As 'Hong Kui' wished, the blood-red sword light from Zong Shou seemed to have exhausted its initial force, unable to continue its assault. It retracted, gathering its strength inward.
Just as the three subsequent Divine Realm experts slightly relaxed their postures.
Zong Shou's nameless sword, against all probability, erupted once more!
The sword shadows condensed into silk, piercing forth with impossible speed. Man followed the sword, traversing the distance in a mere thousandth of a breath to stand before 'Hong Kui'.
The sharpness, capable of piercing anything, aimed directly at the man's brow, unyielding and irresistible.
It was at this precise moment that a hazy silhouette suddenly manifested before 'Hong Kui'.
Appearing abruptly, a massive saber swept down diagonally. Its momentum rivaled that of the staff-wielding figure. The strike did not aim to save Hong Kui but cut directly towards Zong Shou, shattering the void.
Zong Shou's sword remained utterly devoid of worldly taint. With a light chuckle, just as the blade's light threatened to force him to withdraw and defend. He suddenly shifted and twisted, becoming one with his sword, tracing a trajectory of extreme strangeness.
The profound mysteries of darkness and the ethereal slid past the shattering great saber like a returning swallow, completely unharmed.
The sword momentum remained fiercely sharp, continuing its whistling assault. The sword, once struck, offered no retreat; its fierce rigidity reached its zenith!
Since he had been aware of the presence of five Formless God-Devils here from the start, how could he possibly be unprepared?
The slight in sword momentum was precisely for this moment of more powerful explosion!
In 'Hong Kui's' eyes, sheer terror reappeared. In a flurry, he raised his hands to weave seals, still attempting to mount a defense.
However, the blood-colored sword shadow reached him even before his spiritual technique was halfway complete.
"Hiss!"
As blood rained down, Zong Shou's sword acted with utmost efficiency, severing the man's head.
As ten thousand streaks of azure light converged, azure fire raged, and the soul body 'Hong Kui' was attempting to flee howled and shrieked.
But after only a moment of struggle, it all turned to ashes.
By then, the four surrounding Divine Realm experts had all arrived, re-forming the encirclement.
Zong Shou showed no hesitation. He reached out and plucked the transparent primordial core of 'Hong Kui' into his hand. Activating the Star Dao Seed, he vanished from his original position in a flash.
The next instant he appeared, he was behind the Formless God-Devil wielding the long sword, separated by a distance equivalent to one-tenth of an immortal realm's instantaneous flight speed.
To them, however, it was but a hair's breadth away.
That man started in surprise, then erupted in fury, slashing his long sword back without hesitation.
Zong Shou remained unconcerned, a faint, almost imperceptible smile gracing his lips.
Yet, the sword intent and soul thought emanating from his entire being were even more fiercely resilient.
Even under the simultaneous pressure of four Formless God-Devils, he managed to forcibly sustain his stance, conceding not an inch.
The nameless sword in his hand hummed once more at this juncture.
The qi and blood plundered from 'Hong Kui's' body were unleashed without reservation at this moment.
Time—Accelerated!
Space—Locked!
Karma—Inverted!
Life and Death—Judged!
A pair of wings, one grey and one white, entirely composed of life and death spiritual energy, suddenly unfurled behind Zong Shou.
A cry of horror rang out once more from the distance.
"It is the law of Karma! Karma Inversion, consequence before cause. Chu Zhuo, why don't you abandon your body—"
The voice was strained, filled with anxious terror. Zong Shou merely lifted his eyelids, glanced faintly at the figure before him. Unmoved, he still struck his sword into the void!
Knowing it was Karma Inversion, consequence preceding cause, how could one escape?
Unless the opponent could invert this karma again, restoring it to its original state!
That blood-red streak of sword light, like a flying whip, flashed by in an instant, impaling the target within the layers of sword shadows with brutish agility and ethereal grace.
With just one strike, it pierced the man's chest. With a slight twist, sword energy erupted, grinding that puppet body into dust.
Under the illumination of the Illusory Heart Mirror, the Formless God-Devil hidden within the shell could not escape detection.
The power of Life and Death decreed life and death!
As Zong Shou's sword shadow landed, the formless soul body instantly perished, leaving not a trace behind.
Again, he reached out and summoned the transparent God-Devil primordial core into his hand.
Then, Zong Shou did not execute another spatial shift. Instead, holding the nameless sword, he stood quietly in place, looking at the three remaining Formless God-Devils opposite him with a hint of derision in his eyes.
The balance of power had inverted; offense and defense had switched roles. It was now these three 'people' who should be contemplating escape.
And at this moment, the entire void was silent as death.
The unrestrained, wild laughter of moments before had abruptly ceased with the demise of 'Hong Kui'.
The face of that figure remained twisted and ferocious. But now, his expression held more disbelief, despair mingled with unwillingness.
A Formless God-Devil, actually slain by this one in just a few sword strikes?
Even the combined might of five Divine Realm experts had led to defeat?
How could this be? How was this possible?
Everyone remained silent, and many sensing impending doom began to quietly flee into the distant void.
In this section of the boundary river, although the several dozen Immortal Realm cultivators were still locked in combat, one side had begun to hold back, harboring thoughts of retreat. The other side, now without restraint, saw the situation instantly reverse.
Feng Taiji stared blankly in that direction for a long time before letting out a self-mocking laugh.
He should have known long ago. While his own progress was rapid, how could that fellow have remained stagnant?
To treat that man as a target to chase after was simply courting disaster.
He then shook his head again, redirecting his attention to the present.
The surrounding Immortal Cultivators mostly lacked the will to fight. Defeating them would only take a few breaths.
However, at this moment, he was far from satisfied with merely repelling or slaying these Immortal Cultivators.
Although these cultivators had cooperated with the Formless God-Devils' scheme to encircle and kill Zong Shou, they themselves were not part of the Shadow Demon clan.
Though their identities were officially unclear, everyone had a general idea of their origins.
Most of the aerial warships in the boundary river belonged to the Nine Heavens Immortal Court, with some belonging to the Tianfang Cultivation Association and the Profound Spirit Cultivation Association.
These so-called 'rogue cultivators' had arrived at the most opportune moment, directly intervening in this battle with Immortal Realm strength.
Feng Taiji did not know Zong Shou's exact plan next.
But the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty had indeed suffered significant losses this time. If they did not retaliate, it would be hard to quell the anger of many!
Given Zong Shou's temperament and methods, the current events provided sufficient evidence to march directly to their doorsteps.
But capturing a few individuals now might prove useful in the future.
The thought arose, and Feng Taiji's sword momentum shifted. On the surface, his killing intent intensified, but the scattered sword light became slightly softer, focusing more on entangling and restricting. He encircled the surrounding Immortal Cultivators within his sword light, leaving them anxious but unable to find an opportunity to escape.
Immediately afterward, in his peripheral vision, he noticed a subtle change in Zhao Yanran's sword momentum nearby.
Seeing this, Feng Taiji immediately smiled—a case of kindred spirits!
Zong Shou also wore a slight smile. Since slaying the Formless God-Devil named 'Chu Zhuo', his divine sense was no longer constrained by these few God-Realm shadows.
It permeated the void once more, sweeping over the boundary river. The situation over there was naturally clear to him.
Standing with his sword, the Grandmaster now looked down with a hint of disdain at those before him.
"Your actions are unforgivable! However, today, I am willing to grant you a chance to escape! Setting up an ambush for this King here, is it truly only because of the Illusory Heart Mirror? Which entity colluded with me regarding this Profound Fox bloodline? Have the Nine Heavens Immortal Court, the Absolute Immortal Court, and the Profound Spirit Cultivation Association participated? If you can state everything clearly and satisfy me, I might spare the lives of the three of you for now!"
His gaze was icy, seemingly looking down upon ants, intensely staring at the three figures in the distance.
He did not necessarily need the three to speak the truth; his words carried a clear insinuation.
As long as these three Formless God-Devils implicated those three major factions, he truly wouldn't mind sparing the lives of these three Formless God-Devils.
With this pretext, he would have no further qualms.
The major powers nearby with the standing to intervene would have nothing to say.
Even a Supreme Saint Venerable would have no reason to rashly interfere.
The three exchanged glances but offered no reply. After a quick look, their figures flashed away rapidly.
They did not scatter but moved in mutual support towards the distance.
They knew Zong Shou's spatial instantaneous movement technique was terrifying. Even those with Divine Realm cultivation might not escape his pursuit.
Therefore, they chose to act in unison, denying Zong Shou the chance to pick them off one by one.
However, a look of suffocation appeared in the eyes of the three.
Five Divine Realm experts, mobilized solely to kill an early-stage Immortal Realm cultivator, should have achieved a sure victory, an easy capture.
Yet, in just a moment, two had already been lost.
An Illusory Heart Mirror, an unknown spatial instantaneous movement technique, coupled with sword intent at the mid-stage of the Soul Realm—these made their five formidable figures utterly helpless.
What was more galling was the contempt in the Profound Fox youth's words, as if the power of life and death lay entirely within his grasp.
They had roamed this domain for centuries, visited hundreds of worlds, and seized the intellects of countless beings.
This situation was the first they had ever encountered! It filled them with extreme indignation!
Zong Shou ignored their thoughts and perceptions. Seeing the three fleeing rapidly, he already understood their intention.
He couldn't help but shake his head. Did they prefer to fight to the death rather than bow before him?
Or perhaps they possessed enough confidence to escape his grasp?
The wings of Life and Death behind him gradually faded, and a pair of black lightning wings unfurled once more.
With a slight flap, he flickered through the void, appearing beside the three. The sword in his hand swept out casually, directly cleaving toward the staff-wielding God-Devil. It was still the Unity Sword Intent, integrating all principles into one!
The Formless God-Devil let out a muffled groan and prepared to defend.
But at that moment, his line of sight, by a stroke of misfortune, met Zong Shou's gaze, which held a hint of blood, almost demonic.
He then realized with shock that the other two Shadow Demons beside him were not assisting him in defense or driving back Zong Shou.
Instead, they immediately separated and fled rapidly in opposite directions.
Instantly, his heart shattered, and he was thrown into panic. He knew he had been abandoned by his two companions, treated as a discard.
He no longer had the heart to contend head-on with Zong Shou. He fiercely smashed the long staff in his hand forward and retreated just as rapidly.
Only upon this retreat did he realize something was amiss. The surrounding atmospheric energy changes seemed different from what he perceived.
An illusion!
His dream broke, and the Formless God-Devil's eyes cleared again. He discovered that his two companions were still by his side, looking over in astonishment.