"Lord of the Thirty-Three Heavens, Emperor of Ten Thousand Peoples? Sovereign of Myriad Immortals? Arrogance—"

The golden pagoda below continued to shudder and rise, and the giant white bone hammer suddenly flew from Tai Shi's hand, streaking downward like a bolt of white lightning.

This strike erupted suddenly, yet it was a thousand, ten thousand times more formidable than Xing Xie's black wheel-blade!

The moment it descended, it completely disregarded the separation of time and space.

However, at that same instant, countless streams of spiritual light converged from all directions, swirling around the great hammer, causing the speed of this divine treasure to drop drastically.

Though it could not halt its momentum entirely, it clearly rewove the laws of spacetime, making the trajectory of its fall visible to the naked eye.

Following close behind, several dragon-shaped sword energies pierced through. A continuous barrage of nine strikes slammed into the white bone giant, further decelerating the hammer's descent. Only after a brief moment did it heavily impact the top of Zong Shou's head.

Yet, due to this successive interception, the Nine-Layered Vermilion Gold Pagoda, which had been suspended behind Zong Shou's head, autonomously floated up at this moment, unfurling a film of light.

The giant hammer struck upon it, causing only a slight tremor in the Nine-Layered Gold Pagoda. The unfolded film of light fractured in several places but failed to inflict even the slightest injury upon Zong Shou.

At this juncture, everyone again looked with astonishment toward the dragon silhouette stepping out from the twenty-third layer of the illusory golden pagoda.

Even at this late stage, this dragon silhouette, having broken through to the Ultimate Realm in less than ten years, still possessed the spare capacity to intercept half of Tai Shi's strike.

They could not help but hold the martial arts Sword Saint—who had reigned undefeated for millennia at the end of the Barren Cloud Era—in higher regard. Tai Shi merely chuckled deeply, his vast divine consciousness already spreading toward the gathering point of the tribulation clouds. His target, from beginning to end, was Wei Xu, the weakest link among the Seven Swords! Xiu Guan would protect Zong Shou, but Wei Xu might not be so well looked after—

It would not take much effort; a slight interference might be enough to intensify the tribulation might of the Ultimate Realm.

Regardless, he had to give it a try.

Three black needles were grasped in his hand, but before he could flick them out, a sudden mutation occurred.

Lo and behold, in the sky, the Guang Xuan Sword—whose aura had been the weakest—began transforming from faintness to strength. The intensity of its sword-cry gradually caught up with the other five swords. They rose and fell in alternation, resonating with one another like a majestic and surging musical movement.

Even the chaotic turbulence of the gathered tribulation light in the distance gradually settled down.

Faintly visible was the image of the person wielding the Blood Moon Blade engaging in close-quarters combat with Wei Xu.

The Demon Lord Tai Shi’s hand froze; the three black needles remained unlaunched. Wei Xu’s situation was far better than he had anticipated. Though precarious, he clearly still had substantial reserve strength, even while enduring the tribulation, to ward off the Blood Moon Blade.

His technique of mirroring the self into three thousand illusions made it impossible for the blade-wielder to discern his true form.

If he struck with his needles now, Wei Xu would certainly suffer a significant disadvantage. However, it would also compel Wei Xu to exhaust that final sliver of reserve strength. At that point, it would be Tai Shi himself who lacked the requisite energy to cope with unforeseen developments.

This Wei Xu, fighting the Blood Moon Blade alone, enduring the Ultimate Realm Tribulation, and still having the capacity to divert attention to control the 'Guang Xuan Sword'—how could he possess such ability?

Immediately afterward, he sensed something amiss, and in the next instant, he heard the voice of the Supreme Yuan Monarch, Li Bie Xue, emerging almost through gritted teeth:

"That villain! Although the Spirit Refining Sword has not been truly claimed as master, he can already control the swords!"

To be precise, he was manipulating the sword formation!

He was operating the circulation of the sword formation through the Spirit Refining Sword, modulating Yin and Yang, and smoothing the spiritual conduits.

This allowed the entire set of the Sentient World Sword Formation to gradually stabilize, showing signs of merging into a single entity, even surpassing its efficacy when the Spirit Refining Sword was merely a substitute!

It could be perceived even more clearly that Zong Shou was currently guiding the vital energy, causing the power of the sword formation to feed back into Wei Xu, the master of the Guang Xuan Sword.

Restoring his breath, strengthening and clearing the blockages and stagnation within his [body] channels.

With this infusion of power, Wei Xu even possessed the strength to contend with the Blood Moon Blade while undergoing tribulation!

The golden pagoda rose another nine layers, only stabilizing again upon reaching the Eighteenth Heaven Realm.

But by now, those above the Thirty-First Heaven Realm had sunk into the abyss of despair.

The golden pagoda was one thing; it had merely replaced the illusory pagoda to become the new nexus of the Myriad Immortals' Thirty-Three Heavens Array. It was simply more solid, with stronger sealing power.

Previously, it could [suppress] thirty percent of their strength; now, it only added another half percent, still not enough to make them feel genuinely threatened.

But the 'Spirit Refining Sword,' now capable of commanding the sword formation, could not help but shock them.

The sword had not even fully manifested, yet the entire Sentient World Sword Formation already possessed its core.

If only half the formation could wield such divine might, what would the completion of the entire formation entail?

Qing Xuan let out a faint sigh, once again looking toward Xiu Guan. The previous self-satisfaction was gone, replaced by eyes full of inscrutable complexity.

"Fellow Daoist Xiu Guan, how about we call a truce here today? Our respective parties can establish a Soul Vow. As long as your Sentient World Sect first retract this Thirty-Three Heavens Array, then the few of us shall immediately cease all hostile action and depart—"

Only those most familiar with Qing Xuan could detect the intense resentment and regret woven into his words.

Thousands of years of waiting, luring Wei Xu into tribulation, and then using circumstances to force Xiu Guan to rely on the Thirty-Three Heavens Array for frontal resistance. They had expended countless efforts in alliances and maneuvers, inviting these numerous Ultimate Realm cultivators to join forces, only to have their plan crumble at the final moment due to this sudden turn of events.

Following the resentment was helplessness.

The battle had reached a deadlock, like two martial arts powerhouses locked in a test of internal breath, evenly matched.

If either side relaxed their hold first, they would invite disaster and be utterly shattered by the opponent.

Therefore, even a retreat required the prior consent of Xiu Guan.

Upon hearing this, Tai Shi's expression remained unchanged, but the veins on his neck throbbed visibly.

Zhu Zi frowned, remaining silent, while Yuan Jiang let out a dissatisfied cold snort.

However, none of them spoke. They all recognized that even if 'Tan Qiu' could not truly control the Spirit Refining Sword today, the situation was a stalemate.

Even if they managed to win, the cost would surely be crippling.

The combined strength of the four factions still far surpassed that of the Sentient World Sect; there was truly no need to risk annihilation here.

With careful consideration, opportunities might still arise in the future. Within this Azure Heaven Realm of Sentient Beings, this fight was simply too disadvantageous.

If they could shake hands and agree to peace, they could accept withdrawing from the Azure Heaven Realm of Sentient Beings today, despite the humiliation and loss of face.

Xiu Guan fell silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the entire realm before finally resting on Zong Shou.

He stared intently for a moment, then Xiu Guan let out a soft, incredulous laugh: "I initially intended to tell Fellow Daoist Qing Xuan that you are dreaming foolishly. But upon careful reflection, I think it’s better to keep some words unsaid. A truce is not impossible, but I ask for a reason, Daoist—since we have the opportunity today to eliminate three or five among you, why should I, Xiu Guan, let you go?"