"The power of this formation allows anything at the highest realm entering within to wield only seventy percent of its strength. As for you, however, your power doubles. I do not know why Xizi established the rule that only Emperors or Sovereigns could operate under the precepts of the Thirty-Three Great Luo Heavens in those days. But because of this, the Thirty-Three Heavens possess certain vulnerabilities!"

The voice was crystal clear, as if carrying a mesmerizing magic that shook the heart.

Zong Shou, while maneuvering the sword formation, paid close attention to the sound. Yet, at that very moment, the 'Nameless Sword' in his hand suddenly emitted an inexplicable 'humming' vibration.

The sword's tremor was unsettling, making it almost impossible for Zong Shou to maintain control. The Heaven-and-Earth Killing Sword was nearly pulled off course by it.

With great effort, he managed to steady the sword, and Zong Shou immediately froze.

"Is this a warning?"

Agitated thoughts continuously flooded into his primordial spirit. This time, they even coalesced into distinct characters.

"Calamity, Calamity, Refine! Refine! Refine! Refine—Emperor, Heaven, Protect the living, Vow, Pacify, Slash, Slash, Slash, Slash, Slash!"

Calamity referred to the tribulation currently facing the Dao of All Living Beings, but what did 'Refine' mean? Refine what? Slash? Was it meant for slaying the enemy?

The words Emperor and Heaven were also obscure. He understood 'Protect the living,' which presumably meant safeguarding the common people. But the following words, Vow and Pacify, only added to his confusion.

Zong Shou was utterly perplexed, yet he felt an inexplicable agitation.

He tried to communicate with the sword spirit of the Nameless Sword, but always felt a barrier separating them, preventing any true conveyance of meaning.

The trembling of the sword in his hand grew ever more intense, as if threatening to drag him soaring into the sky.

This situation was no longer suitable for him to wield the sword. Forcing the issue would surely result in countless flaws.

Zong Shou knitted his brows slightly, replaced the Nameless Sword, and drew a spare backup weapon to continue controlling the sword formation.

A host of questions filled his mind; he still couldn't fathom why the Spirit-Refining Sword was exhibiting such unrest.

Ultimately, his concern for the battle situation took precedence. He allocated a portion of his focus to suppressing the agitated Nameless Sword, and Zong Shou continued to gaze upward.

He saw that on the southern sky, after the five ritual banners unfurled, they had inexplicably merged into a single entity. Under the suppression of the Myriad Immortals Grand Array, they forcefully consolidated, and a five-colored membrane, similar to the others, suddenly expanded.

"The Thirty-Three Heaven Formation is layered upon itself; I admit I cannot break it! However, beyond your thirty-three layers of heaven, I can establish another heaven! The Pure and Subtle Jade Purity Realm—"

Qing Xuan's figure ascended once more into the void. This time, he forcibly broke through the barriers of the thirtieth and thirty-first heavens in succession, landing upon that five-colored membrane. Then, without restraint, he burst into a long, loud laugh.

"I roam free, unbound by the Thirty-Three Heavens. Brother Xiu Guan, it is time for you to come down!"

Suddenly, the entire dome of the sky resonated with cracking sounds, like snapping timbers. Black fissures, thick as colossal pythons, spread outwards in all directions. The widest gaps reached nearly a hundred zhang, almost cleaving this firmament apart.

All the cultivators of the Dao of All Living Beings turned pale, knowing that the dome was now only a single step away from collapsing into dust.

Looking afar, they could see the thirty-second layer, the Golden Pagoda, actually crumbling. That layer of light membrane shattered into pieces. Above, Xiu Guan frowned silently, seemingly powerless to intervene.

From the nearby water mirror, cheers erupted like rolling thunder.

Zong Shou glanced sideways, and his heart sank further.

The anomaly in the Thirty-Three Heaven Formation directly affected the Cloud Realm. Large-scale spatial division was no longer possible, allowing the hundreds of thousands of powerful Dao soldiers to begin forming a cohesive force.

Meanwhile, the situation for the remaining less than fifty thousand Mystic Dragons of All Living Beings grew increasingly perilous. At this rate, annihilation was only a matter of time!

He knew there were still trump cards within the dome—whether it was the Seven Swords of All Living Beings or his other master, Lin Xuan Shuang, they could reverse the disadvantage.

However, the Primordial Demon Lord, who had explicitly stated his intent to fight Xiu Guan, still had not appeared even now. A shadow of unease lingered in his heart.

He then subtly shook his head; this time, it would have to be a fight to the death. If it were only the Dao of All Living Beings, Zong Shou would not be so self-righteous as to perish alongside them. But within this dome were his Dragon Shadow Master, his sworn brother Ao Kun, and Chu Xue—he absolutely could not allow these loved ones to meet their end here!

His eyelid twitched, and Zong Shou looked towards another direction. A patch of cyan lightning suddenly shot across the sky, spanning half the heavens. It twisted like dragons and snakes, yet there was no sound of thunder accompanying it. This was because everywhere the cyan light passed, everything was instantly obliterated. It didn't turn to dust, but disintegrated from its fundamental structure, giving no time for sound waves to transmit.

Even the mere diffused, immense pressure emanating from the heavens caused tens of thousands of cultivators of the Dao of All Living Beings in the dome to gasp for air, unable to draw breath. Blood leaked from their seven orifices, and their bodies swayed precariously.

"Heavenly Tribulation? That fast!" Zong Shou murmured. Wei Xu's tribulation had arrived at the worst possible moment. Perhaps his senior brother truly could no longer suppress it, triggering the lightning tribulation at this critical juncture.

The sound of the tribulation lightning was earth-shattering and incomparably vast. Yet, the eight Ultimate Realm Sages hovering above did not spare it a single glance. Their gazes were sharp as those of wolves, fixed upon Xiu Guan, waiting for the foremost Ultimate Realm figure of the Cloud Realm to tumble from the clouds.

But in the next instant, the sight of all eight refocused downwards. Where their eyes converged, a woman was gracefully ascending an invisible 'heavenly ladder.'

At first, everyone was stunned. After a moment, Tai Huang hesitantly asked, "Is that Daoist Xuan Shuang?"

Upon hearing this name, except for Zhu Zi, who was of the Later Jin dynasty, and Yuan Jiang Hermit, the ancestor of the Outer Domain Dragon Clan, others like Dong Zhong Shu and Heaven-Treading Monarch saw their expressions change drastically.

How could it be her? Hadn't this woman failed her tribulation and perished? How could she reappear in the mortal world? Even with the Golden Scroll of Profound Fate allowing her resurrection, why had there been no news? And Xiu Guan clearly showed no signs of diminished vital energy.

At this moment, he was relaxed to the extreme, having bypassed the twentieth layer and reached the twenty-second layer, the Heaven of the River of No-Thought. Though this woman's physical body was still equivalent to that of a Divine Realm cultivator, her primordial spirit was already an Indestructible Soul of the Ultimate Realm! But thousands of years ago, hadn't this woman failed her tribulation? Even if reborn, with her physical body damaged, how could she have completed the calamity?

Observed by numerous bewildered eyes, Lin Xuan Shuang smiled disdainfully and stepped into the Golden Pagoda.

Instantly, the already tottering Golden Pagoda stabilized. Ethereal immortal music resonated throughout the dome.

"In the past, I always excelled in martial arts. My physical body has not yet recovered and is unfit for use. Fortunately, through guidance from my husband in years past, I have mastered a divine spiritual technique. I invite you all to judge its merit—"

Above the dome, auspicious clouds began to gather, thickening steadily. After about fifty breaths, fine raindrops began to fall. Initially, nothing could be discerned, but immediately thereafter, the disciples of the Dao of All Living Beings below felt all fatigue vanish, their spirit and energy recovering to their peak state. Spent vital blood essence was slowly being replenished. Their internal injuries were also healing.

It wasn't just the cultivators of the Dao of All Living Beings; Zong Shou experienced the same. His depleted True Essence and soul power were restoring.

A joy bloomed in his heart. He had used a method that overdrawn his True Essence; once exhausted, it meant the power mimicking the Saint Realm would instantly plummet.

"It is the Universal Sweet Dew—" He never imagined his master possessed such a skill. With this single divine ability, Lin Xuan Shuang’s spiritual technique was no less effective than any Grandmaster of the Ultimate Realm! It should be an Eleventh-Grade, divine ability level forbidden technique, but combined with Lin Xuan Shuang's Origin Spiritual Breath Art, it could equate to a Twelfth-Grade World-Ending Edict. Displayed with her Ultimate Realm strength, it was even more domineering! It restored the seventeen thousand disciples of the Dao of All Living Beings to their peak strength. Due to the multitude of spatial rifts, Zong Shou no longer attempted to block enemies outside the dome.

Many cultivators from the Three Teachings rushed in, including not only those at the Immortal and Divine Realms but also numerous high-level Saint Realm Venerables, totaling nearly a thousand. They scattered everywhere within the dome like headless flies, trapped within the barriers of the thirty-two heavens. They were bewildered by the illusionary arts; since the Myriad Immortals Illusory Void Thirty-Three Heaven Formation contained the word 'Illusion,' its power in that regard was no less significant than its other functions.

These individuals were also struck by the raindrops, but one by one, their faces grew pale, showing signs of exhaustion and faintness. To the disciples of the Dao of All Living Beings, this rain was equivalent to nectar, but upon these cultivators of the Three Teachings, it stole vitality. The Saint Realm experts fared better, able to resist with all their might to prevent the raindrops from touching them. Those below the Saint Realm, however, were utterly wretched.

The sword formation steered by Zong Shou effortlessly reaped the lives of dozens. Most of these people were utterly exhausted and could not withstand his sword light, chopping them down as easily as slicing vegetables. The sweet dew even dripped beyond the Cloud Realm, invigorating the fifty thousand Mystic Dragons of All Living Beings. Among the corpses lying on the ground in the distance, several hundred people, with dazed eyes, actually crawled up from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

A moment of silence fell over the dome, followed by bursts of exhilarated cheers.

"It is Ancestor Xuan Shuang!"

"Our Dao of All Living Beings has its third Ultimate Realm figure!"

"Ancestor has returned; our Dao of All Living Beings is not yet doomed—"

"We can surely protect the Honored Master's tribulation this time!"

"—Truly, Heaven blesses our Dao of All Living Beings!"

Zong Shou’s spirits were lifted by the atmosphere. Xuan Shuang’s spiritual technique’s effect on the Dao of All Living Beings at this moment far exceeded his expectations. Perhaps this tribulation could indeed be safely overcome.

But immediately, his mood was ruined again by the Nameless Sword. The sword spirit's intent grew even more urgent and anxious. Along with it, the characters that had previously appeared clearly in his mind began to blur. Only a few characters became increasingly distinct.

Calamity! Calamity! Calamity! Vow! Vow! Vow! Emperor, Heaven, Great Luo, Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash—

"Why is it still like this? Could it have sensed something?" Zong Shou felt utterly strange. Just then, he saw Xiu Guan overhead actually looking towards him. His gaze remained heavy, lingering for a moment between him and that Nameless Sword.

Then, Xiu Guan gave a silent, bitter smile and said solemnly, "The Seven Swords of All Living Beings, if not formed into a sword array now, when will they be?"