Gongpiluo Huang opened his right eye a crack, and a deep and Endless Ancient Rhyme slowly diffused, intertwining and merging with the gray Beginningless Ancient Rhyme overflowing from his left eye. The left charm suppressed the beginning of all things Unborn, while the right charm swallowed the end of all things before they were finished. The two completely contradictory ancient abysses reflected each other, instantly stirring up the laws of heaven and earth, giving rise to all kinds of strange and bizarre phenomena.
The falling rubble hangs suspended in mid-air, lost and without a place to land; the surging beast blood in the rift valley quietly stops flowing in the middle, the water in front flowing endlessly, but the water behind has nowhere to continue; the outlines of the broken mountains are blurred layer by layer, half of the rock texture has been erased from its original source, and the other half extends infinitely towards the endless end. The time sequence, cause and effect, birth and death trajectory of the entire world are all in chaos.
A devastating change descended upon the Shangguan Lineage's grand formation in an instant. The Fate Soul array patterns, which had been barely maintaining their flow, simultaneously dimmed and collapsed from both ends. The Beginningless Ancient Rhyme plundered the nascent source of the array patterns, while the Endless Ancient Rhyme dragged the patterns into the endless void. The remaining primordial light chain in the middle section hung suspended in the air, completely severing its causal connection with the surrounding array patterns.
Dozens, hundreds, and thousands of array patterns fell one after another. The already precarious array trembled violently. The remaining light screen was covered with gray and decaying cracks, and dark patterns crisscrossed. The flow of the entire array's origin was completely disrupted and it was on the verge of collapse.
Crack—the first remaining array wall shattered with a deafening roar, followed by the second and third array positions, which subsequently trembled and collapsed.
"Elder! The causal link of the array pattern is broken! The source cannot be reconnected at all!" A deacon guarding the array position had veins bulging on his forehead. He pressed his palms against the array pattern and forcibly poured in his Dao power, but all the source power was lost, making it difficult to maintain the operation of the array base.
"Large areas of the array patterns on the west side are dissolving!" "The northern defenses can't hold!"
Cries of alarm rose and fell, and thousands of disciples were thrown into chaos. Some tried to use their Innate Martial Souls to fill the gaps in the array, but as soon as their martial souls touched the disordered array patterns, they were shaken and trembled by the dual ancient aura of Beginningless and Endless, and their luster faded. Several True Annihilation Realm disciples suffered a surge of blood and qi on the spot, coughed up blood and staggered, and the phantoms of their Fate Souls behind them quickly dimmed and faded away.
Elder White Brow stepped forward, his bronze staff slamming heavily into the crumbling rock. His aged wrinkles tightened with Ultimate shock and rage. Seeing the inheritance array on the verge of complete collapse, he held nothing back. He whirled around, his powerful, eternally Stillness Dao aura resounding throughout the entire area. His roar echoed across the ravaged mountain plain, "Everyone, listen to my command! Summon all your divine weapons and Daoist weapons! Draw your essence into the array's core! Preserve the array from destruction! Quickly!"
The clansmen all knew that the origin of the divine weapon was deeply bound to their own Fate Soul, Dao foundation, and cultivation Dao Path. Forcibly extracting the origin would leave damage that would be difficult to heal forever, even if the divine weapon was not destroyed. However, looking at the gray and white decay marks spreading in the sky and the protective array on the verge of collapse, no one hesitated or retreated.
"Sacrifice to the soldiers!"
Clang! Thousands of divine weapons were simultaneously unsheathed and appeared in the world, the clear sword sounds, the deep tolling of bells, and the sharp whistling of spears intertwined. Someone summoned their natal longsword, nurtured for tens of thousands of years, its ancient patterns on the spine dimming layer by layer, its pure essence seeping out and transforming into streams of silvery light that rushed towards the center of the formation;
Some raised ancient battle halberds, stripping away all the True Annihilation essence of Dao, and a crimson-gold river of light stretched across the sky and merged into the great formation; others held up the ancient cyan cauldron, and the accumulated essence of mountains and rivers over many years rose up, transforming into a thick cyan light to stabilize the formation's foundation.
Destiny Wheel, Ancient Bell, Long Spear, Dao Ruler, Jade Seal, Star Chart, and countless other primordial divine weapons of various shapes shone brightly together, and streams of light converged from all directions, condensing into a vast and magnificent primordial river within the broken formation.
A young disciple stared at the black longsword that had accompanied him in battle for many years. The beast marks and nicks on the blade were still clearly visible. His eyes were full of reluctance, but he still gritted his teeth and formed hand seals, pouring all his Fate Soul essence into the blade.
The longsword trembled and groaned, its spine patterns gradually dimming, and the dark primordial light stripped away, rushing towards the main formation. When the last wisp of primordial light dissipated, its sharpness vanished, and the blade cracked, the disciple's fingertips trembled slightly, yet he still gripped the broken sword tightly, using his Fate Soul force to stabilize his position in the formation.
Not far away, a True Annihilation Realm · Advanced Stage summoned three ancient bronze seals, with the three patterns of mountains, stars, and ancient rivers appearing in the air. He clasped his hands together and activated his source power to the extreme. The three seals trembled violently at the same time, and the ancient foundation contained within them was transformed into a thick pillar of light that slammed into the center of the formation.
After a buzzing sound, the bronze seal, having lost its source of support, crashed to the ground, shattering into several pieces. The deacon, his face deathly pale and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, still roared fiercely, "Everyone hold on! If the formation breaks, everyone will be wiped out! Fight to the death, do not retreat!"
Several elders unleashed their full power. Elder White Brow pressed his palm against the ancient bronze staff, the dark gold seal at the top of the staff shining brightly, the powerful source of energy nurtured over many years transforming into a golden river that poured into the core of the formation; another elder raised a dark blue ancient moon above his head, its silvery moonlight continuously showering down and nourishing the formation's foundation; yet another elder held up a nine-story ancient pagoda, each layer of the pagoda illuminating itself, its vast source of energy cascading down in all directions to fill any gaps in the formation.
Rumble—the essence of thousands of divine weapons converged into the array core, and the main array eye, which was on the verge of collapse, suddenly burst forth with brilliant light. The dormant ancient array patterns reignited one by one, spreading in all directions along the remaining veins.
Chains of light formed from the essence of countless divine weapons crisscrossed and filled many broken positions, barely stabilizing the collapsing defensive light barrier and slowly rising to protect the thousands of surviving clansmen.
However, the crisis never subsided, and the ancient charm emanating from Gongpiluo Huang's eyes continued to erode the formation. Although the newly formed divine weapon essence could temporarily make up for the losses, it could not eradicate the gray and white traces that had invaded the depths of the array patterns. Countless new light chains dimmed as soon as they took shape, and the great array could only be maintained by continuously overdrawing the divine weapon essence. No one could sustain such consumption for long.
Shangguan Wan'er took it all in. Her pale face was filled with a deep sorrow. The elder had already exhausted the last of the clan's resources. This formation seemed to still exist, but in reality, it was already weak inside and could no longer withstand the slightest impact.
She raised her hand and opened the jade elixir bottle she carried with her. The cool medicinal fragrance instantly filled the entire area. Several rare pills that nourished the Fate Soul and repaired the foundation of the Dao lay quietly in her palm. Without hesitation, she swallowed them all. The cool medicinal power of the pills flowed along her meridians and slowly seeped into her damaged Fate Soul, temporarily suppressing the surging blood and the stinging pain deep in her muscles.
A severely damaged foundation cannot be repaired instantly, and the subtle traces of Dao left by the Beginningless Ancient Rhyme cannot be easily eradicated. She slowly exhaled the turbid air, and when she opened her eyes again, all the weariness in her eyes had disappeared, leaving only clarity and determination.
"Wan'er, how are your injuries?" Elder White Brow quickly approached, his expression anxious.
Shangguan Wan'er wiped the blood from her lips, her voice slightly hoarse but steady and powerful. "My injuries are temporarily under control, and I can still stabilize the main array. Elders, this place is not safe to stay any longer. We absolutely cannot engage in a head-on battle with Gongpiluo Huang! We must escape as soon as possible!!"
"But we are surrounded by beasts on all sides, and this strange beast has blocked our way. Even if we want to retreat, we have no way to escape!" Elder White Brow frowned, full of helplessness.
"Roads are made by people walking." Shangguan Wan'er looked up at the northwestern frontier, where the once continuous gray-blue mountains had collapsed and broken after the bloody battle, revealing a wide and deep rift valley. Thick fog shrouded the valley entrance, obscuring the unknown path ahead. "The Northwest Rift Valley can bypass the frontal beast tide. We don't seek to break through, but only to retreat slowly, using the terrain within the valley to conceal ourselves. There is still a sliver of hope."
The gaunt elder looked in the direction of the voice and warned in a deep voice, "Although the rift valley is passable, the journey is long, and ancient ferocious beasts still roam within it. A hasty retreat will surely result in being ambushed and killed along the way!"
"Do not withdraw from the formation, only move it." Shangguan Wan'er said firmly, quickly outlining the strategy. "Gather the remaining formation patterns on the outer perimeter, have the stewards lead the disciples in layers, protect the wounded at the center of the formation, and have those with sufficient combat strength guard the outer perimeter. Move the formation positions steadily, and be careful not to cause the formation to shake or attract enemy attention."
Elder White Brow, I'll trouble you and the other two elders to secure the front line. The rest of you, follow me as I guide the array core and slowly move northwest.
"As you command!" Elder White Brow Mei responded and gave the order. Thousands of disciples immediately adjusted their positions in an orderly manner. The seriously injured clansmen were helped to gather in the heart of the formation. Elite disciples filled the empty positions on the outer perimeter, and stewards moved through the crowd to supervise the formation and stabilize the flow of the source energy.
Several elders simultaneously activated their Daoist principles, working together to pull the heavy array core. The broken array moved extremely slowly across the ravaged mountain plain. The light screen trembled slightly, the array gradually stabilized, and a glimmer of hope for escape was found in the midst of the desperate situation.
Just as everyone was concentrating on shifting their formation to catch their breath, a strange change occurred again in the distant void of the Gongpiluo Huang.
Its back is covered with twelve ancient star spots, of which only the rat-shaped star spot has ever shone brightly and maintained its aura. At this moment, the second star spot next to the rat spot slowly awakens. At first, it is just a faint gray-gold light, as faint as a firefly. In an instant, it spreads and extends along the star pattern, vaguely outlining an ancient and heavy ox-shaped beast.
With its giant horns curving upwards, its back majestic, and its four legs standing firmly in the primordial chaos, it trails behind a vast, unformed mountain range.
As the second bull-shaped star fully illuminated, the dormant gray-white primordial energy surrounding Gongpiluo Huang suddenly surged and boiled, and a vast and ancient aura, distinct from the Beginningless and Endless, spread out, covering the entire Blue-Gray Mountain Plain.
Rumble—The earth trembled violently, the collapsed rock peaks roared again, the ancient patterns on the mountain lit up one after another, and the silent mountains in the distance were forced to change their outlines. The straight mountain ridges rose up, and the rock layers were squeezed and twisted, turning into countless curved mountains that looked like ancient giant horns.
The sea of clouds in the sky converged and swirled towards the center, layer upon layer, eventually condensing into a gray-gold curtain covering tens of thousands of miles of territory. The grand scheme of heaven and earth suddenly plummeted, pressing down on people, making their breath catch and their souls feel heavy.
"The second star spot..." Shangguan Wan'er looked up and stared, her face turning deathly pale. The Elder White Brow's voice trembled completely, his eyes filled with eternal terror. "It's the second layer of the Twelve Beast Huangs's End-Beginning Seal! It has been completely unsealed at this moment!"
Before the words were finished, a soft, lingering rustling sound filled the entire world.
A Kong Ling sound rang out, ancient and ethereal, like the beginning of time, with ancient artifacts slowly unfolding. Shangguan Wan'er's pupils suddenly contracted as she saw a gray-white ancient umbrella silently appear in the void directly above the great Emptiness, where there had previously been nothing.
The ancient umbrella initially appeared to be only the size of an ordinary object, its color a chaotic grayish-white, indistinguishable from any other. The handle was plain and unadorned, and each of the twelve ancient ribs carried a distinct primordial Daoist aura. The layers of fabric gathered together and hung silently, their surfaces revealing countless nascent stars, newly formed mountains and rivers, and the shadows of ancient beasts.
It floats silently high above the center of the formation, moving without wind, its aura deep and desolate. It has no sharpness or power, no brilliance or malevolence, yet it carries with it a vast and profound weight that spans eternity, pressing down on the laws of the entire world and causing them to stagnate.