Suddenly, an exceptionally crushing pressure descended, and the very nature of the void rapidly shifted! The expressions of the three Scenery Command masters changed in an instant—this was the hallmark of an impending mindscape world manifesting!
Beyond the heavens, unlike within the native realm, all around was empty void. Manifesting a mindscape world out here did not require overturning the natural environment of heaven and earth as it did in the native realm; not only was it far faster, but it also allowed the full, unique attributes of the mindscape world to unfold completely.
However, the mindscape worlds of both Ling Canglan and Mo Fentian possessed innate offensive properties; unfolding them at the same time would cause them to clash and tear into each other instead. Thus, none of the three had manifested their mindscape worlds earlier, relying instead on Su Wuwang's Thousand Mechanisms Grand Array.
The three had already suffered grave injuries from having their divine abilities broken. Now, another mindscape world was suddenly unfolding—and it was unimaginably terrifying. Its transformation even required a discernible process to complete, yet before it had even fully manifested, the three already felt crushing layers of pressure weighing down upon them.
No longer daring to hold anything back, the three unleashed their mindscape worlds one after another. Mo Fentian's mindscape world was a surging sea of dragon flames rolling like turbulent waves, while Ling Canglan's was a frozen expanse of perpetual permafrost and snow, studded with thrusts of ice swords. The moment the mindscape worlds of these two Scenery Command cultivators touched, a chain reaction of violent explosions erupted, turning both of their faces pale.
By comparison, the icy continent crumbled significantly more. This was not because Ling Canglan's cultivation was lacking, but rather due to the elemental clash between their mindscape worlds.
Su Wuwang's mindscape world was a palace constructed of countless mechanical components. Every single part rotated and meshed seamlessly with the others, making the entire palace seem alive. Such a mindscape world opened even Wei Yuan's eyes, prompting him to silently marvel that in this vast world, no wonder was impossible.
Su Wuwang's attainments in mechanics and machinery were probably no lower than Yu Zhizhuo's. Considering that Yu Zhizhuo was already the designated successor to become the next Hall Master of the Hall of Heavenly Craft, Su Wuwang's talent was evident.
Only after the mindscape worlds of the three had fully unfurled did Wei Yuan's mindscape world partially expand—yet it already encompassed all three of their mindscape worlds completely, with vast room to spare.
Gazing at the Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, and at the boundless Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, the three Scenery Command cultivators fell utterly silent.
How was this a mindscape world? It was practically a recreation of the native realm!
All it lacked were the sun, moon, and stars...
Just as this thought crossed their minds, they saw a sun and a moon emerge on opposite sides of the horizon, hanging high in the sky! With sun and moon in the sky, the pressure abruptly surged tenfold. In an instant, the mindscape worlds of the three Scenery Command masters began to twist and blur, showing signs of imminent collapse!
The three were scared out of their wits. How could this opponent be a Dharma Idol? Judging by this mindscape world and the grotto-heavens of sun and moon, even an immortal would be nothing more than this!
Wei Yuan's mindscape world possessed no special elemental properties; it was simply immense, immensely heavy, and flawlessly integrated without a single flaw. Crushing down by the sheer weight of the world itself was already enough to obliterate anything in its path!
The three Scenery Command masters repeatedly cast divine abilities, but the three-faced effigy in the sky continued to rotate. The gaze of the Pupils of the Six Realms illuminated heaven and earth, rending all their divine abilities fractured and incomplete, exhausting their Dao power in vain.
Stowing away Demon Blade Qiyue, Wei Yuan gripped the Scarlet Night Immortal-Slaying Sword. Treating the sword as a spear, he held it in one hand and stepped forward into a bow stance, thrusting the spear upward from below with unstoppable momentum! It was none other than the first spear strike Wei Yuan had ever comprehended: Counter-Slay!
The greater the gap in cultivation realm between him and his opponent, the mightier this spear strike became, while its baseline power was determined solely by his actual present strength. Only recently had Wei Yuan realized that this spear technique, created years ago when destiny and grand momentum converged upon him, actually carried a trace of the Great Dao's true meaning.
At present, Wei Yuan's cultivation was... Dharma Idol Perfection, while his opponent was a formidable late-stage Scenery Command expert of the Sky Command Realm. With such a massive disparity between their cultivation realms, the power of this spear strike doubled!
The spear shot forth like a dragon, reaching ten thousand zhang away in an instant and striking squarely against the mechanical palace!
Su Wuwang let out a wretched shriek as countless mechanical parts dropped from his body. A huge fissure tore open across his face, and what gushed from the wound was not blood, but innumerable tiny components. It was truly impossible to tell whether he was human or a mechanical puppet.
First his divine abilities had been broken, and then his mindscape world had been suppressed, cutting his overall strength in half. Now, struck by Wei Yuan's full-powered Counter-Slay spear, Su Wuwang could not withstand it despite his high realm and profound cultivation. The mechanical palace collapsed with a roar, and his mindscape world shattered!
He turned, wanting to flee, but a colossal deep-yellow celestial body manifested in the sky, directly suppressing the crumbling mechanical hall and locking it frozen in place!
High in the air, Cangwu was both shocked and enraged. He moved to intervene, but that gleaming strand of spider silk hung right before his eyes, its warning unmistakably clear.
Cangwu suddenly wondered: with the other party intervening so blatantly, why had the Venerable Lord shown no reaction at all? Was he unaware, or feigning ignorance?
Once this doubt arose, it could not be dispelled.
To make matters worse, the King of Ji was chattering incessantly by his ear: "That Wei Yuan is actually so formidable? Fighting three at once! Isn't he only at Dharma Idol Perfection? Could This King also have misjudged him?
"Alas, This King's judgment! Had I known earlier, I would have sent two more down. Aiya, Elder Su is in dire peril! Surely the Immortal Monarch will not sit idly by and watch him die? Should This King lend a hand as well?"
These words were barbed and full of insinuations. But as an immortal, Cangwu's mastery of maintaining face was naturally consummate. His expression remained calm and his tone composed as he said, "No matter. Fighting three against one was already quite unfair; if they still cannot win, they can only accept their fate. How could an esteemed immortal like me lack credibility and go back on my word? If Su Wuwang cannot escape, it merely means his tribulation has arrived."
In his heart, the King of Ji silently cursed, You still know how to write the word 'credibility'? Naturally, he could not say this aloud.
By this point, Su Wuwang's mindscape world had suffered severe destruction. Even if he managed to escape back, he would most likely fall in realm; he was already ruined. The King of Ji had been prodding and instigating precisely to see whether Cangwu would make a move. Seeing him consistently refuse to act, the King of Ji understood where things stood.
Seeing that things had turned disastrous, Mo Fentian and Ling Canglan turned and fled. Both possessed astonishing escape speeds, one fleeing as a streak of fire and the other as a ray of sword light in different directions.
Wei Yuan showed no hurry. He flashed to Su Wuwang's side and patted his body. With a clatter, Su Wuwang dissolved into a pile of mechanical components scattered across the ground, yet his sea of consciousness, nascent soul, and soul spirits were nowhere to be found. This body of his truly was a puppet.
Yet Wei Yuan was not disheartened. Most of Su Wuwang's mindscape world had been suppressed. Deprived of this portion of his mindscape world, he would not even be able to maintain Dharma Idol Perfection; upon returning, his only path would be to find a secluded spot to undergo corpse-liberation and re-enter the cycle of reincarnation.
After smashing Su Wuwang apart, the Scarlet Night Immortal-Slaying Sword in Wei Yuan's grasp once again morphed into a colossal greatsword. Dragging the sword with both hands, he stepped forward, spun around, and bellowed furiously. The greatsword swung out, paused noticeably at its apex, and then cleaved downward with the earth-shattering momentum of toppling mountains and overturning seas!
Sweeping Away the Four Barbarians, reappearing in the mortal realm!
Ling Canglan, who had already fled far into the distance, suddenly came to a halt. Raising the Hanyuan Sword with both hands, he held it across above his head. Yet a streak of crimson sword light materialized out of nowhere, slashing downward from above, cleaving right through both the immortal sword and his body.
With a soft snap, the immortal sword Hanyuan snapped in two.
Ling Canglan stood frozen in place. Looking at Wei Yuan, who was walking slowly toward him, he gave a bitter smile. "Why me?"
"Very simple. You use a sword."
Wei Yuan's voice at this moment sounded exceedingly strange, carrying echoes and the chime of bells, resonating faintly with the surrounding Great Dao of heaven and earth.
Ling Canglan suddenly recalled that this was the state where words carry the law. When high-level Scenery Command cultivators neared perfection and occasionally entered sudden enlightenment, touching the Great Dao of heaven and earth, this phenomenon of words carrying the law would appear. A single word could become law, or establish a grand vow—remarkably similar to the Buddhist cultivation path of grand vows.
Every single word Wei Yuan spoke now would manifest as law or become a grand vow.
Then Wei Yuan said, "And my wish is: across all under heaven, I alone am supreme in the sword Dao! Heh heh..."
Those last two chuckles were rather sleazy and exceedingly abrupt, somehow making them particularly grating to hear.
Yet Ling Canglan had been completely awed by the first grand vow. He let out a long sigh. "Even at this very moment, even facing death, I, Ling, could never bring myself to utter such words. In this battle, I concede defeat with utmost conviction!"
A red line appeared between Ling Canglan's brows, running from the top of his head down to his neck, and his life extinguished then and there.
A purple crystal pillar descended into Wei Yuan's sea of consciousness. Before dying, Ling Canglan had actually contributed a strand of top-tier karmic luck. This karmic luck arrived so unexpectedly that it made Wei Yuan feel a bit ashamed.
In truth, the "heh heh" following Wei Yuan's grandiose boast just now was not a foolish chuckle, but a specially distorted and modulated sound. If slowed down, stretched out, and readjusted in rhythm, it turned into the second half of the sentence: Unless we are related or friends.
Put together, the two lines became: Across all under heaven, I alone am supreme in the sword Dao—unless we are related or friends. This was Wei Yuan's true grand vow.
Wei Yuan reflected that among known sword Dao geniuses, Zhang Sheng went without saying—closer than kin. Su Xuejing belonged to the Sword Palace, and through the connection of Bai Kaishui, that was also considered related.
As for any peerless sword Dao geniuses he might encounter in the future, there was no need to fight and kill them. A clear path had long been pointed out:
The Sage said: Befriend them.
Chuhe said: Call them Daddy.
Wei Yuan swept his gaze over the battlefield and gathered the two remnant mindscape worlds, intending to offer them to the shadow in the moon once he returned. As for Mo Fentian, it was truly impossible to catch up with him now; if he ran, let him run.
Thus, in the guise of "Dharma Idol Perfection," Wei Yuan had battled three Scenery Command masters at once, injuring one and slaying two. It was a glorious victory, and his Dao heart was crystal clear. Since his Dao heart was now clear and unhindered, he had to hurry back to tend to his wounds—for Wei Yuan was also grievously injured. At the same time, he needed to avoid retaliation from the enemy immortal.
Although he had also prepared backup plans to counter an immortal, it was best not to use them if possible, as the price was steep. Moreover, if he did not return soon, Demon Blade Qiyue would not be able to hold out much longer.
And so Wei Yuan stood with his hands behind his back and chanted loudly, "Across all under heaven, the sword Dao..."
Halfway through the chant, he suddenly spun around and fled!
If anyone had been lying in ambush waiting to hear him finish the two lines of poetry, they would certainly have been caught completely off guard.
Chapter 1051