Divine Might Swept Across the Land (continued)

Si Ming paused for a moment, then asked a question that sounded somewhat presumptuous to everyone, "May I ask, Your Excellency, how can we prevent the world from being destroyed and eliminate the Kalpa of Destruction?"

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, not understanding why Si Ming would ask such a question. This was akin to asking a martial artist specializing in external martial arts, "Where is your Achilles' heel?" How could the other possibly answer?

Was he trying to provoke his opponent in such a rude manner?

However, judging from her words and actions after her appearance, she doesn't seem like someone who would get angry easily. In fact, many people doubt whether she has any emotions as a living being, since she claims to be the Extinction Consciousness of the world.

"The destruction of the world is a predetermined event, impossible to prevent. It arises in accordance with the will of Heaven and perishes according to its mandate; this is an unchanging principle. Just as humanity gives birth to offspring and then ages and dies, this is how the cycle of life continues endlessly."

In the early days of the Nine Continents, there existed a race of immortals, living as long as heaven and earth, never aging or dying. But now, their entire race has been wiped out. This is because their lifespan was limitless, so they had no need for descendants. And without death, there is no life; when disaster struck, their lineage was extinguished.

"Okay, let me rephrase my question: how can we postpone the end of the world?"

"Meaningless actions, even if postponed this time, will be repeated again, and will be even more ferocious this time. This is nothing more than drinking poison to quench thirst—"

"I've already said, whether something is meaningful or not isn't for you to decide. For humans with short lifespans, even living for one more year is a good thing. Drinking poison to quench thirst is better than dying of thirst on the spot."

"..."

The Netherworld Insect Princess fell silent, no longer answering questions immediately as before. The silence made everyone wary and on high alert, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Just as Si Ming thought the other party was about to make a move, he heard the other party say, "I am the Extinction Consciousness for the world. If you can put me to sleep, you can postpone the world's demise."

Si Ming breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had made the right bet. When he realized the other person's voice sounded very similar to the Holy Maiden's, he remembered that the Holy Maiden always answered questions. If she encountered a question she couldn't answer, she would simply say she couldn't answer it. Otherwise, she would answer even if an enemy asked her during battle.

So he treated the Netherworld Insect Princess as a saint, and unexpectedly, he actually got the answer!

But while he was secretly pleased, a sense of dread crept into his heart. The Netherworld Insect Princess wasn't human, but a part of the world's consciousness, a higher-dimensional being. Then, was the Saintess, whose personality resembled hers, human? Or could she also be a higher-dimensional being?

However, Si Ming quickly suppressed this worry. There was no point in considering this issue now. If they could not survive this calamity and protect Barbarian Continent from disaster, then the Holy Maiden and the Remote Heaven Society nothing but fleeting clouds. Even if Sea Continent had the protection of the Eternal Barrier, and could hold out for a little longer, it would be like a grasshopper in autumn.

"Thank you for your reply. Now our positions are clear, and there's no need for further hesitation..."

Si Ming was thinking of having everyone retreat first to make room for the battle, so that he could probe the opponent's strength first. If the difference was not too great, he would hold the opponent off while the others prepared their ultimate moves in the rear to take them down in the final wave.

The Netherworld Insect Princess outside the Heavenly Dragon World-Delivering Pagoda was indeed incredibly powerful, with unfathomable Foundation. Even Si Ming felt he had no chance of winning. After all, if you can't even sense how strong your opponent is, then you know the outcome without even fighting.

However, the Netherworld Insect Princess who entered the Heavenly Dragon World-Delivering Pagoda was perhaps suppressed by the Buddha's light. Her aura suddenly dropped to less than one-tenth of its original strength. Although she was still powerful, Si Ming could already rival her. Coupled with the advantage of numbers, the chances of winning this battle were not small. Even Yun Jinzang or the Demon Emperor would definitely not be able to withstand the extreme attacks of so many Spirit Transformation Grandmaster present.

However, before he could even speak, he suddenly sensed something and turned to look at the southern wasteland, where two powerful auras were rapidly approaching.

"It's the Beast King Anye and the Azure Mysterious Corpse King!" Si Ming exclaimed in shock, then turned to look at the Netherworld Insect Princess, "You're deliberately stalling for time!"

"I have no intention of delaying, nor do I intend to bring it forward. If you have any questions, I will answer them—"

Thinking back on everything that had happened, Si Ming realized that the other party hadn't asked a single question; it was he who had initiated the inquiries. If he had chosen to act immediately then...

"All Evils Fall Silent, All Wickedness Perishes!"

Wan Ziqiu placed a palm against Zheng Jingyuan's back, transferring all the internal energy and Sword Intent he had secretly accumulated to him. The two came from the same school, had the same internal energy attributes, and shared the same Sword Intent. Zheng Jingyuan had also been secretly accumulating True Qi and Sword Intent, so he instantly completed his prepared attack.

The Evil-Slaying Sword Intent spread out, freezing space and stopping the flow of time. The magnificent Sword Qi energy slashed through the air, heading straight for the immobilized Netherworld Insect Princess, and was about to strike.

"The Xuanmen's orthodox Evil-Slaying Sword Art, the most righteous sword technique in the world, is indeed extraordinary. Unfortunately, as I said, the world's decline is a link in the cycle of Heavenly Dao's Way, an inevitable natural law. I am neither evil nor wicked, so this Swordsmanship is useless to me—"

With everyone else unable to move, the Netherworld Insect Princess raised her hand and struck out with a palm. She didn't use any special moves, but only relied on her own Foundation to deliver a powerful palm strike. There was no leakage of energy. The space in front of her shattered strangely like broken glass, and all that could be seen was gray.

The Evil-Slaying Sword Qi shattered inch by inch under the crushing force of the palm. Although Zheng Jingyuan managed to turn the Ghost-Slaying Sword in time to block in front of him, he still could not stop the advance of Wu Chou's palm force. The Ghost-Slaying Sword broke with a clang, and the blade pierced into Zheng Jingyuan's chest.

Once time resumed its flow, everyone saw Zheng Jingyuan, who had clearly raised his sword to slash at the enemy, retreat back with a broken blade embedded in his chest.

"Uncle-Master!"

Wan Ziqiu quickly caught Zheng Jingyuan and reached out to check. He found that not only had his heart Ghost-Slaying Sword, but his other internal organs had also been shattered by the force of the palm strike, and his heart meridian had been severed.

"After I die... you will take over... the position of sect leader..." Zheng Jingyuan said haltingly.

"No! Martial Uncle, don't give up, you must hold on!"

Just as Wan Ziqiu was about to channel his inner True Qi to keep the other person alive, Wu Xiu kicked him away, saying, "Get out of my way! As long as I'm alive, you won't die."

As he spoke, he inserted several needles to stabilize the soul and prevent it from dissipating. Then, he pointed with his finger, causing the cold air to dissipate and sealing off the body's life force.

On the other side, the others didn't have time to care about Zheng Jingyuan's life or death. Netherworld Insect Princess almost Evil-Slaying Sword Sect on the spot with a single palm strike. Such cultivation level had exceeded everyone's expectations. Even Si Ming did not expect that the other party would still have such terrifying strength under the suppression of the Buddhist tower.

It should be noted that even the Demon Emperor had to have his subordinates intercept him if he wanted to kill Spirit Transformation Grandmaster, otherwise he might not succeed. Yet, the Netherworld Insect Princess could bring Spirit Transformation Grandmaster to the brink of death with a single palm strike. Such strength has already surpassed the Void Returning level.

"Everyone, step back!"

Seeing the opponent's figure flash by, seemingly about to attack Ying Zhou who was closest, Si Ming quickly took the initiative to meet him, urging his three divine powers to strike with his palms.

Fists and palms collided, and the violent residual force swept outwards. Even with all his strength, Ying Zhou could not withstand it and was blasted ten feet away by the residual force. The others were not much better off than him.

Si Ming retreated hastily, his face showing undisguised surprise. This was the first time he had suffered a setback in a direct confrontation since he had mastered his divine power. His opponent possessed a strength nearly equal to his own in her petite body, and her Foundation was incredibly solid. If measured by the Internal Cultivation levels of the Sea Continent, it was at least level 30 or above!

Before Si Ming could catch his breath, the opponent charged forward again. He then activated his internal energy, solidified his body, and entered Uranium Crystal State, raising his palm to meet the attack head-on.

The force of both sides had reached a level unimaginable to ordinary people. The astonishing airflow generated by the collision spun wildly around the two of them. Amidst the explosions, there were flashes of lightning and thunder, causing the earth to tremble and the storm to roar.

Forced to retreat step by step by the residual force, the group was no longer able to help Si Ming, let alone enter the battle. Even if they managed to rush in, they would be severely injured because their bodies could not withstand the impact of the airflow.

Yu Shuying made a quick decision. "Leave the Netherworld Insect Princess to Si Ming. Let's stop the two King of Monsters and prevent them from interfering in the battle."

No one else is qualified to intervene in the battle, but the two King of Monsters have the ability to do so. If they are allowed to enter the battle and attack Si Ming from both sides, the already precarious situation will likely become even more one-sided. In addition, there are a thousand monks who are unconscious and completely unprepared. If the two King of Monsters get close, it will be like wolves entering a flock of sheep.

After being reminded, the group was unwilling, but they knew that staying there was pointless. With Si Ming under pressure, they couldn't even launch a sneak attack with their ultimate moves, because it wasn't Si Ming who was entangled with Netherworld Insect Princess, but Netherworld Insect Princess was entangled with Si Ming. Forcing an ultimate move would only drag both of them into it, and Si Ming would have no way to break free.

"The Alliance Leader's wife is right. Let's hold off the King of Monsters first. Let's trust the Alliance Leader here," Shen Wumian said.