Su Daji’s beauty illuminated the hall as she smiled lightly, as if discussing something trivial rather than matters of life, death, and freedom for all the Dharma Bodies present. Her demeanor was as casual as discussing poetry and romance.
Yet the atmosphere inside the hall was full of twists and turns, heavy and oppressive, with an air of mystery, as if hidden currents surged beneath the surface. Many Dharma Bodies remained highly vigilant of each other, fearing they might become stepping stones for their rivals.
Observing this Su Daji and sensing the atmosphere, Meng Qi furrowed his brows in confusion. What should have been a tense and oppressive situation seemed instead to be heading toward a competitive contest—gentle and restrained, unwilling to go too far. This sharply contrasted with the earlier aggressive invitations extended to each Dharma Body.
If truly concerned about other powerful figures, one would have investigated thoroughly beforehand, eliminating obvious suspects rather than capturing everyone indiscriminately and gradually selecting among them to provoke internal conflicts. Moreover, if someone with a strong background suffered mishaps, would the hidden power truly believe it unrelated to Golden Tortoise Island?
The situation was indeed strange.
Daji, as beautiful as a flower, smiled sweetly and said, “To allow those fated for calamity or those with notable backgrounds to fully utilize their strengths, I plan to adopt a free-for-all approach.”
A free-for-all? Meng Qi momentarily felt puzzled. How exactly would this free-for-all work?
While pondering, he also weighed the situation, coordinating with Master Lu Da, Su Wuming, and Gao Lan on the timing for their move.
Currently, Golden Tortoise Island had the enigmatic Su Daji and four Celestial Immortals stationed here. Among their group, Master Lu Da approached the level of a Celestial Immortal, possessing some legendary traits sufficient to counter one opponent. Su Wuming, clearly displaying legendary traits, wielded an extraordinary sword technique, his projection indestructible and his essence unharmed, making it feasible to briefly engage one Celestial Immortal. The humorous elder brother, having attained the Earth Immortal level and wielding the Human Emperor’s Sword, especially enjoyed confronting those brimming with demonic energy or fox spirits like Daji. With Meng Qi’s assistance, they might be able to hold off one opponent.
More importantly, the four of them could jointly form the “Sword Array of Zhuxian,” vastly surpassing individual combat capabilities. They might even slay three Celestial Immortals and temporarily trap the remaining four.
Additionally, there was the Tianzhu Axe, awakened to the Celestial Immortal level, the veteran Earth Immortal Guldor, the enigmatic Heaven’s Mandate Taoist, the increasingly elusive “Master of Darkness” Han Guang, the possibly Earth Immortal-level Kongque Taili wielding the Demon Saint Spear, and the formidable “Primordial Fairy” Bi Jingxuan, rumored to be nearing the Celestial Immortal realm. If everyone could truly unite, they could overpower Su Daji and the four Celestial Immortals and escape before other experts from Golden Tortoise Island could react.
However, the problem was that Meng Qi couldn’t determine who among them was friend or foe.
Perhaps some had already been bought by Golden Tortoise Island, like “Ancestor Yin” Xu Bei, or harbored their own intentions, like the previous Dharma King Duoshi. If Meng Qi, Master Lu Da, Su Wuming, and the humorous elder brother rashly launched an attack using the Zhuxian Sword Array to kill Su Daji or trap the four Celestial Immortals, instead of united support, they might face a collective assault, with Yun He and He Qi unable to resist. What then?
Therefore, despite usually being daring and decisive in critical moments, Meng Qi hesitated now, as this was indeed not the right opportunity for action, nor had it reached a desperate situation requiring an all-or-nothing gamble.
Seeing many Dharma Bodies puzzled by the term “free-for-all,” Su Daji smiled and explained, “In this free-for-all, everyone will be placed within the Primordial Wastes, seeking each other out and eliminating rivals. The last five remaining will be allowed to leave safely.”
“In such a chaotic battle, the stronger might encounter each other early, leading to mutual destruction, or after many battles, they might become careless and be overtaken by weaker opponents. In short, it’s more ‘fair’ than a formal duel, giving even newly attained Dharma Bodies a chance to secure a spot.”
As she spoke, she gestured, and each Dharma Body’s table emitted radiant light, flames rising to reveal a golden-red talisman: “This is the Golden Tortoise Restriction Talisman. In times of danger, using it will automatically return you to Biyou Palace, equivalent to conceding defeat and avoiding death. If the talisman is destroyed or malfunctions, these four envoys will intervene to stop the battle.”
Daji’s gaze shifted, her eyes sparkling like stars, as she casually introduced the four Celestial Immortal envoys: “‘Eastern Marquis’ Yin Bu’er, ‘Western Earl’ Yin Weiyang, ‘Southern Duke’ Zhu Zisheng, and ‘Northern King’ Wen Ji.”
Yin Bu’er was the man with all-seeing, weathered eyes who had once appeared at the Ten Perils Island. Yin Weiyang was the graceful woman who had once inscribed graffiti at Meng Qi’s Yuxu Palace. Zhu Zisheng was a terrifying monster, two zhang tall, exuding terrifying demonic energy. Wen Ji seemed like a descending deity, wielding divine authority.
Such a free-for-all… Meng Qi’s heart stirred. This might actually be more advantageous for them?
Avoiding the uncertainty of other Dharma Bodies’ allegiances, Su Daji and the four Celestial Immortals seemed somewhat separated. As long as they could regroup with Master Lu Da and others quickly, they wouldn’t fear encirclement and could strike one by one, forcefully breaking out of Golden Tortoise Island, even turning the tables to uncover the truth.
And regrouping wouldn’t be difficult for himself, known as the “Cause of All Fruits”…
Meng Qi and others remained silent, while “Primordial Fairy” Bi Jingxuan and others also seemed wary of them being aligned with Golden Tortoise Island, refraining from rash action to avoid being attacked collectively.
Many Dharma Bodies fell silent as Su Daji clapped her hands together, displaying a charming and innocent expression: “Since no one objects, let’s proceed as planned.”
As her words faded, “Biyou Palace” suddenly radiated countless rays of light, the heavens and earth spinning, subtle changes emerging. Even Meng Qi briefly lost his awareness of the external world.
When his vision cleared, Meng Qi found himself once again within a vast and desolate fragment of the Primordial Wastes. The sun, transformed from the golden crow, was hidden high above, the sky empty and crimson, stretching endlessly in a wild expanse.
Deep within his eyes, the “Lantern of Dao Yi” emerged, casting black-and-white swirling light to illuminate the subtle karmic threads reaching every corner. Soon, he used the previously granted “instantaneous communication object” to locate Master Lu Da and the others.
Although the celestial mechanisms of the Primordial Wastes were in chaos, shrouded as if by mist—barring direct communication or teleportation—it remained possible to pinpoint their locations through sensing!
His figure flickered, Meng Qi vanished into the void, heading first toward the nearest Master Lu Da.
…
One of the Four Marvels, the “Primordial Golden Immortal” Qin Yue, extended his consciousness, carefully scanning the Primordial Wastes for a hidden refuge.
For him, unascended to Earth Immortal, the only way to secure a spot among such formidable enemies was to hide first, waiting until others were weakened before emerging. As for teaming up with other Dharma Bodies, Qin Yue was particularly wary of betrayal, fearing a fatal stab from behind.
Except for his closest comrade, none could be trusted!
While cautiously navigating, Qin Yue categorized his competitors into several tiers. The strongest included the “Primordial Fairy” Bi Jingxuan, the focused sword-wielding elder, the omnipresent green-robed swordsman, and the terrifying axe-wielding bronze-skinned giant. He couldn’t match them directly; encountering them head-on might make escape difficult. It would be best to avoid them altogether.
The second tier included figures such as the “Supreme Sovereign of the Seas” Song Jianjia, the infamous demonic genius; the “Seven Seas Immortal King” Xun Yin, the towering emperor; the mighty demon king with five-colored hair; and the enigmatic old Taoist with a half-black, half-white beard. While he likely couldn’t defeat them, he stood a chance of surviving and making a retreat.
The third tier included “Red Emperor” Sun Chuci, “Ageless Immortal” Zhongli Mei, the transparent and strange Earth Immortal, the ethereal wide-robed figure, and the mysterious, white-haired green-robed man at the Human Immortal level. He could briefly match them one-on-one.
Other Dharma Bodies like Night Emperor and Ancestor Yin were at his level, potential opponents he might defeat.
As these thoughts arose, a sudden green figure appeared within the vision of the “Primordial Golden Immortal” Qin Yue.
Initially alarmed, he exhaled in relief upon recognizing the slightly weathered mysterious Human Immortal. At least this was a manageable opponent.
At the same time, Meng Qi also spotted him.
With no enmity between them, Meng Qi found it difficult to summon the will to kill for the sake of the so-called spot.
…
The sun, resembling a yolk, hung in the sky.
Gao Lan, wielding the Human Emperor’s Sword, emerged from a Primordial Wastes stone forest. At that moment, he sensed something and turned his gaze toward another direction, where the “Peacock Demon King” Taili approached, wielding the terrifying Fengchi Heijin spear.
Crack!
Their gazes clashed, darkening the thousand-mile radius, silent lightning flashing without thunder.
Buzzing, Gao Lan’s cold eyes revealed a hint of excitement as the Human Emperor’s Sword vibrated slightly in his hand, ready for a formidable opponent. Taili’s gaze was solemn, the Demon Saint Spear in his grasp emitting flames, poised for battle.
After countless eons, the Human Emperor and Demon Saint met once more!
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