Once the dueling platform rose, it was a matter of life and death.

Buyu Shangren was actually…

Everyone originally thought Jian Chou had come to trouble Buyu Shangren, but they never expected that the one who actively raised the dueling platform was Buyu Shangren himself!

Moreover, what did Jian Chou’s statement “our cultivation levels are vastly different” mean? She actually said that Buyu Shangren couldn’t possibly have a chance of victory in dueling with her?!

No matter how you put it, Buyu Shangren was still a Saint Immortal!

Among cultivators of the same level, who could say they had complete confidence in defeating him? Those who dared say such words could be counted on fingers throughout the entire Upper Ruins!

For a moment, everyone felt that Jian Chou’s words revealed something inexplicably strange, but even more surprising was undoubtedly Buyu Shangren’s attitude of not refuting at all.

Dueling was something that only required both cultivators to be willing.

Although all the Immortal Venerables present felt this matter was sudden, and this Jian Chou somewhat revealed the flavor of coming with ill intent, they didn’t step forward to stop it.

Everyone quietly observed the changes.

Jian Chou gazed at Buyu Shangren before her for a moment, then smiled. With her current strength, she naturally wouldn’t have any fear.

She immediately said: “Good.”

After speaking, her figure lightened. Regardless of what kind of gazes others had, she transformed into a misty shadow and flew directly toward that enormous dueling platform.

After she landed, Buyu Shangren also followed.

Standing on this nearly boundless dueling platform, whether Pangu’s Desolate Domain or the Upper Ruins immortal realm, all were beneath their feet.

They didn’t look at the people below.

But every person below couldn’t help but hold their breath at this moment, watching them.

Between Jian Chou and Buyu Shangren, separated by three zhang distance, she only said: “Among the cultivators who have ascended from the Origin Realm over these years, I’m definitely not the only one. You don’t kill others, but particularly want to kill me – that’s somewhat curious. I’m curious, who gave you my portrait, and why did you want to kill me?”

Buyu Shangren didn’t answer at all.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, both eyes already showed exposed sharpness!

Whether forced or voluntary, he was the great power who had killed a thousand cultivators in the Origin Realm and dominated Mingri Xinghai.

At this moment, his momentum rose steadily, terrifyingly brilliant as a rainbow!

But Jian Chou was completely unaffected by him.

She didn’t even draw her sword.

That Yixiantian originally gripped in her hand now flew out like a dark light, returning to between her brows and transforming into a half-inch crimson bloodstain.

“Speaking of it, Shangren and I do have some connection.”

Jian Chou raised her hand and waved. The sleeves of her Mountain River Robe swayed, actually flying out a burst of brilliant light that fell onto this dueling platform.

In the blink of an eye, the entire dueling platform changed.

The originally empty and flat ground disappeared, replaced by a completely new world!

Jian Chou wasn’t unfamiliar with it, and Buyu Shangren was even more familiar.

Rising from the ground was the long painted wall of the former Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm, the great gate guarded by a pig at the end of the painted wall, and behind the gate was a long flowing river. Perhaps there would be an old rat and a parrot standing at this side of the riverbank, waiting for every uninvited guest from outside, letting them choose whether to take the heartless bridge or cross the affectionate boat…

“What’s happening?”

The entire dueling platform was covered by this enormous Qingfeng Nunnery hidden realm. Jian Chou and Buyu Shangren stood facing each other in the corridor between the two painted walls. The people below immediately couldn’t see their figures. Even extending divine consciousness could only sense these two people’s existence but couldn’t hear what they were actually saying.

This move that Jian Chou displayed with a raised hand truly exceeded Buyu Shangren’s expectations.

Or rather, he had never thought he would see all this again.

On this long painted wall, ancient stone carvings covered every inch!

One painting connected to another…

So he easily saw one of them: Mingri Xinghai, beside the tall building, that female cultivator who dominated the star sea snatched the Nine Turns River Map from Kunwu’s Eight Extremes Daozun and sat there reading it. Probably having reached the end of the scroll, she inexplicably burst into laughter, raising her head to look toward the horizon. Then she threw away this River Map like discarding worn shoes, not caring that it happened to fall into the hands of a cultivator whose cultivation was still insufficient, and directly ascended!

And at the end of this painted wall corridor, one sentence, fourteen characters, each character sharp, the brushstrokes bleeding—

“One life’s encounters arise from River Map, Buyu draws sword toward all living beings!”

The moment he saw these fourteen characters, the last bit of warmth remaining on Buyu Shangren’s face also faded. His entire person seemed to have walked out of an icy world, his body tightly tensed, even his hands hanging at his sides clenched into fists!

His striking speed was faster than all of Jian Chou’s previous opponents!

“Boom!”

Without even seeing a human shadow, not even knowing what weapon the opponent wielded, he had already heard a thunderous roar beside his ear, and before his eyes a Five Elements formation spun open.

Each of the Five Elements had five colors, yet after they rotated once, they rapidly converged toward the center, condensing in the blink of an eye into a pillar of terrifying white light!

Great Five Elements Prohibition Breaking Technique!

This was the technique that Jian Chou had once comprehended when trapped in the Sumeru Mustard Seed with Xie Buchen, derived from Buyu Shangren’s understanding of the Nine Turns River Map, namely that piece “Forty-Eight Records of Qingfeng Nunnery.” Only back then they had used it merely to break the prohibition of the Sumeru Mustard Seed, not to fight enemies, much less employ it with such perfect mastery and terrifying power.

All formations in the world were prohibitions.

In a certain sense, every opponent a person encountered was also a prohibition.

Worldly techniques, once mastered, were limitless.

Buyu Shangren’s cultivation talent wasn’t remarkable. According to those people in the Origin Realm whose comments might be true or false, he was mediocre. But his difference from others lay in that he was a mediocre person who had once comprehended the Nine Turns River Map!

Once the Great Five Elements Prohibition Breaking Technique appeared, it not only instantly suppressed Jian Chou but also immediately caused the surrounding space to shake, making even the long painted walls on both sides tremble.

No matter how you looked at it, this was an unavoidable move.

People outside couldn’t see the two figures but could clearly feel their duel, only guessing that Jian Chou would probably have to take this fierce blow head-on.

But they also didn’t expect, or rather, no one had thought that Jian Chou could actually do it!

Though that pillar of white light like a heavenly column had already reached before her, behind her shoulder blades suddenly spread a thick shadow!

At this moment, the entire dueling platform was covered by this shadow!

A pillar of white light, in this darkness, appeared incomparably brilliant.

However, when it pierced through the darkness and struck toward Jian Chou’s previous position, Jian Chou herself had completely disappeared!

“Bang!”

The terrifying power, without any weakening, struck unobstructed against the painted wall opposite Buyu Shangren.

Scattered rocks immediately crumbled like rain!

Whether it was the previous stone carving that could reveal a person’s heart, or the complex fourteen characters at the end that were difficult to distinguish between love and hate, all were cleanly destroyed under this strike.

Jian Chou’s palm appeared out of thin air behind him.

Illusory yet enormous wings, still carrying the ancient demon god Kunpeng’s vicissitudes, with the breath of great sea and sky, enveloped her entire person.

In her calm pupils, there was neither joy nor anger.

She just struck with this palm toward Buyu Shangren!

At this moment, Buyu Shangren was facing away from her.

Everyone broke out in cold sweat for him.

However, the instant Jian Chou’s palm arrived, a round light actually spun out from behind him, immediately turning to maximum brightness!

Blazing golden light, like the inextinguishable glazed light burning in the Buddhist kingdom, lit up on the enormous totem. The emblems of the Eight Divisions of Dragons and Devas were distributed in eight directions of this circle.

Some with lowered eyes, some with wide eyes.

Each one appeared solemn and dignified.

When Jian Chou’s palm was about to strike, Buyu Shangren raised his palm and pressed it inward!

“Slap!”

“Hum!”

The entire Eight Divisions Dragon and Deva totem actually became even brighter. Jian Chou’s palm directly struck this totem but felt like hitting a vajra bell, shaking heaven and earth!

“Rumble!”

The power fluctuation from their exchange at this moment spread out like ripples, immediately cutting this unknown-whether-real-or-illusory hidden realm in half!

Mountain peaks fell from great heights, great marshes raised angry waves!

Everyone felt a shock in their hearts.

Looking up, they saw that ripple spreading far with the bell sound, even stars in the sky falling because of it!

The might of this Eight Divisions Dragon and Deva dharma body could be seen clearly!

However, what followed next completely overturned everyone’s understanding!

Originally they thought that after Buyu Shangren sacrificed this dharma body, they would see Jian Chou display various techniques to break this method.

But who would have thought that the technique Jian Chou sacrificed was exactly the same as Buyu Shangren’s!

The same solemn dignity, the same glazed brilliance!

Even the naked eye could discover that between Jian Chou’s joined palms, the dharma body spinning behind her was larger and more solid than Buyu Shangren’s!

If Buyu Shangren’s dharma body was like a colored painting carefully drawn on paper, then Jian Chou’s dharma body was like the most steadfast and concrete statue standing between heaven and earth!

Who was superior and who inferior could be distinguished at a glance!

The situation of this battle immediately became strange.

No one understood how these two could use the same techniques, initially guessing it might be coincidence.

But next, as the two went back and forth, hundreds of techniques were sacrificed, and they were all exactly the same!

Fierce battle began with the Eight Divisions Dragon and Deva dharma body.

Then came the graceful and poetic Red Clay Sword Technique, the upside-down crazy Sorrowful Bowels Drunken Drinking Blade, the sharp and swift Thousand Peaks Return to One Finger…

Exactly the same, still exactly the same!

Whether the posture when starting or the power and effects generated by attacks, everything was identical without the slightest difference!

This feeling was like a person looking in a mirror!

However the person moved, the reflection in the mirror moved the same way.

No matter what you did, you couldn’t escape; no matter what you did, a shadow you couldn’t drive away followed behind!

Even more terrifying—

No matter what technique was used, Jian Chou was always neither more nor less, exactly one level higher!

With ease, like playing!

Or perhaps disdain!

People didn’t want to think about it, but once they did, they couldn’t help but gasp in shock, only now knowing that Jian Chou’s statement about “vastly different cultivation levels” was not empty words, and was even modest!

Observers who hadn’t even entered battle already felt chills and oppression. Buyu Shangren, who was in the battle directly facing Jian Chou, naturally felt even more that suffocating feeling of being firmly suppressed!

Clearly every move was used to the extreme, yet the opponent could always be just that one line higher!

Sometimes a single fatal blow wasn’t painful—being slowly cut to pieces was what made one suffer.

At this moment, it was just like being cut to pieces!

In the instant of being rapidly pushed back by Jian Chou once again, Buyu Shangren’s patience finally reached its limit. With a hoarse angry shout, he had already raised his hand high!

His dao robe fluttered in the wind, struck by the chaotic power around him.

Above his head and below his feet, countless stars shone at this moment!

The bright ones dimmed;

The dim ones ignited.

In this corner that seemed insignificant compared to the vast universe, the starry sky seemed to come alive in the dark night, displaying a vivid power!

Stars rotated, faster and faster.

When Buyu Shangren raised his palm and shouted loudly, they seemed to shout along, then strand after strand of mysterious breath flew out from the depths of the stars, converging between his arms!

Whoosh!

Wild wind struck the face!

Jian Chou was actually dazed for a moment. In the wind sound echoing in her ears, that unyielding question seemed to ring out again—

Why am I just a stone?

What right do I have to be just a stone?

To become, in that vast universe, a rotating, burning, never-extinguishing star!

Heaven-Turning Seal!

“Rumble!”

Star souls gathered in the palm, all rivers returning to the sea!

But what condensed wasn’t a palm print, but in this dark world, a bright moon!

“Go!”

Buyu Shangren shouted urgently!

This moon large as a wheel, as if falling from heaven to the mortal world, continuously expanded and burned as it thunderously advanced. When it came before Jian Chou, the originally serene pale light had already burned into ten thousand zhang of golden light!

From moon to sun!

This bright moon actually became a blazing sun in an instant!

Jian Chou’s figure standing in mid-air seemed about to be swallowed by this sun’s firelight the next moment.

But she stood firm as a mountain!

If Buyu Shangren knew this Heaven-Turning Seal, how could she possibly not know it?

The previous successive suppressions had already pushed Buyu Shangren to the cliff’s edge, so at this moment she struck without any restraint, her speed more than ten times faster than Buyu Shangren when he first started!

“Rumble!”

From the depths of the boundless universe actually came the sound of muffled thunder rolling!

Endless stars perished at this moment.

All tangible and intangible things, everything within the range of her consciousness control at this moment, all confused yin and yang, mixed pure and turbid, shed their original forms, transforming into ocean-like flowing “qi”!

The already broken hidden realm collapsed, marshes and mountains all became the same appearance, even the dueling platform beneath their feet split open ten thousand zhang deep abysses!

Mighty airflow, carrying breath-stopping aura, gathered together.

Even the blazing sun that Buyu Shangren had sacrificed seemed like stone blown away by wind, half of it collapsed like flowing sand, scattering into airflow that drilled into Jian Chou’s palm print!

“Primordial chaos qi!”

Others might not see the depth, but all the Immortal Venerable-level great figures below were shocked in unison, inevitably feeling their scalps tingle.

And the change in the battle situation was completely without suspense!

Although each was a Heaven-Turning Seal far superior to the original, Jian Chou’s palm was completely like a heavy wheel, boldly crushing over mud!

Destroying everything in its path!

Everything blocking in front of it was ground to powder!

The previously terrifying sun wheel, at this moment, was only like a bubble emerging from the sea surface—when a new wave came, it was shattered!

Buyu Shangren immediately vomited blood.

Yet Jian Chou’s palm hadn’t lost half its power, almost completely maintaining its appearance when it first appeared, pressing down on him with overwhelming force!

Primordial chaos qi was not black, not white, between the two, similar to gray, yet seeming not to be gray.

Like transparent, yet seemingly substantial.

Condensing between virtual and real, shaking and shuttling.

This enormous palm print was extremely similar to the giant palm of Pangu that everyone stood upon at this moment—it could swing a giant axe to split darkness, and could also create long slips to casually throw and illuminate all living beings!

“Bang!”

Buyu Shangren raised his palm to block, but this palm print mercilessly slapped him down. That terrifying power pressed down from above, making both his legs sink deep into the cracked rock of the dueling platform, with fresh blood gushing out like spring water.

His hard leg bones had long since shattered with the sound!

But beyond Jian Chou’s expectations, he actually held himself up without kneeling, not even showing half a trace of begging for mercy or submission.

This face was indeed Buyu Shangren’s face, only somewhat revealing strangeness—it was Buyu Shangren’s face from his youth.

Or rather, at this moment, he looked exactly like himself on the painted wall.

Having ascended to the Upper Ruins with his heart demon body, the appearance he maintained was exactly the same as when he met Luye Laozu.

In a certain sense, a cultivator’s appearance could reflect their respective states of mind.

At this time, Jian Chou couldn’t help but think of Immortal Wuzhong.

The moment his spirit scattered and that carving knife fell from mid-air, she had already understood the relationship between his heart demon and true body. Now seeing this heart demon struggling painfully to support himself, she sighed and asked: “You want to kill me, nothing more than unwilling to let her know you are a heart demon, while the real Buyu Shangren has already been killed by you. But do you truly think she doesn’t know?”

Buyu Shangren’s eyes were blood-red, not answering.

Jian Chou gazed at him, finally saying slowly: “When I came to the Upper Ruins, he was already dead.”

“Haha ha…”

Previously silent, but hearing this sentence, Buyu Shangren actually seemed to hear something absurd, yet also seemed to have hoped for this news for a long time. Upon hearing it, he directly threw back his head and laughed wildly.

His manner was like madness.

“He’s finally dead! Died wonderfully, marvelously!”

“Don’t you want to know how he died?”

Jian Chou watched this heart demon’s mad state, actually feeling somewhat sorrowful.

But how could Buyu Shangren care about this?

From the moment he saw Jian Chou today and stepped onto this dueling platform, he had already embraced the will to die. How could he fear just because his life and death were now controlled by another?

On the contrary, his laughter grew louder.

“How else could he die? After being killed by me, body hidden in the hidden realm, soul going to the extreme domain. With his abilities, he naturally wouldn’t easily perish. And you specifically mentioning his death, I suppose he finally carved out that statue?”

It was truly more and more laughable as he thought about it.

Buyu Shangren was already covered in blood marks, his entire person seeming soaked in a blood pool, yet his voice hid myriad pleasure.

“Since my birth, I’ve been different from him. He was unwilling to admit and unwilling to face his own true heart, which is why I existed. Denying my existence was the reason for his existence. Once he carved out that statue, it meant he acknowledged my existence while denying his own existence! Calling me a heart demon—how does he know he himself isn’t a heart demon?!”

Jian Chou fell silent, not expecting this heart demon to instead be crystal clear, seeing too clearly.

Buyu Shangren was originally a mediocre person. After encountering Luye Laozu, his life’s trajectory was changed by her, becoming a generation of great power while also possessing boundless pain.

He should be grateful to her, and should also hate her.

Complex emotions intertwined too long—even a single meeting couldn’t avoid generating demon obstacles.

At the end of his words, Buyu Shangren’s hoarse voice already added several parts of sarcastic desolation: “Everyone says my kind of existence is a heart demon, but these are all vulgar common views! Heart demons have never been demons—they’re just the heart…”

The true heart that people are unwilling to acknowledge and even fear.

Hearing this, Jian Chou’s palm moved slightly.

That Heaven-Turning palm print firmly suppressing Buyu Shangren also suddenly trembled with a sound!

At this moment, Buyu Shangren guessed his death was near.

However, the expected final strike didn’t come.

Jian Chou gently withdrew her hand. With just a breeze-like brush, that terrifying palm print condensed from primordial chaos qi scattered like splashing water.

In the blink of an eye, it fell back into the cosmic void.

Again becoming stars in the sky and dust on earth, even the originally cracked dueling platform beneath their feet healed as before.

The Long Night Bamboo Slip that had fallen to the ground during the fierce battle flew up at this moment. Jian Chou raised her hand to take it, already holding it between her fingers.

She lowered her eyes to gaze, feeling familiar breath from this thin black slip.

Without saying anything, she turned to leave.

Behind her, Buyu Shangren was stunned, actually somewhat bewildered: “Why not kill me?”

Jian Chou only answered him: “He had dying words—if I met you in this realm, he asked me to spare you.”