The seductive voice reached her ears, stirring the hearts of all who heard it, regardless of gender. A strange fragrance, reminiscent of musk and orchids, suddenly filled the air, making her body feel light and buoyant, as if floating among the clouds.
With fire clouds hanging low and flames gathering around, Qingqiu descended over Yanling Island, holding a long spear behind her back with one hand. Her crystal-clear eyes reflected the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation ahead.
The Empress had abruptly issued a decree, summoning her to assist in battle. Was this the prelude to a new round of contention on the Other Shore? Or had She already “foreseen” that the Three Xiao Goddesses were merely bluffing, exploiting the human emperor’s reluctance to escalate conflicts, using an “empty fort strategy” to scare off the enemy?
If it were the former, upon closer consideration, it wouldn’t be without reason. In the current situation, Amitabha, the Eternal Mother, and Su Meng, the Primordial Heavenly Lord, all wished to maintain relative peace before Gu Xiaosang’s attempt to break through to the Other Shore, avoiding sudden increases in variables that could lead to unpredictable futures.
At present, Amitabha had solidified his alliance with the Ancient Bodhi Buddha. The Golden Emperor, at some unknown cost, had reached an unspoken agreement with the Heavenly Emperor and the Devil Buddha, possibly even forming a covert alliance. Meanwhile, Su Meng, the Primordial Heavenly Lord, continued to foster goodwill with the Green Emperor. It was easy to imagine that when Gu Xiaosang attempted to break free from the Sea of Bitterness, bringing Amitabha and the Eternal Mother closer to the Dao Fruit, the great figures of the Other Shore who would step forward to oppose them would be at a clear disadvantage. If they didn’t seize this opportunity to stir chaos and exacerbate conflicts now, they would only be left watching helplessly later.
Now, with her own descent to aid the human emperor, neither the Moral Heavenly Lord, the Green Emperor, nor Su Meng, the Primordial Heavenly Lord, could find fault with her actions. Faced with the impending clash, they would naturally stand on the side of the current human emperor. The question now was how Amitabha and the Ancient Bodhi Buddha would respond.
Her thoughts racing, Qingqiu wore an innocent yet alluring smile as she took a step forward, drawing the attention of all as she entered the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation!
The world transformed. The river turned turbid, churning with brown waves, merging with the light cast down by the Primordial Golden Dipper. Wave after wave surged from all directions toward Qingqiu. Anyone touched by them would instantly regress into a mortal, losing their Three Flowers and having their Five Qi corroded. Thus, the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, centered around the Primordial Golden Dipper, was considered the bane of nearly all cultivators below the Other Shore.
Trapped in this formation, which had shone brightly during the ancient Investiture of the Gods, and at risk of losing her illusory Dao at any moment, Qingqiu remained composed. With a flick of her wrist, she raised the Phoenix-Winged Black Gold Spear behind her, thrusting it upward and shaking it to form a thirty-three-layered golden pagoda. The pagoda radiated profound yellow light, surrounded by dragon-like auras, exuding sacred solemnity and indomitable virtue—impervious to all laws!
The turbid waves, shimmering with golden light, crashed down, but the Heaven-Earth Profound Yellow Pagoda stood unshaken, untouched by any corrupting force, its brilliance pure and resplendent.
With this pagoda, transformed from the Demon Saint Spear, Qingqiu strode leisurely toward the heart of the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation. Along the way, fierce winds and towering waves, laden with filth, failed to move her an inch. Even when the Primordial Golden Dipper descended, pressing down around her, it could not penetrate the layers of profound yellow virtue.
At the formation’s core, a pair of black and white flood dragons emerged, intertwining to form a Taiji millstone, grinding against the Heaven-Earth Profound Yellow Pagoda, attempting to wear it down bit by bit.
Profound yellow light splashed, pale gold flickered, and the grating sound of friction filled the air, yet the thirty-three-layered golden pagoda showed no signs of dimming.
By now, Qingqiu had reached the edge of the formation’s core, where she saw the Three Xiao Island, ensnared by the winding, turbid river. Everything appeared fragile, as if it could collapse at the slightest touch.
“No changes yet… Could it be that the Three Xiao Goddesses were truly bluffing, pushing all their chips forward from the start?” Qingqiu sighed in relief, though her doubts lingered.
She pointed a finger toward Three Xiao Island, toward the winding, sinking river.
The Heaven-Earth Profound Yellow Pagoda instantly dissolved, transforming into a vast, clear ocean. Floating within it was a book exuding a nurturing aura, its surface shimmering like starlight, surging toward Three Xiao Island.
This was the virtue of nurturing all living beings—the Sage’s Virtue, untouched by all laws!
The turbid, sinking river waters parted, revealing the scene on Three Xiao Island through the dispersing mist.
There, as if in a world of its own, stood four towering immortal swords at the cardinal directions—crimson as blood, black as void, azure and ethereal, pure white and majestic. Their intertwined blades generated endless sword light, embodying destruction, slaughter, and absolute freezing—the essence of annihilation. Even under the protection of the Sage’s Virtue waters, Qingqiu staggered back several steps at the mere sight.
The Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation!
The complete Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation!
The number one killing formation of the primordial era!
Even more terrifying, at the center of Three Xiao Island hung a bright, full moon, serene and cold, illuminating the crisscrossing sword beams like the light of death.
The Eternal Mother Herself had descended to preside over the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation!
This was entirely different from when She merely deployed the four swords and the formation diagram to confront enemies. Now, with an Ancient anchoring the formation’s core, it nearly replicated the glory of the formation during the Investiture of the Gods, when the Lingbao Heavenly Lord had wielded it!
What sent chills down Qingqiu’s spine was that the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation before her seemed fused with the workings of fate and time, as if the apocalypse at the end of the epoch had finally arrived. Even if all the Other Shore figures joined forces, they could not reverse this trend…
“The Golden Emperor has taken the initiative. Isn’t She afraid of fully escalating the conflict, reigniting the contention among the Other Shore, and exposing all Her trump cards?” Qingqiu dared not be careless. Her breathtaking figure flickered as she retreated to Yanling Island. Suddenly, reflecting on what had just happened, a realization struck her: “Why has the Golden Emperor, who has always been patient and retreating, suddenly changed Her stance? Given how seamlessly She set up the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, She must have long been waiting to escalate the conflict, preparing to ignite a full-scale Other Shore battle here! Is it because She cannot afford to lose this last stronghold in the real world, or has She laid a trap, waiting for other great figures to fall into it?”
Within the Jade Void Palace, atop the ancient Fusang Tree, in the Western Paradise, and across the various Other Shore abodes, countless gazes turned toward Three Xiao Island, toward the fully manifested Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation anchored by an Ancient.
Feeling the terror of the impending apocalypse, the irreversible tide, Su Meng—also known as Meng Qi—stroked the ancient Taoist crown atop his head and sighed inwardly:
The closer to the end, the more terrifying the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation becomes.
Though the current Golden Emperor may not match the Lingbao Heavenly Lord of the Investiture era, the present formation surpasses its past counterpart. Offsetting each other, the overall power is nearly equivalent—meaning it would take four true Other Shore figures joining forces to break it!
Of course, this didn’t mean the formation, anchored by the Golden Emperor, equaled four normal Other Shore figures. In Meng Qi’s case, by deploying the “Supreme Ultimate Primordial Cloud” and manifesting the “True Suchness Tathagata,” he could leisurely enter the formation, “tour” it, and exit unscathed. But that wouldn’t break the formation or threaten the Golden Emperor!
At this moment, he recalled the imprint of Lingbao he had encountered in the highest layer of the Nine Heavens, and the words: “In the final calamity, I reign supreme.”
Truer words were never spoken. If the Lingbao Heavenly Lord were to return, He would undoubtedly surpass all others, becoming the foremost of the current era. Perhaps during the Investiture, the two Western Sages had allied with the Primordial and Moral Heavenly Lords precisely to suppress Lingbao, ensuring they wouldn’t be at a disadvantage during the apocalypse…
Watching as the four Immortal-Slaying Swords unleashed beams of crimson, azure, black, and white sword light, sketching the aura of epochal annihilation, Meng Qi cast aside all emotional distractions and arrived at a natural conclusion:
“The Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation must be dismantled. The four swords and the formation diagram must be returned to their original owners. They cannot remain in the hands of the Golden Emperor, who cultivates the ‘Vacuum Hometown’!”
He was certain this was the first thought of every Other Shore figure witnessing this scene. But to break the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, even if the Moral Heavenly Lord and Amitabha descended now, they would still need another figure close to the Ancients to assist. In other words, for a brief time, the Golden Emperor alone could hold back three great figures, leaving the Heavenly Emperor, the Devil Buddha, the Heavenly Dao Monster, and the Supreme True Buddha to face the remaining three Other Shore figures, creating an opportunity for them to scheme something.
The Golden Emperor had another objective—every Other Shore figure could see that. But Her stance was so perfectly poised that it was impossible not to want to dismantle the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation and eliminate this great threat.
This was an open stratagem!
Surveying the tributaries of the future and sensing the possibilities he occupied, Meng Qi found no trace of the Golden Emperor’s hidden schemes. Just then, a crane’s cry echoed from the heavens as a golden bridge spanned the sky. In the west, a colossal Buddha took form—the Moral Heavenly Lord and Amitabha were about to descend.
They weren’t blind to the Golden Emperor’s ulterior motives. They had weighed the pros and cons and made their choice, willing to bear certain costs for it!
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