At this very moment, the various Dao Lords launched a fierce struggle centered around the World Honored One.
The Primordial Saint alone weighed down upon the Sea of Light. With one hand, he simultaneously suppressed the Sword Lord, Cang Hao, Myriad Laws, Du Xuan, and Dao Tianqi; with his other hand, he clashed across the void with Sisui.
However, as time passed.
The Primordial Saint's aura was gradually suppressed, and both his hands were pushed back—having fallen to the fifth layer, he was not as powerful as he was at the seventh.
Yet even so, his expression remained calm.
In the next second, he took a sudden step forward. With this single step, his silhouette abruptly split, and a streak of celestial light erupted from his "crown palace"!
Simultaneously, a Dao-voice slowly escaped his lips:
"From the transformation of Taiyuan, the Three Qi are born."
The celestial light was dazzling, splitting from one to two, two to three, and three into myriad phenomena. Soon, three distinct auras manifested, standing side-by-side in a circle around the Primordial Saint.
"The Upper Qi is called Shi (Beginning), the Middle Qi is called Yuan (Origin), and the Lower Qi is called Xuan (Profound)."
The Dao-voice continued unabated, and the induced phenomenon did not stop. The three split celestial auras rapidly condensed into physical forms, growing flesh and blood to manifest three distinct figures.
Looking closer, the three figures each had their own merits. The first was a youth with prematurely greying hair and a humble demeanor.
The second was a high-spirited young man who seemed to have cast off all burdens, his heart set on the four corners of the world.
The third was an old man, cold and indifferent, who had shed all emotion like a piece of decaying, withered wood.
"What is this..."
For a moment, the Sword Lord and the others were stunned. Even Sisui, at the source of the False History, was somewhat surprised, his burning eyes staring straight at the Primordial Saint.
The World Honored One's Body of Three Lives.
There was a hint of a shadow of it, but it wasn't right. Everyone knew the World Honored One's Body of Three Lives; they appeared as three independent bodies, but in essence, they were still the same person.
There was only one share of majestic power.
However, the Primordial Saint before them was different. Aside from the original body, although the three manifested figures were slightly weaker, their majestic power and stature were truly real.
How did he do it? Why had this never been seen before?
Without giving the crowd a chance to react, in an instant, the Primordial Saint and his three manifested figures moved, striking out in all directions simultaneously!
"RUMBLE!"
The grey-haired youth and the spirited young man joined forces, boldly charging into the source of the False History, blocking all of Sisui's power and making it difficult for him to continue interfering with the present world.
The decaying old man let out a long breath, his silhouette shattering into a sky full of shadows. He enveloped the five—Sword Lord, Cang Hao, Myriad Laws, Du Xuan, and Dao Tianqi—and then forcibly peeled them away from the World Honored One's side. Layered light and shadow illuminated the [Paramita], reflecting a bone-chilling killing intent!
Then, the Primordial Saint's original body moved.
All the changes occurred in a mere instant. Including the three figures the Primordial Saint had split into, the entire process lasted only a fraction of a second before they collapsed back into auras and dissipated.
But an instant was enough!
To a Dao Lord, an instant is no different from eternity. No matter how short the time, it was sufficient for the Primordial Saint to cast off all obstacles and slay the World Honored One at t the Golden Core Perfection!
As he had said before—
"No one can save you!"
The Primordial Saint's voice was filled with coldness. His words became law, and the light of [Inevitable Fate] illuminated the universe, fixing all futures to the moment of the World Honored One's death.
If I do not enter hell, who will?
Gambling your life and soul for a future?
You lost the gamble!
In the Netherworld, the World Honored One's mind, following the descent of [Karma], walked step-by-step toward the deepest part of death, only to suddenly feel a bone-chilling coldness sweep over him.
He turned his head.
Not far away, he saw the Primordial Saint's silhouette. He saw death approaching as shadows, like venomous snakes, gradually crawled from his limbs onto his face and brow.
Never had there been a moment where his realization of death was so profound. Although he had "died" before, his Primordial Spirit was anchored atop the [Paramita]; such deaths were merely phantom dreams, the blink of an eye. Only now did he truly witness real death.
His Primordial Spirit would be destroyed, and his consciousness would perish.
His memories would turn to nothingness under the erosion of time. He forgot Dao Tianqi, forgot Bu Tianque, forgot Lian Tiandou, and finally, even forgot himself.
What remained?
[Void].
The World Honored One was, after all, the only lower cultivator who had truly survived in the cracks and risen against the current to attain the status of Dao Lord after the Ancient Era.
Despite the Primordial Saint's secret machinations behind the scenes, one must be strong themselves to be forged. If his talent were insufficient or his nature flawed, it would have been impossible for him to attain the status of Dao Lord.
Thus, in this split second between life and death, far from feeling fear, the World Honored One cast everything aside and reached an intimate realization.
"A heart without attachment; the four elements are all void!"
In the depths of the gloom, the World Honored One's Primordial Spirit erupted with light, illuminating the Netherworld. It even triggered the Netherworld Lord's Palace—relinquished by Dao Tianqi—to actively resonate with him.
The stature of the Lord of the Netherworld!
Returning to the rank of Dao Lord was right before his eyes!
Yet even so, the situation remained irreversible. Everywhere the Primordial Saint passed, time halted and the years reversed; he had already arrived before the World Honored One.
Then, he pointed out a finger!
But at that very moment, just as the Primordial Saint's fingertip was about to land on the World Honored One's brow, he felt as if he had crashed head-on into a wall of bronze and iron.
His movement stopped abruptly.
Though separated by only a hair's breadth, it felt like encountering an insurmountable chasm.
Who had struck?
The Primordial Saint's silhouette suddenly became illusory. Because of this momentary pause, the time he had bought by splitting the Three Qi to block the other Dao Lords was erased.
The River of Destiny charged forth, breaking through [Inevitable Fate] to manifest a brand-new future. The other Dao Lords finally arrived, pulling the Primordial Saint—who had been right in front of the World Honored One—far away again. As death departed, the World Honored One let out a long sigh, and an imprint strikingly appeared between his brows.
He had entered and taken charge of the Netherworld!
At this moment, the World Honored One's silhouette once again became magnificent and towering. His Primordial Spirit merged with the Netherworld, reflecting the Dark Void, and the Netherworld Lord's Palace transformed into a temple.
"Amitabha!"
The voice was grand and vast, rising from the Netherworld and entering the [Paramita] directly. The Dao Lords who witnessed this had varying expressions, but they all stopped their hands in unison.
The Primordial Saint remained calm.
The moment his attempt to kill the World Honored One failed, he cast the matter to the back of his mind and instead turned his head to look at the culprit who had caused all this.
"Ancestral Dragon..."
His gaze landed directly at the very bottom of the [Paramita], within the [Five Elements] seal beneath the first layer, clashing with a pair of ferocious eyes.
In that preceding instant, it was the long-dormant Ancestral Dragon who had suddenly exerted force, striking the [Five Elements] seal. This had caught the Primordial Saint—who was maintaining the seal and supporting the [Paramita]—off guard, causing him to pause for an instant and ultimately fail... He had to admit, this was not within his expectations.
That the Ancestral Dragon wanted to help the World Honored One, he could understand.
The question was, where did he get the surplus strength?
"Wait..."
In the next second, the Primordial Saint stopped focusing on the Ancestral Dragon, whose eyes were full of mockery. He abruptly activated the [Paramita], and a blazing brilliance instantly illuminated the surrounding Dark Void.
Then he saw it.
Deep within the Dark Void, a black-robed silhouette emerged, sitting cross-legged. The light-wheel behind his head rotated slowly, and the aura accumulated over a hundred thousand years had reached its breaking point.
He was about to break through!?
In an instant, the gazes of the various Dao Lords—Sword Lord, Cang Hao, Myriad Treasure, Du Xuan, Ancestral Dragon, Sisui, Dao Tianqi, and the World Honored One—all projected toward him!
(End of Chapter)