Yun Tai watched the unfolding scene, let out a sigh, and when he spoke again, there was no room for Yin Yu to refuse: "Your Majesty, forgive this old man's presumption!"

A cloud-light unrolled and swept out, and before Yin Yu could react, his figure was violently yanked from the throne.

Of all the people present, the rest might perish, but Yin Yu absolutely could not die here.

Just as his form ascended into the air, he saw two beams of sword-light suddenly flash horizontally toward him from the opposite side.

"Zhu Jue!" (Execution/Annihilation)

It was the famous pair of sword formations above the Chi Pond Palace: the Heaven's Mandate Grand Supreme Demon-Slaying Sword Formations of the Source Sea!

Each beam of light now possessed might comparable to a Saint Realm master, the sword energy chilling to the bone.

Daoist Yun Tai’s pupils contracted slightly. At that moment, from the Great Dipper True Martial Sword Formations behind him, over a dozen wisps of sword-force shot out, crisscrossing in a chaotic array. They managed to partially disintegrate the two incoming sword beams mid-flight.

Then, three massive, imposing True Martial greatswords materialized in the mid-air, hacking down ferociously toward the direction of the Chi Pond Palace!

However, Yun Tai no longer had the composure to concern himself with the outcome of these two top-tier Daoist armaments. He concentrated his voice, enveloping Yin Yu, who was wrapped in surrounding cloud-mist, and explained: "These Source Sea Demon Slayers are the strongest Daoist soldiers under Zong Shou’s command. When they were expanding the outer domains, they battled the Celestial Rank Daoist Soldiers of the Nine Capitals Immortal Court, managing to win even when outnumbered three to one. I do not know where Zong Shou found these Daoist soldier cultivation methods. Their combat power is comparable to our Dao Sect’s True Martial Swordsmen, yet their sharpness surpasses ours by a margin!"

Hearing this, Yin Yu finally ceased his struggle. He knew that by utilizing his Imperial Martial Arts, his combat strength was no less than that of a Saint Realm expert.

If he had been unwilling to leave, even the likes of Yun Tai and Xue Zhai would have had difficulty forcing him away.

The battle had devolved to this disastrous state; now, the only hope lay in the power of the Daoist and Demonic Sects’ Daoist Armaments. But if these seventy-two so-called Source Sea Demon Slayers truly possessed the strength to hold back the Great Dipper True Martial Sword Formations, then this battle was truly beyond saving.

Still, a sliver of doubt lingered in his heart. Even if victory was impossible, there was still Chong Xuan, and there was the Yin-Yang Heart-Nail Curse.

It was already the seventh ke; only twenty breaths remained.

"That Zong Shou possesses the Body Immune to Ten Thousand Evils! Curses hardly harm him. Chong Xuan’s Yin-Yang Heart-Nail technique might work on ordinary monarchs, but it is utterly useless against him! It would only bring him humiliation and invite his own death—"

Yin Yu paused, startled. He recalled that when this True Master Yun Tai spoke about Chong Xuan employing this very curse not long ago, his tone was entirely different.

He hadn't voiced approval, but neither had he negated the possibility.

Furthermore, even if Zong Shou’s unique constitution rendered the technique ineffective, it didn't necessitate calling it a path to self-destruction.

He glanced toward Layman Xue Zhai. He noticed that this scholar, one of the Confucian Sages, now had a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes, avoiding Yin Yu’s gaze. He merely nodded slightly: "Indeed, he cannot be wounded! Chong Xuan’s curse has been unleashed and cannot be interrupted; he cannot be saved."

Yin Yu couldn't help but frown deeply. Had these two learned something new just now?

What secret could have made them choose to flee without hesitation?

Was the retreat of the tens of thousands of demonic cavalry, without a fight, also related to this?

"This brat has achieved a great victory, tipping the scales. His momentum is at its zenith now, and his Imperial Qi is surging. We cannot confront him directly; we must temporarily avoid his (sharp edge/full force)—"

As he spoke, an ethereal, ghost-like beam of sword-light suddenly and impossibly sliced through the void, tearing through space to arrive before them.

The tip of the sword pointed directly at Yin Yu's throat.

Yun Tai reacted instantly, whipping his full power into a counterattack. Yet, his blow struck empty air.

Looking closer, he realized the sword shadow he thought he saw earlier was entirely illusory. In reality, another beam of sword-light was tracing the path just forged.

But this time, the target was Yun Tai himself!

Zhu Jue!

The intense, lethal killing intent caused a chill to creep into Yun Tai’s heart. He instantly condensed his Five Qi before him, shaping them into a shield.

"This child’s swordsmanship is formidable; I request Layman’s aid!"

There was no response from beside him. Yun Tai stole a glance and realized that Layman Xue Zhai was also frantically evading something, kicking up clusters of phantom images. Yet, in front of Xue Zhai, there was clearly nothing material at all.

Illusionary arts!

Only then did Yun Tai notice a tall, azure mirror suspended in the distance, casting down clusters of cerulean light onto the scene.

Merely looking at it induced a proliferation of illusions.

The Heavenly Fox's ultimate treasure: the Illusory Heart Realm!

Yun Tai let out a sudden tiger’s roar and threw a punch. Five-colored Qi gathered again, manifesting as a dragon shape on his fist.

At the very instant the shield before him was pierced, he smashed his fist against the sword edge.

With a 'peng' resounding tremor, an unparalleled, immense force surged inward from the blade. It was clearly compressed to its absolute limit, causing flesh and blood to shatter. The Zhu Jue sword-force embedded within struck directly at his viscera, extinguishing his vital breath!

Yun Tai’s facial muscles twitched violently. In the final moment before his body disintegrated, he threw out a wooden effigy the size of three fingers.

Immediately afterward, his entire figure vanished from the spot, reappearing ten zhang away.

The wooden effigy substitute instantly dissolved into powder.

Gazing at the scene in the distance, Yun Tai felt as if his heart were bleeding.

The art of substitution was simple, but the deeper one went, the more it demanded mastery of Daoist cultivation and required consumption of rare and precious materials that were unimaginable to ordinary people.

Each item capable of taking a life was worth immeasurable wealth—enough to fully purchase a perfectly developed minor world.

And today, he had used both of these ultimate treasures in a single move.

However, he had managed to escape one deadly calamity—

The thought had barely surfaced when a sharp premonition of danger erupted in Yun Tai's mind. Subconsciously, his thoughts flashed to the graceful figure he had previously overlooked.

Su Chu Xue, the Blood Moon Saber! The Celestial Treasury Divine Ability!

A streak of blood-red saber-light suddenly exploded from behind him. Utterly sudden, swift as lightning, it flashed past in an instant!

Even with Yun Tai dodging with all his might, it was too late. Half of his body was cleanly severed, blood mist spraying out wildly.

On True Master Yun Tai’s face, agony and ferocity mingled. He knew now that he was truly cornered, pushed to the brink of death!

"Trying to leave? Not so easily done! I have a few scores here that need to be settled with you all."

Zong Shou let out a cold laugh, his figure shuttling through the void. Having forced Yun Tai, this obstacle, aside, as he sent out his second sword strike, his gaze had already locked onto Yin Yu.

Among the four Saint Realm masters present, the one he hated most was undoubtedly the Blood Saint Demon Lord.

But that man was currently entangled by Ao Kun and wouldn't be escaping any time soon.

It was Yin Yu, conversely, who held greater significance.

He had initially assumed this Yuan Chen Emperor would merely dispatch his great generals for a so-called 'surprise raid' on his Chi Pond Palace.

He hadn't expected this emperor to be so supremely confident as to arrive personally—a delightful surprise indeed.

If this Great Shang Emperor were eliminated today, the unification of the Yun Realm by Great Qian would be a foregone conclusion.

Conquering the Central Cloud Continent—a place leaderless, plagued by infighting among its powerful figures, and scattered like loose sand—would require little effort on his part.

This sword strike was not launched merely for his own ambition, but to spare the citizens of the Yun Realm the suffering of prolonged warfare!

—Even during the great Spiritual Tide, he was confident he could ensure the people of the Yun Realm passed their days safely. But to suppress all the Sects and Factions, preventing them from causing conflict!

In truth, even after unification, Zong Shou estimated he would be too lazy to manage affairs; merely using martial force to dictate terms would suffice to keep all the aristocratic families and sects obedient.

He remembered that near the end of the Spiritual Tide, the population of the Yun Realm had dwindled to less than one in ten.

Even the most prosperous regions of Jiangnan were littered with bleached bones.

If Yin Yu died now, everything could finally conclude!

Yin Yu’s eyelids fluttered open slightly, like a tiger stretching its eyes, revealing a fierce light!

"Dragon Emperor's Nine Dominions!"

He struck out with one palm, and instantly a massive shadow of a Map of Mountains and Rivers appeared behind Yin Yu.

Dominate People! Dominate Spirits! Dominate Life! Dominate Death! Dominate Momentum! Dominate Authority! Dominate Heaven! Dominate Earth! Command the Mountains and Rivers!

This was the Dragon Emperor's Nine Dominions!

He reached out with his palm, instantly gathering boundless Imperial Power, intending to seize the sword light with his bare hands!

Zong Shou’s expression remained unchanged; the sword light continued its relentless advance. As the sovereign of the Central Dynasty, Yin Yu's martial power could not be underestimated!

"A pinnacle Imperial Martial Art! It is a pity, Your Majesty, that you cannot dominate any of them. Sooner or later, the mountains and rivers will shatter, and the throne will pass to another!"

The sword light pierced in, splitting into thousands of rays before suddenly retracting back into a single blade.

Yin Yu’s body was violently forced backward. His face was ashen, and a thin line of blood marked his right hand. The phantom image of the Central Land’s map behind him indeed showed signs of shattering.

Zong Shou followed closely, his expression cold, the third sword strike—elusive like an antelope hanging from a horn—shooting out once more, striking directly.

This Yuan Chen Emperor, though commanding the destiny of fifty-two prefectures and states, possessed surprisingly mediocre martial prowess, certainly not outstanding. Having crossed beyond his borders and suffering a massive defeat, this was precisely when he was weakest.

Once the Dragon Emperor's Nine Dominions were broken, a single sword stroke would suffice to execute him!

Layman Xue Zhai, Liu Li, standing nearby, showed panic and agitation in his eyes. Finally breaking free from Zong Shou’s illusionary arts, he spread his large sleeve, sending dozens of volumes of Dao De (Morality/Tao Te Ching) inscriptions flying out, which transformed into a ribbon of light that completely encircled Yin Yu. He cursed without choosing his words: "Insolent! You tyrant, how dare you harm the Lord of the Central Plain Empire? Are you not afraid of Heaven’s retribution and the backlash of fate?"

Zong Shou found this utterly ridiculous and couldn't help but let out a derisive chuckle.

"This time, you people claimed you were acting on Heaven's behalf, succoring the populace and punishing the wicked, seeking to destroy me, this perverse and tyrannical ruler! If that is the case, do you not allow this foolish monarch a chance to strike back? Of course, in the eyes of your Confucian Sect, my Zong Shou is deserving of ten thousand deaths and should be drawn and quartered. As for this Yuan Chen Emperor, he is best served by living for a thousand years, is that right?"

He thrust his sword out without mercy. Though momentarily blocked by the flow of light, those dozens of scrolls instantly ignited into fire mid-air, burning to ash.

Zong Shou continued, preparing his fourth strike to end Yin Yu’s life, when a roar like thunder echoed by his ear.

"Unrighteous, foolish monarch! How dare you harm my Lord? Yin-Yang Nail the Heart, die!"

Zong Shou froze, looking downward. Then, a massive sacrificial altar came into his view.

At the center of the altar was Chong Xuan. Surrounding him were thousands of children.

Curse Forbidden Art? Zong Shou’s mind instantly recalled Kong Yao’s earlier words—this technique was utterly Yin and inherently evil!

Then, those children...?

The thought to intervene had just arisen in his mind when the heads of the three thousand boys and girls all exploded simultaneously.

Then, a colossal, alien force surged into their hearts.

The crimson jade necklace, already covered in cracks, immediately shattered. Countless icy, chilling energies intertwined and descended.

Howling Sun, positioned behind Zong Shou, let out a tiger’s roar. He sprang up from his chariot, his body swelling tenfold, a white jade horn and purple-scaled golden armor manifesting upon him. He escaped the void to Zong Shou’s side, his hair and beard bristling—clearly manifesting extreme ferocity!

(To be continued)