Dao Lord Wuchen accelerated and charged toward them. Even before drawing close, he hurled his colossal hammer from afar, smashing it toward Xu Ying!
Furious and embarrassed, he clearly realized the danger of Xu Ying's action.
"If this brat truly leaves behind a Grand Dao Master cultivation technique, I fear every Immortal in Daoji Heaven will be drawn here to fight over it! When the Three Grand Dao Lords make their move then, what share could possibly be left for me?"
Killing intent surged within him. "Furthermore, this brat chose to make a Grand Dao Master technique public right here—his motives are completely foul! He wants us to slaughter one another! If I cannot have it, then no one will!"
The might of that colossal hammer was truly terrifying. As it plummeted, the space-time around Xu Ying and Qingxuan the Good-for-Nothing suddenly turned extraordinarily dense, comparable to a solidified gel, rendering them incapable of moving an inch!
Just as Xu Ying and Qingxuan the Good-for-Nothing were about to perish beneath the hammer, the Universal Sand-Gathering Pagoda suddenly flew over and collided thunderously with the colossal hammer.
The one who had activated the sand-gathering pagoda was none other than Dao Lord Hongxi, who had been lurking in the shadows, keeping his eyes fixed on Xu Ying and Wuchen. Earlier, he had ambushed Wuchen, only to be gravely wounded in return.
His injuries were far more severe than Wuchen's, but along the way Wuchen had also battled Immortals such as Panyan, Qingzai, and Xiuhuixian, sustaining heavier and heavier wounds until his cultivation and strength were now far below their peak.
The two men's magic treasures clashed, neither yielding an inch.
Dao Lord Hongxi landed in front of Xu Ying and opened his palm. The Universal Sand-Gathering Pagoda flew over and hovered above his hand, never making contact with his palm.
It was a white pagoda, standing only one chi and six or seven fen tall, rising and sinking in the air. Within each tier lay a galaxy of stars—galaxies harvested from unknown universes and refined into a treasure.
"Wuchen, you are guarding your food a bit too greedily," Dao Lord Hongxi chuckled.
"Fellow Daoist Xu intends to make the Xuanhuang Dao Realm Scripture public to all this time. This is an immense blessing; everyone stands to benefit from it. Yet you obstruct him in every conceivable way. Your intentions are utterly despicable!"
Dao Lord Wuchen strode forward, reaching out to catch the hammer as it flew back. He said coldly, "Hongxi, you don't know this brat's wolfish ambitions! He is carving the Xuanhuang Dao Realm Scripture here specifically to make us kill each other over it!"
Dao Lord Hongxi laughed heartily as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. "Slaughter one another? The only one killing here is you, Wuchen, trying to hoard a Dao Master-level technique all for yourself! Stop making excuses!"
Dao Lord Wuchen's killing intent turned chilling. "A Dao Master-level technique—who wouldn't want to monopolize it? Even the Four Grand Dao Lords schemed for ages and were willing to break ties with each other for the sake of a single Dao Master-level technique! The Three Dao Masters will not allow many more Dao Masters to emerge in this world. The fewer who obtain it, the greater the chance of becoming a Dao Master. The more who get it, the more certain it is that no one will ever become one!"
Dao Lord Hongxi smiled. "Everyone understands the reasoning you speak of. But what a pity—why couldn't the person who obtains the Xuanhuang Dao Realm Scripture be me?"
With those words spoken, slaughter erupted between them.
Hongxi activated the Universal Sand-Gathering Pagoda. Stream after stream of galaxies flew out from the tower, suspending themselves above it and boosting its power immensely as it pressed down!
The colossal hammer in Dao Lord Wuchen's hands soared out to meet the pagoda, while the two Dao Lords clashed in close combat like mortal enemies, each unleashing lethal divine abilities to deal fatal blows!
Countless stars wheeled about in an instant, galaxies surging as if they had entered a boundless starry expanse, the celestial bodies denser and more plentiful than grains of dust in the mortal realm.
The two Dao Lords stood amidst the sea of stars; as they clashed, the stars swirled around them like silver fish. The colossal hammer vaulted from the galaxy, obliterating stars wherever it passed.
The white pagoda also soared, suppressing the river of stars and marshaling stellar power to collide with the hammer without yielding an inch!
Dao Lord Wuchen was, after all, of the true Sacred Clan of the other shore, not the new Sacred Clan who had migrated from other worlds. His physical body was inherently powerful like that of an ancient god; in close combat, he was nigh invincible.
And while Hongxi was also in a burialized form, he was not of the true Sacred Clan and proved somewhat inferior. Before long, Dao Lord Wuchen beat him until he coughed up blood repeatedly!
Right then, another figure charged into the fray, wading into the battlefield and unleashing the fire of creation to engulf both of them at once!
"Panyan, you want to pick up scraps too?" Wuchen and Hongxi were both infuriated and attacked Dao Lord Panyan together!
As the three fought in a chaotic melee, Dao Lord Qingzai suddenly arrived riding a cloud carriage. From afar, he activated myriad magic treasures, intending to sweep everyone into a formation and catch them all in one fell swoop.
Already heavily wounded, the three were momentarily unable to resist Dao Lord Qingzai's Supreme Nine Palaces Killing Calamity!
He let out a muffled grunt and coughed up large mouthfuls of blood, tumbling down from the sky.
Gu Daochan and Xiuhuixian's eyes gleamed as they plunged downward. The two female Dao Lords had evidently reached an agreement to strike together and wipe out all the formidable foes here!
Before the two women could join the battlefield, two True Kings suddenly intercepted them, ruthlessly executing deadly moves without a word of discussion.
The two women were shocked and enraged. "True King Sikou, True King Zhuxiao, you're courting death!"
True King Sikou laughed heartily. "Who said only Dao Lords could vie for a Dao Master-level technique, and True Kings couldn't?"
Zhuxiao resembled a birdman with avian wings, a human torso, and a bird's beak. His physique was vast, and he chuckled weirdly, "If Dao Lords can seize it, then so can True Kings!"
Both sides clashed in a chaotic brawl.
Just then, several more True Kings and ordinary figures of the Indestructible Realm arrived, plunging into the chaotic fray.
Suddenly, Dao Lord Panyan suffered a severe blow and shouted aloud, "Everyone! We are slaughtering one another here without even knowing whether this Dao Master technique is real or fake! If that Xu brat wrote a fake scripture, wouldn't our deaths be in vain?"
Even as they fought, the crowd stole glances toward the cliff face where Xu Ying was writing. They saw that the scripture on the cliff was indeed profoundly unfathomable; every single word and phrase contained immeasurably deep, wondrous principles of the Grand Dao!
If this was not the real scripture, then just how sublime could the real scripture be?
The slaughter instantly grew even more savage.
"Everyone! Our Dao hearts are being influenced by the Dao of Slaughter in this place!"
Xiuhuixian suddenly snapped to her senses and called out loudly, "The Dao of Slaughter here was left behind by Daoist Tongtian! The aura of slaughter has invaded our Dao hearts and clouded our judgment! Fellow Daoists, sit down at once and resist the slaughter aura!"
Just as she prepared to sit, a flash of light swept across, shearing off her scalp along with her lovely hair.
On the other shore, scalping was an established practice, but to have one's scalp taken was a supreme humiliation!
Xiuhuixian flew into a towering rage. Her heart flooded with an urge to kill, and without distinguishing friend from foe, she struck out lethally at everyone around her!
Even her close friend Gu Daochan was among those she attacked!
"Fellow Daoists—"
"Save your last words!" Dao Lord Qingzai sneered ferociously, dragging Wuchen back into the fray.
Dao Lord Wuchen's Dao heart, which had just begun to awaken, was once more seized by the desire to kill.
Having finished writing the Xuanhuang Dao Realm Scripture, Xu Ying let out a long breath and thought silently to himself, *Now the chaos has taken shape. The Immortals who came here seeking a Dao Master technique are triggering the Dao of Slaughter by killing each other. As the Dao of Slaughter recovers and grows stronger, it affects their Dao hearts and drives them to slaughter each other all the more. A virtuous cycle has formed. And I can take this opportunity to fathom the profound mysteries of the Dao of Slaughter!*
Looking at the pandemonium all around, he felt delighted. *Seventh Lord said, "You can't trap the wolf without sacrificing the child; you can't catch the scoundrel without risking the wife." Using the genuine scripture to bait them was well worth it.*
Looking up at the stone wall, Qingxuan the Good-for-Nothing was also drawn in by the scripture. He stared blankly at the cliff, unconsciously slipping into comprehension.
His natural aptitude and talent were exceptionally high. Though the Xuanhuang Dao Realm Scripture was obscure and difficult to decipher—the hardest of all cultivation techniques to decode—in his eyes, many obscure passages resolved themselves effortlessly.
Xu Ying had intended to take advantage of the chaos to lead him away to safety, only to see Qingxuan the Good-for-Nothing standing before the stone wall, seemingly entering a state of enlightenment.
Xu Ying was exceedingly envious.
He had long committed this Xuanhuang Dao Realm Scripture to memory, but the text was truly profound; ever since obtaining it, he had never been able to decipher it.
He couldn't even insert a backdoor into the technique to harvest the powerhouses of the other shore. When he couldn't understand it himself, how could he speak of planting backdoors?
He had imparted this technique to Grand Dao Lord Taiyi, who was still in secluded contemplation to this day and had yet to emerge—proving that it was not a matter of Xu Ying lacking intellect, for Grand Dao Lord Taiyi was the same.
Yet the moment Qingxuan the Good-for-Nothing saw the technique, he entered an enlightened state, proving that he could comprehend the Xuanhuang Dao Realm Scripture and had already reaped gains from it!
*The Xuanhuang Dao Realm Scripture isn't suited to me,* Xu Ying thought. *Nor is Dao Zongyuan's Hundong Indestructible Scripture. I have my own path. The Martial Dao will surely transcend the mundane and surpass other Grand Daos. My attainment of the Dao through the ultimate martial path will definitely surpass the Xuanhuang Dao Realm Scripture!*
Since Qingxuan the Good-for-Nothing was comprehending the Dao here, it was inconvenient for Xu Ying to drag him away, so he could only stand beneath the cliff to protect him.
One faced the cliff while the other stood with his back to it, and gradually, both sank into enlightenment.
Too many Immortal powerhouses had gathered here, all drawn by the Dao Master technique. Their combined might was so overwhelming that it actually suppressed the sword-forest peaks of this land, causing even the Dao of Slaughter drifting through the forest of swords to circulate sluggishly, delaying its eruption.
Yet as time went on, the slaughter among the Immortals grew increasingly brutal, and the Dao of Slaughter grew stronger and stronger. Immortals continually fell, slain by other Immortals of the other shore!
Xu Ying's comprehension deepened as well, the slaughter aura and intent flooding his body growing increasingly intense.
Unlike Wuchen and the others, whose Dao hearts were controlled by murderous intent, he transformed that murderous intent into a Grand Dao, converting it into his own Dao attainment and cultivation!
Gradually, his killing aura grew so concentrated that a slaughter cave abyss formed behind him. The cave abyss spun, seemingly bearing a world-destroying killing intent that caused it to expand continuously!
Watching this immensely spectacular battle of Immortals—where all manner of Dao methods and magic treasures attacked and clashed under the sway of the Dao of Slaughter—Xu Ying's insights grew ever deeper.
The speed at which his slaughter cave abyss formed and expanded was truly astounding.
Suddenly, a True King fell. That person's death, acting as a sacrifice to the Dao of Slaughter, seemed to awaken the Grand Dao completely!
Xu Ying's spirits rose sharply. The greatest power of the Dao of Slaughter lay not in manipulating the killing intent of living beings, but in exterminating the Dao!
The aura contained within the Zhuxian Sword left behind by Daoist Tongtian was not the Dao of the Sword, but peerless killing intent meant to destroy universes and reenact primal chaos!
*Boom!*
Countless sword mountains turned blindingly bright, bursting with peerless killing intent that boiled over—killing for injustice, killing for unfairness, killing for resentment, killing for tyranny, killing because the Heavenly Dao was manipulated by mortals, killing because the Human Dao was manipulated by mortals, killing because Heaven nourished all things yet humanity offered nothing in return to Heaven!
In this universe, life was merely a stroke of luck; somber slaughter was eternity!
The Dao of Slaughter was truly first under heaven!
That terrifyingly peerless killing intent shook the starry sky and disrupted the celestial bodies, turning this forbidden zone into a slaughterhouse. All Daos within this chaotic ground were shattered beneath the slaughter, reduced to fine dust!
Even Immortals who had attained the Dao, or Dao Lords whose bodies were unified with the Dao, were powerless against this unimaginably terrifying ocean of slaughter.
The sword intent buried them all!
The sword formation even severed their connections to their cave abysses, preventing their Primordial Spirits from leaving their bodies to flee to other universes!
Deprived of even the opportunity to possess disciples in other universes, they perished beneath the might of the Zhuxian Sword Formation, slain by slaughter!
"Sever the Dao! Sever the Dao! Sever every Grand Dao under heaven!"
Xu Ying watched with blood boiling, wishing he could hold a longsword himself and charge into that terrifying sword formation, using his own killing intent to combat the enemy and his own sword to reap their heads.
The Dao of Slaughter permeating heaven and earth resonated with his slaughter cave abyss, making it expand ever larger and raising his Dao attainment ever higher.
Suddenly, Gu Daochan fell, torn to shreds by the sword formation. Then Dao Lord Qingzai screamed as he perished beneath the might of the myriad swords!
Xiuhuixian leapt to escape, transforming into a streak of Taiying flowing light. Suddenly, the light severed, and the sky bled. The female Dao Lord's severed torso tumbled from the air, dead on the spot!
Sword light blazed like a rainbow and sword qi loomed chillingly, cutting down and annihilating the Taiying Grand Dao!
Dao Lord Hongxi cried out and leapt into his Universal Sand-Gathering Pagoda. The pagoda fled outward as galaxies danced around it; countless stars expanded rapidly into suns, carrying star systems large and small as they expanded outward!
Space expanded drastically at this moment, as if rolling out three galaxy systems at once so that this all-obliterating sword formation could not threaten the pagoda itself!
Yet in the next breath, the expanding space rapidly annihilated. Even the Space Grand Dao could not withstand the Dao of Slaughter. The expanding stars rapidly contracted, turning back into grains of stellar sand.
The stellar sand swirled around the pagoda without a gap, but was immediately pierced by countless sword lights shooting into the pagoda.
Inside the sand-gathering pagoda, bloody light flashed suddenly, and thick blood poured out from the pagoda in torrents, dyeing countless stellar grains red.
At the same moment the Dao of Slaughter erupted, an ancient beyond ancient being in Daoji Heaven suddenly awakened.
Dao Master Hua of the other shore awoke. "Tongtian, you wish to use this chance to revive? In your dreams."
Chapter 769