The dark black mountain was wrapped in light and flames, collapsing visibly at a rapid rate. The earth quaked and roared, and the heavens trembled and darkened.
This was the scene witnessed by the Qin sisters from their hidden vantage point. It truly felt like the end of the world. They trembled slightly, instinctively afraid. If not for the mountain being located within a secret realm, equivalent to another world, the shockwaves would surely have swept across the surroundings, reducing everything to rubble, and the two of them would not have escaped unscathed.
Strength near that of gods or Buddhas?
The combined might of sword and saber surpassed Meng Qi’s anticipations. To truly gather all strength into a single point—this was the genuine “Reversion to Emptiness” where all things return to void. Meanwhile, Jiang Zhiwei, amplified by Ruan Yushu’s qin melodies, seamlessly fused her nascent comprehension of “The Dao Permeates All” with the “Severing the Dao to Reveal the Self” technique from the Supreme Forgetfulness lineage. She vividly demonstrated the impartial radiance of the sun, illuminating all without discrimination. This created perfect equilibrium with Meng Qi’s “Reversion to Emptiness,” flawlessly executing the “Stellar River Grand Funeral”—shattering the supposedly indestructible black mountain peak.
(Note: I’ve maintained key terminology like “Reversion to Emptiness” and “Supreme Forgetfulness” as capitalized proper nouns per xianxia conventions, preserved “qin” for cultural specificity, and used “Stellar River Grand Funeral” for poetic consistency with the original’s grandeur. The translation balances martial arts precision with philosophical undertones.)
Of course, this was still not the limit of their combined technique. If Jiang Zhiwei could reach the ninth heavenly layer and her “White Rainbow Piercing the Sun Sword” were a divine weapon, Meng Qi wouldn’t have to deliberately avoid activating his Spirit Treasures’ fire saber, or else the White Rainbow Piercing the Sun Sword would not withstand the recoil force and would snap on the spot.
The storm mixed with flames raged. Meng Qi stabilized his posture, shielding Zhao Heng and Ruan Yushu behind him from the residual shockwaves. Not far away, Jiang Zhiwei’s black hair danced in the wind, and her long sword, glowing with a purifying light, vibrated lightly.
In his perception, the collapsed black mountain continued sinking into the Nine Nether fissure, defying Meng Qi’s current sense of upward and downward direction as it descended. However, rather than expanding the fissure, it was being obstructed by falling debris, hindering the demonic god’s cross-dimensional attack from within.
The ancient bronze coffin and the Devil Emperor’s claw descended along with the mountain, their aura contaminating the surroundings, but nothing unusual occurred.
Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei exchanged a glance. Suddenly, they flew downward, lifting their sleeves in an attempt to use the “Sleeve Containing the Universe” to collect the Devil Emperor’s claw. Although he himself couldn’t use it, selling it to the Six Dao would fetch eight or nine hundred thousand good deeds!
However, it did not bear the mark of “deficiency” in the Six Dao’s records… A faint doubt flickered in Meng Qi’s heart.
At that very moment, the opposing black vortex abruptly collided with the Nine Nether Rift, violently tearing apart and devouring all the debris along with half the mountain, expanding at an alarming rate. A shrill sound, beyond the range of Meng Qi’s hearing, reverberated outward.
Wu! Meng Qi’s spiritual senses trembled, sensing the sound and a frantic surge of danger.
His sleeve opened, self-generating a world, merging the unnamed, and collecting everything before him. However, the Devil Emperor’s claw and the ancient bronze coffin were extremely heavy, exceeding the current limit of Meng Qi’s “Sleeve Containing the Universe,” so he could only slowly fly over.
Meanwhile, near the remaining five Nine Nether fissures in this world, hordes of strange and grotesque evil spirits suddenly exploded into blood, and the fissures violently contracted into black points, detaching from the void and merging into the blood.
At the heart of these dark spots, clusters of blood converged, morphing into Yama with six arms and black armor—five fissures giving birth to five Yamas!
Existing between reality and illusion, they traversed the void, frantically rushing toward the black mountain in Changning City. Whenever they encountered each other along the way, they instantly merged, forming new Yama. Their faint aura grew increasingly distinct, unmistakably embodying the terrifying “black vortex” that seemed capable of annihilating heaven and earth!
He sought to seize the Devil Emperor’s claw, sacrificing the destruction of the fissures and offering his subordinates as tribute, temporarily forging a powerful physical body in this world to bear his will. Now, only one source of the demonic tide remained—the horde of evil spirits currently attacking various cities.
The void tore apart. In an instant, He took several steps and already appeared behind Meng Qi. His six arms spread wide, striking down together, annihilating heaven, earth, gods, and spirits, obliterating all sentient beings and celestial beings.
Boom!
The surrounding void seemed like glass, developing spider-web-like cracks in all directions. The sea of primal energy boiled and exploded. All the laws of heaven and earth curled up and shattered, mixing into chaos, preventing anyone from drawing upon the power of heaven and earth or comprehending the principles of the Dao. They could only withstand the destruction and restoration of the void with their physical bodies.
The great annihilation swept toward Meng Qi, leaving him nowhere to escape.
Dang!
The sound of the qin lingered, resonating like evening bells and morning drums. Before the void could fully descend into chaos, it hesitated ever so slightly.
Then, abandoning the use of “Sleeve Containing the Universe” and flying directly to collect the claw, Meng Qi seized the opportunity, turned his blade around, and slashed forward.
The orange-yellow long blade raised illusory flames, golden-yellow burning silently, as if rippling water.
The great destruction of the void spread thus far. The flames shattered layer after layer, yet new layers emerged continuously, preventing it from reaching Meng Qi himself. It seemed as if he was not here but at the edge of countless layers of void, separated by infinite distances, with the chance of meeting but not of recognition.
Meng Qi infused the Void Seal into his blade, performing his own “Proximity Across Eternity”!
Boom! Boom! The surrounding devastation swirled into a vortex, ensnaring Meng Qi and violently shattering the flames. Yet, behind this demon king, a breathtaking sword light suddenly flashed into view.
The sword tip trembled, the sword light changing, slicing and separating the sea of primal energy and the Five Elements, causing them to boil and revert to the chaotic state of the universe’s birth.
With a thunderous roar, the sky ahead of the sword light seemed to collapse as the elements of earth, fire, wind, and water erupted violently, leaving no trace of material existence. This provoked a tidal wave of counterattacking chaos conjured by Yanmo, striking from both front and rear.
Although Jiang Zhiwei’s usual cultivation level wouldn’t enable her swordplay to reach such heights, she took advantage of the chaos created by Yanmo. Their combined power actually surpassed even half a step into the Dharma Body realm.
At the same time, Meng Qi, deep within the chaos, vanished, seemingly merging with it. Then, a blade of light, fast enough to leave only an impression, erupted, cleaving through the chaos and triggering an unparalleled explosion, as if releasing boundless light.
Front and back, blade and sword attacked in perfect coordination, colliding powerfully.
Silently, the world lost its color, frozen in black and white. Then came the birth and disappearance of infinitesimal suns, moons, and stars, the calming of the elements of earth, fire, wind, and water, and the appearance of a rift in the void.
The void grew still, and the Six-Annihilation Yama was left with only three arms, battered and bruised.
As Meng Qi was about to press his advantage, a sudden tension gripped his heart. His long blade shot downward into the void beneath him, as if grounding himself into Buddha, connecting with the boundless earth below, blooming countless golden lotuses, which then emitted billions of rays of light.
Dang!
A black-gold phoenix-winged spear suddenly pierced forth, striking the golden lotus. The lotus silently burned away, and the secret realm’s earth beneath Meng Qi silently disintegrated.
Meng Qi’s right hand violently trembled as he took a step back, his heart filled with shock:
“Yao Sage Spear!”
Fortunately, it wasn’t in the hands of a Dharma Body, or else this single strike could have destroyed him!
Even so, the already awakened Earth Immortal-level Yao Sheng Spear was not something a non-Dharma Body could resist. Had it not been for the Spirit Treasures’ fire saber, he would already have turned to dust.
His perception spread outward, and Meng Qi saw a familiar face—a countenance where innocent charm and seductive allure paradoxically fused together—the young fox princess of the demon race!
Beside her were the Star Lord of the Purple Stars, the Solar Deity Xihe, and the Star Lord of the Northern Dipper.
She was a member of the Mythos? Why did her gaze contain hatred as cold as ancient ice?
She had some connection with the Yao Sage, perhaps even directly inheriting part of his memories, which allowed her to wield the Yao Sage Spear and seek to kill those who practiced the A-nan Breaking Precepts Blade Technique?
Damn it, what a huge burden to carry—this grudge had followed him since his arrival in this world… Instantly figuring this out, Meng Qi’s greatest resentment was actually toward A-nan.
Why did he have to practice the “Red Dust Engagement Method”? Why did he have to be heartless? Why did he have to be the source of all this, tormenting him endlessly!
Xi held a red needle as thick as a rolling pin in her hand. She did not attack Meng Qi and the others but instead wisely chose to entangle with Yama, remaining neutral. As for the Devil Emperor’s claw, she had no intention of seizing it.
The Star Lord of the Purple Stars blocked Jiang Zhiwei, not getting involved in the feud between the Yao Sage’s disciple and A-nan’s disciple. His body’s acupoints lit up one by one, unleashing dazzling beams of starlight. Within each beam, a deity manifested, floating and sinking within the light—figures such as the Northern Dipper Star Lord, the Southern Dipper Star Lord, and the Star Official of the Rooster’s Eye. They surrounded the Star Lord of the Purple Stars, layer upon layer, forming a grand picture of the heavenly gods of the celestial court, majestic and sacred, as if the vast universe had descended here, and even the slightest movement echoed the distance between the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.
He bore no murderous intent. Who knew what kind of contingencies Su Wuming, a figure with legendary traits and some knowledge of the Six Dao, might have left behind? Therefore, entangling Jiang Zhiwei and preventing her from participating in the battle was sufficient.
Ruan Yushu and Zhao Heng faced off directly against the Northern Dipper Star Lord, an old master of the highest level and a seasoned reincarnator.
Seeing the young fox princess preparing to strike again with her spear, Meng Qi suddenly vibrated the void with his Yuan Shen, uttering a voice in an instant: “Stop!”
“I want to kill A-nan too!”
It was the most absurd grudge to fight and die over because of that A-nan!
The young fox princess coldly replied: “The simplest way is to destroy the Dao marker. Why go through all this trouble?”
“Unless you prove your worth.”
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