“Rakshasa!”

The Great Brahma Demon King bellowed in a mix of shock and rage. He had suddenly realized that even in considering the worst-case scenario, he had overlooked an even graver situation: what if the two formidable foes, Qu Thunderbolt-Free and the Rakshasa Ghost King, joined forces?

How could they have possibly joined forces? One, buried thousands of years beneath the earth, had vanished without a trace. How could this figure possibly coordinate with the Rakshasa Ghost King?

There was no need for detailed contemplation. The declaration of war by the Rakshasa Ghost King at the level of the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion spoke volumes: a hundred thousand elite demons and monsters had surged forth at her command, igniting a massive conflict between the Skyless Scorched Purgatory and the Illusion-Breaking Celestial Mansion. Previously, not even a whisper of this impending storm had reached him!

How long had this been brewing? How long had it been calculated? The mere thought of the answer filled him with a seething fury.

The Great Brahma Demon King was all too aware of the Rakshasa Ghost King's schemes. She would never allow him to establish a foothold in the Cultivation World. A dozen eons ago, it was by this very method that she had connected the two realms and ascended to the position of God Lord. How could she now permit her archenemy to follow in her footsteps and pose a threat?

She had chosen an opportune moment.

At this instant, the foundation of the Skyless Scorched Purgatory was in utter chaos. The Rakshasa Ghost King had launched a major invasion with the forces of the Illusion-Breaking Celestial Mansion. The Rakshasa herself had entered the fray, instigating a royal-class battle within the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion, a rarity even there. The sounds of battle that spread across the base of the Skyless Scorched Purgatory had not yet faded when the two, who could be called the world’s pinnacle of power, collided head-on, their impact reverberating across every corner of the boundless void.

Now, both sides of the Great Brahma Demon King were engaged in battle. In practical terms, the fight in the Skyless Scorched Purgatory was more troublesome. The Rakshasa Ghost King was an opponent that demanded his full attention. To ensure absolute safety, he should retreat as soon as possible and leave this side of the conflict alone. Moreover, with his Divine Power, even a Separate Consciousness and Thoughts without direct control could exhibit considerable intelligence. Relying on Yuan Dao's Physical Body, he could still cause significant trouble for Qu Thunderbolt-Free's lingering shadow. There was still room to maneuver.

But he could do even better!

A grand opportunity lay before him. The threat posed by Qu Thunderbolt-Free's lingering shadow was actually limited. The very fabric of heaven and earth at the source of the Boundary River could be completely permeated by the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion at any moment. Moreover, he had caught sight of the Xuan Huang Killing Sword!

The Great Brahma Demon King was never one to dither. Having quickly weighed his options, he acted at once, shifting the focus of his projected Black Magic Altar's assault. Under such circumstances, nothing else mattered. If he could seize the Xuan Huang Killing Sword and extract its Bloodthirsty Qi, shattering the spatial barrier would be as effortless as a breath of air!

Alas, that Taoist who forced the Sword Energy, countering decay and flourishing in reverse, was truly vexing to the extreme. Merely by sight, the area around the target was shrouded in a thin mist, obscuring the view. No matter how powerful the force that penetrated, it was subtly diminished layer by layer by the exquisite Sword Energy within. The changes were profound and unpredictable, almost causing a misjudgment of the Taoist's Cultivation Level and an improper response.

Now, although the power of the Black Magic Altar was overwhelmingly dominant, the resilience of that Taoist exceeded expectations. After a stalemate of several breaths, the Great Brahma Demon King suddenly realized: "How vexing! Who has the leisure to entangle with him now?"

He had intended to increase the lethality of the Black Magic Altar, but at this moment, in the midst of the imminent great battle within the Skyless Scorched Purgatory, as one of the significant forces, the Black Magic Altar was responsible for the regulation and transformation of half the Primordial Qi of heaven and earth. How could it spare any power?

Moreover, the interference from the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave, also known as the Shadow Ghost, had always been there. Although the Great Brahma Demon King's Cultivation Level and will were far superior to the former, as the saying goes, there are specialists in every field. For tens of thousands of years, the Shadow Ghost had been devising ways to seize Yuan Dao's Physical Body, frequently making fine adjustments to himself. In terms of compatibility, the Great Brahma Demon King indeed fell short.

With both internal and external conditions not permitting, the Great Brahma Demon King grew anxious. The Rakshasa would not wait for anyone! Would he really watch a grand situation be ruined?

In a moment of urgency, a stroke of genius came to him, and he suddenly remembered that there was still an unplayed card at hand:

"I want that sword!"

In his roaring voice, the temporary ally understood his intention, and a metallic luster streaked across the sky. Once again, they were faced with the Transforming Departure Sword Mist. This time, the Heavy Weapon Sect Leader was no longer deceived by the Sword Mist. In her eyes, the figure of Yu Zhou holding the sword was somewhat blurry, but it was tangible. Enduring the tremendous suction power of the Black Magic Altar, while also protecting his disciple, even this Taoist, who was a paragon of Swordsmanship, could no longer display the ethereal and subtle ways of his misty Sword aura.

"This person must be at his limit..."

The power of the Black Magic Altar was unparalleled, and even as a projection, it possessed an incredible force. In the Heavy Weapon Sect Leader's eyes, it was unexpected that Yu Zhou could resist for so long with his forcefully exerted step-void Cultivation Level.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

What a pity...

She thrust her arm forward, cutting into the Sword Mist barrier. Her fingertips, wrapped in metal, accurately struck the spine of the Passing Water Sword. The Taoist was already at the end of his strength, and close combat would erase his buffer zone, aiming for a swift and decisive battle!

Upon slight contact, Yu Zhou was already bleeding from his mouth and nose, his body violently trembling. The Heavy Weapon Sect Leader's strike was precisely the winning move that shattered the painstakingly maintained standoff.

As the visage of an old acquaintance flitted across her mind, the Heavy Weapon Sect Leader hesitated no longer. Unleashing a second wave of force, she prepared for another strike. However, at that moment, a change in her perception alerted her to a figure darting out from behind the Taoist.

The vicinity was sealed by the projections of the Black Magic Altar, with thousands of talismans interwoven into a formation, locking the area in a way that not even wind or rain could penetrate. It was like a wall of blood-sucking brambles, with venomous curse-laden spikes everywhere, ready to cause continuous bleeding from even the slightest cut, all of which would be absorbed by the Altar.

Yet this individual, with an exceptional level of Talisman Cultivation, seized the moment when she and Yu Zhou were engaged in combat and the environment was in flux. He spied a narrow gap and burst through with force. Bloodied and battered, he was nonetheless enveloped in a purple aura, as if protected by some treasured artifact that neutralized the draining power of the Black Magic Altar.

From afar, the Great Brahma Demon King bellowed in rage, attempting to readjust the focal point of the Altar, but it was too late. The Heavy Weapon Sect Leader, knowing the urgency of the situation, did not hesitate. Forsaking Yu Zhou, she pursued the figure relentlessly.

Yu Zhou also wanted to give chase but was thwarted by a technique she used, which momentarily stalled him and allowed the Black Magic Altar to seal him off, instantly widening the gap between them.

The Heavy Weapon Sect Leader kept her eyes fixed on the figure ahead. Suddenly, the image before her blurred, and the figure split in two, each doppelgänger fleeing in opposite directions. Any other person would have been caught off guard, but she was not fooled. She continued forward, following her anticipated trajectory.

"Two Supreme Polaris Star Pivot Avatars, alas, lacking in refinement."

After a hundred more feet, her body, which had been suspended in the air, suddenly plummeted, her feet hitting the ground and sending out an invisible shockwave that penetrated deep into the earth. But before that could take effect, the ground had already cracked open, and Yu Ci leapt out.

It was a clever move; otherwise, he would have undoubtedly been trapped beneath the earth by the Heavy Weapon Sect Leader.

However, the situation did not seem much improved. The Heavy Weapon Sect Leader had no intention of further engagement. Her ground strike missed, but she used the momentum to launch herself forward. In the blink of an eye, she was upon him, only two feet away, within arm's reach, her bronze mask betraying no emotion.

She didn't need to extend her hand; the spontaneously erupting Gang energy was like a heavy hammer, crashing down upon Yu Ci's head, causing stars to burst before his eyes and a sweetness in his throat. At that moment, her fingers were already probing towards the scabbard in his hand.

Yu Ci pursed his lips, his right hand, which had been gripping the sword hilt tightly, now pulled to the side in a swift motion. The sword hummed softly, and a dazzling Blood Light filled the view, leaving no gaps.

Violent thoughts broke through his mental defenses once more, bringing with them the accumulated Killing Karma of numerous calamities, the Blood Light flooding his consciousness, threatening to drive him mad. Yet, in the depths of his soul, there was a quiet corner, a sanctuary for his sanity.

There, a brief but intense debate unfolded:

"You fool, this is exactly what the Great Brahma desires..."

"When an ant is about to be crushed, does it think of how to topple a giant?"

"..."

"All I see before me is an ant. I am one, Xuan Huang is too, and as for you, elder, perhaps it's best not to set your sights on ants, right?"

The sword was only half-drawn, but the Bloodthirsty Qi had already cleansed the surrounding area of a mile radius and was rapidly expanding outward. The two figures, now close to each other, were uncontrollably pushed back. The Heavy Weapon Sect Leader felt a flicker of surprise but did not release her grip on the scabbard. Thus, the Xuan Huang Killing Sword's edge was fully unsheathed amidst a piercing howl, and a tidal wave of blood surged towards the heavens, sweeping across all directions.

Raging thoughts assaulted his mind, leaving Yu Ci with no inclination to hide his feelings as he bared his emotions:

"I fucking hate this!"

In his hoarse roar, Yu Ci felt as if his fingers, shoulders, chest, and his entire being were about to be torn apart by the surging bloodthirsty qi. Ironically, a black magic altar intervened, greedily siphoning off the dense killing karma blood qi, granting him a slight respite.

The Great Brahma Demon King's laughter was deafening, but Yu Ci completely blocked it out. He swung his numb arm, thrusting the sword tip towards the Heavy Weapon Sect Leader who was advancing against the tide of blood.

"Kill!"

In his blood-red field of vision, the Heavy Weapon Sect Leader seemed to be skewered on the sword tip, yet her figure suddenly blurred, and with half a spin, she was unscathed, sliding past the blade's edge into the central position, pressing down with a finger.

Yu Ci's forehead shook slightly. His mind, stained by the bloodthirsty qi, suddenly emptied, and the penetrating force felt like a sharp, hollow nail piercing through his skin, creating a connection within and without, drawing in the power of distant stars directly into him.

Great Mysterious Star Lock!

Is this the end?

As the thought arose, waves surged in the boundless depths of his consciousness, bringing with them strange messages that reconstructed layer by layer into a graspable reality. Yu Ci's body trembled, pierced by the power of the stars at his brow, throat, chest, upper and lower abdomen. With each strike, a mouthful of bloody filth rose to his throat, which he forcibly held back until the five star locks were set and the star forces converged. His face drained of blood, the accumulated clots violently burst through his throat, shooting towards the Heavy Weapon Sect Leader like a bloody arrow.

With his throat as the boundary, the star force was severed in two, and the Great Mysterious Star Lock shattered without an attack!

"Old Xuan Huang, don't be ungrateful!"

Yu Ci smiled faintly. His neck was slightly twisted, and his breathing cut off, but the failure of the Great Mysterious Star Lock had, paradoxically, left him with a bit of strength and the return of bodily sensation. His sword-wielding wrist deftly turned, and the Xuan Huang Killing Sword obediently changed its angle, dragging and smearing across, tearing a long gash at the junction of shoulder and neck on the sky-blue metallic heavy armor.

The Heavy Weapon Sect Leader remained silent. The defense of the heavy armor was compromised, and the bloodthirsty qi infiltrated, but none were fatal. She still had enough time to seize the sword and kill. But why did the Great Mysterious Star Lock break like that?

Suddenly, she realized she had grasped some information, but before she could contemplate, the young man in front of her had already tossed up his other hand, his robe sleeve slipping off, revealing a clear, flawless green light, brimming with an eager strange power.

This is troublesome; I'd forgotten about that mirror!

Before her thought could finish, the Great Brahma Demon King's laughter abruptly ceased. The dark red world brightened for a moment, and the Heavy Weapon Sect Leader felt an alarm in her heart. Turning back, she saw in mid-air a clear radiance, a bright, empty green that could reflect the transparency of her internal organs, without shadow or cover.

A bright moon rose in the sky.