In the headwater region of the Boundary River, the interwoven complexity of the Abyssal Sea Blood Tide painted the world in bizarre and fantastical hues. The clash of Sword Energy resounded, striking the ear with a thunderous roar.
In such an environment, Yu Zhou could hardly make out anything. He wasn't concerned with these distractions; his only focus was to reach out and support Yu Ci. But at that moment, Yu Ci had not the strength even to lift his hand, his gaze distant and unfocused. Yu Zhou called out to him without eliciting a response, and with a shake of his head, he steadied Yu Ci, who was nearly swept away by the formidable Power of the Blood Tide as they stood perilously close to the Xuan Huang Killing Sword. The Old Daoist had just managed to stand upright when he staggered, nearly blown away.
It was then that Yu Ci snapped back to reality, though he struggled to concentrate.
The Old Daoist assumed his Divine Soul had been severely damaged due to his injuries, unaware that amidst the cacophony of Sword Energy like thunder and the flow of information that eluded ordinary senses, Yu Ci's ears caught fragments of a conversation. Perhaps due to his repeated exchanges with a certain entity, he was somewhat familiar with this phenomenon, and managed to discern a few phrases.
"A good reason indeed, but I fear the outcome will be dire," a sharp sword's ring sounded both annoyed and mocking.
"One must always try."
As the words faded, the conduit piercing the void solidified once more. Sensationally, it seemed to connect the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion with the utterly void space above, separated only by two barriers—one thin, the other thick. The thin one was on the verge of rupture; its collapse would lead to a violent clash between the Cosmic Qi of the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion and the Cultivation World, unleashing tremendous energy, most of which would be absorbed into the conduit. The spillage, a mere fraction, would thus significantly reduce the damage to this realm.
But one should not rejoice too soon.
The massive energy diverted was meant to assault the "thicker barrier," indicating an attempt to forge a path to another world named the "Eternal Abyss."
Before the Five Thunderbolt Tribulation, the westward conquest of the Sword immortal was met with formidable resistance. Thirteen ancient Buddhas from the western Buddha nation broke the "cycle of six reincarnations" and accepted mutual annihilation as the price to cast seventeen Sword immortals into that realm. Was it to bestow upon them a life of bliss? That place was nothing less than a deadly domain that even the celestial immortals and Buddhas dreaded!
If such a void were to connect with the Eternal Abyss, the consequences would be far more catastrophic than linking with the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion. The transformation of billions of miles of heaven and earth, and the ash of countless lives, would be all too common.
From the snippets he overheard, Yu Ci pieced together this information, along with another bit of even vaguer intel that, upon hearing, sent chills down his spine and he promptly chose to forget. Now, he only pondered how this situation would resolve:
"To think I once addressed him as a senior, and talked of fleeing. Now, where can I run to?"
Yu Ci had just openly identified the other's identity, and though there was no direct admission, he was now fully certain of it. However, since their acquaintance, this individual had shown a complete lack of what one might call "sincerity," a stark contrast to the forthright nature of Xuan Huang.
In this moment, Yu Zhou was struggling mightily against the assault of the Abyssal Sea Blood Tide, endeavoring to move Yu Ci out of this perilous zone.
Yu Ci came to his senses, clutching his throat, straightening his neck bone to ease his breathing, making it smoother to converse with Yu Zhou. Yet, as words approached his lips, he fell silent: How should he start a conversation with Yu Zhou? Should he say, "Stop running, we're all doomed soon anyway"?
The Xing Tian Magic Sword's ringing grew more urgent, its assault against the Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation relentless, not ceasing for a moment.
Of course, at this time, the true form of Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation was hidden behind countless layers of the void, utterly untouchable, and striking down mere shadows bore no significance. In reality, Xing Tian's attacks were targeting the newly constructed passageway, intent on thwarting Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation's scheme.
But was there any meaning to this? Perhaps, in Xing Tian's view, to vent the frustration within one's heart was meaningful enough. Yet for Yu Ci, Yu Zhou, and even the thousand cultivators still lingering around the Sword Garden, the outcome of the two realms colliding remained unaltered. Whether it was a collision with the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion or a clash with the Eternal Abyss, what difference did it make?
Hoping for salvation from others was never a good habit, especially not from the likes of Xing Tian... Huh?
Xing Tian's subsequent offensive caught Yu Ci off guard. The Sword Light leapt out from the sea-like azure blue, skillfully bypassing the fully formed passageway. With a slash through the void, it cleaved half of the suspended moon disc from the sky.
This strike served no other purpose but proved advantageous for someone. A roar echoed from the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave, having broken free from the constraints of the levitating bright moon. The simple Yuan Dao's Physical Body could hardly contain it for long. In a breath's time, it transformed into a wisp of grey light and escaped.
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To Yu Ci, Xing Tian's maneuver seemed oddly positioned yet was executed with finesse. However, the shadow of Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation showed no sign of surprise, maintaining a composure that was truly irritating. He said leisurely:
"To exchange you with the Lichen Sect was indeed a hindrance to your path to enlightenment. Now that you've come to meddle, it seems only fair. Thus, let's leave it to our respective fates."
Xing Tian remained silent, and the vast azure light of the heavens and earth began to retract. Naturally, it bore no gratitude, but rather, at this crucial moment, it was purifying the Sword aura, preparing for a thunderous strike.
Observing the sword's momentum, the shadow of Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation let out a silent, mocking laugh, "The Flying Immortal Sword Technique?"
"To vanquish demons and eliminate evil, the Nine Heavens Flying Immortal technique is indeed what's needed!"
Sharper than the Sword Energy about to burst forth in an instant was the piercing sarcasm in response. It was met with layers upon layers of void barriers, as if in an instant, it had been cast into the boundless void of the Outer Realm of the Nine Heavens. Xing Tian knew that even now, Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation, formidable as it was, could possibly achieve this. But reason is one thing, and emotions are another—they can't help but be deeply entangled.
"Demonic Ancestral Trick!"
It had never feared such tactics, but upon witnessing this mystic and insidious method that assailed the heart, an uncontrollable surge of malevolent fire erupted within it. The sword's ringing cry was fierce and resolute: "Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation, you've truly become a lapdog under the Original Demon Lord!"
At this moment, it had completely forgotten the earlier mockery. The revenge it had dreamt of day and night was not to be of this nature!
In the void, an invisible swamp seemed to unfold. The physical sword and the lingering image of Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation were less than a mile apart, yet between them lay a tangled mess of demonic energy threads and innumerable Void Rifts and holes. These obstructions were strategically placed at the critical junctures of the Sword Energy's flow. Even if the Sword aura were of the purest kind, it could not help but be worn down in this environment.
For a time, Xing Tian found himself placing his hopes on the recently freed Master of the Sunken Sword Cave.
The face of the Master, which bore a striking resemblance to Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation, was now twisted with shame and fear, yet even in distortion, it could muster strength. The Master of the Sunken Sword Cave, having endured thousands of years of arduous cultivation in the Sword Garden without the opportunity for enlightenment, possessed a level of Cultivation second only to the Xing Tian Magic Sword.
Fixating on the residual image of Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation, the Master suddenly flickered and soared into the firmament, aligning with the half-moon in the sky. With a gesture, his semi-ethereal form shrank abruptly, squeezing out a mass of purple light and mist that descended swiftly, expanding to the size of a head and emitting a buzzing sound. This noise was reminiscent of both a sword's hum and the suppressed peal of thunder.
"Thunder-Slaying Tribulation-Dispelling Ukase!"
Xing Tian's spirits lifted, thinking to himself that the Shadow Ghost wasn't entirely useless after all. This Sword Competing Pavilion's Supreme Treasure, when thrown at the historical Qu Thunderbolt Tribulation, would have been a mere joke, but here, in the domain of the Sky Demon, how could it remain unscathed? With the opposing natures clashing, it could even draw upon the heavenly Thunderbolt Tribulation. Following this lead, it might be possible to sever the true body's projected path and resolve the entrapment once and for all.
With this in mind, the true form of the Xing Tian Magic Sword hidden within the azure light sea struggled fiercely, releasing Sword aura of the same origin to respond to the descending Thunder-Slaying Sword Qi, creating a pincer attack.
At this very moment, the residual image of Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation let out a chuckle, tinged with a hint of surprise: "A thread of profound mystery is sensed, and only now is it clear. So this object is here too?"
Even though Xing Tian had always been on the same "plane" as his adversary, he was still confused. In a moment of stupefaction, at the junction where the Abyssal Sea Blood Tide met the land, a green light like a wheel soared into the sky. The higher it climbed, the more dazzling the light became, carving out a space in this bizarre world. And from the source of this ascending light, one could faintly hear Yu Ci cry out in astonishment. In an instant, the incomplete became whole, the moon's disk flawless. Moonlight Glow spilled forth like the coming and going of tides, and the demonic power within it increased tenfold, if not more.
When the moonlight shone down, all the "people" present felt as if their bodies and souls were laid bare, with not a single place to hide. It seemed as though all their flesh and skin had dissolved away completely. In their shock, their divine souls fluttered uncontrollably, yearning to ascend into the moonlight glow above.
Fortunately, with a flicker of thought, everyone realized it was but a momentary illusion. However, for one being, the experience was utterly different.
The Master of the Sunken Sword Cave had just unleashed the Thunder-Slaying, Tribulation-Dispelling Ukase and was preparing the next move when the moonlight struck directly. While others were still shielded by their physical bodies, it, being a phantom, was pierced through by the magical moonlight glow. The ethereal and unpredictable light penetrated all its defenses, and even igniting the Origin Force bestowed by the Great Brahma Demon King was futile. In that instant, it didn't even have the chance to cry out in anguish.
From the depths of the void, it seemed as if a demon god reached out to seize it. With a single grasp, the Shadow Ghost was twisted beyond recognition, turning into a wisp of grey light that spiraled into the heart of the bright moon, its presence vanishing into silence.
Xing Tian was stunned. Even if it weren't, it would have been bound by the tidal force of the Moonlight Glow.
With the utmost pure and refined sword aura within, the magical power of the Moonlight Glow could not harm Xing Tian, nor could it trap it for long. But in the current situation, what time was there to spare?
It had no eyes, yet its clear and distinct perception was now overshadowed by Qu Wu's Thunderbolt Tribulation's indifferent glance, a look that made Xing Tian wish it could die on the spot.
Why was it that in his presence, it was forever without the strength to retaliate?
"Over here!"
On a plane of consciousness only Xing Tian and Qu Wu's Thunderbolt Tribulation could detect, a third thought suddenly intruded.
Xing Tian instinctively shifted its focus of perception and saw at the boundary of the Abyssal Sea Blood Tide, a young man who could no longer speak, stretching out his arm, pointing in a certain direction. Behind him, Old Daoist Yu Zhou was manifesting fierce Sword Energy, piercing through the Abyssal Sea Blood Tide, lunging forward.
In that moment, Xing Tian suddenly understood the fluctuations in Qu Wu's Thunderbolt Tribulation's intent. Just as it was about to act recklessly, the binding force of the surrounding Void Marsh surged tenfold, locking it in place completely. Then the moonlight from the sky poured down, tearing through the chaotic currents of the Abyssal Sea Blood Tide, not to attack Yu Zhou but to shine directly on the target locked by Yu Zhou's Sword Energy.
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