The remaining cultivators from the Three Teachings clearly grew cautious and defensive. They no longer dared to press forward rashly, retreating swiftly at the slightest sign of trouble.

Zong Shou's sword light struck repeatedly, gravely wounding several individuals, yet he failed to bring down even a single cultivator of the Divine Realm.

However, though he gained no further confirmed kills, the opponents' hesitation reduced the force of their assault by nearly half.

Under the obstruction of his sword light, they were continually prevented from reaching the blooming spatial rifts.

And as Zong Shou governed the sword array, what was initially clumsy gradually became smooth and effortless.

He pointed east and struck west, maneuvering the Sword of All Life Slaughter to directly seal off this half of the void.

Gradually, Zong Shou sensed something amiss; the number of Three Teachings cultivators surging toward the Academy's territory seemed to be decreasing.

With a brief turn of thought, Zong Shou realized that some of them, seeing the futility of breaking through here, must have diverted elsewhere.

"Boundless Sea of Origin, Entangle!"

The Nine Palaces Sword Array of the Boundless Sea of Origin derived from the Yi Ling Art of the Boundless Sea, left behind by Xi Zi.

To perfect the Grand Ultimate Demon Slaying Record, Zong Shou had deeply researched this Dao Soldier cultivation technique and its formation diagram.

Effortlessly, he completed the conversion of the sword technique. Strands of sword energy, fine as silk thread, dispersed into the void.

Stabbing in all directions, they spread out densely, like a colossal spider's web, enveloping the six or seven Venerables of the Saint Realm and dozens of Divine Realm cultivators in this expanse of space.

Using the power of the sword array, he locked them down, imprisoning and ceaselessly entangling them.

While his immediate area was relieved, this meant the pressure on other fronts had increased drastically.

The use of the 'Entangle' sword technique was specifically to trap the enemies here.

Though he had easily withstood the Three Teachings' push against the Firmament Realm, Zong Shou felt no relief whatsoever.

At this moment, every bit of force, every Dao Soldier, every cultivator of the Path of All Life was firmly tied up.

This, in turn, meant the Firmament Realm of All Life was utterly exposed to those few cultivators of the Ultimate Realm—completely unguarded!

The thought barely formed when the spiritual Firmament Realm shuddered for the third time.

Zong Shou started in alarm. Directly above him, a vast rift had violently torn open.

The oppressive might of the Ultimate Realm pierced straight into the Firmament Realm.

Without hesitation, Zong Shou retracted his sword light, drawing the entirety of the Boundless Sea Nine Palaces Sword Array back suddenly.

Though tasked with sealing the void, Zong Shou was not so foolish as to pit this sword array against cultivators of the Ultimate Realm head-on.

For the Path of All Life, every disciple and subordinate, even those who had not attained the Innate realm, was priceless.

There could be no such futile expenditure of lives within the formation.

The figure upon the thirty-two-layered golden pagoda looked on with approval for a moment, before shifting his gaze toward the rift.

In a mere moment, several figures strode through that spatial tear into the Firmament Realm.

The foremost among them was Qing Xuan, followed closely by Tai Huang, Dong Sheng, and Zhu Zi.

The first two wore violet-gold immortal robes, wreathed in spiritual light, appearing solemn and majestic, radiating boundless aura.

The latter two were clad simply in scholarly robes, yet they possessed a gentle refinement and an unhurried, composed demeanor that inspired affection.

Then came another figure, the Heaven Monarch Who Treads the World, who had visited once ten days prior.

He arrived with a beaming smile: "Ten days have passed, Daoist Friend Xiu Guan, and how are you keeping? I, Xing Xie, have arrived as promised today."

Upon entering, the five scattered, standing aloof in the sky above the Firmament Realm, each occupying a cardinal point.

Xiu Guan remained placid, his expression unchanged, still standing with his hands behind his back.

"Go down!"

The moment the words fell, the height of the thirty-three-layered golden pagoda suddenly increased.

Zong Shou and the others of the Path of All Life felt nothing, but the five Venerables of the Ultimate Realm all frowned, seemingly resisting some invisible force.

Then, with a heavy boom, the five figures plummeted simultaneously, crashing into the ground and kicking up clouds of dust.

A subtle light flickered in Zong Shou's eyes.

He knew this was the true might of the Thirty-Three Heavens Array of Myriad Immortals Profound Void!

It suppressed the five Venerables of the Ultimate Realm while simultaneously protecting them and their people from harm.

Even though Xi Zi perished sealing something, he had truly left behind something extraordinary for the Path of All Life.

The colossal golden pagoda now radiated thirty-two layers of faint golden light membranes outward.

Sealing the entire Firmament Realm, dividing it into exactly thirty-three strata.

One layer was the ground, and above it, thirty-two layers of heaven!

The five beings of the Ultimate Realm showed no signs of panic. On the contrary, the Heaven Monarch Who Treads the World sneered: "Your highhanded arrogance, Xiu Guan, remains unchanged. But today, Xiu Guan, can you truly hold sway?"

He stepped upward into the void, as if ascending an invisible staircase, rising ten zhang with each stride.

The layers of light membranes immediately shattered under his ascent, all the way up until he was blocked at the twenty-fifth layer.

Xiu Guan paid him no mind. Only when Xing Xie was about to enter the twenty-sixth layer did he speak again with detached indifference.

"Who permitted you to ascend? Roll back down!"

Xing Xie's form lost control again and he crashed down once more, striking the ground.

After the dust settled briefly, Xing Xie transformed into a streak of crimson light and shot upward.

He raced all the way until the twenty-fifth layer before stopping. His blood-red pupils were filled with rage and hatred, yet he ultimately halted there, daring not to proceed higher.

Qing Xuan, watching from the distance, suddenly smiled. "What a grand Thirty-Three Heavens Array! Even though this venerable master experienced it eight thousand years ago, I still hold boundless reverence for Xi Zi. It's a pity—"

Pausing, a sharp glint flashed in Qing Xuan’s eyes.

"Without achieving the Thirty-Three Great Luo Heavens, this Myriad Immortals Illusory Void Thirty-Three Heavens Array is, after all, incomplete."

Saying this, he also strode upward, exhibiting the composure of a Dao Ancestor, moving with unhurried grace.

Dao Lord Tai Huang watched this, smiled faintly, and similarly ascended into the air.

The two advanced upward, shattering every golden barrier, reaching well above the twentieth layer of heaven.

Zong Shou, standing on the sword platform below, felt undisturbed, yet he could faintly hear a grating, ear-piercing sound from the surroundings.

He knew that the titanic forces generated by the clash of these Ultimate Realm masters—power capable of destroying several worlds—were being suppressed by this thirty-three-layered array and forcefully shunted outside the void, not affecting a single blade of grass within the Firmament Realm.

The 'Void' in Myriad Immortals Illusory Void referred precisely to this.

However, the array was clearly reaching its limit; that grating sound was the Myriad Immortals Array struggling under the immense burden.

Looking around, he saw that some of the weaker Immortal Cultivators of the Path of All Life already had slightly pale complexions.

Dao Lord Tai Huang stopped at the twenty-sixth layer of heaven and advanced no further.

Dao Lord Qing Xuan continued to ascend, breaking through three more layers until he reached the twenty-ninth, where he finally paused.

Gazing at the golden light membrane above, he hesitated slightly before stopping with a casual laugh: "The twenty-ninth layer, the Heaven of Supreme Constant Fusion! It seems my journey ends here! My cultivation, after all, is still a step below yours, Xiu Guan!"

As he spoke, Dong Sheng and Zhu Zi also ascended as if treading an 'heavenly ladder.'

Before the twentieth layer, they too met no resistance; only past the twentieth layer did they show slight hesitation.

Dong Zhongshu tested the boundary once, and like the Heaven Monarch Who Treads the World, he stopped at the twenty-fifth layer, the Heaven of Bright Court Supreme Repose.

Only Zhu Zi continued upward, going directly into the twenty-ninth layer, the Heaven of Supreme Constant Fusion.

He glanced coldly at the golden pagoda, pondered for a moment, and then continued upward: "This array is truly extraordinary upon first acquaintance! However, no matter how vast the world, it cannot exceed principle. Your Path of All Life is without ruler or father, spreading demon logic and heretical doctrines, disrupting the human world—your sins are too numerous to record, and you are not tolerated by Heaven! If I do not destroy you today, with what face can I remain in this world?"

As the words ended, the golden membrane of the thirtieth layer shattered with a resounding crash.

Zhu Zi’s figure continued his ascent.

Zong Shou’s pupils constricted once more as he carefully observed Zhu Zi above him.

He vaguely discerned that the core of this man's Great Dao was the character 'Principle' ().

This was clearly on the same level as his own 'Dao' and Shi Yue's 'Law' ().

Unlike Zong Shou and Shi Yue, however, this Zhu Zi had already long since stepped into the Ultimate Realm, qualified to contend for the peak of the Dao Path.

Unfortunately, Qing Xuan had clearly held back some strength, so Zong Shou could not determine Zhu Zi's precise foundation or origin.

He could, however, roughly gauge the strength differences among these five Venerables of the Ultimate Realm.

The strongest was undoubtedly Zhu Zi. Qing Xuan was second, though the gap was small.

As for Dong Sheng, Tai Huang, and the Heaven Monarch Who Treads the World, they seemed to be on the same level, with Dong Sheng slightly stronger, though only marginally so.

Zhu Zi stabilized himself at the thirtieth heaven and continued upward. The thirty-first layer membrane shattered accordingly.

At that very moment, Xiu Guan's gaze slanted toward him.

"Go down! Your Dao has veered astray! The Heaven of Dragon Transformation and Brahma Sound is not a place you may ascend to!"

Zhu Zi’s face flushed crimson. After standing proudly for a moment, he too plummeted downward like Xing Xie.

But unlike the Heaven Monarch Who Treads the World, he did not fall back into the mud layer, stopping instead at the twentieth layer. He immediately charged upward again, reaching the thirtieth layer, the Heaven of Jade Splendor Ascending Victory.

His expression was livid. Gritting his teeth, he sneered: "My cultivation may be inferior, but by what right do you critique my Dao?"

Xiu Guan merely shook his head, seemingly uninterested in arguing, and remained silent.

He turned his attention back to the void: "Compassion does not reach you, so is this all you have? Qing Xuan, feel free to unleash whatever secondary maneuvers you have prepared. Tai Shi, did you not claim you wished to fight Xiu Guan today? Why are you holding back?"

Qing Xuan smiled without answering. In the next instant, six giant palms suddenly pierced down from above the Firmament Realm, causing the fourth great tremor within.

It seemed the six Divine Venerables of the Ultimate Realm had finally broken through the outer restrictive array and thrust their hands inward.

But that was their limit. It was faintly visible that the hands of these six Divine Venerables were firmly blocked by an invisible force, unable to penetrate any further inward.

At the same time, one other person entered.

Black hair and black robes—it was the Supreme Demon Lord whom Zong Shou had seen in the Water Mirror.

As Li Bie Xue entered the Firmament Realm, demonic energy permeated the twentieth layer.

"Truly formidable. A single array, standing nearly alone against the combined efforts of eleven Ultimate Realm masters!"

After this sincere compliment, Li Bie Xue, just like Qing Xuan, stepped within the twenty-ninth heaven.

"My Daoist Brother Tai Shi will arrive shortly. But before he comes, I wonder if Daoist Friend Xiu Guan can still hold on..."

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