Chapter 62: Endless Darkness

Thinking of teaming up with his elder brother, and adding his "One Breath Merges the Three Pure Ones" technique, they wield the power of the Four Saints, so even the Execution Sword Formation cannot defeat them.

"Despicable!" Tongtian Jiaozhu roared, about to draw his sword and unleash his ultimate technique.

Suddenly, the atmosphere around them shifted.

Hongjun's voice came from the heavens: "Do not intervene, depart quickly!"

"Teacher!" Tongtian Jiaozhu shouted in disbelief, but received no reply.

"Third brother, heed the teacher's command and leave quickly; it will be better for you." The Supreme Pure Celestial Venerable and Yuanshi Tianzun turned and departed.

Since the teacher has spoken, even however obstinate Tongtian Jiaozhu does not dare to openly defy.

As expected, Tongtian Jiaozhu furrowed his brows, as if he could crush a fly, yet he still dared not disobey Hongjun's order. Though deeply unwilling, he could only stand his ground and watch everything unfold among the mortals.

"Kid, your idea suits my taste; I also have confidence in you. Hold on, and don't die easily." Tongtian Jiaozhu raised his wine gourd and took a hard gulp.

In the distance, Zhou Yi had already written thousands of characters; the glyphs on the stone slab lit up one by one, and light enveloped his entire body.

Lightning struck, but instead of harming him, it seemed to temper the characters, making them even more dazzling.

Yet, in Zhou Yi's view, this was far from over. Thunderclouds kept gathering, covering an area even larger than before.

Within the Purple Sky Palace, Hongjun silently observed Zhou Yi's every move. "It's developing too quickly under your guidance, but it isn't suitable for you now; stop for the time being."

Hongjun slightly lifted his finger, and a black arc of light spilled from the gap, instantly traversing space to reach Honghuang.

The Zhou Yi, who had been stubbornly resisting, suddenly felt an unprecedented wave of terror envelop him.

Dark clouds gathered densely, and the world became oppressively heavy.

A pitch‑black bolt of lightning appeared without warning, descending before him at a speed beyond imagination.

The Zhou Yi who once handled everything calmly now felt an irresistible force, as if bound by invisible shackles, unable even to summon the power of his law.

The next moment, his body involuntarily fell from the sky, "Boom—" crashing onto the ground and kicking up dust. Meanwhile, Yu Qiang, drinking nearby, watched the scene silently.

The sudden turn of events made the man spring up abruptly, his wine cup nearly slipping from his hand.

Complex emotions flashed in his eyes, both shock and doubt.

"It's over; he couldn't survive the heavenly punishment, the characters will be destroyed." Sure enough, rain‑like lightning poured mercilessly from the sky onto the newly manifested characters.

The once dazzling characters gradually dimmed and vanished under the onslaught of lightning.

If Zhou Yi can stay conscious now and finish writing the characters, there might still be a sliver of hope.

However, he has already collapsed, unconscious, his fate uncertain.

Hou Tu sensed Zhou Yi's life force like a candle in the wind, ready to be swallowed by darkness at any moment.

Yu Hao's heart burned with urgency; being the closest person to Zhou Yi, he rushed forward without hesitation to rescue him.

But as soon as he acted, a bolt of lightning seemed to target him and struck down.

Even though Yu Hao fought back fiercely, he appeared powerless before the might of heaven and earth.

"Crunch!" he was flung like a kite with its line cut, crashing heavily onto the ground, blood spilling from his mouth.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Hou Tu's eyes; she realized this heavenly punishment would not permit others to intervene.

The battlefield instantly fell into dead silence, time ticking second by second, while the light of the characters in the sky had mostly faded.

This time differed from before; even ordinary folk could sense the massive crisis confronting the Human Race.

Everyone's hearts were filled with sorrow, because they had faced countless hardships without abandoning hope, but now their hope—

Zhou Yi fell, shattering their belief.

Meanwhile, Taiyi Shen of the Demon Race burst into laughter, "He still dares to create his own characters? Thinking he can stand shoulder to shoulder with our Demon Race?"

Taiyi Shen said smugly, believing Zhou Yi had overstepped and now suffered backlash.

The resentment he had harbored among the Human Race was finally released.

Di Qu's mood grew even more complicated; he felt uneasy about the Human Race's attempt to create characters, as it threatened the Demon Race's standing.

Though he voiced disdain, he still harbored a trace of apprehension toward Zhou Yi.

Taiyi Shen proposed dispatching troops at once to annihilate the Human Race completely, suggesting the forging of a new Witch-slaying Sword.

But Di Qu stopped him, arguing that they should observe for now, for Zhou Yi has many enemies, including Saints, and when the true battle begins, there will be those even more eager to act than they are.

Yu Hao stood rooted, unable to recover for a long while; the series of events hit him far too hard.

Fang Yun leapt straight down from the mountain peak, sprinting swiftly toward the crowd.

The jade brush in his hand flashed into existence; he clearly realized that although Zhou Yi lay on the ground, those characters had indeed been inscribed upon the membrane of Honghuang Tian Di.

Despite the risk of being erased, as long as a trace remains, "Forged a thousand times, still sturdy, withstand any wind from east, south, west, or north," he recited the verse silently in his mind.

At this moment, he summoned his entire righteous qi; the characters, once suspended in the air and dimming, seemed to answer his call, beginning to re‑arrange themselves.

"Read this aloud loudly!" Fang Yun shouted with all his might.

One person in the crowd reacted first, reciting slowly; the voice, though faint, was like a spark of a star.

Soon, others joined in, their voices growing louder.

Seeing this, Fang Yun smiled with satisfaction, feeling his righteous qi amplified and consolidated like never before.

As the characters became vivid one by one, they swirled around Zhou Yi, gently lifting the prone figure and radiating light.

The thunder continued to assault Zhou Yi, but the surrounding characters blocked each strike, each collision unleashing dazzling light and deafening sound.

Just as everyone neared despair, Zhou Yi's tightly closed eyes slowly opened, a bright white beam surrounding him and dispelling the aura of death.

"That time we really almost didn't make it!" Zhou Yi sighed, his voice tinged with gratitude for surviving the calamity.

Moments ago he had truly felt death's cold embrace, as if plunging into endless darkness.

But at the crucial moment, a warmth like spring sunshine enveloped him, restoring his light.

Zhou Yi looked at the white light on his body, knowing it was aid from some power, but now the priority was to finish his writing as quickly as possible.

Zhou Yi inhaled deeply, accelerating his writing pace.

"He actually survived!" Yu Qiang whispered in surprise.

Hou Tu's expression completely changed; after this incident, Zhou Yi proved his ability, always able to find a chance of survival in desperate straits.