Before the Emerald Chasm, Zong Shou floated in the air, his face ice-cold as he stared at his opponents.

The valley, once the color of shimmering jade, had been instantly leveled by an overwhelming force.

The narrow mountain path was now a flat expanse. The valley widened until the pass, which had only accommodated a few hundred people, could now comfortably array a hundred thousand soldiers.

Inside the Da Qian army's barracks, every soldier stood dumbfounded, watching the scene unfold.

The earth trembled, and the Saint Realm powerhouses opposite continued to unleash their formidable divine senses, their aura brutally oppressive.

With a faint hum, the Spirit Refining Sword vibrated, carrying Zong Shou’s form as he shot up into the vast sky.

With practiced ease, he connected with the six Heaven's People Swords lying in wait nearby in mere moments.

As runes formed from countless streaks of spiritual light materialized in the void, they encircled the seven swords like a silken ribbon. The Will of the Heavenly Dao suddenly descended upon the scene.

"Boom!"

In both military camps, nearly all cultivators above the Seventh Tier fell to their knees in terror.

Those below the Seventh Tier, unable to touch the Heavenly Tribulation or the intent of the Heavenly Dao, sensed nothing.

His divine sense locked onto the mountain-movers in the distance, and a vast sword light swept towards them.

Mercilessly, to annihilate everything!

"You dare!"

With a soft sigh, four sky-supporting great hands suddenly emerged from the void, violently colliding with the boundless sword light.

Immediately, heaven and earth shook, and sword qi erupted everywhere.

The sword light was the first to break, shattering apart. The four great hands also disintegrated.

"Zhu Xi?"

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow. Facing him were clearly the three Divine Venerables of the Confucian School, and Zhu Zi himself.

At this moment, the intent of the Transcendent Realm could be sensed crossing and intertwining across the void outside the domain.

Xiu Guan was using his singular power to suppress Qing Xuan Tai Huang, along with the three Divine Venerables of the Confucian Demon Sects.

Meanwhile, Long Ying, Yuan Jing, and Lin Xuan Shuang were engaged with the Supreme Primordial Demon, Li Biexue. The latter, fighting three at once, still appeared composed, seemingly with energy to spare.

The Saint-ranked experts opposite remained sharp and arrogant in their demeanor, utterly unrestrained.

Even under the pressure of the Heavenly Dao sword intent from the Seven Swords of Heaven's People, they showed no apprehension; instead, they unfurled their soul-intent, striving mightily to resist Zong Shou.

"Incompetent ruler! Surrender now and accept your death!"

"Leveling the Emerald Chasm was the Mandate of Heaven!"

"Insolent child, how dare you speak of destroying my Confucian School!"

"Heaven will surely execute you!"

As the intent transmitted, Zong Shou’s eyes grew colder. The intent of the first sword had not yet faded before the second burst forth from the sword formation.

Midway through its flight, the sword light quivered slightly, showing a hint of purple within its body.

Zong Shou immediately knew this was Wei Xu making his move—directly mirroring Xiu Guan’s divine ability, the path to proving Eternity.

And just then, Zhu Zi’s figure materialized ten thousand zhang away in the sky.

With an eight-foot frame, he stood suspended above the clouds, appearing exceptionally majestic.

The three Divine Venerables had transformed into thirty-three layers of halos, stacked behind Zhu Zi’s head.

With a light pointing finger, he engaged the descending Heavenly Dao sword once more.

There was a soft peng sound, and a slight flush appeared on Zhu Zi’s face as his body leaned back slightly.

However, he was clearly the superior fighter; the boundless, surging vital force was channeled down and scattered beneath his feet.

Thus, everything around, including the nearby mountains, was annihilated into dust.

The entire chasm mouth was widened again. Hundreds of surrounding peaks vanished instantly, and Zhu Xi turned his gaze over, his eyes filled with a cold sneer.

"The King's army has come to rescue the people and punish the wicked, to conquer the evil demons. How could you possibly obstruct us here?"

Zong Shou’s brow furrowed again. Indeed, using the power of the Heaven's People Dao, confronting the three great sects of the Cloud Realm was still too strenuous.

Yet, without a trace of fear, he continued to mobilize the sword formation. Since pure strength was insufficient to crush his opponents, he had no choice but to pursue variations in the formation to enhance its might.

Even if his opponent was a Transcendent Realm Saint Venerable, amplified by three Divine Venerables, he held no reservations. He would fight with everything he had!

Drawing upon the spiritual tides and Heavenly Will from all directions, the majestic power of the Sovereign Way was channeled through the Asura King Seat.

The 'Spirit Refining' in Zong Shou’s hand continuously escalated in power, and the rank of the seven swords also slowly increased.

Just then, a lean old man, ten thousand two hundred zhang tall, clad in flowing azure Daoist robes with wide sleeves, suddenly descended from the void.

He flicked his whisk, and a sword strike lashed out toward Zhu Zi’s location.

"Taiching Divine Venerable!"

Several exclamations of surprise rose from the mountains opposite.

Zhu Xi looked slightly surprised and tossed out a jade slip. As it unfolded, lines of golden text blazed forth, securely shielding the sword light formed by divine power.

Then, a flicker of anger crossed his eyes: "Sword Sect? It seems you truly intend to intervene?"

A clear laugh echoed through the void: "The agreement made ten thousand years ago stipulated that Transcendent Realms must not meddle in the affairs of the Cloud Realm. Since you have forgotten, my Sword Sect likewise has no need to abide by it. The Sword Sect and Da Qian have been allies, cooperating happily all these years, sharing the same bond. How could we stand idly by now—"

The voice paused, the laughter growing more gleeful: "It seems my Sword Sect is not the only one planning to enter this battle today."

As his words faded, seven-colored auspicious light appeared on the horizon, accompanied by a resounding chant of the Buddha's name.

"Primordial Buddha Yuan Shi!"

An equally immense figure, twelve thousand zhang tall, descended from the sky, stepping upon twelve-petaled golden lotuses.

He did not attack Zhu Zi directly but instead raised a nine-story Sarira Pagoda, which settled down to suppress the air.

The tremors in heaven and earth immediately ceased. Brilliant Buddhist light shone forth, overtly reinforcing the Heaven's People Sword Formation.

Zhu Zi’s face turned ashen. This Divine Venerable was the incarnation of Amitabha Buddha’s power in the Cloud Realm.

"Very good, very good! You Buddhists aiding a tyrant, do you wish to experience another Age of Buddha Annihilation?"

"Benefactor, you speak wrongly!"

A golden figure strode through the air. Majestic in appearance, his eyes blazing with anger—it was the Lanka Buddha.

Even Buddhas have wrath, and Zhu Xi’s words had struck a raw nerve.

He had personally experienced the catastrophe that befell Buddhism in the Cloud Realm back then, and the impact remained profound. While Buddhism had its faults—failing to restrain itself and harboring corruption—the main sects of the Cloud Realm had undeniably fanned the flames afterward.

"Let us first discuss whether the Lord is a cruel tyrant like Zhou. Even if your Confucian School truly intends to destroy my Buddhism, you must first win this battle against the Great Shang."

Zhu Zi seemed not to care for argument. The vast, boundless sword energy swept toward the mountains once more.

Zhu Zi was no longer unarmed; he held a large wolf-hair brush and pointed it forward.

"The ultimate joy first responds to human affairs, follows heavenly principle, acts according to the Five Virtues, and aligns with nature; only then can one regulate the four seasons and bring harmony to all things!"

In that instant, it seemed the entire world fell under Zhu Zi’s control, channeled through the tip of his brush.

With a single stroke, it carried an immense Will of the Heavenly Dao!

Zong Shou’s gaze narrowed, then settled into calm.

He would see whether his Dao, and the Dao of Xi Zi, aligned better with the Heavenly Dao, or if Zhu Zi’s 'Principle' was favored by the Heavenly Will.

Zheng!

The point of collision was silent, yet the wolf-hair brush in Zhu Zi’s hand split down the middle.

The Heavenly Dao sword light also instantly dissipated. The third clash seemed to end in a draw.

However, as the sword light dispersed, it split into dozens of streams, darting toward the nearby Confucian Saint-ranked experts like streaks of lightning, impossible to track.

Zhu Zi was enraged. The brush in his hand instantly restored itself.

"Humans anthropomorphize things, extinguishing heavenly principle and exhausting human desires. Thus arise rebellious and deceitful hearts, and acts of debauchery and chaos. Human desires are selfish and thus dangerous; the Dao heart and heavenly principle are subtle and profound. Extinguish selfish desires, and heavenly principle becomes clear!"

With another stroke, hundreds of sword streams were directly shattered and vanished.

Yet, several streams stood out—guided by the sword formation, they not only remained unbroken but their sharpness intensified, becoming fiercely potent.

The Saint-ranked experts instantly felt their power collapse, retreating with all their might, using every divine ability and technique to block and evade.

Zhu Zi’s eyes widened further in fury.

"What is heavenly principle? Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, and Trust! If likes and dislikes are unchecked internally, and knowledge is lured by external factors, without self-reflection, heavenly principle is extinguished! The impressions objects make on people are endless, and human likes and dislikes are immoderate; thus, when objects arrive, humans are anthropomorphized."

Human desires are endless, and if one uses endless material things to satisfy desire, then humans become indistinguishable from objects.

Zong Shou sneered, his mind silent, devoid of extraneous thoughts. He focused solely on controlling the Seven Swords of Heaven's People, evolving the sword formation to its absolute peak.

He vaguely comprehended that the Heaven's People Sword Formation was not merely a vessel for drawing upon and controlling the Will of the Heavenly Dao, but it also contained the Dao of Xi Zi!

Everyone possesses desires; how can they be completely extinguished?

It is precisely because they pursue desires that humanity has reached this point today. Although there are all manner of sordid deeds, there is also glorious civilization, creating countless things—

Creation?

Zong Shou started. He had always assumed Xi Zi’s Art of Creation was derived from the creation myths of the First Era.

Only today did he finally understand: just as Xiu Guan achieved Eternity by perfecting the Profound Yellow Great Strength Art, Xi Zi also walked the path of humanity to prove the Great Dao of Creation!

No wonder Xi Zi established the Heaven's People Dao, fought for the common people of the world, and even fell and was sealed in the Cloud Realm.

He had to, and it was the conviction in his heart—

So that’s it! I finally understand!

With his thoughts clear and unimpeded, Zong Shou burst into loud laughter. The countless profound and inscrutable spiritual patterns within the Seven Swords of Heaven's People became instantly clear.

Zhu Zi looked slightly puzzled but paid it no mind, continuing to recite the true words of his Great Dao.

"The human heart is perilously precarious; the Dao heart is subtly minute. Be exact and unified, diligently hold the center. Therefore, the myriad words of the sages and worthies only teach people to illuminate heavenly principle and extinguish human desire! One must utterly eliminate human desire and fully restore heavenly principle to complete one’s learning! Remove the bias of temperament and the hindrance of material desires, to restore one’s nature and fulfill one’s duties!"

Before his words ended, the sword light made several exquisitely subtle turns, completely escaping his control. Two streaks of crimson light flashed in the distance, and two heads were thrown into the air.

"You can level the Emerald Chasm, and I can certainly take your heads too! This foolish ruler awaits the moment the axe falls upon you all!"