Chapter 377: Return to the Immortal Palace

In the void, a strand of chaos-colored light suddenly tore through the darkness.

That was the exit of the spatial passage, the sole connection spanning endless distance between the Spirit Realm and the fragments of the Immortal Palace. The light violently twisted, like a wound torn open by an invisible pair of hands; countless tiny spatial fragments scattered from its edges, then vanished in the void in an instant.

Five figures shot out from that light.

The moment Wang Ping set foot in the void, his Chaos Divine Sense spread out like a tide.

Three years ago, his divine sense was merely an ordinary divine sense; although powerful, it could only perceive surface auras and fluctuations. But now, after three years of secluded refinement, his Chaos Divine Sense has undergone a qualitative transformation—it carries an ineffable inclusiveness and analytical property; wherever it passes, the law fluctuations hidden in darkness, the deliberately concealed auras, and the nascent attack omens that have not yet fully formed, all cannot escape.

"Be careful!"

He gave a low shout, and the Overturn Heaven Seal flew out, transforming into a strand of chaos light that blocked the left side of everyone.

Almost at the same instant, three silver beams shot out simultaneously from three directions in the void. They were Spears of Order, more condensed and deadly than those encountered three years ago. They burst forth from concealment, bearing the sharpness to pierce anything, aiming straight at the vitals of the five.

"Clang—"

The Overturn Heaven Seal collided head-on with the first Spear of Order, erupting in a blinding light. That light illuminated the surrounding hundred-zhang void, revealing three silver figures—three Order Apostles, each exuding the aura of Nascent Soul Great Perfection; their silver eyes held no emotional fluctuation, only absolute, icy killing intent.

The other two Spears of Order were blocked by Cangxuan's sword light and the Black Tortoise Venerable's Black Tortoise True Shield.

"A sneak attack?" Cangxuan snorted coldly, drew his sword, and sword light like a silk ribbon slashed at one of the Order Apostles, "Despicable."

That Order Apostle did not dodge or evade, raising a hand to condense a silver light wall, trying to block this sword. But it underestimated Cangxuan's sword intent—three years ago, Cangxuan could already hold his own against Early Divine Transformation cultivators; three years later, his sword way has advanced further, and the Law Sword Intent contained in this strike is enough to break through any defense of the same rank.

"Crack—"

The silver light wall shattered like papier-mâché. The sword light undiminished struck the Order Apostle's chest. A deep sword gash extended from its left shoulder to its right rib, silver light surging wildly from the wound—that was its Order Origin, rapidly draining away.

But it did not fall.

Order Apostles are not living beings; they are puppets driven by Order Power, and as long as their core remains intact, they will not cease fighting. That apostle didn't even glance at its wound, raising a hand to unleash an even more blazing Order Light, straight at Cangxuan's face.

Cangxuan's brow slightly furrowed, about to swing his sword to block, when he suddenly realized—

That Order Light suddenly stalled in midair.

It was not a true halt, but rather being "immobilized" by some force. The light still trembled violently, still straining forward, yet it seemed to have sunk into an invisible mire, its advance slowing to a crawl like a tortoise's pace.

"What……"

That Order Apostle showed confusion for the first time—its program had no record of such a situation.

Then it saw a figure.

Wang Ping.

He had somehow already appeared behind that Order Apostle, his Chaos Domain centered on him, covering a radius of three hundred zhang. Within the domain, everything was under his control—gravity, temperature, spiritual energy flow, law operation, even the flow of time—all undergoing subtle changes at his thought.

The reason that Order Apostle felt its attack was "immobilized" was precisely because, at the moment it struck, Wang Ping slowed the time flow in that region tenfold.

"Your opponent is me."

Wang Ping's voice was calm and icy, devoid of emotional fluctuation. He raised his hand, and the Chaos Tribulation Sword appeared in his grasp; the blade's azure chill intertwined with chaos light, faintly flowing with Heaven-Severing Sword Intent.

That Order Apostle turned, its silver eyes locking onto Wang Ping. It felt no fear, no anger, only the purest combat program running—analyzing the target, calculating threats, seeking weaknesses, launching attacks.

But its calculation had barely begun before it was already over.

Because Wang Ping gave it no opportunity.

The Chaos Domain suddenly contracted, then suddenly expanded. When contracting, the three-hundred-zhang domain compressed to thirty zhang, concentrating all force at a point; when expanding, that force condensed to the extreme erupted with a boom, forming a chaos-colored shockwave that violently hurled that Order Apostle away.

At the same time, Wang Ping's figure vanished.

Not an escape technique, not invisibility, but—Virtual-Real Transformation.

In that instant, he turned himself into the "Virtual". Not a true disappearance, but making his existence extremely blurry, extremely hard to capture. The Order Apostle's perception system raced wildly, yet it could only catch afterimages, utterly unable to lock onto his true position.

The next moment, Wang Ping appeared three feet before it.

The Chaos Tribulation Sword fell.

This strike was plain and unadorned, with no dazzling sword light, no earth-shaking momentum. Yet wherever the blade passed, the void faintly twisted, laws subtly recoiled—this was the perfect fusion of Heaven-Severing Sword Intent and Chaos Power, the culmination of Wang Ping's three years of secluded contemplation.

That Order Apostle exerted all its strength, condensing one Order wall after another before it—three, five, ten—mobilizing every force it could muster, solely to block this strike.

But it was useless.

The Chaos Tribulation Sword fell; the first wall shattered, the second collapsed, the third, fourth, fifth… tenth wall—like ten sheets of gauze—were pierced through by a single sword.

The sword tip pierced into the Order Apostle's chest, striking its core.

"Crack—"

A crisp cracking sound rang out from that core. The silver light flickered violently a few times, then suddenly extinguished.

The Order Apostle's body stiffened in place, then slowly toppled, turning into a heap of cold scrap iron.

One sword, slaying a Nascent Soul Great Perfection Order Apostle.

From strike to kill, it took only three breaths.

The remaining two Order Apostles simultaneously retreated half a step—a procedural-level instinctive reaction: when faced with a threat beyond expectations, they needed to reassess.

But Wang Ping gave them no chance to reassess.

A thought stirred in him, and the Chaos Domain changed again.

This time, it was no longer a manipulation of time flow, but—a switch of the law environment.

Within the domain, a bone-piercing chill surged instantly. This was the Taiyin Extinction Power, fusing the Mysterious Darkness True Soul with Order Origin to produce ultimate cold. The temperature plummeted below absolute zero, causing even the void to begin solidifying and crystallizing.

The two Order Apostles' movements stalled in unison. Their silver runes flickered wildly in the chill, trying to resist this extreme cold, but each rune's operation grew ever slower and more arduous.

One of them, reacting slightly faster, exerted all its Order Power to form a silver protective shield around itself, temporarily shielding against the chill's invasion. It raised its hand, preparing to launch a counterattack.

But at the very moment it raised its hand, the environment within the domain changed again.

The chill vanished, replaced by blazing flames. This was Chaos True Fire, extreme fire driven by Chaos Power, capable of incinerating all yin evil. Flames surged from all directions, completely encircling that Order Apostle.

It had just adapted to the chill, yet now had to face the inferno. The shield trembled violently; its silver light dimmed at a visible speed under the flames' scorching.

"Extinguish."

Wang Ping uttered a single word lightly.

The flames suddenly contracted into a fire pillar, utterly engulfing that Order Apostle. After three breaths, the pillar dissipated, leaving only a heap of molten silver residue drifting in the void.

The third Order Apostle had already turned and fled.

In its program, the option to withdraw finally appeared—facing an unbeatable enemy, preserving strength was the better choice. It turned into a silver stream of light, madly fleeing into the distance, trying to open a gap and await reinforcements.

But it could not escape beyond three hundred zhang.

Because within three hundred zhang lay Wang Ping's Chaos Domain.

Wang Ping did not pursue.

He merely raised his hand, aimed at the direction of the fleeing Order Apostle, and gave a light grasp.

Within the domain, gravity suddenly increased a hundredfold.

That Order Apostle's figure, as if struck hard by an invisible giant hand, plummeted from high-speed flight and crashed heavily into the void. It struggled to rise, but under the hundredfold pressure, every movement became extremely difficult.

Wang Ping stepped forward and came before it.

The Order Apostle lifted its head; its silver eyes still held no fear, only the mechanical light of its program running. It opened its mouth, as if wanting to say something, but Wang Ping gave it no chance.

The Chaos Tribulation Sword fell.

The third Order Apostle turned into scrap iron.

Within three breaths, he consecutively slew three Order Apostles at Nascent Soul Great Perfection.

Cang Xuan sheathed his sword, looked at Wang Ping, and a rare glint of approval flashed in his eyes.

"Three years of secluded cultivation were not wasted."

Yu Liuli cradled her ancient zither and softly said, "Elder Brother Wang, your Chaos Domain is stronger than before by more than tenfold. That transformation of virtual and real, I cannot see through."

Venerable Xuan Gui stroked his beard and laughed heartily: "Good! Young friend, you have fine methods! I originally worried that you youths lacked experience, but now it seems I was overcautious."

The Immortal of Hundred Herbs smiled faintly, her eyes full of kindness: "Not bad, not bad. This old woman has lived eight thousand years; among those of your age with such cultivation, there are no more than ten."

Wang Ping shook his head, his face solemn.

"Don't get too excited too soon. Those three were merely scouts; the real threat……"

Before his words faded, a terrifying aura suddenly rose from the direction of the Immortal Palace fragments.

That aura was icy, rigid, absolute—it was the power of Order, and it was at the Transformation Spirit stage.

Moreover, it was an acquaintance.

A silver-hued figure slowly rose from beside the gray-white light curtain surrounding the Immortal Palace fragments.

That gaunt Transformation Spirit cultivator.

Three years ago, outside the Law Corridor, he personally wounded the Old Ancestor of Moving Mountain, forcing Wang Ping and the others to flee in disarray. Three years later, his injuries have healed, his aura deeper than before—evidently, over these three years he has also progressed.

The silver fissure on his brow had fully opened, forming a silver eye. That eye held no emotion, only absolute, icy scrutiny, as if looking at a swarm of ants.

"It's you again."

His voice was hoarse and low, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Three years ago I let you escape; three years later, do you still dare to come seek death?"

Wang Ping calmly regarded him, the chaotic light in his eyes flowing.

"Three years ago you couldn't kill us; three years later, you still can't."

That Transformation Spirit cultivator snorted coldly, moved his form, and already appeared a hundred zhang away from the crowd.

His speed was too fast—too fast for Cang Xuan's sword to react—but Wang Ping's Chaos Divine Sense had long locked onto his every move.

"Scatter!"

Wang Ping gave a low shout, and his Chaos Domain unfolded to its fullest.

As that Transformation Spirit cultivator stepped into the domain, he paused slightly. He felt that strange power—neither Order nor Chaos, but a fusion of the two. Chaos Power, with its all-encompassing nature, was seeking to infiltrate his Order Domain.

"The Way of Chaos…" he murmured, a flash of strange color in his eyes. "Interesting. But the gap in realm cannot be filled by this little cleverness."

He raised his hand and struck out a palm.

This palm bore no flourish, only the purest Order Power. Silver light burst from his palm, forming a massive palm print that blotted out the sky and pressed down on the five.

Wherever that palm print passed, the void solidified and crystallized—not frozen, but "Order-ified," absorbed into its absolute control.

Venerable Xuan Gui shouted angrily, stepped forward, and stood before everyone. He formed seals with both hands; a earth-yellow light burst from his body, condensing before him into a huge illusory tortoise shell. Upon the shell were inscribed countless profound runes, within which the faint shadow of the Xuanwu Divine Beast could be seen flowing.

Xuanwu True Technique: Xuan Gui Controlling Heaven!

"Boom——"

The palm print collided head-on with the tortoise shell.

The tremendous roar shook the heavens; the aftershock swept a hundred li. The floating meteorites around were struck by the aftershock and instantly turned to powder. Far away, the barren dead star's surface again split open with countless cracks, magma spewing out and dyeing half the void red.

Venerable Xuan Gui grunted, retreated three steps, a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. Yet he held his ground, not yielding an inch.

"Old man…… I can still hold out!"

A flicker of surprise crossed the Transformation Spirit cultivator's eyes.

"Xuanwu True Technique? Somewhat interesting. But how many blows can you withstand?"

He raised his hand and struck out another palm.

The second palm print was stronger and faster than the first.

Venerable Xuan Gui gritted his teeth, again activating the Xuanwu True Technique. The tortoise-shell illusory image appeared once more, but this time it was noticeably dimmer.

"Old man, I'll help you!"

The Immortal of Hundred Herbs drifted over, formed seals with both hands, and sent streams of emerald-green light from her body into Venerable Xuan Gui. This was the wood-system healing secret art "All Things Return to Spring," which not only heals wounds but also temporarily boosts defensive power.

Venerable Xuan Gui's aura instantly steadied; the tortoise-shell image solidified again, bearing the second palm print head-on.

But that Transformation Spirit cultivator had already lost his patience.

"Ants."

He gave a cold snort; the silver eye in his brow suddenly opened to its utmost. A fierce silver beam shot from that eye, straight for Venerable Xuan Gui.

That beam was faster and deadlier than the previous palm prints; wherever it passed, even the void was "stilled"—not frozen, but "fixed," eternally locked in that instant.

Venerable Black Tortoise's pupils contracted sharply.

He wanted to dodge, but that light was too fast—so fast he had no time to react. He wanted to block, but the Xuanwu True Force had just borne two palms; now he was at the point of exhaustion and could not withstand this fatal blow.

At this critical moment——

A streak of chaos-colored light blocked his path.

Wang Ping.

He had appeared before Venerable Black Tortoise at some unknown time, the Heaven-Overturning Seal hovering above his head, the Chaos Tribulation Sword across his chest. Around him, the Chaos Domain contracted to the extreme, forming a protective layer only three chi thick.

That silver light struck the protective layer.

Boom—

Wang Ping shuddered all over, a trace of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Yet he did not retreat half a step, staring fixedly at that God Transformation, chaos-colored light swirling wildly in his eyes.

Within the Chaos Domain, that silver light was being analyzed, decomposed, and 'embraced'.

After three years of secluded cultivation, he had comprehended the 'Energy Transformation' principle, capable of converting incoming attack energy into a form he could withstand. Though this light of order was terrifying, under the analysis of the Chaos Domain its nature was being exposed bit by bit.

"Can you block it?" the God Transformation's eyes flashed with surprise, "Not bad. But how many times can you block?"

His brow and eyes lit up again; a second silver light was about to burst forth.

At this moment——

A sword light slashed from behind him.

Cang Xuan.

He had somehow gotten behind that God Transformation, body and sword as one, turning into an ultimate sword light that cut through all falsehood, aiming straight for the God Transformation's back heart.

This sword held nothing back; wherever the sword light passed, even the order seals were torn apart and disintegrated—this was the culmination of Cang Xuan's lifelong swordsmanship, his complete understanding of the 'Sword of Laws'.

The God Transformation frowned slightly, forced to pause his attack on Wang Ping and turn to meet this sword.

He raised his hand and struck out with a palm.

The palm print and sword light collided, both annihilated.

Cang Xuan was blown back dozens of zhang, the tiger's mouth of his sword hand split open, blood flowing. Yet his eyes held no fear, only burning fighting spirit.

"Again."

He said coldly, the sword light rising again.

At the same time, an ethereal zither note rang out slowly.

Yu Liuli sat cross-legged in the void, the ancient zither across her knees, her hands lightly plucking the strings. The Immortal Sound Bell hung at the top of the zither, swaying slightly with the music and emitting a clear chime. The zither's notes and the bell's chime intertwined, forming layer upon layer of sound waves that surged toward the God Transformation like a tide.

It was not an attack, but interference.

The moment the zither notes entered his ears, the God Transformation felt his mind tremble slightly. It was a strange sensation—as if something were trying to awaken some long-forgotten part deep within his heart.

He jerked his head back, a flash of annoyance crossing his silver eyes.

"Remnant of the Fallen Immortal clan, dare to act wanton!"

He raised his hand, a silver light shooting out straight for Yu Liuli.

Yu Liuli did not dodge or evade, continuing to play. For standing before her was a figure—Wang Ping.

Wang Ping raised the Chaos Tribulation Sword and shattered that silver light with a single stroke. Blood still trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his gaze was firmer than ever.

"Your opponent is me."

The God Transformation looked at him and suddenly laughed.

That smile was icy and cruel.

"Good. Since you're eager to die, I'll grant you."

He raised his hand, strands of silver light flying from his body and weaving in the surrounding void into a massive net. The net covered a radius of a thousand zhang, enveloping everyone—this was the order seal, stronger than the one three years ago.

"This time, let's see where you can flee."

Wang Ping looked at him calmly, saying nothing.

He merely slowly lifted the Chaos Tribulation Sword, its tip pointing far at the God Transformation.

Behind him, Cang Xuan stood with sword in hand, sword intent soaring to the heavens.

Behind him, Yu Liuli's zither notes lingered, the immortal sound entwining.

Behind him, Venerable Black Tortoise gritted his teeth and rose, the phantom of his tortoise shell appearing once more.

Behind him, the Herbal Immortal formed seals with both hands, a verdant light ready to rescue at any moment.

Five people, five auras, five resolute hearts.

The God Transformation looked at them, a complex expression flickering in his eyes—mockery, killing intent, and a hint… even he himself had not noticed, a fleeting bewilderment.

But he did not dwell on it.

He merely raised his hand, the silver light condensing once again.

Melee, about to erupt.

And in the distance, within that grayish-white light curtain, a slender figure still lay silently asleep.

Unaware of all this.

But her tightly furrowed brows and slightly trembling eyelashes seemed to be saying—

She had sensed something.

That person.

He has come.