The man in the golden robe slowly withdrew his gaze from the distance, fixing it once more on Chen Yong and his group of five. Each word was squeezed out slowly and deliberately, carrying an unyielding, icy resolve. "We absolutely cannot let her escape."
The next instant, the three figures suddenly scattered, each occupying a position in their own formation.
The man in the golden robe ascended to the high platform of the broken and dilapidated ancient sword in front of him, taking command of the height; the man in the black robe moved a hundred feet to the left, stepping into the layered and tilted ancient sword mounds, and settling into the foundation of the earth vein array;
The man in white took a step into the air and stood atop the half-collapsed ancient metal stele on the right, taking control of the celestial formation. The three echoed each other from afar, their three powers standing separately, and the ultimate killing formation of Heaven, Earth, and Man was formed in an instant.
Upon witnessing this scene, Chen Yong's expression became utterly solemn. At this moment, all the ancient broken swords that had been silent for countless ages in the entire Ten Thousand Swords Golden Ruins began to stir.
Clang!!! In the far distance, a broken sword buried deep beneath the metal ruins trembled slightly first, followed by a second, a third... countless broken swords resonating in unison.
These ancient swords, some with only half a broken body remaining, some covered with ancient cracks, and some with decayed flesh, leaving only a sharp sword mark that solidified the heavens and earth, could all be forcibly drawn back and awakened in the instant when the three members of the Primordial Dao Clan simultaneously unleashed their original essences.
The man in the golden robe was the first to raise his hand and form a hand seal, followed closely by the two men in black and white robes. Their three fingers interlaced, their thumbs pressed together, forming the ancient and desolate Dao Seal of Annihilation. Buzz!!!
Each of the three had a thin, dark crack appear between their brows, and three dark beams of light shot straight into the sky, Return to One above the Ten Thousand Swords Golden Ruins. There was no earth-shattering roar, no violent shockwave, yet all sounds on the entire battlefield Annihilation in an instant, returning to deathly silence.
The wind suddenly stopped, the sword's cry vanished, and all the trembling metal fragments froze in mid-air. The three Fate Soul essence resonated completely, and the Three Talents Formation operated perfectly.
The man in the golden robe held the reins of "Time Silence".
Dark ripples slowly spread from between his brows, slowing the flow of the world wherever they passed. The sword light remaining in mid-air froze, the dust flying everywhere hovered still, and all movement in the world was imprisoned and slowed down to near standstill by the power of time's Annihilation.
The man in black robes wields the power of "Space Silence".
He slowly spread his palms to the sides, and countless spatial nodes in the Ten Thousand Swords Golden Ruins suddenly twisted and became chaotic. Ancient swords that were originally thousands of feet apart suddenly overlapped in mid-air, and the hilt of a broken sword was buried deep in the distant ruins, while the tip of the sword strangely extended out from the space in front of him. All directions and distances collapsed, and there was no longer any order in the space of heaven and earth.
The man in white was in charge of "Existence Silence".
His pupils gradually lost their original color, eventually turning into a deep, somber gray-white. The Fate Soul traces of all living beings and objects in the world were clearly revealed in his eyes, not a single one missing, all of them were incorporated into the killing array, locking down all traces of existence, leaving nowhere to hide and nowhere to escape.
Time, space, and existence—the three stillnesses were all in place. The entire Ten Thousand Swords Golden Ruins was completely activated by the ultimate killing formation. Clang!!! A deep and ancient sword cry slowly reverberated throughout the heavens and earth.
Countless broken swords rose from the ground simultaneously, hovering in mid-air. The once sharp metallic luster of the swords rapidly faded, and gray-white, Annihilation cracks spread along the spines, completely covering them. The once domineering and fierce sword intent was now tainted by a desolate and deathly aura of world World Extinguisher.
Countless invisible sword marks, long since decayed and now only retaining Daoist thoughts, emerged one by one from the ancient ruins. The sharp sword Dao origins that had accumulated over countless epochs between heaven and earth were all forcibly drawn and gathered into the formation by the three people's primordial origins.
Ten thousand swords soared into the sky, layer upon layer, densely packed, completely covering the heavens. The golden-robed man slowly brought his palms together towards the center of the formation. The black-robed and white-clad figures simultaneously withdrew their stances, completing the final Annihilation Seal.
The three Fate Soul, originating from the same source, are completely connected and integrated into one according to the three positions of Heaven, Earth, and Man Time Silence, they suppress Heaven and Earth, imprisoning the flowing light; Space Silence, they collapse in all directions, disrupting the universe; Existence Silence, they lock all things in place, leaving no one to hide or escape.
Three distinct yet harmonious Daoist auras of Annihilation converged and Return to One at the very center of the Ten Thousand Swords Golden Ruins. The myriad ancient swords suspended in the sky simultaneously ceased their trembling, their tips turning in unison to face the five people guarding below. Dark, Annihilation Pattern spread wildly and expansively along every inch of the sword's body.
The three opened their eyes simultaneously, their gazes filled with an icy, deadly intent. The Annihilation Ten Thousand Swords Formation —completely formed, sealing the heavens and earth!
Chen Yong looked up at the thousands of gray-white ancient swords that filled the sky. The Annihilation Ten Thousand Swords Formation had completely taken shape. Time Silence, Space Silence, and Existence Silence —the three forces interlocked with each other, dragging the entire Ten Thousand Swords Golden Ruins into that chilling frequency of Annihilation.
Countless sword tips slowly rotated, eventually all pointing at their location. There was no sharp, powerful Sword Qi energy between the swords, only a deathly silence that continued to spread outward.
The color had mostly faded from Chen Yong's face, and the wound on his chest, torn open by the Hunyuan Myriad Swords, was still bleeding. Deep within his sea of consciousness, cracks in his Fate Soul continued to widen. But when his peripheral vision swept over the direction Zhao Qinglan had left, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes vanished completely.
He knew that once the three True Annihilation Realm · Peak experts escaped from here, Zhao Qinglan wouldn't be able to go very far with her cultivation level. And the only chance they could fight for now was this last one.
The man in the golden robe slowly brought his palms together, and thousands of ancient swords converged towards the center. In the distance, sword mountains formed by piles of ancient broken swords trembled one after another, and gray-white patterns spread across the earth. Wherever they went, the metal ruins lost their original luster, and even the scattered fragments of sword blades floated into the air one by one.
Chen Yong's pupils reflected the ever-approaching sword shadows, and the veins on his forehead bulged slightly. He suddenly Primordial Mirror in front of him and shouted sharply, "Offer your life essence to the Primordial Mirror!"
None of the Annihilation God Clan disciples behind him asked about the price.
They followed Chen Yong all the way into the Nine Nether Cold Pool and witnessed the Primordial Mirror slay the Nine Nether Dark Ruins Demon Dragon. They naturally knew what this Primordial Supreme Treasure would demand once it was pushed to a Limit beyond its own limits.
Several people simultaneously bit their fingertips, and the blood seeped out but did not drip down.
Drops of dark red blood essence hovered before their fingertips, reflecting not ordinary blood, but the very essence of their own Fate Soul. In some, hazy figures from their childhood cultivation resurfaced within their blood essence.
Some reflected the vows they had made, some reflected the fleeting joys and sorrows of thousands of years, and some had only a tiny spark of Fate Soul remaining deep within their essence and blood. All the roots belonging to "oneself" were forcibly stripped away along with the essence and blood at this moment.
Chen Yong raised his hand first, and the drop of essence blood fell onto the Primordial Mirror. The sound was extremely soft, but the entire Ten Thousand Swords Golden Ruins fell silent in that instant.
The remaining drops of Fate Soul essence followed closely behind, falling one after another onto the three-inch-long bronze shard. The ancient mirror did not absorb the blood; the blood droplets dispersed along the naturally formed lines the moment they touched the surface, their dark red color quickly filling in the ancient patterns.
Chen Yong's face lost color at a visible speed, the auras of the people behind him were also rapidly weakening, their hair began to turn white from the roots, and the once clear and flowing luster of their Fate Soul beneath their skin gradually dimmed.
For Primordial Mirror first time, a crack appeared in the Primordial Mirror. Crack!!! An extremely fine crack pierced through the center of the mirror's surface, and Chen Yong's eyes widened in shock.
The next instant, the crack did not shatter the Primordial Mirror; instead, a vast, unprecedented radiance burst forth from the depths of the crack. The light had no fixed color; when it shone on Chen Yong's face, it revealed the most primal outline of his Fate Soul before he embarked on his cultivation journey.
The light shone on the others, revealing the first trace of their existence before their realms, identities, and experiences were attached. Deep within the Primordial Mirror, the most ancient axiom was pushed to another extreme for the first time by the Fate Soul essence and blood of these individuals.
Anything that proves itself cannot be reduced to zero. Since it cannot be reduced to zero, anything that attempts to forcibly reduce it to zero must accept the judgment of the "First Truth." At this moment, the true forbidden power of the Primordial Mirror finally awakens. The Primordial Mirror's forbidden power— Primordial True Judgment.
This technique does not kill enemies with the Primordial Mirror itself. Instead, it burns away the Fate Soul essence of the Mirror holder and all the sacrificers, pressing all the proofs of their "existence in this life" into the Mirror's surface, causing the Primordial Mirror briefly return to its original state when the first physical law was born.
In this state, everything reflected in the mirror must be subject to the oldest judgment: those who can be preserved by the Primordial Assured, and those who cannot bear the Primordial Assured, will have their subsequent definitions completely collapse.
The price can only be paid once: the sacrificer's Fate Soul, and very essence will return to the Primordial, Primordial Mirror itself will also perish along with the First Truth after the judgment, with no possibility of ever reappearing. Chen Yong understood.
He stared at the blood-stained face of the mirror, his lips moved slightly, but he said nothing in the end. He simply pressed his right palm down heavily, and several Annihilation God Clan disciples behind him raised their palms at the same time, one after another, their blood-stained hands landing on his shoulders and back.
Their Fate Soul essence surged wildly into the Primordial Mirror through their interconnected bodies. Buzz!!! At that moment, all the ancient swords in the Ten Thousand Swords Golden Ruins trembled simultaneously.
The murderous intent on the golden-robed man's face changed for the first time. "What is that?!" The black-robed man suddenly turned his head. The white-robed man's pupils shrank sharply.
The three of them could clearly sense that the Annihilation Ten Thousand Swords Formation still existed, the Three Silent Cycles were still complete, and the myriad swords were still under their control. However, the word "Annihilation," upon which the formation was based, was being directly illuminated by something far more ancient than themselves.
Chen Yong slowly raised his head. Fine gray lines had crept around his eyes, and the five fingers holding the Primordial Mirror began to turn transparent. The people behind him were also gradually losing the color of their physical bodies.
"Open." With just one word, the mirror flipped, and a perfectly flat light unfolded from the center of the Primordial Mirror. There was no sword, no fire, no world-destroying surge of Source Power. Only a "First Truth" that stretched across heaven and earth.
When the light swept across the first ancient sword, it did not shatter; instead, the concept of Existence Silence on its blade crumbled first. The second ancient sword lost the foundation that Space Silence had given it to transcend dimensions. The stillness and Time Silence on the third ancient sword ceased to exist. Then came ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand...
A chilling spectacle appeared in the sky: countless ancient swords of Annihilation still hung there, but one by one, the blades returned to their original forms.
They are simply swords, without Time Silence, Space Silence, Existence Silence, or the identity of "Annihilation carriers" forcibly bestowed upon them by the three. They Primordial True Judgment, and have no intention of vying for control with the Annihilation Ten Thousand Swords Formation.
It stripped away all the definitions that had been attached later, returning them to their state before they were even established. The golden-robed man's expression finally changed. "Withdraw!" It was too late. The second crack in the Primordial Mirror pierced through its surface. Collapse!!! Ten thousand swords fell simultaneously!
Thousands upon thousands of ancient swords, now freed from the support of the Three Realms, plummeted from the sky, crashing into the Ten Thousand Swords Golden Ruins. The sword mountains trembled violently from the impact of the falling fragments. The straight beam of Primordial light did not stop, passing through the falling swords and striking directly at the three cultivators of the Primordial Dao Clan.
The man in black robes frantically formed hand seals, unleashing several layers of True Annihilation Defense in front of him. The first layer had barely appeared when the light swept past, and the defense failed to shatter. It lost the proof that it had "been established," and the second, third, and fourth layers successively dimmed.
Terror finally surfaced in the black-robed man's eyes, and he retreated rapidly. But the Primordial True Judgment never revealed his position. He had only taken half a step back when a very thin, pale line appeared in the center of his chest.
His movements stopped, and he looked down. There was no wound on his chest, but his Great Dao of True Annihilation was beginning to peel away from that line. "This..." His lips barely opened.
His entire being split into countless extremely thin layers of Fate Soul from the center, each layer reflecting a trace of his existence in his life: childhood, cultivation, breakthrough, killing, and this moment... All the layers were simultaneously illuminated in the Primordial radiance, and then lost their foundation for continued existence.
Without a sound, they all vanished, and the man in black robes was utterly Annihilation.
Seeing this, the white-robed man's composure vanished. He abruptly turned, pouring all his True Annihilation Essence into the void, attempting to tear open space and escape. Crack! Space shattered.
He had already stepped halfway into it when the Primordial light shone from behind, and the spatial rift restored itself first. The white-robed man was forcibly pushed back into reality.
"No--!" He turned around abruptly, and the vast, clear light reflected into his eyes, causing the white-robed man's pupils to freeze completely in that instant.
His Fate Soul, Dao foundation, physical body, and all the True Annihilation origins simultaneously manifested within that radiance, followed by fine cracks spreading outwards from the depths of his Fate Soul. Crack!!! The entire foundation of his existence shattered completely.
The white-robed man's body scattered into countless tiny specks of light, which, after drifting only a few inches away, were completely extinguished by the radiance of the Primordial Mirror. With two True Annihilation Realm · Peak Annihilation one after another, the golden-robed man's face turned deathly pale.
He didn't even try to withstand it with his own cultivation anymore. He suddenly reached into his storage space with his right hand and pulled out a palm-sized dark gold ancient shield.
The moment the ancient shield appeared, he didn't hesitate to bite his tongue and spit a mouthful of his primordial blood onto the shield's surface. "Protect me!" The dark gold ancient shield suddenly unfolded!
Layers of golden armor plates rolled outwards from the shield, one layer nested within another, instantly forming an ancient hemispherical defense that completely enveloped the golden-robed man. Within each layer of armor plates, a blurry ancient figure sat cross-legged, and hundreds of these figures simultaneously opened their eyes and thrust their palms forward.
The Primordial True Judgment was revealed; the first layer of dark gold armor dented, the second layer crumbled, the third layer cracked, and the fourth, fifth, sixth layers... Crack!!! Crack!!! The cracks spread wildly.
Hidden behind a defensive treasure, the golden-robed man pressed his hands firmly against the ancient shield, his eyes growing increasingly bloodshot. The skin on his arms split open one after another, blood dripping down his elbows, his Fate Soul essence being severely struck the instant the Primordial radiance pierced through the defense.
"Pfft—!" A mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth, the golden-robed man's body trembled violently, his knees almost buckling, yet he still clung tightly to the ancient shield. Meanwhile, Chen Yong's body had begun to dissipate.
His right hand, which held the Primordial Mirror, first turned into fine dust, then his arm, shoulder, and chest, and the same happened to the disciples of the Annihilation God Clan Fate Soul essence and blood.
In order to push the Primordial True Judgment to a level that could shatter the True Annihilation Realm · Peak experts, they had poured all their Fate Soul into the Primordial Mirror. When only the upper body remained of one disciple, he still pressed his palm against Chen Yong's back. Another disciple had blood at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were always looking in the direction where Zhao Qinglan had left.
The last person slowly closed his eyes. Chen Yong stood at the very front. Half of his face had disappeared, but his eyes remained clear. Zhao Qinglan's figure was no longer visible in the distance. That was enough. The next moment, Chen Yong's last trace of Fate Soul was completely injected into the mirror.
His figure vanished silently.
Following closely behind, the remaining Annihilation God Clan cultivators also transformed into fragments of Fate Soul dust. Instead of dissipating, all the dust merged into the Primordial Mirror along the vast, boundless radiance that spanned the heavens and earth.
The ancient bronze mirror floated alone in the air, its surface covered with cracks, the final crack slowly piercing through the center. Crack! The three-inch bronze mirror shattered into dozens of pieces. The fragments did not fall to the ground.
Each fragment transformed into tiny specks of light in mid-air, then faded further and further, disappearing along with the ancient warp and weft lines that once carried the primordial axiom, "Those who prove themselves cannot be reduced to zero."
The Primordial Mirror was completely annihilated, and the Primordial radiance that had traversed the Ten Thousand Swords Golden Ruins was extinguished. The world returned to its normal state, and the howling wind once again swept through the broken swords. Clang... An ancient sword that had fallen and was stuck diagonally in the ground trembled slightly. On the vast battlefield, there was no longer any trace of Chen Yong and the others. The black-robed man and the white-robed man also left no trace of their Fate Soul.
Only one person remained. The man in the golden robe knelt in the center of the devastated Ten Thousand Swords Golden Ruins, his right hand still holding a shield, but the shield was no longer intact. Snap. The last piece of dark gold fragment fell from his palm, and the defensive treasure that had saved his life was completely shattered.
The man in the golden robe suddenly leaned forward, "Pfft—!" Blood spurted from his mouth onto the metal ruins beneath his feet.
His face was deathly pale, and dark cracks appeared on his forehead, neck, and even around his eyes. His aura, which was at the True Annihilation Realm · Peak Fate Soul, was so chaotic that it was almost out of control. Although the final attack from the Primordial Mirror was mostly blocked by the defensive treasure, the "First Truth" that pierced through still crashed into the origin of his Fate Soul.
He slowly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, staring intently in the direction Zhao Qinglan had left. His face twitched slightly with anger; he wanted to chase after her. Just as he tried to get up, a violent tearing sensation suddenly came from the depths of his Fate Soul. The golden-robed man swayed and almost knelt down again, but he stopped immediately.
If he continues to pursue this, he may not even be able to preserve the essence of his own Fate Soul. The Primordial erosion that remains deep within his Fate Soul is still expanding. If he does not immediately find a place to suppress the injury, even if he survives today, this wound will most likely be permanently etched into the foundation of his Fate Soul.
The man in the golden robe clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force. "You just wait!" he sneered.
He glanced one last time in the direction Zhao Qinglan had gone, suppressed the surging killing intent in his chest, dragged his heavily injured body into the air, and transformed into a dim streak of light, speeding towards another relatively safe area of the Ten Thousand Swords Golden Ruins. Here, only broken swords and traces of the great battle remained scattered everywhere.