The clouds parted and rolled back in the vast sky, the ethereal energy flowing with purpose. Where the Primordial Demon Lord stood, a radius of three hundred li remained utterly annihilated.

The very world beneath his feet had been completely pulverized by the impact of the Seven Swords of All Life. Only the elemental core still persisted; everything else had vanished.

Yet, under the oppressive force of the Seven Swords, he maintained his footing firmly on the thirty-first layer. With a swing of his great bone hammer, the Demon Lord struck one of the descending swords, the 'Martyr Immortal Sword.' A resounding clang echoed as countless black fissures spread in all directions.

Taishi’s figure only wavered slightly before batting the sword light away once more. His booming laughter then reverberated across the cosmos anew.

“More than flesh without bone? It should be called spiritless and boneless!

Xiu Guan, if you intend to use this sword formation merely as a constraint, you must be dreaming!” Saying this, Lord Taishi’s voice took on an air of leisure: “For eight thousand years, I, Taishi, have not rested a single moment in preparation for this day’s battle, striving for advancement. My cultivation has finally seen a minor breakthrough.

I wonder, has your Profound Yellow Mighty Art made any progress, Xiu Guan? Do not disappoint me in this battle today!” The instant his final word escaped, a sweep of black light erupted from beneath his feet, a profound darkness that, in almost an instant, enveloped four hundred li of the sky.

Just then, another sword descended from above. The black light merely shuddered slightly before forcefully repelling this one of the Seven Swords of All Life.

In that instant, the entire Firmament fell silent. Even Zong Shou, who had been deep in contemplation, looked up with a start, his eyes widening with vigilance and alarm.

It was because what Taishi wielded was the Art of Ultimate Cessation! Those of the Demonic Path believed that the end of the universe and its domains marked the true beginning of everything.

No wonder this individual was called the Primordial Demon Lord—the reason Zong Shou had awakened was because the principles of his own Art of Beginning and End directly clashed with this Demon Lord's path. If Zong Shou could not ascend to the Ultimate Realm, so be it.

But if one day Zong Shou could overcome the tribulation of the Ultimate Realm and achieve true, eternal longevity, then this Primordial Demon Lord would necessarily have to eliminate him before he could merge with the Dao and attain true enlightenment. Conversely, the same held true if the Demon Lord sought to reach the True Realm.

His self-created World-Shaking Spiritual Art had already encompassed the phenomena of the Black and White Caves. Though inspired by the Black and White Caves, it had already integrated numerous laws of Primordiality and Cessation, allowing both to exist simultaneously and evolve toward a higher plane.

Between the two, they could already view the other as an obstacle on their respective Daos. The only strange thing was, from where did this Primordial Demon Lord grasp the Great Dao of Ultimate Cessation?

And why had he never heard of this Demon Lord before? Though his name resonated like thunder, few knew the true extent of his divine abilities.

However, what astonished Zong Shou even more now was Taishi’s previous statement. Profound Yellow Mighty Art?

Had he misheard? Zong Shou had long been curious, wondering what divine Dao or supreme technique allowed Xiu Guan to overpower the Saint Venerables of the Cloud Realm and firmly stand as the foremost figure in the Ultimate Realm.

Within the Dao of All Life, there were ten true legacies of Great Dao at or above the Saint Spirit level. These were left behind by the original Fellow Daoists of the Era of Xi-zi and several other Saint Realm cultivators aligned with him, including Lin Xuanshuang’s Spirit Origin Breathing Art.

Only the true creation method of Xi-zi, and Xiu Guan’s own lineage, were absent. When Zong Shou copied the scriptures of the Dao of All Life a few years ago, he had grumbled inwardly about this Senior Martial Brother Xiu Guan’s tendency to hoard his secret techniques.

Yet he never imagined the truth would be so simple, and so terrifying. The Profound Yellow Mighty Art was available in the Legacy Tower, categorized as a Seventh-Grade Supreme Skill, First Tier.

Among techniques specializing in raw power, it could only be considered decent—in the vast, ocean-like collection of martial arts scriptures in the Legacy Tower, it was certainly not outstanding. Yet, judging by Taishi’s words, his Senior Martial Brother Xiu Guan had reached the pinnacle of the Ultimate Realm, suppressing all other teachings, relying solely on this Seventh-Grade cultivation method!

While Zong Shou was in shock, the black light had already invaded the thirty-second layer of the Golden Pagoda. In reality, it was invisible; through his sight, only a blot of darkness could be perceived.

Wherever it spread, everything dissolved into nothingness, piercing directly through the thirty-second heavenly barrier. And Xiu Guan, standing atop the spire of the pagoda, offered no resistance, allowing the ball of black light to envelop him completely.

Yet the Golden Pagoda remained upright, unshaken. Furthermore, Xiu Guan himself showed no change, only emitting a golden radiance that pierced the surrounding darkness, making his figure clearly visible to everyone.

“Since I know this battle with my fellow Daoist is inevitable, how dare Xiu Guan be careless? Fortunately, I too have made minor progress in recent years…” The Primordial Demon Lord snorted coldly, and then the black light began to manifest, expanding outward, causing everything around him to collapse inward, centered on him.

All matter, all spiritual energy, from dust motes to the heavens and the firmament—even the Ultimate Saint Venerables below—could not escape, forced to exert their strength to resist. The World-Stepping Celestial Lord and Kunming felt their figures lifted slightly by an inexplicable suction.

Yet, only the thirty-two-layered Golden Pagoda remained unmoved, and Xiu Guan’s figure stood immovably atop it, only his brows slightly furrowed. After a moment of stalemate, the Primordial Demon Lord let out another cold, mocking laugh: “Eternal Might?

You actually managed to master this path! Pulling people in truly requires skill; it’s more than just minor progress.

Give you a few more millennia, and you might become another Xi-zi.” Zong Shou was equally astonished. Supported by the Lu family’s legacy, which provided a complete view of the Primordial State, he had managed to grasp the subtleties of the recent clash.

Everything in the world possesses ‘Force,’ acting upon other things. Even the destruction and end of a world still involve this; this was no longer merely the Profound Yellow Mighty Art, but an evolution toward the Dao of ‘Eternity’ through the manipulation of force.

His doubts dissolved. It was no wonder Xiu Guan could suppress several Ultimate Realm experts in the Cloud Realm.

Furthermore, he now understood that Taishi’s Art of Ultimate Cessation was also derived from the method of destruction, and many of its flaws meant it was far from a true Great Dao of Cessation. A sense of relief washed over Zong Shou, but he quickly shook his head.

Why think so much? Even though Xiu Guan held the line just now, it was clear he was not at ease.

And if Chu Xue’s intuition was correct, Qing Xuan still had a trump card, and this battle would most likely still end in defeat. If he couldn't draw this sword, there might be no future for him, let alone a competition of Dao paths with Taishi.

Vow, Protect the Azure Ox, Sovereign, Emperor, Thirty-Three Heavens, Celestial Emperor, Sever—could it be? Zong Shou started, looking up at the non-existent thirty-third layer of the Golden Pagoda, the Thirty-Three Great Heavens of Daluo.

How could that be? His mind was filled with doubt, yet there was an inexplicable impulse—what harm was there in trying?

The Nameless Sword seemed to sense this as well; the sense of urgency slightly subsided, but it seemed even more excited, vibrating ceaselessly. As Zong Shou hesitated, he heard the Primordial Demon Lord sigh from above and speak again.

“Well done, Xiu Guan! To wash away my shame in this battle, I, Taishi, will truly need to deplete my vital energy significantly.

Without other preparations, I might even drag two or three fellow Daoists down with me into mutual destruction. But luckily, Daoist Friend Qing Xuan, you can now use that hidden move.

I, Taishi, will cede the Mysterious Fate Golden Tome of the Dao of All Life to you.” Qing Xuan’s white eyebrows arched, then he smiled faintly. “Then it’s settled!” The Primordial Demon Lord did not reply, only letting out a light, cold snort.

Qing Xuan didn't mind, then turned to Zhu Zi: “Then, Brother Zhu, what do you think?” Zhu Xi’s expression was cold and stern, like eternal, unmelting Xuan Ice: “My Confucian School pursues the ultimate truth of heaven and earth, the way to govern the world. We care little for achieving eternal life.

If this Demonic Sect of All Life can be destroyed, preventing its poison from spreading through the world, everything can be done as you wish!” “So, Brother Zhu agrees?” Qing Xuan first let out a soft chuckle, then his clear laughter gradually grew louder, its sound spreading across the firmament to every corner of the entire realm. “Since that is the case, then the Dao of All Life can be struck from the Cloud Realm after today!” With a thunderous explosion, the southern sky of the Firmament, where the blue lightning converged, suddenly burst open.

Almost as Qing Xuan’s laughter echoed, a figure shot down, traversing the sea of emerald lightning. Dressed in blue, wielding a blood-red curved saber, he paid no mind to the sea of tribulation lightning, but instead gathered countless bolts of blue tribulation light onto his blood blade.

Like an arrow, moving at a speed exceeding the limits of human imagination, he hurtled directly toward Wei Xu’s location. Before the blade, time and space seemed nonexistent.

In a flash, before anyone could fully react, the blood-red blade light, riding the crest of ten thousand blue thunders, arrived before Wei Xu. That location instantly erupted in erratic flashes of tribulation light, shredding everything into dust.

Even Zong Shou, activating his World-Burning Blood Pupils, could not discern the changes within. He only knew that within the sky, the 'Light Profound Sword,' one of the Seven Swords of All Life previously wielded by Wei Xu, suddenly dimmed.

Furthermore, Wei Xu’s aura and spiritual consciousness from afar vanished by more than half. Indeed, Zong Shou’s face paled; even if Wei Xu wasn’t dead, he was likely in dire straits.

The Refining Spirit Pseudo-Sword currently lacked the ability to command the formation as the main sword, leaving the Light Profound Sword temporarily without a master. The ensuing collapse of the entire sword array was predictable.

At this moment, he had no time left to hesitate. With a casual sweep of his hand, Zong Shou sliced his wrist, allowing fresh blood to spill and drench the entire body of the Refining Spirit Sword.

Zong Shou faintly sensed that this sword in his hand seemed to have suddenly come alive and was trembling slightly. His mind settled immediately, and he let out a long breath, drawing his focus inward.

A wry smile touched the corner of his lips. If he was right, becoming the master of this sword would come at a heavy price—it was unavoidable, there was no other way!

The Firmament of Heaven and Earth began to shake violently at this moment. As the aura of the Light Profound Sword nearly vanished, the cyclic flow of the entire sword array suddenly stalled.

When the Refining Spirit Pseudo-Sword struck down again, the might of heaven and earth it carried was less than a tenth of its former strength. The Primordial Demon Lord shook his head slightly upon seeing this: “I told you, spiritless and boneless; now there’s not even flesh left.” With a casual smash of his bone hammer, he sent the sword light flying apart.

Then, he hurled the hammer violently toward the sky. The massive surge of spiritual force around him contracted and exploded, and the seven sword implements hummed and scattered.

The six sword masters, including Lin Xuanxuan, had their skin burst open, blood erupting, and their faces turned ashen. (To be continued)