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Chu Liang had just returned to Tongtian Peak, fighting side by side with Jiang Yuebai as they plunged into the fray. The battlefield was chaotic, with magical instruments and divine abilities soaring through the sky. They dared not charge in recklessly, instead advancing step by step with steady determination.

Initially, both sides had well-organized troops. The disciples of Shu Mountain formed sword formations while the disciples of the Mingwang Sect formed soul formations, clashing against each other. But whenever this happened, experts from all sides would lead charges that scattered the crowds. As the battle dragged on, most were fighting individually or in small groups.

Previously, Di Nvfeng had been an invincible force on this battlefield. Her unmatched Samadhi True Fire incinerated enemies cleanly and efficiently. With the enhancement of the Phoenix Spirit Blood Jade, even a simple punch or kick from her carried explosive splash damage, easily eradicating swathes of enemies.

But she had been shaken away to save Chu Liang, and afterward, she headed straight for Jianxia Peak. It was only then that the demonic cultivators breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Shu Mountain had the upper hand, the Yu Ming Four Halls had a large number of people. Apart from a clear battering ram like Di Nvfeng, it was not easy for cultivators to inflict damage on each other, and a stalemate ensued for the time being.

However, as the Golden Peng emerged from the Cloud Sea and the beehive flew in from the horizon, the situation on the field changed abruptly.

The forces of Shu Mountain had already fought to such an extent, but when the Production Brigade from Yunque Temple and Sanjue Valley joined the battle, the effect was immediate and striking!

Especially from the Golden Peng's back, the Thousand Dharma Lotus Platform opened its petals, and under each petal was a monk. As these monks descended, their bodies radiated with the seven-colored glaze of divine light, ethereal and resplendent with all-encompassing Dharma!

The Thousand Dharma Glaze, a divine ability of the Buddhist sect, originated from the Thousand Dharma Lotus Platform. Every disciple of Yunque Temple who descended from the platform was endowed with the effect of the Thousand Dharma Glaze, lasting a full quarter of an hour!

How could they continue to fight?

It should be noted that although it seemed slow, the entire battle had only started a quarter of an hour ago.

The Mingwang Sect was not known for their physical prowess, and the monks of Yunque Temple were immune to divine abilities, impervious to all Dharma! In an instant, they descended like divine soldiers from heaven, sending the demonic cultivators scurrying in all directions!

Although the Buddhist divine abilities were powerful, they lacked decisiveness in killing, mostly overwhelming in presence but not in slaying enemies. The truly ruthless ones belonged to the reinforcements from Sanjue Valley.

From the black beehive-like magical instrument, a swarm of dark shadows flew out. These were not humans, but upon closer inspection, a large cluster of black Gu insects!

These Gu insects specifically sought out demonic cultivators to devour. Once attached to the body, they burrowed in like leeches through flesh and blood. A few were not a threat, but a whole sky of Gu insects, like a black cloud, immediately made the already disorganized demonic cultivators even more miserable.

After a brief pause, cultivators from Sanjue Valley emerged, wielding weapons like long hooks and curved blades that shimmered with a green light, reaping lives without hesitation.

The cold, unwavering gaze amidst the bloodshed made even the disciples of Shu Mountain click their tongues in awe. These newcomers from Sanjue Valley seemed to be seasoned killers, even more ferocious and cruel than the demonic cultivators.

In the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, Sanjue Valley was indeed known for being both righteous and evil, and their style of conduct always stood out among the orthodox immortal sects, earning them sneers as an underworld sect in private.

It's good that these people are allies!

Seeing this, Chu Liang couldn't help but give a thumbs up.

Buddhist brothers have loyalty!

Sanjue Valley brothers are reliable!

I have connections in both the righteous and the underworld, what can you, Mingwang Sect, bring to fight against me?

Today's battle will teach you a lesson: cultivating immortality is not about fighting and killing, but about understanding the ways of the world!

***

Of course, even if the battle on the ground was a complete defeat, the ultimate outcome of this war still depended on the victory or defeat in the sky.

With the arrival of the Thousand Dharma Lotus Platform, the momentum of the Ksitigarbha Dharma Body was greatly pushed back. Now, the vast blue sky was half golden light and half dark light.

Within the golden light, a lotus platform not only bestowed the Dharma Body of Glaze to all the disciples beneath the lotus flowers but also granted a divine ability to the old monk seated at the main seat of the platform, comparable to the Law of Heaven and Earth, allowing his body to grow infinitely. He grew so tall that sitting on the lotus platform was not out of place, and he was not much inferior to the Ksitigarbha Dharma Body opposite him.

Faced with such a formidable enemy, the old monk slowly uttered a phrase: "Repentance leads to salvation."

The sound, like thunder, rolled across heaven and earth, and almost all the disciples of the Mingwang Sect present felt a surge of retreat in their hearts. Those with lower cultivation even began to contemplate leaving this shadowy life and retiring to a peaceful life in the countryside.

Faced with the oppression of the lotus platform, the Ksitigarbha Dharma Body also made its response.

It slowly opened its eyes.

Boom—

Ksitigarbha opens its eyes! The sun and moon lose their light!

In an instant, the southwestern land was devoid of sunlight, and the world turned black. In the murky darkness, one could only see a giant black sun rising above Shu Mountain!

It was like the netherworld!

As the Ksitigarbha Dharma Body opened its eyes and a giant black sun appeared above its head, the black sun's rays caused the disciples of the Mingwang Sect to surge in cultivation, their bloodthirsty battle intent skyrocketing!

Conversely, the disciples of the righteous path began to harbor negative emotions such as disgust, fear, and sorrow.

This was just the beginning. The black sun directly faced the Thousand Dharma Lotus Platform and suddenly ignited with black flames! The black fire, like a festering sore, clung to the platform. A few sparks that fell to the ground immediately ignited, burning everything to nothingness, impossible to extinguish!

This was the Netherworld True Fire, second only to the Samadhi True Fire in lethality. If the Samadhi True Fire represented the ultimate yang, then the Netherworld True Fire was the ultimate yin.

As the black sea of fire enveloped them, the old monk on the lotus platform slowly pushed out a palm towards the sky.

Whoosh.

He seemed unconcerned about the fire below the platform, as if he had not suffered any substantial damage. This fire, one of the most feared in the world, seemed non-existent to him.

With this palm push, the black sun in the sky suddenly began to tremble, retreating, and where it retreated, golden light began to fall! Amidst the golden light, a rainbow-like radiance appeared!

As the two forces struggled, Wen Yuan Senior was not idle. As a mere Eighth Realm cultivator, he might struggle against an Eighth-and-a-half Realm with a divine instrument, but at this moment, he could still be the deciding force in the battle.

Just now, he had locked down the entire area to prevent the Ksitigarbha's true body from escaping. Now, Wen Yuan Senior pointed with his fingers as if they were a sword, and with a gentle downward stroke.

Hiss—

A white mark began to appear on the chest of the Ksitigarbha's true body, which was far across half the sky, as if it was undergoing sharp cutting.

If it were not for the indestructible nature of the Ksitigarbha's true body, even a mountain or a sea would have been cleaved in two.

Even so, such damage was not something the Ksitigarbha's true body could withstand. Faced with Wen Yuan Senior's attack, it seemed to express a sense of anger.

Then, it opened its mouth.

Seeing this, the old monk on the lotus platform's expression changed, and he immediately scattered thousands of lotus petals, enveloping the Ksitigarbha's true body from the outside!

In the next moment, a deep tone was uttered: "Die."

Boom, boom, boom, boom—

One by one, the lotus petals exploded, and in an instant, thousands of petals were shattered and annihilated!

If the Evil Ksitigarbha spoke, the world of the living would turn into the netherworld.

All beings that heard this one word would die.

If this sound were to reach below, whether they were disciples of the righteous path or the demonic path, except for a few strong individuals in the Seventh Realm, none would survive!

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This was a price the three major orthodox immortal sects were unwilling to pay!

Wen Yuan Senior and the old monk from Yunque Temple, both Eighth Realm cultivators, along with the same-level divine instrument, the Thousand Dharma Lotus Platform, were not struggling to restrain the Ksitigarbha's true body.

The battle in the sky seemed to favor the righteous path.

***

Seeing the situation take a drastic turn for the worse, Shu Mountain had long been prepared, and today's plan seemed destined to fail.

Lu Chengchou's eyes flashed with a fierce light.

He was also a Seventh Realm cultivator, but he had not rushed to find a strong opponent to fight at the beginning of the battle. Instead, he had hidden himself from the start, observing for a long time.

Now, he was finally ready to make his move.

Lu Chengchou leaped up, raising the Tianquan Order in his hand high, and shouted, "Spirits of Shu Mountain, heed my command!"

Whoosh—

The Tianquan Order burst forth with dazzling white light, and the peaks of Shu Mountain began to undergo changes!

Life's breath began to flow out, as if Shu Mountain had come to life! Numerous rays of light surged up from beneath the Cloud Sea, converging into rivers laden with profound mysteries! The many rivers intertwined, outlining an ancient and mysterious formation!

The great array was activated!

The Tianquan Order, as a symbol of the three powers of heaven, earth, and man in Shu Mountain, naturally was not just for show. Among them, the Tianquan Order was the most powerful, and one of its most important functions was to control the Mountain Protection Array of Shu Mountain!

As an ancient immortal sect with profound heritage, Shu Mountain naturally had its own Mountain Protection Array, and it was very strong, ranking among the top in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Rooted in the peaks of Shu Mountain and intertwined with the spiritual veins of heaven and earth, it could withstand an Eighth Realm for a short period when activated!

Since ancient times, the number of times Shu Mountain's array had been activated was very few, but each time it left a deep impression. In fact, this is also why there are seldom attacks on immortal sects' mountain gates; after years of establishment, there is definitely a home-field advantage.

But what the world did not know was that the Tianquan Order of Shu Mountain had been lost for many years. The Mountain Protection Array of Shu Mountain had not had the chance to be activated, and perhaps this secret could have remained hidden indefinitely.

Until the true holder of the Tianquan Order appeared, Lu Chengchou naturally knew that Shu Mountain did not have the ability to activate the array, which is why he dared to plan this attack without any scruples.

Feeling the changes in Shu Mountain below, Wen Yuan Senior also frowned.

Lu Chengchou not only had the Tianquan Order but also knew the method to activate the array, which was beyond his expectations. Because the method to activate the array was passed down orally from one headmaster to the next, in theory, even the descendants of the Lu family should not know it.

Now he must free his hands to suppress Lu Chengchou first!

At least the confrontation between the Thousand Dharma Lotus Platform and the Ksitigarbha's true body was evenly matched. If he did not intervene, Lu Chengchou, bolstered by the Mountain Protection Array, would be unmatched.

Boom—

As he had expected, the Mountain Protection Array was not used to protect Shu Mountain. Instead, Lu Chengchou drew all the spiritual power of the array into himself, transforming into a radiant figure with a glow of thousands of miles!

The Tianquan Order in his hand turned into a seven-colored divine sword, majestic as if he were a heavenly general!

He looked up at the sky and shouted, "Wen Yuan! There is a head for every debt, and a debtor for every account! Today, I will settle the score with you! Behold the sword!"

As he spoke, he gathered all his spiritual power to drive the seven-colored divine sword, instantly blazing with a fierce aura that covered the sky!

Wen Yuan Senior was about to make a move against the enemy when suddenly the Ksitigarbha's true body turned its eyes and pointed a finger towards Wen Yuan Senior's back!

At this moment, the Thousand Dharma Lotus Platform was launching an attack on it, but it ignored it completely! Enduring a blow from the divine instrument, its body trembling, it still attacked Wen Yuan Senior.

Wen Yuan Senior was startled. Compared to Lu Chengchou, the attack from the Ksitigarbha's true body was clearly more to be feared.

After all, the Seventh Realm is the Seventh Realm, and the Eighth Realm is the Eighth Realm. A person wielding the power of the Eighth Realm with the understanding of the Seventh Realm cannot reach the true level of mastering the heavenly elements.

But the Ksitigarbha's true body was different; it was a genuine divine instrument! Capable of cutting through the heavenly elements!

The Ksitigarbha's true body would rather endure a heavy blow to put Wen Yuan Senior in a situation where he was attacked from both front and back; he could only choose to deal with one side!

Wen Yuan Senior turned around and waved his hand, opening a void in front of him. The force of the Ksitigarbha's true body's finger fell into the void, rippling waves.

But those ripples also turned Wen Yuan Senior's face pale, clearly not an easy burden to bear.

At the same time, Lu Chengchou, wielding the spiritual energy of Shu Mountain gathered into a seven-colored aura divine sword, also made his strike.

But his sword was not aimed at Wen Yuan Senior!

Instead, it suddenly slashed towards another mountain peak nearby!

This time he had gathered various forces to attack Shu Mountain, all for the purpose of destroying it!

And to destroy Shu Mountain, simply killing people indiscriminately was useless. He had three main targets!

The third was to assassinate several of Shu Mountain's promising newcomers, so that Shu Mountain would have no hope at the Immortal Sect Conference next year and would fall out of the Nine Heavens.

The second was to kill Wen Yuan Senior, which was difficult to achieve. Although Wen Yuan Senior was his greatest hatred and the headmaster of Shu Mountain, whose death would certainly deal a heavy blow to Shu Mountain, it could only rank second!

The first was the lush and tranquil mountain peak not far away!

That was the Guardian Peak!