Hemmed In

Bang! High above in the heavens. The Golden Book of the Grand Dao unfurled by Venerable Golden Book collided head-on with the heavenly abyss hurtling down under Dao Lord Yuanxu's impetus. The resulting blast of energy waves rocked all of Beihai Star. In particular, the violent fluctuations in the Grand Dao of the Void involved in the clash transmitted this trembling across the entire planet, throwing Beihai Star into what felt like a world-spanning earthquake. Amid these tremors, countless cultivators of the void path in closed-door cultivation suffered violent backlashes. The severely affected even spat mouthfuls of blood, sustaining grievous injuries. Many sects near the Heavenly Dao Sect saw numerous formations built upon the Grand Dao of the Void shatter completely. As for the landslides and fracturing ground triggered by the spatial tremors, they spread across the surrounding lands, perceptible even to the pinnacle Void Shattering figures deep within the planetary core. "This commotion... Are Dao Lords fighting?" "The Gate of the Immortal Realm hasn't even opened yet. Why are Dao Lords already clashing on Beihai Star?" "Aren't these Dao Lords afraid their attacks will destabilize Beihai Star's planetary core, preventing the Gate of the Immortal Realm from gathering enough energy and delaying its emergence?" Thoughts flashed through the minds of one pinnacle Void Shattering expert after another. To many Dao Lords, their greatest wish was for the Gate of the Immortal Realm to open as soon as possible. The shorter the cycle between openings, the more chances they had in their lifetimes to enter the Immortal Realm. Thus, an unspoken consensus existed among the myriad Dao Lords: They could only inject energy to shorten the opening cycle of the Gate of the Immortal Realm, but never disrupt its growth for any reason and delay its opening. A delay infringed upon the interests of every Dao Lord. If any Dao Lord were to rally the others... They might very well unite to attack anyone responsible for delaying the gate. Perhaps there was no enmity among them, but joining forces to eliminate another Dao Lord meant one fewer potential rival. This was precisely why many Dao Lords chose to leave Beihai Star after the Gate of the Immortal Realm opened: To minimize their own impact on Beihai Star. Yet Dao Lord Yuanxu was clearly beyond caring about any of that. With his lifespan nearing its end, this upcoming Dao Contention was his final chance. If he failed to seize it, his only remaining outcome would be to pass away into meditation. Under such circumstances, he would do everything in his power to pursue anything that might improve his odds in the Dao Contention. Just like right now! ... Waves that made the Grand Dao of the Void tremble swept outward in continuous torrents. Although Dao Lord Yuanxu was advanced in years and his mind was far less nimble and keen than that of a Dao Lord in their prime, his Dao Lord might still shattered the power of the Dao manifested by the Golden Book of the Grand Dao in a single collision. Carrying the terrifying momentum of the heavenly abyss, he then crashed heavily into the Heavenly Dao Sect's freshly activated formation. With just that one blow... The Twelve Fiendgods Sky-Sealing Formation, yet to reach full power, shuddered violently as a massive breach was blasted open. Stepping into the void from within the heavenly abyss, Dao Lord Yuanxu treated the Heavenly Dao Sect—a veritable dragon's den and tiger's lair to ordinary mortals—as nothing at all, charging straight inside. His powerful divine sense swept through the entire sect like a raging tempest. When his divine sense swept past Yaoguang, the Dao Lord actually paid him no heed, sweeping deeper into the sect until his senses settled around Heaven Abandoned Valley. After sweeping back and forth several times without finding another "unfamiliar" Void Shattering Artifact Saint, the Dao Lord finally turned his gaze toward Yaoguang. He extended an ethereal hand. Yaoguang felt the surrounding void instantly gripped and contracted, dragged across the spatial layer toward the Dao Lord. "Speak! Where is that Artifact Saint?" Buzz, buzz! The Heaven-Sealing Stele suddenly surged from within him. Amplified by the power of the Grand Dao of the Void channeled by the Wuji Sword, a pinnacle Dao artifact, it resolutely shattered the seized, frozen void. "Hmm?" Dao Lord Yuanxu's expression showed a flicker of surprise. He seemed astonished that Yaoguang could actually break free from his void capture. Immediately afterward, as if sensing something, delight suddenly flooded his eyes. "A pinnacle Dao artifact?! You actually possess a pinnacle Dao artifact?! Good! Splendid! The heavens themselves are aiding me!" With a fierce wave of his hand, he prepared to unleash a divine ability to capture Yaoguang and rip the Wuji Sword straight from his body. Yet at that exact moment, the figure of Venerable Golden Book reappeared. Above his head, a painted world unfurled once more. However, what emerged from that painted world were no longer the previous mountains and rivers, but twelve towering figures. With this brief delay, the Twelve Fiendgods Sky-Sealing Formation had fully activated, seamlessly merging with Venerable Golden Book's power. Once the projections of these twelve fiendgods manifested, they instantly formed a battle array and lunged down at Dao Lord Yuanxu. Distinct powers of the Grand Dao seemed to surge from each fiendgod. The combined power of the twelve, united with the Golden Book of the Grand Dao manifested by Venerable Golden Book, ultimately coalesced into a mighty mantra: "Any Dao invading the Heavenly Dao Sect shall be suppressed by the Twelve Fiendgods!" The power of the mantra manifested. Dao Lord Yuanxu was a hybrid of the Star Spirit and Void races, making void-suppressing methods the most effective restraint against him. For a moment, twelve chains of mantras seemed to bind the Dao Lord, causing the terrifying, torrential aura that had nearly suppressed the entire Heavenly Dao Sect to plummet precipitously. "This suppressing force..." Dao Lord Yuanxu instantly sensed something was amiss. Venerable Golden Book's strength... Seemed even greater than the rumors suggested?! However, over his long lifespan, this Dao Lord had mastered the art of alchemy; it was only through constant nourishment with medicinal pills that he had survived to this day. When it came to formations, his knowledge was limited. Although currently suppressed, he had yet to realize the gravity of the situation. With a wave of his hand, six figures materialized simultaneously. The foremost among the six... Was none other than his proudest personal disciple, the one poised to inherit his mantle and ranked sixth on the Dao Lord Candidate List—True Monarch Xujin! After summoning these disciples and followers, the Dao Lord pointed toward Yaoguang. "Xujin, take the others and capture Yaoguang and that mysterious Artifact Saint!" True Monarch Xujin was utterly dumbfounded upon hearing this. Yaoguang was ranked second on the Dao Lord Candidate List, while he... Ranked sixth, was supposed to capture Yaoguang alive? What was more... This was the Heavenly Dao Sect's home turf! Supreme Elders such as Zhen Xuanyuan, Chiyun, Gu Li, Liaochenzi, Dongxi, and Yuanxing were also revealing themselves one after another. Even though he had two junior brothers and three of his master's followers at his side, True Monarch Xujin's scalp tingled with numbness. Was his master... Thinking a bit too highly of them? Yet with their master's order given, they had no choice but to obey. At this moment, all they could hope for was that their master would break free from the formation's suppression as quickly as possible and come to their aid. Otherwise... "Hold them off," Yaoguang instructed with a wave toward Zhen Xuanyuan. "I will assist Venerable Golden Book." Watching Yaoguang soar into the air after giving his order, Zhen Xuanyuan and the others likewise felt immense pressure. Yet with the enemy attacking right at their doorstep, they had no choice but to brace themselves and confront the six Void Shattering experts led by True Monarch Xujin. Seeing that the one stepping up to face him was Zhen Xuanyuan rather than Yaoguang, True Monarch Xujin breathed a quiet sigh of relief. However, to avoid drawing Yaoguang into their fight—or rather, to prevent a sudden ambush from Yaoguang if things went awry—True Monarch Xujin could not afford to go all out against Zhen Xuanyuan's group. Dividing his focus, the two sides ended up trading blows back and forth, locked in a stalemate. ... Having freed himself to merge into the Twelve Fiendgods Sky-Sealing Formation and personally take command, Yaoguang immediately shifted the balance. Dao Lord Yuanxu, who had previously been holding his own against Venerable Golden Book's mantra power, instantly felt the crushing pressure mount. In particular, when Yaoguang merged seamlessly with the fiendgod representing the Grand Dao of the Void and slashed out the Void Sword, its searing sharpness and the tremendous surge in suppressive power upon the strike caused the Dao Lord's pupils to contract. "Something is wrong! This is definitely not the power of the Twelve Fiendgods Sky-Sealing Formation! I remember the Heavenly Dao Sect's Twelve Fiendgods Sky-Sealing Formation was only equivalent to a fourteenth-rank formation, but this suppressive might... has likely reached the fifteenth rank!" The moment the words left the Dao Lord's mouth, he reached out abruptly. Sweeping a high-grade Dao artifact saber through the air, he tore open a colossal rift across the firmament, leaving a stark, visible fissure. Within this fissure lay a devouring force akin to a supermassive black hole, pulling in all surrounding matter in an attempt to swallow every scrap of energy above the Heavenly Dao Sect and deprive the Twelve Fiendgods Sky-Sealing Formation of its foundational sustenance. Yet terrifying and formidable though this devouring force was, it could not shake the modified Twelve Fiendgods Sky-Sealing Formation. Although the formation shuddered continuously, under Yaoguang's direction, it maintained a steady, stable operation throughout. As the void fiendgod Yaoguang had merged with summoned the Heaven-Sealing Stele, visible ripples expanded outward, swiftly suppressing and mending the torn spatial rift. This sight confirmed Dao Lord Yuanxu's fears beyond doubt. A fifteenth-rank formation! The Heavenly Dao Sect's mountain-protecting grand formation was indeed a fifteenth-rank formation! I was careless! With Venerable Golden Book present, plus a fifteenth-rank formation... Leave alone him—even a Dao Lord in their prime caught within would likely be trapped for a considerable length of time. Had he known the Heavenly Dao Sect's grand formation was this formidable, he never would have charged inside so recklessly. "Curse it all! When I passed by the Heavenly Dao Sect three hundred years ago, their mountain-protecting grand formation was only at the fourteenth rank. Just three hundred years have gone by, and this formation has already grown to such heights?" A thought of retreat instantly sprouted in Dao Lord Yuanxu's heart. In the next instant, his figure began to flicker. With each flicker, he immediately slashed his blade, ripping a fissure in the void to disrupt the foundational basis of the Twelve Fiendgods Sky-Sealing Formation's existence. Yet almost the instant he flickered, the void fiendgod Yaoguang had merged into followed suit with Void Flicker, unleashing the power of the Heaven-Sealing Stele to smooth over the torn fissure. "Courting death!" Dao Lord Yuanxu pointed an ethereal finger, and an intensely condensed stream of black light blasted toward Yaoguang in an instant. Dao art—Void Mass Point. Yet just as this black light containing terrifying mass was about to strike Yaoguang, a fiendgod suddenly flashed in front of him, taking the blow head-on. Although this fiendgod was quickly shattered by the Void Mass Point Dao art, as the numerous Void Cavern and Void Refining cultivators managing the formation continuously poured in vast quantities of spirit stones to sustain its operation, it was not long before the shattered fiendgod reformed through the formation's power. During this time, two more fiendgod phantoms were blasted apart by Dao Lord Yuanxu. Yet with immense quantities of resources, spirit stones, and medicinal pills poured into the array, the speed at which Dao Lord Yuanxu destroyed the fiendgod phantoms reached an equilibrium with the speed at which the Twelve Fiendgods Sky-Sealing Formation restored them. Although prolonging the war of attrition would inevitably deplete the Heavenly Dao Sect's resources and cause the formation to fail, the timeframe required would be measured in months! Never mind a month—he did not even have a single day. Once Dao Lord Penglai disengaged and returned, trapping him inside this formation... "Damn it!" Now, Dao Lord Yuanxu was genuinely unsettled. "A Heavenly Dao Sect without a Dao Lord..."