Within the entire Vault of Heaven, there was a piercing shriek.

It was the Demon Lord of the Great Beginning, his boundless resentment and endless hatred manifesting powerfully into the world through his soul-sense.

It caused splitting headaches, and for those with weaker cultivation, it felt as though their very souls were about to explode.

Fortunately, from the thirty-three layers of the Purple Gold Pagoda, a layer of golden radiance dispersed just in time.

Though it failed to suppress the aberrant sound entirely, it calmed the hearts and minds of the one hundred and seventy thousand cultivators within the Vault of Heaven, shielding them from the shriek's influence. "Zong Shou, Tan Qiu, what a magnificent Boundless Beginning and End! You dared to plot against this old man? I will kill you, mark my words, one day I will make you wish you had never been born in this world—" The Great Beginning Lord was clearly consumed by extreme rage and hatred, his words fractured and hysterical, completely devoid of the dignified bearing expected of a Saint Venerable of the Ultimate Realm.

Zong Shou pursed his lips, a chill creeping into his heart; he knew he was now hated to the extreme by the Great Beginning Lord.

However, contests on the Dao path were the most perilous, and conceding even an inch was impossible.

His fundamental Dao basis was the 'Dao' itself, yet this 'Dao' fundamentally existed between the 'Beginning' and the 'End.' The former was primary, while the latter two were supportive.

Only by maintaining this balance could his World-Shaking Spiritual Art remain flawless, which is why he could never allow the Great Beginning Lord to step into the Half-Step True Realm and begin attempting to merge with the Dao to achieve true reality, thus seizing the path of the Dao.

Having the perfect opportunity today to severely strike down the Great Beginning Lord, he certainly would not let it slip by.

He had always acted decisively; seeing an opportunity meant that even if it meant exposing the Boundless Beginning and End Great Art and revealing his identity as the Boundless Beginning and End Buddha, he had to postpone the Great Beginning Lord's time to merge with the Dao for ten thousand years! He would rather endure endless trouble later than watch this chance vanish before his eyes.

Following the strike of the sword, the fleshly power absorbed from Kun Ming was entirely expended.

The vast, boundless sword continued forward, yet it was forcefully halted by an overwhelming power, suspended mid-air, faintly showing signs of dissipation.

Zong Shou knew this was the limit.

He decisively abandoned the residual sword momentum, withdrawing only a portion of the power.

Less than one-tenth of the Heavenly Dao's might remained, which he swept towards the Black Qilin.

He forcibly dragged back this mutated divine beast, which represented all the world's evil.

The Black Qilin continued to roar and struggle, its eyes filled with unconcealed resentment.

Zong Shou sneered coldly, and with a mere thought, he drew the Illusory Heart Mirror behind his head. "Soul Stabilization of the Illusory Heart!" The Boundless Beginning and End Art once again devoured the power of the Thirty-Three Layered Array, converging it within the precious mirror.

The massive influx of Yuan Power and spiritual energy instantly shattered the array seals woven layer upon layer within the mirror.

A shaft of blue light descended, fixing upon the Black Qilin, instantly rendering the pinnacle Saint Realm divine beast immobile.

The Vault of Heaven shook once more—it was the Demon Lord of the Great Beginning, bombarding the void barrier again.

Driven by frustrated fury, his blows were nearly twice as powerful as before.

Zong Shou couldn't be bothered to attend to him for the moment; he had the Thirty-Three Layered Array and Xiu Guan.

This Vault of Heaven for All Beings would not be easily shattered by those few figures in the outer River of Realms.

He only needed to be cautious enough to prevent this Black Qilin, which was almost within his grasp, from being rescued by the Great Beginning Lord.

Having handled his 'private affairs' and feeling satisfied, the public matters came next.

At this moment, his gaze shifted, finally settling upon Dong Zhongshu and Xing Xie.

The two had still not managed to escape the Vault of Heaven, and their complexions were now deathly pale.

Dong Zhongshu stood firm in the air, his face a dark iron hue: "Insolent tyrant! Are you intending to make an enemy of our Confucian School? The Way of All Beings, which rejects sovereign and father, and speaks of equality, violates the rites and laws of the Sages; its teachings are no different from those of demons.

You aid wickedness today, and you will surely suffer for it eventually! The foundation of your Great Qian was hard-won; do not let it perish in twenty years—" Zong Shou’s gaze flickered, then he lightly smiled and shook his head: "Zong Shou never considered himself superior to others.

A nation requires rites and laws, but they should not be so deeply stratified as to merely shackle the common people.

The people are like water; they can support a boat, but they can also capsize it.

To pursue policies that dull the masses, to regard the people as mere weeds—is that truly effective? When oppressed and unable to survive, they will inevitably rebel, seeking to overturn heaven and earth!" He continued: "My capacity can tolerate the Way of All Beings, can tolerate the Hundred Schools of Thought, and naturally, it can tolerate the Confucian School.

However, based on the current actions of the Confucian School, there might come a day when I once again enact the burning of books and the burying of scholars.

The instances where propriety harms people are ubiquitous among the populace, truly too numerous to record.

The doctrine of prioritizing kinship above all else further harms the national law, and it must be eradicated in the Great Qian—" "Burning books and burying scholars? Good, good, good!" Before Zong Shou could finish speaking, Dong Zhongshu’s eyes were splitting with rage.

He uttered the word 'good' several times, his face flushed crimson. "I did not expect that at the end of the Barren Cloud Era, another tyrant akin to the First Emperor of Qin would arise.

Since the Qin Dynasty, among all subsequent rulers, you, Zong Shou, are the worst! You intend to burn books and bury scholars? Our Confucian School awaits you!" Outside the Vault of Heaven, Lord Zhu was also overwhelmed with fury, his eyes blazing with wrath.

Yet, instinctively, he felt something was slightly amiss.

There seemed to be some kind of transformation occurring in Zong Shou, an attunement with heaven and earth.

It filled him with fear, yet strangely, also a sense of 'closeness.' "What is happening? Why does this feeling feel so bizarre—" The Confucian School did not practice the art of reading auras, but before attaining his Dao, Lord Zhu had meticulously studied the texts of Daoism, Confucianism, and Legalism, so he possessed some rudimentary understanding.

However, when he now focused his spiritual energy into his eyes, he saw only a blank expanse.

But this did not bring him reassurance; instead, it filled him with even greater shock and strangeness.

At this moment, no matter what he saw, it wouldn't be surprising, but seeing absolute nothingness was the one thing that defied expectation.

Zong Shou, as the hegemon of the Southeast Cloud Realm, the Immortal Lord of Great Qian, and the master of seventy-six worlds! His Kingly Aura should currently be at its zenith of fervor! Was it Xiu Guan? After several attempts to pierce that artificial barrier proved futile, Lord Zhu’s gaze immediately fell upon Xiu Guan, feeling utterly helpless.

With the foremost figure of the Ultimate Realm personally intervening to conceal things, perhaps only a select few in this world could truly perceive Zong Shou's destiny.

But what was this figure attempting to hide? Xiu Guan only smiled without speaking, paying him no mind whatsoever.

Zong Shou is a living Saint King, his Dao merged with Heaven—how could he allow the Confucian School to know his secrets at this juncture? Years ago, Xi Zi was schemed against by the combined forces of the various teachings; now, he was merely collecting some interest.

Zong Shou, meanwhile, shook his head; this Saint Dong was truly unreasonable.

Too weary to argue further, he stated solemnly and clearly: "I control the sword formation and will find it hard to be distracted later! I request Senior Uncle Xiu Guan, Master Long Ying, Master Xuan Shuang, and Senior Uncle Yuan Jing to assist me!" Upon hearing this, the four of Long Ying also put on solemn expressions, knowing that this battle had reached its final stage—the most crucial juncture that would determine the final outcome.

Xiu Guan’s eyes slightly narrowed, a half-smile on his face: "How could I refuse your command!" The silver ring of light continued to expand, not only sealing the Vault of Heaven but also tightly trapping Dong Zhongshu and Xing Xie within its confines.

Long Ying’s expression remained unchanged, and he stated calmly: "I shall certainly give my full effort!" Although his body showed no movement, his sword intent became purer, piercing straight out of the Vault of Heaven.

Sanren Yuan Jing, however, laughed incessantly: "Are you going to seal them? Dong Zhongshu, when you and Zheng Xuan jointly besieged and killed my Master, did you ever imagine you would have this day? Oh, and Brother Xing Xie too—" Although Lin Xuan Shuang said nothing, she activated her true thoughts, and a stream of white dew-like light gradually gathered around Zong Shou.

Zong Shou immediately felt his vital essence and life force instantly return to their peak.

The latent injuries caused by forcefully controlling the sword formation using his Immortal Realm cultivation, bolstered by the Kingly Dao martial arts, vanished by more than half in an instant, completely removing his worries.

Feeling secretly grateful, Zong Shou’s focus grew even sharper.

Spiritual energy churned and cycled endlessly in the sky; more of the Will of Heaven and Earth was forcibly swept into the sword formation, combining with the sword's power.

After only a breath, the seven swords in the air hummed once more.

The Refining Spirit sword, in particular, resonated the loudest; the intent transmitted from the sword spirit was incomparably excited. "So happy? Hmm, an enemy—" With Xi Zi’s demise, the Refining Spirit sword spirit naturally regarded Dong Zhongshu and Xing Xie as its foes.

Therefore, even the death of 'Kun Ming,' who was also an ultimate realm being, did not bring joy to the Refining Spirit sword.

Only these two were whom it truly cared about.

Zong Shou did not hesitate; he immediately controlled the sword formation to lock onto the weaker Xing Xie.

Xing Xie’s face paled slightly, and then, without any hesitation, he began to struggle with all his might once more.

Zong Shou’s gaze remained unchanged, but a flicker of disdain crossed his eyes.

Is struggling desperately useful at this moment? "Slash!" That colossal Sword of the Heavenly Dao plummeted down again.

The immense, irresistible force shattered the top-tier Immortal Artifacts thrown out by Xing Xie the instant they met.

At this moment, a colossal hand reached in towards Xing Xie from beside him.

Zong Shou narrowed his eyes; without needing to look directly, he knew this must be the peerless Primordial Demon, Li Biexue.

Of the three Demon Ancestors of the Cloud Realm, only two remained after the battle where Xi Zi fell.

The two had always relied on each other in the Cloud Realm; at this time, Li Biexue had to save him.

Zong Shou paid it no mind.

He merely made the Heavenly Dao Sword Intent appear to slightly deflect, seemingly preparing to target Li Biexue instead.

The Primordial Demon was clearly startled, and the hand he extended retracted instantly, as if it had touched scalding flame.

Having repelled this individual, Zong Shou held nothing back.

He unleashed all his sword power onto Xing Xie. "The enmity for the demise of hundreds of fellow disciples ten days ago, I shall collect from you, Heavenly Monarch of the Stepping World!" As the declaration ended, Xing Xie's entire physical body violently disintegrated, shattering into bloody dust.

However, his Primordial Soul remained undying and unextinguished.

Not only did it hold firm, but the intensity of its struggle increased several times over.

Zong Shou let out a cold laugh, summoning an incantation with his hand.

The Nine-Layered Golden Pagoda behind him, carrying at least two-tenths of the Thirty-Three Layered Array’s power, soared over. "Suppress!" The Golden Pagoda grew upon meeting the wind, expanding thousands of feet in the blink of an eye, before crashing down heavily.

It forcibly suppressed Xing Xie's immortal soul beneath the pagoda, guaranteed not to escape with the backing of the entire Thirty-Three Layered Array.

By now, the sword power was exhausted.

Zong Shou dispersed the remainder, and the Seven Swords of All Beings began to gather energy once again.

But at this very moment, the flesh and blood surrounding Dong Zhongshu exploded violently.

He had deliberately detonated his physical body, forcibly blasting open the barrier of the Vault of Heaven.

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