At the border between the Great Zhou and the Southern Wilderness, the trade of savage beast materials and the constant flow of martial artists heading south in pursuit of their dreams made this region both lively and disorderly. At this moment, whether on the streets or in their homes, everyone was gripped by a bone-piercing chill—not from frozen blood, but from sheer terror. It felt as though a sharp sword dangled above their heads, poised to drop at any second, sending shivers down their spines.
What had happened? Could it be an external realm expert battling nearby or a mighty beast passing through? Liu Gu, a young boy who had been watching “Tuiyizi Talk Show” with great interest, shivered involuntarily and instinctively stood up, walking to the window to look outside.
“What is that?” Liu Gu exclaimed in shock after just one glance.
Not far away, beyond the town, at some unknown time, a dazzling, towering mountain peak had appeared, stretching into the clouds with no visible end.
No! That was not a mountain peak, but an ancient, cold, and immense sword piercing through the heavens and the earth—an enormous blade!
Gazing at the crisscrossing beams of sword energy, the towering blade that seemed to prop up the heavens, and the unrecognizable yet unmistakable inscription reading “Slaughter Immortal,” Liu Gu was profoundly shaken. What lay before his eyes surpassed even his most extravagant imaginings.
This was the first time he had directly confronted a realm beyond the legendary state of transcending immortality, planting a seed of longing deep within his heart.
In the Southern Province, the three divine envoys of Luo Sect felt their senses suddenly constrict, as if pulled down directly from an infinite height by the sword formation, losing the lofty and ethereal sensations they had always experienced within the Real World.
Moreover, their communication with the “other selves” across myriad worlds became obstructed, no longer smooth and effortless, and the power they could draw in significantly decreased.
Numerous experts from the Outer Realm, who had been soaring through the air, gradually lost their connection with the external heavens and earth. Slowly, they descended to the ground amid the sword energy that had transformed into fierce gales.
“Not only have we lost the ability to be omnipresent, but our cultivation realms and strength have also been restricted…” The Lampbearer Divine Envoy noticed that the connection with the Vacuum Homeland had also become somewhat indistinct.
The Ritual Divine Envoy looked up at the sky and solemnly said, “The Sword Formation of Slaughtering Immortals!”
“The true sword formation arranged with the Four Slaughtering Immortal Swords!”
The Vase Divine Envoy, emotionally shaken, barely managed to ask in astonishment, “The four Slaughtering Immortal Swords of the Celestial Venerable Lingbao?”
Since the great demon uprising swept across the land, had these four ancient immortal swords finally appeared together?
Gao Lan and Su Meng were indeed well-prepared, with hidden moves more terrifying than the last!
…
In the boundless expanse of the desert, confronting the already unified sword formation and the faintly visible azure Slaughtering Immortal Sword, several demon clan Grand Sages, along with the little fox Qingqiu wielding the Phoenix-Winged Black Gold Spear, momentarily fell silent, each wearing a different expression.
“So this is the Four Slaughtering Immortal Swords, and this is the greatest killing formation of ancient times?” the Bull Demon King, with horns on his head and a massive body, suppressed his surprise and calmly asked.
He was not yet born during the War of the Gods and had naturally never witnessed the Slaughtering Immortal Sword Formation. When the Celestial Court fell, his limited strength prevented him from joining the chaotic battle. Later, he was trapped on Mount Ling until recently, when he finally managed to escape.
The little fox Qingqiu, her beautiful face as cold as ice, replied, “Indeed, these are the Four Slaughtering Immortal Swords—the very same blades that once aided the Human Emperor during the great demon uprising across the land.”
At that time, the Demon Sages swept through all realms, invincible, while the Human Emperor, despite forging his swords and tirelessly striving to improve himself and strengthen humanity, still faced an insurmountable gap. When the Demon Sages finally deemed him a serious threat and sought to eliminate him, the fully awakened Four Slaughtering Immortal Swords stood in their way.
“Fascinating, impressive!” the Bull Demon King boomed, then glanced around at the other Great Sages like the Roc Demon King and the Dragon Demon King, as well as supreme demon deities such as Huiguang Luojia, baring two rows of gleaming white teeth. “In my humble opinion, the Four Slaughtering Immortal Swords have only just awakened to the legendary realm, and the sword energies from the four directions vary in intensity, lacking fluidity and harmony. Clearly, the array master lacks the corresponding sword manuals for two of the blades. Even with the formation diagram, it’s impossible to perfect the array and refine it to the legendary level. Thus, though the sword formation can restrain us, it poses no real threat. Should we press forward in this weakened state, seizing cities, or should we first attempt to break the formation?”
“Break the sword formation first!” Peng Demon King immediately replied, “We can’t freely teleport to various locations anymore, and even flying becomes difficult. If we march all the way to Changle, it will take too much time and bring too many uncertainties!”
Jiao Demon King, Qingqiu, and the others all nodded in agreement. Who would be foolish enough to charge directly into the most formidable killing array of ancient times, even if it was incomplete? Naturally, they should first attempt to dismantle the formation from the outside.
The Bull Demon King nodded and turned to Qingqiu, “Then how do we break the formation?”
He knew little about the Slaughtering Immortal Sword Formation, and despite his exceptional insight, he couldn’t instantly identify any flaws.
Qingqiu gestured toward the faint cyan gateways emerging in the vast sea, “First, we can enter the formation through the four gateways, endure the sword qi, bypass the forbidden spells, and head straight to the center to suppress the array master. Meanwhile, others will guard the gateways, waiting for the right moment to forcibly seize the four swords. This is the orthodox method.”
“That sounds more troublesome than conquering cities along the way,” the Jiao Demon King shook his massive body, triggering a downpour that soaked the vast sea.
Qingqiu smiled and said, “My lords, please listen to me. Since the Slaughtering Immortal Sword Formation is incomplete, there’s no need to go through so much trouble. We can fly into the starry sky, deduce the central eye of the formation, and strike directly from above to break it.”
“Great! Let me try!” The Bull Demon King slightly bent his legs and suddenly vanished, only to reappear in the vast starry sky, overlooking the entire Real World. Crimson, azure, black, and white sword qi radiated outward, enveloping the territory of Great Zhou in a terrifying and razor-sharp aura.
His eyes flickered with black and white, resembling intertwined yin-yang fish, while illusory hexagrams surrounded him, constantly splitting and recombining.
If others thought the Bull Demon King was rough and careless, unskilled in precision, they would surely suffer a heavy loss.
“I found you!”
Suddenly, the Bull Demon King revealed two rows of white teeth again, his right palm pressing down as if the sun had descended, crushing the ground.
Billions of sword qi scattered with his palm strike, layers of clouds shattered, and gales cleared the sky, revealing the scene directly below—a nine-by-nine grid Changle City, and the Fengtian Platform surrounded by the Five Emperors’ altars!
On the Fengtian Platform, a Taoist clad in a dark robe sat composedly, wearing an ancient bamboo hat. His expression was tranquil, his gaze profound, with four sword shadows swirling around him. It was none other than Meng Qi.
“Su Meng?”
“So it’s you!”
The Bull Demon King’s deep, rumbling voice reverberated through the heavens, making Changle City seem as if it were being struck by successive thunderclaps. Looking up, a colossal palm blotted out the sky, crushing sword energy as it rapidly descended, making every living being feel as insignificant as ants. A direct hit would transform the entire Changle region into a massive handprint upon the vast earth.
Facing the Bull Demon King’s assault, Meng Qi remained seated with unshaken composure. With a flick of his right finger, the four-colored sword shadows surrounding him abruptly merged, resonating with the four immortal swords from the Eastern Sea, the Frozen Wasteland, the Southern Wilderness, and the Vast Sea, bursting into radiant brilliance.
Endless sword energy surged, coalescing into a shadow, unifying time and space as all things merged, transforming into a sword capable of annihilating the universe. Simultaneously, purple lightning erupted from Meng Qi’s knee, forming a saber that soared skyward with unparalleled dominance.
The combined attack of sword and saber tore through the sky, meeting the giant palm!
Entwined sword and saber, the pressing giant hand instantly shattered into dust, silent and still, with gales rising again and clouds gathering, as if nothing had ever happened.
The combined strike of the Four Slaughtering Immortal Swords and the Absolute Dominating Saber!
The Bull Demon King stood in the starry sky, his gaze turning solemn. Flesh on his shoulder writhed, regrowing an arm.
Among the few remaining Grand Sages who had escaped their seals, he was the only one who had restored his cultivation to the Creation Realm, though not yet at its peak. Even so, he believed that in the current myriad worlds across the heavens, few could rival him.
Yet just now, due to a moment of carelessness, he had been struck by the combined force of the Four Slaughtering Immortal Swords and that tyrannical saber. Weakened by the Slaughtering Immortal Sword Formation, he had suffered a minor setback.
“Truly worthy of being the sole peerless divine weapon of past and future…” he sighed, no longer hiding his strength, preparing to give his all.
Just as he was about to transform into a colossal bull bearing the heavens and the universe on its back, the chant of “Namo Amitabha” arose beside him. Glazed light illuminated everywhere, white lotuses materialized, and Maitreya, smiling as always, appeared in the void.
“Will the Buddha from the East also directly break the formation?” the Bull Demon King paused his transformation, laughing and asking, appearing as a simple, honest old bull.
Nodding with a smile, Maitreya replied, “If we can directly break the formation, it will benefit all beings, sparing them from the ravages of war.”
Shameless… the Bull Demon King couldn’t help muttering inwardly.
Maitreya smiled at him, saying, “My friend, you are still attached to appearances. At our level, shamelessness is emptiness, great goodness is emptiness, cunning is emptiness, compassion is emptiness. All descriptions born of later experiences are but illusions. Clarifying one’s own Dao, not violating one’s own Dao, practicing one’s own Dao—these are the most important. Everything else is but a dream, a false form.”
“I will establish the earthly Buddhist kingdom, universally saving all beings. Compassion is real, yet also empty; only the Dao is not illusory.”
The Bull Demon King clicked his tongue twice, “Then I’ll cooperate with the Buddha from the East and strike together.”
One had already returned to the realm of creation, while the other possessed both the Dharma Body and the Reward Body, with experience and insight surpassing even the Bull Demon King. Together, the incomplete Slaughtering Immortal Sword Formation seemed on the verge of being shattered.
At that very moment, they witnessed the Fengtian Platform erupt with radiant light. The territory of Great Zhou trembled faintly, and the Real World shook slightly. Then, the Brocade of Rivers and Mountains took form, descending slowly to envelop both the Fengtian Platform and Meng Qi himself!
“He is the Great Zhou’s Imperial Crown Prince and can also activate the Fengtian Platform…” Maitreya murmured, then chanted a Buddhist mantra, “My friend Bull, it seems we can only break the formation by entering through the gateways.”
The Bull Demon King exhaled heavily, feeling his abilities rendered useless.
On the Fengtian Platform, Meng Qi sat calmly. Gao Lan had already used the Human Emperor’s Sword to conceal himself and quietly left the Great Zhou to visit allies and seek assistance.
The magnificent landscape painting drifted and swayed as Meng Qi glanced at Shaoxuan and Xie’e before patting the Human Emperor’s Seal in front of him. He said, “Elders, I implore you to head west and utilize the sword formation to block the demon clan.”
At the same time, he lifted the Absolute Saber, gazed into the void, and threw it. With a flash of purple lightning, it appeared within the Sword Washing Pavilion.
“Zhiwei, you shall take the Absolute Saber southward to stop the divine envoys of Luo Sect.”
“Understood!” Jiang Zhiwei didn’t say much, grasped the hilt, suddenly stood up, as if a sharp sword had just been unsheathed.
Then, Meng Qi’s voice rang out from the grass hut behind the Huamei Villa:
“Senior Lu, I ask you and Senior Su to go to the Jade Emperor Mountain, borrow the Blade of Time, head south as well, and hinder Luo Sect.”
Hearing Meng Qi’s instructions one by one, Shaoxuan asked in astonishment, “What about Maitreya? Who will deal with him?”
Meng Qi smiled and said, “Leave him for now; I will remotely strike and slightly hinder him.”
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