In the Netherworld, the accumulated death-qi had long since transformed into black clouds visible to the naked eye, resembling a churning ocean. As far as the eye could see, there was only the agitation of a raging sea.
Then, it began to expand.
The original Netherworld was confined to the Immortal Nexus; however, at this moment, it began to spread toward the boundless Sea of Light and toward the direction of every boundary heaven.
This time, none of the Dao Lords—including the Primordial Saint—interfered. They simply met the sight with silence, watching as dark whirlpools appeared one after another within the surging tide of death-qi. Each whirlpool connected to a world realm, eventually evolving into a sky-covering gloom.
At the center of it all.
Dao Tianqi stood with one hand behind his back, while the other held a brilliant light. Within that light, the imagery of a carefree existence beyond material things was manifested.
[Carefree Wander]!
The fragment of the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] that only Dao Tianqi currently possessed. Its coordinates shifted constantly; no one but him could enter.
This was his bargaining chip.
After all, without [Carefree Wander], the Dao Lords would never be able to approach the Eighth Secret Realm. As a chip, its current weight was immense.
"But... it is not enough."
Dao Tianqi looked up at the heavens and said, word by word: "A Netherworld is not enough. I also want to reverse the False History and rescue Lord Sisui."
The thunderous voice vibrated, entering the [Paramita] directly, instantly shattering the original silence of the Dao Lords. A whistling sword-chime fell from the heavens, churning time and space and manifesting destiny.
Everywhere it passed, even the tide of death-qi in the Netherworld found it hard to resist. It tore through layers of obstruction in an instant, carrying a cold fury—
"Do not push us too far!"
Tolerating the Netherworld was already a concession, but releasing Sisui as well? That would mean the collapse of the [Heavenly Dao], a price the Sword Lord could not accept.
"RUMBLE!"
Rolling death-qi whistled, colliding with the incoming sword-qi like a raging tide hitting a reef. One side grew increasingly powerful, while the other cleaved through the waves.
The Sword Lord was high atop the [Paramita], so the majesty she could project was limited. Dao Tianqi, on the other hand, was in his home territory of the Netherworld. For a time, they were evenly matched.
However, just then.
A pale hand suddenly reached out. Lustrous treasure-light flowed along the slender fingers. With a flick of a finger, it landed upon that magnificent, descending sword-qi.
"CLANG—!"
In an instant, the sword-qi retreated. Atop the [Paramita], the Sword Lord abruptly turned her head, her beautiful eyes staring directly at the Primordial Saint standing on the fifth layer.
The Primordial Saint looked back calmly, without a word.
The [Heavenly Dao]? What did that have to do with him!
Since he wasn't the one suffering the loss, he naturally harbored no reservations. By striking now, he was assisting Dao Tianqi, decisively switching his stance!
Not only did he strike, but the Primordial Saint also chose at this moment to abandon his previous suppression of the False History.
His aura surged abruptly as if he had cast off a heavy burden. Immediately following this, muffled, thunder-like sounds echoed from the void—from the history of 129,600 years ago.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Sisui was hammering at the seal!
The Sword Lord immediately detected the destabilization of the False History. After casting a furious glance at the Primordial Saint, she immediately elevated her stature, and the brilliant Heavenly Dao was fully channeled into her sword.
Then, she took a step forward.
"RUMBLE!"
In a single step, she moved from the fourth layer to the fifth layer of the [Paramita]. As her stature surged, she simultaneously slashed a sword-strike toward the source of the False History.
This slash immediately split and evolved—one produced two, two produced three, and three produced all things. Finally, it no longer looked like sword-light but resembled a vast world realm, encompassing myriad phenomena. It erupted with a dazzling brilliance like a sword formation, enveloping the source of the False History.
Simultaneously.
On the first layer of the [Paramita], the golden-bodied Buddha—the World Honored One—pressed his palms together and let out a long sigh. In his ear, the Sword Lord's voice drifted hollowly:
"Myriad Treasure, do you wish to commit suicide?"
"If the False History returns, your attainment of the Dao will turn to nothingness. The position on the [Paramita] will be reclaimed by Sisui, and your status as a Dao Lord will cease to exist from then on."
The World Honored One did not respond, only plucking a flower with a smile.
"Amitabha."
On the other side, in a corner of the fourth layer of the [Paramita], boundless light intertwined, reflecting the slender silhouette of Cang Hao. A look of realization appeared in his eyes.
"They had a premeditated plan!"
Cang Hao's gaze fell upon Dao Tianqi—more accurately, it lingered for a moment on the Great Dao ring behind his head, and he analyzed the result in an instant:
"Dao Tianqi has already taken Xuande's path; he no longer needs the Netherworld to maintain his position as a Dao Lord. In this way, the seat of the Lord of the Netherworld is actually vacant... This was prepared for Myriad Treasure! That bald monk intends to become the second Lord of the Netherworld, which is why he doesn't fear the return of the False History!"
The logic couldn't be simpler.
Compared to staying on the first layer of the [Paramita] and being suppressed by the other Dao Lords, heading to the Netherworld—which had just expanded to the entire Sea of Light—was undoubtedly a much broader horizon!
"RUMBLE!"
At the source of the False History, sword-qi crisscrossed, and fist impacts echoed. Even the years of time seemed to grow disordered at this moment, as countless future images were reflected within the sword-light.
In these images, the majesty coming from Sisui became increasingly clear. Moreover, every punch he threw accurately struck the invisible flaws in the operation of the sword-qi. If it weren't for the fact that the majesty Sisui could manifest through the seal was too weak, the Sword Lord's sword formation would likely have been hammered to dust by now!
The Fifth Layer of the [Paramita].
The Sword Lord stood tall and cold. Every scene and each instantaneous change was taken into her cold, beautiful eyes as she watched the situation slide into the abyss bit by bit.
"Abandoning the [Paramita] to switch to the Netherworld."
"Such a thing takes time. Even with Dao Tianqi's full cooperation, it cannot be achieved overnight... Myriad Treasure, if you dare to retreat, I will surely kill you!"
Her voice once again entered the first layer of the [Paramita].
"You will not succeed!"
However, this time, before the Sword Lord's words finished, two voices spoke simultaneously: "Fear not! Rescue Sisui, and we two will handle the Sword Lord's trouble!"
Myriad Laws and Du Xuan.
For so many years, why was the False History unbreakable? The Sword Lord was secondary; fundamentally, it was because the World Honored One, who had shaped it all, was unwilling to let go!
But now, the World Honored One had relented.
With such opportunity, how could the Dao Lords of Dao Arts and Spiritual Power not seize it?
Hearing this, the Sword Lord's gaze grew increasingly dark. She sneered, leaving only one final sentence: "If you block me, can you block others?"
This was the real threat!
On the first layer of the [Paramita], the World Honored One finally lifted his eyes and looked at the towering silhouette standing on the fifth layer who had remained silent throughout.
The Primordial Saint.
'If I abandon the position of Dao Lord, that old bastard will surely kill me... killing [Karma] to complete [Time], and using [Inevitable Fate] to govern [Variable]?'
The World Honored One's expression grew increasingly compassionate.
Should he gamble?
Gamble his own life and his own path for a possibility that might not even exist—and gamble against the Primordial Saint, who had dominated the Sea of Light for a hundred thousand years?
His gaze shifted.
He no longer looked at the Primordial Saint above him but instead looked toward the Netherworld—at the youth standing before the Netherworld Lord's Palace, and behind him.
The hesitation lasted only an instant.
"Good!"
"Good!"
"Good!"
In the next second, the golden-bodied Buddha pressed his palms together. A thunderous voice erupted, seemingly a single sound, yet it felt as if billions of people were speaking simultaneously:
"If I do not enter hell, who will?"
The gamble was on!
(End of Chapter)