The clashing sound never ceased. Every piece of the armor on Princess Shencan’s body flashed with cold metallic sheen, casting nine different kinds of immortal light, like a galaxy overturning itself.
The sheer force she unleashed with this single move was incomparable, shaking the entire Mount Sumeru. In an instant, she rushed to the firmament beyond the mortal realm.
Mount Sumeru rose into the realm beyond, surrounded by countless falling stars and divine islands, glittering with starlight — a manifestation of the Buddha’s great power, the present state of the boundless pure land. In Buddhism, it is believed that Mount Sumeru is the center of the universe, with everything revolving around it.
Crack!
The ancient imperial battle robe glowed, shaking continuously, causing many small stars orbiting Mount Sumeru to explode. Princess Shencan seemed like a war god, her power boundless, unstoppable.
This was merely the natural aura released simply by wearing the ancient imperial armor — and it was already this terrifying, sweeping away everything like a dry branch snapping, leaving people shocked and awed.
“Hmm!”
Princess Shencan’s hair danced. Reaching the realm beyond, she rushed straight at the Great Peacock Enlightened King, cold lightning bursting from her eyes, sharp and piercing, both hands striking out one after another.
Heaven and earth thundered, the galaxy itself trembled, the ancient imperial battle robe pulsing with nine-colored immortal mist dancing, might shaking the heavens, sweeping away everything in its path.
The Great Peacock Enlightened King let out a clear cry, wielding the Demon-Subduing Pestle as she too charged forward — an unrivaled bearing, displaying an air of looking down upon the world, sole reverence under heaven.
Clang!
The Demon-Subduing Pestle unleashed boundless Buddha-light, colliding with the nine-colored immortal mist shaken loose by Princess Shencan’s two hands — like two massive metal stars smashing together, sparking flames that made the very universe tremble.
This was an unrivaled display of might, the most terrifying confrontation imaginable, shaking the souls of all the sages present, leaving their legs weak and bodies trembling, barely able to stand.
Splat!
Several streaks of blood spattered — these were sages who had secretly infiltrated the universe earlier, harboring evil designs, waiting for their chance. They never expected these two women to be so overwhelmingly powerful, charging straight over here, and were shattered by the ripple of the imperial artifacts.
The two women were like thunderbolts, leaving countless heroes sighing in inadequacy. Their hair flew wild, their eyes sharp as heavenly swords piercing through the universe, wings spread as they soared through the sky, striking with grand, sweeping force.
“Boom!”
The Demon-Subduing Pestle in the Great Peacock Enlightened King’s hand smashed down, tearing hundreds upon thousands of great cracks through the universe, dazzling light exploding outward in all directions from the point of impact.
Princess Shencan met the attack with both palms, like two heavenly blades slashing forward. The two forces collided violently, divine waves vast and boundless, an immortal sea without limit — this was the ultimate Dao’s great collision.
“Boom!”
The Great Peacock Enlightened King’s cultivation ran deep, possessing means to seize the very creation of heaven and earth. As the Demon-Subduing Pestle pressed down, her right leg swept out horizontally at the same time, while behind her, the boundless power of Mount Sumeru swept forward, blanketing the sky, pressing down to suppress.
Amid the rumbling sound, Mount Sumeru shook, as if some ancient Great Emperor were being resurrected, radiating a terrifying, overwhelming might.
That leg, long and straight, appeared exquisite beneath her pristine, gossamer robe — yet at this moment it was murderous, carrying the boundless Buddha-power of the entire faith, wrapped in endless light as it descended.
Princess Shencan’s phoenix eyes flared with fury, her whole body radiant. The ancient imperial battle armor clanged, pulsing violently, and a pair of divine wings spread from her back, like the sacred wings of a phoenix, tearing through heaven and earth.
“Zing!”
She spread her wings like a phoenix, dazzling and brilliant, her divine wings tearing apart the boundless power of faith, sweeping forward against her great enemy.
The Shencan armor held nine transformations in total, corresponding to the stages of the Shencan realm. What she displayed this time was precisely the divine transformation of the ancient emperor from silkworm to phoenix.
Legend held that after reaching the ultimate ninth transformation, there existed a tenth — the fusion of all nine into one. But for the ancient imperial battle robe to display this strongest state was extremely difficult, nearly impossible under normal circumstances.
The Great Peacock Enlightened King’s expression changed — she had never imagined this armor was not fixed, that it would transform according to the state of battle. The crimson phoenix wings that now slashed toward her, dazzling and brilliant, tore straight through her defenses.
Clang!
She swung the Demon-Subduing Pestle down. The two forces released boundless light, producing a deafening explosion, nearly shattering this entire stretch of the universe.
Imperial artifacts could never truly collide directly — all confrontations occurred through the immortal light they emitted; otherwise, no one could withstand that kind of divine energy, and the wielders themselves would be shaken to death.
“Surround and hunt her down!” Princess Shencan said decisively, having witnessed the Great Peacock Enlightened King’s ferocity firsthand, deciding not to fight alone any longer — since their main purpose was to rescue someone, they could use every means available.
In a confrontation of imperial artifacts, individual cultivation was not the deciding factor, but this was, after all, a being on the verge of becoming a Quasi-Emperor, who could also draw upon the power of faith. Whoever faced her alone would surely die given enough time.
Ye Fan naturally struck as well — he had been watching intently all along, and since it was to rescue his disciple Huahua, there was nothing more to say regarding his stance toward the Buddhist faith.
Ji Ziyue, hearing this, moved as well. The imperial mirror hung above her head, like a divine moon releasing undying radiance. Her constitution was special, allowing her to draw upon the vast primordial essence of the heavens, urging the imperial weapon to strike at the Great Peacock Enlightened King.
“Hiss!”
The Void Mirror condensed the universe, distilling countless origins of the myriad Dao. Its surface, warm and crystalline, cast forth light that could cut through the ages, shooting toward the Great Peacock Enlightened King.
This light was eternal. The moment it appeared, heaven and earth wept together, slaying demons and butchering gods, like a battle hymn thundering forth, shattering everything in its path.
The Great Peacock Enlightened King’s entire body glowed, displaying a supreme divine ability. Five streams of divine light surged from her back, condensing together with Mount Sumeru’s boundless power of faith, pressing forward.
In an instant, chaos surged violently, heaven and earth shattered as if a universe were being opened anew, all forms of matter annihilated.
The violent collision — the eternal immortal light shot from the Void Mirror struck the five-colored divine light, cracking apart the power of faith like a glazed divine platform shattering, its cracked patterns suddenly appearing.
Clang!
At the critical moment, it was the Demon-Subduing Pestle that once again proved effective, sweeping in with fierce, heavy force, colliding with the immortal light. At once, boundless Buddha-light swept across the starry sky, the universe trembling.
Too far from Mount Sumeru — though the power of faith remained unbroken, unable to be severed by distance, it was far less terrifying than when standing atop the mountain itself, unable to withstand the imperial artifact’s assault.
This was a world-shaking great battle. The sages were stunned, the ancient myriad clans all trembled — no one had imagined this battle would involve so many imperial artifacts at once, shaking the mortal world.
“Boom!”
The Great Peacock Enlightened King let out a long cry. The golden crown atop her head burst with dazzling radiance, the Buddha’s Path to Enlightenment flowing across it as if about to come alive. She charged straight at Ji Ziyue with the Demon-Subduing Pestle, Buddha-light shining everywhere, as if the entire galaxy were pouring down from the heavens!
Princess Shencan advanced, swinging her divine wings, slashing downward to block this invincible dharma power.
Ji Ziyue herself showed no fear at all, her dark hair dancing, her beautiful, elegant face radiant with astonishing brilliance, her pearl-white teeth biting her red lips as her hands formed seals. The imperial mirror above her head grew even more dazzling, fusing together with the great universe, pressing forward to suppress.
Everyone couldn’t help but sigh in admiration — the Ji Family truly was extraordinary, not only sending their clan’s heavenly maiden but also bringing out their Void Mirror. This was a display of tremendous resolve and generosity.
One had to understand: whether it was the Great Xia Imperial Clan or the undying legacies like the Jiang Family, though they had all sent some of their clan’s powerhouses to aid in this battle, none of them dared to deploy an imperial artifact — the stakes were simply too high.
For the Ji Family to dare do so, unafraid of a major clash with the Western Desert’s Buddhist faith, meant they were staking everything, binding themselves fully to this chariot. This required tremendous courage and resolve.
The Western Desert Buddhist faith — how terrifying it was, known throughout the world. Their depths were astonishingly deep; few in history had dared to attack them.
Astonishing immortal light burst forth, the sky filled with a frenzy of killing, the battle growing ever more intense.
“Hiss!”
Ye Fan had already joined in. A world-shaking streak of sword light slashed down, forcing the Great Peacock Enlightened King to defend with the Demon-Subduing Pestle while she rapidly descended toward Mount Sumeru.
Facing three opponents at once, even with an imperial artifact in hand, it was not enough — her power of faith was insufficient, stretched thin, and she had no choice but to retreat.
Clang!
The cauldron above Ye Fan’s head shone with jade-green light, protecting him as he charged in close, raising his sword and slashing — mountains and rivers lost their color, sun and moon dimmed, his offensive power unmatched in all the world.
The Great Peacock Enlightened King did not linger in the fight, for to continue would mean certain death. She avoided the three of them’s sharp edges, refusing to clash head-on. She chose one target, intending to break through via Ji Ziyue — her cultivation realm being comparatively lower, presumably easier to overcome.
Boom!
The Demon-Subduing Pestle’s boundless radiance, its pure mental force surging like a galaxy, protected her body as she charged bravely forward, straight at the Ji Family’s pearl.
She even sacrificed some openings to Princess Shencan and Ye Fan, solely to break through and escape.
Silently, without warning, a shadowy figure appeared behind Ji Ziyue, joining her in wielding the Void Mirror. Imperial qi erupted, shaking loose overwhelming power. With a rumble, the firmament cracked; the Demon-Subduing Pestle shuddered violently, and the Great Peacock Enlightened King’s breakthrough path was blocked, her qi and blood churning within her.
That was an old man, his entire body faint and hazy, extremely blurred, as if about to fade into ash — even his body seemed unreal.
“An old man on the verge of decay — you shouldn’t belong to this era. Are you a Great Sage of the Ji Family, sealed within the Divine Source tens of thousands of years ago?!” the Great Peacock Enlightened King said coldly.
Everyone was shocked — whether the sages from beyond the mortal realm or the ancient clans, all felt their hearts churn violently. This was what made a family that had produced a Great Emperor so different from all others.
They possessed a Divine Source Liquid that no one else could match, capable of sealing away outstanding masters from ancient times — this was their unique legacy. And now, a Great Sage had emerged from it!
People’s hearts stirred with waves of emotion, especially the sages, whose hearts surged even more violently — for what they saw was not just the surface, but a glimpse of some world-shaking information hidden beneath it!
The Path to Immortality was about to open, not far off now — otherwise the Ji Family’s Great Sage would not have broken free from the Divine Source!
The ancient Great Emperors had foreseen this era; this was the guardian they had left behind for their descendants.
Only in this moment could one truly appreciate how terrifying a family that had produced a Great Emperor could be. In the desiccated era after the ancient times, only those who had become Emperors could refine Divine Source Liquid, used to seal away outstanding successors.
In peaceful eras, the various sages stood as equals — but once such a critical period arrived, when only the strongest could reign supreme, the families of Great Emperors were the true rulers.
“The Path to Immortality is about to open!” This commotion spread rapidly, sweeping through the area near Mount Sumeru. Both the sages and the powerful figures of the ancient clans trembled, even more shocked than by witnessing the clash of imperial artifacts.
“Not necessarily so — perhaps this person broke free early for some other reason, appearing in the world now!”
Amid everyone’s shock, the great battle continued, growing even more intense. Though the Great Peacock Enlightened King possessed unmatched divine might, this was now a contest of imperial artifacts, with several bearing down on her at once — not even a god could withstand that.
Even with boundless power of faith protecting her, it still wasn’t enough. She had no choice but to retreat, refusing to clash head-on, for that would mean certain death.
She darted about, trying to retreat back toward Mount Sumeru, displaying the extraordinary divine ability of a peerless powerhouse, finding life in the jaws of death, roaring across heaven and earth.
“Boom!”
Princess Shencan’s armor transformed again, symbols flickering across its surface one after another. The phoenix robe turned into a true dragon armor, coiling through heaven and earth. A single sweep of a dragon’s tail shook the Great Peacock Enlightened King violently, blood spilling from her mouth.
“Hiss!”
Ye Fan struck, swinging his sword once — killing intent surging a hundred thousand miles, sweeping across heaven and earth, boundless sword waves vast as an ocean.
Her dark hair danced. Beneath the Great Peacock Enlightened King’s golden crown, a lock of her hair was severed, scattering across the sky — narrowly missing decapitation.