Li Jing was not the Great Emperor Haotian. Back in the day, even the Great Emperor Haotian himself had been driven into a corner by the Twelve Ancestral Witches' Extinction Array before he ascended; countless Primordial Immortals and Gods had perished within that formation. This was a peerless, deadly array, no less formidable than the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation! I possess no powerful artifacts; how could I possibly deal with such a grand formation?

The first to step forward was the Divine Venerable Zhurong. He trod upon two fire dragons, his entire body sheathed in scorching flames, launching a direct punch toward Li Jing.

Li Jing’s heart jolted, and the Zhan Yi Sword in his hand instinctively swung out toward Zhurong. But Gong Gong, Ju Mang, Lu Shou, Hou Yi, Xuan Ming, Qiang Liang, Xi Zi, Han Ba, Tian Wu, and Xing Tian simultaneously launched their attacks. Although Li Jing was their junior, these opponents had all taken that final, definitive step; his current cultivation was still above theirs, and in a one-on-one duel, he truly wasn't a match for any of them.

In an instant, the Twelve Ancestral Witches' Extinction Array churned with surging winds. Streaks of fire light soared into the heavens, instantly enveloping Li Jing. Countless arcs of lightning flashed, striking down at Li Jing before he could react with crackling energy. Even with Li Jing's profound cultivation, he was reduced to a pitiful state.

Massive stone mountains materialized from the void, continuing to crash down upon Li Jing. Towering divine trees appeared out of thin air, slamming into him as if they were baseballs. Even with the Zhan Yi Sword in hand, Li Jing simply couldn't fend them all off.

At that moment, Xing Tian, already wielding his Gan Chi, arrived before Li Jing, raising his massive axe to smash down upon him.

Li Jing dared not hold back, lifting the Zhan Yi Sword to block. Though the Zhan Yi Sword was a fine celestial blade, Li Jing’s sheer physical might could not compare to Xing Tian’s immensity. He managed to barely block the axe blow, but his figure was violently shaken, forcing him to retreat step after unsteady step.

Just then, Hou Yi, who had held back until this point, suddenly loosed the Sun-Smiting Divine Arrow from his bow. A streak of black meteor flashed, piercing directly into Li Jing’s heart.

Golden blood sprayed forth. Xuan Ming transformed entirely into a mass of black mist, completely shrouding Li Jing’s body, constantly eroding his flesh and absorbing his vital essence. Simultaneously, strange sonic waves resonated within Li Jing's mind, devouring his soul.

Han Ba’s body also dissolved into a cloud of crimson mist, enveloping him and relentlessly sucking away his vital essence. Especially the wound punctured by Hou Yi's arrow in his chest—it refused to heal.

At this critical juncture, Xi Yang unleashed the Eastern Emperor Bell, crashing it fiercely against Li Jing’s body. Instantly, his physical form shattered like glass. As for his nascent spirit (Yuanshen), the moment it separated from his body, it was immediately devoured by Zhurong and the other Divine Venerables, becoming their most potent nourishment.

Everything happened too quickly; even the others barely had time to react. The dignified Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King was thus wiped out by a group of women whose cultivation was far inferior to his. If this news were to spread, the resulting uproar would be unimaginable.

At this moment, Liang Xiaoke had transformed into a giant spanning a million zhang, the Four Swords of Zhu Xian floating around him, blocking Jue. Sensing the overwhelming aura emanating from Liang Xiaoke, Jue’s brow furrowed deeply. The Purple-Gold Alms Bowl in his hand emitted waves of purple-gold light. Suddenly letting out a cold snort, the twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls transformed once more into twenty-four meteors, hurtling toward Liang Xiaoke.

Protected by the Nine Nether Lotus Platform, he was already invincible. While Liang Xiaoke’s Four Swords of Zhu Xian were terrifying, they were not, after all, defensive artifacts, were they?

"Hmph..." Liang Xiaoke naturally saw through Jue's calculation, but he lacked equivalent artifacts for immediate defense. Jue's current cultivation was not significantly weaker than his own, and the artifacts Jue possessed were hardly inferior to the Four Swords of Zhu Xian. Wiping him out in one swift strike was proving difficult.

However, he wasn't anxious. As long as Ye Jingyu could seize this opportunity to eliminate Ksitigarbha, then combining their strength, destroying this foe would certainly be possible.

Meanwhile, Ksitigarbha had been thoroughly terrified by Ye Jingyu. Especially after Ye Jingyu manifested his Pangu True Body—that power was simply too terrifying. Under such pure, brute force, Ksitigarbha possessed not a shred of ability to resist.

What kind of divine ability is this? Seeing Ye Jingyu stride toward him again, Ksitigarbha could no longer afford to maintain his Bodhisattva dignity, shouting desperately, "Manjushri, if you don't emerge now, are you waiting to collect my corpse?"

No sooner had Ksitigarbha spoken than a man clad in a golden kasaya, seated atop a blue lion, walked forth from the void. Behind the azure lion, another figure was being carried—a silhouette clad in black, partially gilded.

Upon seeing this figure, Ye Jingyu, who had been poised to obliterate Ksitigarbha, froze instantly...

"Bing Ming..." Ye Jingyu had known long ago that Bing Ming had met misfortune, but seeing Bing Ming held captive by the enemy sent a jolt of shock through him. The palm that had been striking toward Ksitigarbha halted mid-air.

Seeing Ye Jingyu's attack abruptly cease, Ksitigarbha let out a long sigh of relief. Only then did he understand why Manjushri had spared Bing Ming's life back then; it turned out he had calculated everything for this very day. Though my combat power surpasses Manjushri’s, my magical reserves are still lacking.

"Heh heh, Benefactor Ye, please ask your friend to stop as well!" Manjushri wore a compassionate smile, yet his eyes shimmered with profound wisdom.

Manjushri Vidyaraja (Manjusri Bodhisattva), one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect in former times, later entered Buddhism to become the Bodhisattva representing wisdom and intelligence among the Four Great Bodhisattvas.

Liang Xiaoke naturally noticed the shift in the situation. The Zhu Xian Sword, which had been aimed at Yuan, stopped its assault. His eyes swept coldly toward Manjushri, filled with fury.

One of the Four Great Bodhisattvas resorting to such a despicable tactic—using a person as a hostage—was even more contemptible than Liang Xiaoke himself! Were all the Bodhisattvas and Arhats of Buddhism this hypocritical?

"What do you want?" Ye Jingyu had already retracted his Pangu True Body form; this divine ability consumed too much energy. He had been fighting fiercely, but he couldn't maintain it indefinitely.

"Heh heh, Benefactor Ye is sharp-witted; can you not guess what we intend to do?" A faint smile played on Manjushri’s lips.

At this moment, Bing Ming awoke from his stupor and quickly grasped the scene. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed a black streak igniting behind Ye Jingyu.

"A’yu, be careful..." Bing Ming cried out in alarm, trying to intervene, but his body was utterly immobilized, incapable of preventing whatever was coming.

At this time, everyone’s attention was fixed on Manjushri. No one expected a sneak attack to occur now, especially as Ye Jingyu’s divine ability meant he shouldn't be vulnerable to invisible strikes. It was only when the chill struck his back that Ye Jingyu had a sudden, terrible realization.

With a swift turn, he brought his hand down in a chop aimed at the intruder, but the motion halted halfway. The figure before his eyes was none other than his Master, Dugu Bachan.

"Master..." Before Ye Jingyu could finish the word, a slender, long sword pierced out from Dugu Bachan’s heart, sinking directly into Ye Jingyu’s own chest...

It was a divine weapon sharp enough to slice iron and wither steel. Though Ye Jingyu's physical body was incredibly resilient, under the edge of such a sword, it felt like tofu, easily penetrated.

A spray of scarlet blood erupted simultaneously from the hearts of both Ye Jingyu and Dugu Bachan. Dugu Bachan’s face contorted in agony; he never imagined that in the final moments of his life, he would become a weapon in the hands of the enemy—a weapon meant to harm his beloved disciple.

All his strength had been drained away. At this point, forget resisting; even moving his lips was agonizingly difficult. A flicker of grief crossed his eyes, but that sorrow vanished rapidly, for his strength completely absorbed, he could no longer stop the injury. His life force was flowing away, and he could even feel his vital essence and soul being drawn out by the fine blade.

Seeing the look of pain on Dugu Bachan’s face, feeling the life force steadily diminishing within him, Ye Jingyu felt his own heart pierced once more, not just his heart, but his very soul dealt a heavy stab.

He tried to call out "Master," his lips moving soundlessly. Yet, the blood from his chest kept erupting like a crimson spring.

"Jingyu..." Events had unfolded so suddenly that it took Liang Xiaoke, Jiu Feng, and the others until this moment to react. Seeing Ye Jingyu pierced straight through the heart by a single sword, gasps of shock erupted from them.

"It seems you have quite a few people who care for you. But what does it matter? I am the ultimate winner, am I not?" At this moment, a grim voice drifted into Ye Jingyu’s ear.

Ye Jingyu then noticed, behind Dugu Bachan’s form, a shadowy silhouette—one too vague even for him to clearly discern. It was this phantom who had struck him from behind, the one who had driven the sword through Dugu Bachan’s heart and then through his own.

Ye Jingyu had no idea how this entity got behind him, but hearing that chilling voice caused his expression to change drastically, his eyes filling with utter disbelief.

"You... How can it be you? You... Aren't you dead? Aren't you utterly dispersed, soul and all? How can you still be alive?"

"Hahaha, I was indeed dead. I was indeed scattered. If I still possessed a true soul, how could I have managed to lurk behind you? Isn't that so? What I am now is merely a shadow, an ethereal shadow, a shadow born from the illusory realm. Ye Jingyu, remember this: you are not the only one who understands that illusory world, completely separate from this one. Hahaha..." A burst of mocking laughter issued from the shadow's voice, and then its long sword swept directly upward...

Ye Jingyu’s body instinctively recoiled a step, but Dugu Bachan’s body was instantly cleaved into two halves...

"Master..." A cry of soul-rending grief tore from Ye Jingyu's throat...

(Another chapter later tonight)