The cardinal mechanism trembled, and the phantom images of the red, cyan, black, and white swords flickered like reflections in a mirror or flowers in water, on the verge of dissolving into illusory bubbles. Under the fierce assault of “Great Sage of Mei Mountain” Yuan Hong and the peerless Demon Monarch, the sword formation had reached its limit. The sword qi that once blanketed the Great Zhou’s territory dissipated, dropping to a level incapable of interfering with Legendary beings.
The prehistoric beast-like white ape raised its black staff high once more, channeling the acupoints throughout its body, unlocking layers of cosmic cavern heavens, and manifesting projections of “other selves.” With sheer, unadorned force, it brought the staff down in a sweeping motion, stirring illusory waves and summoning the sea of suffering to erode the sword formation first.
The Demon Monarch remained motionless, one hand behind his back, perfectly at ease. With his insight, it was easy to judge that the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation would crumble under this strike. Why waste his own strength then?
Better to wait until Yuan Hong shattered the cardinal mechanism before seamlessly stepping in to shatter the Splendid Rivers and Mountains Painting, leaving Su Meng no chance to escape.
Indeed, his objectives this time were twofold: first, to disrupt the construction of the Fengtian Platform—if he could shatter the real world, it would be an overachievement—and second, to seize the opportunity to eliminate “Primordial Emperor” Su Meng!
This was both the will of certain existences and his own desire!
Due to the incident with the Luo River Diagram in Jiangdong, Qi Zhengyan had attained the Dharmakaya and begun to slip free from his control. Moreover, with Demon Saints reincarnating one after another, eliminating him had become troublesome without fully awakening by merging all six bodies. The biggest obstacle was Su Meng, who would inevitably intervene. Having already attained the Legendary realm, none of the Demon Monarch’s avatars could claim certain victory against him.
Given the chance, it was only logical to eliminate the threat preemptively!
*Rip!*
Under the staff’s strike, heaven and earth compressed, turning dark and oppressive, as if folded together. The Demon Monarch’s hand, hanging at his side, slightly opened, its six fingers each connected to different paths of destruction, ready for the next move.
*Thud!*
The black staff halted, and a soundless, weightless ripple spread out. There was no violent collision, no thunderous shattering—completely unlike what Yuan Hong and the Demon Monarch had anticipated.
What happened?
Focusing his gaze, the Demon Monarch saw that what lay before the black staff was not the teetering cardinal mechanism of the sword formation, but an ancient formation diagram where red, cyan, black, and white were both distinct and indistinct, both separate and merged.
Yes, distinct yet indistinct—utterly contradictory concepts bizarrely fused together!
“The Immortal-Slaying Formation Diagram!” The Demon Monarch, a mighty figure active during the era of the Demon Saint and the Human Emperor, recognized it at a glance.
The Immortal-Slaying Formation Diagram!
The most ancient formation diagram, born alongside the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning!
*Damn it!* His demonic aura contracted abruptly, and without further hesitation, his poised right hand shot out to seize the diagram.
He absolutely could not let Su Meng obtain it!
Meng Qi had long prepared to flee this realm once the sword formation collapsed. But at the critical moment, an ancient, weathered formation diagram appeared before him, resonating subtly with the four immortal swords standing at the North Pole of the Vast Sea and other locations.
The original Immortal-Slaying Formation Diagram?
Not the one Chonghe Daoist had recreated using forging methods and the four sword scriptures!
With the original diagram, the sword scriptures would be complete, and the unparalleled first killing formation of antiquity would reappear in the world!
Meng Qi’s heart tightened as he instantly recognized the diagram and grasped its significance.
This was the key to turning the tide!
At the sight of the diagram, he suddenly understood Gao Lan’s plan. His goofy elder brother had indeed feigned one thing while doing another—but not in the conventional sense.
Using the construction of the Fengtian Platform as bait, he had lured out hostile, prematurely awakened powerhouses, then used the formation diagram to complete the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation and eliminate them all at once!
Thus, in the short term, no major powers would interfere, allowing Gao Lan to leisurely propagate the radiance of humanity, advance toward the Legendary realm, and demonstrate his capability to his Human Emperor allies, securing the initiative.
If powerhouses like Maitreya or the Bull Demon King had sensed the trap and refused to take the bait, they could only watch helplessly as the Fengtian Platform was completed, and Gao Lan unified heaven under humanity’s banner—still securing the initiative.
A perfect fusion of overt and covert schemes!
As for how Gao Lan had been certain about the four immortal swords, Meng Qi could now guess with ease: Guang Chengzi had been the teacher of two generations of Human Emperors!
Hindsight was always 20/20, and Meng Qi was no exception. But as an ally, he had no interest in reestablishing the Heavenly Court or glorifying the Great Zhou. Beyond aspiring to reach the Other Shore, he had never harbored ambitions for such grand games. When Gao Lan needed help, he simply lent a hand.
As for Gao Lan not sharing the plan with him, Meng Qi bore no grudge. If the conflict had been confined to the Legendary level, his “Cause of All Effects” could have concealed the scheme from heavenly scrutiny, keeping other major powers from peering into their thoughts or predicting developments. But whether it was Maitreya, the Demon Race, or the Luo Sect, all were “hands” manipulated by Other Shore figures in the current game. To sever those “hands,” precautions were necessary—the fewer who knew the plan, the fewer chances for failure.
*Loose lips sink ships!*
If he were the mastermind in a similar situation, Meng Qi admitted he would have kept Gao Lan in the dark too.
Moreover, it seemed that to transcend and reach the Other Shore, scheming and strategizing were unavoidable.
Amidst these swirling thoughts, Meng Qi’s right hand shot out as well, reaching for the formation diagram.
With the cardinal mechanism in turmoil, the sword formation in chaos, and sensory perception disrupted by residual waves, omnipresent interference forced both Meng Qi and the Demon Monarch to resort to the most primitive method: a direct grab.
The Demon Monarch’s six fingers curled, destruction condensed within, but halfway through his lunge, he abruptly straightened them in a flash, unleashing formless sword qi—half aimed at Meng Qi’s hand, half softening to pull the diagram toward himself.
Yet at that moment, the diagram leaped lightly of its own accord into Meng Qi’s palm, as if possessing sentience—or perhaps a master capable of controlling it.
Seizing the diagram, Meng Qi flipped his palm, presenting its back to the incoming sword qi as his auspicious cloud’s dark light coalesced into chaos.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
The sword qi struck and vanished without a trace.
*Snap!*
Using the momentum, Meng Qi slapped the diagram onto the cardinal mechanism’s core.
*Clang!*
The four Immortal-Slaying Swords emitted a chime surpassing a dragon’s roar, their blades trembling as each unleashed a slash of slaughtering qi far surpassing their previous output.
*Hum!*
The cardinal mechanism blazed with red, cyan, black, and white radiance, the sword phantoms solidifying as the Great Zhou’s territory plunged into darkness. Countless slashes of sword qi crisscrossed the land, carrying boundless intent of termination.
The earlier restrictions rebounded tenfold, a hundredfold.
*Clang!*
The four sword lights twisted downward, cleaving through all resistance, instantly reducing the projection of the Vacuum Hometown to ashes. The statue of the Eternal Mother, not yet fully formed, crumbled into dust.
*Clang!*
The sword lights descended again. The Precious Vase Divine Envoy, stripped of his omnipresence, failed to dodge and was struck directly. The sword light split, spreading destruction across different universes and worlds, annihilating all his projections.
The foremost killing formation of antiquity was no empty title!
Throughout the entire process, the Precious Vase Divine Envoy couldn’t even scream. A Legendary being had been as fragile as a mortal, filling the Lampbearer and the Canon Keeper with despair and sorrow. Seizing the fleeting glow before its complete dissipation, they threw themselves into the vortex, abandoning this affair entirely.
One dead, two fled—exactly as Meng Qi had intended. Truth be told, given the Luo Sect’s repeated provocations, how could someone as vengeful as him not seek retribution? Under the current circumstances, killing one divine envoy and letting two escape was a measured warning, not an outright declaration of war.
*Clang!*
The four sword lights descended, collapsing a miniature cosmos and temporarily separating the Bull Demon King and Nezha’s battle.
*Clang!*
Amidst the sword lights, the Linglong Pagoda and the Taiji Diagram shattered. The Peng Demon King, shielding the Fox Spirits and other demon gods, suffered severe injuries, his wings half-drooping, while the other Great Sages bore wounds of their own.
Seeing this, the Bull Demon King’s eyes widened in realization. With a roar, he swallowed the Peng Demon King, the Flood Dragon Demon King, and others into his inner cosmos, preparing to force his way out of the sword formation.
*Clang!*
The sword lights intertwined, the cardinal mechanism at its peak, as countless slaughtering qi slashed at Yuan Hong, grinding him to dust.
Yet a flash of clear light in the sky, and Yuan Hong reappeared—his earlier demise merely a substitution via his white hairs.
“The complete Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation!” His scalp tingled as he mustered his energy, relying on his indomitable, sage-forged physique to endure the sword qi and escape.
*Clang!*
Sword lights scattered, Buddha-realms shattered. The Supreme True Buddha and Maitreya separated, each making their choice—one reforming the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation with himself and the Great Wonder as its core to withstand the sword qi, the other summoning projections of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to execute the “Genesis Palm,” the ninety-nine-in-one strike, to break free by force.
*Clang!*
The Demon Monarch dodged frantically, nearly encircled by the sword qi.
…
In the vast starry sky, “Demonic Master” Han Guang watched the unfolding events below with a smile. “Though the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation is the foremost killing formation of antiquity, the four swords have only awakened to the Legendary level, barely capable of handling newly ascended Creation realm foes. It likely won’t keep Yuan Hong or the Bull Demon King trapped.”
He turned to Gao Lan with a faint smirk. “Isn’t it time to show me your backup plan?”
Gao Lan didn’t turn, his gaze still fixed below as he replied calmly, “Since antiquity, few Other Shore figures have fallen. Houtu’s body merged with the Wheel of Samsara, the Demon Lord’s remnants scattered, the Heavenly Emperor forged his own body into a blade, and the Demon Saint refined her true form into a spear—each relic has its known whereabouts.”
Slowly, he turned to Han Guang, his gaze eagle-sharp, enunciating each word: “But where is the Human Emperor’s remains?”
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