He had never intended to activate the Immortal Slaying Sword Array.
This was certainly because of Duobao's ruthless scheme—he wanted to shatter the Dao Hearts of the Western Teachings' first-generation disciples in a single battle.
But conversely, was this not also proof of Duobao's immense confidence in himself?
He believed the strength he had displayed was sufficiently formidable, which was why he dared to do this.
Even when facing Minghe, one of the three top Quasi-Saints of the Primordial Era,
Duobao had not revealed any magical treasure.
None of the Western Teachings cultivators believed that Duobao possessed no magical treasures.
Tongtian's Interception Sect had always been renowned for its abundance of magical treasures. It was far wealthier than the other two among the Three Pure Ones, as well as Nuwa and the Two Sages of the West.
Almost all Ten Thousand Immortals of the Western Teachings had defected from the Interception Sect,
so they knew this perfectly well.
Duobao, who had never used a magical treasure before, revealed the treasure in his hand.
The cultivators could not help recalling a saying: "Divine objects conceal their own brilliance!"
The more they looked at it, the more fitting that phrase seemed for this treasure!
Daoist Yang Liu's expression turned grave. Great Immortal Yang Mei had clearly sent him immediate news,
and he seriously asked, "Fellow Daoist, could the treasure in your hand be the Chaos Spirit Treasure, the Earth Splitting Chisel?"
After saying this, he shook his own head.
The origins of the Earth Splitting Chisel were already quite clear.
After the creation of the world, it had transformed into the Immortal Slaying Sword Array, the foremost murderous array beneath the Heavenly Dao.
They were currently inside the Immortal Slaying Sword Array.
Daoist Yang Liu was somewhat terrified. The earth beneath his feet was formed from the corpses of the Three Thousand Great Dao Demon Gods!
How could the Earth Splitting Chisel in Duobao's hand possibly be the original one wielded by Great God Pangu?
Daoist Yang Liu even began to resent his true body somewhat.
The information sent over had been utterly incoherent, making him nervous for nothing. What a disgrace!
The timeline at the source had clearly only begun changing today.
Why was he asking Duobao about this?
Duobao had not forged this magical treasure, so what could he possibly...
No!
Daoist Yang Liu suddenly realized something was wrong!
What had Duobao just said?
He had encountered a mighty expert, and that expert had seen that they were fated, so the expert bestowed a magical treasure upon him.
The expert had said that, according to legend, when Great God Pangu created the world, the Three Thousand Great Dao Demon Gods descended to block his path, and Great God Pangu slew them with the Earth Splitting Chisel!
And the Earth Splitting Chisel in Duobao's hand had been forged by that mighty expert based on this legend!
Daoist Yang Liu went pale with shock.
That timeline had clearly only changed now.
How had the mighty expert Duobao spoke of known about it?
What level of cultivation did this mighty expert possess, to have detected the timeline's change ahead of Dao Ancestor Hongjun, Great Immortal Yang Mei, and all the Sages?
One had to know that Great God Pangu originally did not possess such a magical treasure.
Mortals might have all sorts of legends,
but cultivators all understood that Great God Pangu's creation of the world was no legend.
It was fact!
As great cultivators, they naturally could not fabricate nonsense.
They could only make reasonable deductions based on facts.
The Heavenly Dao existed above the Primordial Era.
To casually make up stories about Pangu...
What was that supposed to accomplish?!
Yet the mighty expert Duobao spoke of had learned of this matter in advance.
How could Daoist Yang Liu not be alarmed?!
Daoist Yang Liu solemnly asked, "Fellow Daoist Duobao, where does this mighty expert reside? May this poor Daoist pay him a visit?"
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Duobao's lips!
"I cannot tell you this mighty expert's name. If you are fated with him, you will naturally meet him."
"If you are not fated, then no matter how much you force the matter, you will not succeed."
"Even if your backing reaches the heavens, you will gain nothing but needless troubles and disasters!"
"Fellow Daoist, you should let fate take its course!"
Duobao paused before speaking again.
"I think you are probably not fated with him."
"I shall now send you onto the list... or to your death!"
Daoist Yang Liu gave a cold laugh.
He admitted that if the object in Duobao's hand truly was the legendary Earth Splitting Chisel,
he would immediately flee as far away as possible.
But clearly, it was not!
The true Earth Splitting Chisel had long since transformed into the Immortal Slaying Sword Array. All of them were inside the space formed by the Immortal Slaying Sword Array that the Earth Splitting Chisel had become!
Would a Peak Quasi-Saint avatar of the mighty Great Immortal Yang Mei fear a mere Lingbao?
What a joke?!
Duobao smiled faintly and casually tossed the Earth Splitting Chisel into the air.
The mana throughout his body surged wildly and poured into the Earth Splitting Chisel.
He held nothing back!
Nor could he afford to.
Though he had refined this magical treasure for several thousand years,
the Earth Splitting Chisel's grade was too high. Duobao normally would not wield it in this manner.
But when facing Daoist Yang Liu, Duobao decisively brought it out.
Ever since Daoist Yang Liu had appeared, Duobao's primordial spirit had been constantly throbbing.
A sudden warning from his instincts, an alarm from his primordial spirit!
An unprecedented enemy!
Although there were many restrictions on using the Earth Splitting Chisel,
when it was time to use it, Duobao did not hesitate in the slightest!
Duobao remained composed, and his voice did not waver in the least. "Fellow Daoist, please be on your way!"
The Earth Splitting Chisel suddenly shot out a ray of light that locked onto Daoist Yang Liu.
Daoist Yang Liu's expression changed drastically!
He had tried to dodge just now!
In a single thought, he had even arranged countless layers of space.
Though he appeared to be standing in place, he had long hidden behind layer upon layer of space.
But it was useless!
The Earth Splitting Chisel directly crossed countless realms of time and space, finding his true body.
What frightened Daoist Yang Liu even more was that
the time and space around him were completely sealed and suppressed. Even Karma and Fate had been pronounced upon!
Before that supreme pressure, none of his Supernatural Powers or techniques could even be used.
Daoist Yang Liu had a terrifying intuition—he was going to die!
At this moment of life and death, he opened his mouth and screamed, "True body, save me!"
His shriek was miserable, making the Ten Thousand Immortals within the great array change expression in shock!
It was already too late!
The Earth Splitting Chisel flashed forward like lightning and lightly struck Daoist Yang Liu!
In an instant,
Daoist Yang Liu, a Peak Quasi-Saint, became a shattered primordial spirit and transformed into an immense Willow Tree.
The Earth Splitting Chisel struck again,
and the Willow Tree's body and primordial spirit turned into a stream of light, completely absorbed by the Earth Splitting Chisel!
The Earth Splitting Chisel spun once and returned to Duobao's primordial spirit, refusing to emerge again.
Duobao was stunned.
He suddenly sensed an emotion arising from his bonded magical treasure: "This trash is worthy of making me act?!"
Duobao was left speechless in embarrassment.
Was a Peak Quasi-Saint trash?
Apparently, in the Earth Splitting Chisel's eyes, he was!
But if Duobao wanted to defeat him himself, who knew how long it would take? Using the Earth Splitting Chisel was faster.
The great array fell silent.
The Ten Thousand Immortals of the Western Teachings were all frozen in terror.
Boundless fear surged into their hearts.
From Lu Ya downward, every cultivator believed that Duobao was an invincible demon god!
Their confidence collapsed!
The Golden Immortals of Chan Jiao all sucked in a cold breath.
Duobao actually possessed such a trump card!
Daoist Yang Liu's power had been deeply imprinted in their hearts.
With a wave of his hand, countless spaces were formed; with a thought, endless spatial storms arose.
Had it been them, they would have long been reduced to ashes.
Yet such a terrifying mighty expert had been casually slain by Duobao!
That magical treasure had even absorbed Daoist Yang Liu's primordial spirit and physical body!
It did not leave Daoist Yang Liu even a chance at reincarnation.
Terrifying beyond measure!
Duobao truly was the foremost among the disciples of their Mystic Gate!
The immortals of Chan Jiao had been thoroughly convinced!
Duobao did not seem as though he had just eliminated a great enemy.
He said calmly,
"Fellow Daoist Lu Ya, among you fellow Daoists of the Western Teachings, who else wishes to offer guidance?"
The Western Teachings fell utterly silent!
A feeling called despair shrouded their hearts.
Duobao was in no hurry. He smiled and quietly waited for the Western Teachings disciples' response.
Time favored their Mystic Gate.
No matter how long it took, he could afford to wait!
But he did not know that because of his actions,
a massive melee among the Sages had begun!
Great Immortal Yang Mei truly had not expected such an outcome!
His face burned with shame!
It was embarrassment!
His boastful words still rang in the air, yet Duobao had so easily erased his avatar!
It was simply cruel to the extreme!
Without a second thought, Yang Mei threw out two more Willow Trees!
Although the Four Sages of the Mystic Gate wanted to stop him, this was an attack from a mighty expert at the peak Dao Integration Realm. How could they possibly stop him?
Just as they were shocked and enraged,
they witnessed an utterly jaw-dropping scene.
The two Willow Trees Yang Mei had thrown out were actually bounced back!
These two Willow Trees at the Sage level of the Heavenly Dao Realm had actually been bounced back!!
Clearly, Yang Mei had just thrown in a Willow Tree at the Peak Quasi-Saint realm,
yet avatars with even higher cultivation than before could not be thrown in!
The Four Sages of the Mystic Gate looked at Yang Mei strangely. What exactly was this Great Immortal trying to do?
Yang Mei was also stunned!
How was that possible?
Gritting his teeth, he threw out avatars at the Peak Quasi-Saint level, the First Heaven of the Heavenly Dao Realm, and the Second Heaven of the Heavenly Dao Realm!
The Four Sages of the Mystic Gate were furious. One attempt had failed, and he still wanted a second?
All four Sages moved to stop him.
But Yang Mei was a Dao Ancestor who controlled the Space Great Dao.
His mastery of the Space Law was unfathomable. They truly could not stop him.
In an instant, the three avatars bypassed the four Sages' defenses and charged straight toward the Immortal Slaying Sword Array!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The three thunderous blasts left the Sages dumbfounded!
The Four Saints of the Mystic Gate were utterly unable to make sense of Great Immortal Yang Mei's actions.
What exactly was he trying to do?
Even acting had to have its limits!
Being so inconsistent before and after was damaging to one's reputation!
Even the Two Sages of the West thought Yang Mei was putting on an act!
Otherwise, how could something so bizarre have happened?
He had clearly sent Daoist Yang Liu into the Immortal Slaying Sword Array earlier.
Yet now... even a Sage-level incarnation could not enter!
Was this a joke?!
Great Immortal Yang Mei was so startled that his scalp went numb!
"The timeline has changed!"
"The legend of the Earth Splitting Chisel has come true!!"
"It happened just now!"
Yang Mei ignored the strange looks from the Sages.
He actually raised his palm on the spot, studying its lines to deduce the truth.
The more he deduced, the uglier Yang Mei's expression became.
In the end, he glared fiercely at the Immortal Slaying Sword Array. "The Earth Splitting Chisel absorbed the primordial spirits and blood essences of the Three Thousand Great Dao Demon Gods and transformed into this array!"
At the same time, he learned that his Quasi-Saint incarnation had been completely destroyed.
There was not even the slightest chance of revival!
Yang Mei frowned as he looked at the grand array before him.
He had never imagined that Great God Pangu's Earth Splitting Chisel would transform into such an array.
In other words,
it was the highest-ranked treasure in the Primordial Era!
He had to obtain it!
Yuanshi's heart jolted, and he shouted sternly, "Yang Mei, what are you trying to do?"
He had never considered Yang Mei a good person!
Toward Yang Mei, who had appeared so abruptly and bore immense Karma with their Mystic Gate,
Yuanshi had always judged him with the greatest possible malice.
The moment Yang Mei's expression showed even the slightest change, Yuanshi noticed it immediately.
Yang Mei said calmly,
"This Immortal Slaying Sword Array is destined for me. I will take it!"
The Mystic Gate Sages' expressions changed as they cursed inwardly in unison, "Shameless!"
That style truly was worthy of the West!
Yuanshi was about to speak when Tongtian suddenly stepped before him.
Yuanshi did not understand what he meant, but then he heard Tongtian laugh.
"Dao Ancestor keeps claiming that Dao Ancestor Hongjun owes you Karma."
"The gates of Zixiao Palace are not shut, so why does Dao Ancestor not go to Zixiao Palace and discuss the Dao with Dao Ancestor Hongjun to settle this Karma?"
"Why come instead to the Investiture of the Gods Battlefield and involve yourself in the battle of juniors like us?"
"Dao Ancestor's vision cannot be so narrow, can it?"
Hm?!
The Three Saints of the Mystic Gate were all stunned.
What was Tongtian doing?
Yang Mei raised an eyebrow. "Tongtian, what are you trying to say?"
Tongtian smiled.
"Dao Ancestor did not even blink when taking the Dao-Protecting Divine Weapons of us Mystic Gate Sages,"
"yet now, before a mere Immortal Slaying Sword Array, you have revealed greed... That does not fit Dao Ancestor's character."
"Could it be that some other change occurred just now?"
Yang Mei's brows furrowed slightly!
A sense of foreboding rose within him!
Could Tongtian have seen through something?
How exactly did Hongjun teach his disciples?
Tongtian said slowly,
"Just now, Dao Ancestor clearly sent in a Peak Quasi-Saint incarnation. We will not mention the wager, since Dao Ancestor clearly had no intention of honoring it."
"Without Dao Ancestor Hongjun descending to manifest his Sagehood, it would basically be impossible for us to stop you!"
"But what puzzles me is this: why could Dao Ancestor not send in several more incarnations afterward?"
"Could the Immortal Slaying Sword Array possess some Karma?"
Yang Mei's expression changed dramatically. He secretly hated that Tongtian had discovered it after all!
Yuanshi immediately raised his palm to study its lines. The other Sages followed suit, even the Two Sages of the West.
The Sages stared in shock at the Immortal Slaying Sword Array behind them.
Their expressions were utterly spectacular!
Yuanshi drew a deep breath. "The Chaos Spirit Treasure, the Earth Splitting Chisel!"
"This Immortal Slaying Sword Array was transformed after the Earth Splitting Chisel absorbed the primordial spirits and blood essences of the Three Thousand Great Dao Demon Gods!"
Yuanshi could not believe it.
"This Immortal Slaying Sword Array is actually a Chaos Spirit Treasure!"
But this was completely different from the Immortal Slaying Sword Array they had known before!
"How could this be?!"
Yuanshi cried out, "Senior Brother Taishang, Junior Sister Nuwa, lend me your strength!"
Taishang and Nuwa stepped forward in response.
The three Sages joined forces and immediately deduced the chain of events.
Yuanshi's voice trembled.
"The timeline at the source of the Primordial Era changed. Great God Pangu's companion spirit treasures included not only the Heaven Opening Axe, but also the Earth Splitting Chisel."
"So that is how it is!"
Great Immortal Yang Mei's face darkened.
He cursed Hongjun inwardly.
"How did you teach your disciples? Every last one is sharper than the previous!"
He had originally intended to conceal the matter.
Yet he had never expected
that merely a few actions would reveal the clues to the Sages. Tongtian started it, and Yuanshi immediately uncovered most of the truth.
Yuanshi laughed loudly. "Dao Ancestor Yang Mei, are you trying to claim the Chaos Spirit Treasure for yourself?"
"Unfortunately, it is now the palace-protecting supreme treasure of Biyou Palace, controlled by Martial Nephew Duobao!"
"Even if we wished to enter, we would need Martial Nephew Duobao's permission!"
Yuanshi was immensely pleased!
He had desperately wanted to punch Yang Mei because of his earlier arrogance.
Unfortunately, the gap in their cultivation was far too great.
Yuanshi could not handle him!
Now, watching Yang Mei suffer a setback, he could not have been happier!
Yang Mei sneered.
"My Quasi-Saint, Heavenly Dao Realm Sage-level incarnations cannot enter. Does that mean my true body cannot enter either?"
Yang Mei's expression changed as he shouted fiercely,
"Get out of my way, all of you! Otherwise, do not blame me for refusing to give Hongjun face. I will suppress you for several epochs!"
Once those words left his mouth, Yang Mei had expected the Sages to know their place.
Who would have thought that the Four Saints of the Mystic Gate would all smile?
They were mocking smiles.
Taishang said slowly, "We are Sages of the East, and our disciples are within the Immortal Slaying Sword Array. How can we retreat?"
Yuanshi said nothing. Taishang's opinion was his opinion.
Nuwa sneered. "When have Mystic Gate Sages ever retreated?!"
Tongtian smiled even more brightly.
"This Immortal Slaying Sword Array is a treasure of my Biyou Palace. You have come to rob us of our treasure—how can we allow it?"
Yang Mei scoffed.
"The three of you together are not enough for me to fight with one hand. You should retreat!"
As he spoke, he waved his hand.
Boundless spatial storms formed and arrived silently before the three Sages.
By the time the three Sages reacted, the spatial storms erupted violently.
The three Sages were blasted far away in an instant.
One realm was one heaven.
Yang Mei was a great power at the peak of He Daojing; his cultivation far surpassed theirs.
Before you continue