed no further explanation from the Ten Heavenly Lords.

Gu Xiechen nodded with satisfaction. He stared absently at the two Myriad Immortal Arrays clashing head-on, and suddenly asked the Ten Heavenly Lords who among the two grand arrays would win.

The Ten Heavenly Lords glanced briefly at the colliding arrays and the cultivators falling like rain at the edges, giving a unanimous answer: Daoist Mu’s commanded Myriad Immortal Array was destined to lose!

Daoist Mu and the others had only obtained the Myriad Immortal Array diagram a few months prior; months of rehearsal were not enough to master the myriad transformations within the diagram. Heavenly Corpse Venerable, inheriting the Nine Nether Lineage, was an orthodox successor of the ancient Jie Sect; he had possessed the Myriad Immortal Array diagram for many more years than Daoist Mu. Furthermore, it was clear that Heavenly Corpse Venerable’s disciples frequently practiced the Myriad Immortal Array. Although it was also low-class, their familiarity with the formation and their tacit coordination were at least several times better than Daoist Mu’s group.

With little difference in the number of people, cultivation levels, or the grade of magic treasures between the two sides, the absolute advantage lay with the formation diagram. The outcome of this battle was obvious without further fighting.

When Daoist formations fought each other, whether one was a Celestial Immortal or a Six Tribulation Loose Immortal, they were like ants before the might of the grand arrays. In just fifteen minutes, about sixty percent of the cultivators from various clans and schools under Daoist Mu’s command were killed or injured, whereas the casualties among the disciples of Heavenly Corpse Venerable were at most thirty percent.

When the power of the grand arrays slammed together, Daoist Mu’s cultivators often fought as individuals, having no idea how to shield each other within the formation. In contrast, Heavenly Corpse Venerable’s disciples advanced and retreated in an orderly fashion, layering their defenses and attacks according to strength, from highest to lowest. When conflict arose, it was always the higher-ranked cultivators who took the front, while the others provided assistance, minimizing casualties within the array to the greatest extent.

As the cultivators in Daoist Mu’s array rapidly diminished, the power of the Myriad Immortal Array controlled by Heavenly Corpse Venerable grew increasingly immense. Daoist Mu’s remaining cultivators could essentially inflict no damage on Heavenly Corpse Venerable’s disciples. Instead, a single charge from Heavenly Corpse Venerable’s disciples could kill large numbers of Daoist Mu’s cultivators. In a few breaths, several thousand more cultivators disappeared from Daoist Mu’s side.

Suddenly, Heavenly Corpse Venerable remotely struck out with several Bone-Piercing Nails. Accelerated by the power gathered from the cultivators within the Myriad Immortal Array, several streams of black energy tore through the defensive formation commanded by Daoist Mu with unstoppable force, successfully killing a cultivator of the Tai Huang Huang Zeng Tian realm standing near Daoist Mu. This was the first Celestial Immortal-level cultivator to perish since the two great arrays began their mutual assault today.

Daoist Mu visibly froze. He stared blankly as the body beside him rapidly disintegrated, its primordial spirit quickly being eroded and dissolved by the Bone-Piercing Nails, before he let out a furious roar.

A palm-sized, half-white, half-red round mirror was suddenly unleashed by Daoist Mu. He spat a few breaths of true qi onto the mirror, then glared fiercely at Heavenly Corpse Venerable and roared, “Swift!”

As the mirror appeared, the bodies of the Ten Heavenly Lords simultaneously convulsed. They exclaimed: “Yin-Yang Mirror? Did that bull-nosed fellow, Chi Huang, perish? A great joy!”

Before the words could fully register, a beam of white light shot from the Yin-Yang Mirror, striking Heavenly Corpse Venerable.

Heavenly Corpse Venerable startled, roaring loudly. A stream of black corpse energy rushed out from above his head, carrying with it a White Bone Ghost Soul Banner, eight feet and one inch tall, woven entirely from countless white bone skeletons. As this great banner appeared, all the skull heads simultaneously ground their teeth and spewed wisps of evil energy, wrapping Heavenly Corpse Venerable in a thick layer of wicked light. The white light from the Yin-Yang Mirror was swept aside by the evil light, shooting past and instantly scanning seven of the Tai Huang Huang Zeng Tian realm disciples standing near Heavenly Corpse Venerable.

The Yin-Yang Mirror was an ancient ultimate treasure of immense power. Even if a Fuluo Golden Immortal were subjected to its glare, their soul would scatter, let alone seven mere First-grade Celestial Immortals?

The immortal artifacts protecting these seven Celestial Immortals were shattered by the white light without offering any resistance. Then their bodies stiffened, and they plummeted from the sky like stones.

Heavenly Corpse Venerable cried out in anguish, howling mournfully. He threw aside Mei Lin, who was clinging to his waist, and forcefully grabbed the White Bone Ghost Soul Banner suspended above his head, shaking it wildly. Countless skull heads emitted sharp, unpleasant shrieks, and streams of evil light and black energy surged toward the sky, transforming into several colossal black skull demon heads that shot straight toward the formation commanded by Daoist Mu.

With a miserable scream, Heavenly Corpse Venerable unleashed his full power, annihilating several thousand cultivators. Daoist Mu, gritting his teeth, ignored the mounting casualties on his side, spitting out mouthfuls of primordial qi, sending beams of white light wildly in all directions. He killed the Celestial Immortals and high-stage Loose Immortals on Heavenly Corpse Venerable’s side, forcing them to flee, clutching their heads, but how could they evade the Yin-Yang Mirror’s attack?

In the blink of an eye, the two Myriad Immortal Arrays disintegrated almost simultaneously.

On Daoist Mu’s side, only a mere thirty-odd of the most powerful cultivators remained. On Heavenly Corpse Venerable’s side, only a paltry ten thousand-plus cultivators below the Fourth Tribulation Loose Immortal stage were left.

Starlight No. 1 Star was already more than half shattered. Countless black smoke and white vapor surged directly from the planet’s core into the high sky. This planet was on the brink of destruction; if things continued, it might linger for three to five more days before finally exploding into dust.

Many cultivator corpses still hung in the air, falling heavily downward, continuously plunging into the gaping fissures in the earth, swallowed instantly by the crimson magma.

Mutual destruction—absolute mutual destruction.

Daoist Mu was relatively fine; his clan members had already been completely wiped out by Mei Lin, so the greater the losses among the cultivators around him, the less he would feel pain. Heavenly Corpse Venerable, however, could not endure this shock. Everyone he brought was the hard-earned foundation he had accumulated over countless years, especially the Celestial Immortals and high-stage Loose Immortals, who were the very apple of his Nine Nether Lineage’s eye. Now, they were all lost here.

“Mu Sha Duoltuo! I will fight you to the death!” Heavenly Corpse Venerable gritted his teeth and charged toward Daoist Mu.

Daoist Mu, heavily depleted of qi, suddenly raised the Yin-Yang Mirror and shot a beam of white light toward Heavenly Corpse Venerable.

Heavenly Corpse Venerable cried out in alarm, hastily summoning the White Bone Ghost Soul Banner, once again enveloping himself with thick evil light. But this time, the white light shot from the Yin-Yang Mirror was even fiercer, shattering dozens of layers of evil light consecutively. Finally, the white light struck the main body of the White Bone Ghost Soul Banner. With a series of violent explosions, the banner emitted sharp, eerie screeches, and large sections of white bone skeletons shattered into dust.

Heavenly Corpse Venerable spat blood and retreated. Daoist Mu also staggered back a few steps, nearly losing his footing and falling to the ground.

At that moment, a crisp sound of applause drifted from afar. Eternal Starlight, with a smile on his face, trod on the clouds and approached.

Over twenty thousand cultivators who had not joined the Myriad Immortal Array set up by Heavenly Corpse Venerable but had only watched the battle from the sidelines quietly knelt on the clouds, bowing in reverence to Eternal Starlight. Among these cultivators, ninety-nine percent were the nobles and generals who had defected to Mei Lin in the preceding days.

“You…” Mei Lin looked at Eternal Starlight, completely stunned.

“I’m not dead yet,” Eternal Starlight nodded gently.

Mei Lin suddenly burst into loud laughter: “You are done for!”

Following Mei Lin’s laughter, ten Death Star Ships broke through the clouds, descending. Their colossal hulls blocked the sunlight, and the surroundings suddenly darkened.

Eternal Starlight shook his head and casually flicked his finger. The ten Death Star Ships under Mei Lin’s control unleashed a full barrage of fire. The cultivators near Heavenly Corpse Venerable and Daoist Mu were caught completely off guard. Nearly ten thousand cultivators were instantly reduced to ashes under the frantic attack of the Death Star Ships.

Mei Lin was scared speechless!