What swordsmanship! It is clearly one step away from achieving the Divine realm! That Boundless Beginning and End Divine Ability must also be just half a step away from advancing to the thirteenth-rank Supreme Great Law—”
On the western stretch of the wall surrounding the Epang Palace, Chongxuan gasped sharply.
“Gathering the Golden Body of the Saintly Realm through the Buddhist Votive Power? You and I truly underestimated him—”
Beside him stood Xu Fu. Unable to leave the vicinity of the main hall with his true body, what stood there was manifested from a single thread of his divine thought.
The preeminent figure of the Zenith Realm six thousand years ago, the Profound Thief Demon Lord, had appeared. This injected a sudden variable into the battle at the Altar of Heaven.
Even Xu Fu could not help but feel apprehensive. He had split his consciousness amidst his myriad tasks to observe this fight.
However, at this moment, he remained silent, seemingly deep in thought about something.
Chongxuan pondered aloud, “With strength equal to the Saintly Tier, wielding the Boundless Beginning and End Divine Ability grants him the power to contend. The outcome of this battle is now unpredictable. Teacher, how do you intend to handle this?”
Though reluctant, it was best to offer covert assistance to the Sovereign of the Vast Heaven at this juncture. If that lunatic, the Profound Thief Demon Lord, were allowed to succeed today, it would benefit no one.
And if this being intended to seize the Twelve Bronze Men, what course of action should they take?
To usurp the Nation-Guarding Bronze Men required one to possess a certain degree of Dragon Qi inherently. Ordinary cultivators could only watch with envy. Yet, for the Profound Thief, this was by no means a difficult task.
A lawless scoundrel armed with the Twelve Nation-Guarding Bronze Men—the entire Cloud Realm might well be turned upside down.
Naturally, the best outcome would be for both sides to suffer mutual destruction. But gauging the precise balance of this was extremely difficult.
Unexpectedly, Xu Fu shook his head: “Inappropriate! The conclusion of the Altar of Heaven battle is already set. There’s no need to hesitate any longer; proceed directly to prepare the backup measure. It is truly a pity—”
Chongxuan immediately froze, puzzled. “But Teacher, I observed the battle. They seem evenly matched, and the Boundless Beginning and End Divine Ability even surpasses the Profound Thief’s God-Seizing Great Law in tier?”
He had witnessed the majestic, divine power of Zong Shou’s sword strike with his own eyes. It had nearly cleaved and separated the entire Minor Thousand World. Even someone as mighty as the Profound Thief could not directly confront its sharp edge!
“The Boundless Beginning and End Divine Ability itself has no flaw; the flaw lies in his Buddhist physical manifestation—”
Xu Fu explained calmly, his gaze deep and distant. “What do you take the Profound Thief’s God-Seizing Great Law for? Even the slightest opening can condemn you to eternal damnation in the abyss. Moreover, the Profound Thief has steeped himself in the twelve-grade World-Ending Divine Abilities for ten thousand years. While Zong Shou’s talent is unparalleled, creating such a technique, how long has he truly practiced? Even if he possesses strength of the same rank, he cannot be the Profound Thief’s match. This isn't about who wins or loses; it's about how long he can last before defeat. In my view, not exceeding a hundred breaths!”
“A hundred breaths?”
Chongxuan found this incredible. Such sword might, such momentum—how could he not even last a hundred breaths against the Profound Thief?
However, if Xu Fu said so, there must be a reason.
Taking another careful look at the fight, Chongxuan also lost interest.
“The gap between them is too vast and irreparable. Therefore, Teacher’s intention is, rather than risking offending the Profound Thief and expending effort to help, to find another viable strategy to replace the role of the Altar of Heaven?”
He noticed that in the instant he spoke, the more than a dozen Saintly mental perceptions enveloping the Altar of Heaven battlefield had all retracted.
Evidently, their judgment mirrored Xu Fu’s: they saw no possibility for a reversal of fortune. Their current actions were not due to a lack of desire to continue watching, but rather anxiety that if the Profound Thief won, he might notice them. This individual was notoriously cruel; once targeted by him, the consequences would likely be dire.
Chongxuan felt ashamed. He had entered the Saintly Realm too recently. His experience and insight still fell short of these venerable Saints who had accumulated ages of standing.
“A teachable child!”
Xu Fu offered a wry smile. “This is also a measure of last resort, forced upon us. It is a pity for this Sovereign of the Great Qian. After today, both the Dao and Confucian sects will likely breathe a sigh of relief. But I remain curious—”
His tone shifted, and a sharp glint flashed in Xu Fu’s eyes: “What exactly transpired that compelled Li Biexue to release the Profound Thief Demon Lord, even to the extent of killing him within the Qin Emperor’s Tomb?”
Where the sword struck, one of the Profound Thief’s arms disintegrated into scattered flesh and blood, then vanished into annihilation energy. Yet, the Profound Thief seemed entirely unconcerned. His figure drifted across the Altar of Heaven like a swimming fish, making it impossible for Zong Shou to lock onto his vital essence.
The continuous volley of five-colored light feathers shooting toward him were completely ignored by the Profound Thief; he only used the ancient-script tortoise shell to defend. Occasionally, two or three feathers pierced close to him, but they posed no hindrance, easily intercepted and flicked away with a mere intention.
Only when Lin Xuanxuan reappeared from a distance, wielding the Blood Moon Blade, did the Profound Thief grant attention. She was, after all, a half-step Zenith Realm expert. Even suppressed by at least fifty percent of her power within the Qin Emperor’s Tomb, which widened the gap between them, possessing the Divine Weapon gave her the capability to injure him.
Nor did he have to worry about his Immortal Power being completely stolen by his Profound Thief’s God-Seizing Great Law.
Retreating several more paces until the death energy near the Altar of Heaven reformed into several pale skeletal hands before him, the Profound Thief finally halted. The skeletal hands clashed with the Blood Moon Blade, lasting only a moment before being shredded by the blade’s light and dispersed into chaotic energy.
At this moment, the Profound Thief thrust a finger out, tapping the Blood Moon Blade. The immense magnetic force, stolen from the earth, immediately impacted the blade. Even the formidable Lin Xuanxuan was forced back by this colossal strength. The newly regenerated bone and muscle in her arm twisted and broke apart, seemingly unable to withstand this level of power confrontation.
And then, Zong Shou across from him swung his sword again. It lacked the momentum of the first strike but was clearly far more perilous. It still exhibited black and white on the blade, yet the power was focused, gathered into a single point. With this strike, nearly ten thousand malevolent corpses surrounding the Altar of Heaven were swept away by the overflow of sword energy, but the earlier phenomenon of the entire world being cleaved apart did not reappear.
However, the sword’s might remained constant, seeming to command everything in this world to bow in submission! It made one suspect this strike was an actual manifestation of the ‘Dao’ itself!
The Profound Thief raised an eyebrow, not surprised but rather delighted. “Fine swordsmanship! An ultimate Divine Ability—now this is interesting! Six thousand years ago, perhaps I, the Profound Thief, would have simply retreated and avoided this fight! Even if I won, it would take time. Too troublesome. But six thousand years later—”
At this point, the Profound Thief let out a cold chuckle. “Your swordsmanship is exquisite, but alas, your Buddhist Golden Body is not without flaws. And you are only mastering it for the first time, correct?”
He reached out with one hand to grasp, bare-handed, meeting the gleaming light of the Spirit Refining Sword. He showed no fear and held his ground. With ease, he repelled several successive clashes completely unscathed. Meanwhile, the Profound Thief’s other hand had already completed its regeneration. It was as good as new, appearing as though it had never been injured.
Within a few short breaths, it was Zong Shou across from him whose breathing was growing heavy.
The Profound Thief brushed aside the light of the Blood Moon Blade that slashed toward him once more. He stopped retreating, instead advancing to attack!
He threw a punch, colliding head-on with the manifested Spirit Refining Sword!
A deafening explosion erupted immediately, and the ground within ten li of the Altar of Heaven began to collapse. All the malevolent corpses within this area were pulverized under this irresistible, immense pressure. Fortunately, the material of the Altar of Heaven was extremely durable, itself an Immortal Treasure grade altar, thus sustaining no damage. The Corpse Generals, sensing danger, had also gradually withdrawn the bulk of their Corpse Soldiers, thus avoiding widespread damage—
Yet, the area around the Altar of Heaven was utterly devastated.
“Zong Shou!”
A trace of anxiety flashed in Lin Xuanxuan’s eyes. Although she was caught in the fray, she saw things more clearly than others. She knew precisely how terrifying the Profound Thief was at this moment. It was certainly not something Zong Shou, even employing the Buddhist Golden Body, could contend with—
“You are no match for him; retreat quickly! I will cover your rear!”
Here and now, the only one capable of escaping was Zong Shou. Everyone else was a burden, including herself. If they fought desperately to escape, there might be a sliver of survival. But Lin Xuanxuan knew that her life was clearly less important than Zong Shou’s, on whom the fate of the Dao of All Sentient Beings and the safety of the Great Qian rested.
Her resolve settled: even if all five of them perished here, they had to ensure Zong Shou’s safe departure. The Blood Cloud Blade instantly flashed with immeasurable gray arcs of light, subtly revealing a pale aura. Half of the ‘Borrow’ Divine Art was activating, siphoning the surrounding death energy.
Death energy entering a living body only shortens one’s lifespan. The denser the energy and the greater the quantity, the faster the vital essence is consumed. And at this moment, Lin Xuanxuan was prepared to disregard the cost! Mobilizing every ounce of power she could access—
As the blade light descended, its might increased severalfold. The conversion of chaotic energy expanded over a wide area.
The Profound Thief let out a cold sneer and unleashed his second punch with ferocity.
With a loud clang, Lin Xuanxuan’s Blood Moon Blade flew from her grasp, separated from its wielder, both blasted away. Her slender arms shattered inch by inch!
Zong Shou remained rooted to the spot. It wasn't that he hadn't heard Lin Xuanxuan’s words; it was that he refused to heed them. Neither Sword Emperor Tan Qiu nor Zong Shou himself had ever, in their lives, abandoned companions or subordinates to escape alone—it was impossible before, and it was the same now!
Utterly calm, Zong Shou’s sword thrust toward the Profound Thief’s third punch.
Where sword met fist, the ground within twenty li collapsed another hundred zhang!
Zong Shou felt his physical body was almost reduced to bloody pulp, sustained only by his True Form manifestation, yet a profound sense of weakness washed over him. He knew that some of the Buddhist power he had gathered had been stolen by the Profound Thief Demon Lord and was now being used against him. If this continued, the Profound Thief would grow stronger, and he would only weaken.
“Actually, what your martial aunt said is not without merit!” The Profound Thief roared shamelessly. “Fleeing now, perhaps there is still a chance of survival!”
The fourth punch arrived, locking down every corner of this aerial domain.
At this moment, Zong Shou’s spirit surged. He had finally waited long enough! The blade qi nurtured within the Supreme Immortal Slaying Diagram had finally completed its transformation!
He flipped his left hand inside his sleeve, and as a silver light flashed:
Time accelerates!
Space folds!
Karma inverts!
Destiny is locked!
Six Divine Immortal Slayers—RS