At the Northern Continent defense line.
When the strange phenomenon appeared at Buzhou, Luo Lingfeng had spoken the word “retreat.” Her voice was not high, and her expression was very peaceful, but behind it, there was no room for negotiation. The vast tide of water churned, great waves rising one after another, fiercely unstoppable. Wei Yunshu raised her eyes to gaze at Luo Lingfeng, a hint of pity and sorrow hidden in her eyes.
“Still not retreating?” Yong He delighted in this spectacle. She chuckled, and the scattered falling fire descended like blossoms. She raised her hand and unleashed a palm strike to push the sea of fire forward. Luo Lingfeng did not even blink, channeling her spiritual energy. The booming explosions shook the firmament, a tempest of violent spiritual energy everywhere.
“What are you doing?” Wei Yunshu looked at Luo Lingfeng and asked. No matter how she looked, she was always enveloped in a mist she could not escape. An indescribable sense of panic and fear seized her heart. Spiritual energy churned in her meridians, the stars behind her revolved, and countless star gleams accumulated. But before they could reach their peak, they were restrained by the Heavenly Imprisonment Lock, unable to be unleashed. If she could unleash that sword, there was a high probability of expelling Yong He, but she was controlled by Luo Lingfeng, unable to act on her own.
A chill crawled up Wei Yunshu’s spine and across her face. She raised her head to look at the sky. Brilliant purple lightning, like a swarm of dragons, clashed with the blood demons in mid-air. The various colors of brilliance intertwined, painting a bizarre and motley picture, illuminating the sky. Wei Yunshu received no answer. Luo Lingfeng simply stood quietly on the boundless crimson tide, her face gradually becoming blurred, as if she were detaching from the world.
Retreat.
This thought had crossed the minds of both Shi Wufang and Yan Danwo, but the sword light in their hands still pointed forward, breaking through layer after layer of gloom. What if they could resolve the demons before the Western Continent fell? Would they not have to make such a choice? Countless shattered dark clouds and blood gleams were reflected in their pupils. Blood overflowed from Shi Wufang’s lips. She raised her sleeve to wipe the bloodstain, her eyes blazing as she gazed at the demons, her loyal heart bearing witness to her sincerity. She softly uttered the word “kill” and, with her sword in hand, advanced again. The wounds on her body grew increasingly severe, but her aura became more and more terrifying. Finally, in cooperation with Yan Danwo, she drove the headless Rahu from this battlefield! With no time to regroup, both Shi Wufang and Yan Danwo turned towards the laughing Yong He.
Yong He raised an eyebrow, her face showing not much fear.
At this point, their objective had actually been achieved.
Of course, if they could leave the lives of these troublesome immortal sect cultivators here, that would be even better. She saw at a glance that both Shi Wufang and Yan Danwo were at the end of their strength and, without hesitation, sent a palm strike towards them. Immediately after, flowing fire descended from the earth, and an extremely terrifying power was hidden within the Immense Fire Malevolence Extinguishing Divine Light. At the critical moment, a sword light, as if the sun and moon were falling together, descended; a tide, as if the waters of the four seas were pouring out, also fell. Wei Yunshu and Luo Lingfeng immediately rushed to the kill. Amidst the roaring explosions, the immortal sect side took another step back.
The land of the Northern Continent had collapsed and was completely ruined. Ravines crisscrossed the ground, extending in all directions. The earth energy churned, and that immense, chaotic spiritual energy was also about to break through the ground and surge out.
At this moment, the combined strength of the four could only barely hold Yong He.
Yan Danwo’s vision was a blur of blood. She swallowed the blood that had risen to her lips and said hatefully, “Can retreating now reverse our decline?”
A cynical smirk touched Luo Lingfeng’s lips. “It’s about choosing the path of escape,” she said.
Shi Wufang forced a smile. “If it’s that, True Monarch Luo need not worry. I have already instructed my junior sister. Even if I die in battle here, it will not hinder anything.”
“The road is long and arduous. If there is not even a Cavern Heaven True Monarch to guard the Dao—” Luo Lingfeng tugged at the corner of her lips and did not continue. How could Shi Wufang not understand this point? But they had too little time. Since learning the truth, even if they desperately tried to catch up, they could not fill the gap. If she could, she would not want her junior sisters, who had not yet achieved the Cavern Heaven realm, to embark on that desolate and lonely path. But at this point, what could be done?
Luo Lingfeng smiled and said, “It doesn’t matter if you die in battle, but the people of the Western Continent cannot be wiped out.”
As soon as her voice fell, another earth-shattering tearing sound was heard. That palm descended from the sky again. In everyone’s vision, countless sharp sword energies were unleashed, and among them, a strange, multicolored phoenix bird flew out. But in just a moment, the sword energy was crushed, and the phoenix Dharma Manifestation, with its ten colors of flowing light, was torn apart by that huge palm with a mournful cry. If this continued, it was only a matter of time before the entire Western Continent was shattered.
Shi Wufang’s expression changed drastically.
In the extreme heaven.
Ji Changkong’s twin swords, like dragons, swirled and danced, but she was still no match for Qiu Zhiheng. In the fierce battle, a crack appeared in the sky, and a river of light emerged from the crack, slowly flowing into the Fu Li Immortal Realm. On the river of light sat illusory figures, who were gradually solidifying. The moment they fully manifested, they might walk out like Qiu Zhiheng.
Could it truly be the will of heaven? Did heaven want to destroy her Fu Li Immortal Realm? Seeing Qiu Zhiheng’s palm descend, Ji Changkong could not stop it, and a sense of hopelessness suddenly arose in her heart. It was said that a Cavern Heaven True Monarch had already glimpsed the Dao, but the immortal realm was just a “gap” in the vast heaven and earth. What they had glimpsed in the past was just a corner of the infinite universe. They were ants, a drop in the ocean, mayflies trying to shake a giant tree. Amidst the booming sounds, the light before her eyes suddenly vanished, as if she had fallen into a dim and obscure darkness. The next moment, when her vision cleared, it was the brilliant radiance of the long river again.
“What a pity,” Qiu Zhiheng stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the True Nature Sword in Ji Changkong’s hand and sighing softly. He raised his hand, and his majestic spiritual energy once again spewed out like a river and a sea, clashing with the sword light, erupting with brilliant sparks. Sensing the sharpness emanating from the sword energy, Qiu Zhiheng raised an eyebrow and pushed his own spiritual energy forward again.
Ji Changkong only felt an immense pressure on her body. She heard a humming sound, but it was her natal sword that could not withstand it first, showing several cracks. Ji Changkong’s vision went dark, and she was sent flying, crashing heavily several hundred zhang away.
The power of both sides was too disparate; this was a battle that could not be won. And the heavenly gate had been torn open, which meant the technique left by the ancestor had been broken. The situation below was likely also showing signs of defeat. Ji Changkong’s eyes slightly narrowed, and in an instant, she had already made a decision. When this battle began, they had also considered the possibility of failure. In the past, the technique left by the ancestor guarded their Dao, and now it was their turn to guard the Dao for their disciples.
Ji Changkong sighed softly, raised her hand, and with a flick, dispelled the “Kongxiao.” She gazed intently at the True Nature Sword and said softly, “When the time comes, I entrust the disciples of the sect to senior.” Before the True Nature Sword could respond, she sighed again with emotion, “My Dao cannot be carried out, what can be done? Where in the world can one avoid the wind and waves?”
As the sentence fell, a vast sword energy rushed out from her body. Her figure gradually dissolved, transforming into a sharp sword with a chilling light. It did not slash towards the heavenly gate that had been opened, but fell straight towards the peak of Buzhou Mountain like a shooting star. The sword energy tore through the swirling air currents, and the moment it touched the Buzhou grand formation, thousands of crimson lights, like the sun, suddenly radiated. The grand mountain gate formation, which had been shattered, began to operate again, rippling outwards wave after wave. Looking down from above, it was a huge dome that enveloped the entire Western Continent.
Qiu Zhiheng raised an eyebrow and said to himself, “Connecting the earth qi and spiritual veins, forming a formation with her own body?” He laughed sarcastically, not understanding such useless struggles. He no longer paid attention to it, but reached out and tore at the sky, making the river of light pouring in even brighter. He had not forgotten that their primary task was to pull the “Realm of Ruin” back to Shang Qing, and this matter required the help of fellow Daoists.
At the peak of Buzhou, dark clouds enveloped it, and a gloomy and miserable atmosphere prevailed. In this battle, all sides could be said to have suffered heavy losses. But Ran Xiuyun did not have time to vent her indignation and sorrow; she still had to prepare the “way out” according to the Eldest Senior Sister’s instructions. But the number of people the “Heavenly Sky Synchronous Flying Palace” could carry was limited. Which people should be chosen to go to Shang Qing? And who would be willing to go to Shang Qing?
“If we stay here and are caught by them, at most we’ll be prisoners. But if we go to Shang Qing, that’s truly a dead end.”
“With our strength, how can we fight them?”
“How about we just surrender?”
Voices filled with despair echoed. Although they could not see the battle clearly, the lingering fear of narrowly escaping death was firmly engraved in their hearts. They really wanted to know what was happening in the Southern and Eastern Continents, but they dared not take a single step.
At first, Ran Xiuyun was worried that the flying palace could not carry everyone and thought that Buzhou would have to take a step back and defend the Fu Li Immortal Realm to the death. But who knew that at this point, not many people were willing to stand up, especially those rogue cultivators, who dared not and were unwilling to go to the “unknown” place.
“Yu Changfeng of the Dustless Sea, willing to go to Shang Qing.” A powerful and resonant voice sounded. It was Yu Changfeng who, in the name of “Dustless Sea,” stood up. Immediately after, Chi Fengchao led the disciples under the Dan Yang sect and walked out. After the destruction of the noble families in Cloud City, the master had already registered their names in Cloud City, considering them to be the orthodox lineage of Cloud City.
“I am also willing to go.” Jiang Jiuxiao, after hesitating for a while, also spoke. Giving up on defecting to the Dragon Lord and Wu Shi Sect was the right choice. Looking at the current state of the Fu Li Immortal Realm, where was their trace? After defecting to Buzhou, she had not found where the hope of survival was. It seemed that no matter which path she took, it was a dead end. Should she hide in the Buzhou formation like those people? But those people could even open the heavenly gate, let alone a mere formation? It was just a matter of time. Taking the initiative to attack might also be a “death” word, but it seemed to have more opportunities than staying behind. If worse came to worst, she could defect to other forces when she got there. If she had no attachments in her heart, she did not need to cultivate the “Severing All Selves” method.
“Junior Sister Ran, Third Junior Sister, Junior Sister, you all go too.” A weary yet familiar voice came. Immediately after, a figure in white walked out from a ball of sword light; it was Shi Wufang.
Seeing the huge palm above Buzhou, Shi Wufang finally recognized the reality. The matter they had plotted had completely failed. The True Beings of the Shang Qing Divine Realm would soon arrive, and at that point, blocking or not blocking was no longer important. Of course, they wanted to kill the primordial demons of the Northern Continent, but Yong He, after devouring the things produced by the “Severing All Selves” technique, had her cultivation advance another level, making her completely beyond the ability of the Cavern Heaven realm to contend with. Now, retreating to Buzhou and defending the Western Continent had become the last and only choice.
When they retreated, Yong He did not stop or pursue them.
Shi Wufang vaguely understood her thoughts, probably wanting to pull back all her expelled fellow Daoists.
“Eldest Senior Sister, did you win?” Ying Yue’s eyes held a hint of hope. She looked at Shi Wufang, expecting her answer.
Shi Wufang smiled bleakly. In her eyes, which had always been as gentle as water, sorrow and regret were overflowing.
Xie Zhichao asked urgently, “If we go to the Shang Qing Divine Realm, what about you, Eldest Senior Sister?”
“Me?” A drop of bright red blood trickled from her eyebrow. Shi Wufang reached out and wiped it, smiling with raised eyebrows, not caring in the slightest. “Of course, I’m guarding Buzhou. I’ll wait for you all to return.”
Yan Danwo’s voice also sounded, “I’m also staying at Buzhou. When the time comes, the disciples of the sect will be entrusted to True Monarch Wei and True Monarch Luo to take care of.” Her injuries were very serious. If she went to the Shang Qing Divine Realm, she might not be able to hide her tracks. It was better to stay at Buzhou and hold on for as long as possible.
Shi Wufang added, “The magic artifact I refined previously, I originally thought of using it to hide the Fu Li Immortal Realm after success, but now it can be used on the Western Continent.” This sentence gave those anxious disciples a reassurance. Even if they stayed in a corner, it was better than losing their lives. Those who were hesitant about going to Shang Qing now began to retreat.
Luo Lingfeng’s voice sounded, “There’s not much time left.” She stood alone outside the crowd, her red sleeves drooping, the Abyssal Heavy Water embellishing them like a handful of cold ashes. The brief gentle mask was torn off, and her entire being exuded a chilling and sinister aura, like a demonic Asura.
Shi Wufang was silent.
Although they were allies who had signed a magical contract, at this moment, she didn’t know how to view Luo Lingfeng.
When fighting the demons, she had indeed put in her full effort, and had even expelled the Dragon Ancestor Ji Jun. But Shi Wufang still felt uneasy, as if something was brewing in a corner she didn’t know, waiting for an opportunity to erupt. But the other party had already made a Dao oath; she could do nothing.
Wei Yunshu gazed at Luo Lingfeng, actually wanting to ask, “Why?”
She had forgotten that fleeting opportunity. She kept thinking about and replaying the possibility of that sword strike in her mind.
Why had Luo Lingfeng stopped her? Didn’t she want her to die? If this had just been a rash, emotional impulse, it still wouldn’t explain the bone-deep chill that was seeping into her heart. But then she remembered—the Heavenly Imprisonment Lock. Luo Lingfeng had placed that on her the moment she returned to her true form. A horrifying possibility dawned on her. Could Luo Lingfeng’s scheme have started that far back? What could her ultimate purpose possibly be?!
Wei Yunshu turned her head and looked towards the Southern Continent… She couldn’t help but think of those three spiritual veins, of the people who had been completely moved to the Western Continent.
She had a guess, but the moment the thought surfaced, she felt her liver and gallbladder split, let alone voicing that speculation.
There was no time for sorrow, no time for argument, no time for hesitation.
The “Heavenly Sky Synchronous Flying Palace” hidden in the Xuan Zhen Hall was summoned. Those willing to go to the Shang Qing Divine Realm to seek a chance of survival boarded the flying palace one by one.
“Why isn’t the Phoenix Lord going?” Yan Danwo turned to look at the Phoenix Lord.
The Phoenix Lord hugged her arms and chuckled, “Once the Fu Li Immortal Realm returns to Shang Qing, the effect of that hidden magic artifact will be greatly diminished. The cultivators of the Shang Qing Divine Realm might find their way here, and new demons might be born. I want to stay here, guard this last pure land, and wait for them to return successfully.”
Yan Danwo hesitated for a moment and couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “Can they really succeed?”
The Phoenix Lord thought of the bloodstains on the silk scroll, thought seriously for a moment, and nodded vigorously, “They can!”
The clear light on the flying palace flowed, and the towering pagodas intersected, like a moving mountain gate. A few breaths later, the pagodas disappeared from everyone’s vision. Although they could no longer be seen, they knew that the Heavenly Sky Synchronous Flying Palace was charging forward!
In the pagoda, the disciples of Buzhou sat in a circle, the four sides utterly silent.
The hearts that had been tightly pulled by the battle relaxed for a moment, but then were immediately filled with overwhelming sorrow.
The delayed sorrow and pain, mixed with memories of past warmth, surged back in droves, fierce and unstoppable.
Xie Zhichao drank one sip of wine after another, until Ran Xiuyun grabbed her wrist. She then abruptly turned her head and looked at Ran Xiuyun, whose eyes were filled with clear tears, and asked, “Those who didn’t come back, are they all gone?”
Ran Xiuyun closed her eyes and nodded.
This was a path paved with endless blood. Their shoulders bore a responsibility.
Wei Yunshu was not with the disciples of Buzhou.
From the moment she stepped into the pagoda, she had been closely following Luo Lingfeng, gazing at her without a word.
Luo Lingfeng hugged her arms and leaned against a pillar, glanced at Wei Yunshu, and asked casually, “What? You don’t trust me? Afraid I’ll do something?” Her sleeves moved without wind, like a swath of dripping blood spreading out.
Wei Yunshu asked awkwardly, “Heaven and Earth United in Chaos has not been used until now.”
“So you’re here to question me? To blame me for not putting in my full effort in the battle? Or to blame me for not letting you die?” Luo Lingfeng straightened up abruptly. She questioned as she walked towards Wei Yunshu, looking at her retreating in panic and confusion, a coldness growing in her heart. She reached out and grabbed Wei Yunshu, turned, and pressed her against the wall, laughing, “But things have already happened, what can you do?”
The fingertips resting on her wrist were slightly cool, and the smile at the corner of her lips was even more chilling.
“Wei Yunshu, do you know? Even if the Sacred Heart returns, I can’t be a saint.” As she spoke, her voice was suddenly filled with sorrow and sadness.
The hand that pressed her down gradually gained warmth, but Wei Yunshu suddenly felt very cold, her heart pierced by needles. Under this pain, the emotions that had been forcibly suppressed in the past surged again, completely messing up Wei Yunshu’s thoughts. “Give me Heaven and Earth United in Chaos, you shouldn’t act recklessly,” Wei Yunshu squeezed out a sentence, sounding nothing like herself.
“So, we’re just supposed to forget each other and go our separate ways?” Luo Lingfeng stared at Wei Yunshu and laughed. She raised her fingers and caressed her face, “It’s so pitiable, so sad, isn’t it? Why did you meet me? My world is dark, sticky, and cold. You can’t pull me out of it.”
“You don’t want to be Cloud Sovereign anymore, and you don’t want the past anymore, so let me help you.”
As this sentence entered her ears, Wei Yunshu was first bewildered, then as if realizing something, she was filled with disbelief. She tried to break free from Luo Lingfeng’s hand, but was instead held even tighter by her with greater force. The golden water drop pattern on her forehead suddenly radiated a dazzling, scorching light. That force, stronger than any before, rushed towards her divine soul, like a flood impacting Wei Yunshu’s consciousness, stripping away and suppressing the strands of her past.
“Your struggle is futile.”
Luo Lingfeng leaned close to Wei Yunshu’s ear, her voice very soft, her tone gentle, as if afraid to startle a dream. She drooped her eyelashes, her deep eyes filled with a heavy gloom, and said, “You still have some clarity now, so listen to my last sentence. Congratulations, Wei Yunshu. From now on, you are free.”
Her voice disappeared, her pain disappeared, her coldness disappeared.
What followed was endless gloom. Her consciousness fell in the past time, falling into the stinking ditch during a heavy rain that year, falling onto the face of a Female daoist whose face could not be clearly seen. She heard someone say, “How pitiable, to throw such a small child here. Come with me, you will be a disciple of my Buzhou from now on.”
The spiritual energy in the flying palace vibrated, alarming the disciples.
Ran Xiuyun thought it was the discovery of passing through the crack and was the first to rush out of the pagoda. She saw Luo Lingfeng walking out slowly, bowed to her, and said, “True Monarch Luo.” After a pause, she asked, “What happened?”
Luo Lingfeng smiled faintly, “I’ll go out and see.”
Ran Xiuyun had no doubts and said with pursed lips, “True Monarch, be careful.”
Luo Lingfeng hummed and hid the strange light in her eyes. Her expression was exceptionally calm. She restrained her aura and went outside the flying palace. She had already reached the extreme heaven. In the fierce wind and fire, the brilliant light of a Daoist sitting on the river of light could vaguely be seen, repeatedly forming hand seals and using techniques. If it were a cultivator who had just ascended, they would surely know that the world outside was completely different from the past. Luo Lingfeng did not move for a long time. Until a booming sound was heard, she no longer hesitated. She rushed out of the flying palace, directly severing her connection with the talisman of the flying palace. Seeing the Daoists stand up from the long river one by one, she summoned the Heavenly Constitution Dao Chapter and shouted loudly, “Suppress!”
A grand Dao sound descended from the sky, and light illuminated the land. The figures on the long river suddenly paused. But they were, after all, cultivators who surpassed the Cavern Heaven realm, and in less than a breath, they returned to normal. Several dazzling rainbows emerged, spreading in all directions.
Of course, Luo Lingfeng had not expected to restrain those Daoists with the Heavenly Constitution Dao Chapter. In that instant, while fighting, she had always refrained from using the Universal True Form Map. Her Cavern Heaven Dharma Manifestation spread out brilliantly, and countless air vortices rose in the dim and boundless Dharma Manifestation, as if to twist all existence. At this moment, the faint spiritual energy in the three spiritual veins of the Eastern Continent, Southern Continent, and Dustless Sea was drawn by the Universal True Form Map, soaring into the sky, rushing straight up, breaking through the fierce wind and flames, breaking through the air vortices and rainbows, and rushing all the way to the extreme heaven, echoing Luo Lingfeng’s majestic, brilliant, and unpredictable Dharma Manifestation! Apart from the Western Continent, all the continents of the Fu Li Immortal Realm shattered in response. Seawater poured backwards, like unbridled wild horses, rolling and surging.
The first to arrive at the Fu Li Immortal Realm, Qiu Zhiheng, did not understand what Luo Lingfeng was doing, but he still sensed a hint of threat from it. His eyes narrowed, and he pressed a palm downwards towards Luo Lingfeng.
Luo Lingfeng sneered, and “Heaven and Earth United in Chaos” flew from her sleeve. The restriction on it was erased, and instantly, a majestic spiritual energy, along with her Cavern Heaven Dharma Manifestation, exploded! The spiritual energy of the three lands of the Eastern Continent, Southern Continent, and Dustless Sea was all absorbed by the Universal True Form Map. She used the true artifact to ignite the three spiritual veins at once, and then summoned “Heaven and Earth United in Chaos.” Its power rose, not something an ordinary Daoist could handle. Of course, her goal was not to kill the uninvited guests from Shang Qing, but to detonate her own chaotic and boundless Dharma Manifestation, thereby transforming it into a huge devouring black hole above the Fu Li Immortal Realm. Even if they returned to Shang Qing, they should not think of using the Fu Li Immortal Realm as a “Realm of Ruin” again! Although she had promised Wei Yunshu to fight alongside Buzhou, if this battle showed signs of defeat, she would only fight according to her own will.
That energy, converging like a ferocious tide, spread out. Amidst the splashing pure energy, strands of red silk also drifted into it, instantly transforming the Fu Li Immortal Realm into a desperate land. And above the extreme heaven, a ball of chaotic mist appeared. Not to mention Qiu Zhiheng’s palm, even the entire shimmering river of light was gradually devoured by the chaos, and the Daoist’s phantom image, which had not yet stabilized, was instantly swallowed. This ball of chaos grew larger and larger, with countless thunderbolts and lightning flashing within it, covering the upper firmament.
In the flying palace.
Ran Xiuyun realized something was wrong when Luo Lingfeng stepped out. Her expression changed drastically. Just as she was about to do something, she vaguely saw a white-haired figure. That person gently pushed the Heavenly Sky Synchronous Flying Palace, pushing it through the lightning-flashing mist and into the other side. Then that phantom image looked down at the shattered, boundless mountains and rivers and laughed loudly, “Snapped the Asura zither’s strings, at the mountain peak, with drooping hands, I play with clouds and smoke. With no heart, it is difficult to prove the law that leads to heaven; having fallen into the netherworld, I do not face the immortals!” Immediately, the shadow of the form instantly disintegrated, but the voice lingered between heaven and earth, not dissipating for a long time.
