Although East King Duke's plans concerning Yin-Yang Ancestor weren't essential to proving his Dao, they were a crucial part of the Dao Path he had laid out. If his plan succeeded, it would greatly increase his chances of attaining Primordial Unity.
Not only that, it would also affect his combat strength after he attained Primordial Unity.
When he had first met Hongjun, the other man had invited him to join the fight against the demons and said he would invite several Fellow Daoists to help fight Luohu. In East King Duke's view, the only ones in the Primordial World whom Hongjun might call Fellow Daoists were Yin-Yang Ancestor, Qiankun Ancestor, and Great Immortal Yangmei.
But now that the two main figures had arrived, these participants in the battle were nowhere to be seen.
East King Duke was puzzled, but powerless to change anything. All he could do was wait and see how things unfolded.
On Mount Sumeru, Hongjun and Luohu were locked in fierce combat. Both were peerless experts at Quasi-Saint Peak, their magical power nearly equal. Luohu might have had a slight edge, but Hongjun could make up for it with his spiritual treasures.
Luohu let out a mighty roar.
He manifested his Six Qi Illusory Devil form. The illusion was imposing, with ten thousand acres of demonic qi above his head and his feet planted atop Mount Sumeru. He brought forth the Four Immortal Slaying Swords, which transformed into towering blades that surrounded him, as if he looked down upon the entire world.
The same divine ability, when Luohu's clone had used it earlier with its blood essence, had been like comparing clouds to mud beside the power of Luohu's true form now.
The six-faced Illusory Devil let out roars like thunderous cries of gods and demons with every breath. Six desires surged out, forming apparitions of the Six Desires Demon Venerables, each possessing the might of a Quasi-Saint.
Luohu's Illusory Devil form was covered in Malevolent Qi, with six faces and twelve arms. It was far, far more powerful than the Chan Sect brat of later generations who specialized in destruction and had three heads and six arms.
Each of the six faces representing the six desires—sight, form, sound, speech, touch, and thought—could use its own techniques. Their power was boundless and their ways unfathomably strange.
The six kinds of desire qi surged forth, and their many forces of desire, bolstered by Luohu's Quasi-Saint Peak magical power, could corrode the primordial spirit. They were extraordinarily insidious. Knowing the danger, Hongjun brought out two Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures for defense before he could hold them back.
Even so, under the impact of the six kinds of qi, his defenses were slowly being corroded.
With the Six Qi Illusory Devil form unleashed, Luohu, whose magical power had already been slightly stronger, gradually gained the upper hand.
With a beckoning gesture, he gripped the giant Immortal Slaying Sword and swung it down. All four swords struck at once, unleashing four-colored sword beams with the power to split mountains and churn the seas.
Hongjun's expression grew grave. As he swiftly retreated, he repeatedly waved the Pangu Banner, drawing down waves of Chaos Sword Qi from the heavens to meet the Immortal Slaying Sword beams.
"Rumble!"
The sword beams veered aside and crashed into Mount Sumeru below.
Mount Sumeru was the demonic clan's sacred ground, protected by a supreme formation. Under ordinary circumstances, even a Great Luo Golden Immortal couldn't easily damage its rocks by unleashing their full power.
But when the two kinds of sword qi collided, the mountain shattered, hurling rocks tens of thousands of miles away. After only a few hundred exchanges, half the summit had already been sheared off.
Just as Hongjun seemed reduced to defense alone, a voice rang out from the distance.
"Fellow Daoist, don't panic! We've come to help!"
As the words fell, a Daoist flew over with a great cauldron above his head, occasionally striking its side with his hand and producing deep, resonant notes of innate mystery. Another came riding atop a treasured diagram, which transformed into a golden bridge stretching ten thousand feet across the sky. The third made the most wondrous entrance of all, appearing out of thin air beside Hongjun, his mastery of the Law of Time and Space reaching perfection.
These three were Qiankun Ancestor, who bore the Innate Supreme Treasure Qiankun Cauldron; Yin-Yang Ancestor, who rode the Taiji Diagram; and Great Immortal Yangmei, master of the Law of Time and Space.
The four took up positions at the Four Extremes, surrounding Luohu.
Yet the Demon Ancestor seemed entirely unafraid. Instead, he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Calling for help, Hongjun? You've already grown fearful. You're no longer worthy of being my opponent. I shall be the one to become the protagonist of Heaven and Earth, the First Saint of the Primordial World!"
With those words, Luohu tried to shake Hongjun's Dao Heart. But Hongjun had cultivated for countless Yuan Hui, and his Dao Heart was already as firm as iron. It couldn't be shaken so easily. His face remained calm, without the slightest ripple.
"Luohu, today we shall destroy the demon and defend the Dao!"
"Hahaha! Come at me together, then. What have I to fear?"
Luohu, a mighty demon lord of his age, was brimming with heroic spirit.
Hongjun and the others exchanged glances, then sprang into action. Qiankun Ancestor raised a hand, and the Qiankun Cauldron spun around, scattering innate radiance that shielded him. He then stretched out his other hand, and the Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure Qian Kun Ruler flew out, striking toward Luohu.
The golden bridge beneath Yin-Yang Ancestor's Taiji Diagram flared brightly, and his divine ability was complete.
Great Immortal Yangmei raised his hand slightly. Space-time rifts appeared beside Luohu, and one after another, space-time slashes hurtled toward him.
Hongjun, meanwhile, once again waved the Pangu Banner, continuously unleashing Chaos Sword Qi to fend off the enemy.
For a time, sword qi, divine abilities, and spiritual treasures filled the air.
Facing four opponents at once, even Luohu—whose magical power and cultivation were on par with Hongjun and Yangmei, and who possessed an Innate Supreme Treasure—found it difficult to cope.
He wielded the Four Immortal Slaying Swords and the Twelve-grade World-Destroying Black Lotus to their limits, yet was still hard-pressed on all sides.
Working together, the four great powers forced Luohu back.
"If that's how it is, then don't blame me."
As he retreated, Luohu cast out a formation diagram. It soared into the heavens, expanding without limit. When it descended, thick fog and boundless Killing Intent erupted from it, engulfing Hongjun and the others—and Luohu himself—within a vast formation.
Luohu took his place at the formation's heart and cried out, "Immortal Slaying Sword Array, rise!"
The Four Immortal Slaying Swords at his side flew out and took up their appointed positions within the great array.
"Hongjun, come and break my Immortal Slaying Array!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Spiritual Mist spread out. In an instant, no one could hear anything around them, nor see what was to either side.
Once the Four Immortal Slaying Swords took their places within the sword array, each one manifested its own Small World, and four gateways appeared.
Swords hung above the gates: the Immortal Slaying Sword, the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, the Immortal Trapping Sword, and the Immortal Severing Sword. The gateways to the Small Worlds stood wide open, revealing sword qi crisscrossing within. The sight sent a chill down anyone's spine.
The Four Immortal Slaying Swords were all Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures. Together with the formation diagram, they formed a great array. With Luohu directing it from within, even a Quasi-Saint who entered would have their fleshly body and primordial spirit destroyed.
The Daoist verse went:
Neither copper nor iron, neither steel,
It once lay hidden beneath Mount Sumeru.
No need for Yin and Yang to temper it,
Nor for water and fire to hone its edge.
The Immortal Slaying Sword is sharp; the Slaughtering Sword brings death,
The Trapping Sword sends red light in every direction.
The Severing Sword's transformations are endlessly wondrous;
Even great immortals stain their robes with blood.
(Excerpt from Investiture of the Gods)
Hundreds of thousands of miles away, East King Duke had been keeping a close eye on Mount Sumeru. As he watched the battle, his thoughts shifted with every turn of events: from puzzlement when Luohu and Hongjun fought one-on-one, to astonishment when Hongjun fell into a disadvantage.
At last, when he saw Yin-Yang Ancestor and the other two arrive, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Just as expected. They were the very same figures as in the legends.
Then he saw Luohu set up the Immortal Slaying Great Array. The Four Immortal Slaying Swords unleashed sword qi in every direction, and boundless Killing Intent spread out, affecting nearly half of the Western Continent. East King Duke was left stunned.
Even from hundreds of thousands of miles away, he could feel the sword intent pressing against him.
He had long heard of the Immortal Slaying Sword Array. Seeing it from afar today, he knew its reputation was well deserved.
This array specialized in boundless slaughter and was said to be impossible to break without four Saints. It was counted among the three great formations of the Primordial World, alongside the later demon clan's Myriad Stars Array and the Witch Clan's Twelve Capital Gods and Demons Array. The claim certainly made sense.
At East King Duke's current level, even with his Spiritual Eye Divine Ability, he couldn't see through the Immortal Slaying Array at all. But although the Immortal Slaying Sword Array was powerful, he only gave it a little of his attention. Most of his gaze remained fixed on Yin-Yang Ancestor.
Fellow Daoists looking for something to read might want to check out my friend Shirt's new book, The Frenzied Demon Slayer. It's quite entertaining. If you like it, add it to your collection.
Before you continue