That single sword strike shook souls to their core, sword qi crisscrossing ten thousand miles, coming within a hair’s breadth of touching the Great Peacock Enlightened King’s head. Her dark hair scattered through the air, transforming into five-colored peacock divine feathers, each one crystalline and shimmering, fluttering wildly — before shattering into nothing in an instant.
The Great Peacock Enlightened King was furious. As the current era’s protector and venerable elder of the Buddhist faith, who could dare harm her flesh? Worshipped by countless beings for ages upon ages, and yet today she had been suppressed again and again.
She wielded the Demon-Subduing Pestle, her eyes cold and severe, charging straight at Ye Fan. This supreme weapon of the Buddhist faith carried an aura that could overwhelm past, present, and future — its boundless Buddha-power, each strand like a hanging galaxy.
“Hmm!”
The green cauldron above Ye Fan’s head shook, jade-green mist surging as if opening up a universe, all traces of rust gone, its entire body crystalline and translucent, glowing on its own, resisting the supreme pestle of the ultimate Dao.
The Slaughter Sword in his hand was equally sharp and formidable — this blade was extraordinary, its killing intent far surpassing any imperial artifact. The Sage-Slaying Diagram upon it glowed, lifelike and vivid, cutting through the universe itself.
This was a terrifying great collision, light surging and receding, violently churning. Nearby, Princess Shencan and Ji Ziyue each urged on their own imperial weapons, striking hard at the Great Peacock Enlightened King.
“Hiss!”
At this critical moment, though filled with fury, she had no choice but to retreat. Boundless power of faith blanketed the sky, constructing a bridge leading toward Mount Sumeru. She stepped upon it, crossing time and space, making the traversal.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Several imperial artifacts converged upon her, all glowing, slashing forward. Especially the blurred shadow beside Ji Ziyue, even more terrifying, fused with the void itself, present everywhere. This time he personally wielded the imperial mirror forward, cutting off her escape route.
“An aura of decay all over your body — even living into this age won’t change your fate. People like you all should have long ago returned to dust,” the Great Peacock Enlightened King snarled. Behind her, five-colored divine light surged skyward, condensing the power of faith, and together with the Demon-Subduing Pestle, the three forces fused as one, smashing downward.
A deep, thunderous boom rang out as an oceanic force surged down, filling every inch of space, as if an entire galaxy of stars were collapsing.
The old man’s expression did not change, his figure growing even more blurred and dim — yet the Void Mirror shone as radiantly as the sun, transforming into a shield that blocked the path ahead, various runic symbols appearing across its surface, reflecting the light.
What happened next left everyone astonished — the vast, overwhelming divine force rushing toward them was entirely reflected back. The imperial mirror struck the enemy with the enemy’s own methods, a display of power that was truly unsettling.
The Great Peacock Enlightened King’s expression changed. She hastily retreated, blocking with the Demon-Subduing Pestle, only to be shaken so violently that her qi and blood surged, her entire body trembling.
At this moment, Ye Fan and Princess Shencan arrived as well, striking with grand, sweeping force, the ripples of their imperial artifacts vast, their qi devouring heaven and earth!
Three or four imperial artifacts trembled together, jointly intercepting the Great Peacock Enlightened King, their qi soaring to the heavens, auspicious energy steaming, immortal mist blazing brilliantly, bathing the area in a dazzling five-colored, hazy light.
“Kill!”
A Buddhist character appeared on the Great Peacock Enlightened King’s pristine white forehead, her aura surging to its absolute peak as she drew upon Mount Sumeru’s mental force with everything she had, striking with all her might.
Rumble!
Mount Sumeru shook, as if a bronze furnace melting heaven and earth had tipped over, threatening to destroy the world. Endless divine force surged upward, resonating with the Buddhist character on her forehead.
The Great Peacock Enlightened King thundered through heaven and earth, dodging Ye Fan, Princess Shencan, and the others, refusing to clash head-on, transforming into divine mist as she charged downward, attempting to flee.
Yet the others’ defenses were too tight; she simply could not break through.
“Amitabha Buddha, virtuous, virtuous.” The old monk Moke of Mount Sumeru chanted a Buddhist mantra. At this moment he suddenly moved. He shot skyward, unleashing a forbidden method, drawing an unknown amount of power of faith from Mount Sumeru, carrying it with him as he rose, thunder rumbling, terrifying divine energy shaking the nine heavens.
At that moment, Moke seemed like a relic bead itself, radiating boundless light, causing Mount Sumeru to boil, brilliance piercing through the clouds.
To be precise, he held in his hands a strange, extraordinary relic bead, worshipping it with utmost devotion, maintaining this peculiar posture as he flew skyward, astonishing all who watched.
The Great Peacock Enlightened King sensed that vast, overwhelming power. At that moment, the entirety of Mount Sumeru seemed to come alive, becoming a massive living entity, divine energy surging through it.
She fought with all her strength, working to join with Moke, who was rising to meet her.
“Could this actually be the Buddha’s relic bead — causing so much of Mount Sumeru’s power of faith to surge forth like this? Unbelievable!”
The observers saw it most clearly — at this moment, the power of faith had grown countless times stronger, forming a bridge reaching to the heavens, extending straight up into the firmament, right beneath the Great Peacock King’s feet.
No one had imagined that the old monk Moke possessed such an unbelievable method, truly intending to rescue the Great Peacock Enlightened King — exceeding everyone’s expectations.
The sages from beyond the mortal realm watched with envious eyes, very much wanting to interfere at this moment, to make both sides clash violently and suffer mutual losses. Yet, the imperial artifacts were too powerful — who would dare take such a risk?
“Boom!”
Suddenly, a shocking change occurred.
In that empty void, a terrifying aura suddenly erupted, shattering the vacuum, severing the boundless power of faith, cutting off the path ahead.
This was a demon jar, radiating an aura that made even the sun, moon, and stars tremble, streaks upon streaks of dark light hanging down from it, crushing eternity itself, shattering the courage of countless heroes across ten directions.
The jar’s body was simple, as if made of clay, its surface carved with beautifully flowing lines, as if the graceful figure of a young girl were imprinted upon it, radiating a pressure that terrified even the greatest heroes of all ages.
The Sky-Swallowing Demon Jar!
This demon jar, one whose very mention made people’s faces change, shocking eternity itself, had appeared here, striking the old monk sideways, shattering the path ahead, beginning to swallow the boundless power of faith.
Who did not know this Great Emperor? Who had not heard of her? She had slain across the nine heavens and ten earths, making the supreme beings of all realms tremble, worshipped by all living things, shaking past and present alike.
Though she had passed away and was no longer in this world, the jar forged from her body still lived — some even said this was a kind of alternate immortality for that ruthless Great Emperor.
Pop!
The power of faith was shattered. The Sky-Swallowing Demon Jar hummed softly. The instant its lid opened, it began to swallow and absorb everything, refining all it touched, leaving nothing unbroken.
Among the Thirteen Great Bandits, the mysterious Undying Elder, the Blind Old Man, Tu Tian, Jiang Huairen, and others appeared, jointly offering sacrifice to this supreme imperial weapon, causing it to release the most terrifying, world-shaking divine energy.
This was a hidden move, revealing its might at the critical moment!
Duan De had not come — currently unable to break free from his cocoon — but he had lent out the Sky-Swallowing Demon Lid. The two “half imperial artifacts” now met, their divine might overwhelming the world.
This turn of events was too sudden. Everyone had thought all the imperial artifacts had already appeared, all revealed at once — no one imagined one more would manifest at this final, critical moment, a shocking turn of events.
Today’s battle would surely be recorded in the annals of history. Setting aside everything else, the simultaneous appearance of so many imperial weapons alone was already an extraordinary event!
The Sky-Swallowing Demon Jar struck directly, shattering the power of faith.
The old monk Moke maintained his strange posture, both hands cupping the fist-sized, crystalline relic bead, kneeling in the void, gazing up at the battle in the high heavens. At this moment he was suddenly ambushed, his expression changing in an instant.
He simply could not withstand it, forced to flee at extreme speed, forcibly condensing the power of faith to carry him, forming a robe of mental force, using the relic bead to protect the space between his brows.
He was a Great Sage, borrowing boundless power of faith to fight — equivalent to wielding an imperial weapon in battle. But caught by surprise, he was somewhat too slow.
Strands of dark light hung down. Though they didn’t strike him directly, they still pierced through his robe of mental force, grazing his body, instantly making him cry out.
“Splat!”
The old monk Moke’s feet shattered, and then the destruction crept upward inch by inch, turning into a mist of blood, spreading up along his body.
“Ahh…” He couldn’t help but let out an anguished howl. As the destruction was about to reach his waist, in an instant he self-detonated his body — everything below his head exploded, turning into a pulp of blood.
Yet things were even worse than he had imagined — the Sky-Swallowing Demon Jar was simply too terrifying. Even a mere graze from its energy was essentially incurable.
In the end, his head exploded as well, leaving only the fist-sized relic bead he had been holding, radiating five-colored light as it shot with divine brilliance into the vast heavens.
Only at this moment did this mysterious relic bead truly awaken, gaining life.
The Great Peacock Enlightened King let out a long cry toward the heavens. Though a woman, she carried a grandeur vast enough to swallow galaxies. Her severed hair danced in the wind, and the “Buddha” character on her pristine white forehead blazed even brighter.
That strange relic bead, shooting skyward, momentarily fused together with that Buddhist character on her forehead, as if in a dream, causing her to vanish instantly from where she stood, radiating a bizarre kind of Buddha-power.
“What — this is Emperor-level fluctuation. Could this be the relic bead left behind by the Amitabha Great Emperor?” everyone exclaimed in shock.
What happened today was too shocking. First, numerous imperial weapons had appeared together, and now a suspected Emperor’s relic had emerged as well — leaving everyone’s eyes burning with intensity.
“If it fuses with the mental force seed left by Amitabha, what would happen?” Beside Mount Sumeru, the Shencan Daoist held a vermilion gourd, taking a swig of wine, muttering drunkenly to himself.
From beginning to end, he had never joined the battle, like a listless passerby, watching his own clan members fight the great battle, showing not a trace of vigor.
“Where do you think you’re going!” Princess Shencan’s armor transformed once more, becoming a giant Kun-Peng, extending a pair of massive claws, tearing downward.
Though she had lost sight of the Great Peacock King’s figure, going by instinct, she still struck, having pinpointed the direction.
At the same time, the Void Mirror glowed, incomparably crystalline, casting light through the vast sky, quickly carving out a stretch of immortal radiance, illuminating the location of the Great Peacock King’s true body — she had already descended from beyond the mortal realm straight down onto Mount Sumeru, not far off now.
Below, the Sky-Swallowing Demon Jar trembled, dark light bursting forth like a perfect treasure vase of the great Dao, the countless strands of qi it shook loose landing on Mount Sumeru, erupting into overwhelming brilliance.
At the same time, a faint strand of dark light grazed the Great Peacock King’s legs, instantly shattering half her body, blood mist scattering everywhere.
“Hiss!”
At the same time, Ye Fan struck as well, his imperial sword falling, transforming into a world-shaking streak of crimson light. With a splat, it severed the Great Peacock Enlightened King’s right arm, which shattered where it fell.
Clearly, this was a catastrophic outcome. The Great Peacock Enlightened King had been struck first by the Sky-Swallowing Demon Jar, then by the Sage-of-Treasures’ Slaughter Sword — let alone the fact that she wasn’t even a Quasi-Emperor, even a true being of that realm could not have withstood such blows.
Her remaining body shattered inch by inch, flesh and blood mangled — by all normal logic, she should have been utterly destroyed, form and spirit both annihilated, with no place even to bury her remains.
And yet, something astonishing happened. The Buddha relic bead on her forehead blazed with radiant splendor, illuminating the entire Mount Sumeru, protecting her head as it fell, carrying the Demon-Subduing Pestle down together with it, landing before the Great Thunder Sound Temple beneath a withered Bodhi tree.
“What was that — it actually neutralized the imperial artifact’s killing blow?!” Not only Ye Fan and the others were shaken, but the sages beyond the mortal realm and the ancient clans were all utterly stunned.
“Whatever it is, as long as it’s not Amitabha coming back to life, it’s fine — even if a deity itself arrived, it would be useless!” Ye Fan’s side prepared to launch another wave of attacks.
But then, a vast and magnificent Buddha body rose up from before the Great Thunder Sound Temple, terrifying beyond measure, its immense life-force wave suffocating everyone present!
On Ye Fan’s side, people like Li Tian and Long Ma wanted to slap themselves — feeling like they’d truly jinxed it, talking nonsense just moments ago. This truly was an Emperor-level life-force wave!
The whole world was shaken, everyone trembling. Countless sages fell to their knees, unable to help but kowtow, utterly unable to withstand this world-surpassing pressure!