Immortal King Wuzhong seemed to realize something. A glint flashed in his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings, his gaze settling on a massive black stone statue embedded in the boundary wall.
"Fellow Daoists, perhaps we can use this formation to subdue Ao Sheng!" Immortal King Wuzhong waved his hand, scattering a wash of immortal radiance. As the shimmering light covered the grimy black statue, wisps of black smoke rose from it and dispersed into the air.
Under the immortal radiance, black smoke continued to billow from the statue. Gradually, its original form emerged from beneath the grime.
The statue had been carved from ancient jade, as white as congealed fat. It took the shape of a qilin, lifelike and full of spirit—truly a work of supernatural craftsmanship!
The Kirin Demon-Suppressing Statue!
The statue's primary purpose was to serve as a sealing formation erected by the Primal Ancient Realm to guard against surprise attacks from the Foreign Realm. It was also used to seal demons who escaped into the Ancient Realm and prevent them from wreaking havoc.
"If we Immortal Kings work together to activate it, we may be able to subdue Ao Sheng," Immortal King Six Paths Reincarnation said.
"Quickly! Pour our immortal power into the Kirin Divine Statue and activate the formation together!" Immortal King Sanqing commanded.
The Immortal Kings immediately understood. They swiftly formed hand seals and circulated their power, activating the enormous rune formation. Brilliant beams of light rose from within it, forming a massive curtain of light that descended toward Ao Sheng.
Ao Sheng's eyes flashed with surprise.
These Immortal Kings were practically begging for death!
They dared to pull these flashy tricks right under his nose? They clearly didn't take him seriously!
Ao Sheng hadn't expected the Immortal Kings to join forces and attack him, but there wasn't a trace of fear on his face. Instead, he wore a mocking smile.
"You ants dare attack this Venerable!" Ao Sheng roared. His aura erupted, shattering the curtain of light sweeping toward him.
Yet the instant his power erupted, Immortal King Wuzhong and the others seized their chance and poured all their strength into the Kirin statue.
The Kirin Divine Statue suddenly blazed with intense light. A vast power surged from within it, and a colossal phantom slowly took shape. It trembled violently, unleashing a deafening roar as a powerful wave of energy burst outward, shaking all of space.
As the energy intensified, a huge phantom gradually emerged from the Kirin Divine Statue. It was a mighty, imposing qilin, its body radiating brilliant light as though formed from countless stars.
"The Ancestor of the Ten Fiends!" one Immortal King cried out in disbelief. The Kirin statue had an astonishing origin—it could summon the phantom of an Ancestral God at the peak of the Immortal King giant realm.
The ancestral phantom of the Ten Fiends' qilin towered imposingly, its body radiating a powerful aura that pressed down on all who beheld it.
"Ao Sheng, surrender at once!" Immortal King Wuzhong shouted. He and the other Immortal Kings formed a formation, continuously pouring their immortal power into the phantom of the Qilin Ancestral God.
Bolstered by the Immortal Kings' power, the ancestral phantom of the Ten Fiends' qilin blazed with immortal light and unleashed boundless might. It lunged at Ao Sheng, intent on killing him.
Its enormous claws swept through the air as if they could rend the void, releasing an aura that could destroy heaven and earth.
Seeing the strength of the Qilin Ancestral God's phantom, Ao Sheng didn't dare take it lightly. He immediately circulated his power and charged to meet it.
He formed hand seals with both hands, releasing dazzling beams of light that collided with the Qilin Ancestral God's attacks.
The phantom of the Kirin Progenitor opened its gaping maw and spewed a dazzling pillar of light skyward. The void split wherever the pillar passed, revealing a huge spatial rift.
Ao Sheng hurriedly dodged. He formed hand seals and unleashed powerful spells one after another, trying to block the Kirin Progenitor's attacks and avoid being struck.
Yet the Kirin Progenitor's phantom seemed to possess boundless strength. Ao Sheng had to give his all to withstand every attack. The battle in the void grew ever more intense as their figures clashed together, dazzling light radiating from them.
Ao Sheng's attacks were fierce and swift, as violent as thunder, while the Kirin Progenitor's phantom overcame force with softness, deflecting his attacks at every critical moment.
Their battle sent all of space trembling. Boundless energy gathered, collided, and exploded across the region, forming a dazzling curtain of light that overwhelmed the eye.
The Immortal Kings poured their power into the Kirin Divine Statue, their faces filled with astonishment. They hadn't expected Ao Sheng to hold out against the Kirin Progenitor's phantom for so long.
In this fierce battle, both Ao Sheng and the Kirin Progenitor's phantom displayed their full might. Ao Sheng attacked like a raging storm, while the phantom overcame force with softness, turning his power against him and deflecting every attack.
Watching the Kirin Progenitor's phantom grow more valiant with every clash, a ruthless glint flashed in Ao Sheng's eyes. He formed a forbidden seal with both hands, and his aura erupted to its peak. A faint radiance shimmered around him, dazzling beyond compare.
Boom!
A powerful spell shot from his hands and blasted into the Kirin Progenitor's phantom.
The Kirin Progenitor's phantom was sent flying more than a thousand meters by the blow. Even its mighty, imposing qilin form had grown considerably more ethereal.
"Half... step... beyond... the boundary...!"
"Half-Emperor!"
At last, amid a violent collision, the Kirin Progenitor's phantom let out a thunderous roar—a final, tragic cry that seemed to voice its bitterness and regret. All of space trembled, then the dazzling light gradually dimmed and finally vanished into the void.
Ao Sheng stood proudly in the air, a trace of fatigue on his face. He had defeated the Kirin Progenitor's phantom, but the battle had cost him a great deal of power.
"Do you think this can trap this Venerable?" Ao Sheng sneered. "You overestimate yourselves!"
With that, he blurred and vanished from where he stood.
By the time the Immortal Kings saw him again, he had already reached the core of the formation. He slammed his palm into the Kirin statue, and his powerful aura erupted, shattering it to pieces.
The Kirin statue's destruction sent a violent shock through the Immortal Kings. They knew they could no longer subdue Ao Sheng.
Just then, a mysterious aura suddenly appeared near the boundary of the Ancient Realm, not far from them.
The Immortal Kings found the aura familiar, yet couldn't identify its source. A powerful sense of alarm rose within them, and they hurried to the boundary to investigate.
When they arrived, they saw Ao Sheng confronting the mysterious aura. Two powerful auras collided in the air, forming a massive storm of energy that made the entire Ancient Realm tremble.
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