Decisive Battle

Pangu and Xuanhuang watched Great Immortal Yang Mei appear and disappear like a ghost within their world. They couldn't help but feel horrified. Was this what it meant to control a world of their own? Within it, they could do anything.

Xuanhuang murmured to himself, "How much of a chance do we really have in this world?"

Pangu said, "Life and death are fated. The Great Dao moves along its own path. We merely hope not to be crushed beneath its wheels."

Xuanhuang said, "If we don't want to be crushed, we have to fight to become the ones pushing the cart."

Pangu remained silent for a long time.

Great Immortal Yang Mei suddenly appeared before them and said, "Exactly. If you don't want to be crushed beneath the wheels, you have to move forward with them."

"But there can only be one person pushing the cart, so everyone is fighting for it. Let me ask you this, Daoist Pangu: if all of us gods and demons are wiped out, what do you think will become of Daoist Xuanhuang?"

Pangu fell silent once more. Could what he'd seen in Tai Xuan's dream really come to pass? Yang Mei and I would fight, and Demonic Pangu would emerge. Back then, I was only an illusion. What should I do this time?

Xuanhuang shook his head slightly. Even now, Yang Mei hadn't forgotten to disturb Pangu's Dao Heart.

Xuanhuang knew this was Pangu's own trial. If he failed to overcome it, his Dao Heart would remain imperfect, and he would have no hope of pursuing the supreme Great Dao. He sneered at Great Immortal Yang Mei. "You've created a tribulation of the heart for him, and thus planted a karmic debt. One day, you'll have to repay it."

Great Immortal Yang Mei said, "I might not even survive. Why should I care about karma?"

"Of the three thousand Chaos Living Beings, fewer than one in ten remain. Only we have been left to eke out a miserable existence. I never meddled in worldly affairs, yet I was dragged into this as well."

"I hold neither hatred nor resentment toward Pangu. I can only sigh at how fate toys with us!"

With that, he released Dao Lord Lu Ya from his sleeve, restored his remaining soul, then summoned the Immortal Slaying Four Swords with a beckoning gesture. He drew out the Spiritual Sense residing within them, condensed it into a soul, and used it to make up for the missing soul fragment.

Dao Lord Lu Ya opened his eyes in a daze and stared blankly at this world.

Suddenly, Dao Lord Lu Ya saw Xuanhuang and grew excited. His mind cleared for a moment.

"Xuanhuang, because of you, Pangu nearly killed me. Do you dare fight me to the death?"

Xuanhuang said, "Since we've incurred a karmic debt, it must be repaid."

Dao Lord Lu Ya forcibly summoned the Little Golden Crow, which was still being nurtured. The Little Golden Crow was a peculiar incarnation.

Dao Lord Lu Ya forcibly dispersed this incarnation, absorbing its essence and spiritual energy. The Little Golden Crow let out a mournful cry and expelled its most primordial essence. It split in two. Most of its utmost yang power turned into a Red Sun, which Dao Lord Lu Ya devoured. But a tiny portion, no bigger than a fingernail, refused to be consumed.

Dao Lord Lu Ya took a closer look. It contained both the essence of fire and the spirit of fire—a peculiar existence. He couldn't help feeling moved.

"Go," he said. The flame was instantly relieved and fled toward the horizon.

Great Immortal Yang Mei murmured to himself, "Even if it isn't me, I can still leave myself something to remember."

Great Immortal Yang Mei turned to Xuanhuang. "You're the best at defense under heaven because of that Exquisite Pagoda. But with the pagoda in your possession, all we can do is suppress you. That wouldn't count as a fight to the death."

Xuanhuang said calmly, "You don't need to provoke me. Even without the Exquisite Pagoda, I have a way to kill both of you."

Dao Lord Lu Ya said, "Good. You've got guts. I won't take advantage of you, either. I won't use the Immortal Slaying Four Swords."

Xuanhuang grumbled inwardly. Yang Mei destroyed those four swords long ago. All that's left is their sharpness.

Every Chaos God Demon was born powerful. Those who had reached their level had become one with the Dao, and every punch and kick carried traces of it. They all knew, however, that ordinary punches and kicks couldn't harm their opponents, so they fought with divine abilities instead.

But Dao Lord Lu Ya was different. His greatest ability was speed. If he accelerated an ordinary punch ten thousand times, the damage it could inflict would be completely different—provided he didn't run into a monster like Pangu.

So the moment they began, neither wasted words. One launched a fierce assault, while the other redirected his force, sometimes even using a mere four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds.

Xuanhuang's close-quarters combat was almost like the taiji of later generations. The soft truly overcame the hard.

Dao Lord Lu Ya was deeply frustrated. It was like hacking at cotton with a knife, all strength and nowhere to put it. His power was always dissipated in an instant.

His punches were clearly powerful, and he sealed off every direction his opponent could dodge. Yet Xuanhuang somehow managed to slip away from impossible angles, sometimes even counterattacking with a simple move.

Sometimes Xuanhuang merely rubbed his hands together, and ripples appeared around him, producing a powerful repulsive force.

Sometimes he could return all the force of Dao Lord Lu Ya's attacks back to him.

Dao Lord Lu Ya no longer dared to put his full strength into a strike. Otherwise, he would be sent flying by his opponent, an immeasurable humiliation for a being of Chaos.

"If he doesn't move, I don't move either; I wait calmly. If he makes even the slightest move, he must move in a certain direction. I anticipate him, then move with him, and he'll inevitably lose his balance."

Great Immortal Yang Mei furrowed his brow. Who would have thought that a fighting style derived from the Way of Non-Action could be so effective?

Dao Lord Lu Ya had gone berserk. He was no longer thinking clearly and only charged wildly, occasionally bursting into flames.

Ignoring the state of his soul, Dao Lord Lu Ya forcibly released his Three Corpses. With a savage expression, he said, "I'll refine you alive!"

An immense blaze appeared out of nowhere. It was the same scene that had unfolded when Dao Lord Lu Ya was born.

"Everything in creation will turn to ashes and return to Chaos."

Great Immortal Yang Mei cried out, "Don't!" He quickly fled the area, and sent the raging flames engulfing Xuanhuang into Chaos.

Xuanhuang, too, was struggling. It seemed he really had driven Dao Lord Lu Ya mad. What was the difference between scattering his essence and self-destructing? He was right at the heart of the flames.

Even the Xuanhuang Qi began to boil in the flames, its glow—once imbued with the workings of the Great Dao—fading away.

His Way of Non-Action could redirect force and turn an opponent's strength against them. But it couldn't redirect this boundless sea of fire.

What was more, Pangu was still undergoing his trial of the heart. Fire brought restlessness, and it would surely awaken the demonic nature within him. Xuanhuang didn't know whether the flames had already affected him.

He had once offered up a third of his essence to communicate with the Chaos Green Lotus. Would he have to sacrifice his essence again this time—even his life?

So be it. Everything is fated. Since I chose this path, how could I turn back?

Xuanhuang summoned the three green lotuses above his head. They swayed, giving off a faint Green Light that temporarily sealed away the flames' destructive aura.

A vast aura surged from the space within the lotuses and poured into them. The three green lotuses immediately began to circle Xuanhuang, drawing a portion of his essence from above his head with every rotation.

Xuanhuang continued to age, waves of weakness overwhelming him.

The three green lotuses summoned a kind of Great Dao Power, slowly seeming to restore the sea of fire to its original state. Amid the flames appeared Dao Lord Lu Ya and the phantoms of his three incarnations. His face was full of terror as he struggled to escape.

But the force tearing at him from the three green lotuses seemed far stronger than his resistance.

Dao Lord Lu Ya gritted his teeth and pointed with both hands. One of his incarnations exploded, and the blast caused the flames to contract. The three incarnations exploded one after another, giving Dao Lord Lu Ya a chance. He broke free of the lotuses' restraints and used the force of the explosions to fling his true body away. With his soul in even worse shape, Lu Ya knew only fear. He fled as fast as he could, using his speed divine ability to escape deep into Chaos.

As Dao Lord Lu Ya fled, the flames faltered. The three green lotuses immediately absorbed the blazing inferno.

Great Immortal Yang Mei saw a massive explosion erupt within the flames, then watched it get swallowed up. Heartache washed over him. He knew Lu Ya had chosen to self-destruct.

"Ah... Lu Ya! I'll avenge you!"

Xuanhuang no longer had the strength to control the three green lotuses. They had nearly drained him of all his vital essence. He was as weak as a flickering candle in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.

Just then, Spatial Rifts appeared all around him. Xuanhuang smiled faintly. Has it come so soon?

Before the Spatial Rifts could reach him, the three green lotuses fixed them in place.

Great Immortal Yang Mei cried out in shock, "What kind of treasure is this? How..." Before he could finish, he saw something even more astonishing. Each of the three green lotuses released a strand of Pure Qi, wrapped it around Xuanhuang, and swallowed him.

"Could Xuanhuang have been unable to control the treasure, only to be devoured by it?"

"Roar!" A long roar rang out.

"Not good! Pangu has awakened. That's right—Xuanhuang is gone, so Pangu's trial of the heart will no longer exist."

Pangu sighed. He understood now: he had fallen into a deadly tribulation. If he couldn't overcome it, he would either be reduced to ashes or sit here motionless until the moment of his destruction arrived.

Xuanhuang had chosen to perish in order to help me overcome my trial of the heart. Was the Great Dao truly without mercy? Why were there so many partings and deaths, so much heartbreak and despair?

"There are only the two of us left in the world. It's time to settle things."

Pangu said, "Yes. It's time for everything to end."

Great Immortal Yang Mei secretly drew upon the power of this world while resisting the edge of Pangu's Sky-Opening Axe. This was his one chance. Even if the world was destroyed, as long as he could withstand Pangu's Three Sky-Opening Axes, he could banish him into boundless space while Pangu's strength was exhausted, then slowly refine him.

Pangu shouted and raised his Sky-Opening Divine Axe, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. A colossal Axe Shadow slowly descended over this world.

No ordinary person could withstand this momentum—not even the power of this world. Perhaps there would have been a chance if the world were whole, but not now.

Only now did Great Immortal Yang Mei realize the enormous gap between himself and Pangu. He could retreat. With his Spatial Divine Ability, perhaps he could escape this calamity.

Why can't I move? Why? Pangu's axe shouldn't be able to seal off my world.

"I curse you with my life: whoever kills me will be shattered to pieces." A faint voice echoed in Yang Mei's mind.

"That wretched soul curse! Heaven means to destroy me!" Though he couldn't move, Yang Mei struggled on. A willow tree radiating Chaos Aura took root in this space.

He would use his Chaos True Form to draw upon the power of this world and make it his own.

"Sky Opening!" "Earth Splitting!" "Sky Rend!" Three laws struck, and heaven and earth shattered. The Chaos willow tree broke apart. It was that simple.

Chaos churned. Earth, water, wind, and fire appeared out of nowhere. The world seemed poised to evolve further, but even more Chaos Aura pressed down upon it.

Pangu hadn't given it everything he had. He didn't dare. He could certainly create the world by exhausting all his strength, but he would fall as well, becoming nourishment for heaven and earth.

That was what he would have chosen before. But now he couldn't. Within him remained the three green lotuses Xuanhuang had left behind.