Roar! Roar! Roar!!
Within those towering Heaven-reaching pillars, dragon shadows surged forth—manifestations of the earth's dragon veins. They soared into the skies, the very dragon spirits themselves rising upward.
In that instant, a colossal divine map suddenly appeared above the Great Yi territory. It seemed as though it had always existed there, only now revealed. With the merging of the dragon spirits, it quickly condensed from illusion into reality.
It covered the heavens, blotting out the sun.
Within the map were mountains and rivers, entire realms, and Immortal Cities standing tall. It was the complete reflection of Great Yi's lands and rivers.
The Map of Rivers and Mountains, enshrouding the entirety of Great Yi, drew every inch of its territory into its grasp—over thirty realms, land and sea alike. The sheer vastness of the divine map shocked even the countless citizens of Great Yi. This was their nation-guarding feng shui grand formation, spanning their entire dynasty. It was not only majestic, but mysterious beyond compare. Its aura was mightier than any innate spiritual treasure, unfathomable, gathering the will and faith of countless Great Yi citizens.
"Excellent! This is truly our Great Yi's national protection array—the Map of Rivers and Mountains. It is said this formation can regulate the qi of heaven and earth, wield immense defensive and offensive power, and mobilize the momentum of the world itself!"
"Good! Good! Within this array, my mana recovers dozens of times faster than normal. It's as though heaven and earth themselves are pouring energy directly into me. To unleash divine powers and techniques here is exhilarating beyond words!"
"Yes, under the cover of this formation, I feel as though aided by the gods. My combat strength has doubled. Kill! Slaughter these devil spawns!"
The cultivators and citizens of Great Yi all felt it. Under the Map of Rivers and Mountains, their mana recovered with unbelievable speed—almost as soon as it was expended, it was instantly restored. Moreover, they instinctively sensed a great empowerment; their strength had doubled. Elated, they hurled themselves against the Nine Heavens coalition forces outside the walls, engaging in bloody combat upon the ramparts.
Blood and steel clashed.
"So this is the Map of Rivers and Mountains… what a divine array! The nation itself is like a painting, mountains and rivers like brocade. When it operates, it gathers heaven and earth's power, momentum beyond measure. This formation alone can rival a Saint!"
The Tongtian Sect Master's expression was grave.
As a master of formations, he naturally perceived its terror. It drew upon the entire Great Yi domain—the Three Talents of Heaven, Earth, and Man; mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and stars—all within it. With one thought, the land and people moved.
"What a formidable map, it even suppresses our cultivation to this extent."
Blood Heaven Dao Venerable's face turned dark.
The moment the map formed, he felt the invisible weight of its suppression sweep over him like tidal waves, shackling him from all directions. His strength was forcibly suppressed by thirty percent.
It wasn't that his power had been sealed away, but rather that under the shroud of the map, every divine ability and technique he unleashed would be weakened by thirty percent. The implication was terrifying.
This was the suppression of the Nine Heavens Dao Venerables by the entire Great Yi domain—by the will of billions of its citizens.
Even for Hunyuan realm beings, losing thirty percent of battle strength had enormous consequences. Among equals, such a gap was fatal. For the stronger the combatants, the more decisive even the slightest difference became.
The faces of the Nine Heavens Dao Venerables grew grim.
The array targeted them alone. Others were unaffected; those recognized by Yi Tianxing even received a thirty percent boost in strength. The difference, one reduced and the other enhanced, was equivalent to half again the gap in power—a gulf impossible to ignore.
The Dao Proving Realm and Hunyuan Realm were not far apart in themselves. The difference lay in an opportunity: the Dao Proving Realm condensed its own Dao Fruit, still under Heaven's influence. The Hunyuan Realm, however, represented complete mastery of one's Dao, indestructible and beyond even Heaven's control.
Thus, though Yi Tianxing could sever their connection to Heaven within Great Yi, suppressing their Saintly position, he could not strip them of Hunyuan itself. They were still Hunyuan. To kill them remained exceedingly difficult.
Yet, the fact that Great Yi could suppress them to this degree already exceeded imagination. Even Ancestor Minghe and the others secretly rejoiced, praising inwardly that their support of Great Yi had not been in vain.
"Fellow Daoists, Saint King Yi has already laid the stage for us. Now it is our turn to act. We have lain dormant for this day. Success means proving Hunyuan; failure means death and Dao annihilation. To die for the Dao is a worthy end. Kill!!"
Ancestor Minghe raised his eyes to the surrounding mighty ones, his voice resounding like a blade. The murderous intent was plain. They had waited far too long; this battle could not be delayed. Miss today, and such a chance would never come again.
"Kill!!"
Eastern Emperor Taiyi's eyes blazed with resolve.
For this moment, he had waited an eternity. The Saint's seat was before him.
"Blood Heaven Dao Venerable! Let us see whether your Blood Dao divine powers are stronger, or my Blood Sea Grand Array is supreme!"
Minghe's form rose into the void, laughter shaking the skies.
Beneath him, an endless Blood Sea manifested, surging forth. He stood upon its waves, clad in crimson robes, the Twelve-Petal Red Lotus of Karmic Fire beneath his feet. A boundless aura of slaughter swept forth, suffocating all who sensed it.
He was the master of the Blood Sea. Blood Heaven Dao Venerable was likewise born of the Blood Dao. The two were destined foes. Their Daos overlapped, making them natural enemies. For Minghe to prove the Dao, Blood Heaven must be slain. Kill him, and even without Hongmeng Purple Qi, his chance of stepping into Hunyuan would soar. Absorbing his opponent's Dao would raise that chance to eighty percent.
That alone made Minghe determined.
"Minghe! Another decrepit relic from the last era. Did you truly think your schemes could deceive us Nine Heavens Dao Venerables? We came today to crush you insects once and for all, so you stop crawling before us and vexing our eyes!"
Blood Heaven sneered, disdain dripping from his words.
To supreme powers, Dao overlap meant instinctive enmity. They could never tolerate one another's existence.
"Without the Saint's position, you are merely Hunyuan cultivators. Hunyuan is not immortal. With Saint King Yi's suppression, your power weakened while ours stands strong. This imbalance is our advantage. Today, we slaughter Heaven!"
Eastern Emperor Taiyi's laughter was cold.
One after another, figures emerged: Zhuang Zhou, Zeus, Odin, the Five Elements Ancestor, Heaven and Earth Ancestor, Haotian, Lü Dongbin, the Holy Spirit Ancestor, Behemoth Divine Emperor, Blood River Ancestor, Jiangshi Sovereign, Supreme Magus, Kunpeng Ancestor…
In mere moments, hundreds of top-tier powerhouses appeared across the skies—beings from the East, the West, and myriad races. Each one was no weaker than a Proving Dao Realm master.
Any one of them could shake the world. Now, gathered together, their combined aura flooded the heavens, pressing down upon the Nine Heavens Dao Venerables without the slightest inferiority.
Every one of them had come with the will to die if need be. With such resolve, even Saints would find themselves cut down.
"Kill!!"
Minghe did not hesitate. He strode forward first, the Blood Sea rolling as it crashed toward Blood Heaven. A flash of light revealed two cold blades upon his back. With a thought, the paired swords trembled in their sheaths, eager to break free.
They were the twin blades Yuantu and Abi, born of the Blood Sea itself, Minghe's life-bound treasures. Their killing force rivaled even the God-Slaying Spear.
Alongside them, he wielded his ultimate sword art—The Netherblood Sword Canon.
This sword canon was the culmination of his lifetime's pursuit of sword and slaughter, merging Blood Dao and Killing Dao into one. Not only did it embody terrifying killing power, but it contained an even more dreadful force—Karmic Fire.
The Blood Sea was steeped in endless resentment and malice, the greatest accumulation of baleful qi in existence. As its master, Minghe's fundamental duty was to suppress this evil. Within such malice, karmic fire was most easily born.
Once tainted, any being with karma would be ignited—not only their body, but their very soul.
Thus the canon was known also as the Slaughter-Immortal Sword Canon of Severing Karma.
Its secret art, the Sword-Drawing Technique of Severing Karma, revolved around this: storing power endlessly within the sheathed blades. The longer they remained unsheathed, the greater the force upon release.
For a hundred years, Yuantu and Abi had lain nourished within their scabbards, storing unimaginable power. Even Minghe himself did not know how terrifying the strike would be.
They had been prepared for this very day.
"Slash!!"
Minghe grasped the hilt of Yuantu and drew.