When that hand closed around the Absolute Blade, the darkness beyond the Wanderer's Lamp suddenly boiled. It tore and churned like a boundless, chaotic sea, surging and writhing, flowing and clustering along the palm until it outlined a figure standing at an immeasurable height. A dark Daoist robe draped over him, and a Heavenly Venerable's crown settled upon his head. In shadow and gloom, Yuan Shi descended.
"Su Meng!"
"Yuan Huang!"
Shao Xuan and Xi E both felt their hearts stir. They recognized the figure at once: Su Meng, the "Yuan Huang" of Kunlun Mountain's Jade Void Palace!
He had lent the Absolute Blade to them only a short while ago. Had he already Self-Proved Legend?
The "Heavenly Venerable" raised his blade. His body suddenly swelled, and the pieces of his dark robe divided and transformed into armor, deep and heavy, majestic and imposing.
"Lamp-bearing!"
Meng Qi roared. Violet lightning flashed; a line of blade light followed. The darkness, with no distinction between front and back, left and right, split before the blade. Pure Qi rose, turbid Qi sank, and Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water settled into stillness. Heaven and Earth opened, revealing the Lamp-bearing Divine Envoy's slightly pale face.
"Lamp-bearing!"
He raised his blade again. Clad in black armor, Meng Qi roared once more. Lightning of every color—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet—appeared and converged into chaos, forming a fierce blade ray that hacked straight at the Lamp-bearing Divine Envoy. Its momentum was like a rainbow and a prison, without the slightest feint or restraint.
The Lamp-bearing Divine Envoy's gaze turned grave. Vortex-like, shadowy universes appeared around him, each concealing a figure that formed a seal. They joined together into a river of stars, converging in his palm to create a dazzling "round mirror" that met the