The voice, like a booming bell, resonated through the Vault of Heaven like thunder, causing every cultivator within to feel an inexplicable tightening in their chests.
The instant the Black Fire Qilin set its hoof down, every blade of grass and tree throughout the entire Vault of Heaven instantly withered into ash.
Vast swathes of the ground turned to dust, their elemental spirits of wood and earth utterly plundered in a mere breath.
Only in the spiritual herb gardens did some herbs, protected by spirit formations, manage to retain a semblance of vitality, though even they appeared listless and weak.
This one man and one beast did not appear to have 'entered' the Vault of Heaven of the Common People, but rather forcibly interfered, 'squeezing' their way in.
The former would be constrained by the laws within the Vault; the latter behaved as an equal entity, merging with the domain itself!
Zong Shou sucked in a cold breath, pondering that this Tai Shi could indeed be considered overwhelmingly demonic and utterly arrogant. He wondered what level of cultivation he possessed?
When figures like Qing Xuan entered, they were suppressed by the Thirty-Three Heavens Formation. Although there was some display of power, the cultivators of the Path of the Common People within the Vault felt nothing.
Only this one was completely unrestrained by the formation, unscrupulously unleashing that ultimate-realm soul pressure.
Observing the Black Qilin, it clearly possessed the strength of a Half-Step Ultimate Realm, perhaps even surpassing Ao Yi.
Crowning its forehead was a jade bracelet worn on its single horn—undoubtedly a divine treasure.
This Black Qilin likely held the power to contend with Ultimate Realm cultivators!
—A peak Divine Beast of Ultimate Realm strength actually serving as a mount for a human spirit companion?
Zong Shou’s eyelids twitched, and simultaneously, he felt the small earth dog in his sleeve become intensely agitated.
It had manifested its Qilin form, and within the miniature space of a hundred zhang expanded from a mere inch inside his sleeve, it began pacing wildly. Zong Shou, without hesitation, poured nearly half his magical power into suppressing the beast, controlling the Howling Sun.
The Black Qilin and the Divine Qilin were two sides of good and evil, mortal enemies to each other. Furthermore, they could plunder true essence and bloodlines to advance their ranks.
If the conflict between rare Heaven and Earth species was like a battle of poisonous insects, the rivalry between a Qilin and a Black Qilin was even more brutal. He knew the Howling Sun was desperate to break out and engage the Black Qilin in a fight to the death. However, the disparity between the two was too vast. Going out now would be suicide!
The Black Qilin also seemed to sense something, glancing strangely towards Zong Shou's position.
It seemed to spot something, a flicker of shock in its eyes, quickly replaced by a surge of delight.
Yet, it did not pounce toward Zong Shou, but instead spread its four hooves and struck angrily at the empty sky.
It scattered all the converging multicolored auspicious clouds, causing the sweet, nourishing rain that had been showering the Vault of Heaven to stop abruptly.
And the Tai Shi Demon Lord, who had been standing on the Black Qilin's back, now flashed away and proceeded alone toward the thirty-two-layered golden pagoda. He walked with an unhurried gait, like a dragon striding, each step covering a distance of a thousand zhang.
Every footfall shattered space and rent the celestial membrane. Waves of unstoppable, overwhelming power struck directly at the foundation of the Thirty-Three Heavens Formation, causing Xiuguan to frown again. Lin Xuanshuang, positioned on the twenty-second layer, spat out a mouthful of blood.
Her physical body was already weak, and not long ago, she had exhausted her vital energy to cast the Spirit Resonance Dream method for Ao Kun.
Entering the pagoda just now and unleashing this forbidden technique of universal downpour was already an act of sheer force. Struck by the impact of the Black Qilin and Tai Shi, she immediately sustained serious injuries.
"Insolent!"
Lin Xuanxuan, who had been maneuvering her sword through the air, exerting all her strength to control and align the Will of Heaven and Earth, trying to suppress Qing Xuan and the others in unity, did not hesitate for an instant. She turned the edge of her sword. In the blink of an eye, streams of spiritual light flowed between the seven swords in the air, dazzling and breathtakingly beautiful.
The Refined Spirit Pseudo-Sword also directly enveloped a small portion of the Heaven and Earth intent, hurtling down like a thunderbolt.
Even Tai Shi raised an eyebrow at this moment.
"A fine sword array, regrettably possessing flesh but no bone! What a pity—"
He made no attempt to evade, casually drawing out a great white bone hammer, striking the tip of the sword with a loud 'clang'.
"Nothing more than that!"
As the impact force exploded, three hundred li of the surrounding area was utterly annihilated. Tai Shi stood within it, completely unscathed, still moving toward the thirty-two-layered golden pagoda.
Lin Xuanxuan, the Vanishing Dream Master in the sky above, let out a cold snort and executed a sword formula. The Refined Spirit Pseudo-Sword, which had been thrown backward, returned to its proper trajectory.
Failing with one strike, she immediately launched the second. Following closely were the continuous third and fourth strikes.
The seven swords rotated, ceaseless, descending along profound and esoteric paths, continuously enveloping the Will of Heaven and striking at Tai Shi. At first, he handled them with ease, but as time wore on, even each step became arduous. Still, he finally reached the thirty-two-layered golden pagoda and stood on the thirty-first heavenly layer. He coldly observed Xiuguan for a moment, then grinned.
"Nine thousand years ago, did you ever imagine this day would come? Back then, Xiuguan, relying on the protection of Xi Zi, how arrogant you were! Unscrupulous. Have you regretted those years of making enemies everywhere?"
"Heh, even if I had to do it again, Xiuguan would make the same choice."
Upon hearing this, Tai Shi raised his eyebrows: "Your Dao heart remains firm. But with Xi Zi absent now, who do you think can protect you? And do you realize how many people of the Common People Dao are implicated by you today?"
Xiuguan smiled silently, offering no reply. He, Xiuguan, stood proud in this world and required no one's protection.
Even when he fought a great battle against this Tai Shi Demon Lord back then, he never borrowed Xi Zi's power. Today, there was even less need!
As for the latter point, he cared even less. Today, a life-or-death struggle was sufficient; he could face it with a clear conscience. A true man knows what must be done and what must not; he could not avoid this Tai Shi Demon Lord simply because he knew of the tribulation awaiting him today.
This went against his Dao—
And the Tai Shi Demon Lord seemed aware that these words could not shake Xiuguan's resolve, yet he continued speaking calmly: "It is called loving the house and fearing the crow; hatred is the same. Do you know? Today, I, Tai Shi, will not only personally tear this Vault of Heaven of the Common People apart! I will refine the souls of every single person of the Common People Dao here into undying demonic souls. As long as I exist, I will be immortal, enjoying the torment of soul refining day after day. I will slaughter and seal you, Xiuguan, ensuring you never revive! I will hunt down and annihilate every lineage and tradition of your Common People Dao. Since Xiuguan treated me this way, I, Tai Shi, shall repay it a hundredfold!"
His tone was utterly calm, yet every corner of the Vault of Heaven heard it clearly.
Hearing it sent shivers down their spines, inspiring profound terror.
It was unclear if an illusion had been infused, but on the sword platform surrounding Zong Shou, over twenty cultivators began to tremble slightly, gripped by fear and unease.
Fortunately, a sharp shout echoed from the sky in time.
"Boasting without substance!"
It was Lin Xuanxuan, utilizing the Common People Sword Array, her voice like the cry of a phoenix.
It was also like a peerless, unparalleled treasured sword plunging into the overcast sky, piercing a hole through which sunlight streamed down, illuminating everyone's hearts and dispelling the gloom.
Simultaneously, another beam of sword light suddenly shot down, colliding once more with the white bone small hammer.
And with that metallic clash, Tai Shi's body actually swayed for a moment. He seemed on the verge of falling from the thirty-second layer, looking ready to topple.
Seeing this, the tense expressions of those on the sword platform finally eased, and they all let out deep sighs of relief.
"To destroy our Common People lineage and refine us into undying demonic souls? Truly empty boasting, what grand arrogance!"
"Fortunately, the Common People Sword Array can indeed suppress this Tai Shi!"
"This man's demonic flame is overwhelming; he truly deserves to be on par with Patriarch Xiuguan. He scared me quite a bit just now!"
"With the Seven Swords of the Common People here today, there should be no danger—"
Listening to them, Zong Shou's brow furrowed even tighter. He had to suppress the Howling Sun while simultaneously exerting forceful control over the 'Nameless' beside him.
This broken sword was vibrating more and more violently, its sword energy surging, seeming intent on dragging Zong Shou with it toward the highest heavens.
Tribulation! Tribulation! Tribulation! Master. Control. Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
The former phrases seemed to be instructing him, while the latter overflowed with killing intent that shot straight into the clouds.
Nearly his entire Saint Realm strength was being used just to suppress these two entities.
Just as he felt helpless and indecisive, Chu Xue beside him suddenly shivered, looking toward the place where the cyan tribulation light converged with an expression of utter horror.
"There seems to be someone else there—it's Senior Brother Wei—"
Zong Shou's eyebrows shot up, and he no longer hesitated. He leaped up suddenly.
"Junior Sister Shui, please take charge of the Nine Palaces Sword Array for me!"
After throwing out this instruction, Zong Shou’s figure flashed several times, dashing toward the front of the main hall of the Academy.
His movements were ethereal, like a phantom, yet quite a few people noticed and turned their gaze toward him.
Most were bewildered, while some Elders of the Divine Realm of the Common People Dao frowned slightly.
At such a critical juncture, with the decisive battle imminent, how could he abandon his post?
Those who knew Zong Shou's true identity could only offer wry, helpless smiles.
This disciple taken in by Wei Xuyuan Jing was the sovereign of a great nation, the first crown prince of the Lu Clan. Even if he acted whimsically at this moment, it was difficult to reprimand him.
Xiuguan also noticed, casting a glance. A faint, unusual gleam appeared in his eyes, rippling slightly before returning to normal.
Has he noticed? The so-called Nameless is the Refined Spirit!
The leader of the Seven Swords of the Common People, formed from a single wisp of Xi Zi's soul thought.
He wondered if this time, he would succeed in drawing out the primary Refined Spirit sword?
Tai Shi and Qing Xuan did not pay him any mind.
The consciousness of the Ultimate Realm could reflect across the myriad things. Within the Vault of Heaven, even specks of dust were within their divine senses.
However, in the eyes of these figures, the Common People Dao was already destined for ruin.
The boy below, a mere ant-like figure—why bother paying attention to him? Why keep him in mind?
Zong Shou ignored the gazes of everyone and plunged directly into the center of that Refined Spirit sword aura.
Taking a deep breath, he gripped the hilt again without hesitation.
That feeling of merging with the sword, of flesh and blood connection, reappeared in his mind.
Zong Shou pulled with all his might. Since his Nameless was transformed from the spirit of the Refined Spirit sword, then he must be able to draw this sword!
The muscles in his arm tensed and knotted; he poured nearly all his strength into it.
The next moment, Zong Shou's heart plunged to the bottom again, turning ice cold—the sword remained unmoved!
Had he miscalculated? Was he being overly sentimental?
No, something must still be missing!
Standing before the sword, Zong Shou fell into deep thought, beginning to recall the informational characters transmitted by the Nameless sword spirit.
Oath?