A sharp, piercing sound erupted like something scraping against the void, tearing through barriers, and collapsing the fabric of the world between the cracks.
The colossal figure, whose skin shimmered with a faint golden hue and whose size far surpassed that of the Golden Turtle Island, was a mass of sinewy muscles, exuding an overwhelming sense of boundless strength. With sheer brute force, it lifted the vast and weighty former celestial abode of the Heavenly Venerate, resembling the mythical Pangu who cleaved the heavens and earth apart in ancient legends.
Restrictive spells flickered and overlapped like anchors, hooking into the surrounding world and rooting themselves in the mist. Yet, under the irresistible, titanic force, they were stretched and deformed, collapsing one after another. Beams of light dissolved into a “drizzle,” but the backlash failed to leave even a scratch on the golden figure.
Yuan Hong had transformed his white hairs into clones, each stationed at key points of the restrictive formations—a clever adaptation of a single person forming an array. Combined with the inherent defenses of the Golden Turtle Island, it seemed as impregnable as a fortress. However, clones were still clones, lacking independent consciousness, spirit, or will. When faced with the “Supreme Solitude” technique that targeted the core of existence, bypassing all else, they instantly lost cohesion, realizing their “true nature” and reverting to mere strands of white hair, drifting aimlessly.
Once Yuan Hong’s countless clones lost control, the inherent flaws and vulnerabilities of the Golden Turtle Island’s formations became glaringly apparent. Seizing the opportunity, Meng Qi’s “Su Meng Heavenly Venerate” incarnation unleashed the Four Slaying Immortal Qi, forming a sword array that disrupted the formations. Though it didn’t breach them outright, it severed their coherence, preventing them from mobilizing full power to resist the golden figure’s brute-force lifting.
**Boom!**
The primordial mountains recreated atop the Golden Turtle Island trembled violently, the earth split open, and golden crows plummeted from the sky—a scene of apocalyptic devastation. The island’s surrounding formations grew increasingly thin, on the verge of being torn apart entirely, leaving it vulnerable to being seized by the “Qingyuan Daojun.”
Within the temporal rift, Yuan Hong unleashed his full power, launching a desperate counterattack to repel Meng Qi’s true self and return to defend the Golden Turtle Island. Yet, above Meng Qi’s head, the “Supreme Primordial Chaos Cloud” swayed slightly, casting down streams of profound light that created a near-true chaos—a defense even more impenetrable than the physical resilience of the *Eight-Nine Arcane Art*. Yuan Hong’s storm of attacks and myriad transformations dissipated like stones sinking into the sea, leaving only ripples in their wake. The more he struck, the more he realized the terrifying duality of the *Infinite Seal*—both offense and defense at their peak.
What chilled Yuan Hong to the bone, however, was the inexplicable phenomenon where his relentless assaults on a single point—relying on his near-indestructible physique—were suddenly turned against him. It was as if he was attacking himself, wounds appearing out of nowhere, forcing him to retreat lest his millennia of cultivation be undone in an instant.
Seeing Yuan Hong unable to return in time, the sliver of power Lu Ya had covertly dispatched recognized the futility of the situation. Moving the Golden Turtle Island into true chaos would not only exact a heavy toll but also take more than a few breaths to arrange. Thus, without hesitation, Lu Ya made a decisive choice:
If he couldn’t take the Golden Turtle Island, neither would Su Meng. In fact, he could use this chance to bury Su Meng forever.
A streak of crimson-gold light erupted from the false Jade Void Palace on the island, streaking across the collapsing primordial sky and plunging deep into the fragmented depths.
Lu Ya’s power sought to pull out the *Green Duckweed Sword* and release the remnants of “Donghuang Taiyi’s” flesh, lifting all restrictions upon it.
What awaited Su Meng then would be the wrath of an enraged and inscrutable ancient emperor—a true sovereign of antiquity. Even in its diminished state, the remnant would possess power nearing or even reaching the level of the *Other Shore*, enough to annihilate Su Meng instantly, turning him into a puppet of Donghuang, a vessel for Taiyi.
**Tai**—the supreme, the primordial; **Yi**—the undivided unity, the “One” from which all things arose. Thus, “Taiyi” was another name for the *Dao* itself. That Donghuang bore this name spoke volumes of his pride—he would never tolerate an upstart like Su Meng scheming against him.
The crimson-gold light traversed the collapsing fragments of the primordial world, reaching the deepest layer where an ancient, unadorned sword was plunged into a void of darkness, its tip pinning down a writhing mass of sinister black flesh radiating brutality and malice.
The light surged toward the hilt, ready to activate the forbidden arts Lu Ya had studied for years to wrench the sword free.
But suddenly—
A radiance of colored glaze manifested as a Buddha descended. “Zhen Ding Tathagata,” having subdued Yuan Hong’s white-haired clones, had been biding his time, refraining from joining “Su Meng Heavenly Venerate” and “Qingyuan Daojun” in dismantling the island’s formations. His purpose was precisely to counter Lu Ya and Yuan Hong’s last-ditch efforts.
Moreover, Meng Qi’s “Cause of All Effects” maintained a connection to places like Jiuhua Mountain. If Lu Ya dared to manifest his true self, Meng Qi would have no choice but to inform his senior brothers and sisters, summoning them for a joint assault.
The Buddha’s golden form loomed majestically, compassion etched upon his face, a halo behind him. His right hand extended, palm upturned in a gesture of giving.
Boundless Buddha light erupted like a drizzle from willow branches, purifying the surroundings and transforming all into a Buddha-realm.
The sliver of Lu Ya’s power, bathed in this golden rain, seemed to awaken to its past, shedding its crimson-gold hue and violent intent—achieving enlightenment on the spot, sitting in nirvanic repose.
**Boom!**
The Golden Turtle Island trembled violently as Meng Qi’s *Eight-Nine* incarnation tore through the last of its formations, wrenching it from its hiding place. Countless lights surged and faded.
Seeing the situation hopeless, Yuan Hong relied on his near-indestructible body to endure a crippling blow from Meng Qi’s *Infinite Seal*, sacrificing half his form to flee into the mist, vanishing into another temporal rift.
With the terrain treacherous and his focus on the island, Meng Qi let him go, turning his gaze to the massive island now wreathed in light—and the ancient sword and black flesh.
The next step was simple: use *Sleeve Cosmos* to collect the Golden Turtle Island and relocate it beyond the Fusang Ancient Tree’s domain. If anything went wrong, the Green Emperor wouldn’t just stand by, would he? Meng Qi had planned this shamelessly from the start.
But then—
A flash of cyan light. A sword aura soared.
Meng Qi watched as the *Green Duckweed Sword* flew up of its own accord, transforming into a silvery streak that vanished into the temporal chaos—untouched by any hand.
The sinister black flesh was left behind, freed from all suppression and seals.
A wave of savage, malevolent terror erupted, engulfing the entire Golden Turtle Island.
Was this the will of the Lingbao Heavenly Venerate?
Was this His divine intent?
These were the first thoughts that crossed Meng Qi’s mind.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage