The Battle of the Patriarchs Concludes

Outside the vast plateau, the long night remained as before, thick with dark mist. However, a startling transformation unfolded as thick beams of light appeared one after another, tearing through the pitch-black firmament. In the sky, it was as if numerous meteorites were punching through the nocturnal veil, detonating the dense bank of clouds across the entire vault of heaven! People froze in terror. The outer fringes of the plateau were lit as bright as day. All of this occurred because deep within the plateau, a crimson sun had detonated, sending fragments hurtling in every direction. Cao Qianqiu had shattered. Like a disintegrating sun, not only did the entire plateau become blindingly bright, but even its surrounding outer reaches were bathed in brilliance. His pure yang conscious spiritual light rivaled true meteorites, trailing long tails of light that traversed the heavens and scattered even the horizon's clouds. At this moment, the night sky was clear and bright. Such was a patriarch-grade powerhouse of the immortal path: once blown apart, every sliver of conscious spiritual light resembled a comet swooping down through the night, magnificent yet dreadful. Cao Qianqiu was in unimaginable agony. The collapse of his primary consciousness subjected him to the pain of having his body and bones pulverized. How could so-called pure yang immortality come without a price? Furthermore, under the concerted assault of five patriarchs, some portions of his conscious spiritual light had been permanently extinguished, a catastrophic loss. He snarled as his primary consciousness resurfaced, swiftly drawing his pure yang spiritual light back together. If those pure yang fragments failed to unite, his danger would only multiply. The five patriarchs of the Newborn path were survivors of a hundred battles, seasoned to perfection. They intercepted those beams of conscious spiritual light at the first possible instant, intent on hunting them down and wiping them out piece by piece. Outside the vast plateau, at the far edge of the pitch-black horizon, every wisp of cloud and mist tore apart as swaths of light beams reversed course and surged back the way they had come. Cao Qianqiu reconstituted himself, his pure yang consciousness reforming his body. In that instant, Sun Taichu and Zhao Wenhan were doing everything in their power to fend off the Newborn path's patriarchs on his behalf. "Fairy Yu, you must do your utmost now. If Old Cao falls here, the consequences will be unimaginably dire," Sun Taichu transmitted mentally. Abandoning his usual placid demeanor, he now trod upon immortal Dao runes. The light beams erupting from him pierced heaven and earth as he engaged in all-out combat. Zhao Wenhan spoke up: "Gentlemen, stay your hands! Continuing this fight brings no benefit to anyone—it is nothing but severe internal attrition." Sun Taichu nodded. "If there are grudges, let us see whose methods are superior during the Great Reclamation. Against external enemies, we can settle the victor and the vanquished, and the loser will accept their penalty. Would that not be far better?" Lu Yu countered, "You speak beautifully, but when Cao Qianqiu ambushed the Newborn path and strangled our prodigies, why didn't you step forward and say any of this?" Towering high in the firmament, heavenly light surging around him like a burning ocean, Qingtian barked, "Cao Qianqiu, that little bastard, must either be killed or crippled! How can we allow him to keep wreaking havoc?" Even as he spoke, he was already upon them. Possessing the strength to hold up the heavens, he fought with raw ferocity, swinging a colossal axe straight downward in a splitting strike. The Present Rulai said nothing. He simply thrust forward a massive hand, stating his case directly through action. Cao Qianqiu's expression darkened. Each patriarch of the Newborn path was more overbearing than the last, shouting of killing him one moment and crippling him the next. Did they truly think he was someone they could knead at will? At that moment, dazzling light burst from his body with a metallic clanging. Dense immortal Dao runes manifested as a suit of nine-colored armor that covered him. At the same time, a nine-colored spear materialized in his right hand and a light shield in his left, both flowing with abundant golden symbols forged from pure yang power. Armored and armed with spear and shield, he met their onslaught in full counterattack! Yet several patriarchs chose to take the blows from Sun Taichu and Zhao Wenhan head-on just to concentrate their fury on him. In an instant, his nine-colored armor fractured. Under several blows from Qingtian's axe, the shield cracked and detonated. The Present Rulai's giant hand struck repeatedly, rapidly causing Cao Qianqiu's nine-colored armor to disintegrate. Jiang Zhiyuan, master of the Yinyang Daoist Temple, drove a fist into Old Cao's back, causing his chest to instantly swell outward into the shape of a massive fist print. *Crack!* Under Qingtian's colossal axe, Cao Qianqiu's nine-colored spear snapped in two. With a squelch, the giant axe continued its descent unabated, cleaving into his chest right against the protruding fist mark. Instantly, axe light and black-and-white light detonated simultaneously upon impact. Cao Qianqiu grunted in agony as his entire chest was pierced through and blown open, pure yang blood splattering in all directions. At the same time, the Present Rulai's colossal hand slammed down, riddling his body with fractures and making him cough up blood continuously. Patriarch Yuqing appeared, bringing down the pure white Sky-Measuring Ruler in his grip. Half of Cao Qianqiu's torso shattered; his left shoulder exploded into mist, and his arm was severed clean off. Lu Yu's Six Imperials descended, hurling imperial seals, thrusting jade gui tablets, or striking directly with fists and kicks—all hammering into Old Cao. In an instant, Cao Qianqiu detonated right where he stood once again. In such a brief span, he had disintegrated repeatedly, suffering severe destruction of his conscious spiritual light. Cao Qianqiu had already been stripped of twenty percent of his pure yang origin! Even so-called immortality had its limits. How could continuous destruction of his body come without depletion? Every explosion shaved away a portion of his pure yang consciousness. Cao Qianqiu felt a chill of dread. If this continued, he truly would be crippled. Disheveled and bleeding, his conscious spiritual light burning as a blood-red sun enveloped his form, he was now fighting for his very life. Nor was he the only one fighting with desperate fury—Sun Taichu and Zhao Wenhan had long since unleashed their trump cards to preserve his life. Beyond the plateau, countless onlookers turned from shock to numbness, their minds reeling. The haughty, invincible Cao Qianqiu had been repeatedly blown apart, detonating again and again—something unimaginable in the past. Members of the Newborn path, from venerable elders to youthful disciples, were riding a wave of surging morale, feeling thoroughly vindicated and exultant. In the past, Cao Qianqiu was like a stifling pall hanging over their hearts, immovable and suffocating. Now, that pall had shattered. "Fairy Yu, you must bring out your sect's paramount methods! If Old Cao dies, this dispute between our two paths can never end peacefully!" Sun Taichu urged her through a grave mental transmission. Though Cao Qianqiu was widely disliked, he was the immortal path's sharpest blade. In days past, he had handled a great deal of the dirty, grueling work. Today, he absolutely could not be allowed to die. Otherwise, the immortal path's prestige would lie in tatters, and if their camp failed to protect one of their own, what cohesion would remain? If Cao Qianqiu fell, the immortal path would have to exact equivalent retaliation, which meant locked combat to the bitter end against the Newborn path. A blood feud between two paths would become a true contest of the Dao, turning ever more lethal; no one knew how many patriarch-grade figures would perish. Should that happen, the esoteric sect would probably laugh itself mad. Moreover, it was terrible news for the reclamation pushing deep into the night mist world, as it would severely deplete humanity's pinnacle combat strength. Therefore, Sun Taichu, Zhao Wenhan, and their allies were determined to protect him. Ensuring Cao Qianqiu did not die here was the best outcome for the Newborn path, the immortal path, and the esoteric path alike—everyone spared a ruinous bloodbath. Five patriarchs of the Newborn path versus four of the immortal path! Having suffered blow after crushing blow, Cao Qianqiu was far from his peak. Now, under consecutive strikes from the Rulai Giant Hand, fractures ran from his crown to his heels, threatening to tear him apart once more. Sun Taichu, Zhao Wenhan, and Yu Shaohua were thoroughly shaken, for every strike from the five Newborn path patriarchs was executed with suicidal ferocity. Whenever the five clashed with the three immortal path patriarchs, they spared no expense, meeting blow with blow without the slightest regard for sustaining origin injuries. Sun Taichu and Zhao Wenhan frowned. Had these people gone mad? Weren't these five ancient, decayed, and barely able to endure a few intense battles? How dared they fight like this! Lu Yu went so far as to endure a direct strike from Sun Taichu just to let his Six Imperials avatars rip Cao Qianqiu apart, driving Old Cao into an uncontrollable fury. Cao Qianqiu's heart turned icy cold. Thirty percent of his pure yang consciousness had been permanently destroyed! "Cao, you little whelp, aren't you arrogant? When you kicked down other people's dao grounds and slaughtered rising talents, did you ever imagine this day?" Patriarch Qingtian shouted. With his right hand, his giant axe parried Zhao Wenhan, while his left hand slapped Cao Qianqiu viciously across the body. Simultaneously, Patriarch Yuqing held off Yu Shaohua, Lu Yu intercepted Sun Taichu, and Jiang Zhiyuan joined the Present Rulai to barrage Cao Qianqiu together. Old Cao was cleaved in two by black-and-white light, then blasted into a rain of pure yang blood by the Rulai seal! Cao Qianqiu's mind trembled to its core. When he pulled himself together again, he discovered only sixty percent of his pure yang consciousness remained. If this kept going, he would truly be entirely crippled. If word got out that forty percent of his lifelong cultivation had vanished, what good days could he hope for? He had made countless enemies throughout his life. Anyone still breathing among them was a formidable thorn; if he were weakened, the fallout would be catastrophic, unless he resolved never to step outside the outer pure land again. He was Cao the Undefeated! To fade into obscurity and slink into hiding was simply not his nature. At this moment, he recalled a certain technique he had once mentioned in jest, one he had never had occasion to practice. Had he truly been reduced to such a pathetic state? Could it be that he would have to walk the path of breaking and then establishing anew alongside his disciple, Li Qingxu? The mere thought ignited boundless fury within him. That was the desperate choice of a cripple, an absolute, monstrous disgrace to someone like him! He was Cao Qianqiu! How could he sink to such depths? Setting aside the myriad obstacles along that road, even if he managed to achieve something, he would be forced into hiding for many years to come, completely unable to show his face in the early stages. For the once-unrivaled Cao Qianqiu, thinking of the cold remarks and mocking sneers of the world was worse than death itself. *Boom!* A deluge of pure yang blood scattered across the sky as he exploded once more. He realized with bleak despair that even walking the path of breaking and establishing would be difficult—he had to survive first. Driven to frenzy, Cao Qianqiu harbored the deepest hatred for Qingtian. An impulse seized him to drag that foul-mouthed old bastard down to the grave with him. Yet every time he lunged forward, he was thwarted by pitiless reality. Aside from receiving several more slaps, he failed to inflict any damage whatsoever. Having dwindled to only sixty percent of his pure yang origin consciousness, he was no match for any patriarch of the Newborn path. "Cao, you little whelp, you're tougher than your master! Taking nine of my slaps full-on—your skin is truly thick as a wall!" Qingtian roared with laughter. This was blatant, unadulterated humiliation. The burly patriarch had beaten Cao Qianqiu's master in the past, and now he was doing the same to him, stoking a raging fire of indignation within Old Cao that drove him past the brink of endurance. Cao Qianqiu's eyes turned sinisterly cold, stung to the quick by Qingtian's words. All his life, he had been the one crushing others, watching powerful figures struggle in vain. Never had he imagined that today he would be maimed repeatedly and subjected to such ridicule. He was finally tasting what his past foes had felt. It was not that Sun Taichu, Zhao Wenhan, and Yu Shaohua were withholding aid; rather, the Newborn path patriarchs were pressing forward with reckless, suicidal abandon, unsettling both men to their cores. Blood was already trickling from the corners of their own mouths. Likewise, some patriarchs of the Newborn path had sustained injuries, but they showed utter disregard for them. If anything, their fighting spirit blazed even hotter; their eyes gleamed, as though they were eager to bathe in blood and sustain even heavier wounds. What logic was this? Sun Taichu and Zhao Wenhan were utterly baffled. Those elders were ancient and decayed—why were they behaving like reckless youths, entirely unconcerned about exhausting their longevity? At that moment, all four patriarchs of the immortal path, including Cao Qianqiu, experienced a violent jolt in their hearts. Could it be that the patriarchs of the Newborn path had found a way to extend their lifespans? Or had a new patriarch emerged along that path, one who surpassed his predecessors and resolved the crisis of having no successors? Was the generational gap no longer an issue? Or had these old monsters pushed past the pinnacle to break new ground, pioneering the path further? Could this desperate melee be preparation for their rebirth?! "Cao, you little whelp, weren't you arrogant enough to demand we bow our heads and serve as drudges to the patriarchs of the immortal path? With this measly bit of skill, who do you think you are, putting on airs!" Patriarch Qingtian, fulfilling his duty as the mouthpiece of the group in his characteristically blunt style, swung his massive axe at Cao Qianqiu without pause. As arrogant as Old Cao was, he was typically ice-cold and composed in combat. Yet now he was practically choking on fury, provoked to the limit as the old monster kept jabbing right where it hurt most. Manifesting the Soul-Anchoring Bell from his pure yang conscious spiritual light, tens of thousands of runes flared to trap Qingtian within, burning recklessly to refine his soul. *Clang!* With a resounding crash, the bell cracked open, shattered by Qingtian's giant axe. He cleaved his way out and brought the axe down toward Cao Qianqiu's skull. "You're barely fit to serve as my errand boy!" Qingtian barked. Simultaneously, Cao Qianqiu was struck by a Yinyang diagram, a Rulai finger strike, and Yuqing light. The distinct heavenly light forcefields of the three patriarchs warped space and time. Old Cao was blasted apart once more. To his sheer horror, he found that only fifty percent of his pure yang conscious spiritual light remained. He had stepped over the red line! Even with miraculous treasures of heaven and earth, his survival hung by a thread. "Old Sun, Wenhan, Fairy Yu, hold them off for me!" Cao Qianqiu had long been seething with anger toward the three, yet he could not vent his fury, as his very life depended on them. In truth, Old Cao had lost all capacity to fight. At this point, facing any patriarch head-on would cause him to explode on the spot. He was extraordinarily fragile! It was not that Cao Qianqiu was weak. In fact, that he had endured this long was testament to his terrifying strength. That five patriarchs had emerged from seclusion primarily to deal with him was already a badge of honor. "Do you think there is no one left on our immortal path?" At that moment, a low shout echoed from the distant sky. Two brilliant spheres of light blossomed, hurtling across the expanse with speed that seemed to transcend time and space. In the blink of an eye, they crossed the vast terrain, moving from outside the plateau straight into the heart of the battlefield. Without question, two more patriarchs of the immortal path had arrived. Now, six patriarchs of the immortal path were present—one more than the Newborn path. However, considering that Cao Qianqiu was half-crippled and no longer posed a threat, the strength between the two sides was roughly balanced. Lu Yu spoke up. "I wondered who it was. Qian Jingxing of the immortal land and Wu Zhaoye of the calamity land. Did you not accompany the old monster to the Fourth Peril to dig up that person?" "Fellow Daoists, the Newborn path treats us with utter contempt. Today, there must be a fight to the death!" Cao Qianqiu transmitted mentally, unable to swallow this humiliation. In truth, the two newcomers were indeed hot-tempered patriarchs. Relatively speaking, they were still "young" and in their prime of aggressive progress. "Kill!" Without wasting words, the two immediately launched into battle. Cao Qianqiu realized with bitter sorrow that he had been relegated to the periphery, completely unable to intervene. The moment he had moved forward, he had nearly fractured again. "Ah..." he growled. In the past, no matter the occasion, he was always the absolute center of the stage. Was he now about to be discarded from history? Qingtian called out, "You two little whelps are birds of a feather with Cao Qianqiu! You spouted arrogant nonsense too, didn't you, talking about finding a founding patriarch of the Newborn path to serve as a drudge? You're asking for a beating!" The battlefield shifted abruptly. No one had anticipated the sudden arrival of two more patriarchs, and the fight escalated instantly to a white-hot pitch. Because the two newcomers belonged to the radical faction, their instinct was to fight first and talk later. Yet Qian Jingxing of the immortal land and Wu Zhaoye of the calamity land soon realized to their horror that these old fellows were fighting without regard for their lives. Every clash was all-out, completely unconcerned about the toll on their lifespans, expending massive amounts of power with every exchange. If anything, the old fellows fought more ferociously the longer the battle went, their spirits soaring and their battle lust overflowing. Within moments, blood stained the lips of everyone present; every single patriarch from both camps had suffered wounds. "Have they gone mad?" Qian Jingxing asked Sun Taichu in confusion via mental transmission. Sun Taichu's expression was grave as he replied, "I suspect one of the Newborn path patriarchs has broken new ground and found a way to advance again. They might be putting it into practice right now—they need a battle like this." "Gentlemen, let us cease this fight!" Zhao Wenhan called out. He did not wish to aid their breakthroughs and wanted to discern their true state. "You think you can call a halt just like that? Fight first, talk later!" "Besides, Cao Qianqiu hasn't been completely crippled yet!" Such was the Newborn path patriarchs' response, showing not the slightest intention of stopping. Moreover, they pressed the assault with increasing desperation, dragging their foes into a shared bloodbath. They were treating this entirely as a battle of life and death, ready to accompany their enemies straight to the Yellow Springs. "I... *hiss!*" Both Qian Jingxing and Wu Zhaoye were injured, and not lightly. They now found themselves riding a tiger, unable to dismount. *Slash!* Suddenly, a beam of saber light struck Qian Jingxing's head, shattering it. Though he regenerated swiftly, his hair stood on end. The Newborn path actually possessed a sixth patriarch! This not only caught him off guard, but sent shockwaves through everyone else present! "That is the heavenly light force recorded in the Heaven-Severing Strategy! Didn't the patriarch of that lineage die long ago?!" Even Sun Taichu, normally the gentlest among them, wore a chillingly stern expression for a split second. They all sobered up. If the two paths fought to the bitter end, even if the immortal path possessed more masters, the result would inevitably be mutual destruction. Someone would drag them down into death. Three or four patriarchs might be besieged and overwhelmed, but six was terrifying. At this point, they were already inclined to cease fighting and declare a truce; some matters were far better settled sitting down. With a muffled *bang*, Cao Qianqiu blew apart yet again! ... In the region outside the plateau, someone stepped forward to challenge Lu Zizai, only to suffer an undisputed defeat. Meanwhile, Qin Ming fought another bout and vanquished yet another immortal seed. With that, the grassland fell entirely silent. No one dared step forward to fight again. The onlookers were far from calm. Was the Newborn path truly on the rise? Across all three generations—old, middle-aged, and young—they had displayed extraordinary feats and achieved astonishing battle records. Lu Zizai looked down at the captive at his feet, Pu Heng, and said, "Why aren't you speaking? Is it because you don't want to?" "My strength falls far short of yours," Pu Heng said submissively, abandoning his usual domineering demeanor. His posture practically screamed: *I have learned my place; please spare me.* Lu Zizai said, "You are the eldest disciple of a faction leader on the immortal path. To kill you outright would be giving your immortal path too little face." Pu Heng's heart relaxed, and he let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Then let's just cripple you," Lu Zizai added. Without hesitation, he acted, refining Pu Heng's pure yang conscious spiritual light. It had to be said that Cao Qianqiu was indeed generous to his disciples, having bestowed life-saving techniques upon them all. However, Lu Zizai had come prepared, binding Pu Heng so he could not flee. Pu Heng screamed in agony as his pure yang conscious spiritual light was sheared away and continuously refined until less than ten percent remained. "Go on!" Lu Zizai waved a hand, severing the chains woven from heavenly light that bound him. Pu Heng knew the other party had done this deliberately—sparing his life so he could experience the bitter realities of the world after tumbling from the clouds to the dirt. Given his past arrogance, falling to such depths was truly worse than death. How would others look upon him? If his past rivals came seeking vengeance, the consequences were terrifying to imagine. In an instant, Pu Heng felt utter despair. "Senior Brother, it's fine. We will walk the path of breaking and establishing," Li Qingxu came forward to receive him. Pu Heng's mind nearly fractured on the spot. He desperately wanted to shout: *You actually believe in that godforsaken path?!* Yet he recalled what he had witnessed not long ago: his master appeared to have been half-crippled as well. Perhaps master and disciples could support one another and attempt to walk it together. In truth, Pu Heng was exceptionally powerful; many direct disciples of patriarchs were no match for him. It was only because he had crossed paths with Lu Zizai today that he had fallen to such a state. Deep within the plateau, the battle of the patriarchs finally drew to a close. Those figures stood high in the sky, conversing through streams of conscious light. Cao Qianqiu was stifled, aggrieved, and furious. His mood was foul to the extreme. How could they call a truce? In the end, he had suffered the worst injuries, and the battle was ending only after he had been half-crippled! Having lost slightly more than fifty percent of his pure yang origin conscious spiritual light, his cultivation was cut in half. This was the greatest setback of his life, yet he had no way to avenge it. Sun Taichu said, "Old Cao, do not be rash. We must plan for the long term. Someone on the Newborn path may have broken new ground; we need to investigate thoroughly. A battle like this may very well have been helping them achieve their goals." "You're all just cowards! Hurry to the Fourth Peril, fetch the old monster, and join hands to wipe out the Newborn path's patriarchs! What's stopping us?!" Cao Qianqiu roared in fury. Sun Taichu's expression was grave as he responded via mental transmission, "Long ago, the patriarchs of the Newborn path debated the true meaning of 'newborn' and how this path should be walked. They believed that perhaps only rebirth after death embodies its true essence. I suspect one of those old fellows has already taken that step, and now they are all trying to use our hands to stimulate their full potential, seeking nirvana on the brink of death." Cao Qianqiu was driven nearly mad with rage. "I don't believe any of that! Dead is dead—who can be reborn after death? Their path is fatally flawed! You are all simply cowards!" ... Regardless, the battle of the patriarchs had ended. The titans of both paths sat down to negotiate, touching upon all matters: from the Newborn path's right to speak to the distribution of resources in the future Great Reclamation. Qingtian declared, "If scum like Cao Qianqiu appear again, we will follow suit to the bitter end and wipe out every immortal seed on your path, including your direct disciples. At worst, we'll sever each other's futures!"