CHAPTER 357: CHAPTER 327: THE GREAT XUAN KING OF ANOTHER SURNAME!

BOOM—

In the midst of a violent explosion that shook the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, a blindingly brilliant white light was violently torn open by a vast chasm. Infinite phenomena roiled within, and the solidified laws of the Dao collided.

Two figures separated instantly.

The Sky Dome was plowed into two extremely long ravines!

Demon Buddha Xing’e’s eyes were tightly shut; the string of blood-colored Buddha Beads on his chest had all shattered. Behind him, a terrifying Demon Buddha with three heads and six arms, feet stepping on Qingyun, crowned by the Twenty-four Mara Heavens, its entire body covered in cracks, was slowly vanishing.

Streams of dark golden blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. Xing’e’s hands came together in a prayer, his form continuously disintegrating and scattering, as if on the verge of dissolving into light, exuding an aura of nihility.

Lifting his head, the Demon Buddha struggled to open his eyes. Shockingly, they had shattered into countless pieces, a horrifying and chilling sight.

"Forty-Two Moves of Heaven-Destroying Earth-Extinguishing!?"

"A noble King of Great Xuan, practicing the Dharma Gates of the former dynasty’s Imperial Court—aren’t you afraid the Great Profound Royal Family will exploit your failing?"

"Hahaha, exploit this King’s failing?"

Compared to the gravely injured Demon Buddha Xing’e, whose aura was faint and unstable, Zhu Shanhe appeared unscathed after the great battle, his aura at its peak, brimming with vigor and vitality.

Except for his right hand held behind his back, there was not a single thing amiss with him.

This noble King of Great Xuan laughed heartily, his eyes shining with a soul-stirring glint.

"Would they dare?"

At these words, everyone present was first stunned, then they all consciously turned their heads away, pretending they hadn’t heard such treasonous words at all.

Sensing their reactions, Demon Buddha Xing’e chuckled softly, "It seems Your Lordship’s prestige in Great Xuan far surpasses that of the Royal Family, which exists in name only."

"You talk too much. Are we still fighting? If not, this King shall send you to meet your Buddha."

The smile on his face gradually faded, and an overwhelmingly fierce battle aura surged around Zhu Shanhe.

With a slight lift of his hand, tangible, terrifying waves of Qi and blood mixed with oppressive might converged into an annular shockwave that instantly swept out, razing heaven and earth, annihilating the cosmos, and rendering the void into shattered fragments.

BANG!

In an instant, the entire Dianchuan Province seemed to tremble.

Zhu Shanhe was like a War Immortal descended from the Thirty-Three Layered Heavens, his entire being erupting with an infinite, platinum-gold sacred battle light, his eyes like blazing suns, intent on battling and extinguishing the All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds!

Watching Zhu Shanhe, whose mere aura had shattered the clouds in all directions, Demon Buddha Xing’e’s expression hardened as he exclaimed in a low voice, "Divine Firmament Fighting Qi!?"

"You have a discerning eye!"

With a sharp cry, Zhu Shanhe strode forward, his momentum majestic and boundless. His fingers reached out, unleashing immeasurable platinum-gold divine light. The terrifying Vigor brewing in his flesh pressed down, as if he had truly transformed into an ancient god or demon capable of battling True Dragons and Celestial Phoenixes.

The space around Xing’e was progressively locked down. Zhu Shanhe’s massive hand descended, poised to apprehend this mastermind behind the demonic invasion of Dianchuan Province!

DOOM!

Just as Demon Buddha Xing’e was about to be captured and killed on the spot by this King of Great Xuan of a different surname, a series of urgent, sonorous chimes from a giant bell rang out.

An endless tide of calamitous power, like a tsunami, swept in. A massive figure strode forth—entirely dark, with three heads and eight arms, each forming Seal Arts. Its lower body had three legs, standing firm like a tripod. It wore a crystal crown adorned with night-blooming cereus, and its eight hands formed seals representing eight extreme emotions. A vertical eye was open on its brow.

The moment this grotesque and terrifying deity appeared, all eight arms simultaneously struck out with Dharma Seals radiating immense destructive power.

The calamitous power raging between heaven and earth roared forth, causing the Sky Dome to tremble violently, manifesting a terrifying giant hand that clashed heavily with Zhu Shanhe’s descending five fingers!

BANG—

An incomparably savage aura abruptly exploded, tearing through myriad layers of void.

A terrifying phenomenon emerged: the heavens wept blood, and all creation wailed in mourning.

"The Great Destroyer? Sudra, have you also come seeking death?"

Recognizing the origin of this bizarre and terrifying deity at a glance, Zhu Shanhe laughed heartily. The infinite sacred battle light surrounding him grew even more brilliant, so dazzling it threatened to illuminate the entire world.

Ignoring Zhu Shanhe’s challenge, the Great Destroyer God, after blocking his attack, shot a cold beam from the vertical eye on its brow, snatched up Demon Buddha Xing’e, and immediately began to retreat.

"Do you think I’m made of mud? To come and go as you please!"

A punch thundered out. In the blink of an eye, the supremely brilliant Divine Firmament Fighting Qi condensed into a terrifying pillar of light that shot straight into the sky.

This pillar of light, like a colossal axe that could split heaven and earth, tore through space and cleaved the darkness. Its brilliance was enough to make the sun and moon pale and the stars tremble.

Torrential Qi and blood surged like a flood, overwhelming and tumultuous, instantly dyeing the entire sky red, as if the heavens themselves were ignited by his battle intent.

The terrifying killing intent permeated the air, pressing down on all creation, forcing everything to bow. Even the most distant stars felt this profound dread stirring in the depths of their souls.

The air was thick with the stench of death!

Each tremor of the light pillar was accompanied by the shattering of space; the earth quaked, and mountains and rivers roiled.

Feeling the Fist Radiance brewing with ultimate killing intent behind it, the Great Destroyer God roared at the heavens, its entire body erupting with terrifying Divine Light.

In an instant!

The heavens wept and the earth trembled; calamity descended upon the world. Amidst lightning and thunder, an infinite, ominous aura emerged. A horrifying vision manifested: Immortals and Buddhas wept blood, and a boundless sea of corpses appeared. An endless calamitous force saturated every corner of this world.

This land was on the verge of transforming into a forbidden zone of calamity, where all living things would be torn to shreds.

The moment the two forces collided.

Boundless, dazzling light instantly illuminated the entire Dianchuan Province.

The Fist Radiance, transformed into a heaven-splitting giant axe, was unstoppable. It shattered the infinite calamitous visions conjured by the Great Destroyer God, advancing like a hot knife through butter, radiating a sky-suffusing, platinum-gold brilliance.

SIZZLE—

The axe slammed fiercely into the Great Destroyer God’s body. The terrifying sacred battle light instantly inflicted grievous wounds upon this strange and grotesque deity. Endless black Divine Blood rained down like a torrential downpour. Four arms, as massive as mountain ranges, were brutally severed, plummeting to the earth and kicking up dust clouds thousands of feet high.

Struck by this blow, the Great Destroyer God grunted in pain but had no time to counterattack. Clenching its teeth, it endured the agony and swiftly fled.

"Just letting them go like that?"

Seeing the Great Destroyer God depart with Demon Buddha Xing’e, Li Huangliang, his hands tucked into his sleeves, slowly walked over. His white robe swirled with mist, faintly revealing an illusory landscape of mountains and rivers.

"They haven’t crossed the provincial border yet; I can intercept them."

"No need."

Retracting the resplendent Divine Firmament Fighting Qi around him, Zhu Shanhe waved his hand dismissively, "The time isn’t right; today is not the day to take them down. Those two took a punch and a palm from me; they’ll be immobilized for at least three to five hundred years. Many eyes in the mountains are watching. If we stop these two, others will intervene. They won’t let us capture two Primordial Spirit Realm experts so easily. Since our objective has been achieved, let Old Gao settle this score with them himself."

Nodding, Li Huangliang’s eyes slowly swept across the entirety of Dianchuan Province, "This scheme, though it allowed Tianxiong to revive successfully and eliminate his old ailments in one fell swoop, has also brought a cataclysm upon the living beings of this province. An entire province, hundreds of millions of lives, and less than one ten-thousandth remain. Without several hundred years of recuperation, recovery will be difficult."

When the Spirits of Night Travel shrouded Dianchuan Province with the Eternal Night Sky Canopy, the suddenness of the event left no time to evacuate the common people. Furthermore, since all Sect Aristocracies had retreated to Hongya Mansion, the ordinary folk, lost in deep slumber, became lambs to the slaughter, directly exposed to the Demonic Evil Cultivators.

In half a year, the common people of Dianchuan Province were almost entirely annihilated.

Only a very small number, who had been herded like livestock, were fortunate enough to escape this calamity.

"A few hundred years is but the blink of an eye. To exchange several hundred million mortals for a Primordial Spirit Realm expert at their peak—this is a deal with guaranteed profit."

Zhu Shanhe spoke frankly, his expression calm, without a trace of hesitation or doubt.

But this utterly ordinary conversation sounded exceptionally cold and jarring to the ears of Qi Xiu and the other cultivators below.

As they spoke, the vast Array Map covering the entire Dianchuan Province in the Sky Dome above suddenly flared with intense divine light.

Countless chains of light, like spirit-serpents, surged forth from it, instantly crisscrossing heaven and earth, weaving an impenetrable net of restraint.

The Spirits of Night Travel, currently engaged in fierce battle with various Primordial Spirit heavyweights, suddenly sensed a surging crisis.

The great net had already descended; the chains of light were unyielding, coiling tightly around their bodies. Each beam of light contained a powerful restrictive force, suppressing all their struggles and roars.

The eyes of the Spirits of Night Travel were filled with horror and unwillingness, but the power of the light chains was merciless and absolute, ignoring their resistance, forcibly dragging them towards the center of the colossal Array Map.

The energy within the Array Map began to churn violently. Each chain of light was devouring the Life Force of the Spirits of Night Travel, converting it into an immense power.

RUMBLE!

The colossal Array Map covering the entire Dianchuan Province suddenly shattered.

Myriad splendors converged. Gao Tianxiong, having successfully broken through the gates of death and returned to life, strode forward.

Having weathered the ordeal of death and dispelled the hidden dangers of his old injuries, Gao Tianxiong’s eyes held a restrained Divine Light, and his aura was full and potent.

Moreover, his cultivation of "The Eternal Sands Holy Scripture" had long since allowed him to sever his weaker past.

At this moment, the Dianchuan Military Governor had reached his absolute peak state, stronger than ever before.

"How do you feel?"

Observing the successfully resurrected Gao Tianxiong, Zhu Shanhe’s gaze flickered. A mere glance told him that his brother had turned calamity into fortune and achieved another breakthrough.

"The difficulty of the "Nine Deaths Immortal Heavenly Skill" was even greater than we estimated. Without those fourteen Outer Realm Evil Gods, plus all the Demonic Evil Cultivators in the province as fuel, it likely would have been impossible to activate. Moreover, with each death, the power required for the next activation doubles. It’s hard to imagine the circumstances under which its creator devised such a peerless, wondrous technique."

Gao Tianxiong made no secret of his admiration for the creator of the "Nine Deaths Immortal Heavenly Skill", a measure of respect in his eyes.

Only one who had personally cultivated this Dharma Gate could truly comprehend the genius required for its creation.

"The foremost individual of all time—without methods that dominate heaven and earth, how could one be worthy of such a title? Speaking of which, when I fought that young monk earlier, he used three streams of Sword Qi. That Sword Qi was pure, immaculate, and surged with killing intent that pierced the heavens. It strongly resembled that person’s methods. I suspect... he might not be dead."

Zhu Shanhe slowly unfurled his right hand from behind his back. Three gruesome wounds, so deep the bone was visible and the flesh mangled, lay starkly on his palm.

These were the injuries inflicted by those three streams of Sword Qi.

Furthermore, given Zhu Shanhe’s cultivation, even if his body were pulverized to dust, a single thought from him could restore it completely.

Yet, these three wounds on his hand had not healed.

"Not dead? If he were alive, he’d have to be tens of thousands of years old... How could that..."

As if a thought struck him, Gao Tianxiong frowned and paused. He looked up, meeting the eyes of Zhu Shanhe and Li Huangliang before him, and said slowly in a deep voice, ""Nine Deaths Immortal Heavenly Skill"?"

...