The ancient bronze coffin, concealing the Devil Monarch’s Seven-Aperture Ice Soul, materialized from illusion into reality, striving to halt the Dushi Dharma King from demolishing the Magpie Bridge and severing this covert escape route from the Jade Pond. Simultaneously, the sword radiance of Master Lu and the Overlord’s Severing Blade in Meng Qi’s grasp—one white and one purple, one pristine and keen, the other tyrannical and flamboyant—swept toward the Dharma King from a distance, sealing off all potential evasion paths and forcing him to confront the strike directly.
Yet Dushi Dharma King remained indifferent, as if he neither saw nor heard nor felt anything, his two transparent short blades transforming into light that silently slashed down onto the Magpie Bridge.
Boom!
The long-dead Magpie Bridge violently trembled, and upon it, countless magpies began to fall like dumplings into the Milky Way River, instantly collapsing into ruin.
But the Dharma King did not flee. Standing firm, he seized the momentum of the bridge’s collapse and rapidly plunged downward amidst the flying magpies, completely ignoring the fact that this was the Milky Way River—once he was swept away, he might drift to unknown universes, or even be sucked into a star or black hole. He simply fell straight down!
This direction was not among the escape angles predicted by the Seven-Orifice Devil Heart and Meng Qi or Master Lu. They could only watch helplessly as the Dharma King avoided the pure and concentrated white sword light, the flamboyant and arrogant purple lightning blade aura, and even the invisible mental impact.
A faint smile appeared on the usually transparent and solemn face of the Dharma King. His eyes overflowed with joy and pride, as if he were looking at corpses.
Plop!
A sound of virtual water echoed, and with a smile, the Dharma King plunged into the Milky Way River, vanishing into its vast and boundless waters.
The bronze coffin flickered and returned once more to the realm of mental illusion.
“It seems Wu Sheng Laomu wants to trap us forever in the Jade Pond,” Meng Qi murmured, his left hand brushing his streaked temples, his expression unchanged.
Since they had entered someone else’s “home ground,” this was a foreseeable outcome.
The reason they attributed this to Wu Sheng Laomu was because, without her guidance and assistance, how could the Dharma King have hidden from both Meng Qi and Master Lu within the Jade Pond, evading detection by both Gourdo and Han Guang?
Master Lu’s gaze remained fixed on the Milky Way River: “Perhaps it’s not just about trapping us. I’ve known the Dharma King since our generation, and dealt with him many times. If it were merely a trap, he wouldn’t have felt such joy. He must have another move prepared.”
Meng Qi’s eyes darkened as he smiled faintly: “True, without the Magpie Bridge, we can’t enter the Jade Pond. But not having the bridge doesn’t mean we can’t escape. There are still many ways to leave from the Ninth Heaven.”
For example, back then, Gu Xiaosang had used the Jianmu tree to escape from the Ninth Heaven where the Three Lives Hall was located. Or, like himself, he had relied on the causal connection and the Tyrant’s Severing Blade to return from the Fengshen world. Even if he plunged into the Milky Way River and entered another universe, he could still find his way back!
Now, with all Nine Seals united and the Yuan Shi True Body cultivated, he was no longer the person he once was.
However, Wu Sheng Laomu, also known as the “Golden Emperor” Xi Wangmu, was a great figure who had crossed the Other Shore. She had once entered the Jade Void Palace and cultivated the Infinite Seal. She would never overlook the “Root of All Results.” Cutting off their retreat was merely the beginning; she must have further moves planned. But Meng Qi was not without countermeasures either. He wanted to see exactly what she was planning.
Seeing Meng Qi speak so confidently, Master Lu asked no further questions: “Then let us continue forward and rendezvous with Su Wuming.”
…
Pure azure sword light, deep blue sword light, golden sword light, blazing white sword light, bright purple sword light, deep blue sword light—fragments of divine swords swirling above the Jade Pond, as if stimulated by Su Wuming’s sword intent, unleashed their ferocity, howling toward him. Some were as thick as mountain peaks, others as fine as threads, some burning hot, others freezing cold. They slashed down like falling stars, dreamlike yet brimming with terrifying killing intent. Alongside more than a dozen sword beams from Su Wuming, each one vast and pure, they completely engulfed Gourdo and Han Guang, as if swallowed by a sea of swords.
Even though time slowed, it could only affect part of the onslaught. Subsequent sword beams would pierce the silence, sever the stillness, and restore chaos.
With the advantage of terrain, this strike from Su Wuming seemed like a legendary return, delivering the most brilliant blow since the chaotic era of the Demon Buddha.
Gourdo, revealing his Longevity Celestial Body, narrowed his pupils, clearly surprised. He had known that Su Wuming, now a terrestrial immortal, would be strong, but not to this extent. Still, his surprise was devoid of fear. Quite the contrary, his gaze remained filled with the confidence of one who controls all things, and the excitement of facing an equal opponent.
At this moment, the Heaven’s Punishment Axe suddenly sprang up, nine Daoist runes swirling around it, forming a massive beam of light that shot into the Jade Pond’s sky.
Gourdo raised his right hand, his aura subtly connecting with the Ninth Heaven.
The Heaven’s Punishment Axe, born from the Ninth Heaven, had now returned home!
Here, it was far more terrifying than it had been in centuries past!
The clouds above the Jade Pond scattered, the laws subtly shifting, as if connecting to some distant place. Clear light condensed into a lake, as if heaven and earth had inverted, with mist below and a clear lake above, mysterious and profound.
The Exiled Immortal Pool appeared!
Facing the incoming sword beams, Gourdo stepped forward, his right hand gripping the Heaven’s Punishment Axe, and slashed downward with full force.
“I shall act as Heaven’s Punisher!”
Whoosh! The Heaven’s Punishment Axe fell, and the Exiled Immortal Pool above overturned, its clear water drowning the sword beams.
Clanging sounds echoed, silent collisions occurring. The clear light dissipated, the sword shadows receded, and countless divine weapon fragments—green, purple, golden—fell onto the misty path, their ferocity gone, their glow faded, covered in rust, like ordinary metal.
Yet Su Wuming’s figure inexplicably appeared far away, evading the axe strike and escaping the encirclement. His aura weakened further, yet remained calm and deep.
Slightly altering his trajectory, he quickly vanished into the fierce lights, no longer engaging, heading toward the Jade Pond.
“Brilliant! He didn’t hesitate in cutting himself—truly a master of his reputation!” Gourdo’s right hand slightly trembled, seemingly struggling to bear such power, yet he praised without reservation.
Earlier, he had used the advantage of lowering his cultivation base to gain the upper hand, sealing all escape routes. The water of the Exiled Immortal Pool was about to touch Su Wuming’s sword, and would have spread to him through the connection. But Su Wuming, without hesitation, turned his sword on himself.
Then, using his “Other Self,” he reappeared far away, his aura weakened but genuinely evading the fatal strike he had hidden for so long, escaping the first encirclement.
Gourdo’s right hand steadied. He did not immediately pursue but instead surveyed his surroundings, seeing only “Demon Sage” Han Guang standing nearby, while the Dharma King and Blood Sea Rakshasi had vanished without a trace.
“Why do devils and heretics always fail? Their lack of unity and constant scheming against each other is the root cause. I had thought this time would be different with the binding oaths, but apparently, they each had their own preparations to evade the restrictions.” Gourdo’s aura suddenly pressed down on Han Guang. “But what surprised me most was that you, the Demon Sage, who I expected to have ulterior motives, actually cooperated wholeheartedly.”
Han Guang seemed slightly shaken by the previous axe strike, his expression now bearing more respect. Smiling, he said, “Though I am selfish and ruthless, never hesitating to betray companions, I have always known how to assess situations and make the right decisions. Would betraying now not ruin everything I’ve worked for?”
“What is your true purpose here?” Gourdo asked cautiously.
“Of course, it’s the core fragment of the Heaven Mirror and the fragment of the Dong Huang Bell. With the former, I can possess legendary traits, laying the foundation for attaining legend in the future. With the latter, my cultivation of the Heavenly Emperor Jade Register will advance further, allowing me to grasp the mysteries of creation and fate ahead of time. Isn’t such temptation enough?” Han Guang replied seriously. “As for Su Wuming, he was merely a pathbreaker. Killing him is ideal, but if not, it’s of little consequence. The most important thing now is self-improvement.”
Gourdo let out a long laugh: “Truly worthy of the title ‘Demon Sage’—so rational and insightful!”
His laughter faded, his voice deepening: “I’ve always worried about the infighting among devils and heretics, unable to cooperate. I thought of solutions, but hesitated to act. But now, perhaps I can test it on the Dharma King and the Rakshasi!”
“What solution?” Han Guang asked, subtly increasing the distance between them.
Gourdo smiled: “Capture them and make them devout followers of the Eternal Heaven!”
“As for you, the Demon Sage, I know what you should and shouldn’t do. I admire your wisdom and don’t wish for internal strife to give others an opportunity.”
“Excellent!” Han Guang clapped his hands in delight.
With their plans settled, the two set off together, first seeking the fragments of the Heaven Mirror and the Dong Huang Bell!
…
Snow covered the northernmost reaches as Chen Zhao and others left the immortal palace.
Outside the palace, two figures suddenly appeared. One was blurry and shifting—Huan Mietianmo of the Tianmo Sect. The other wore wide robes and a wooden hairpin, exuding ease and nonchalance. It was clearly another Han Guang—the other Demon Sage!
“Now that the divine bodies are gathered here, we can act freely,” Han Guang smiled faintly, his aura growing more ethereal.
Huan Mietianmo looked at him in confusion: “Congratulations, Sect Leader, on achieving great success and splitting your Three Corpses!”
He had personally witnessed another Han Guang entering the icy immortal palace with Gourdo, his aura indistinguishable from the real one, leading him to conclude that this must be the ancient method of splitting the Three Corpses, practiced by many great cultivators in the past.
“Splitting the Three Corpses?” Han Guang chuckled. “That is one of the methods created by ancient sages to ascend to the Other Shore. How could I, with my limited virtue and ability, possibly split my Three Corpses—good, evil, and obsessive, or into different identities?”
He clasped his hands behind his back and drifted southward: “I merely followed the Devil Monarch’s method, gaining insight, and used the Yan Mo Hand to create an external body.”
“The Devil Monarch’s method?” Huan Mietianmo looked puzzled.
This was the original master of the Devil Dao, the true ancestor of the Tianmo Sect!
“The Devil Monarch feared becoming a slave to the ‘Devil Emperor Scripture’ carried by the Devil Emperor Claw, so he studied the innate martial arts of various evil gods and demons, breaking down the scripture’s techniques. Then, using different treasures, he split his physical body into parts for cultivation. His heart became the ‘Great Freedom Heavenly Son True Body,’ his left hand the ‘Yellow Spring True Body,’ his right hand the ‘Six Annihilation Yanmo Body,’ his feet the ‘Asura Path Body,’ his torso the ‘Nether Sea Killing Body,’ and his head the ‘Great Beginning Devil Body.’ When the six parts reunite, they form the ‘Supreme Devil Body.'” Han Guang explained. “Therefore, I used a divine weapon to split off the ‘Six Annihilation Yanmo Body’ cultivation. If I obtain the Dong Huang Bell fragment, I can then split off the part related to the Heavenly Emperor Jade Register…”
What he left unsaid was that this could only be achieved if the Demon Buddha’s method bridged and harmonized two entirely distinct paths of cultivation. Otherwise, the inherent conflict between Yan Mo and the Heavenly Emperor would cause the soul to fracture upon bodily division, permanently halting any further advancement.
“But that’s not the most urgent matter. What matters now is the opportunity.”
Han Guang’s hands were as white as jade, showing no trace of evil aura, nor the blade of time. This was because, to grant his external body the time-space techniques, he had to rely on divine weapons.
Huan Mo Tianmo asked in confusion: “Opportunity?”
Han Guang gazed into the distance:
“Yes. An opportunity to go to the Xuantian Sect.
I’ve waited long enough!
As for what happens inside the Jade Pond, it no longer matters. At most, I’ll lose two divine weapons and an external body that can be cultivated again!”
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