The implication was that even in such dire straits. Did these three still possess a means of escape?

Night Wheel King Ran Long sneered; he was eager to see what they had. Could the eighty-plus days of preparation by Great Qian truly allow Zong Shou to flee the Boundary Slaying Stage?

Dispersing the Boundary Slaying Blade intentionally to seal the void felt like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Even if Zong Shou and the others had anticipated this, the methods they could employ were few.

Cha Ye watched with equal excitement, perfectly composed. This battle today had been long-planned by both sides; it was meant to test whose foundations were deeper and whose schemes were stronger.

Thus, whatever methods Zong Shou might unleash today would not surprise him, but then, a surprised exclamation came from the distance behind him: "Gap Divine Ability? I hear the Emperor of Great Qian has a relative following him, named Lu Wubing, who manages all the affairs of the Origin Lotus World on his behalf, specializing in this very art.

Is that you?" Lu Wubing offered no reply, only drawing out a flawless purple-gold pill without hesitation, crushing it, and swallowing it. Simultaneously, dozens of silver lights—the Sacred Fire Silver Ants—flew out around Zong Shou.

They instantly formed a formation, bolstering Lu Wubing from behind. At the very center of this array stood Little Jin.

Han Xi positioned herself above, commanding the full power of this Sacred Silver Demon Slaying Formation. Then, a black spot abruptly materialized before Lu Wubing, rapidly expanding until it was the size of a dragon's eye.

Zong Shou and Ye Xuan, almost at the same instant, contracted their bodies and shot forward like streams of light, plunging into the black spot. The sound from behind the distant Cha Ye and the other figure roared in anger; a massive black scythe violently tore heaven and earth apart, completely severing the void on the Boundary Slaying Stage.

But just as they were about to touch the black spot, light flashed toward them; the Twelve Nation-Guarding Bronze Automatons, having followed Zong Shou’s descent, simultaneously threw out their fists—from different directions, yet all aimed at the same point, perfectly coordinated. As the fists arrived, there was virtually no temporal gap.

Upon the azure fists, runes flared to life. A shield-shaped talisman array rapidly formed directly before the twelve colossal bronze fists.

When it collided with the black scythe, the hexagonal bronze array remained utterly motionless. Only when a black arrow shot through the void from afar and nailed its target did the shield formation shatter into fragments, disintegrating piece by piece.

Force blasts erupted everywhere. That impact, comparable to the power of a Zenith Realm master, caused the Boundary Slaying Stage—already deprived of its stabilizing baleful energy—to crumble instantly.

However, at that very moment, not only were Zong Shou, Ye Xuan, and the other person within mere inches of the black 'gap' leading out of the Boundary Slaying Stage, but so too were the Twelve Nation-Guarding Bronze Automatons. Zong Shou casually retrieved the Supreme Annihilation True Scripture and, with a distant gesture, summoned the tattered diagram that had been fused with the Boundary Slaying Stage, causing it to fly toward them with great speed.

Cha Ye showed a flash of astonishment, his eyes wide with rage: "The Boundary Slaying Diagram! You dare..." Though he did not know the diagram's origin, he was aware of its immeasurable might.

It also contained peerlessly potent secret killing arts. While the consumption required by the Boundary Slaying Stage secret techniques was immense, they were among the few killing arts held by the Dark World Demon Court capable of deterring various factions.

And the foundation of all that lay within this very Boundary Slaying Diagram! Though confused as to why Zong Shou could command an inanimate object like the Diagram, making it obey his will, Cha Ye and Ran Long immediately transformed their figures into rainbows and sped toward Zong Shou’s location.

They knew that if Zong Shou truly managed to pass through the spatial gap to the outside of the Boundary Slaying Stage safely today, it would not only be a case of stealing a chicken only to lose the fowl, but all the initial investment poured into the Boundary Slaying Stage would be wasted, and the Boundary Slaying Diagram would fall into this man's hands. The Dark World Demon Court’s scheme for this occasion would utterly fail, becoming a laughingstock among the realms!

Ran Long, impatient by nature, paid no heed to the counter-attacks from the Twelve Nation-Guarding Bronze Automatons. His vast fist intent locked onto Lu Wubing’s vital energy without holding anything back.

However, two figures were faster than them, arriving at the edge of the black spot before the pair, accompanied by a cold sneer that rang out: "Suiyuan Pill, then? Sacrificing half a cultivation rank to elevate the inner world to the Saint-Tier.

No wonder the Emperor of Great Qian brought only this one Divine Realm cultivator. But since I already guessed the Gap Divine Ability, how could I allow Your Majesty such an easy escape?" The spatial gap was closing but was held rigidly open by a force even more formidable.

Until those two streaks of light, like specters or rainbows, pierced through. Then, two colossal waves of intent permeated the void, spreading out to cover everything, making it impossible for Zong Shou, Ye Xuan, and the third to hide, even within the labyrinthine branches of the spatial gap.

In less than one-three-thousandth of a breath, they were firmly locked down by the two incomparably powerful and tyrannical divine senses, which immediately swooped in. It was the 'Emperor's Aura' most familiar to Zong Shou—the way an Emperor concentrates the power of an entire nation into a single blow or the edge of a weapon.

Now, these two Great Sovereigns attacking in tandem were equivalent to two Zenith Realm Saints joining forces! The mere aura transmitted from afar was suffocating, feeling utterly irresistible.

Lu Wubing’s hair was disheveled, and the blood he spat stained the lower half of his mask crimson. His body trembled slightly; though his hands were still forming seals, maintaining them was becoming agonizingly difficult.

The inner world within him was on the verge of shattering; the medicinal effects of the Suiyuan Pill had already been nearly exhausted in these few moments. He could only rely on the vital energy from Lin Xuan's Frost’s Origin Life Breath Art to sustain himself barely.

Ye Xuan’s face was ashen. In fact, the first targets were neither Lu Wubing nor Zong Shou, but him, Ye Xuan.

Using the Great Cycle Quaking Sword Art, he not only had to protect himself but also directly confront the oppressive will of the pursuing Sovereign, resisting a power comparable to the Zenith Realm to prevent Lu Wubing from collapsing under the assault. Light scattered, and another deafening roar echoed ahead as the formation of the Twelve Nation-Guarding Bronze Automatons was violently scattered.

Vast power spread out in all directions, stirring up a spatial storm completely no less fierce than the Zenith Realm battle outside the Boundary Slaying Stage. The only difference was that the former was confined to a single river of void worlds, encompassing dozens of worlds.

The latter would propagate along this spatial gap, affecting the entire domain. And in that instant, the two figures slipped through the opening, drawing incredibly close to Zong Shou and Ye Xuan.

Zong Shou could vaguely perceive the savage yet mocking gaze emanating from within those two balls of light. Yet, instead of panic, he let out a sigh of disbelief: "Could this be Heaven's will?

It actually succeeded." With a casual toss, the Supreme Annihilation True Scripture, which had reformed into a diagram once more, unfurled. Then, a world manifested, pulling the five figures present out of that domain!

It was the Supreme Tribulation Response Diagram! (To be continued…)