Yu Chen's sword was not aimed at any individual, but at the spiritual workings of the entire universe. Even the numerous Dao Lord incarnations that had lost their self-awareness, along with the incarnations of the Earth Sovereign and Heavenly Emperor, reacted in turn.
The earth churned. Countless cultivators in the mortal world who worshiped earth-associated deities sensed their own gods vanishing—or rather, merging into some even more wondrous entity. Faintly, they all sensed an ancient divinity.
It was the incarnation of the Earth Mother of the main world in this universe, and also the Earth Sovereign's projection within this universe.
It had a human body and a serpent's tail. Its enormous face bore no features, only hollows like vortices.
Its immense tail was covered in countless scales—ashen white, gray-black, earth-yellow—varying in size and surface patterns. Layer upon layer, they formed a scroll of earth and mountains, of the underworld and death.
The divine images worshiped by the many mortal sects devoted to earth-associated deities also appeared upon these scales.
Seven arms extended from its back, clutching all manner of instruments. Some saw a bone scythe, some saw chains strung with human heads, while others saw a painting that bore hell...
These things respectively corresponded to the Earth Sovereign's authorities in this universe.
Another pair of hands rested before its chest, holding two peculiar long creatures. One had a head filled with countless sharp teeth, its body draped in fur and scales of every color. From the gaps protruded things like horsehair worms, endlessly waving through the air.
Upon closer inspection, one could see living creatures' heads bobbing at the tips of those horsehair worms.
This thing's concept resembled the demonic nature of the demonic path—or rather, the innate tendency of living beings to fall into depravity.
The other long creature,