The three demon gods stared in bewilderment as Demon God Pan soared into the sky beneath his giant umbrella.
"Aren't we his sworn brothers?"
The three demon gods were thoroughly baffled. "We've been friends for tens of thousands of years! How have we never heard of him having another sworn brother?"
"And his cultivation—how did it become so powerful?"
Feeling the tremendous surge of might that had erupted from Demon God Pan as he rocketed through the air, all three were filled with shock. They had guarded Jianmu City side by side, shared the incense and offerings of the common people together, so why had Demon God Pan suddenly become so overwhelmingly formidable?
At the Imperial Throne of the Extreme of the Ancestral Court, across a vast wasteland, four colossal stone statues towered above the surrounding peaks, standing majestic and imposing. Suddenly, the stone surfaces at the glabella of all four statues cracked and peeled away with sharp pops.
A vertical eye was revealed on each.
Light circulated within the vertical eyes, instantly coursing over their entire bodies. The four stone statues transformed into flesh and blood, each leaping into the sky.
"He may be heartless, but we, the Four Evils of the Ling Family, cannot be dishonorable!"
"Even if Celestial Venerable Xu is to die, he will die by the hands of our Ling Family!"
As they flew forth, one mountain after another burst apart around them. From within the shattered peaks, a sword like a swimming dragon, a bronze bell like a hanging pagoda, twin sabers like outspread wings, and a wrought-iron staff as thick as a mountain peak tore into the sky!
Four heavy treasures turned into streaks of light and chased after the four Ling brothers.
Xu Ying collapsed with a heavy thud before the Third Heavenly Pass. He struggled with all his might to stand again, but he no longer had any strength left.
The injuries dealt to him by the Five Extremes Immortal King were far more than surface wounds. The five-colored immortal light had severed the inner Five Sacred Mountains within him, leaving his Realm of Xiyi riddled with cracks.
His various realms were battered into tatters, and his six secret depository cave-heavens were devastated. As the cave-heavens rotated, one could even catch glimpses of the ruin inside the secret depositories!
As for his Hidden Scenery latent transformation ground, it had suffered catastrophic trauma as well. What formed the latent transformation ground was the Dao manifestations he visualized, and those manifestations had all been wiped flat.
Behind him, the Heavenly Dao Divine Person had already disintegrated, the Heavenly Dao power that formed it shattered. Even across Penglai, Immortal Dao anomalous zones spread everywhere; the Heavenly Dao was corrupted and could no longer supply him with power.
He had reached the end of his rope.
Seeing Xu Ying attempt to get up several times only to collapse every time, the Five Extremes Immortal King’s eyes flashed with vindictive satisfaction. The Ninth Immortal King, who had not made a move, frowned slightly at the sight and said, "Enough, Five Extremes. Give him a swift end."
The Five Extremes Immortal King shot him a sidelong glance and said coolly, "Are you feeling pity? He won't die. We tried back then—even the Imperial Monarch's Purple Nether Blade couldn't kill him. Wounds like these will at most destroy his physical body and Primordial Spirit. Personally, I suspect the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Extinction Immortal Formation the Imperial Monarch sent down to the mortal realm this time might actually refine him to death. After all, the Imperial Monarch hasn't been idle these past forty thousand years..."
Seeing that he was inclined to keep talking, the Ninth Immortal King coughed and said, "Fellow Daoist, delays breed complications. Though Xu Ying is no longer a threat, if the Little Celestial Venerable recovers from his injuries, I fear unexpected trouble may arise."
The Five Extremes Immortal King took this to heart. Even when facing two great Immortal Kings, the Little Celestial Venerable had possessed enough strength to force them back; his battle prowess was truly terrifying. Had the Little Celestial Venerable's Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art not contained a flaw—a flaw they had discovered long ago—the two of them would likely have been doomed in that battle.
Behind the Five Extremes Immortal King, five-colored immortal light surged forth to strike down Xu Ying!
This time, he would not only destroy Xu Ying's body, but also sever his Primordial Spirit, knocking Xu Ying back into the state of an Indestructible True Spirit!
The monstrous eye of Weixu hung low, as if pressing right onto the Ziwei Remnant Realm. The five-colored immortal light shot out from the monstrous eye, arriving before the Third Heavenly Pass in the next instant!
Suddenly, the crisp ring of a sword resounded across heaven and earth. The brilliant sword radiance made it feel as though ten thousand suns had blazed to life simultaneously before the Third Heavenly Pass, illuminating the sky with snowy brilliance and leaving not a single shadow behind!
A daoist in coarse hemp robes and straw sandals appeared before the Third Heavenly Pass. The sword in his hand illuminated the Ancestral Court, its edge bared to violently cleave through the five-colored immortal light!
The shock rattled the daoist's vital energy, forcing him a step back. He raised his head and gazed up toward the two great Immortal Kings within the monstrous eye of Weixu.
Xu Ying lifted his head with great difficulty, his vision blurry. The daoist looked faintly familiar.
"Daoist Wuliu, don't go..." Xu Ying raised a hand, trying to warn him.
The Five Extremes Immortal King and the Ninth Immortal King stood side by side, looking down at the daoist with surprise in their eyes. They knew everyone in the Ancestral Court capable of withstanding a strike from an Immortal King. Below the Little Celestial Venerable were True Lord Yan and True Person Cangyue, both of whom could likely survive an exchange with an Immortal King.
Apart from them, there were only the Four Sages of the Ancestral Court.
Where had this daoist come from?
"To think the demonic realm concealed such a formidable figure without our knowledge. The Little Celestial Venerable was hiding an expert after all. Unfortunately, it's too late."
The Five Extremes Immortal King raised his palm, preparing to deliver a fatal blow, when a towering demon god carrying a giant umbrella suddenly strode forward. His muscles rippled with explosive power, and his face was fierce. He glared at Daoist Wuliu, then glanced down at Xu Ying lying on the ground.
"Bah! Serves you right!"
The ferocious demon god turned around, took his place alongside Daoist Wuliu, and looked up at the Five Extremes Immortal King.
The Five Extremes Immortal King was taken aback. The aura of this vicious demon god was not in the slightest inferior to that of the daoist!
Just then, four even taller figures strode up. The glabella of each shone with brilliant, dazzling light that almost seemed to dim the sword in Daoist Wuliu's hand!
"The Four Evils of the Ling Family!" Demon God Pan spat toward the four brothers to show his "respect."
The four Ling brothers all glared at him, a vicious glint in their eyes. Demon God Pan planted the Huntian Treasured Umbrella heavily onto the ground and chuckled. "Didn't have enough back then? Want another round?"
Boss Ling, the giant who had previously tried to mediate by suggesting they wait until Xu Ying awakened his first life's memories before finishing him off, said sinisterly, "Little Pan, you cultivated a giant spirit from a mortal body, whereas the four of us are natural-born Giant Spirits! In front of us, you're still a pipsqueak. Today, we won't squabble with you; we'll deal with the enemy first."
Demon God Pan was about to retort when Xuan Yazi, exuding immortal deportment, strode over while sighing repeatedly.
Everyone was stunned.
Anyone could have come to save Xu Ying, but not Xuan Yazi. They had all heard that Xuan Yazi kept a secret chamber filled with straw effigies and paper figures plastered with the name "Xu Ying." Every single day, Xuan Yazi would go into that chamber to stab the straw effigies and curse his nemesis.
Xuan Yazi's hatred for Xu Ying was endless—how could he possibly show up?
"If he dies at someone else's hands, won't all forty thousand years of stabbing straw effigies have been for nothing?" Xuan Yazi smiled at them.
The Five Extremes Immortal King bellowed, "Who are you people?"
Daoist Wuliu, Xuan Yazi, Demon God Pan, and the Four Evils of the Ling Family all turned their ferocious glares onto him.
Suddenly, Daoist Wuliu whistled and shot into the air, charging straight toward the monstrous eye of Weixu, sword blazing with light. The Five Extremes Immortal King gave a cold laugh, splaying his fingers as five-colored immortal light surged behind him, transforming into five thick sword rays that lashed out at Daoist Wuliu!
The sword in the daoist's hand radiated ten thousand beams of brilliance, meeting the five-colored immortal light head-on. For a time, sword radiance and five-colored splendor collided in the air like celestial maidens scattering blossoms, filling the sky with dazzling, chaotic colors—a beautiful sight concealing deadly peril!
As Daoist Wuliu's assault was gradually halted, the Five Extremes Immortal King smiled faintly and raised his formation chart, causing the Five Extremes Formation to erupt and descend over Daoist Wuliu!
Right at that moment, Demon God Pan rushed past Daoist Wuliu with a booming laugh. Amid his laughter, the Huntian Treasured Umbrella unfurled.
No one knew where he had obtained that umbrella. It was battered and covered in patches, yet when the Huntian Treasured Umbrella opened, the entire sky—even Weixu—seemed to fall beneath its canopy!
Looking up, one could even see the starry sky flowing within the umbrella!
A corner of the Five Extremes formation chart flew upward, swallowed into the depths of the umbrella and vanishing without a trace.
"An immortal treasure from an ancient era!"
The Five Extremes Immortal King's heart jolted. Even the Twelve-Storyed Mansions held by his Primordial Spirit trembled restlessly, nearly swept away by the umbrella.
The Ninth Immortal King's Primordial Spirit leaned down, extending a massive hand to seize Demon God Pan.
Refusing to show weakness, Demon God Pan met the giant palm with his own. Their powers collided, and Demon God Pan let out a muffled groan, pinned in place and unable to move. The Four Evils of the Ling Family suddenly charged out from his left and right, divine light surging from their third eyes to blast toward the Ninth Immortal King.
With one hand, the Ninth Immortal King sketched a Taiji diagram. Countless runes flew out and formed Dao chains, constructing a Taiji diagram with rotating sun and moon to block the Four Evils.
*Hiss, hiss, hiss!*
The Taiji diagram was pierced by four beams of divine light, and four gaping holes were punched right through the giant hand behind it!
The Ninth Immortal King was startled. Demon God Pan seized the opening to shake off his power and charge into Weixu. Yet head-on, he was met by the crushing force of the Twelve-Storyed Mansions deployed by the Five Extremes Immortal King.
As the Twelve-Storyed Mansions pressed down, the doors within flew wide open, and one imprint of Xu Ying after another charged out, striking together with their palms toward Demon God Pan.
Demon God Pan had no way to resist them, but an old man in green had already arrived atop his head, standing on his brow.
Demon God Pan was massive, while the old man was thin and frail. Yet with a light tap on Demon God Pan’s brow, the old man met the palms of the twelve Xu Ying imprints!
The combined palm force of twelve Xu Ying imprints was astonishing beyond measure.
With a dull, thunderous boom, Xuan Yazi withstood the force head-on, startling both the Ninth Immortal King and the Five Extremes Immortal King: "This unassuming old man has the most profound magic power among them—he's nearly on par with an Immortal King!"
Both Immortal Kings were secretly shaken. One or two such formidable figures would have been manageable, but seven of them had appeared all at once!
The seven joined forces to attack the two Immortal Kings, coordinating with such seamless perfection that it seemed as though they had practiced it countless times!
The longer the two Immortal Kings fought, the more alarmed they became. These seven fought with methods completely different from the current Immortal Dao system. Not only was fighting them extremely awkward, but if any of their divine abilities struck home, the resulting Dao injuries would be exceedingly difficult to refine away in a short time!
*Fortunately, Nalan Du and the Hua family will eliminate the Penglai immortals and slay the Little Celestial Venerable first,* the Ninth Immortal King thought.
Within the monstrous eye of Weixu, the battle raged with immense ferocity. Meanwhile, below the eye, the siege of Penglai Immortal Mountain had reached its final stages.
Chu Xiangxiang lay collapsed on the ground and was dragged into the palace. Yuan Tiangang and the others fought desperately, but could not hold back the Weixu immortal corpses and were forced to retreat into Hunyuan Palace.
The immortals watched the numerous corpses advancing toward Hunyuan Palace, their hearts filled with despair.
"The tide will turn, fortune will return!"
Cold sweat beaded on Yuan Tiangang's brow, and he was frantic with worry. "My divination clearly predicted that fortune would turn and misfortune would become auspicious. Why is it still a dead end?"
He glanced toward Shenpo and saw the middle-aged woman looking as calm as ever, which stirred something in his mind. He recalled that throughout the battle for Penglai, Shenpo had rarely intervened, stepping in only to rescue someone on the verge of death before immediately holding back again.
*Master is so calm—can misfortune truly turn into a blessing?* Yuan Tiangang thought.
In the sky above Penglai Immortal Mountain, Nalan Du finally dealt a heavy blow to Fairy Gushe. Joy surged in his heart: *Once I capture this woman, I can return the Immortal Dao Jade Pool to Master and let him subdue our enemies!*
Fairy Gushe plummeted downward, her heart dead: "I gave it my all..."
Just then, a massive tail swept in and caught her. Demonic qi roiled across the sky, and as the clouds parted, an enormous serpent lowered its head, its dark, brooding gaze fixed upon Nalan Du.
"Lord Bell, Lord Grass, look quick! Isn't this that punk Ah Ying grabbed by the neck to threaten the Ninth Immortal King?" the giant snake said excitedly in human speech.
As the clouds parted further, a large bell flew out, a voice echoing from within: "It really is him! I remember Ah Ying choking his neck so that the Ninth Immortal King didn't dare go all out!"
Nalan Du's heart tightened, but he laughed aloud. "So it's you lot. If it were Xu Ying, I might fear him a little, but you are nothing more than the mount and treasure at Xu Ying's side! What reason do I have to fear you?"
The giant snake chuckled. "You're strong, so naturally we're no match for you. But fortunately, we brought you an opponent. Lord Grass, please come out."
Nalan Du thought, *What on earth is Lord Grass? Grass...*
His eyes widened. As the mist parted, a maiden in palace robes stepped out gracefully—none other than Hua Cuoying of the Weixu Hua family!
Hua Cuoying smiled faintly at him. "Aba."
Nalan Du felt a twinge of apprehension. There was indeed a gap between him and Hua Cuoying; though not vast, a gap was still a gap.
Yet both Yuan Qi and the big bell were tense. They knew very well what Lord Grass was capable of. If Lord Grass controlled Hua Cuoying to fight Nalan Du, she would be defeated and captured in two or three moves.
Even if Hua Cuoying were to fight Nalan Du herself, she likely wouldn't win. She had lost the Twelve-Storyed Mansions and was gravely injured; in this battle, she was certainly no match for him.
*We'll jump in together shortly, and if we can't beat him, we'll release the insect to devour him!*
Yuan Qi and the big bell shared a tacit understanding. With a thunderous roar, Yuan Qi opened his maw wide, and the bell and serpent struck first, pressing down directly with their Heavenly Dao domains to suppress Nalan Du!
Nalan Du had been wary of Hua Cuoying and never expected them to attack first. He was immediately pinned beneath the two overlapping Heavenly Dao domains.
His reactions were lightning-fast. Without hesitation, he activated the Immortal Dao Jade Pool, shattering the Heavenly Dao domains of the big bell and Yuan Qi. But in a flash of movement, Hua Cuoying closed the distance right in front of him, driving her knee brutally into his groin!
Tears instantly spurted from Nalan Du's eyes. Before he could react, the big bell slammed against his forehead with a resounding clang.
Nalan Du's Primordial Spirit was knocked clear out of his body. Just as the big bell prepared to strike again to shatter his Primordial Spirit, immortal light within the Immortal Dao Jade Pool surged violently, rising to an almost frenzied pitch.
The bell cried out in alarm, "Release Lord Insect! Quick, let the insect loose!"
Yuan Qi jumped in fright. "I can't suppress Lord Insect! Once he's out, we won't get him back!"
The big bell was already being suppressed by Nalan Du's suddenly skyrocketing magic power, and it shouted furiously, "Release the insect!"
Yuan Qi spat, sending the cage flying out. The sealing runes unraveled layer by layer, and the immortal insect inside, which had been gnawing at the seal, instantly perked up. Its wings fluttered violently, and in a breath, it split into tens of thousands of insects that buzzed furiously, swarming in every direction!
Chapter 366