Chapter 584

"Hmph, just a petty trick!" Yuanshi Tianzun faced this seemingly profound ancient formation, yet appeared utterly indifferent, a cold smile curling his lips. He casually flicked out a surge of power, shaping it into a towering fire dragon that roared as it lunged at the formation lines; wherever it passed, space shattered, as if it could devour everything.

Yet when the fire dragon merely touched the formation lines, it was shattered by a tremendous recoil force, dissolving into wisps of primordial heavenly Dao power that vanished into nothingness. Immediately, the scene before Yuanshi Tianzun's eyes shifted abruptly—he found himself in a realm of darkness as black as ink.

Here it seemed an endless ocean of blackness, so thick that even his chaos-pupiled eyes could not penetrate the dense miasma. Yuanshi Tianzun slightly narrowed his eyes; primordial heavenly Dao power flowed in his pupils, finally allowing him to discern the truth of this realm.

In the darkness, hundreds of ancient ferocious beasts—Qiongqi—stirred restlessly, each possessing the terrifying strength of a first-stage Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal. Though Yuanshi Tianzun felt a flicker of surprise, he quickly regained composure, setting aside his contempt.

"This formation does have some skill, able to summon so many ancient ferocious Qiongqi—no wonder they dare utter wild boasts," Yuanshi Tianzun muttered. "But to me, these are mere trifles."

As Yuanshi spoke, those ancient ferocious Qiongqi seemed to receive some summoning power; terrifying Dao patterns surfaced on their bodies as they roared and lunged at him. Their aura was ferocious and violent, like bloodthirsty demon gods fallen into madness.

"Come on!" Yuanshi Tianzun barked low, then produced an ancient-looking lamp. As his mana poured in, the lamp instantly blazed with dazzling light, illuminating the dark realm as brightly as daytime.

The ancient ferocious Qiongqi once hidden in the darkness now had nowhere to hide under this radiance. Yuanshi Tianzun murmured incantations, his hands swiftly forming seals, casting one divine formula after another into the void.

In an instant, the void trembled; a golden bridge stretched across the heavens, as if connecting the ends of heaven and earth. Golden bowls on the bridge gleamed, releasing radiant light that contained terrifying primordial heavenly Dao power.

Before the ancient ferocious Qiongqi could even dodge, they were engulfed by the light. Their bodies seemed to burn in fierce flame, gradually melting into nothingness. Within moments, all hundreds of ancient ferocious Qiongqi were utterly slain by Yuanshi Tianzun.

This sight even caused the three Xuanwu sisters maintaining the formation to faintly frown. The strength of the Daoist sages was indeed overwhelming beyond imagination, especially their profound foundations and endless treasures, making them hard to contend with.

Yet the three Xuanwu sisters did not give up. They knew their methods were far from exhausted.

"The ancient formation still not broken?" Yuanshi Tianzun noticed he remained within the formation, frowning slightly. Just then, an unexpected event occurred again...

In the wondrous world woven by the formation, Yuanshi Tianzun furrowed his brows, his eyes revealing a trace of coldness as he gazed at the sky, as if trying to pierce the heavens' secrets.

Suddenly, the heavens above split open with cracks, like an eggshell lightly tapped. Immediately, jet-black chains as dark as ink, flickering with faint light, seeped from the fissures, swaying gently in the void and emitting a chilling killing intent, as if to punish all beings who defy heaven.

"Yuanshi old thief, you dare defy heaven and oppose the Dao's will, attacking the Sect of the Cutting without cause—truly intolerable to heaven and earth!" Accompanied by this ethereal yet majestic voice, those heavenly chains seemed to receive orders, all lunging at Yuanshi Tianzun, each containing power enough to destroy heaven and earth.

Yet facing this terrifying assault, Yuanshi Tianzun remained unmoved, standing arrogantly in the void and coldly saying: "Absurd! My path is precisely in accordance with the natural Dao—how could there be any talk of heavenly intolerance? It is you disciples of the Sect of the Cutting who are truly intolerable to heaven!"

Having spoken, he suddenly erupted with a shocking aura, as if ancient pressure swept across heaven and earth, causing the void within billions of miles to shatter inch by inch, spatial turbulence raging. Those incoming heavenly chains were instantly torn to shreds by this power, utterly unable to threaten Yuanshi Tianzun.

"Oh dear, elder sister, second sister—that old fellow is so formidable!" At this moment, Bixiao's exclamation echoed in the void.

"Don't fear, no matter how strong he is, he cannot surpass our resolve!" Yunxiao replied firmly.

"Continue merging the formation!" Qiongxiao then said, as always concise and clear.

As their words fell, the heavens trembled again, slowly splitting open from the center to reveal a vast chaotic region. Immediately, a colossal figure emerged slowly from the chaos, his height spanning billions of miles, as if he had manifested the divine ability of appearing as heaven and earth, his body radiating destructive aura. He wore a jade butterfly on his head, held a divine axe, and stepped on a blue lotus; merely standing there, he seemed capable of suppressing the entire world.

Seeing this, Yuanshi Tianzun's expression finally changed—his chaos pupils contracted instantly, feeling an unprecedented pressure. He horrifiedly discovered he could not mobilize primordial heavenly Dao power to resist this force, like an ant facing a towering divine mountain.

"Pangu Father?!" Yuanshi Tianzun exclaimed in alarm.

Indeed, the figure emerging from chaos was precisely the chaotic demon god representing the origin of the Great Dao of Power—Pangu. He wore the chaotic supreme treasure, the Jade Disc of Creation, on his head, held the chaotic supreme treasure, the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, and stepped on the chaotic supreme treasure, the Azure Lotus of Creation.

"Merely a phantom of my primordial spirit—how dare you act recklessly here!" Pangu uttered the Dao sound, his voice booming like heavenly thunder across heaven and earth.

Yet under this pressure, Yuanshi Tianzun felt unprecedented strain, even finding it difficult to mobilize primordial heavenly Dao power for resistance. But then he suddenly realized: "Ah, you three Xuanwu, using illusions to deceive me, trying to lure me into a phantom-reincarnation formation! Unfortunately, your cultivation is still shallow; otherwise I might truly have been fooled!"

Having said that, he swept his hand and directly produced a pitch-black ancient banner. This banner bore inscribed unfathomable Dao patterns, as if endowed with infinite power. Merely waving it lightly shattered the surrounding void inch by inch, giving rise to endless gusts of earth, wind, water, and fire. This was precisely Yuanshi Tianzun's chaotic supreme treasure, the Pangu Banner, possessing terrifying destructive power to annihilate the vast chaos.

At the same time, Pangu's phantom, holding the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, had already chopped down from the void. But because Yuanshi Tianzun had seen through it, its power was greatly diminished, now equivalent only to a full-force strike by a first-stage Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal cultivator. Yuanshi Tianzun, holding the Pangu Banner, lightly brushed it away—immediately deflecting the axe strike and even dispersing the Pangu phantom along with it.

As the void cracked and shattered with sound, Yuanshi Tianzun's vision shifted again. He found himself returned to the Honghuang realm, while the three Xuanwu sisters remained suspended in three directions. Evidently he had successfully broken the ancient great formation of the three Xuanwu sisters.

"Xuanwu, Xuanwu, you actually dare use such means against me!" Yuanshi Tianzun angrily shouted. "Now I will use your primordial spirits to sacrifice those Chan Sect disciples who perished in body and Dao!"

Having spoken, he again held the Pangu Banner and separately struck the three Xuanwu sisters with three long bridges. Each bridge contained the terrifying power to shatter chaos, and wherever it passed, it even stirred up endless chaotic earth, wind, water, and fire, along with rampant primordial heavenly Dao power.

Yet facing all this, the three Xuanwu sisters showed not the slightest fear. "Hmph! The good show has only just begun!" Their hearts brimmed with firm belief and resolve.

Against Yuanshi Tianzun's lightning-fast assault, the three Xuanwu sisters remained unusually calm, exchanged a glance, then intertwined their hands again, weaving a series of complex and profound hand seals. These seals merged into the void, and in the next moment, Yuanshi Tianzun felt a powerful force forcibly dragging him into another world.

This world was boundless and vast, spiritual energy abundant, as if a secluded paradise far from worldly dust. Yet Yuanshi Tianzun did not relax his guard because of this; instead, his expression grew more solemn. He vaguely sensed that this seemingly tranquil world actually concealed murderous intent.

Indeed, before he could think further, a colossal palm suddenly stretched out from the earth, imbued with primordial heavenly Dao power, and viciously grabbed at him. This palm seemed to represent the will of the entire world, seeking to erase this outsider.

Yuanshi Tianzun dared not be careless; he held the Pangu Banner, repeatedly waving it, emitting five-colored radiant beams that fiercely collided with the giant palm. After countless clashes, he barely managed to shatter the palm. But immediately, boundless karmic fire of heaven and earth surged in the sky, as if seeking to engulf the entire world in flames.

"Heaven and earth's power?" Yuanshi Tianzun coldly snorted. "Hmph, could it be that I lack heaven and earth's power?"

As his words faded, beyond the vast expanse, strands of misty divine radiance poured into his body. These divine radiance made his entire being emit a powerful pressure, even surpassing the will of this world.

Seeing this, Bixiao could not help but exclaim: "He's bolstering himself with Daoist power? This old fellow is truly hard to deal with!"

"Continue bolstering the formation!" Yunxiao commanded composedly.

Thus, the three Xuanwu sisters continued infusing mana, reinforcing the ancient formation, firmly trapping Yuanshi Tianzun within. Meanwhile, Yuanshi Tianzun, relying on the bolstering of Daoist power, engaged in a heart-stopping contest with this boundless great world.

At the same time, in the Honghuang world, the three Xuanwu sisters each stood suspended in the three directions, their bodies entwined with endless formation lines. They opposed Yuanshi Tianzun with formation power; although his combat power was peerless, within the formation's alternate space, his power fluctuations were all intercepted by the formation, causing no major destruction to the Honghuang realm.

However, on another celestial battlefield, the situation was entirely different. The Sect Leader Tongtian sat cross-legged, a profound formation chart floating above his head, four cold-light-glimmering divine swords respectively suspended at the four extremes of heaven and earth, enveloping the boundless heavens. Sword energy crisscrossed within the formation, each strand containing terrifying destructive power, weaving through time and space.

But Tongtian Sect Leader's opponent was Laozi, who faced the killing assault of the Sword Qi of the Executioner's Immortal Sword Formation with composure. He wore the Meritorious Supreme Treasure, the Tower of Heaven and Earth in Profound Yellow, Glittering and Translucent, from which rolled forth Profound Yellow Meritorious Qi that protected him firmly. Even if sword qi crossed time and space to strike, it was easily blocked by this Profound Yellow Qi.

Moreover, Laozi still held the supreme innate spiritual treasure, the Earth-Departing Flame Light Banner; waving it, a torrent of heavenly fire surged forth, burning to extinction every strand of unfathomable sword qi. Only a few strands of sword qi could penetrate the fire sea, but they too were instantly blocked by the Profound Yellow Qi.

In fact, the greatest contributor to resisting the Executioner's Immortal Sword Formation was Laozi's innate supreme treasure, the Taiji Diagram. The Taiji Diagram swelled to billions upon billions of zhang in height atop the heavens, like a heavenly canopy covering the sky and earth. On the Taiji Diagram, the two primordial heavenly Dao powers of yin and yang intertwined, cascading down rolling auspicious rosy light. Wherever this light reached, the gloomy sword qi were covered and inverted yin and yang, greatly diminishing their power.

Thus, although Laozi stood within the Executioner's Immortal Sword Formation, he could temporarily remain invincible. Yet he deeply knew he could not break the Formation by his own strength. After all, this Formation is famed as the number-one killing ancient formation between heaven and earth, breakable only by the Four Sages. When the Demon Ancestor Luo Hou laid it down, he single-handedly fought the Three Great Supremes—Hongjun Dao Ancestor, Yin-Yang Old Ancestor, and Qiankun Old Ancestor—and ultimately slew the Yin-Yang Old Ancestor and Qiankun Old Ancestor. Had it not been for Hongjun Dao Ancestor possessing the Chaos Supreme Treasure, the Jade Disc of Creation, bolstering himself, he too would likely have failed to defeat Luo Hou.

Therefore, Laozi did not entertain the notion of breaking the Formation alone. His aim was merely to hold back Tongtian Sect Leader, awaiting victory on other battlefields, then joining Yuanshi Tianzun and others to jointly break the Formation.

However, when Laozi looked toward Yuanshi Tianzun, he could not help but frown tightly. He discovered that Yuanshi Tianzun too was besieged by the three Xuanwu sisters within the ancient formation, breaking through with extraordinary difficulty.

"The Sect of the Cutting truly hides tigers and dragons, its foundations immeasurably deep!" Laozi sighed. "Even the three Xuanwu sisters have mastered a formation capable of contending with Daoist sages!"

Yet he did not worry that Yuanshi Tianzun could not break the three Xuanwu sisters' great formation. After all, Yuanshi Tianzun possesses the Pangu Banner, such a supreme treasure, his combat power unmatched. Once drawing upon Honghuang Daoist power to bolster himself, he could even unleash heaven-destroying, earth-annihilating might. Breaking the three Xuanwu sisters' great formation is merely a matter of time.

"Hmph! To dare divide attention while seated within my own Executioner's Immortal Sword Formation—you are truly too arrogant!" Laozi coldly snorted.

Seeing Laozi distracted by concern for Yuanshi Tianzun, Tongtian Sect Leader could not help but angrily shout, simultaneously waving his hand to more fiercely activate the Four Swords of the Executioner's Immortal Sword Formation above the heavens. Clang after clang rang without cease; instantly, immeasurable cold radiance surged like a tide, sharper and more terrifying than before, as if the entire heaven and earth had become an ocean of swords, the cold radiance ravaging the void and heavenly vault, entwined with sky-high killing intent as it lunged at Laozi.

Laozi dared not slacken in the slightest; he quickly exerted all his efforts, relying on the Innate Supreme Treasure Taiji Diagram, the supreme innate spiritual treasure Earth-Departing Flame Light Banner, and the Meritorious Supreme Treasure Tower of Heaven and Earth in Profound Yellow, Glittering and Translucent, to barely resist the ferocious assault of the Executioner's Immortal Sword Formation. For a time, Tongtian Sect Leader found himself unable to do anything to Laozi, and both sides fell into a stalemate.