For countless years it has repeated the same path, carrying its indomitable roar into the darkness, and halting its endless body beyond the horizon.
It will either break through the obstacles and forcefully reach the horizon, or it will perish among the towering mountains!
The mighty river never stops flowing, and the passing time never turns back.
Like it, Xu Long has been on the path of cultivation without stopping, but he has not yet seen the end.
Because of the crisis just now, Xu Long extended his immense will to both sides of the river, and at this moment, drastic changes had already occurred within the barrier.
The mountains that had stood on the earth for thousands of years tilted completely, and the rivers that once stretched across the land began to meander among the towering mountains. Within a barrier, a sharp and fierce Geng Metal Qi filled the air.
The roar of the great river soared into the sky like a furious cry. The surging torrent carried a powerful force, slamming its energy against the mountains, giving its roar due recognition.
The mountains that pierced the sky also changed direction at this moment. As if they had noticed the anomaly in the river, they aimed their condensed arrows at the surging water.
The sharp mountain range, like a sword's edge, instantly cleaved through the rushing river, causing the ceaseless flow of water to swirl between the jagged peaks.
Thus, winding paths were formed, where mountains and rivers converged, where the Geng Metal Qi and overwhelming power met. Each of them unleashed its most terrifying energy.
As the river surges in, the mountains collapse. As the mountains collapse, the river suddenly accelerates.
This barrier, which had been peaceful for countless years, seemed to have undergone a tremendous change due to Xu Long's arrival.
The towering mountains had already blocked the river, but the rushing river was bound to break through the obstruction; only the mountains and the water existed within the barrier.
The two are intertwined closely, and from the sky, one can only see countless toppled mountain ranges stretching out, with a winding river running through them.
This is the Sixth Gate in the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram.
The mountains are linked together, and the water flows in nine bends!
There are countless mountains standing on the earth, but after they collapsed and were moved and gathered together, there are nine mountains in total.
After undergoing transformations, the nine mountain ranges resemble giant swords and halberds, each converging on the inevitable path of the great river.
The rivers that stretch across the land cannot bypass these giant swords and halberds, but their long bodies put these giant swords and halberds in a rather passive position, only able to get stuck in various places and unable to cut them off.
The giant swords and halberds wedged between the watercourses created a series of sharp bends in the water, making the land appear like a winding earth dragon crawling forward when viewed from above.
The earth dragon twists its body into nine great bends amidst the towering mountains, while the surging river releases its energy through the mountain ranges.
It twisted its long body, weaving through the mountains, and disappeared beyond the horizon with an endless roar.
Both of these powerful energies are forces of nature; when they combine, they are incompatible and generate terrifying power.
Xu Long was caught in the middle of it all; if he wasn't careful, his soul could be shattered. These two forces of nature were obviously aimed at him.
Having already experienced the power of the giant sword and halberd falling, he was quite passive in launching an attack amidst the force of the water flow.
But at this moment, he was completely swept up in it, and could only be swept downstream by the endless torrent. The mountains in his eyes seemed extremely far away, but Xu Long knew it was an illusion.
While a great river may appear to flow gently, it can actually accelerate dramatically. The acceleration of the current is a precursor to sharp bends, as the river uses its most powerful force to break through the barriers of the mountains.
Xu Long was caught up in it, facing the toppled and falling giant sword and halberd along with the flowing river.
At this point, all paths outside were blocked, and he was swept away by the current. The only way to escape was to go downstream and use the force of the surging water.
Xu Long narrowed his eyes. A rumbling sound echoed in his ears. He subconsciously withdrew his will. Based on his experience just now, he knew that this was a sign that the current was approaching a sharp bend.
Xu Long's magical Magic Power surged within him, his back slightly arched. He was ready for battle. The rushing water was destined to crash directly into the giant sword-halberd. The sharp, Geng Metal Qi was already waiting for Xu Long ahead. His gaze sharpened, and the sword light beside him lashed out towards the giant sword-halberd, carving a wave across the surging water. The churning river automatically parted to both sides, as if a dragon was about to emerge from the water. Countless bubbles rose continuously from the bottom, and the rolling torrent suddenly took on a chilling aura.
At this moment, the sword light, carrying the momentum of the rushing river, soared through the air and shot straight towards the giant halberd.
Xu Long wouldn't sit idly by and wait to die. Since the giant sword and halberd were blocking the river, causing a dangerous sharp bend at the point of the sword and halberd, Xu Long would simply break through the sword and halberd blocking his way. He would use the sword light to carve a straight path through the mountains, allowing the rushing river to flow smoothly into the path. This would not only avert the danger of the sword and halberd falling down but also free him from the river's pull. Once the sword light shattered the sword and halberd and cleared the path, Xu Long would be leading the river forward, rather than the river forcefully pulling Xu Long forward!
The waves on the water's surface gradually closed, and the sword light that swept out carried the momentum of surging water and a strong Power of Laws, colliding with the giant sword and halberd.
With a clang of metal against metal, the darkness within the barrier was suddenly illuminated by a stream of light, and the massive sword and halberd that was about to fall was stopped by a small beam of sword light.
The collision generated a powerful energy surge that shook the entire barrier. The river beneath the sword and halberd was momentarily halted, as if a ferocious beast had been restrained in an instant. Countless water droplets erupted from the surface, and a muffled boom echoed through the water.
The downward momentum of the swords and halberds was momentarily halted, and the passive situation of the water flow in the bend was significantly improved.
Xu Long's figure had already moved beyond the bend in the river. He didn't want to experience that dizzying feeling again. In the sharp bend formed by the swords and halberds, the rushing water couldn't even cross on its own; he was swept along and could only drift with the current. In the sharp bend, the water was destined to be out of control. To break free from the threat of the giant swords and halberds, he had to completely sever the swords and halberds above his head, making the water flow more smoothly as it crossed the bend.
With a thought, the sword light in the air instantly swirled back. Xu Long narrowed his eyes, frantically pouring his Magic Power into the sword light. One after another, deep sword cries erupted from the sword light, and the Power of Laws emanating from it made the Milky Way Celestial Phenomenon above Xu Long appear even more extraordinary.
At this moment, he was in the flowing water, his figure just outside the bend, and the giant sword-halberd above his head was about to fall and completely stop the flow of the river, utterly annihilating Xu Long within it.
"Imperial Edict!"
A roar erupted from the flowing water, a furious cry infused with Magic Power that momentarily suppressed the roaring current. The sonic waves created by the energy caused the barrier to tremble. As the word was uttered, a sword light moved, imbued with immense Magic Power. The sword light, like a giant ring blade, surged in the air, unleashing a fierce sword beam that instantly pierced the darkness before them. At this moment, the sword light bloomed from the water's surface, hanging in the air like an eerie star, its shimmering sword light the chilling light of that star.
Rumble!
A tremendous sound came from above, and the falling giant sword was instantly severed by the sword light.
The bright stars gleamed with a sharp, cold light. Upon contact with the halberd, they struck like a falling ring-shaped blade, lifting the halberd from the air. The bent halberd snapped in two under the immense force of the energy. The sword light, propelled by the rushing water, followed closely, pushing the remaining fragments back. The sharp bend in the road was finally smoothed out, and the light flashed before shooting straight towards the sky.
A series of "splashing" sounds echoed across the water. After the giant halberd was severed, countless boulders fell into the current, instantly submerging them. Without the halberd's obstruction, the sharp bend ahead was clearly cleared, preventing the turbulent river from swirling endlessly.
Xu Long's figure was swept away by the current and entered the bend in an instant. The dizzying feeling was obviously relieved a lot. At this moment, he was like an autumn leaf, constantly rising and falling in the turbulent waves.
As the river surged and churned, he felt like a giant, helpless bubble, about to be pierced by a toppling giant sword at any moment.
As he entered the bend, mingling with the water, Xu Long tightly restrained himself, struggling to break free from the current's embrace, trying to temporarily separate himself from the river in this section of the bend.
But the giant swords and halberds on both banks pressed tightly against the river, acting as heavy obstacles that forced the water to pass through the sharp bends!
The danger the water had just faced in the bend had passed. As the river surged, Xu Long's figure emerged from the bend, and the river's speed slowed down again, as if the rapid flow had never occurred.
Xu Long's gaze sharpened. At this moment, he abandoned his thoughts of escaping the river. The most important threat was the giant swords and halberds outside.
If those swords and halberds are destroyed, then I will be able to guide the water flow to beyond the horizon.
The moment the thought crossed his mind, Xu Long keenly sensed that the river was slowly changing its course on the ground, as if it were trying to break away from the distant bend and find a new path on the earth.
But before they could break free from the encirclement of the giant swords and halberds, the giant swords and halberds in front of them began to move frequently, as if they wanted to completely block the direction of the surging river.
It can only move along the designed path, and it will be "corrected" if there is even the slightest deviation.
Looking at the ever-changing giant swords and halberds on both banks, Xu Long's heart sank. He knew he could only follow the river's original course.
But ahead, at those sharp bends, there were clearly heavy swords and halberds waiting for him. If he got stuck in those bends, the falling swords and halberds would annihilate him.
Why bother going through the bend? Just wade through it!
Xu Long anticipated this and made a firm decision. He merged himself into the river, using the power of the surging river to try and pass directly through the giant swords and halberds.
He wanted to lead the great river to break through all obstacles and overcome all the sharp bends, to control the surging power and break through all the obstacles in front of him!
The moment the thought crossed Xu Long's mind, he felt the current beneath his feet accelerate. In the surging torrent, he had no time to consider other directions; he focused solely on the giant halberd at the sharp bend ahead and charged towards it with all his might.
Buzz!
The sword light was the first to act. After a sword cry rang out in the air, the sword light was the first to rush forward to test the giant halberd. Xu Long continuously condensed his Magic Power in the rolling water. He slightly blocked the continuous torrents coming from behind. He accumulated a magnificent momentum in the river. He was just waiting for the sword light to test the giant halberd. Then he would use this surging momentum to rush out in an instant.
boom!
The sword light, imbued with immense magical Magic Power, slammed into the giant halberd in front of it. An explosion resounded within the barrier, a massive shockwave rising above the river, and a dense cloud of dust dissipated. But the sword light within it shifted, shattering the dust before it could even rise. Then, a flash of light appeared in Xu Long's eyes, and the momentum of the falling giant halberd was abruptly halted. The Geng Metal Qi dissipated within the barrier, and under the Power of Laws, the giant halberd retreated slightly, clearing a flat area of ground. The river smoothly bypassed the sharp bend ahead, continuing along the direction of the sword light.
But Xu Long's heart sank at this moment. As if sensing something in the surging water, a sense of foreboding instantly rose within him.
Before he could figure it out, he felt the river's current suddenly increase, and he was swept along in it, with the imminent danger of drowning.
His will spread out and probed the sky, revealing that giant swords and halberds were falling one after another from the earth. The passage that had been opened by the sword light was instantly replaced by the gathering of giant swords and halberds. The rushing river was blocked by the giant swords and halberds, so the water on the earth was violently accelerated, about to crash into the swords and halberds.
After a moment's thought, Xu Long watched as the water carried him toward the giant sword and halberd in front of him, and decided that he would not wait any longer.
With a thought, a colossal figure materialized from the river. The moment its Dharma Body appeared, it charged towards the massive swords and halberds ahead. Its enormous body surged forth from the river, like a giant trying to catch the falling swords and halberds, carving a path through the river with its own flesh. The sounds of "thump, thump, thump" echoed through the water. As the Dharma Body moved through the river, countless waves were created. Before its form, shaken by its power, two streams of water parted automatically. The Dharma Body, riding the waves, instantly reached the sharp bend in the river.
A deafening roar echoed within the barrier, causing the earth to tremble violently as if the solid ground were about to crack.