In this instant, the Dark Void erupted with brilliant light.
Below lay the Netherworld; though still somewhat damaged after its reconstruction, it had basically resumed operation. Above stood the towering [Heavenly Palace].
In between, since Sisui had re-refined his own physical body, Tianhuang had lost its transcendent essence. It fell from its originally high and unreachable state, crashing heavily into the vast Light Sea, triggering layers of ripples that undulated endlessly into the boundless Dark Void.
Lu Yang, Dao Tianqi, and Sisui stepped forth.
Almost simultaneously, directly ahead of them, the Long River of Time flowed slowly as the silhouette of the Primordial Saint stepped out from the Past, Present, and Future simultaneously.
The three phantoms merged into one in an instant.
After fifty years of recuperation, he had finally adjusted his state, barely returning to the level of strength he possessed during his battle with Sisui before the opening of Tianhuang.
However, compared to that time, Sisui now had two helpers in Lu Yang and Dao Tianqi, while the Primordial Saint remained alone. The Sword Lord had fallen, and though the surviving Cang Hao and Myriad Laws had managed to piece together a Dao Lord through their fusion, they would not necessarily help him—in fact, they were more likely to kick him while he was down.
At this thought, the Primordial Saint's gaze shifted slightly.
"Fellow Daoists."
His calm voice rang out: "If we fight to the death, it will likely be a case of the snipe and the clam contending while the fisherman reaps the spoils. Since that is the case, why don't we kill the third party first?"
"Cang Hao and Myriad Laws have yet to appear; they clearly have other plans."
"We must guard against them."
Before the Primordial Saint's words had even faded, the originally calm Light Sea surged with waves. A vast expanse of boundless light permeated the area, and a figure stepped out.
[Cang Hao].
To be precise, it was the state of Cang Hao and Myriad Laws after their fusion. They were fundamentally two people, yet both were bestowed with the name [Cang Hao], allowing them to merge.
By uniting, they pushed their stature to a level equal to that of Sisui before his transcendence, and they completed their final sublimation using the [Paramita] fragment that had been filled with the Sword Lord's sea of consciousness. Now, they too barely stood at the Dao Lord level. Though their state was unstable, it was enough to tip the scales of this battle.
'Everyone has their own tricks,' Lu Yang marveled. The World Honored One, the Sword Lord, Cang Hao, and Myriad Laws—each one was flashier than the last. Looking at it this way, Du Xuan was truly the weakest of them all.
In the next second, he spoke proactively:
"Seniors, which side are you on?"
Lu Yang's tone was very kind, his expression respectful, even using the title "Senior." Yet, hearing this, Cang Hao and Myriad Laws felt only a bone-chilling cold.
Previously, they only felt this way when facing the Primordial Saint.
One moment, he's all smiles and talking about mutual prosperity; the next, he's turning on you completely. Looking back, you realize he was already prepared to betray you while he was smiling.
"...I do not deserve the title of Senior from Fellow Daoist."
After a moment of silence, Cang Hao gave his answer: "Kill the Primordial Saint first. The Primordial Saint is in the wrong, but the [Paramita] is not; it remains a viable Great Dao."
"Fair enough." Lu Yang nodded. "Then how about you two take the lead? It's not that I don't trust you, but striking first will prove your sincerity."
Cang Hao remained unmoved, staring fixedly at Sisui instead.
Sisui pondered for a moment and said heavily, "Cang Hao, Myriad Laws, you strike first. Once we are certain you cannot withdraw, we will naturally join in."
"...Very well."
This time, Cang Hao said no more. He walked decisively toward the Primordial Saint, his silhouette merging into the boundless light as it instantly permeated the Dark Void.
Lu Yang's face darkened upon seeing this.
What's that supposed to mean? I said no, but Sisui says you go?
Am I not trustworthy?
Cang Hao naturally wouldn't answer that question; moreover, he lacked the leisure to do so, for directly in front of him, the Primordial Saint had already struck!
"A pity."
In this moment, even when facing the crisis of being besieged by four Dao Lords—one of whom was Sisui—there was no change in the Primordial Saint's tone.
All emotion had been erased; he had truly shed his "humanity." Or rather, this was his true essence. Even Cang Hao, who had also switched to the [Seven Emotions Reaching Heaven Incantation] and achieved [Supreme Forgotten Emotion], was far inferior to him in this regard.
In the next instant.
The originally unified Dark Void suddenly shook. The Primordial Saint formed a hand seal and stomped down heavily, as if crushing something underfoot.
Suddenly, Lu Yang found that Sisui and Dao Tianqi, who had been standing beside him, had vanished. He could only see faint shadows of them in the far distance.
'They're gone? No.'
'It's the Dark Void. This chaotic place lacks concepts like distance and time, yet it has been forcibly torn apart and shattered by the Primordial Saint!'
Originally, the Dark Void was a unified whole, and the various Dao Lords would not lose their way as long as they were illuminated by the fire of their Primordial Spirits. However, under the Primordial Saint's deliberate actions, the Dark Void was fractured. Even with the illumination of a Primordial Spirit, the risk of getting lost increased significantly. This was a "mutual downfall" style of combat!
Immediately following this, a Daoist chime rang out.
"BOOM!"
The rolling chime was a method the Primordial Saint had never displayed before. It echoed through the Dark Void, carrying a strange rhythm and tempo.
"Careful, it's a [Variable]!"
Sisui had already achieved transcendence; he could move freely even within the fractured Dark Void and did not fear getting lost at his stature. He immediately issued a warning:
"To be precise, it is a revolutionary concept he created within [Inevitable Fate] through his mastery of [The Great Dao Responds to Me]. He is forcibly triggering changes within the Dark Void. And Cang Hao, Myriad Laws—your fused state is too fragile; it is most vulnerable to this method. He can easily seize upon your flaws..."
Sisui's judgment was extremely precise.
However, one thing left him puzzled: disrupting the Dark Void with one's own Great Dao required an immense amount of consumption.
The Primordial Saint surely had better methods.
For instance, the [Time] he had used when facing the collective siege of the Sword Lord and the others—it required less consumption and had even more significant effects.
Not to mention that disrupting the Dark Void carried the risk of getting lost himself.
"Strange..."
Almost simultaneously, Lu Yang also sensed something was wrong, his gaze falling directly on the Primordial Saint. "Where is your [Time]? What have you done with it?"
"Summoning Terminus Tiger?"
"Do you think if Terminus Tiger truly descends, he will definitely strike for you? He is but a manifested lifeform; [Fortune] is even better at that game than you are."
Winning over Terminus Tiger was actually simple. Unlike the Ancestral Dragon, he was no fool and could be reasoned with. The only leverage the Primordial Saint had over him was that if he died, the Terminus Tiger he had manifested would find it hard to maintain his spirit. However, Cang Hao's [Fortune] was actually more adept at such methods.
Thus, he wasn't particularly worried about Terminus Tiger.
However, looking at the ever-unchanging, cold, and indifferent Primordial Saint, Lu Yang couldn't help but grit his teeth, his mind racing to figure out the possible hidden cards.
'What else? What have I missed?'
'It shouldn't be possible. Four Dao Lords—this is an absolute overwhelming force. It's not something that can be overturned by schemes or even the blessing of a [Variable].'
A [Variable] was the foremost power in the Light Sea, but it was not omnipotent.
Otherwise, the Sword Lord wouldn't have died.
So—what exactly had the Primordial Saint prepared?
Right then.
"...Heh."
Suddenly, the Primordial Saint smiled. It was because Sisui had pierced through the distorted Dark Void and landed a punch squarely on his body, shattering the radiance enveloping him.
Then, everyone froze.
Because after the hazy radiance faded, the Primordial Saint's aura plummeted sharply. Compared to fifty years ago, he hadn't improved; he had become even weaker!
"You didn't heal your injuries?"
Sisui was also shocked. He never imagined that for fifty whole years, the Primordial Saint hadn't even tried to recover; instead, he had driven himself into a worse state.
What had he done?
Looking up, the Primordial Saint's gaze remained indifferent. Beneath his increasingly frail true body, Lu Yang keenly sensed a dark, silent, and desolate color.
That was—[The Final Tribulation]!
"Die, everyone. And then..."
Only at this moment did a trace of emotion finally surface in the Primordial Saint's tone. He stared directly at Lu Yang, yet no specific sentiment could be discerned.
His voice cut off abruptly.
Just as Lu Yang saw the light of the Final Tribulation, everything ended. The Primordial Saint's Primordial Spirit, soul, and all his cultivation disintegrated in the deathly silence.
The Primordial Saint did not—and could not—utter his final words:
[Then, to the next life!]