Within Meng Qi’s Niwan Palace, primordial qi erupted forth. Instantly from the western direction appeared a handsome monk carrying a cyan longsword resembling a bamboo branch. As he drew near, he transformed into a solemn and majestic golden-bodied Buddha. From the southern direction came a swordsman clad in white, striding forward while singing, his longsword displaying alternating waves of water and clouds, manifesting a true dragon soaring into the sky. From the eastern direction descended a tall and mighty man, his sword resembling a crimson phoenix, accompanied by winds and flames.
“Fellow Daoist, allow me to assist you!” they cried in unison, already swinging their swords.
Upon witnessing this scene, the Overlord instantly realized his opponent had unleashed their decisive moves. In his mind flashed memories of a sword formation he had once greatly feared—an array jointly executed by his opponent and another sword immortal, suspected to be the legendary Shattered Xian Sword Array, the deadliest formation of antiquity.
If the four Celestial Immortals formed a formation now, once he was trapped within, even with his confidence bordering on arrogance, he would have to admit an eighty to ninety percent chance of defeat. Thus, absolutely, he could not allow them to complete the sword formation!
This thought vanished in an instant. How rich was the Overlord’s combat experience, how extraordinary his battle talent! In a flash, he identified the crux and made his decision.
His terrifying slash, previously unleashed, suddenly rebounded upward into the air. Then, he concentrated all his strength and overbearing might into a single point of dark, shadowy lightning, which then erupted downward, striking empty space with a thunderous boom. The speed was like true lightning.
Lightning burst forth in all directions, transforming the surroundings into an ocean of dark purple and cyan lightning, attacking Meng Qi’s true self, “Zhen Ding Tathagata,” “Su Meng Tianzun,” and “Qing Yuan Zhenjun.”
“Step into the Nine Nether Realms; make demons kneel in submission!”
Boom!
The lightning filled the entire hall. Except for the collapsing core, the rest seemed like countless Overlords, slightly weakened, simultaneously launching slashes, each strike targeting different enemies.
Meng Qi’s “Unity of Three Clarities” was not yet perfected. He was still far from manifesting the past, present, and future selves. These three manifestations were merely carved from different techniques he had learned—powerful, but limited. Though they shared the same cultivation realm as his true self, their strength was noticeably inferior, much like how Meng Qi himself was weaker than other Celestial Immortals.
The “Zhen Ding Tathagata,” formed solely from the general principles of the Tathagata Palm and other Buddhist techniques, could not rival Meng Qi’s true self, the “Yuan Huang Daoist,” even as fellow Celestial Immortals.
Similarly, the principles of the “Jietian Seven Swords” were flawed, and the “Four Shattered Xian Swords” were incomplete, rendering “Su Meng Tianzun” similarly imperfect. Only the “Qing Yuan Zhenjun,” derived from the Indestructible Dao Body, came somewhat closer in strength to Meng Qi’s true self, though it still lacked the legendary and Nirvana traits.
Thus, the Overlord seized this weakness and decisively unleashed the indiscriminate attack “Demons Bow Their Heads.” The strongest core of destruction targeted Meng Qi’s true self, the “Yuan Huang Daoist,” while the weaker, uniform-range attacks swept across the three manifestations, clashing evenly with “Qing Yuan Zhenjun” and placing “Zhen Ding Tathagata” and “Su Meng Tianzun” in grave danger.
The five-colored heavenly lightning, the Four Symbols immortal lightning, and the Yin-Yang Dao lightning erupted in purple and cyan surges like tidal waves, crashing toward the golden Buddha and the Sword Immortal Tianzun.
One transformed his body into the Alaya consciousness, thrusting his sword into the void before him—one finger pointing to the heavens, the other touching the earth—floating through the spiritual realm to evade the assault. The other swung his blade, its movements elusive as falling rain, slowing the lightning’s advance and creating space to dodge and counter.
Once the slash was unleashed, strengths were revealed!
As the area attack slightly subsided, the Overlord stomped his foot, using his overbearing might to teleport directly in front of “Zhen Ding Tathagata.” Seizing the opportunity while Meng Qi’s true self and the Tianzun and Zhenjun manifestations were obstructed, he launched his deadly blade, slicing through the illusory world with indifference.
Though Meng Qi’s true self could fight evenly with him, his manifestations might not withstand several strikes!
As the blade pierced into the spiritual domain, the golden Buddha abruptly disappeared, replaced by two primordial divine hands forming seals—one holding an ancient glazed lamp and the other cradling a purple spiritual realm.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The deadly blade was repelled, and the golden Buddha reappeared where the “Yuan Huang Daoist” had stood.
The connection between true self and manifestations was so strong that they could instantly exchange places across distances!
As Meng Qi’s true self blocked the deadly blade, his manifestations sprang into action. The “Qing Yuan Zhenjun,” formed from the Indestructible Dao Body, vibrated his sword, unleashing a cyan sword beam, silent as the wind, rendering all things ethereal. The sword immortal Tianzun slowly thrust forward, darkness surging endlessly.
Yet, as Zhen Ding Tathagata drew the Alaya Sword resembling a bamboo branch, the Overlord, propelled by the rebound, leapt away, his overbearing might spreading, attempting to escape the encirclement.
As soon as he ascended, Meng Qi’s colossal divine form appeared above, one hand holding a hazy amber small flag, emitting countless golden lotuses, each blooming with infinite light, forming an impenetrable barrier. The other hand formed a palm blade, striking down with the might of creation.
The Overlord twisted his deadly blade, forming a ring of purple lightning to deflect and counter, absorbing the impact of the creation-striking force, crashing sideways into Su Meng Tianzun’s dark water wave sword qi. His overbearing might solidified, greatly weakening the attack, though leaving a dragon-eye-sized wound on his back, from which blood flowed before being sealed by his might.
But precisely because of this impact, he forcefully broke free from the sword formation, avoiding entrapment in the legendary Shattered Xian Sword Array.
Meng Qi’s true self stepped forward, right hand clenched into a hammer, delivering a heavy blow, left hand swirling with wind and fire, following up with an open palm, overturning heaven and earth.
The Overlord didn’t pause, weaving and retreating, his deadly blade unbound by any technique, flowing naturally with Dao principles. Under the reflection of his external might, weakening enemies while strengthening himself, he continuously blocked Meng Qi’s true self’s attacks. Against the combined assault from Zhen Ding Tathagata, Su Meng Tianzun, and Qing Yuan Zhenjun, he either blocked or used his overbearing might to reduce damage, trading injuries for openings, never getting entangled, never falling into the Shattered Xian Sword Array.
Once again, the two figures filled the grand hall, but now the tides had turned. Now it was the Overlord relying on his blade techniques to maneuver, his sword wounds multiplying, blood staining his armor, his breath steadily but firmly declining. Yet, he never showed signs of defeat, never entering the formation, holding the stalemate despite the disadvantage.
The “Unity of Three Clarities” certainly had a time limit. Such a supreme divine ability would undoubtedly drain the true self immensely. As long as he endured until the Unity of Three Clarities ended, he could seize the opportunity to counterattack and seize victory!
The Overlord’s battle talent was unparalleled. He dragged the battle on relentlessly—ten seconds, twenty, forty, fifty. Wounds accumulated, none fatal, none crippling. His mastery of overbearing might was miraculous. Like an unshakable rock amidst a storm of Meng Qi and his three manifestations’ relentless attacks, always seemingly on the verge of being overwhelmed, yet always standing firm.
Pantian Seal, Yin-Yang Seal, Void Seal, Four-Image Seal, Wu-Ji Seal, Pangu Seal, Wuji Seal—seal after seal connected, forming relentless assaults. Yet Meng Qi could not convert his advantage into victory. With less than ten seconds remaining, a plan formed in his mind—he would change strategies.
Suddenly, he raised his left hand, his sleeve flaring open, encompassing this heaven and earth, directly sucking the Overlord inside.
Then, the golden Buddha, sword immortal Tianzun, and Indestructible Dao Body simultaneously vibrated their swords, unleashing sword beams of different colors, converging with Meng Qi’s true self’s sudden appearance of Li Xian sword qi, red, cyan, black, and white nearly taking shape.
As Meng Qi prepared to shake the Overlord out and into the Shattered Xian Sword Array, a violent purple blade light erupted, slicing through the sleeve and bursting forth.
Just a little more!
The situation reverted to the Overlord trading injuries for time. Meng Qi inhaled deeply. As the Overlord dodged and blocked the three manifestations, Meng Qi suddenly recalled them all, drawing upon the residual power, his momentum suddenly surging to its peak. Above his head appeared a blessed cloud, surrounding an ancient banner, which drifted down, merging into the Li Xian sword. Before the Overlord could react, he unleashed a cosmic explosion-like creation-striking blow!
Turning the unexpected into victory!
Light erupted. Sword beams swept forward, impacting the Overlord as if exploding into a new world, engulfing him in infinite sword beams.
“Good!” the Overlord roared, forcefully gathering his strength. Purple lightning surged forward, cleaving a slash that obliterated heaven and earth, leaving only himself standing, attempting to carve out a foothold within the cosmic explosion!
Sword beams clashed, blade lights extinguished and reignited.
Dang!
Blade met sword, waves of light surged. Both warriors poured their last ounce of strength into the battle, striving to overwhelm the other.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Light swept across the hall. Purple lightning weakened but did not vanish. Meng Qi’s divine consciousness and Dao power were both exhausted. Yet in this collision, his True Spirit felt increasingly exalted, more unique.
He seemed to begin overlooking the hall, observing this clash, overlooking the myriad universes. If he advanced further, he could naturally reflect across realms, forming projections of himself.
Was this the path of “No Need for Others,” as Master Lu had walked?
As Meng Qi’s thoughts turned, he saw the Overlord, standing in his last foothold, his surroundings growing darker, as if connecting to more and more universes. It seemed through this clash, this qi connection, he too had achieved an essential improvement, naturally linking with more “other selves.”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sword beams did not cease, nor did the purple lightning wane. If this stalemate continued, the Overlord might break through on the battlefield, reaching a qualitative transformation. But Meng Qi was still decades away from achieving “No Need for Others.” This was the gap in their cultivation.
With the last ounce of strength poured in, the sword beams began to weaken. The purple lightning still stood, faint but unextinguished. Yet the Overlord did not seize the chance to counterattack, merely holding his deadly blade across his chest.
“Excellent. A Celestial Immortal still displaying such prowess truly astonishes me. If you had used the Unity of Three Clarities when that opportunity arose, if your final strike had wielded a peerless divine weapon instead of an ordinary Celestial Immortal sword, I might have already lost.” Though the Overlord had connected with more “other selves,” restoring some strength, his numerous wounds left him weakened. Both had fought to the brink of exhaustion.
Meng Qi calmly sheathed the Li Xian sword, smiling faintly: “If you, the Overlord, hadn’t been arrogant from the start, had used your full strength immediately, if you had seized the final opportunity to counterattack, it might have been me who lost.”
As the words faded, both burst into hearty laughter, filled with exhilaration.
What a glorious battle it had been!
Meng Qi sighed deeply. If he had sufficient time and could consolidate the gains from this battle, he could surely walk the path of “No Need for Others” as Master Lu had. It was the purest, most cherished path to him. Unfortunately, it required at least thirty years of accumulation, and only within the Real World.
The Overlord sheathed his deadly blade and walked toward the exit, sighing: “To find one worthy opponent in a lifetime is enough. When legends arise again, we shall fight once more.”
Meng Qi said nothing, walking side by side with him out of the grand hall. In a flicker of light, they arrived outside the Demon Emperor Hall, yet the Overlord was no longer beside him.
One return to the present, one to antiquity.
He turned his head, gazing at the empty space beside him, sighing: “A pity. Your legend has no ‘after’…”
He stepped forward, preparing to leave. This journey had already granted him many traits of the Thunder God’s other self.
Suddenly, his footsteps came to a halt. He turned back and saw Chui Yizi lying prostrate on the ground, biting the hem of his Dao-manifested robe. His voice echoed through the void as he sheepishly pleaded, “I’ve already come in. Can’t I just take another casual stroll around?”
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