After the great battle began, the already-ravaged Mount Sumeru grew even more desolate. Once the Immortal Slaying Array was established, streams of sword qi shot into the sky. All four gates stood wide open, but dense mist filled the interior, with Gale Wind faintly howling and sword cries ringing out. Not a trace of the array's inner scene could be seen, yet danger lurked everywhere.
Standing outside the array, Hongjun and the others wore solemn expressions as they gazed at the imposing and murderous Immortal Slaying Great Array, which was too terrifying to look at directly.
This was especially true for Qiankun Ancestor and Yin-Yang Ancestor. Both were Late Quasi-Saints, and their realms were already somewhat inferior to Luohu's. Though they too had been formed from the remnants of Chaos Demon God souls that had fallen into the Primordial World, and had already become revered ancestors, they had received very little of the Demon Gods' inheritances. Compared with Luohu and the others, they were more than a little inferior.
Upon seeing this strange and unnerving great array, a trace of cowardice arose in their hearts.
Hongjun had received the Heavenly Mandate and naturally knew that Luohu controlled the Immortal Slaying Array. Knowing he could not defeat Luohu alone, he had invited these other Fellow Daoists precisely to break the array together.
Seeing that Qiankun and Yin-Yang seemed inclined to retreat, he spoke first.
"Three Fellow Daoists, Luohu is already an arrow at the end of its flight. He cannot maintain the array's power for long. If the three of us each enter one gate, we will be able to break this array. I shall go first."
After speaking, he offered up his supreme treasure and strode into the array, entering through the Immortal Slaying Sword Gate.
After Hongjun entered the array, Great Immortal Yangmei also stepped forward without a word. His Space-Time Dao Arts were incomparably profound, and he entered the array empty-handed, passing through the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Gate.
Seeing that the two had already entered, Qiankun Ancestor and Yin-Yang Ancestor hesitated only briefly before making up their minds. Since they had accepted the invitation to come and vanquish the demon, retreating now would indeed be improper and would also hinder their Dao Hearts. Hongjun and Yangmei were both top Great Supernatural Beings of the current Primordial World. The four of them should be able to break this sword array.
Thus, each brought out a spirit treasure, and the two entered the array at the same time through the remaining Immortal Trapping and Immortal-Severing Sword Gates.
Sure enough, once the four entered the array, their situations differed. They could not see one another and could only endure their respective trials.
Hongjun and Yangmei had it easiest. One possessed many supreme treasures and had no worries about protecting himself; the other wielded exquisite laws and peerless Dao arts. Even with sword qi crisscrossing throughout the array, both could dissolve it with ease.
The other two, however, could not act as freely as Hongjun and Yangmei.
Yin-Yang Ancestor was in a somewhat better position. He possessed the Taiji Diagram, an Innate Supreme Treasure and one of the Three Treasures of Creation. It combined offense and defense and was wondrous beyond compare. Even though his cultivation prevented him from unleashing its full power, it could still keep him safe for a short time.
The most difficult situation naturally belonged to Qiankun Ancestor.
Though he too possessed a supreme treasure, the Qiankun Cauldron was a Creation Supreme Treasure. Its offensive and defensive power was far inferior to those supreme treasures among the Three Treasures of Creation. To a certain extent, it might even be slightly inferior to the finest Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.
Moreover, he lacked Great Immortal Yangmei's exquisite Space-Time Dao Arts, so he could only expend his magical power and do his utmost to resist.
The Immortal Slaying Sword Array was incomparably profound. Not only did it possess Unparalleled Offense, but with the Immortal Slaying Array Diagram's effects, it could also weaken the magical power of those within the array, especially with Luohu, a Quasi-Saint Peak expert, presiding over it.
The strength of the four Quasi-Saints within the array was diminished. Even joining forces, they could only fight Luohu to a draw.
A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye. Within the Immortal Slaying Array, the five Quasi-Saints on both sides reached a stalemate.
Both sides fought with all their might, yet neither seemed capable of doing anything to the other. Hongjun and Yangmei were the strongest on their side. Chaos Sword Qi and Space-Time Dao Arts restrained most of Luohu's attention, while he also had to use most of the array's power to suppress them. In this way, he indirectly relieved much of the pressure on Qiankun Ancestor and Yin-Yang Ancestor.
Thus, one side sought to break the array while the other guarded it, and the two sides formed a delicate balance. Whether Luohu or Hongjun, both were searching for an opportunity to break that balance and win the battle in one stroke.
The fierce battle was at its height, yet neither side could gain the upper hand. Suddenly, Luohu forcefully circulated his magical power. The Immortal Slaying Sword Gate and Immortal Slaughtering Sword Gate abruptly surged in might, greatly increasing the pressure on Hongjun and Yangmei within the array. Both resisted with all their strength.
At that moment, however, the Demon Ancestor, who had been presiding over the attacks of the four gates from the array's core, suddenly vanished. When he reappeared, he was already inside the Immortal Trapping Sword Gate, near Qiankun Ancestor.
With a wave of his hand, a spear shadow emerged amid the endless sword light and shot toward Qiankun. It was the God Slaying Spear, the Chaos slaughtering exotic treasure controlled by Luohu.
Qiankun Ancestor had already been barely protecting himself within the Immortal Slaying Array, and only because Hongjun and the others were restraining the array's power. He had never expected Luohu to suddenly attack. When the God Slaying Spear came hurtling toward him with unparalleled might and chilling Killing Intent, his mind instantly fell into chaos.
Though he struggled to resist, he was severely wounded by a single strike.
Luohu had clearly seen the weakest link among the four and intended to defeat them one by one. After succeeding with his first strike, he followed with a second, eager to kill Qiankun in one stroke.
Qiankun Ancestor had already reached his limit. Seeing that Hongjun and the others could not aid him, and knowing he had nowhere left to flee, he realized that death was unavoidable. His heart and courage shattered, and his Dao Heart collapsed in an instant.
When Luohu struck, Qiankun Ancestor's spirit had already begun to disintegrate. He looked like a mad demon as he let out a shrill, anguished cry.
"Luohu, then we shall die together!"
He neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, he charged forward, unleashing all his remaining Quasi-Saint magical power as his Dao Body exploded.
"Boom!"
The Immortal Slaying Great Array shook violently again and again. Qiankun Ancestor had been trapped within the array for years and was already an arrow at the end of its flight, but he was still a Quasi-Saint expert. The might of his self-detonation was naturally extraordinary.
Though he had failed to remove the Immortal Trapping Sword and break the Immortal Slaying Great Array, he had exhausted the power within the Immortal Trapping Sword Gate. At the cost of his own life, he had broken one of the four gates.
When Qiankun self-detonated, Luohu was also inside the Immortal Trapping Sword Gate, extremely close by. Even though he had reacted swiftly and immediately fled back toward the array's core, he was still injured by the shockwaves.
He had suffered some injuries, but Qiankun was dead. Hongjun and the others were now in an even more difficult position within the array. By comparison, Luohu had still gained a slight advantage.
At that moment, East King Duke, who had previously been watching the battle cautiously from several million li away with his Spiritual Eye Divine Ability, suddenly moved.
A sudden change had occurred within the Immortal Slaying Array. Though he could not see it clearly, he had already made a rough guess. After hundreds of thousands of years of planning, the time had come to put it into action.
The Immortal Slaying Sword Array was incomparably dangerous, but since it concerned his Dao Path, it was worth taking a risk.
With the Twelve-grade Yin-Yang Dao Lotus beneath his feet and the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner above his head, he even held the Flame Light Banner he had obtained from Yuanfeng in his hand. East King Duke deployed every method at his disposal, completely protecting himself from head to toe before using an escape art to head toward Mount Sumeru.
The closer he got, the more he could feel the might of this foremost killing array of the Primordial World. Before even entering the array, he felt sword qi strike his body, making the defenses around him tremble and ring faintly.
His Late-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal cultivation was still somewhat lacking. Fortunately, his magical power was pure enough to rival a Quasi-Saint's, allowing him to reach the foot of Mount Sumeru without incident.
Looking up at the four gates of the Immortal Slaying Array, he saw sword qi crisscrossing through three of them, while only one was dim and silent. His face lit up with joy. He circulated Supreme Yang magical power throughout his body, unleashed his escape art, and shot toward the Immortal Trapping Sword Gate whose power had been broken by Qiankun.
When he reached the array, one layer of the protective barrier formed by the three defensive supreme treasures had already been shattered. East King Duke ignored it completely and plunged headfirst into the sword gate.
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