Sword Formation Shattered, the Fisherman Profits

Inside the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, Sha Qi was thick as tangible substance. Four destructive sword intents roared and rampaged through the formation like Fierce Beasts of the Primordial World. Hongjun, Yin-Yang, Qiankun, and Yang Mei each entered through one gate, engaging in a desperate battle against this foremost killing formation beneath the Heavenly Dao.

Within the Immortal-Slaying Gate to the east, Hongjun held a fragment of the Jade Disk of Fortune above his head. Streams of clear radiance poured down like rain, dissolving all the peerlessly sharp Immortal-Slaying Sword Qi. His expression remained calm. Though he appeared to be dealing with the formation at full strength, his mind was actually divided three ways: one part fought the sword formation, another secretly urged the Three Corpses he had severed forth to stabilize himself, while the most important part coldly observed the battle at the other three gates, calculating the best moment to strike—and... the best sacrifices.

Within the Lesser Immortal Gate to the west, Old Ancestor Yin-Yang was already in a sorry state. The Yin-Yang Mirror in his hand shone and shifted, separating yin from yang as he tried to use Great Dao Origin to restrain the slaughtering power of the Immortal-Killing Sword. Yet Immortal-Killing Sword Qi specifically wounded Spirit Souls; formless and intangible, it was impossible to guard against. Though the mirror light could block some of the physical Sword Qi, the chilling killing intent that pierced straight into his Primordial Spirit constantly eroded his true spirit. His mind wavered, his mana drained like a burst dam, and invisible Sword Qi had torn his Daoist robe apart, leaving spots of crimson seeping through.

Within the Immortal-Trapping Gate to the south, Old Ancestor Qiankun held the Qiankun Cauldron above his head. Chaos Qi surged from its mouth as he tried to draw in and refine the Immortal-Trapping red light, which confused the mind and dissolved mana. But wherever the Immortal-Trapping Sword rose, red light filled the air, clinging like a disease in the bones. It not only disrupted the circulation of his own mana, but also dimmed the spiritual radiance of the Qiankun Cauldron, an Innate Supreme Treasure, making its operation sluggish. His beard and hair stood on end as he exerted every ounce of his strength.

Outside the Absolute Immortal Gate to the north, Great Immortal Yang Mei was the most composed. Holding a hollow Willow Branch, his body shifted between substance and illusion amid the endlessly changing Absolute Immortal sword light, narrowly evading one fatal strike after another. His Spatial Divine Ability had indeed reached the pinnacle of perfection, but his faintly furrowed brow showed that the "wondrously infinite transformations" of this Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation were placing immense pressure on him as well. He was far from as relaxed as he appeared.

Luo Hou, seated at the formation core, swept his demonic awareness across the four gates. Seeing Hongjun as steady as a rock and Yang Mei as slippery as an eel, while Yin-Yang and Qiankun had become arrows at the end of their flight, blood-colored demonic light flashed in his eyes.

"Kill those two useless wretches first, then concentrate our strength on Hongjun and Yang Mei!" With a thought from Luo Hou, demonic essence surged wildly around him, and the power of the Lesser Immortal Gate and Immortal-Trapping Gate abruptly rose by more than thirty percent! He focused most of his attention on those two gates, the God-Slaying Spear pointed from afar as it gathered force!

"Urgh—ah!" Old Ancestor Yin-Yang bore the brunt of it. The Yin-Yang Mirror's light, already barely holding on, shattered with a thunderous crash beneath the surging Immortal-Killing Sword Qi! A strand of invisible sword intent, like a venomous snake, instantly stabbed deep into his Primordial Spirit!

"Puh—!" Old Ancestor Yin-Yang's body shook violently, and he spewed out a mouthful of blood essence mixed with the Dao rhythm of his origin. His aura, like a dying candle in the wind, instantly withered to its lowest point.

On the other side, Old Ancestor Qiankun roared again and again as the Immortal-Trapping red light nearly broke through the Qiankun Cauldron's blockade and invaded his internal organs! His face twisted savagely. At the cost of burning his Natal Blood Essence, he forcibly urged the cauldron. The vessel let out an overwhelmed hum before he barely managed to stabilize his footing, but anyone with eyes could see that he had reached the brink of exhaustion.

Seeing that the moment had arrived, Luo Hou revealed a cruel grin. The God-Slaying Spear hummed as it condensed towering demonic Sha Qi and laws of slaughter, ready to deliver the final blow to Yin-Yang and Qiankun!

At that very moment of life and death, Old Ancestor Yin-Yang and Old Ancestor Qiankun exchanged a glance. In the eyes of these two mighty beings who had survived since Chaos, resolve and boundless resentment erupted at once! They hated Luo Hou's brutality, but hated Hongjun even more for watching coldly from the sidelines and using them as stepping stones!

"Luo Hou! Hongjun! Neither of you is fit to be called human! Today, I'll let you know that this ancestor is no one to be kneaded and squeezed at will!" Old Ancestor Yin-Yang let out a blood-curdling roar. Yin-Yang Qi around his body instantly reversed and collapsed, and his entire person transformed into an exceedingly unstable Chaos singularity!

"You want this ancestor's life? Then trade your foundations for it! Explode!" Old Ancestor Qiankun's beard and hair likewise shot upright. The Qiankun Cauldron abruptly reversed, and the Chaos Qi nurtured within it through countless epochs completely ran out of control. A terrifying aura capable of destroying heaven and earth and resetting Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind erupted!

They actually intended to self-destruct their Quasi-Saint origins and drag their enemies down with them!

"Madmen!" Luo Hou's expression changed drastically. He had never expected the two of them to be so decisive! He wanted to withdraw the power of the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation to protect himself, but it was already too late!

Hongjun's gaze tightened as well. For the first time, a ripple appeared on his face, which had always been as still as an ancient well. The clear radiance of the Jade Disk of Fortune above his head blazed to its utmost limit, while phantoms of the Three Corpses appeared behind him and formed seals together to defend his body.

Great Immortal Yang Mei was even more direct. His body instantly blurred until it was nearly transparent. Spatial ripples spread around him as he prepared to flee at any moment.

BOOM!!!!!!!

BOOM!!!!!!!

Two earth-shattering explosions erupted almost simultaneously! Old Ancestor Yin-Yang and Old Ancestor Qiankun, these two beings who had once commanded the winds and clouds in Chaos, chose the most tragic and resolute means to bloom with their final afterglow inside the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation!

The self-destruction of peak Quasi-Saint origins—especially origins belonging to Chaos Demon Gods—held enough power to severely damage or even destroy an entire major world! And within the relatively enclosed environment of the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, the explosion's power was constrained, reflected, and layered by the formation, producing destruction far beyond the ordinary!

The first to suffer were the Lesser Immortal Gate and Immortal-Trapping Gate! The Immortal-Killing Sword and Immortal-Trapping Sword hanging over those gates gave shrill cries of grief. Their sword lights instantly dimmed as the destructive torrent of energy fiercely blasted them away, wrenching them free of the formation gates' control! The two gates themselves emitted cracking sounds under unbearable strain, their runes collapsing as they were nearly half-destroyed!

The entire Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation suffered this fatal impact from within. Its operational core abruptly stalled, and the connections among the four gates were forcibly severed and thrown into chaos by the violent energy! The curtain of Sha Qi covering the western lands rippled violently like a shattered mirror, flickering between brightness and darkness as though it would collapse entirely at any instant!

As the master of the sword formation, Luo Hou's mind was connected to it, and he suffered the fiercest backlash. He violently spat out a mouthful of pitch-black demonic blood. Cracks spread across his demonic body like a porcelain vessel on the verge of shattering, and his aura plummeted like an avalanche! Even the hand gripping the God-Slaying Spear began to shake violently.

Though Hongjun had the Jade Disk of Fortune and the Three Corpses protecting him, the blast's aftershock at such close range still sent his blood and qi churning. Shocked and enraged, he cursed inwardly at how those two had lashed back with their dying breaths and ruined his calculations.

Relying on his supreme Spatial Divine Ability, Great Immortal Yang Mei suffered the least damage. But seeing that the sword formation had broken, Yin-Yang and Qiankun had fallen, and the greater situation was lost, he gave Luo Hou, whose aura was unstable, and Hongjun, whose expression was grim, a deep look. Shaking his head, he completely merged into the void and actually fled straight out of the Primordial World, refusing to wade any further into this muddy water.

Of the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation's four gates, two had been destroyed. Its master, Luo Hou, was severely wounded. It existed in name alone!

And just at this utterly chaotic moment, when the old strength had run dry, new strength had yet to arise, the aftermath of the explosion had not settled, and everyone was stunned by the savage self-destruction, their minds thrown off balance—

[ Ding! Main quest "The Fisherman Profits" issued! Quest content: Seize the chance while Luo Hou is severely injured, Hongjun is restrained, and Yang Mei has fled to snatch the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation diagram, the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords, and the God-Slaying Spear! And successfully provoke Luo Hou and Hongjun into cursing in rage! The less of a person you are, the greater the reward! Maximum reward: Innate Spiritual Treasure ×1, Fragment of the Great Dao of Strength ×1! ]

Xuan Wazi, who had been lurking nearby like the most patient venomous snake, shot out an unprecedented gleam from his eyes! His aura, concealed by the Chaos Bead, rose to its peak!

"Heavenly Dao is aiding me! If I don't move now, when will I?"

He moved! His figure was like a ghost, like fleeting light skimming over shadow. The Chaos Bead's aura wrapped around his entire body, allowing him to all but ignore the still-chaotic and violent energy currents. At an inconceivable speed, he charged straight into the sword formation's core region, which was on the verge of collapse!

His target was clear—the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation diagram, whose connection to Luo Hou had weakened from the formation's backlash and which floated not far before him, still exuding chilling Sha Qi! And the Immortal-Killing Sword and Immortal-Trapping Sword, which had been blasted beyond the formation and had yet to be retrieved by Luo Hou!

"Primordial Chaos Limitless, Chaos suppression! Take! Take! Take!" Xuan Wazi roared inwardly, his hands moving in a blur. He drove the Chaos Bead's power to its current limit, and an intangible Chaos domain instantly descended, forcibly freezing that stretch of space!

First came the Sha Qi-laden Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation diagram! The scroll had just slipped free of Luo Hou's control and had not yet stabilized when a tyrannical force of Chaos wrapped around it. With a whoosh, it vanished from its original spot and appeared directly within Xuan Wazi's system space!

Next were the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords—Immortal-Slaying, Immortal-Killing, Immortal-Trapping, and Immortal-Ending—which had been flung away like headless flies! Xuan Wazi's divine sense stretched out like threads, locking onto them with precision and seizing them from afar! The Chaos Bead suppressed space, abruptly freezing the trajectories of the four vicious swords. In the next instant, they were forcibly taken away without the slightest ability to resist!

All of this happened in the span of a spark! It was so fast that neither the severely wounded Luo Hou nor Hongjun, who had just suppressed his churning blood and qi, reacted in time!

"Who?! What petty wretch is this?!" Luo Hou was the first to sense that something was wrong. Feeling his connection to the formation diagram and immortal swords forcibly cut off, unprecedented panic and fury flooded his heart! He suddenly looked up, his scarlet demonic pupils catching sight of a blurry figure reaching for the God-Slaying Spear, which he regarded as his very life, with lightning speed!

It was Xuan Wazi! After taking the formation diagram and two swords, his greed blazed higher still, and he actually set his ultimate target upon the God-Slaying Spear, whose ferocious might slew all things!

"How dare you, brat, steal my supreme treasure! Die!!" Luo Hou's eyes nearly split with rage. He forcibly raised his remaining demonic essence, disregarding the risk of his demonic body breaking apart, and savagely thrust the God-Slaying Spear forward! Wherever the spear tip passed, space was annihilated! Yet under his severe injuries, he was ultimately a fraction too slow!

Xuan Wazi's fingertips had already touched the spear shaft, cold enough to pierce the bone and wreathed in the wails of endless resentful souls! A terrifying slaughtering will, one that sought to butcher Saints and slay gods, crashed toward his Spirit Soul and Sea of Consciousness like a colossal wave from the Primordial World!

"Hmph!" Xuan Wazi grunted. Violet radiance burst from his Primordial Dao Body, and the Chaos Bead gave a faint tremor within his Sea of Consciousness, dissolving the impact into nothingness!

"This treasure is fated to be mine. Fellow Daoist Luo Hou, you cannot hold on to it. Better let me safeguard it for you!" Xuan Wazi spoke shamelessly, but his hand showed no mercy as he yanked hard! At the same time, he flicked the fingers of his free left hand, firing a stream of Chaos Qi at Luo Hou's face. It contained the Dao rhythm of "stubbornness"—it had no real killing power, but was immensely insulting!

The Chaos Qi Flow smacked Luo Hou squarely across the face. Though it did not injure him, his movements stalled for a moment, and his mind erupted in berserk fury! His hand suddenly felt light, and the God-Slaying Spear, bound to his life and cultivated alongside him, which had helped him condense the demonic Dao, had actually been forcibly stripped from his control!

"Old Man Hongjun! You truly are not fit to be called human! To actually commit such despicable deeds!!" Luo Hou was so furious that his demonic soul seemed ready to fly out of his body. He had not clearly seen the intruder's origins. He only felt that the other party's methods were strange and unfathomable, with an extremely profound mastery of space, so he instinctively decided it had to be some vicious hidden contingency prepared by his old enemy, Hongjun!

Hongjun, in the distance, was also stunned. He had seen clearly that the thief's aura was unfamiliar and obscure; this was absolutely not his arrangement! But this black pot that had fallen from the sky landed squarely on his head, leaving him unable to explain himself. He felt utterly stifled, and his face darkened as though water could drip from it.

Having succeeded in one strike, Xuan Wazi knew he could not afford to be greedier. He forcibly collected the seized God-Slaying Spear's origin into the Chaos Bead's space for suppression. Then, without even looking at the outcome, he turned and ran! Under the Chaos Bead's cover, his figure instantly faded and blurred, about to merge completely into the void and flee!

"You thief who is not fit to be called human! The height of shamelessness! Return my treasures!!" Luo Hou let out a shrill, despairing roar steeped in endless resentment and venom. Demonic blood gushed from his mouth like a fountain. Without hesitation, he burned the last of his demonic soul and blood essence, even madly drawing upon the final remnants of shattered earth-vein power beneath the western lands. They transformed into a giant hand that covered heaven and earth, inscribed with countless demonic runes, carrying his and the western earth veins' final mournful cry as it clawed toward the direction in which Xuan Wazi had vanished!

RUMBLE—!!!

The already fragile spiritual veins of the western land let out a wail of unbearable strain under this final, most frenzied extraction, then utterly collapsed and shattered! It was as though a grief-stricken sigh echoed between heaven and earth. From this day onward, the western earth veins were severed!

Yet that demonic hand, condensed from Luo Hou's final strength and endless hatred, was ultimately one step too slow. It crushed only a fading chaotic afterimage left behind by Xuan Wazi, along with the faint, almost imperceptible air of smug satisfaction belonging to "Old Six" lingering in the air.

Hongjun watched the scene with a face as dark as iron. He had plotted painstakingly and endured in silence until now; he had been on the verge of suppressing Luo Hou and claiming the fearsome Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation and God-Slaying Spear for himself. Yet this "Great Dao Anomaly," appearing from who knew where, had barged in halfway and plucked away the largest, sweetest fruit! Although Luo Hou was destined to fall, and the destruction of the western earth veins had not been directly caused by him, this sudden twist of fate, the karmic debt from the western earth veins' collapse, this black pot being forced onto his head, and the treasures that had been stolen from him all set alarm bells clanging wildly in his heart, kindling a hidden killing intent.

"Great Dao Anomaly... you have ruined my opportunity... I shall remember this!" Hongjun stared at the void where Xuan Wazi had vanished, his gaze as cold as eternal ice as he silently etched that chaotic, obscure aura—one he could not clearly divine—deep into his soul.

By now, Xuan Wazi had long since fled tens of thousands of miles away and was tucked into a corner of the Chaos Bead's inner space. Feeling the murderous Formation Diagram within the system space, the two ferocious swords still humming on their own, and that half-section of restless God-Slaying Spear origin, while listening to Luo Hou's shrill curses and Hongjun's stifled, furious thought-waves that seemed still to echo in his ears, he could not help planting his hands on his hips and throwing back his head in wild laughter, laughing so hard that tears nearly came out.

"HAHAHA! Satisfying! Truly satisfying! Old Devil Luo Hou, Old Man Hongjun, thank you both, fellow Daoists, for your heartfelt performance and generous gifts! This poor Daoist, Xuan Wazi, would be rude to refuse—so I'll gladly accept them! Hahaha!"

[ Ding! Main quest 'Reap the Benefits as a Fisherman' completion assessment in progress... Comprehensive evaluation: Perfect! Rewards distributed: Innate Spiritual Treasure 'Bell of Misfortune' ×1, Fragment of the Great Dao of Strength ×1! ]

As the system prompt fell silent, a small bell radiating strange ripples that seemed capable of shaking the soul, along with a profoundly heavy and mysterious fragment that seemed to contain the mighty power to split heaven and earth, appeared within the system space.

Though the Fragment of the Great Dao of Strength was merely an incomplete sliver, the instant it appeared, Xuan Wazi felt his Primordial Dao Body sink ever so slightly, while a deafening boom like the opening of chaos resounded within his soul! This was not an increase in mana, but a profound imprint and realization of the very origin of the concept of "strength"!

"The Great Dao of Strength... Great God Pangu's power..." Xuan Wazi stroked the fragment, feeling the pure, ultimate laws of strength contained within it, and wild joy surged through his heart. "System Bro, this reward is incredibly generous! With this at my side, once I fully comprehend it, my confidence in achieving the Dao of Strength in the future will increase by at least thirty percent!"

In this Dao-Demon Conflict, he had remained hidden in the shadows and never fought either side head-on, yet he had become the greatest winner, filling his coffers to overflowing!

"Next, I should find an absolutely safe place and enter seclusion for a while. I need to refine the Immortal-Slaying Formation Diagram, comprehend the Fragment of the Great Dao of Strength, and incidentally consider... when that Old Earthworm Hongjun lectures on the Dao next time, how I can make things a little more unpleasant for him." A mischievous gleam flickered in Xuan Wazi's eyes as his figure slowly faded within the Chaos Bead's space, beginning a new round of cultivation and scheming.