The power of the Four Swords united, and endless waves of destructive sword energy descended from the sky, crashing toward the four of them.
The sudden turn of events had happened far too quickly.
Hongjun had secretly cheated, using a tiny bit of Great Dao Power to form a Myriad Heavens Auspicious Cloud and protect himself. He hadn't wanted to use it, but now the sword energy was coming for him. No more pretending—he was laying his cards on the table.
The others were in even worse shape.
Yin-Yang Ancestor's defenses shattered. In the final instant, he tossed out the Taiji Diagram to protect the others, but Chaos Sword Qi pierced through his chest, annihilating him on the spot.
As he died, a smile appeared on his face—a smile of release.
In the final instant, Qiankun Ancestor enlarged the Qiankun Cauldron and used it to shield everyone.
The Qiankun Cauldron shattered, but thankfully the Taiji Diagram had protected them, allowing him to survive.
To be honest, he had Hongjun's warning before entering the formation to thank for surviving. Two dead, one wounded, one alive—he didn't need to think hard to know that he and Yin-Yang Ancestor were the ones who would die. So he'd kept a trick up his sleeve, ready to use the Qiankun Cauldron to shield himself and the others at any moment.
Otherwise...
Great Immortal Yang Mei instinctively revealed his true form. The Hollow Willow conjured endless walls of space to block the Chaos Sword Qi.
Two terrifying forces collided. In an instant, the heavens darkened, and Old Ancestor Yang Mei's figure was engulfed amid the chaotic Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind.
Fortunately, the spatial barriers proved useful, blocking another layer of the Chaos Sword Qi's power.
But Yang Mei himself wasn't faring so well amid the Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind.
He was utterly stunned.
What was going on?
Since when did the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation have this move? How had he never heard of it?
Of course he hadn't. It was because this was the setting of this story: the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation could only be broken if four Saints simultaneously removed the Four Swords.
At that moment, he remembered the way Hongjun had looked at him—like he was thinking, "What an idiot."
And he remembered Shi Chen's remark: "Your mom sells sesame twists!"
He finally understood. Hongjun hadn't taken the Four Swords of Zhu Xian to use against them. He'd taken them to stop Luohu from going berserk when he was backed into a corner.
Damn it!
He'd actually sabotaged himself. No wonder they'd looked at him like he was a pig.
After that single strike, Luohu's face was pale, but his expression remained crazed.
With one strike, he'd gravely wounded two people, killed someone of comparable cultivation, and driven someone far stronger than himself out of the Primordial World. Who else but Demon Ancestor Luohu could boast such a record?
"Hahaha! Who else?"
"Me."
Hongjun's voice rang out from the dust cloud, a voice Luohu found deeply unsettling.
The madness in Luohu's eyes vanished at once, and he fixed his gaze ahead again.
As the dust cleared, Hongjun stood there. His clothes were a little tattered, but he was otherwise unharmed.
Beside him lay Qiankun Ancestor, not quite dead, and Yin-Yang Ancestor, who had completely dissolved into the Dao.
As for Shi Chen and Wangshu...
Shi Chen had escaped using the Law of Time. Wangshu had blocked the strike with her Innate Supreme Treasure, but she was in bad shape, and the treasure had shattered.
"Hongjun, no matter how many tricks you have, in the end, I'm still the one who won!"
Seeing Hongjun appear, Luohu burst into laughter.
Hongjun looked around. His three corpses had obtained the Lesser Immortal Sword, the Immortal-Trapping Sword, and the Absolute Immortal Sword,
while Shi Chen was holding the Immortal Slaying Sword.
Shi Chen had escaped, but not completely.
Although Luohu's previous strike had been immensely powerful, its center had been aimed at Hongjun.
So after the strike, the four swords in the formation were all spent. And with Yang Mei's Close-at-Hand Distance gone, Shi Chen had dodged the attack, then returned to retrieve the Immortal Slaying Sword.
"You won? How exactly did you win?"
Shi Chen said coldly:
"Is this wishful thinking? Convincing yourself you won?"
Shi Chen still looked pretty battered. If only he'd gone to cultivate the Three Corpses technique at Shi Chen Palace before coming.
Hongjun was now a little annoyed.
As the Great Dao, he shouldn't have felt such emotions.
But who could put up with this?
Hongjun couldn't help thinking, Damn it!
Was Yang Mei a pig or something?
Even a pig would know what to do. Why was he so stupid?
He turned to look at Yang Mei, his eyes full of disdain.
At that moment, the Yang Mei beside him was only a remnant of Dao resonance. His true body had long since left this world.
Yang Mei had just burned his own origin and fled to the Chaos Void.
The Yang Mei before them was merely an apparition, a remnant of Dao resonance left behind.
Still, thankfully, Qiankun Ancestor had survived.
Poor Yin-Yang Ancestor had been killed because of that fool.
"Hahahaha, Hongjun, look around you! Those people you incited to oppose me are dead or wounded, while you alone are still alive!"
Luohu laughed, gazing at Hongjun with a mocking look.
"This was your scheme all along, wasn't it?"
Hongjun frowned. This was indeed not the outcome he'd wanted.
But who could have guessed that Yang Mei would suddenly turn into a useless teammate?
Where had all that cleverness gone when he was plotting against me?
"Hongjun, you're despicable and shameless. You've harmed your fellow Daoists. At this point, even if you don't want to admit it, you have to!"
Luohu continued.
"Heh heh heh."
Faced with Luohu's accusations, Hongjun couldn't help laughing.
"What? Nothing to say? Have you lost your mind?"
Seeing Hongjun laugh helplessly, the corners of Luohu's mouth lifted.
He wanted Hongjun's reputation ruined, so he'd never be able to show his face in the Primordial World again.
He had a feeling that if he failed to become the Demon Ancestor, then Hongjun would certainly become the Dao Ancestor.
And what was a Dao Ancestor?
The Dao Ancestor represented the ancestor of all paths—the heavens, the Heavenly Dao, exalted above all and worshipped by countless people.
As for him, he intended to make Hongjun the target of everyone's scorn.
"Ah, Fellow Daoist Luohu, you're being strange. You killed them, yet now you're blaming me? Does that make sense?"
Hongjun didn't take any of this to heart.
"Actually, I've always been curious. You say I'm despicable and shameless, a sanctimonious hypocrite—but are you any less despicable and shameless?"
Hongjun said coldly:
"What right do you have to criticize me?"
"Hmph! Don't lump me together with a sanctimonious hypocrite like you. At least I'm willing to admit that I'm despicable and shameless!"
Luohu roared furiously:
"Would you dare?"
"You tell me! Would you, Hongjun, dare?"
"I would."
Hongjun replied calmly.
"Uh..."
Luohu was dumbfounded. Behind Hongjun, Shi Chen and Wangshu stared wide-eyed, as did the countless spectators watching from millions of miles away and Qiankun Ancestor lying on the ground.
They were all stunned.
"You... what did you say?"
Even Luohu could hardly believe his ears.
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