After breaking through the Heavenly Venerables' obstruction, the giant net of Sky-Patrolling Arrows instantly split back into nearly ten thousand slender, silvery-white arrows.
They sped toward the various provinces of the Five Elders Association.
Many Five Elders Association cultivators attempted to intervene and block them.
Yet the Sky-Patrolling Arrows were simply too numerous, and each carried power nearly on par with a Dao Integration strike. It all happened so abruptly that even Dao Integration cultivators of the Five Elders Association found intercepting them no simple feat.
And so, the ten thousand Sky-Patrolling Arrows burst across the sky like scattered fireworks, tracing countless trajectories before plunging into the lands of the Five Elders Association.
Rumble!
Even through the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Li Fan could feel the colossal tremors echoing from afar.
Yet the massive net of Sky-Patrolling Arrows—cast at the cost of every single life among the Thirty-Three Immortal Chosen—was never meant merely for bombardment.
After a brief silence, thousands upon thousands of silver threads suddenly erupted from every point of impact.
They formed giant cocoons of light, broad at the base and narrow at the top, resembling bizarre pincers as they burrowed deep into the earth.
From the very peak of each cocoon, an infinitesimally fine thread shot straight toward the territory of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
In an instant, traversing hundreds of millions of li, nearly ten thousand fine threads converged into a single point within Alliance lands!
These shifts unfolded in the blink of an eye, before the five Heavenly Venerable dharma manifestations in the sky had even finished shattering completely.
Watching this scene through the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Li Fan could not fathom what the Alliance truly intended to accomplish, despite the vast experience gathered across his many cycles of reincarnation.
Deep down, however, his spiritual senses stirred with a faint, foreboding premonition.
Under the gaze of countless onlookers, it was as if an earth-striding titan had seized the threads on the Alliance's side and heaved with all its might.
A tremendous roar resounded once more.
The roughly ten thousand cocoons embedded deep within the earth of the Five Elders Association acted like taut ropes, appearing to drag and twist something toward the Alliance.
The rumbling was ceaseless, signaling that some monumental upheaval was taking place between Heaven and Earth.
Meanwhile, the five radiances confronting the remaining Heavenly Venerable dharma manifestations seemed to grow far more urgent.
Strangely, however, their offensive inexplicably weakened, allowing the dharma manifestations—which had been on the verge of total collapse—to hold out for a little longer.
The unease within Li Fan's heart grew increasingly severe.
Examining the sensation carefully, he realized it was not a warning of personal danger, but rather an instinctive reaction akin to how all ensouled creatures grow restless before a natural disaster strikes.
"What are they..."
In the Heavenly Profound Mirror, the Five Elders Association finally seemed to react.
They deployed hordes of cultivators to launch attacks against the colossal cocoons of light.
Yet the cocoons behaved as though they did not even exist; the vast majority of attacks passed harmlessly through them.
Only the leading cultivators, who appeared to possess Dao Integration cultivation, managed to slightly distort the threads spraying from the cocoons with their strikes.
Still, the web of light blanketing the entire Five Elders Association was exceptionally resilient. A minor bend could not alter the overarching outcome.
The transformation marched steadily on.
In the sky, the radiances representing the five Heavenly Venerables grew increasingly dim.
It was as though... the power of these Longevity Heavenly Venerables had been subjected to some form of restriction!
A flash of insight suddenly burst across Li Fan's mind.
Like thunder parting a dense fog, the scene before his eyes transformed!
The cocoons and threads were no longer tethered merely to the physical land of the Five Elders Association, but to another immense web—a web embodying the principles of Heaven and Earth!
Li Fan finally understood.
Each of the Heavenly Venerables in the Five Elders Association possessed their own territory.
Within these domains, the principles of Heaven and Earth they had reversed were far more solid and unyielding than in the outside world.
For the weaker among them, stepping outside these regions would even cause their reversal of the principles to unravel.
To call these lands their places of Dao attainment was not an exaggeration.
And now, through some unknown method utilizing those cocoons of light, the Alliance had managed to distort the inherent principles of Heaven and Earth rooted in those places.
It was like the pillars supporting a great bridge beginning to buckle.
While the bridge would not collapse immediately, it swayed uncontrollably!
In reality, this meant the authority and power of the five Heavenly Venerables were unavoidably undermined.
"It won't diminish their personal strength as Longevity Heavenly Venerables, but it temporarily strips them of absolute control over the Five Elders Association's territories."
Li Fan rose to his feet, shock written across his face.
He had never imagined one could wage war against Longevity Heavenly Venerables in such a manner.
"The distortion of the principles of Heaven and Earth has a time limit. Those five Heavenly Venerables will undoubtedly find ways to slowly dissipate its effects. But before that happens, the Alliance has its golden opportunity..."
As if answering Li Fan's conjecture, teleportation portals suddenly manifested across the sky above the Five Elders Association.
Swarms of black-robed cultivators flew out from the gates.
Expressionless and radiating chilling intent, they began sweeping across the various regions of the Five Elders Association.
"Heavenly Sorcerers..."
Li Fan was well acquainted with these elite soldiers trained by the Era.
Their formidable combat prowess remained as devastating as ever.
The assault had come far too suddenly. Leaderless and caught unprepared, the Five Elders Association had no time to organize any coherent resistance.
Fighting in isolation, their forces were swiftly picked off by the black-robed cultivators one by one.
The Alliance's offensive rolled forward like a heavy bank of storm clouds, crushing everything in its path toward the Five Elders Association.
Before the Heavenly Profound Mirror, the cultivators who had previously maintained a detached, spectator mindset went wild with shock.
"What is that? What's happening now? Is this still the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals I know?"
"The Alliance was hiding its cards this deeply? Their wartime capabilities are unbelievably terrifying!"
"Look, is there any possibility—I'm just saying a possibility—that these images are actually illusions fabricated by the Heavenly Profound Mirror? After all, the other side has stood against us for thousands of years. Would they really fall so easily? I'm having a hard time believing it."
"Fellow Daoist makes a fair point. It does seem entirely unreasonable. Is anyone bold enough to go over to the Five Elders Association and see for themselves? Seeing is believing, after all."
"Heh, I happen to know a secret route into the Five Elders Association. Wait a moment, fellow Daoists, I'll go verify it in person right now."
"Bah! You traitors are still running your mouths! I can't wait to see your miserable faces once the Five Elders Association is thoroughly crushed!"
***
Before the Heavenly Profound Mirror, all walks of life showed their colors.
Yet the battle between the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and the Five Elders Association moved onward regardless of their opinions.
The black-robed cultivators seemed endless, streaming steadily out from the teleportation portals.
Requiring no explicit commands, they coordinated with uncanny synergy.
Upon emerging, they acted swiftly and decisively, each carrying out their designated duties.
They seized strongholds and erected fortifications.
They pushed the front lines forward with steady discipline.
Instead of slaughtering their foes indiscriminately, they rounded up all captured Five Elders Association cultivators and escorted them away through the portals.
Chapter 934