Chapter 452: The Mad Ancient Cultivators

The Star Grave Sand Sea, the Dao Tomb.

As the doors to the doghouse opened once more, Wang Ping and the others returned. Fu and Yang went to find Dao, while Li left alone.

'I can't hold them back either.'

Wang Ping took a deep breath and sat cross-legged. With a shift of his mind, his consciousness descended into the Taiping Sutra and looked toward its ninth scripture scroll.

Forsaken by Men!

This scripture scroll could sever anything from Wang Ping's body—whether it was imagery, cultivation, Dao foundation, life, or karma—and transfer it to his clone.

This was also the hidden countermeasure he had prepared from the start. He would sever the dharma body path and the Long River of Memory that his murky body had created and hand them all over to his clone. That way, his murky body would be completely clean. No matter how anyone investigated, they wouldn't find any flaws, and no one would connect him to the path opener.

Originally, he hadn't planned to sever it this quickly.

However, the current situation gave him an unprecedented feeling of an approaching storm. If nothing unexpected happened, a magnificent and grand battle was bound to follow.

Moreover, there would be trouble after the battle.

'If my connection to the path opener is exposed, it's very likely to backfire. What the Ancient Cultivator orthodoxy wants to do is deter, not actually fight the Immortal Gate to the death.'

If his identity as the path opener were exposed and the Immortal Gate gathered its forces to attack, the Ancient Cultivators would have no choice but to hand him over obediently, no matter how reluctant they were. The strength of the two sides simply wasn't on the same level. Taking advantage of the Immortal Gate's internal disunity to establish a foothold was already the best possible outcome, so they absolutely could not give the Immortal Gate a reason to unite. Otherwise, they would be courting their own destruction. In Wang Ping's eyes, that meant he would be holding them back.

'Let's sever it.'

Wang Ping's thoughts spun, and Forsaken by Men activated, immediately linking his murky body in the Heavenly Armory with his second clone in the Heavenly Craft Cave Abode.

"Boom!"

A vast, unseen mighty power crashed down, forming a bridge between the two bodies. It transmitted the orthodoxy and altered profound mysteries, swiftly completing the severance.

Inside the Heavenly Armory, the murky body's aura plummeted. In the blink of an eye, he went from a dharma body path Dao Lord capable of breaking the First Layer Heaven with his physical body to a mortal shell with no cultivation at all... Meanwhile, the second clone in the Heavenly Craft Cave Abode completely inherited the dharma body path and the Long River of Memory.

Of course, it wouldn't do for the murky body to have absolutely no cultivation.

A second later, Wang Ping controlled the murky body to sense the dharma body path once more. However, he did so not as the path opener, but as a practitioner!

Although his identity as the path opener had been severed, his Dao attainments and knowledge had not disappeared. All he lacked was a little bit of resources for cultivation.

Right now, however, the Heavenly Armory was still piled high with massive amounts of spiritual materials Wang Ping had previously moved out of the Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary. As resources for cultivating the dharma body path, they were simply perfect—thus, it didn't take long for Wang Ping's murky body to radiate a powerful aura once again.

"Perfect!"

Having finished all this, Wang Ping nodded in satisfaction. He then looked up at Xuanzhi beside him and reached out to grab the beast.

"Bawk, bawk, bawk!?"

"Thank you for your hard work, Daoist Xuanzhi. I need to take a look at the future."

Wang Ping took a deep breath. First, he pulled out the Great Expansion Deficient-One Disk and shoved it into Xuanzhi's claws, and then he brought out the Cyclic Life-Substituting Book.

Big Plate Chicken, deduce it for me!

Meanwhile, in another corner of the Dao Tomb.

Every Dao Monarch had a palace dedicated exclusively to themselves. At this moment, Dao separated a wisp of his consciousness to tinker with an experiment in his own palace.

In the center of the palace stood a massive alchemy furnace.

Dao stood leisurely in front of the furnace, gripping a Plantain Fan in his hand. He fanned the flames a few times now and then, humming an unrecognizable tune.

"You certainly seem laid-back, Fellow Daoist."

"Hm?"

Dao looked up at the sound and raised an eyebrow. "Fu and Yang, weren't you dragging Wang Ping around to plot the assassination of the Immortal Gate's True Person? What are you doing here?"

Hearing this, Fu's face instantly darkened. Wang Ping had been right. They were all good brothers serving time in prison together—who could they really hide this kind of thing from? Even Dao had figured it out!

"We need help," Fu said.

Tossing aside his stray thoughts, Fu said in a deep voice, "We have a way to bear your Heavenly Venerable True Mantra for a short while. We need you to temporarily return to your Dao Lord state."

To be honest, after Wang Ping mentioned there might be an informer among the Dao Monarchs, Fu harbored some suspicions about everyone else, including Dao. However, Dao was also one of the Ancient Cultivators' only three Dao Lords. If he were the informer, there would be no point in fighting; they might as well close their eyes and wait for death.

Therefore, Fu decided to just confess everything.

From the plan to hunt True Person Chiming to the specific methods, as well as Wang Ping's worries and deductions, he told Dao every detail.

"I..."

After hearing Fu's tale, even with Dao's temperament and shrewdness, his mouth fell open. For a long while, he couldn't utter a single word.

Wait, what were they trying to do?

This level of preparation didn't look at all like they were just going to kill a single Immortal Gate True Person and call it a day. It looked more like they were gearing up to fight the Immortal Gate to the bitter end!

"Stop holding onto illusions."

Fu instantly saw through Dao's thoughts and said coldly, "The start of the war is the final battle. We only have one chance, and if we miss it, there won't be another."

"And right now is what I judge to be the best opportunity. With Wang Ping creating the conditions for us, even if an informer exists, the Immortal Gate couldn't possibly have a complete grasp of our resolve and strength. By using the geographical advantage of the Heavenly Armory to strike a vicious blow, if we win, we will be able to establish our foothold in the Cosmos!"

"Then... what if we lose?" Dao asked.

"Lose?" Fu sneered. "Then we'll go back to the Star Grave Sand Sea and obediently wait for death. There'll be no need to keep dreaming about reviving our orthodoxy."

Too radical!

Dao felt somewhat helpless, but on second thought, even Li had joined this plan. Two of the three Dao Lords had already reached an agreement.

Right now, Fu had come looking for him, which clearly meant they were still lacking in combat power. If he refused at this juncture, it would only lower their chances of winning, and the outcome wouldn't necessarily be any better... He might as well just charge in with them. They would advance and retreat together regardless, and what if it really was a great opportunity?

"Never mind, never mind."

Thinking of this, Dao shook his head helplessly. "I can lend a hand. But you know me—I'm not skilled at fighting. I'm afraid the most I can do is stall them."

"That's enough!"

The center of the Dao Tomb.

In the center of a spacious palace, the pitch-black Star Grave resembled a profound black hole. It devoured the dying twilight aura of the Ancient Cultivator orthodoxy, seemingly without end.

And Li's human form, a white-haired old man, quietly appeared beside the Star Grave. He observed it with keen interest until a deep voice suddenly rang out.

"Li, why did you suddenly wake up? Can your body still withstand the twilight aura?"

Hearing this, Li looked up.

His gaze fell upon a figure shrouded in a hazy blur. He could faintly make out the boiling imagery of the three calamities of thunder, wind, and fire, as if they might erupt at any moment.

"It's you, Zai."

Li chuckled. "It's nothing. I just got the urge to come look at the Star Grave. After all these years, it can be considered an old friend of mine."

"You certainly have a lot of free time."

Zai said impassively, "The Heaven Defiance Palace has already entered the world. If this continues, the Immortal Gate is really going to shoot it down. Are you just going to watch?"

"Oh..."

Hearing this, Li glanced at the other man and said softly, "It seems you aren't very happy about the Heaven Defiance Palace being shot down. Do you want to step in and stop it?"

"Of course!"

Zai's tone was decisive. "I know that you, Fu, and Yang are using that Wang Ping to scheme something. You want to make a move against the Fire Qi True Person?"

Li sighed helplessly. "You figured all that out?"

"What's so hard about it!"

Zai was also somewhat speechless. "The Dao Tomb is only so big. We see each other all the time. If there's really going to be a major move, who could hide it from anyone else?"

"Then did you know... that there is a very high possibility an informer exists among us, secretly feeding these matters to the Immortal Gate so they can prepare?" Li narrowed his eyes and stared straight at Zai. As his voice fell, a subtle change instantly appeared on Zai's face.

"An informer?" After a brief moment of shock, Zai quickly reacted. "So that's why you kept it a secret... You suspected me? You suspected Transformation and Ze?"

Of the eight Dao Monarchs in the Dao Tomb, those three were closely connected to the Great Rebellion. This was no secret, so Zai immediately guessed the various reasons behind the suspicion.

However, his reaction was one of extreme indignation.

"Absurd!"

Zai laughed in extreme anger. "I think Fu has gone senile in his old age! To actually think we would secretly act as informers for the Immortal Gate—it's simply preposterous!"

"It's just in case," Li said calmly. "After all, Wang Ping has now fallen into the Heaven Defiance Palace and has clearly become a pawn used by the various True Monarchs to shoot it down. Considering your stance, it's perfectly normal for Fu to think you'd want him to die once to prevent him from aiding the immortals' tyranny..."

"Normal my ass!"

Zai grew even angrier. "What does the Immortal Gate True Monarchs' layout have to do with a lowly cultivator like him? If he dies, is the Immortal Gate going to abandon their strike?"

"They'll do nothing more than swap him out for a more useful pawn!"

"This matter... it's not as if Transformation, Ze, and I haven't discussed it. But we all agreed that Wang Ping being inside the Heaven Defiance Palace is actually an opportunity."

"The fall of the Heaven Defiance Palace is the will of the Immortal Gate and is inevitable, but perhaps we can use Wang Ping's hands to salvage some of the Great Rebellion's inheritance."

"As for you wanting to kill an Immortal Gate True Person to establish your might, we approve of that as well. At most, we have doubts about the timing, given that the Human Emperor hasn't returned yet... But no matter what, there's no way we would go inform the Immortal Gate! How dare Fu think such a thing? What does he take us for!" Zai's hands trembled with anger.

Immediately after, he sneered in mockery. "As expected of the Dao Lord who created the Qi Consumption method. Deep down, he simply doesn't trust us qi nurturing practitioners..."

"Zai!"

Before he could finish speaking, a much louder Dao voice interrupted Zai's mockery. Zai caught himself and quickly shut his mouth.

"Watch your words," Li said gravely. "We bear the Heavenly Venerable True Mantra, and our former Dao titles have all been buried. Casually speaking them out loud will affect your condition."

"I understand."

Zai sighed. "I got agitated for a moment... I'm sorry, Li. But I really can't swallow this anger. Why doesn't Fu trust us?"

He still held great respect for Li. After all, Li was the oldest Dao Monarch and the first to bear the Heavenly Venerable True Mantra. Back when they had fallen into the Star Grave Sand Sea, Li had helped them out considerably. Everyone remembered that friendship, which naturally bred reverence in their hearts.

"Let's just watch and see."

Li smiled noncommittally.

"If there is no informer, this hunt will definitely go smoothly. If an accident occurs, then there must be an informer, and we'll simply have to face it then."

"...Alright." Zai fell silent for a moment before nodding. "No matter what, if a mishap really occurs, I will take action. I absolutely won't ignore it."

"Excellent."

Li nodded slightly before turning his head to gaze once more at the Star Grave in front of him. He then formed a hand seal, and a golden light gradually surfaced in his eyes. He hadn't been lying; he did indeed have a way to add enough combat power to their camp to handle a True Monarch. The method might just be a bit unorthodox. But at this point, what was left to worry about?

'Zai, you've judged the wrong person.'

Li lowered his eyelids and sighed inwardly. Of course he could sense Zai's respect for him, but unfortunately, they had misjudged him. 'I'm not a good person...'

"Boom!"

Wang Ping abruptly opened his eyes. Before his gaze, the Cyclic Life-Substituting Book ignited once more, and a full ten pages of life-substituting paper were reduced to flying ash.

'This is bad.'

Wang Ping shut his eyes tight, recalling the images he had seen before starting over—nothing less than a boundless sea of blood and a profound hole exploding with a deafening blast.

'The various True Monarchs were indeed prepared. Fire Qi... has more than one True Monarch. Once True Person Chiming was killed, all the Fire Qi True Monarchs would instantly swarm out in full force. The other orthodoxies would sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. The Ancient Cultivators' three Dao Lords wouldn't be able to endure a protracted battle, so they'd be forced to detonate the Star Grave, threatening mutually assured destruction...'

And then he had died.

At the final juncture, the Ancient Cultivators and the Fire Qi faction were locked in a fierce struggle. The instant the Star Grave detonated and the world shook, a mysterious person had actually attacked him! He didn't know who it was.

In that instant, the Profound One Calamity-Crossing Ring behind his head had seemed to trigger, but it was still a step too late, and his very existence was erased just like that. At this thought, Wang Ping's expression grew even uglier.

'To dare attack me, they clearly aren't afraid of my resurrection. For them to be so certain they could kill me, it could only be a True Monarch capable of thoroughly erasing a person's existence.' Which True Monarch held such malice toward him?

Moreover, their timing had been impeccably precise, striking at the exact moment the Star Grave detonated. From the looks of it, even the Yuan Monarch hadn't been able to save him in time. The results of the deduction were a mix of good and bad.

The good was that Li did indeed have means and had truly used a special method to produce the combat power of "a True Monarch." Yet what caused him despair was that it still wasn't enough!

'Even going this far only allowed the Ancient Cultivator orthodoxy to match the Fire Qi faction. But at that time, another orthodoxy suddenly intervened.' Earth Qi!

Sending out just one True Monarch became the final straw that broke the camel's back, forcing the Ancient Cultivators to threaten them with the Star Grave, but in the end, it was still to no avail.

'Among the Earth Qi, there is someone who, like the previous Supreme Dao Lord Xuangong, can control the Heaven Defiance Palace to a certain degree. Without a doubt, it's the Great Rebellion's chief civil minister who cultivates Mountain-Water Youthful Folly. He wasn't suppressed and hidden away by Earth Qi; he colluded with them!'

This had become the biggest variable.

Because Earth Qi drove the Heaven Defiance Palace, even if the Ancient Cultivators detonated the Star Grave, all anomalies would be suppressed by the Heaven Defiance Palace, failing to change the situation.

Instead, it was him who—due to the turbulence caused by the explosion—was sneak-attacked by a True Monarch and met a violent end... Damn it, a dignified True Monarch sneak-attacking a mere Qi Refining practitioner?

They had completely thrown their dignity away! In the next second, Wang Ping sent Xuanzhi, who had already begun foaming at the mouth, to resurrect once more. He then shifted his gaze, looking preemptively toward the corner of the palace.

Almost simultaneously, four figures quietly emerged.

Fu, Yang, Li, and Dao—the moment the four of them appeared, they met Wang Ping's gaze. In a flash of insight, they all understood what had happened.

"Did you use Xuanzhi to run a deduction?"

Yang smiled easily.

"Judging by your expression, the situation doesn't seem very optimistic."

Wang Ping nodded heavily. Immediately, he circulated his divine sense, extracting all the scenes he had witnessed and projecting them before the eyes of the four Ancient Cultivators.

"..."

A heavy silence fell over them.

After a long while, a soft chuckle broke the silence. "Xuanzhi, a natural spiritual beast. Quite interesting, to think it could actually predict my actions."

"But it's of no matter."

It was Li.

This oldest Dao Monarch wore an unexpectedly relaxed expression. "This deduction still has its limits. It didn't actually glimpse the full picture."

"What?" Wang Ping's head snapped up.

There were even more experts?

Immediately after, Li chuckled and said, "As I see it, your deduction has at least two limitations, and each one is a fatal flaw."

"First, it's from a first-person perspective. Your cultivation is too low, so a lower cultivator's perspective can see too little. Second, there are some things this deduction simply cannot calculate... Strictly speaking, the higher your cultivation, the more effective this deduction divine power is. It needs to be placed in the hands of a True Monarch to truly unleash its power."

Finishing his thought, Li shook his head again.

"Of course, that would be too difficult. The mortal world is so vast, and destiny is so profound; it is still virtually impossible for a spiritual beast's divine power to see through it all."

A single word awakens the person in a dream.

As Li's voice faded, Wang Ping stood frozen in place. His tightly knitted brows suddenly relaxed, as if a stubborn knot in his heart had finally been untied.

'Right, I was overthinking things!'

From a lower cultivator's perspective, how could he possibly see the whole picture?

'I shouldn't have been harboring baseless worries. I just need to tell them the contents of the deduction and let them make the decisions. This isn't my chess game after all.'

Perhaps because he had speculated on higher cultivators' true intentions from a lower cultivator's perspective so many times, and succeeded almost every time, Wang Ping only now realized that he had imperceptibly placed himself in the position of playing chess against True Persons and True Monarchs. Yet in reality, he was still just a pawn on the board to this day! His past successes were due to his methods, but also his good luck.

But if you walk along the river often enough, how can your shoes stay dry?

"Phew...!"

Thinking of this, Wang Ping exhaled a deep breath of murky air. He even utilized Golden Sea Desiccation to purge all stray thoughts from his mind before speaking softly. "May I ask you seniors, after seeing the developments in the deduction, are you still resolved to act?"

"...Of course."

"Follow the original plan?"

"Indeed."

"Do you seniors believe we have a chance of winning?"

"We do!"

"Then is there anything you need this junior to do?" Wang Ping grew increasingly calm, even becoming composed, as if he had finally shed his heavy burdens and anxieties.

Hearing this, Li was just about to answer when Yang raised a hand to stop him. Wang Ping then watched as the first Ancient Cultivator he had met in the Dao Tomb took the initiative to step forward. He stood before Wang Ping, meeting his gaze evenly, and enunciated every word, "Do everything in your power, and commit yourself to the slaughter."

Only he knew what decision Wang Ping was making.

In the deduction, at the final juncture, a mysterious True Monarch had attacked him—using a method that erased existence to thoroughly obliterate him in the Cosmic Deep Space. In other words:

'This hunting plan is no longer just a desperate gamble for the Ancient Cultivators, but also a life-risking wager for himself. If he participates, he will definitely face a life-or-death crisis. In comparison, even if the Ancient Cultivator orthodoxy is defeated in battle, they won't necessarily die. At worst, they'll retreat to the Star Grave Sand Sea severely injured and continue dragging out an ignoble existence. They are gambling on the future.'

Wang Ping was gambling his life.

And all of this was built on their claim that there "shouldn't be any problems." It was like a gambling match, and Wang Ping was the chip pushed onto the table.

To put it in the extreme, if the informer was among the four of them, all their current preparations would ultimately become a laughable suicide.

Thus, Yang had spoken up.

"Are you certain?"

Without any deviation, Yang stared straight into Wang Ping's eyes and said solemnly, "If you do not wish to continue, then treat this matter as if it never happened."

Trust was the most precious providence on the path of cultivation.

Therefore, he had no intention of forcing the issue.

Looking at Yang, then at Li, Fu, and Dao, Wang Ping fell into a brief silence before quietly asking, "Seniors, since I began cultivating, not a day has gone by where I haven't struggled to survive in the cracks, and not a moment has passed where I haven't been walking on thin ice. Yet all of this was simply so I could remain on this chessboard."

This was the sorrow of a chess piece.

"So I want to flip this chessboard over. At the very least... I want to shake it."

"Is that possible?"

As Wang Ping's voice faded, Yang actually froze for a moment before snapping back to his senses. He turned to exchange glances with Li, Fu, and Dao. After a long while, Yang looked back at Wang Ping and answered awe-inspiringly, "Of course it is!"

Wang Ping flicked his sleeves and rose to his feet.

"This junior will head to the Heaven Defiance Palace at once."

Dao and Virtue Grotto-Heaven.

Wang Ping left the Dao Tomb. Along the way, he circulated the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time, retracting his escape light to arrive silently before the gates of the Heaven Defiance Palace in the Dao and Virtue Grotto-Heaven.

...

His gaze fell upon a cluster of palaces that appeared merely the size of a mountain range, but in truth contained a universe within, its vastness unknown, surging with magnificent imagery.

However, in Wang Ping's eyes, this Heaven Defiance Palace seemed to have become a gaping, bloody maw, just waiting for a piece of bait like him to fall inside. Intense killing intent stimulated his sea of consciousness, yet when he looked up, he couldn't spot a single anomaly—only the brilliant stars overlooking him.

"Heh..."

Just wait. Wang Ping let out a long breath, then discarded all hesitation. Enduring the tide-like sense of crisis, he resolutely directed his escape light downward. And so, the world spun.

In the blink of an eye, Wang Ping lost his connection to the Grotto-Heaven. Even the Heavenly Glutton Lifespan-Devouring Profound Array had been left outside because it needed to maintain order.

"Boom!"

The instant he entered the Heaven Defiance Palace, what greeted Wang Ping's eyes was not the palace scenery his murky body was so accustomed to seeing, but a sheet of scorching flames.

Sun-Eclipsing Profound Flame!

Wang Ping looked up and instantly spotted Gu Ying's figure behind the fiery light. This person had paid to enter after all, lying in ambush at the door waiting for him. It was just as he had expected.

"Fellow Daoist Gu Ying, why the rush to seek death?"

Wang Ping let out a hearty laugh.

With that, his figure drifted away amidst the extreme peril of the profound fire burning his body. Taking an unhurried step, he strolled right out of the heavy flames.

Free and Easy Wandering!

Seeing this, Gu Ying actually revealed a somewhat relaxed expression as he pondered, 'As expected, he was only able to fight me earlier half because of that demon-slaying profound sword, and half by relying on the power of the Grotto-Heaven. Now that he's entered the Heaven Defiance Palace and the Grotto-Heaven is cut off, he is absolutely no match for me!'

Thinking of this, he immediately said, "I have no grudges or enmities with you, Fellow Daoist. I was also acting on orders by coming here... All you need to do is tell me the information about that path opener senior inside the Heaven Defiance Palace."

"Senior?"

Hearing this, Wang Ping tilted his head. "What path opener senior?"

His words were sincere and earnest, but Gu Ying didn't believe a single syllable. He sneered, "Stubborn fool. Then don't blame me for capturing you first, Fellow Daoist."

He saw it clearly: that damned Heavenly Glutton Lifespan-Devouring Profound Array had been left outside. Without that trump card, he didn't need to fear Wang Ping at all.

Of course, if Wang Ping managed to escape after this and seal off the surroundings of the Heaven Defiance Palace with the grand array, then he wouldn't need to return to the Immortal Realm anymore—dying of old age in the Heaven Defiance Palace would be his only end... At this thought, Gu Ying's killing intent grew firmer. He absolutely could not give this man a chance to escape!

The two of them, one fleeing and one giving chase, moved like lightning and light.

Along their path, quite a few Qi Refining practitioners sensed them, but those who had witnessed their previous grand battle decisively chose to stay out of the way without exception.

"You can't escape!"

Gu Ying's gaze burned fiercely. He tried to cast a spell to isolate the void, but Wang Ping circulated Free and Easy Wandering, arriving anywhere and everywhere, completely unaffected by his divine power.

After several fruitless chases, Gu Ying finally lost his patience.

"Roar—!"

Accompanied by a heaven-shaking beast's roar, a mountain-sized fire Qilin rose from the ground. And this was even with him holding back somewhat due to the circumstances inside the Heaven Defiance Palace.

Seeing this, Wang Ping paid it no mind.

True, having revealed his true form, Gu Han's combat power broke straight through the Seventh Layer Heaven. To put it bluntly, he could swat the current Wang Ping to death with a single slap, but this was just right.

Thinking of this, Wang Ping immediately formed a hand seal and softly commanded, "Walking the pit yields high results, the traveling guest earns merit, an open heart leads to Free and Easy Wandering!"

Boom!

In an instant, the void shattered. Boundless darkness spread out, and Wang Ping's figure rapidly vanished within it, clearly intending to use it to flee even further away.

Seeing this, Gu Han's expression froze. Staring at that gloomy darkness, he subconsciously felt vigilance and resistance. In his heart, he naturally didn't want to just charge into an unknown place like this; there was obviously a problem. But right at that moment, a ball of intense fire suddenly throbbed in his chest.

It seemed to be urging him on.

'...Bastard!'

In a flash, Gu Han didn't dare hesitate any longer. He could only brace himself and crash into the void passage Wang Ping had opened with Free and Easy Wandering.

In the next second, he tumbled out of it.

"Thump!"

What met his eyes was an empty domain, surrounded by walls on all four sides. There seemed to be nothing here; not even the ambush he had imagined appeared.

"This place is...?"

Gu Ying was instantly stunned. Not far away, he saw two Wang Pings standing side by side. Their figures rapidly merged, the clear and the murky harmonizing to transform into a pure, unified whole.

Immediately after, he saw Wang Ping say in a low voice, "I ask senior to take action."

Rumble!

At that exact moment, far outside the Dao and Virtue Grotto-Heaven, True Person Chiming—who had been watching all of this from the start—finally stood up, a trace of coldness flashing in the depths of his eyes.

Meanwhile, in an even higher realm, magnificent profound bodies sitting in every corner of the Cosmos—like chess players examining the pieces on the board—lowered their eyes to watch and exchange words.

"It's indeed not him."

"That's normal. The dharma body path involves temporal changes; it's far too profound for Qi Refining. Moreover, this kid has only been cultivating for a few years. How could he possibly be the path opener?"

"Even so, the path opener deliberately concealed himself earlier, which clearly meant something fishy was going on. It's never wrong to be a little suspicious... At the very least, we've eliminated one possibility today."

"More importantly, the real show is about to start."

"The Ancient Cultivators... hmph, such tremendous gall!"

Boom!

A shocking clap of thunder exploded. In a flash, True Person Chiming rode the firelight and plummeted from a higher dimension, crashing into the depths of the Heaven Defiance Palace!

This was originally forbidden. Although the restrictions of the Heaven Defiance Palace had loosened somewhat, Qi Refining practitioners were still only permitted to enter and explore the outermost regions. The restrictions on the middle and deep regions, and even the core main hall, remained stubborn. Only those at the Tribulation Transcending stage could enter, let alone a True Person.

Yet True Person Chiming had entered anyway.

This was purely because the Heavenly Armory was entirely different. Situated on the border between the Heaven Defiance Palace and the Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary, it was actually unaffected by the restrictions!

And so, the world abruptly brightened!

As a True Person descended into the mortal world, Wang Ping's eyes were instantly lit with fiery light, but he could only barely make out a dazzling, brilliantly glowing hexagram.

Two yangs for heaven and earth, one yin residing in man.

Li Trigram!

Within the dancing flames, the hexagram twisted slightly. Faintly, a figure seemed to coalesce, hands tucked inside wide sleeves, gazing down at him coldly.

Wang Ping pushed In the World of Men to its limits, but he only managed to see this much. Beyond that, he couldn't see anything else clearly. Unlike Fu, Yang, Li, and the others, the cultivators of the orthodox Immortal Dao who had attained the rank of true immortal above Qi Refining almost all took on this kind of appearance.

Looking at them once would cause you to explode.

It was only because Wang Ping possessed In the World of Men to dispel the damage of directly looking at a True Person; otherwise, the result right now would inevitably be a shattered sea of consciousness and a burned-out dharma body!

"A trap... hmph!"

Inside the Heavenly Armory, True Person Chiming sneered coldly. His gaze landed on the "senior" Wang Ping had just called out to, and the firelight stripped away the other party's outer shell. What appeared in its wake was actually a sand sculpture.

Li's clone.

"That path opener didn't even show his face. This is all a trap set by the Ancient Cultivators, wanting to kill me... A bunch of stinking heretics actually want to kill me?" True Person Chiming laughed in extreme anger.

He wasn't surprised at all that this was a trap. After all, he had long since received a hint from that sudden glimpse of destiny.

Because of this, before he even came, he had already received guidance from his own True Monarch. Since the Ancient Cultivator orthodoxy dared to do something so audacious, they would use this opportunity to teach them an unforgettable lesson. Did a bunch of failing losers dragging out their dying breaths really think they could rise from the ashes?

"Naive!"

A sneer filled with disdain.

In an instant, both Gu Han and Wang Ping were drowned in formless profundity. The world twisted because of it, and the dimension was abruptly elevated upwards.

All mortal things were left behind as a result. Wang Ping and Gu Han, two lower cultivators, were like ants frozen in amber. Their thoughts, magical power, and divine powers were all frozen in a single moment.

In the ensuing battlefield, illusory things would be worse than dust. Only "truly existing cultivators" had the right to freely wield their divine powers.

This exact same scene didn't just happen inside the Heavenly Armory.

Outside the Heaven Defiance Palace, profound bodies lit up across the Cosmos, partitioning heaven and earth. Wherever their majestic light passed, all mortal and worldly things were reduced to nothingness.

Only the interior of the Heaven Defiance Palace maintained its original state. The cultivators who had entered were still searching for providence everywhere, completely oblivious to the anomalies occurring inside and out.

And then, someone moved.

"Creak—"

The doors of the Heavenly Armory were pushed open from the other side. Fu strode out, the twilight aura on his body rapidly being siphoned away in another direction.

The sandy, rocky form accumulated from the twilight aura also dispersed, revealing his true appearance. He was actually a handsome youth with a high nose bridge and striking sword-like eyebrows. A beam of heavenly light burned like a torch between his brows, blazing like fire, connecting to the heavens above and the thick earth below, carrying endless might.

"You are..."

True Person Chiming muttered in a low voice. Immediately, he shattered his human form, revealing his true form of a black Qilin. The flesh between his brows split open, birthing a third eye.

It was a double pupil.

The two pupils overlapped, round on the outside and square on the inside, carrying a wicked and eerie color. It scrutinized Fu with a gaze entirely different from True Person Chiming's.

Seeing this scene, Fu couldn't hide the sorrow on his face.

'It's ultimately come to this...'

They were prepared!

True Person Chiming had come prepared, otherwise this Fire Qi True Monarch established in the Radiant Clarity Realm—True Monarch Zhaoxuan Jinming—couldn't have reacted so quickly! Therefore—an informer really did exist!

More than the True Monarch's appearance, the fact that an informer existed among the Ancient Cultivator Dao Monarchs made Fu feel deeply saddened, even giving rise to a sense of tragedy. But very quickly, he tucked away all his emotions, his face returning to its cold state.

On the other side, True Person Chiming raised his head high. The demonic double pupil between his brows blinked, followed by a transmission of divine sense: "May I ask for Fellow Daoist's title?"

"You are not worthy to know."

Fu had absolutely no intention of answering. He took a large stride forward, and the heavenly light between his brows abruptly skyrocketed, on the verge of drowning True Person Chiming's figure within it.

The black Qilin's skin tore and its flesh split on the spot, seemingly unable to withstand this formless and intangible heavenly light. Yet the double pupil between its brows didn't show the slightest panic.

"That is what I should be saying."

His divine sense quaked as a heavenly voice struck: "The Ancient Cultivator orthodoxy... A mere Dao Lord, having temporarily thrown off the Heavenly Venerable True Mantra and twilight aura, actually fancies himself invincible? It hasn't been your era for a long time!"

With those words, the sun rose in the east.

Scorching firelight brightened the earth, resplendent and magnificent to the extreme. Slowly rising from the deepest depths of the Cosmos, it illuminated the pitch-black deep space completely.

Fire-Earth Progress!

This Pinnacle Station of heaven and earth, carrying the purest and most scorching supreme yang brilliance between heaven and earth, flooded into the Heavenly Armory like a bursting dam. In fact, it wasn't just him!

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

A muffled Dao voice smashed into the Heavenly Armory. Two entirely different sets of imagery spontaneously arose, forcefully squeezing into the supreme yang light without yielding an inch.

The imagery spawned profound scenes, layered upon each other. It was the separation of water and fire; the incompatibility of yin and yang; the differing aspirations of two women. It ultimately condensed into a massive Pinnacle Station of heaven and earth.

Fire-Lake Opposition.

As for another corner, fire sprang up on a mountain, spreading endlessly. Faintly, a traveler could be seen wandering outside without a fixed abode, rushing over while riding the fiery light.

Fire-Mountain Wanderer.

Boundless profound scenes piled together, forming the True Monarch's profound body. The endless oppression it contained far surpassed that of the True Person level. All sorts of voices transmitted from the Pinnacle Station and descended into the mortal world, like massive boulders smashing into a lake. Every single word was enough to set off a tremendous uproar.

"Come out, all of you."

"The Five Phases and the dharma body path are enough to support two Dao Lords temporarily releasing the Heavenly Venerable True Mantra. Why keep hiding? Why not let this seat have a look!"

Rumble!

The terrifying might brought by the three Supreme True Monarchs finally caused Fu's expression to shift slightly. Right on his heels, two more figures walked out from behind him, one after another.

Li and Dao.

They, too, had now released the Heavenly Venerable True Mantra on their bodies, their twilight auras rapidly fading—and almost simultaneously, the True Monarchs of every faction pinched their fingers in calculation.

"Where is it?"

"Where did they send the Heavenly Venerable True Mantra?"

"By following the flow of the twilight aura, we should be able to sense the general direction and thus find the other party's true body... Why can't we calculate it?"

Inside the Heavenly Craft Cave Abode.

Cold sweat slowly dripped down the forehead of Wang Ping's second clone. The dharma body path, the Five Phases, and the Long River of Memory on his body were actually shrouded by turbulent, surging black qi!

"Thank goodness, thank goodness I chose the second clone!"

This place was isolated from the world, a place free of karma. Even True Monarchs had no way to divine it. If they could even calculate this, the Ancient Qi of the Six Heavens would have long since returned to its original state!

That being said, the perspective transmitted from his main body still left Wang Ping with some misgivings. Thus far, events had unfolded exactly as they had in the deduction. If there continued to be no changes moving forward, it would end with the three Dao Lords fighting a bloody, grueling battle, only for the balance to be shattered by the intervention of the Earth Qi True Monarch.

'Will there be any variables?'

Wang Ping's thoughts spun, but he instantly tossed his misgivings aside, throwing himself wholeheartedly into neutralizing the twilight aura. This was the only thing he could do.

He would endure the twilight aura with all his might.

The longer he endured it, the longer Li and Dao could fight, and the greater the room they would have to maneuver and operate.

Meanwhile, inside the Heavenly Armory.

"What a grand display!"

With his hands clasped behind his back, Li said in a nostalgic tone, "Zhaoxuan, Shenming, Kuigu... Are you three the only ones left in Fire Qi? Are there no more Fellow Daoists?"

"Hmph..."

Facing Li's inquiry, True Monarch Zhaoxuan Jinming merely said evenly, "With senior's aptitude, you should have joined under our Fire Qi orthodoxy's rule."

"Me?"

Li chuckled upon hearing this. With a flip of his hand, a pitch-black profound hole appeared in his palm. It was exactly the Star Grave from the Dao Tomb.

"From our several previous clashes, I think I've seen it clearly. You Fellow Daoists don't seem very afraid of this?"

"...There's no need for empty bluffs."

From amidst the billowing heavenly light and profound scenes, a female voice drifted over. "If the Star Grave detonates, you will be the first ones to suffer. Mutually assured destruction is completely meaningless."

"Or is it that Fellow Daoist wants the entire Ancient Cultivator faction to be buried with you?"

Li instantly smiled even brighter.

"You lot..."

He seemed to have thought of something incredibly funny. His laughter grew louder and more twisted, gradually taking on the tone of a melodious beast's roar!

"What do you... take me for?"

As his voice fell, Li's figure abruptly vanished.

Replacing him was a giant avian beast with red markings, blue plumage, and a white beak, shaped like a crane. As it spread its wings to take flight, its massive wings snatched away all the brilliance of the surrounding heavenly light and profound scenes!

"I became a demon a long time ago!"

Li's voice rumbled and echoed, carrying a fierce and violent demonic nature. And in his talons, he firmly grasped the still-revolving Star Grave.

Yet in the very next second.

"Bang!"

Without the slightest hesitation, the giant avian clamped its talons together, actually crushing that Star Grave right then and there. A beam of pitch-black light exploded with a deafening crash right where it stood.

The Star Grave was shattered!

In an instant, the crowd of True Monarchs who had originally been sitting calmly and watching the show, and even the three Fire Qi True Monarchs caught right in the middle of it, all betrayed thoughts of sheer astonishment.

"Ancient Cultivators... You..."

"Do you still not understand?"

Li sneered, spreading his wings and soaring. "I am a great demon. Other people might care about the myriad lives of the Cosmos, but I certainly do not. If the Ancient Cultivators perish, what use is this Cosmos to me?"

"We might as well just let jade and common stones burn together!"

As boundless darkness expanded, many True Monarchs immediately shifted their eyes to look at Fu and Dao, only to see that the expressions of these two Ancient Cultivator Dao Lords were just as ice-cold right now. Responding to the sky full of True Monarchs was nothing but a resolute and tranquil whisper:

"Let jade and common stones burn together!"

Thus, the entire sky fell dead silent.

These Ancient Cultivators were mad!