Cold, in the Spiral Starfield, amidst the boundless starlight, Gu Wuchen and Fuya 7 Ming held each other quietly.

After a long while, Gu Wuchen let out a soft chuckle, "You were quite formidable this time. Even the spies who hid so deeply for so long were uncovered by you."

Fuya 7 Ming's cheeks flushed crimson, and she held her head high with undeniable pride, laughing, "That is a given. With their petty tricks, how could they possibly conceal anything from me?"

With a few cold snorts, Fuya 7 Ming ground her teeth and declared, "Daring to cause trouble within the jurisdiction I oversee! Upon my return, I will initiate a full population review and census across the entire Yafike Empire to systematically hunt down any latent Brahmin spies."

Gu Xiechen nodded, "A fine idea. You may mobilize all personnel from the Thirty-Three Heavens. Their cultivation has almost fully recovered over these years; it’s high time they stretched their legs a bit. As for the core disciples of the Nine Nether Path, let them go out and gain experience too."

After discussing subsequent steps and plans, the two simultaneously looked toward Politippi, who was tightly bound by a gleaming, crystal-clear La-jin cord. Fuya 7 Ming gave a cold glare and casually tossed a cluster of Taiyin Zhuyan onto Politippi's right foot, where it burned fiercely. Politippi screamed in agony, and her fair, slender right foot rapidly disintegrated into specks of ice dust that drifted away.

Patting Fuya 7 Ming's shoulder, Gu Xiechen gazed coldly at Politippi and issued an order without expression.

Several Nine Nether Path disciples rushed forward, attacking Politippi like hungry wolves, beating her all the way to the prison specifically designed for high-profile offenders—the array eye of the most perilous domain within the Tiangang Disha Star Formation: the Tian Sha Star Domain. This was the source of the vast majority of the formation’s destructive power, the place where the entire array held its strongest and most potent lethality.

Several months later, the Immortals gathered. Gu Xiechen intended to proclaim himself a Saint before the assembled immortals, and Politippi was the perfect sacrifice to officially raise the banner and establish the new order.

Having settled the affairs of the Spiral Starfield, Gu Wuchen was about to take Fuya 7 Ming and continue their pursuit of raising their beloved child when, suddenly, his heart shuddered. He sensed a crisis approaching Guo Hua, a danger potent enough to threaten Guo Hua and the existence of several others, rapidly closing in.

With a cold smile, Gu Wuchen shook his head, "Guo Hua has stirred up big trouble again."

Fuya 7 Ming very casually adjusted his collar and gave him a forceful nudge.

The Nine Dragons Ascending Ladder, accompanied by a resonant dragon's roar, transformed into a brilliant, magnificent golden light that shot straight into the sky. Gu Xiechen strode into the golden light and vanished instantly without a trace. Fuya 7 Ming frowned in thought for a moment, hastily summoned her few personal disciples, and commanded them to follow as well.

Sunlight Bodhisattva, Moonlight Bodhisattva, the Ten Great Disciples, and newly ascended Daluo Jinxian disciples under Fuya 7 Ming, such as the Dragon Slaying Mistress, all joined their palms in reverence, chanted Buddhist names, and plunged into the golden light.

Fuya 7 Ming watched Gu Xiechen and her disciples depart with a smile on her face. Then, her expression shifted dramatically; surging murderous energy erupted from her, transforming into a streak of seven-colored rainbow light that shot directly to the highest point of the Thirty-Three Heavens, ringing the most urgent Bell of Immortal Gathering.

Billions upon billions of endless heavenly soldiers, generals, sacred immortals, and deities throughout the Thirty-Three Heavens immediately ceased their cultivation and emerged riding clouds, forming perfectly arrayed battle formations across the countless drill grounds of the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Fuya 7 Ming waved her hand, issuing the command to conduct identity verification for all residents of the Spiral Starfield, simultaneously testing their aptitude for cultivation. All civil officials of the Yafike administration mobilized, leading squads of elite heavenly soldiers and generals to every direction, thoroughly auditing the identities of every citizen within Yafike territory.

The Star Formation surged madly. Not only the 108 Star Lords of Tiangang Disha, but all the Star Lords of the Heavenly Cycle—save for Rahu Star Lord who was not in his proper position—saw the flames of their natal stars blaze intensely. Vast stellar power converged upon the Yafike Starfield, locking it down so tightly that not even water could pass through.

As the Heavenly Cycle Star Lords exerted their power in unison, the Yafike Starfield instantly transformed into a sphere of pure, silver-white intense light, almost impossible for outsiders to look upon directly.

Countless chains forged from starlight sealed off all directions, dancing wildly across the void. Even if Celestial Maiden Jixiang tried to infiltrate now, she would suffer at least a minor stun under such conditions. The attention of tens of thousands of Innate Star Lords of the Heavenly Cycle was focused here; the boundless starlight served as their eyes, ears, hands, and feet. Trying to slip into Yafike unnoticed to do something would be incredibly difficult. Soon, a scent of blood emerged from the starlight.

Fuya 7 Ming led the contingent personally, commanding a large force of heavenly soldiers and generals to patrol the surroundings. They hunted down and killed tens of thousands of hidden guardians of the Eightfold Host, and under the pressure of Fuya 7 Ming's formidable strength, these lurking members of the Host were either killed or captured; none managed to escape.

In the Blade Wheel Hell, Guo Hua’s eyes shot out dense, intricate streams of spiritual light that illuminated the void. His divine sense was more agile and lively than ever before, instantly sweeping across the entirety of the Blade Wheel Hell. Everything happening within the boundless Blade Wheel Hell was under his grasp; he could perceive every detail here.

The flow of every drop of water, the rising of every grain of dust, the trajectory of every breath of wind, the every move of every demon within the Blade Wheel Hell, even the flow of blood within their bodies, and the movement paths of the blood cells inside that blood—everything was under his command.

What a marvelous insight this was. Guo Hua's Dao attainment soared rapidly; he was subtly merging with the very void of the Blade Wheel Hell.

The endless Geng Metal sharpness of the Blade Wheel Hell continuously poured into Guo Hua's body, where it was swiftly shattered and disrupted, transforming into the Dharma power of his main body. His cultivation base, which was merely mid-grade Daluo Jinxian, expanded rapidly, quickly breaking through to the upper grade, and was relentlessly climbing toward the peak of the Daluo Jinxian realm.

Guo Hua was immensely pleased. He had devoured the soul of the Little Samsara Saint King, and all of the Little Samsara Saint King's cultivation insights and experiences were converting into his own understanding. The cultivation of the Little Samsara Saint King was astonishingly profound, containing countless secrets of the primordial world from the distant past. Guo Hua benefited immensely from this, his progress truly accelerating by a thousand miles per instant, with an extraordinarily shocking speed.

The only thing peculiar was how this Little Samsara Saint King knew so many secrets from the ancient era?

Prajna, Mahā, and Hongya, along with the other six Heavenly Wolf Kings, exchanged knowing smiles. Prajna nodded, "We owe you six today."

Hongya chuckled a few times. He waved the long spear he had pulled from the Little Samsara Saint King’s body and said sinisterly, "We were just carrying out patrol duties outside. Upon hearing that Ancestor Guo Hua had offended the Little Samsara Saint King, we volunteered to accompany him here."

With a soft sigh, Hongya felt fortunate, "Luckily, we brothers have been diligent in serving him over the years, so he never suspected us. That allowed us to strike a decisive blow and kill him." Before Hongya finished speaking, a chilling shriek echoed from a distance.

The massive demon god, upon seeing the Little Samsara Saint King struck down by their combined efforts, his soul even swallowed by Guo Hua as a supplement, let out a mournful, heart-rending wail. He risked everything, enduring a thousand strikes of the Plague Corpse Godly Immortal Execution Lightning unleashed by the Hanba, allowing the foul and poisonous corpse lightning to batter his body until it was mottled and damaged. He simply waved his two arms wildly, stirring up boundless Geng Metal spiritual energy, which formed two walls, each rushing toward the Hanba. The surrounding void suddenly solidified as if cast from Vajra, the space instantly frozen.

The Hanba was caught off guard by this immobilization from the great demon god, her movement abruptly stalling. Two brilliant, golden walls rushed toward her rapidly from the left and right, striking her squarely. With a massive crash, the walls composed of immeasurable Geng Metal spiritual energy shattered, and the Hanba’s form was instantly compressed by several inches. Her chest and hips, which she had always prided herself on, were flattened against her bones. Enraged to the extreme, the Hanba screamed and lunged toward the demon god, determined to fight him to the death.

The demon god also howled frantically like a wounded tiger, fiercely charging toward the Hanba. As the two rapidly closed in, the demon god's head suddenly flew high into the air and swiftly retreated into the dark, fiery clouds blanketing the sky. The demon god’s torso, carrying a strange glimmer, shot toward the Hanba. Just as they were about to make contact, the torso suddenly disintegrated into countless streams of Geng Metal spiritual energy.

A cold light flashed. After its collapse, the demon god's body rapidly reformed. Immeasurable threads of Geng Metal spiritual energy quickly coalesced into a three-inch-long, nearly transparent golden blade, which pierced toward the Hanba with a sharp sound of tearing the air.

This golden blade, formed from the demon god's body, was extremely small, its edge incredibly thin, and its light not strong. However, the moment this blade appeared, all the light in the Blade Wheel Hell seemed to be usurped by it; the light of the entire Heavenly Cycle appeared to converge upon this short golden blade.

Prajna, Mahā, and the six Heavenly Wolf Kings were not looking directly at the golden blade, yet the faint cold glint emanating from it still pierced their vision, stinging their eyes. The illusion of the golden blade appeared before them; they watched, helpless, as the blade 'slowly' sliced through the void and sank into the chest of the seemingly frozen Hanba.

The Hanba, stiff in the void and unable to move the slightest bit, revealed an expression of sheer terror. The golden blade pierced her body with ease, sinking deep within. Subsequently, sharp, unparalleled Geng Metal blade qi erupted from every pore of the Hanba’s body. Streaks of blade qi rampaged, tearing her painstakingly tempered Corpse God Body to shreds, causing her to emit terrifying shrieks of pain.

In the blink of an eye, the Hanba's body was tattered. She plummeted toward the ground, bleeding profusely, with no aura or trace of divine thought remaining. Prajna and Mahā were greatly alarmed and hastily transformed into streams of black and white spiritual light, rushing toward the falling Hanba.

But just as the brothers flew out, a streak of blade light flashed in the void. Prajna and Mahā had no time to see what attacked them before they were both struck in the chest. The blade force was overwhelmingly powerful; a single strike nearly shattered the entirety of both their breastbones. The blade qi pierced deep into their viscera, shaking their internal organs into a tumble. Especially the area near the wound, their hearts felt as if they were about to be ground to dust by countless strands of blade qi. With two muffled sounds, Prajna and Mahā simultaneously vomited blood.

They looked at each other in panic and then simultaneously looked down at the thin Bodhi leaf talismans hanging at their waists.

These were the life-saving talismans given to the brothers by the mysterious old monk from the Abyss of No Return, possessing a powerful self-protection ability to shield them from one deadly calamity. But now, the talisman before each brother was slowly cracking, gradually dissolving into specks of Buddhist light drifting away.

The talismans had already taken effect, having weakened over ninety percent of the blade light's power. The remaining sliver of blade force was still enough to nearly kill the Prajna and Mahā brothers. One could only imagine the outcome had the full force of the blade struck them.

The brothers cried out and the black and white streams of light accelerated tens of thousands of times, almost instantly arriving beside the bleeding, falling Hanba. Lifting the Hanba’s arms one on each side, Prajna and Mahā hurriedly soared upward on their spiritual light toward Guo Hua, whose power was rapidly ascending.

Almost the moment the two brothers took flight, the previous blade light grazed past their bodies.

The blade light skimmed dangerously close to the soles of their feet. Although it didn't strike them directly, the terrifying sharpness and absolute killing intent of the blade light still penetrated their bodies, causing excruciating pain in both their feet. The flesh from their knees down shattered inch by inch, sending gouts of blood spurting out. What a terrifying blade light, what terrifying intent!

Within this blade light, Prajna and Mahā seemed to glimpse an unparalleled fierce beast that existed before the beginning of the cosmos, witnessing its brutal, sanguinary history of endless slaughter.

The blade light that attacked the two was merely a minuscule trace of the aura leaked by this peerless fierce beast, yet it was enough to overwhelm the two upper-grade Daluo Jinxian experts who could not defend themselves.

If the blade light hadn't miscalculated their true speed—if the brothers had continued flying at their previous pace—the second streak of blade light would have bisected them cleanly at the waist.

Terrified out of their wits, with cold sweat pouring from every pore, the brothers shrieked as they rushed toward Guo Hua, shouting fiercely, "Quickly! Deploy the Twelvefold Grand Minor Sumeru Illusory Realm to defend against the enemy, quickly, quickly!"

The Hundred-Plus confidantes brought by Prajna and Mahā from the Blade Wheel Hell, including the Yellow Robe Dharma King, saw this scene. Although Mahā’s followers were usually steeped in evil deeds, they held deep reverence for Mahā. Thus, as soon as Mahā spoke, nearly a hundred of his disciples immediately formed the Twelvefold Grand Minor Sumeru Illusory Realm, transforming into an endless Bodhi forest stretching across the void.

Meanwhile, Prajna’s six disciples, who possessed deep foundations, pure temperaments, and profound cultivation, were deeply worried for their master's safety. They neglected to join the formation with their peers under the Yellow Robe Dharma King. Instead, shouting, "Master, be careful!" they all ascended on clouds to support Prajna and Mahā. Hongya snarled, "Those six fools!"

With a whistle from his mouth, the six Hongya brothers hurriedly gathered the demon soldiers and generals they had brought and scrambled into the Twelvefold Grand Minor Sumeru Illusory Realm.

Another extremely thin blade light flashed in the void. The six disciples of Prajna suddenly stiffened. A hair-thin line of blood appeared from their brows, piercing straight down to below their lower abdomens. Gradually, blood sprayed out from the front and back of their bodies. Twelve corpses, covered in rich blood, plunged toward the ground. Not even a shred of their divine soul escaped. That blade light had extinguished the life force of the six disciples, destroying the fundamental imprint of their souls.

Prajna roared toward the sky in fury, while Mahā let out several cackling laughs, then quickly turned to look at Prajna’s ashen face, before hurriedly shouting curses in feigned "anger."

To be frank, Mahā had always found these disciplined, shaven-headed monks among Prajna's disciples somewhat irritating. Now that they were instantly killed, it was hard to say whether he felt more grief or schadenfreude. However, the sheer power of that blade light was imprinted deep in Mahā’s heart, causing his heart, once as solid as stone, to contract with a sharp spasm.

The black and white streams of light carrying the Hanba rushed toward the vast expanse of the Bodhi forest manifested by the Minor Sumeru Illusory Realm. A blade light flashed again in the void. This time, the blade light did not strike Prajna and Mahā, but rather the demons brought by the six Heavenly Wolf Kings.

Of the over a million demons, only thirty to fifty thousand had entered the formation; the rest were still cloud-riding their way toward the Bodhi forest.

A faint blade light descended, and the million-plus demons cried out in unison. A thin line of blood instantly appeared on their necks, and vast amounts of blood sprayed forth. A pillar of bloody light carried their heads soaring seven or eight zhang high. Just like Prajna’s six disciples moments before, not a single thread of divine soul escaped as they were annihilated by the blade light.

Over a million corpses rained down like raindrops, piling up into a mountain of dead bodies on the ground in the blink of an eye.

The dark, fiery clouds in the void grew thicker. The forty-two demonic banners, which had stopped shaking due to the death of the Little Samsara Saint King, began to sway again. A sinister voice, sharp as a blade, echoed through the void: "You killed my only child, my son... You will all die, every last one of you!"

In the distance, at the junction of heaven and earth, a surge of white mist arose. It was a white wind composed of Geng Metal Qi, spanning millions of miles in width and unknown in height or thickness. The wind wall rushed rapidly toward this location, bringing with it a deafening roar of clashing metal.

The very air of the Blade Wheel Hell was almost entirely composed of pure Geng Metal spiritual energy. The density of the air was extremely heavy and solid; a gentle breeze here would be equivalent to a hurricane elsewhere. And the hurricanes in the Blade Wheel Hell were symbols of absolute despair.

The terrifying storm roared past, and the corpses of the over a million demons on the ground, along with several of the peaks Guo Hua had established near his gate, disintegrated simultaneously in the storm. Everything seemed to have been ground by countless spinning blades billions of times; those corpses and mountain peaks were reduced to countless fine particles that scattered, leaving not a trace behind.

That piercing, unpleasant voice sounded, "You trash! You can't even protect your own master. What use are you?"

In the dark, fiery clouds, the numerous demons of the Blade Wheel Hell who had followed the Little Samsara Saint King to besiege the Yaksha Gate all let out a collective wail. A streak of blade light fell in the void; the necks of these demons were all severed simultaneously, streams of blood spraying out. The white wind swept over, and every demon was shredded into fragments.

The terrifying storm spun rapidly around the Bodhi forest materialized by the Minor Sumeru Illusory Realm, gradually transforming into a pillar of white tornado, several tens of thousands of feet in diameter and at least hundreds of millions of miles high. Endless Geng Metal spiritual energy poured into this pillar of wind. Gradually, the intensely dense Geng Metal spiritual energy within the pillar condensed into countless sharp, menacing weapons: golden blades, long swords, circular saws, executioner’s blades, golden spears, and halberds, all glinting menacingly.

The forty-two demonic banners swayed, and countless sharp weapons were instantly coated in a layer of faint black, malevolent mist. The once golden and silver weapons turned a dull black, and the pale white tornado gradually shifted into an unsettling dark hue.

In the boundless black wind and black energy, a trace of pale white fire light flickered, and a strangely shaped long blade slowly materialized in the firelight.

This blade was nine feet long, with a handle three feet in length. It was a palm's width across and two fingers thick. Its crescent-shaped blade was carved with countless sesame-seed-sized statues of demon gods, ghosts, rare birds, and exotic beasts. The lines of these statues were crude and ancient, emanating an aura of primordial chaos that assaulted anyone who looked closely. If one scrutinized them, faint, eerie green firelight could be seen entwined in the lines of these minute carvings; the statues seemed to flow slightly in the firelight, as if alive.

The moment this blade appeared, an extremely tragic and ferocious killing intent enveloped heaven and earth. The entire Blade Wheel Hell trembled under this intent. Centered on the pillar of wind, all living beings within a radius of one hundred million li were simultaneously slain by the blade force transformed from this killing intent, regardless of whether they were immortal or mortal, strong or weak—all life was wiped clean.

Several overlords of the Blade Wheel Hell, powerful immortals with Daluo Jinxian cultivation, were caught by the blade force approaching their bodies. They hastily released their protective magic treasures, but as soon as the treasures appeared, they dissolved into powder under the invincible blade force, followed by the shattering of their bodies and divine souls.

Fiery demonic energy flashed across the long blade. The surging spiritual energy and killing intent from all the beings it had just slain erupted, causing the void to tremble. The boundless spiritual energy and killing intent, mixed with the dense Geng Metal Qi of the Blade Wheel Hell, transformed into clouds of black-red blood-colored light that rushed straight toward the long blade.

Streaks of black-red blood light flashed across the blade’s edge, and the bloody cloud in the void was completely absorbed. The countless carvings on the long blade appeared even more animated. The long blade shook, emitting a long cry that echoed through the void. Thirteen streaks of blade qi swept outward, smashing countless nearby mountain ranges to pieces, and also carving thirteen massive tunnels through the dark, fiery clouds.

Thirteen demon god statues, each ten thousand zhang high and cast entirely in metal, strode forward within those tunnels. Bloodthirsty ferocity burned in their eyes as they raised their heads, emitting long roars that were simultaneously filled with sorrow and mournfulness. "My son, my only son!"

Blade light flickered, and the long blade writhed, suddenly transforming into a young man dressed in a coarse, white cloth robe, possessing rosy lips and white teeth, and an air of gentle refinement.

Inside the Minor Sumeru Illusory Realm, Hongya sucked in a sharp breath, emitting a groan akin to toothache.

"The Great Revolving King of the Netherworld—his true form is actually such a ferocious blade!"

Prajna's face darkened. He said coldly, "Regardless of his true form, regardless of how strong he is. He killed my disciples; he must die."

"How," Mahakala pondered aloud, addressing the disciples seated beside him, "can a blade like this possibly father a son? And tell me, when he engages in that sort of intimacy with that old barbarian, does he use a human form, or his true manifestation?"

The scoundrels, led by the Yellow Robe Dharma King, tilted their heads, picturing the scene of an entwined, long saber and a peerless beauty. Simultaneously, an eruption of utterly foul, utterly lewd, and utterly base laughter burst forth.

The King of the Netherworld Great Turning Wheel’s expression darkened. As if sensing Mahakala's words and the resulting laughter from the Yellow Robe Dharma King and his cohort, he glared coldly at the Minor Sumeru Illusionary Realm and roared with chilling severity, "A mere illusion conjured by the Buddhist sect dares to impede my vengeance for my son? You insolent, clueless things! Watch as this King shatters all techniques with a single blow!" Raising his right hand perfectly straight, the King of the Netherworld Great Turning Wheel slashed down viciously.

A blade-light, so blindingly sharp it forbade direct sight, shot forth, and the Minor Sumeru Illusionary Realm, jointly erected by the Yellow Robe Dharma King and the others, instantly collapsed.

As the blade-light flashed past, countless Bodhi trees shattered violently, and the hundred-plus Great Golden Immortal-level Buddhist cultivators, including the Yellow Robe Dharma King, all spat blood and plummeted. With a single blow, "shattering all techniques," the Minor Sumeru Illusionary Realm was pulverized. (To be continued, Read Lu!)