The ominous news alarmed them, prompting an immediate rush to the mining planet to investigate the situation.

Within the mine shafts, the corpses of the Nine Nether Sect disciples were strewn about haphazardly. Even the direct disciple, stationed there by Gu Xiachen and holding the rank of Grand Unity Golden Immortal, seemed to have been slain without any semblance of a struggle. The manner of death for all members of the Nine Nether Sect was gruesome beyond description, as if they had been minced meat on an anvil for days on end, mangled beyond recognition and utterly inhuman.

At the mine's exit lay the bodies of three Grand Unity Golden Immortal-level disciples of the Nine Nether Sect, slumped at an angle. They had been struck from behind, their forms riddled with transparent holes the thickness of a wrist. The edges of these wounds were as smooth as mirrors, yet the surrounding tissue was charred black, as if seared by fierce flames.

Monkey searched these three corpses most diligently for a while before sighing and declaring, "They were injured by a weapon resembling a dart. Furthermore, the flame on the dart is the Two-Phase Buddha-Demon Flame, a combination of the Buddhist Demon-Subduing True Fire and an Asura Devil Spell."

"Two-Phase Buddha-Demon Flame?" Gu Xiachen looked at Monkey in confusion; this was something absent even from the memories of True Lord Taiyin.

Monkey painstakingly explained the origin of the Two-Phase Buddha-Demon Flame, and only then did Gu Xiachen understand that it was a terrifying Buddhist demonic art cultivated by the guardian deities among the Brahmanic heavens after they were subdued by the Buddha. These guardians simultaneously practiced Buddhist teachings and their own demonic arts, resulting in an entity possessing both Buddhist nature and demonic malice.

"But the Two-Phase Buddha-Demon Flame shouldn't be here."

Monkey frowned.

In the memory contained within this wisp of his divine sense, only the deities among the Twenty Guardian Heavens of Buddhism practiced the Two-Phase Buddha-Demon Flame. During the ancient war against the myriad Innate Great Sages of the alien new universe, these deities had been decimated, not a single one surviving. If their divine abilities hadn't left inheritors behind, no one in the Three Realms could still wield the Two-Phase Buddha-Demon Flame.

Gu Xiachen knitted his brows; the situation was strange. The Nine Nether Sect disciples were attacked, and all disciples from Kunlun and Zhongnan were taken away. If the remaining aura suggested Daoist lineage, it would be logical, perhaps the work of direct descendants from Kunlun or Zhongnan still lingering in the Three Realms. But the presence of a Buddhist technique here—what was the meaning of this?

As he hesitated, the void above the mine entrance suddenly rippled. A gentle surge of energy spread outwards, gently pushing open the fabric of space and ejecting a group of massive figures with branching limbs, multiple heads, and numerous legs.

Qiamendu happened to land directly opposite Gu Xiachen, and the two locked gazes instantly.

Instinctively sensing the marvelous aura emanating from Qiamendu—a fusion of Buddhist Zen arts and some strange power—Gu Xiachen narrowed his eyes and fixed them on the dart in Qiamendu's hand. It was indeed a dart, and coiled around it was a strange flame, a mixture of gold and dark crimson. The heat of the flame was not high, yet it seemed to sear the soul directly, causing profound discomfort throughout the body.

"My Nine Nether Sect disciples—were they killed by you?"

Gu Xiachen ground his teeth and demanded of Qiamendu.

Qiamendu had been tricked by Wuyun Xian and struck by a meteor hammer that shattered her spine—this was bad enough. Her recovery ability was astonishing; even if her head were severed, it would be a minor injury. However, the meteor hammer contained a trace of bizarre law-force that continuously eroded Qiamendu's power and flesh, hindering her body's restoration.

Hearing Gu Xiachen's accusation, Qiamendu, whose lumbar spine was damaged and whose mood was exceedingly foul, stared back with fury. "I did it. So what if I did?"

Gu Xiachen roared, his hands shooting out like striking flood dragons. The Three Forms of Ding Tian slammed directly toward Qiamendu's face. Wherever Gu Xiachen's fists passed, the void shattered. His left hand was wreathed in an aura of Taiyin, while his right was surrounded by an aura of Taiyang. The complementary energies of Yin and Yang transformed into a hazy surge of power between his dual fists.

This was the Three Forms of Ding Tian, yet it surpassed it. It was Gu Xiachen's newly forged Taiyin Sun Settling Form, infused with the essence of Yin and Yang.

All Yin and Yang energies merged into one, drawing upon the spiritual energy of the earth's ley lines below and aligning with the celestial stars above. Dwelling within the Three Realms, it summoned the primordial forces of the four elements—earth, water, fire, and wind—and further incorporated the Xuanhuang Qi gathered from the (thought-force) of countless living beings, transforming into a vast, inexorable, world-shattering giant force: the Taiyin Sun Settling Form.

Transforming the acquired nature into the innate, converting the Yin and Yang energies into primordial chaotic spiritual energy, this punch from Gu Xiachen managed to evoke a trace of the primordial chaos from Pangu's separation of heaven and earth.

Qiamendu hadn't even clearly seen the trajectory of Gu Xiachen's punch before her three heads were pulverized by the heavy blows.

The terrifying surge of energy flooded into Qiamendu's body. Large, fist-sized bulges erupted all over her dark form. Qiamendu felt agonizing pain throughout her body as those bulges simultaneously burst, sending sprays of flesh and blood everywhere.

"Evil Dragon Venerable Gu Xiachen!" Qiamendu shrieked hoarsely, "I will kill you, I absolutely must kill you! Ha! You actually managed to escape that tortoise-shell formation? I must kill you!"

Qiamendu’s body convulsed; her damaged heads fell off, and new ones immediately sprouted. She brought a sword down, slicing near the break in her spine. Half of her body heavily crashed to the ground, instantly dissolving into a pool of blood. Accompanied by Qiamendu's piercing laughter, new limbs grew from her severed trunk, six strong and powerful legs planting themselves firmly on the ground.

With eighteen heads, forty-two arms, and six legs, Qiamendu, having discarded half her body to neutralize the invading foreign power, laughed triumphantly a few times. She raised a wine gourd and took a long draught of Soma wine. Then, her figure spun like a whirlwind, trailing countless firelight trails as she charged toward Gu Xiachen.

Gu Xiachen’s face darkened as he activated the Divine Ability of Heaven and Earth Manifestation, his body swelling to ten thousand feet tall, matching Qiamendu’s stature. He roared, "Change!" and similarly manifested a three-headed, six-armed Dharma Body. His six hands clutched six Supreme Immortal Artifacts as he met Qiamendu's assault.

Monkey watched Gu Xiachen’s Dharma Body and cried out, "Ordinary Immortal Artifacts can't deal with the divine weapons forged from her thought-force!" Before the words faded, Gu Xiachen felt a lightness in his hands; the six Supreme Immortal Artifacts were melted into molten iron or smashed into powder by Qiamendu’s weapons. Qiamendu laughed wildly, smashing and chopping at Gu Xiachen, forcing his colossal body to retreat constantly.

The sound of clashing metal echoed continuously. Gu Xiachen's face and chest sparked with golden light as Qiamendu's weapons struck him. They only managed to send flashes of fire through the air and leave faint red marks on his skin, yet they could not inflict any real, grievous harm.

While viciously beating Gu Xiachen, Qiamendu roared in anger, "Such a hard body! Such a hard body! Such a hard body! Hahaha!" With every utterance of "hard body," Qiamendu's attack frequency increased tenfold, and the impact force of her weapons soared a hundredfold. By the time she finished the third iteration of "such a hard body," all forty-two of Qiamendu's arms struck Gu Xiachen simultaneously. Gu Xiachen grunted under the impact and was blasted backward, crashing into a mountain behind him. The mountain shattered into pieces, and he tumbled to the ground.

"I win!" Qiamendu proudly raised her arms.

"You win? Don't make me laugh!" The dim spiritual light in Gu Xiachen's eyes flickered. His massive form shot out from the mountain debris like a leopard. All six arms exerted their full strength as he engaged Qiamendu.

Since Supreme Immortal Artifacts were no match for weapons condensed from Qiamendu's thought-force, he would use bare fists. He would shatter Qiamendu with his fists. Gu Xiachen's six arms continuously unleashed the Taiyin Sun Settling Form. The void was torn into shreds, and in the space of a single breath, the mining planet beneath their feet was annihilated by the surging energy.

As they fought with increasing fervor, they charged into the void, locked in a fierce, head-on entanglement in outer space.

Every strike Qiamendu landed on Gu Xiachen sounded like a massive bell tolling, accompanied by immense sound and sparks, yet it failed to truly injure him.

Every punch Gu Xiachen landed on Qiamendu shattered her bones and tendons; countless heads and limbs constantly fell away. However, Qiamendu was wreathed in black miasma and blazing crimson fire. No matter how many heads Gu Xiachen shattered or how many arms he broke, innumerable limbs regenerated continuously.

Eventually, Gu Xiachen unleashed massive amounts of Taiyin Darkflame and Taiyang Scorching Flame to burn Qiamendu. Portions of Qiamendu's limbs froze into ice, and other parts were incinerated to ash. But Qiamendu possessed the fearless spirit of a warrior severing a limb; she seemed utterly oblivious to pain. Any part of her body touched by the Taiyin Darkflame or Taiyang Scorching Flame, she would instantly retaliate by severing it with a clean chop, never giving Gu Xiachen the chance to inflict true critical damage.

Unable to injure Gu Xiachen, and continuously regenerating, both were locked in a bitter struggle, teeth gnashing, unable to determine a victor for the time being.

Po Ya looked up at Gu Xiachen, who was currently locked in battle with Qiamendu, then suddenly sneered at Monkey. "I recognize you, Sun Wukong, the Victorious Fighting Buddha! Shall we play? Heh heh, I've never accepted it—how can a stinking monkey like you qualify as a Buddha?"

His hundreds of arms hammered his chest violently. Po Ya roared, "For a great being like me, an eternal Asura King, even I cannot become a Buddha! And you, a monkey head who only achieved human form a few short years ago, can become a Buddha? I refuse to accept it! I refuse to accept it! I must kill you!"

Moving his hundreds of arms, Po Ya shattered the space around him, unleashing a barrage of a hundred different weapons that rained down on Monkey.

Monkey spun his iron staff, creating a vortex of club shadows to meet Po Ya's assault. He laughed heartily, "Come now, Old Sun is afraid of you?"

The iron staff danced through the air like a soaring flood dragon, forcing dozens of Po Ya's arms to recoil.

However, Po Ya’s strength was immense, and his arms were numerous. Monkey couldn't block everything, and weapons from nearly a hundred arms struck him almost simultaneously.

Monkey grunted, a small patch of flesh on his chest exploding outward. He was sent flying ten thousand miles by Po Ya's single blow. Po Ya snorted coldly, casually summoning a bolt of lightning from the void and shooting it at Monkey. A burst of fire erupted, and Monkey, along with the nearby mining planet, was engulfed by the explosive lightning.

The mining planet was instantly annihilated. Monkey burst out of the fire, his body trailing thick smoke, charging furiously towards Po Ya. Po Ya shook his head dismissively, his voice roaring like thunder, "With your current cultivation, you are not the Victorious Fighting Buddha of yesteryear. How could you possibly be my match?"

Dozens of arms easily held off Monkey. Po Ya’s remaining heads turned towards Yang Jian, who was observing the battle, and suddenly, nearly a hundred arms viciously lashed out at Yang Jian. Po Ya roared, "Erlang Shengsheng True Lord Yang Jian! You are also a famous figure in the Three Realms! Come, I shall battle you!"

Yang Jian raised his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade and thrust out violently. Countless silver rays of light pierced the void, striking Po Ya's attacking arms so severely that they were forced to retract, riddled with holes. Yang Jian muttered, "Po Ya? Po Ya, the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings of Asura? Good. Your seniority is higher than ours. Joining forces against you is no disgrace!"

A ball of golden clouds surged beneath his feet, and Yang Jian stepped onto it, flying rapidly and circling Po Ya like a spinning windmill. His slender companion, the dog, trotted alongside Yang Jian, its sly eyes constantly scanning Po Ya, seemingly searching for the tenderest, easiest place to bite.

Po Ya was completely unfazed by the combined assault of Monkey and Yang Jian. He roared his desire to fight, his hundred arms dancing rapidly. Every strike carried the power to cleave the heavens, preventing Monkey and Yang Jian from closing in. Due to his sheer number of arms, he occasionally formed hand seals to cast spells to disturb their minds, or hurled bolts of lightning at Monkey and Yang Jian. For a time, he maintained the upper hand.

Monkey and Yang Jian, however, fought with restraint. Po Ya's body, much like Qiamendu's, was impervious to direct harm; if one head was severed, another immediately regenerated. Moreover, his strength was immense, far exceeding that of Monkey and Yang Jian. Any direct clash sent them flying far away.

Both Monkey and Yang Jian possessed newly reformed immortal bodies; their cultivation had not returned to their peak past lives. They were clearly no match for Po Ya, who was experienced in protracted Buddhist-style battles.

Seeing that Gu Xiachen, Yang Jian, and Monkey were all caught in a difficult fight, Kuang Hua was the first to lose patience and charge forward. He flapped his fleshy wings and soared into the sky, attacking the nearest Asura general—a hideous creature with an indigo complexion, tusks, five heads, and twelve arms.

The monstrous Asura let out a strange laugh and gave a sharp whistle. Nearly a hundred Asuras surged forward, each raising their weapons to strike Kuang Hua.

Kuang Hua was immediately overwhelmed by the combined assault of nearly a hundred Asuras wielding over a thousand arms. He felt heavy fists descending from all directions, accompanied by countless weapon strikes. No matter how fast his movements were, he couldn't block the coordinated attack of so many Asuras.

In just a few blinks of an eye, Kuang Hua was struck hundreds of times, each blow heavier than Mount Tai, each one causing him agonizing pain. Enraged, Kuang Hua revealed his true form as a Flying Nightgaunt. His skin and tendons burst forth with intense golden light, allowing him to wrestle the Asuras like a living statue made of metal. However, the enemy had superior numbers, and Kuang Hua could only maintain a precarious defensive posture.

Seeing Kuang Hua trapped, Siren immediately drew his Fated Sword and charged. With a flick of his hand, he sent several streaks of sword light piercing through several Asuras. This was, after all, a Saintly Artifact gifted by Nuwa. As the Fated Sword moved, the threads of fate belonging to these Asuras were severed, and they fell from the sky instantly, devoid of any life force.

These Asuras were truly the main fighting contingent of the guardian deities of the Buddhist heavens. Recognizing the lethality of Siren’s long sword, nearly a hundred Asuras, entirely crimson with three heads and six arms each, ascended and unleashed a rain-like barrage of electrical lights, thunder, and fire towards Siren.

The lightning bolts unleashed by the Asuras possessed terrifying power. Even tens of miles away, they caused Siren’s hair and beard to scorch and curl. Once struck by the lightning, Siren was sent flying uncontrollably, like a dandelion seed caught in a hurricane.

Siren was furious. He spread the twelve wings on his back, intending to rush directly to the Asuras, but several repeated attempts to charge were thwarted by the lightning strikes, forcing him back.

As this happened, Aredia, standing on the ground, suddenly raised both hands. Innumerable fireballs, the size of fists, made of a substance like solidified dark glass, materialized out of thin air. They moved silently, leaving trails like falling meteors, hurtling towards the over one hundred Asuras.

The Asuras, who had been smugly toying with Siren, were suddenly thrown into chaos by Aredia’s fireballs. They cursed and tried to evade the fiery attacks, but their forms were monstrous and their speed was not exceptional. The fireballs exploded upon impact, causing the group of Asuras to shriek as large swathes of their heads and limbs fractured and plummeted under the intense black light.

Siren laughed loudly, about to press his advantage, but Banruo and Mohe were several times faster. They had already shot two beams of strange light directly towards those Asuras.

Just as Banruo and Mohe reached the Asuras, ready to laugh victoriously, a burst of intense light erupted nearby. The three Kongsang brothers had instantaneously teleported in front of the Asuras. Their long spear, long sword, and long halberd swept out, enveloped in ten thousand feet of divine radiance, striking the thrown-into-disarray Asuras.

A roar was heard as several thousand Asuras from the rear charged out like wolves and tigers, instantly surrounding the group at the core.

These Asuras were all powerhouses among the guardian deities of the Buddhist heavens—seasoned veterans of countless battles. In terms of combat experience, only the three Kongsang brothers barely surpassed them.

The cultivation techniques practiced by these Asuras were vastly different from the common divine abilities. They relied on continuous regeneration of their limbs, infinite brute strength, and bizarre sorcery, putting Kuang Hua and the others in dire straits.

Seeing that all his companions who arrived with him were mired in bitter fighting, Gu Xiachen clenched his teeth and roared, "Are you the only ones with numbers?"

A purple light flashed between his brows. Gu Xiachen suddenly shouted, and over a million Golden Immortal-level Heavenly Soldiers and Generals charged out amidst boundless auspicious light and purple aura.

The Heavenly Generals, including the four brothers of Mo Li, the two brothers of Xin Jia, and the Generals of Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning, commanded the million heavenly soldiers to quickly form ranks in the void. A Heavenly Net Grand Formation rapidly enveloped the space spanning ten thousand miles, enclosing everyone.

Gu Xiachen waved his hand, and the Five-Direction Five-Color Banners flew into the sky. Five-colored beams of strong light covered the void, and auspicious clouds churned around them, instantly concealing every sound, light, and aura within this sphere of conflict.

Po Ya and Qiamendu panicked, exclaiming in shock, "The Heavenly Net Grand Formation? Damn it, you, you, you ambushed us?"

Gu Xiachen snorted coldly, flying out of the melee, shouting, "Only you are allowed to gang up on the few? Today, we'll see who has more manpower and who is more shameless!"

His eyes widened, and the giant Ling God swung his colossal Xuanhua Axe, roaring as he charged at Qiamendu, smashing her backward with a single axe blow.

The powerful deities such as the Four Value Officers, the Six Ding and Six Jia, the Twelve Yuan Chen, and the Thirteen Stars of the South and North Dipper surged out from the purple light, each brandishing their weapons and charging towards the stunned Po Ya and Qiamendu.

Immediately following them, the Corpse Emperor, radiating dense killing intent, charged towards Po Ya and Qiamendu wielding the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords.

Finally, the Fire Crow swept out with overwhelming flames. Its body expanded to nearly a hundred miles across. The Fire Crow opened its mouth, unleashing dozens of fire whirlwinds toward Po Ya, causing his entire body to sizzle and hiss.

The situation changed drastically in an instant. Po Ya and Qiamendu found themselves plunged into a bitter struggle.