Chapter 1486: The Stellar Life Active Cycle

Whoosh!

The Sun's divine punishment pierced hundreds of thousands of kilometers of starry sky and struck the dark Myriad Prison crystal.

Between heaven and earth, silence fell all at once; the thing called sound vanished.

Centered on the Sun's divine punishment, the dark crystal sky-curtain formed by the Ancient Gods' Star Myriad Prison God-Binding Grand Array melted and disintegrated at its very center, while the outer ring rapidly expanded—each dark crystal, powerful enough to trap and slay mighty beings, exploded outward in all directions and shattered.

The rules were destroyed, collapsed.

The long-delayed sound finally returned to the world between heaven and earth; thunderous booms rang out without end, as if sheer sound waves alone would tear apart the rules and the Dharma bodies of Refining Void cultivators—nothing could stand in their way.

Amid that boundless shower of shattered spiritual light, several dozen Dao-Unification Divine Monarchs of the Ancient Gods Alliance vomited blood and retreated violently by tens of thousands of kilometers.

The dark Myriad Prison crystal starry sky above their heads was shattered beyond recognition, riddled with gaps and pitted hollows; in some places only a membrane thin as a hair remained, nearly on the verge of total collapse.

"Impossible!"

Such an outcome made many Dao-Unification Divine Monarchs shudder, and threads of despair arose in their hearts.

They had already united as one, had cast aside every past grievance, and had unleashed a terrifying potential they had never dared imagine before.

Even so,

could they still not annihilate the Eastern Extreme Demon Sect fleet?

One must remember, they were a grand array formed by thirty-two Dao-Unification Divine Monarchs!

And the Eastern Extreme Demon Sect, at most, was merely two peak Dao-Unification combat powers, plus several billion Dao soldiers—between the two there should have been a world of difference; how could such a vast disparity be displayed?

Clearly, the internal friction between them was already gone!

Even with hearts united as one, even fighting desperately, even unleashing the wisdom and strength of their entire lives, they were still inferior to the Eastern Extreme Demon Sect's strength alone!

This was a colossal gap in hard power, without the slightest excuse, without the slightest hope of luck.

"Your combined-strike array—"

"is far too clumsy; it has not even approached the normal standard a quasi-Heavenly-Human-level force should possess."

From within the star came a low voice, murmured by the golden-crow-like youth in azure robes.

"The gap between us is the gap between immortal-path wisdom and its fruits; it is the process by which a long period of array-research investment bears results."

"This process cannot be skipped."

"This gap cannot be crossed by blood-bravery and fighting for one's life, fellow Daoists."

At this moment, the Grand Sun Participant in Governance represented the Immortal Gate.

He no longer addressed them as seniors, but as fellow Daoists, watching all the Dao-Unification Divine Monarchs with a slightly downward, grim gaze.

"The Immortal Gate shall pardon five individuals and the sect forces behind those five!"

"These five shall be counted as of the Human Race, shall possess battle merit, shall in this battle have rendered meritorious service to the Immortal"

"Gate, and shall hereafter become vassal forces of the Immortal Gate; the Immortal Gate shall guarantee the surrenderers' basic rights to life, cultivation, dignity, and safety."

Jiang Ding finally revealed his hidden blade, baring his fangs: "Aside from these five…"

"Kill without mercy!"

"For the light and the righteous path between realms, judge all guilty living beings!"

This was a stratagem to attack the mind and sow discord.

Such a tactic was extremely rare—nearly nonexistent—in the battles of the Grand Sun Sword Master, but at this moment, this rational yet un-swordsman-like act appeared.

In an instant, within the Ancient Gods Alliance's many Dao-Unification Divine Monarchs, who had been united as one, ripples and distracting thoughts arose once more.

Among the Human-Race Dao-Unification Divine Monarchs, a hope of survival was seen.

Among the Ten-Thousand-Races Dao-Unification Divine Monarchs, wariness and estrangement were seen, vigilance—because it was no longer a situation where every single person must die.

"How can the Demon Sect be trusted?"

"This petty discord-sowing stratagem—how many times have you fellow Daoists already seen it? What's so strange about it?"

"Even if one surrenders and the Demon Sect keeps faith, that minuscule chance of survival would surely come with a soul restriction planted within, making life worse than death, utterly losing the immortal path's carefree freedom—what meaning is there in living such a life…"

Weaving-Heaven Spider Divine Monarch, Heavenly Fate Divine Monarch, and others soothed and coldly laughed, indicating they had not been affected in the slightest.

Much silence, much contemplation.

Beneath a tide of distracting thoughts, what the Ancient Gods Alliance displayed outwardly was hesitation, waiting, hovering without advancing.

This, too, could be regarded as buying time.

"When the battle's outcome is utterly decided,"

"if not a single person among you obtains battle merit in this fight, then everyone shall die; the Immortal Gate will absolutely not, when the battle is already settled, take in Dao-Unification cultivators who consume citizen resources."

Jiang Ding said lightly.

He said no more, waved his hand, and struck down a sword.

Boom!

Eighteen layers of halos around the star flickered, giving birth to eighteen layers of Six-Path Worlds; every world was vivid and lifelike, within them hundreds of millions of evil ghosts, heavenly beings, asuras, animals, humans, and other living beings multiplying and dwelling.

At this moment, the eighteen layers of Six-Path Worlds rotated, and the eighteen layers of worlds froze into a Destruction World of the Hell Path.

The eighteen layers of Destruction-Rule World halos merged into one, becoming the star's immense internal pressure; the hydrogen fusion within the star at this moment exhibited exponential intensification, causing the star's light to blaze suddenly, its brightness far exceeding the past, entering the active period within the star's life cycle.

Stellar Life Active Cycle!

In this period, the star displayed solar flares, solar prominences, solar radio bursts, and all manner of strange phenomena; Destruction Rules, Yuan-Magnetic Rules, Aberration Radiation Rules, and others were greatly enhanced.

Amidst hundreds of millions of array patterns and the Heavenly Dao Rules' law-net, boundless solar radiance merged into a single sword that pierced heaven and earth.

Immortal-Spell Embryonic Form Fruit—Destruction Order: Sword of Extinguishing Water!

Reinforced by dozens of warships of the Immortal Gate's central group, the might of this solar destruction surged to an unimaginable, terrifying degree, as if between this universe there appeared a ten-thousand-kilometer-long solar-destruction greatsword, flying forth from the depths of the starry sky with supreme solar-destruction will to suppress all.

This was a sword capable of slaughtering a quasi-Heavenly-Human!

"Kill!"

Weaving-Heaven Spider Divine Monarch and the others, regardless of how complex their thoughts, trembled before this terrifying sword and cast aside all distracting thoughts.

The immense power they burned still remains.

All power surged into the Ancient God Star Myriad Prison Binding God Array; those countless Nether Prison crystals, like stars, were formed from the convergence of dozens of Heavenly Dao rule-nets, and now, under the roars of numerous Cultivation-to-Heaven Divine Lords, they tore free from the dark celestial canopy, transforming into countless star-gods flying toward the sky.

Countless star-gods unleashed magic power, forming ranks and charging forward, killing without regard for anything.

A thousand-li Sun Annihilation Great Sword slashed down from high heaven!

Unlike any sword technique the Great Sun Sword Master had ever wielded, this Thousand-Li Sun Annihilation Great Sword carried no lightness or speed—only terrifying power, terrifying momentum, a blade forged from the convergence of countless rule-nets, striking straight ahead with no flourish, crashing into the host of Ancient God star-gods.

Boom!

Boom—!

A great explosion occurred between heaven and earth.

Beneath the Thousand-Li Sun Annihilation Sword, the star-god formation shattered; the star-gods, forged from the blood, sweat, and power of dozens of Cultivation-to-Heaven cultivators, were utterly obliterated, exploding into clusters of spiritual light, their rule-force reduced to dust.

Unstoppable!

The shrunken Sun Annihilation Great Sword slashed down upon the Myriad Prison celestial curtain of the Ancient God Star Myriad Prison Binding God Array, tearing it apart with a thunderous crash; the golden sword, thousands of kilometers long, swept across the bodies of eight Cultivation-to-Heaven Divine Lords from differing factions and cultivation levels.

"No!"

"I surrender, old man that I am…"

The foremost Cultivation-to-Heaven late-stage cultivator's eyes bulged with rage.

He was from the Demon God Sect, human by race, meeting the first condition of the Immortal Sect's surrender policy; his heart brimmed with regret, but no one paid him any heed—the golden thousand-li Sun Great Sword swept over him, the immortal defense formed by the Heavenly Dao rule-net crumbling like paper, instantly collapsing, his flesh and spirit alike reduced to dust.

Beneath the golden Sun Great Sword, the remaining seven Cultivation-to-Heaven Divine Lords could not even scream—they were utterly annihilated, their souls returning to the Heavenly Dao.