The edge of the Qing Dao light flashed with boundless sharpness, descending straight toward Peng Hua and the others; just as they were about to be cleaved apart by the “Ce’e,” a sudden burst of five-colored auspicious light shot into the sky.

Gu Xichen, a light sheen of sweat on his brow, stepped out from the void, the Five Directions Five Colors Banners transforming into a five-colored auspicious radiance. Boundless auspicious clouds and radiant energy swirled around, enveloping and protecting everyone. Waves of five-colored lotus blossoms surged forth; lotuses the size of water vats danced wildly across the sky, simultaneously stirring the boundless Geng Jin spiritual energy of the Dao Wheel Hell into chaotic, undulating turbulence.

The Great Reincarnation King stared at the suddenly appearing Gu Xichen with a grave expression, his eyes blazing with sharp light, like countless flying daggers scattering across the heavens.

As the Five Directions Five Colors Banners manifested, the fierce pressure generated by the Great Reincarnation King’s blade energy was instantly dissolved by seventy to eighty percent. The remaining two or three tenths could no longer affect Peng Hua and the others at all. Vast swaths of blade light continuously struck the five-colored thunderclouds, only to be blocked one by one by the five-colored lotus blossoms.

Peng Hua and the others cheered in unison and surged toward Gu Xichen.

The six brothers of Hong Ya struggled to leap into the air, tears in their eyes, performing a grand obeisance toward Gu Xichen.

Gu Xichen laughed heartily, embracing and greeting Peng Hua and the rest. He then helped up the six Hong Ya brothers, casually sprinkling some “Cai Yin Spiritual Water,” capable of healing external wounds, upon them to facilitate their rapid recovery.

The Great Reincarnation King coldly observed Gu Xichen and his entourage. Only after they had completed their courtesies did he let out a sneering, mocking laugh: “The Five Directions Five Colors Banners—is this your final trump card? In the face of this King, even if all five banners were deployed, hehe, I still have the confidence to slay you all!”

Gu Xichen patted Peng Hua’s shoulder, glancing with surprise at Bai Zhu’er, who was timidly following behind Peng Hua, cautiously peeking out with only half a face. He shook his head with a wry smile.

Temporarily setting aside the matter of Bai Zhu’er, Gu Xichen turned and bowed deeply to the Great Reincarnation King.

“Senior Netherworld Great Reincarnation King, may I ask in what way have I and my brothers offended you to warrant such heavy-handed measures from a senior?”

Gesturing toward the remains of over a million slaughtered demons scattered on the ground, Gu Xichen stated in a sharp voice, “And how did the subordinates of my brothers offend you to merit such cruel treatment? Their millions of lives—how will you return them to me?”

The Netherworld Great Reincarnation King stared coldly at Gu Xichen, his hoarse, icy voice echoing faintly: “What does it matter if these ants die? My only beloved son was destroyed by you. Even if I were to kill every living being in the Three Realms to avenge my son, who could say anything? Who would dare say anything?”

He pointed a finger, and another beam of blade light shot out. Precisely then, a swirl of azure mist flew in—the Azure Lotus Precious Banner spewed forth vast quantities of azure light and azure lotuses, densely weaving forward to meet the blade light. Lotus blossoms shattered one after another, yet more azure lotuses continuously sprang forth. Azure spiritual mist rose endlessly, coiling around the blade light. In no time at all, the blade light was entirely eroded away.

The Great Reincarnation King sneered, his long saber whirling, sending a streak of sharp light shooting down rapidly.

This streak of sharp light resembled a great star plummeting to the earth; its intense brilliance scattered in multiple directions like sharp, multifaceted projectiles. As the blade light emerged, the entire Dao Wheel Hell trembled. Countless streams of Geng Jin spiritual energy transformed into an immeasurable number of razor-sharp blade intents sweeping in all directions. Innumerable beings were slain by the blade light, and rich blood qi rushed rapidly toward the Great Reincarnation King. He inhaled this boundless blood qi in one gulp, and instantly, the baleful aura around him became even more fierce.

The Five Directions Five Colors Banners quivered almost simultaneously, their radiance dimming and nearly collapsing under the pressure of that blade light.

Gu Xichen was startled, unable to help but exclaim, “What is the origin of this fellow? How can he be so powerful?”

Although he knew that within the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths existed terrifying figures of the Grandmist level, like the True Lord Taiyin, such beings had either perished over long ages of conflict or had departed to foreign realms seeking opportunities during that great transformation of heaven and earth. Occasionally, one or two lingering old monsters, like Old Ancestor Tie Shi, remained, but they remained secluded, focusing solely on cultivation and advancement, which ultimately benefited Gu Xichen.

To suddenly encounter a monster like the Great Reincarnation King, who could completely suppress the Five Directions Five Colors Banners, and to face him head-on, shocked Gu Xichen deeply. He hurriedly spat out some immortal breath to replenish the Five Directions Five Colors Banners, restoring their light. They continuously surged toward that beam of blade light, gradually grinding and dissolving it.

The Great Reincarnation King, his entire body shrouded by clouds of blood qi and demonic flames, continued to inhale deeply. Countless beings in the Dao Wheel Hell were being slain by his blade intent, and vast amounts of blood qi were continuously pouring into his body.

The more blood qi he absorbed, the stronger the murderous glint in his eyes became, with faint streams of fierce light occasionally flashing around his body.

Peng Hua, spitting up a mouthful of blood from the side, hurriedly relayed the Great Reincarnation King’s self-proclaimed origins to Gu Xichen.

Gu Xichen glanced at the Great Reincarnation King, then waved his hand, sending Peng Hua and the others away. His current divine abilities had reached an unfathomable realm. The group felt their bodies lighten, and the world instantly went dark. When they landed again, they found themselves already at the exit of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. All of them heard Gu Xichen’s instructions as he sent them away: following his words, Prajñā and Mahā led them to the Golden Bamboo Cave to take temporary refuge, resolved to await the outcome of the final battle between Gu Xichen and the Great Reincarnation King.

Peng Hua sighed mournfully toward the heavens. Back then, he could still fight Gu Xichen to a draw, but now Gu Xichen had far surpassed him.

Shaking his hand to send Peng Hua and the others out, Gu Xichen smiled and nodded toward the Great Reincarnation King: “The enmity for a slain son is irreconcilable. Today, let us truly contend.”

The Great Reincarnation King frowned, glancing toward the entrance of the Dao Wheel Hell. Then, looking up at the forty-two demonic banners, he shook his head in dissatisfaction: “These gaudy little trinkets are useless. So many living beings, and they couldn't even hold them captive…”

With a low sigh, the Great Reincarnation King spoke faintly: “If my child had not relied on these frivolous things and had instead devoted himself entirely to the Dao of Slaughter I taught him, his cultivation today would surely have surpassed the peak of Great Over-Heaven Golden Immortal. How could he have died at their hands?”

With a wave of his hand, a vast expanse of blade light erupted, shattering the forty-two demonic banners. The Great Reincarnation King sucked in the bloody light and demonic flames spewing from the banners, then whirled his long saber, immediately charging into the five-colored clouds formed by the Five Directions Five Colors Banners.

Gu Xichen let out a loud laugh. The Primordial Yellow and Black Exquisite Pagoda above his head shot out, accompanied by a field of dazzling treasure light. With a turn of his eyes, Gu Xichen seized the pagoda, which was about ten feet tall, and brought it down upon the Great Reincarnation King’s head like a bludgeon.

The Great Reincarnation King, who was in the process of unleashing blade energy to tear the five-colored clouds apart, suddenly saw the pagoda in Gu Xichen’s hands and couldn't help but laugh in fury: “Laozi’s ultimate protective treasure, actually used by you as a mere heavy hammer to smash people! A bright pearl cast into darkness—truly a waste.”

Greed surged fiercely in the Great Reincarnation King’s eyes. He leaped toward Gu Xichen, his right hand flipping, his long saber spitting out a saber rainbow a hundred feet long that swept out horizontally.

Gu Xichen roared, “Not good!” and hastily dropped the Exquisite Pagoda with both hands, retreating rapidly on the five-colored cloud energy, while simultaneously pelting the Great Reincarnation King with dozens of Shangqing Divine Thunders. The thunderous light exploded, causing the Great Reincarnation King’s body to shake, but it still failed to penetrate his defenses.

The Great Reincarnation King glanced at Gu Xichen with surprise, commenting in praise, “Your thunder magic can shake my body; that is quite respectable.”

With a fierce roar, he forced Gu Xichen back with a saber strike, then turned his hand and snatched the Primordial Yellow and Black Exquisite Pagoda. Holding the pagoda, he laughed maniacally toward the heavens. After a few laughs, he burst into loud weeping: “My unfortunate child! If only he had obtained this treasure a few days earlier, how could he have perished?”

After weeping bitterly for a while, the Great Reincarnation King burst into another fit of laughter.

“Li Er! Li Er! Your sect’s ultimate treasure has fallen into my hands! My Saintly Path is within reach! Within reach!”

“Once I replace Hongjun as the master of this heaven and earth, ha, ha, ha! The grievances accumulated over countless eons of being confined in the Dao Wheel Hell, I must settle them thoroughly with Hongjun! First achieve the Saintly Path, then the Heavenly Dao! Ha! In all the myriad worlds, I alone shall reign supreme!”

Just as he was laughing boastfully, a furious roar suddenly erupted from within the Exquisite Pagoda. A monkey with all its golden fur bristling leaped out with a thud, wielding the Gate of Death Cudgel and bringing it down fiercely upon the Great Reincarnation King’s head.

With a thunderous crash, the Great Reincarnation King was sent spinning away, knocked back by the monkey’s single strike.

With a cry of alarm, the monkey retreated rapidly backward, looking crestfallen as he clutched the two broken halves of the cudgel in his hands. He stared up at the broken staff and roared toward the sky in anguish: “It’s broken! It’s broken! What am I to do? What am I to do? Why did it break so easily? It’s not sturdy enough! Not sturdy enough! Where is Old Sun’s own Ruyi Jingu Bang? Heavens! Where is it? Where is it?”

The protective blade aura around the Great Reincarnation King was sharp beyond compare. The monkey’s Gate of Death Cudgel caused the Samadhi True Fire to erupt from the King’s crown, yet it still could not withstand the tyrannical power of his protective blade aura. With a single saber strike, the cudgel was cleanly severed in two.

The monkey retreated backward, the Exquisite Pagoda hovering over his head. Yang Jian floated out gracefully, his Three-Pointed, Double-Edged Saber gliding lightly toward the Great Reincarnation King’s neck, like a gentle breeze passing through the woods on a spring night, carrying a hint of devastating beauty.

With a ding-dang sound, a spray of sparks erupted from the Great Reincarnation King’s neck. Yang Jian’s Three-Pointed, Double-Edged Saber acted like a piece of cucumber on a chopping block, snapping piece by piece starting from the tip. The incomparably sharp blade intent tore through his long saber and continued along his arm straight toward his internal organs.

Yang Jian let out a muffled groan and retreated backward, tossing away the foot-long saber hilt. He secretly circulated his profound arts, causing the clouds and mist around him to surge violently. Two streams of blood suddenly spurted from his palms, piercing the ground with a sharp, grating whistle, blasting two deep pits in the earth, each a few miles in diameter and tens of thousands of miles deep.

A black shadow flashed; Yang Jian’s slender dog darted out silently and lunged toward the Great Reincarnation King’s backside to bite.

Yang Jian was greatly alarmed and hurriedly kicked the slender dog’s head, sending it flying far away. Yang Jian shouted sternly, “This fiend cannot be fought head-on! Retreat!”

The slender dog, rarely admonished by Yang Jian’s serious tone, was startled and scrambled backward without delay.

The Great Reincarnation King cackled eerily: “Victorious Fighting Buddha? Manifested Erlang? Heh heh, you two… something is not right!”

His gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over the monkey and Yang Jian. The Great Reincarnation King instinctively sensed something unusual about them. Their cultivation levels and magical power were different from the Monkey and Yang Jian he knew, and both gave him the illusion that they were not their true selves.

“Strange, what’s wrong with you two? It seems your cultivation has regressed significantly!”

The Great Reincarnation King asked in confusion, then fiercely swung his long saber, sending out a beam of blade energy accompanied by faint, sharp glints, heading straight for Yang Jian and the monkey. The blade energy was frighteningly fast; before Yang Jian and the monkey could evade, they were simultaneously struck.

A flash of blood occurred, and Yang Jian’s head flew high into the air, the severed head instantly turning to ash.

Yellow and black energy continuously surged around the monkey. When the blade energy struck him, nine-tenths of its power was dispelled by the Yellow and Black energy. The monkey’s own sinews and bones were tough, and he managed to withstand the residual sliver of blade energy, only losing a few strands of hair; there was no actual damage to him.

Seeing Yang Jian’s head fly off and turn to ash, the monkey hurriedly rushed forward, pointing a finger at the Exquisite Pagoda to release a vast expanse of yellow light and auspicious energy to protect Yang Jian’s body. They saw a few drops of blood shoot from Yang Jian’s neck, and a white lotus slowly emerged from his neck. After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, this white lotus regenerated Yang Jian’s head.

With his head restored, Yang Jian’s formerly ruddy and lustrous complexion turned deathly pale. He spoke in a hoarse, low voice, “Great Sage, be careful! This villain’s blade energy specifically harms the foundation of the Great Dao. My Dharmic body was nearly destroyed by him!”

Yang Jian cultivated the Eighty-Nine Arcane Art and possessed the Seventy-Two Transformations for protection. Ordinary strikes from blades or axes that severed his head would only cost him a little true essence to regenerate a new one. However, the Great Reincarnation King’s blade energy actually caused Yang Jian’s neck to bleed, wounding his core vital essence—equivalent to the loss of nearly a thousand years of cultivation.

Even more terrifying was that a trace of tragic death intent was attached to the Great Reincarnation King’s blade light. Yang Jian’s divine ability of Seventy-Two Transformations almost failed to regenerate his head. The Great Reincarnation King had nearly killed Yang Jian instantly with one strike. His divine abilities and magical power were truly terrifying and astonishing.

During the time Yang Jian was regenerating his head, the Great Reincarnation King cackled, launching thousands of relentless saber strikes toward the opening of the Second Heaven Gate, each filled with the power and might to destroy everything.

The protective treasure, the Exquisite Pagoda, continued to tremble under the bombardment, and the monkey felt as if struck by lightning; every blow the saber landed on the pagoda shook the monkey so violently that his heart, liver, and lungs nearly shot out of his mouth.

The surrounding five-colored radiance swirled, and boundless light rapidly surged toward the monkey, shielding him from the majority of the attacks. Protected by the Five Directions Five Colors Banners, the monkey finally managed to let out a breath, spitting a stream of true essence onto the Exquisite Pagoda, making its radiance even more brilliant.

Fire seemed ready to erupt from the Great Reincarnation King’s eyes. He roared fiercely, “Five Directions Five Colors Banners! Exquisite Pagoda! Did you rob those petty Saints?”

Gu Xichen let out a cold laugh. He shot over to the monkey’s side, enveloped within the yellow light and auspicious energy emitted by the Exquisite Pagoda. He cheerfully beckoned toward the Great Reincarnation King, who was incessantly launching saber strikes at the perimeter. Slowly, under the Great Reincarnation King’s utterly astonished gaze, Gu Xichen pulled out the Pangu Banner.

“Did you really rob those few Saints?” The Great Reincarnation King was so jealous he was nearly spitting blood!

The Five Directions Five Colors Banners were enough to drive every immortal in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths into madness, and the Exquisite Pagoda was enough to make every cultivator in the Three Realms fight to the death for it. As for the Pangu Banner, if it were the ancient era, perhaps all mighty practitioners would fight for it… As long as the Pangu Banner was not in the hands of the Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi, it was a huge piece of fat meat everyone wanted a bite of!

The Great Reincarnation King laughed menacingly, his right hand’s blade light dancing wildly like silk streamers, chopping at the Exquisite Pagoda until it wobbled precariously.

He roared, “It’s just the Primordial Yellow and Black Exquisite Pagoda! While it may be unbreakable in the hands of a Saint, in the hands of little brats like you—Hahahaha—watch me unleash my World-Ending Fierce Blade!”

The long saber in the Great Reincarnation King’s hand suddenly vanished; the blade light flashed, and the saber disappeared without a trace.

The Dao Wheel Hell suddenly darkened, and all light in heaven and earth vanished completely. All the Geng Jin spiritual energy in the Dao Wheel Hell, all the mountains and hills, all the trees and flora, all the rivers and lakes, all the natural scenery—they all disappeared, as if they had never existed.

The Great Reincarnation King laughed darkly: “Ignorant juniors. The entire Dao Wheel Hell is formed from my own body! Damn Hongjun! Damn the Saints! Damn the Grandmist powerhouses! This group of damned wretches—they ganged up to plot against me alone!”

The entire Dao Wheel Hell was the Great Reincarnation King’s true form?

Gu Xichen felt his scalp tingle. Almost instinctively, he shifted his body to the side.

Yang Jian shouted sternly, “I know who you are! You are—”

The monkey slowly turned his head and asked in surprise, “Who?”

Time suddenly froze, and space suddenly locked.

The long saber in the Great Reincarnation King’s hand abruptly reappeared within the protective barrier of the Exquisite Pagoda. The saber spun gently, and Yang Jian’s head flew high into the air. Vast amounts of blood sprayed from his neck, almost like rain.

Yang Jian’s head soared upward, and he offered a bitter smile to Gu Xichen, saying, “Honored Superior, I’m afraid I must trouble you again this time!”

Gu Xichen pointed a finger, spitting out white energy that drew Yang Jian’s body into his Sea of Consciousness. He hurriedly used the Innate Five Elements True Qi to nourish Yang Jian’s severely damaged body.

Yang Jian’s severed head turned into a wisp of ash and scattered.

The monkey was startled. He swung the half-cudgel in his hand wildly in all directions, but the saber light flashed, tearing through the void. The monkey was cut in half at the waist by the blade light, spewing large amounts of blood. Thick, viscous gore spurted from all seven orifices of the monkey, and he hissed, “What a vicious blade! Old Sun feels terrible… Truly, what a fierce blade!”

The monkey’s lower body also turned to ash. He managed to circulate his profound arts to fiercely protect his lower half and fled wretchedly back into Gu Xichen’s Sea of Consciousness to recover his injuries with the aid of the Innate Five Elements True Qi.

Gu Xichen took a deep breath and shifted his body slightly to the side again.

The long saber vanished abruptly, and in the next instant, it emerged from Gu Xichen’s right chest. A blade intent capable of destroying everything surged into Gu Xichen’s body, almost blowing his physical form apart. Gu Xichen laughed fiercely; a large mass of black and white airflow suddenly erupted from within him. The Extreme Yin Profound Flame and the Extreme Yang Scorching Flame fiercely burned around the long saber, the extreme cold and hot forces continuously incinerating it, and a faint crack suddenly appeared on the blade.

The Great Reincarnation King, who had been watching the show leisurely from the outside, was suddenly shocked. He never dreamed that Gu Xichen possessed the power to damage that long saber.

Large cracks suddenly appeared on one of the Great Reincarnation King’s thighs, and a mass of white, mercury-like mist sprayed out. Every wisp of mist was sharp as a blade, and as these mists erupted, the surrounding void suddenly echoed with the roar of billions of swords and blades.

“You are dead! You dare harm my physical body!”

The Great Reincarnation King roared in fury, and the surrounding void suddenly cracked open.

The Dao Wheel Hell reappeared, but this time, the entire Dao Wheel Hell was disintegrating.

The Great Reincarnation King shouted sternly: “The seal placed by Hongjun and the Saints combined has been worn down by countless eons of my painstaking effort—it is nearly gone. Today, I shall destroy the Dao Wheel Hell, reclaim all my essential vital energy, and fight you with my strongest power.”

Gu Xichen coughed out a mouthful of bloody air, slowly withdrawing the long saber from his body by gripping the blade tip.

The Great Reincarnation King squinted at Gu Xichen, then smiled sinisterly and whispered.

“Having mastered the energies of Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang, I suppose I am not bullying a junior!”

“Now, die!”

The Dao Wheel Hell vanished abruptly. All the Geng Jin spiritual energy transformed into rolling, surging tides that rapidly submerged into the Great Reincarnation King’s body.

In the void, an incomparably massive great saber, millions of miles long, carrying a sky full of chilling light, slowly flew toward the Great Reincarnation King. (To be continued)