Fatal Strike

Careless! Far too careless! If not for relying on his status as a Dao Lord and believing that dealing with a top sect devoid of its Dao Lord would be completely effortless, how could he have rashly barged into their mountain-protecting grand formation? Had he not entered the mountain-protecting grand formation, even if outmatched, he could still have departed at leisure. Although doing so meant completely offending Dao Lord Penglai and Dao Lord Juntian, with the Dao Contention approaching, as long as he laid low to ride out the storm, those two Dao Lords would not necessarily cling to him relentlessly. Yet now... Solely because of his arrogance, he had landed himself in dire straits. Yaoguang, controlling a rank-fifteen formation, joined forces with the quasi-immortal-artifact-grade Venerable Golden Book to trap him directly within the formation, making it difficult for him to break out in the short term. Dao Lord Yuanxu swept his gaze around, searching for a flaw in the Twelve Fiendgods Sky-Sealing Formation. Instead of finding a flaw in the formation, he spotted True Monarch Xujin acting "cautious and prudent." Fury surged within the Dao Lord, and he barked sternly, "Xujin, what are you doing?! I told you to take care of Yaoguang! Didn't you hear me?" True Monarch Xujin glanced at the majestic, imposing figure merged into the Twelve Fiendgods Sky-Sealing Formation as a fiendgod, feeling immense pressure. Yet under Dao Lord Yuanxu's urging, he still vaulted into the sky and condensed a Void Sword, slashing straight toward Yaoguang. This Void Sword... Slightly surprised Yaoguang, who was presiding over the formation. Yet in the next second, the Torrent of Time was unleashed. While contending against Dao Lord Yuanxu's void-tearing dark particle, Yaoguang split off another Void Sword to collide with True Monarch Xujin's Void Sword. The instant the two Void Swords collided, the difference in mastery was immediately apparent. True Monarch Xujin's Void Sword shattered on the spot, exploding into ripples of void that rolled out in all directions, only to be absorbed and suppressed by the power of the Twelve Fiendgods Sky-Sealing Formation. Yaoguang's Void Sword, on the other hand, continued slashing forward with unabated momentum even after shattering True Monarch Xujin's Void Sword. Although less than a tenth of its might remained, with a mere thought from Yaoguang, a fiendgod phantom strode forth from the ranks. Just as True Monarch Xujin unleashed another Dao art to smash the incoming Void Sword, the fiendgod phantom clenched its fist, hammering down toward this powerhouse on the Dao Lord Candidate Board. Amid the raging torrent of energy, the True Monarch was blasted backward like a cannonball, shattering the void and plummeting straight toward the ground. Seizing this opening, Dao Lord Yuanxu unleashed all his techniques, relying on his Dao Integration might to continuously draw upon the power of the Grand Dao of the Void, battering against Venerable Golden Book's "True Word" suppression. Even with the sect-protecting grand formation backing him, the suppression of the True Words was showing signs of being breached. Seeing this, Yaoguang promptly slashed down several Void Swords, forcing Dao Lord Yuanxu to move to block them. Forced to defend, he naturally could no longer strike the suppression of the True Words with full force, allowing the teetering power of the True Words to swiftly recover. For a time, Yaoguang, directing the Twelve Fiendgods Sky-Sealing Formation in tandem with Venerable Golden Book, actually fought to a standstill against this Dao Lord. Yet this stalemate lasted only a brief moment before it was shattered. In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn! Yaoguang suddenly sensed Dao Lord Penglai's divine sense. "Open the formation!" "So fast?" Yaoguang was startled. "Heh... Yulin thought he understood my strength intimately. In reality, in every past clash, he only survived because he fled quickly enough, never getting to experience my true power. This time, they actually dared to confront me head-on... What sheer audacity!" Dao Lord Penglai's indifferent tone carried peerless confidence. "Had I not been in a hurry to break through and reinforce the Heavenly Dao Sect, today either Yulin or Black Moon would have fallen!" "Impressive! However, Yuanxu is still here!" "Leave him to me!" Dao Lord Penglai said. "He is an old monster who has lived for over a hundred thousand years. Who knows what life-saving treasures he possesses, or what methods he might have to drag us down with him? To be safe, I will leave him a sliver of hope to break out of the Twelve Fiendgods Sky-Sealing Formation. You strike when he breaks out and his strength is spent, finishing him with a single fatal blow," Yaoguang said. Dao Lord Penglai recalled that Void Shattering cultivators often possessed all manner of life-saving measures, and Yuanxu had lived for so long... and survived until now! It was only natural that he possessed some extraordinary treasures. Even if she was entirely confident, against a fellow Dao Lord of the same cultivation realm, she ought to face him with absolute vigilance. Dao Lord Penglai agreed, "Very well. We will coordinate from within and without." Having received Dao Lord Penglai's response, Yaoguang immediately commanded the formation's power to intensify the assault on Dao Lord Yuanxu. When one moves aggressively, flaws naturally emerge. When three fiendgods pressed forward too aggressively, Dao Lord Yuanxu seized the opportunity. Utilizing an explosive secret technique similar to the Torrent of Time, he fired three consecutive void particles, destroying three fiendgod phantoms. Seizing the opening, he took a sudden step into the void, astonishingly splitting into two as he stepped forth. One avatar continued intercepting the nine remaining fiendgods under Yaoguang's command, while his true body arrived directly at the formation's edge, brandishing his high-grade Dao artifact with heaven-propping might to unleash a mighty sword strike. "Not good!" Acting in perfect coordination, Yaoguang pressed down the entire power of the Twelve Fiendgods Sky-Sealing Formation. As many as six of the nine fiendgods charged Dao Lord Yuanxu. Yet at that very moment, the Dao Lord executed a sudden Void Flicker, dodging the encirclement of the six fiendgod phantoms with unbelievable speed. Not only that, when Yaoguang followed with Void Flicker to pursue him, the Dao Lord seemed prepared, striking again and again as void particles shot toward Yaoguang's body. Bang! Bang! Two fiendgod phantoms rushed to intercept the void particles and protect Yaoguang, shattering under the impact! In an instant, Yaoguang was left standing alone. If Dao Lord Yuanxu were willing to follow up with one or two more void particles at this moment, he could very well pose a fatal threat to Yaoguang. Of course, it was also possible that Yaoguang could rely on the agility of Void Flicker to evade this lethal assault and regroup as the formation regained its power. However, Dao Lord Yuanxu did not gamble. He had clearly relied on secret arts to destroy five fiendgod phantoms in succession, and executing such techniques placed an immense strain on his body. What was more, his true goal here was to abduct that mysterious Artifact Saint. Having failed to find the Artifact Saint, what was the point of risking his life against a mere Void Shattering cultivator like Yaoguang? As a Dao Lord, his life was far more precious than that of the Heavenly Dao Sect's sect master. Thus, after breaking through a substantial portion of the sect-protecting grand formation with his explosive burst, he abruptly spun around. His Dao artifact tore another rift through the void, and without hesitation, he shot outward toward freedom. He firmly believed that once outside the formation, no one in the Heavenly Dao Sect could stop him from coming and going as he pleased. Furthermore... this time, he had been careless, rashly barging into the depths of the Heavenly Dao Sect and landing in danger. But a thief could bide his time forever, while a guard could not remain vigilant every single day. He refused to believe Yaoguang would never step foot outside the Heavenly Dao Sect. Once outside, with his power as a Dao Lord, capturing and killing a Void Shattering cultivator would be as easy as taking something from his pocket. "This isn't over..." Dao Lord Yuanxu pushed the Grand Dao of the Void to its limit, traversing the void with all his might. "Below the Dao Lord realm, there is no one Yuanxu cannot kill..." Before the ancient Dao Lord could finish his words, a resonant phoenix cry echoed from high above the vault of heaven. In the next moment, amidst boundless raging flames, a colossal, majestic entity resembling a stellar body surged forth, clawing down thunderously toward the void where Dao Lord Yuanxu was. Feeling the space violently contracting under the claw, rapidly fracturing and collapsing, the previously confident Dao Lord Yuanxu let out a cry of shock and rage: "Dao Lord Penglai!" His mighty divine sense rooted into the Grand Dao of the Void like a tempest, frantically attempting to whip up wild void tides to crush this blazing, terrifying mythic beast. Yet... Before the boundless vastness of the Great Dao of Origin, the void tides he desperately summoned were like tiny ripples trying to batter down a sea cliff. Aside from shattering against the stone and spraying countless drops of water, they failed to create the slightest stir. The mythic beast condensed from the Great Dao of Origin seized his body directly, its origin Dao power swiftly engulfing his Grand Dao of the Void. "No!" Dao Lord Yuanxu roared. Something within his body seemed to shatter, transforming him into pure void and forcibly tearing him free from the claws of the origin-forged mythic beast. Yet before he could make another move, Dao Lord Penglai seemed prepared. The mythic beast formed of the Great Dao of Origin dispersed, and then... Transformed into a vast sea—a Sea of Origin capable of flooding endless void and boundless starry rivers! Vast origin power, exceeding that of ordinary Dao Lords by untold multitudes, flooded the entire void and bound the void-form of Dao Lord Yuanxu once again. Then... The Great Dao of Origin transformed like Five-Colored Divine Light, washing over Dao Lord Yuanxu's Grand Dao of the Void with wild abandon. With each wave that swept through, Dao Lord Yuanxu's Grand Dao of the Void weakened by a measure. In less than a single breath, the Grand Dao of the Void within this Dao Lord seemed on the verge of being washed into nothingness by Dao Lord Penglai's profoundly immense origin power. "Penglai!" Dao Lord Yuanxu let out a terrified scream, yet he demonstrated an unprecedented resolve to sever his own limb to survive. His remaining Grand Dao of the Void condensed into a sword capable of cleaving all creation, instantly tearing through the origin Dao power flooding this void. Preserving a sliver of his true spirit, he surged out through the torn opening, and then... It was frozen in the void by the Heaven-Sealing Stele! Instantly, the fleeting relief of surviving the ordeal froze on Dao Lord Yuanxu's face. Bang! In that single instant of stagnation, the Sea of Origin manifested by Dao Lord Penglai surged in. Having learned from the previous slip, her origin power was now exceedingly condensed, crashing down like Mystic Origin Heavy Water to bombard Dao Lord Yuanxu's remnant Grand Dao of the Void and crush whatever remained of it. "Mercy!" His desperate yearning to live stripped the Dao Lord of all pride, prompting a shameless plea for his life. Yet his pleading did not sway Dao Lord Penglai's intent to kill in the slightest. The sea formed of the Great Dao of Origin crashed heavily down. Right at this moment, Yaoguang's divine sense arrived in a flash: "Dao Lord, show mercy..." "Eh?" In the void, the crashing Sea of Origin paused for a fraction of an instant. In the next instant, two streaks of Great Annihilation Sword Qi, carrying the purest power of destruction, struck Dao Lord Yuanxu's last remaining wisp of void origin one step ahead of Dao Lord Penglai! Buzz! Buzz! Destructive power erupted, and the Dao Lord's final wisp of origin was crushed entirely into nothingness.