The myriad Immortal Cultivators from beyond the domain were locked in a stalemate with the Thirty-Three Heavens Array of the Myriad Immortals, almost settling into a war of attrition.
The surrounding restrictive formations collapsed and reformed in ceaseless succession.
After roughly an hour of this deadlock, it became apparent that the Immortal Cultivators of the Three Teachings within the Boundary Rivers were beginning to draw upon the power of spirit stones.
Within the Celestial Realm, however, this was not necessary. The countless spiritual arts blasting from outside the domain caused a turbulent surge of spirit energy, rolling and surging powerfully.
All the cultivators of the Vitality Path suppressing the Grand Array of the Myriad Immortals merely needed to be responsible for smoothing the spiritual meridians and talismanic restrictions, guiding that dense yet chaotic spiritual energy into the proper channels to be utilized for their own purpose.
Zong Shou shook his head slightly, aware that both the Immortal Cultivators of the Three Teachings and the Dao Soldiers were currently trying to use this torrential, raging offensive to probe the weaknesses and true nature of the restrictive formation, seeking any opportunity to exploit.
As long as they maintained the constant, forceful pressure, the weak points in the outer formations would naturally reveal themselves one by one.
Yet, when he was originally responsible for patrolling, he had already anticipated this possibility.
He strived for structural solidity, even if it meant sacrificing some defensive capability.
He did not seek perfection, only to exert his utmost strength to make the framework of the restrictions unbreakable.
Against the indiscriminate bombardment from the likes of the Three Teachings, there was truly no need for worry. Perhaps they could forcibly blast open the outer array. But by then, these numerous Immortal Cultivators and Dao Soldiers would certainly be utterly exhausted and incapable of further fighting.
He shifted his focus back inside the Cloud Realm.
The Vitality Celestial Realm was semi-independent of the Cloud Realm, but ultimately relied upon it and could not be completely detached.
This spot was the weakest point of the Vitality Celestial Realm, yet simultaneously the strongest point of its defensive array.
Inside the Water Mirror, scores of thousands of imposing soldiers could be seen, pressing forward like mountains and seas, advancing step by calculated step.
Their formation was rigidly steady and calm; under the cover of countless spiritual cultivators, they did not fear the spiritual counter-attacks of the Thirty-Three Heavens Array of the Myriad Immortals.
They advanced bit by bit, not much faster than a snail's pace, yet steady as a forest, heavy as a mountain—unshakeable.
Zong Shou’s brow lifted slightly; with just one glance, he knew the commander of this force must be a master of military strategy.
Even in this fragmented space of the Cloud Realm, they were able to maintain the perfect order of their formation, with scarcely any flaw apparent.
Next, he saw the seventy thousand Vitality Mystic Dragon Riders beginning to engage the Dao Soldiers of the Three Teachings.
They directly targeted the five hundred thousand Primordial Star Blood Fiends—where the military might of the Great Shang was strongest—and crashed into that immense cavalry formation.
Coordinating with the spatial segmentation caused by the spiritual formation of the Thirty-Three Heavens Array of the Myriad Immortals, they carved a path of rampage!
Amidst deafening roars, weapons clashed, armor struck armor, and flesh met flesh, causing the area spanning several li to be filled with the clang and scream of brutal combat, the scene utterly tragic.
The foremost riders in both cavalry formations were nearly crushed and drowned in the initial impact, ground into pulverized dust and meat under the iron hooves.
The seventy thousand Vitality Mystic Dragon Riders were fighting with suicidal desperation, but the fighting will of their opponents was equally fierce.
Initially, it was almost a stalemate, and only after losing nearly four thousand Vitality Mystic Dragon Riders did they finally shatter the cavalry formation of the five hundred thousand Primordial Star Blood Fiends.
Over sixty thousand Azure-rank riders surged forward like a vast iron current, charging relentlessly, trampling everything before them. Greatswords swung, reaping all life nearby.
And just after piercing through that cavalry formation, all the Silver-scaled Wind-Treading Beasts, under the simultaneous control of their riders, executed a sharp seventy-degree turn.
Like a colossal arrow, they charged toward the seven formations of Divine Archers positioned at the rear of the enemy lines.
Zong Shou’s eyes brightened, and he inwardly praised, "Beautiful."
The commander for the Vitality Path might not match Zong Yuan or himself in the sheer power of cavalry charges.
However, they were intimately familiar with the Thirty-Three Heavens Array of the Myriad Immortals, their coordination with it seamless.
Defeating the enemy force completely would be difficult, but it was certainly enough to defend and delay.
He also felt a pang of sorrow; the great battle had only just begun, and these total seventy thousand Vitality Mystic Dragon Riders had already lost over four thousand men. Four thousand fellow disciples had perished right here.
Beside him, Shui Lingbo slammed a heavy fist onto the stone platform.
It was clear she was furious over the deaths of those four thousand disciples of the Vitality Path.
At this moment, the Boundless Sea of Source Nine Palace Sword Array was complete, and all members were in position.
Nearly everyone wore a sorrowful expression.
"Yin Yu deserves death!"
Shui Lingbo took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her emotions. The rune between her brows, however, shone even brighter.
"Plucking chestnuts from the fire—does he think he'll gain anything by aiding the Confucian and Daoist Schools?"
Zong Shou gave no definitive answer but knew that the Emperor of the Great Shang was likely forced into this position.
The spiritual tide had appeared, and the Great Shang’s primary reliance at this time could only be the two Venerables of the Confucian School.
His gaze suddenly sharpened, fixing on a specific point within the Water Mirror.
The Water Mirror was massive, spanning a hundred zhang in width. Even when reflecting an area of a hundred li and millions of people, every detail remained perfectly clear.
And among the millions reflected in the mirror now, Zong Shou was solely captivated by one person.
He wore a long black robe, his long hair flowing down his back. He walked barefoot among the ten thousand troops, yet his expression was one of peaceful tranquility.
Step by measured step, he advanced toward the location of the Vitality Celestial Realm in the Cloud Realm, strolling as if unconcerned, entirely unaffected by the spatial segmentation of the Myriad Immortals Array.
"Who is this person?"
Shui Lingbo also sensed something unusual and watched with shock in her eyes.
Zong Shou shook his head; the man's appearance was unfamiliar, so he could not ascertain his origin, but he surmised he must undoubtedly be a Peak Realm Venerable.
However, Chu Xue beside him let out a surprised gasp, "It's him? Xue'er has seen him. Not long ago, Martial Uncle Xuan Shuang fought against one of his avatars. It was called something like Yuan Mo—"
Zong Shou and Shui Lingbo exchanged a glance immediately.
It was the Supreme Yuan Demon, Li Biexue—the progenitor of the Primordial Demonic Sect!
The black-robed, barefoot cultivator stopped only when he reached the very center of the battlefield, atop a small hill.
Standing alone, he glanced upward with an indifferent gaze,
And in the next instant, the Vitality Celestial Realm shook violently once more!
This time, it was more than ten times stronger than the previous assault by forty-seven Dao Soldier formations and thousands of Immortal Cultivators combined!
In the Water Mirror, waves of visible spiritual force rippled outwards in all directions.
Tens of thousands of talismans and restrictions were crushed and destroyed. In the void, dozens of black fissures appeared—cracks where the Celestial Realm's outer shell was being forcibly torn open.
Innumerable black demonic mists dispersed, instantly severing all plant life and vitality within a hundred li beneath his feet, turning the land into dead, gray soil that continued to spread.
"So strong... is this the divine might of the Peak Realm?"
Shui Lingbo murmured, her expression incredulous. Astonishment also appeared in Zong Shou's eyes.
It was not the first time he had witnessed a Peak Realm cultivator strike. In the previous instances, the clashes between several Peak Realm Venerables were generally placid, their profound mysteries hard to grasp.
The scene before him instinctively reminded Zong Shou of when Long Ying fought against an avatar of Qing Xuan, which enveloped dozens of surrounding worlds in a storm of space-time.
The strike from this Supreme Yuan Demon, however, surpassed that.
That vast power had already spread throughout the entire Myriad Immortals Array. If not for Xiu Guan providing suppression, just the shockwave alone could have caused the Immortal Cultivators of the Vitality Path to perish.
The second strike followed immediately after the first.
This time, it came from outside the boundary rivers.
The Water Mirror could not switch in time, so Zong Shou peered out using his Sky-Burning Blood Eyes.
He distinctly saw six colossal figures, each twelve thousand zhang tall, manifesting in the void, occupying positions around the periphery.
Zong Shou took a hasty glance and recognized them: the Daoist Jade Pure Divine Venerable and the Supreme Pure Divine Venerable. Facing them were the three avatar manifestations of the foremost Confucian Sages: the Supreme Sage Master, Sage Meng, and Sage Xun.
In addition to these five Venerables, there was another giant enveloped entirely in black energy, also twelve thousand zhang tall, possessing immense aura.
All of them wielded their respective Dharma artifacts and reached out, grasping towards the void where the Vitality Celestial Realm was located.
Under the erupting divine power, the restrictive formations outside the Celestial Realm finally could not hold.
Patches collapsed one after another, and countless black fissures appeared sequentially.
The main structure of the restrictive formation was still holding and had not been destroyed, but it could no longer prevent the direct assault on the Celestial Realm.
Zong Shou's sword-like eyebrows also rose, his eyes sharp with sternness.
The true great war had only just begun!
His intent spread out remotely, his Sky-Burning Blood Eyes continuing their sweep, and Zong Shou revealed a cold smile.
"Starting with the vital ground of the Academy? Too bad—this place is hardly some soft persimmon to tread upon—"
With a spiritual gesture from his left hand, he activated the entire Nine Palace Sword Array on the sword platform.
Streams of sword power converged through the spiritual meridians, instantly condensing into nine sword auras.
Zong Shou unleashed the first sword strike into the void, guiding the boundless sword energy of the Source Sea Nine Palaces to pierce through space.
His first opponent was a Saint Realm cultivator who had stealthily infiltrated while the restrictive formations were collapsing.
"Annihilate!"
Following the trajectory of the Vitality Killing Sword, it silently carved into the void.
That person only sensed Zong Shou’s fierce killing sword when the sword’s momentum was nearly upon him.
In haste, he threw out a shield, resisting with all his might.
Immediately, there was a dull clang, and though the immortal shield remained intact, the Saint Realm cultivator’s entire arm withered away.
The Killing Annihilation—this single sword strike from Zong Shou had already extinguished all life in that arm!
At that very moment, the nine sword auras of the Source Sea Nine Palaces struck fiercely as well.
The first three sword auras were deflected by the immortal shield. The fourth pierced through, shattering the high-grade immortal shield head-on!
The remaining five sword auras followed closely, battering the Saint Realm cultivator's physical body in a veritable storm.
They then violently exploded, scattering clouds of bloody rain, while simultaneously splitting into hundreds of thousands of sword energies to block other cultivators of the Three Teachings pressing toward the Academy.
Zong Shou had always believed: wounding ten fingers is worse than severing one!
The other cultivators only needed to be blocked; nearly ninety percent of his strength was concentrated in one spot, aiming to kill one person first!
Faint roars could be heard, but Zong Shou felt a slight regret. If only the array he commanded were the Grand Supreme Demon Slaying Sword Array, he could wield it with even greater ease.
With a scale of three thousand three hundred, even a peak Saint Realm or a Half-Step Peak Realm could be slain in a single strike.
Except for the Peak Realm itself, unless a qualitative change, like the Seven Vitality Swords, could be achieved, no matter how many Dao Soldiers or how powerful the sword array, they could not breach the limitation of the Peak Realm.