Everyone could feel it, this clash had reached its limit.

Hell was empty; the demons walked among men.

The descent of hell fell from the heavens, enveloping the world and erasing everything.

This was the Absolute Annihilation Primordial Edict.

Light or darkness, none could escape annihilation.

At this moment, even the Radiant Progenitor knew he was outmatched. With a wave of his hand, he retrieved the Radiant Buddha Dao Fruit, then tore open the void before him and fled into the distance.

Seeing this, Xu Zimo also understood that the contest was over. His Absolute Annihilation Dao Fruit, though unmanifested, had already dispersed the technique Nine Hells Desolation. This was a helpless choice. In terms of pure power, he could stand against a true Infinite Dao cultivator head-on. But if the opponent chose to escape, he was powerless to stop them.

Just like the Radiant Progenitor, if the man fled with all his heart, the descent of Nine Hells Desolation might destroy the entire True Martial Sacred Ground and still fail to injure him.

Unless he faced a headstrong Infinite Dao cultivator willing to fight him to the death, Xu Zimo had no guarantee of victory.

With the Radiant Progenitor gone, he naturally withdrew his technique. When the vision of hell faded, True Martial Mountain returned to its tranquil state, as if nothing had happened. But everyone’s hearts were shaken, they hadn’t expected Xu Zimo to reach such a level.

A round of applause echoed from the void. The Radiant Progenitor returned with a smile. “I concede wholeheartedly.”

“Why say that, Fellow Daoist? You aren’t truly defeated,” Xu Zimo replied with a shake of his head. At most, the two had fought to a draw.

“No, even if I can escape, I still don’t dare face you directly,” the Radiant Progenitor said. “I was short-sighted, and underestimated you. You have not yet stepped into Infinite Dao, yet you surpass those who have. Remarkable.”

“Since that is the case, the Desolate Tree of the Great Beyond will be entrusted to you,” the voice of the True Martial Progenitor sounded from nearby. No one objected.

“All right, everyone come here. I’ll explain the mysteries of the three locations involved in this journey,” the True Martial Progenitor said.

He had not fully understood those three places before, but after personally investigating them, there were few secrets left in the world that could escape someone like him. While Xu Zimo and the Radiant Progenitor had been fighting, the True Martial Progenitor had already wandered through the River of Time, examining all three sites.

Among the Infinite Dao cultivators present, he was the strongest, having opened the Three Blossoms, split the Three Selves, and severed the present self. The others had not even fully opened the Three Blossoms, let alone split their past, present and future selves.

Hearing his words, everyone sat solemnly on the peak of True Martial Mountain.

“Let’s begin with the Fallen Phoenix Slope where the Earth-Dark Flower grows. It lies within the Arctic Realm. From the True Martial Sacred Ground, head north until you reach the end, the Arctic. The Earth-Dark Flower grows deep beneath the Arctic layers.”

The True Martial Progenitor waved his hand, and a scene appeared before them. It was a world entirely frozen, heaven and earth sealed by ice, goose-feather snow swirling across the sky. Everything was a sheet of white. Creatures living here were all great beasts, rare or even thought extinct. The world had never seen them, for they were suited only to the Arctic’s lethal cold and could not survive elsewhere.

In the depths of that icebound land, among rampant monsters and endless frost, a small black-and-yellow three-leaf flower quietly bloomed. One glance made it clear, it was no common plant. No matter how harsh the environment, it was unaffected, rooting itself into heaven and earth and drawing in their power.

This image had been taken by the True Martial Progenitor from the River of Time, an unfathomable display of divine ability.

“In the Primordial Era, a mutated Ice Phoenix perished here. Its body formed the famous Fallen Phoenix Slope. The Earth-Dark Flower grew by absorbing a million years of Arctic power and drinking the phoenix’s blood.”

“I understand,” San Dao said, rising to his feet. “With this, it will be far easier to find.”

He stepped into the air and flew north without delay. The Arctic was vast, and the flower small, now, with guidance, he had clarity.

The True Martial Progenitor turned to another Infinite Dao cultivator. “Next, let’s discuss the Heavenly Thunder Token. It appears at the Sky-Sacrifice Ridge.”

“I know of that place,” the cultivator replied. “It was used by the Ancient Remnants for their sky-sacrificing rituals.”

“Legend has it,” he continued, “that the Ancient Remnants were unimaginably old. No matter how the world changed, eras shifting, time flowing, seas turning into fields, they always preserved a sliver of their bloodline. They were eternal.”

Another Infinite Dao cultivator added, “It’s said they mastered the art of sacrificing to the heavens. Each time the world cycled, they would perform the ritual, and the heavens would preserve their bloodline. But later, for unknown reasons, the heavens grew enraged and unleashed an unparalleled tribulation, destroying Sky-Sacrifice Ridge. The Ancient Remnants vanished thereafter.”

“Correct,” the True Martial Progenitor said. “Seems you all know quite a bit. The Heavenly Thunder Token was born from that supreme lightning tribulation. To find it, simply enter Sky-Sacrifice Ridge and go to the deepest point of the thunder.”

“I will go,” the Infinite Dao cultivator declared, letting out a long roar before soaring away.

The True Martial Progenitor then turned to Xu Zimo. “Lastly, the Great Beyond. Of the three places, it is the most mysterious.”

“The danger of the Great Beyond lies in the unknown,” he said.

“Even a Progenitor cannot grasp its entirety?” an Infinite Dao cultivator asked in shock.

“The Great Beyond is not part of the Nine Heavens. It exists independently. Even if I understand the secrets of the Nine Heavens, I cannot fully comprehend the Great Beyond,” the True Martial Progenitor said, shaking his head.

He looked at Xu Zimo. “Previously, we battled the Ten God-Clans and even the Heavenly Court within the Great Beyond, but only near the outskirts. This time, you are going to its depths.”

“Are there people in the Great Beyond?” Xu Zimo asked.

“There are,” the Progenitor confirmed. “Some are natives; others are from the Nine Heavens. Beyond that, I cannot say.”

“So the location of the Desolate Tree must be found by myself?” Xu Zimo asked.

“I can only tell you this. Wherever the Desolate Tree grows, the land will be lush, green mountains, clear waters, life thriving. A paradise hidden from the world,” the Progenitor said.

“That doesn’t match the name Desolate Tree,” Xu Zimo remarked.

“It makes sense,” the Progenitor continued. “The Desolate Tree is one of the most dreadful anomalous trees in existence. Normally, everything around it would be barren for ten thousand miles, not a blade of grass left. But because it grows within the Great Beyond, a land ruled by desolation, the two forms of desolation basically cancel each other out. That is why I said wherever the Desolate Tree stands in the Great Beyond, it will be a paradise, clashing starkly with the surrounding decay.”