Boom! The deep purple Fate Soul halo behind Shangguan Wan'er suddenly expanded, and twelve silver-white halos unfolded along the wheel in sequence. A vast sword intent rose from the depths of the halo, and tens of thousands of slender sword shadows rapidly condensed in the sky. The sword shadows intertwined with each other, forming a purple sword river that stretched for tens of thousands of feet.
She slammed her palms together, and the river of swords converged towards the center, eventually condensing into an enormous purple-gold giant sword. Layers of eternal Stillness Dao energy swirled around the sword's edge, and wherever it passed, gray-white raindrops were shaken apart and scattered to the sides by the Sword Qi.
At the same time, Elder White Brow Mei raised his bronze staff high, and the ancient seal at the top of the staff suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light. Behind him, a huge bronze bell slowly appeared, and countless ancient Dao patterns emerged on the surface of the bell. The heavy sound of the bell spread along the heavens and earth, and then turned into golden primordial ripples, all of which gathered around the purple-gold giant sword.
"Ten Thousand Swords Return to Stillness!" Shangguan Wan'er shouted sharply, pushing her palms upwards. "Ten Thousand Mountains Resonate Together!" Elder White Brow roared at the same time, slamming his bronze staff down.
Clang! The colossal purple-gold sword, accompanied by a vast river of sword energy, soared into the sky, followed closely by the ancient bronze bell. Thousands of golden bell patterns coiled around the sword's edge, and the Eternal Silence essence of the two beings converged in the high sky, forming a purple-gold torrent that pierced through heaven and earth.
The gray raindrops along the way were scattered and splashed by the violent Daoist aura, and the entire mountain plain trembled violently under this power. Thousands of Shangguan Lineage disciples looked up, and a glimmer of hope rekindled in their eyes.
Boom!!! The purple-gold giant sword crashed heavily onto the gray-white umbrella. A deafening roar instantly resounded throughout the heavens and earth. The space around the sword's blade shattered layer by layer, and the ancient bronze bell emitted a heavy, earth-shaking chime. Tens of thousands of Sword Qi spread wildly in all directions along the umbrella, and the purple-gold light instantly illuminated the entire gray-white sky.
However, when that terrifying force truly touched the primordial patterns deep within the umbrella fabric, a scene of utter despair unfolded.
The greyish-white umbrella surface did not crack. The twelve ancient umbrella ribs showed no sign of vibration. The primordial patterns flowing along the umbrella fabric rippled slightly, and the eternal Stillness Dao aura contained within the purple-gold giant sword began to rapidly lose its condensed form, the primordial radiance on the sword's edge gradually diminishing.
The terrifying sword intent, which was originally enough to cleave mountains and rivers, could not leave the slightest mark on the umbrella surface. The golden ripples condensed by the ancient bronze bell were also swallowed up layer by layer the moment they came into contact with the umbrella cloth, and even the sound of the bell gradually subsided.
Shangguan Wan'er's eyes widened suddenly. "How is this possible?! What kind of treasure is this?!"
She gritted her teeth and pressed her palms forward again, trying to activate more of her Fate Soul essence. However, her already injured Fate Soul immediately felt a sharp pain, her chest heaved, and blood trickled from her lips again. Seeing this, Elder White Brow suddenly thrust his bronze staff forward, and the bronze bell behind him crashed into the purple-gold giant sword, attempting to use the combined force of the two essences to tear open the umbrella.
With a resounding boom, the giant purple-gold sword began to crumble inch by inch, starting from its tip. Crack! The ten-thousand-foot-long sword shattered one after another, and the vast river of sword light transformed into countless afterglows beneath the gray-white umbrella. Large cracks also appeared on the surface of the ancient bronze bell, which finally collapsed completely with a muffled boom.
The purple-gold torrent that the two had jointly created vanished in an instant, while the gray-white giant umbrella remained quietly suspended in the high sky, its fabric smooth and its twelve ribs unmoved, without even a trace of damage.
Shangguan Wan'er's body jolted violently, and she staggered backward. Elder White Brow quickly reached out to support her shoulder, and the two landed back near the main array eye. Before they could even regain their footing, the entire defensive array shook violently once again.
Crack! The last layer of the array on the east side suddenly shattered. Immediately afterward, a large area of primordial light chains in the northwest direction also dimmed. The gray-white primordial rain had already seeped into the interior along the broken parts of the array, forcing dozens of disciples to retreat towards the center.
The Destiny Wheel, Ancient Bell, and Mountain and River Map, which were originally suspended high in the sky, lost their luster one after another. The Primal Light River, formed by thousands of divine weapons, also began to dry up rapidly. The radiance of the core of the formation flickered. Several deacons desperately urged their own Fate Soul essence, but they still could not stop the cracks from continuing to spread.
"Elder! The formation is about to collapse!" "The southern key to the formation has broken!" "A crack has appeared in the northwest as well!"
Exclamations of alarm rang out. Elder White Brow suddenly looked up, gazing at the primordial rain that continued to fall from the sky, and then at the thousands of terrified clansmen behind him. The muscles on his aged face tensed violently, his chest churning with anxiety and panic, and even his breathing became heavy.
He knew that the great formation before him had reached its Limit. If this continued, thousands of members of the Shangguan Lineage would be completely trapped and killed on this mountain plateau by the gray-white giant umbrella.
Just then, Elder White Brow's gaze suddenly fell on his left wrist, where an extremely ancient Dao weapon was hanging.
That Dao weapon was always shrouded in a dark red seal. Its shape was strange, possessing both the ornate outline of an ancient crown and ferocious blades extending wildly to both sides. The central body was a pale, bone-gold color, and its surface was covered with fine and intricate dark gold scrolls. Several black-gold sharp blades, curved like animal horns, rose outwards from the top.
Inlaid in the center is a scarlet circular crystal core, surrounded by fine, ancient patterns. Extending from both sides are layers of intersecting crimson bone blades, which curve and spiral like burning blood-red wings.
Like countless twisted and intertwined ancient beast horns, the outermost blade tip is sharp and long, with dark red light slowly flowing along the blade spine. The entire weapon exudes an ancient aura that is both magnificent and ferocious.
The crimson alien weapon that Elder White Brow had sealed away for many years was now a strange sight. As he looked at the weapon, a complex expression of fear, hesitation, and deep apprehension flashed across his eyes.
He hadn't truly used this Dao weapon for many years because he knew better than anyone just how dangerous what was sealed deep within it. It was an unknown creature he had encountered by chance in an extremely ancient ruin many years ago. Back then, in order to suppress it, he had almost exhausted his own resources and, with the help of the ancient seal remaining inside this strange Dao weapon, he barely managed to trap the creature inside.
For countless years afterward, the unknown creature never ceased its struggle, its resentment accumulating during its long imprisonment, until it had come to hate him to the core. Elder White Brow tried to communicate with it several times, but only received violent roars and frenzied attacks in return. After that, he never tried to break the seal again.
Now, this Daoist weapon has become the last thing he can think of to rely on.
Elder White Brow slowly raised his left hand, his gaze fixed on the scarlet crystal core in the center. The wrinkles on his aged face trembled with struggle. After a moment, he suddenly gritted his teeth, and a look of almost insane determination finally appeared in his eyes.
"Never mind..." His voice was low and hoarse, "Now I have no choice but to gamble with my life!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his right hand and bit his index finger hard. Bright red blood gushed out from his fingertip. Upon seeing this, Shangguan Wan'er's expression changed drastically. "Senior brother!!!! No!!!"
She suddenly reached out, trying to stop Elder White Brow, but his movements were already Ultimate fast. His fingers, stained with blood essence, pressed hard against the scarlet crystal core in the center of the crimson alien weapon.
Snap! As the essence blood spilled, the previously dormant scarlet crystal core suddenly lit up the moment it came into contact with the essence blood.
A terrifying dark red aura suddenly erupted from the depths of the Dao Soldier. The central crystal core seemed to be awakened by some long-dormant ancient will, its internal scarlet patterns rapidly rotating.
The crimson bone blades extending on both sides trembled simultaneously, and the dark red seals that were originally wrapped around the surface of the Dao soldier began to crack one after another. A large amount of thick red mist surged out between the black and gold blades, and countless tiny black patterns were mixed in with the red mist. As soon as it appeared, it caused the surrounding space to distort violently.
"Senior brother! Are you really going to release it?!" Shangguan Wan'er suddenly grabbed Elder White Brow's arm, her eyes filled with shock and anxiety, her voice almost losing its usual coolness, "What's sealed inside? Have you forgotten?!"
Elder White Brow's face was deathly pale, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. Staring at the crumbling seal, deep fear filled his eyes, yet he still gripped the Dao weapon tightly, his voice hoarse as he said, "Wan'er, of course I haven't forgotten, but thousands of clansmen are here now, we have no way out!"
He suddenly threw the Daoist weapon into the air.
Boom! The crimson alien-shaped Dao soldier suddenly hovered above the center of the great formation. The central scarlet crystal core spun wildly, and large swaths of dark red smoke spewed outwards along the bone blades on both sides. The Dao soldier, which was originally only a few feet wide, rapidly expanded. The black and gold sharp blades extended into the sky, and the crimson bone wings spread out to the left and right. The entire Dao soldier gradually transformed into a huge vortex amidst countless intersecting dark red patterns.
The vortex was a deep, blood-red color, with layers of black and gold ancient patterns wrapped around its edges. Red mist churned inside, and from its deepest part came a series of muffled and ancient breathing sounds. Each breath caused the surrounding space to tremble violently. Even the primordial rain falling from the sky was shaken outward by a sudden, fierce aura as it approached the edge of the vortex.
Thousands of Shangguan Lineage disciples looked up, their eyes filled with horror. "What is that?!" "How can there be such a terrifying aura within Elder White Brow's Dao soldiers?!" "Look! There's something in the vortex!"
Before the gasps of the crowd had even subsided, a deep, guttural roar suddenly echoed from the depths of the crimson vortex.
"Roar----!!!" The sound, filled with intense resentment and violence, spread wildly along the depths of the vortex. The entire Shangguan Lineage trembled violently. Thousands of disciples felt a sudden tightness in the depths of their Fate Soul, and even their breathing briefly froze. Elder White Brow's face turned pale, and his hand holding the bronze staff trembled uncontrollably.
Immediately afterwards, a gigantic, jet-black hand slowly emerged from the depths of the crimson vortex. The hand had six long, slender fingers, each covered in fine, dark red bone nails, with broken, ancient lock-like patterns intertwined between the knuckles.
Embedded in the center of his palm was a vertically split gray-gold bone pupil. Before the pupil was fully open, large wisps of dark red smoke slowly flowed along the gaps between his fingers. Then, another equally enormous hand emerged from the vortex, with more than ten long, bone-armored fingers gripping the edge of the vortex and tearing it apart violently to both sides.
With a hiss, the entire crimson vortex suddenly expanded, and an extremely large figure slowly emerged from its depths.
It was an unknown ancient being nearly ten thousand feet tall, with a slender and robust body covered entirely in bone armor of alternating deep black and dark red. Its chest was broad, and twelve ferocious bone thorns curved outwards from its shoulders and back, each bone thorn resembling an ancient mountain ridge Blood Immersion.
Thick red mist flowed continuously between the gaps in the bone armor, and a huge gray-gold vertical pupil was embedded in the center of its chest. Countless broken ancient lock patterns emerged deep within the pupil. As it breathed slowly, those lock patterns continuously shattered and then reformed within the pupil.
Its head was extremely ferocious, its face covered with a pale bone surface, from which four curved black-gold horns extended, their bases wrapped in dark red ancient patterns. A thin vertical slit opened in the center of its forehead, from which a faint crimson light flickered. Its eyes were sunken deep beneath the bone surface.
His pupils were a dark, almost solidified gold, but his eyes burned with an extremely violent, crimson light. His mouth stretched to the sides, revealing sharp, interlocking bony teeth. Each tooth was covered with tiny cracks, and deep red mist constantly emanated from between them.
Even more chilling were the six enormous bone wings on its back. These wings were featherless, their wing bones a deep black, yet their edges were wrapped with layers of crimson bone blades. These blades intertwined, extending outwards with countless jagged spikes. When the six bone wings unfurled, vast plumes of dark red smoke billowed from the gaps in the wing bones, forming a blood-red curtain covering tens of thousands of feet.
Below the bone wings, dozens of broken ancient chains were dragging along. The chains were engraved with dense gray-gold seals. Each chain was broken and dripped dark red essence from its broken ends. When it fell on the mountain below, it eroded large areas of rock strata into bottomless holes.
Its lower body was covered with layers of black and gold bone armor, its legs were long and slender, and its knees had curved bone spurs growing outwards. When its feet stepped out of the vortex, large dark red cracks appeared in the void beneath its feet, and the entire world trembled violently under that terrifying aura.
As this unknown being fully revealed itself, the continuous rain of primordial chaos briefly became disordered around it. Large swathes of grayish-white raindrops were deflected outwards by its dark red, ferocious power, with some raindrops landing on its bony wings.
Fine gray-white marks immediately appeared on the surface of the bone armor, but the unknown creature simply slowly unfolded its bone wings, and a denser dark red smoke surged from its body, temporarily suppressing those marks.
Shangguan Wan'er stared at the terrifying creature that had suddenly appeared, frozen in place, her eyes filled with disbelief and shock. She could feel that the ancient and ferocious aura emanating from that creature far surpassed that of the previous True Annihilation Realm divine beasts and supreme beings. Even her own Eternal Silence Realm · Supreme Fate Soul essence showed obvious tremors in the face of that aura.
Elder White Brow's face was also deathly pale. He slowly raised his head and looked at the ancient creature that had completely broken free from the blood-red vortex. An extremely complex expression appeared in his eyes, showing both the deep fear left over from the successful sealing many years ago and the helplessness and fear of having to release it now.
Because he knew that this being had long harbored resentment; the long years of imprisonment had made it hate him to the core. Now that the seal was completely broken, Elder White Brow had no idea whether this unknown being would attack the gray-white giant umbrella first, or seek revenge on him, the former sealer.
High in the sky, the ancient being, towering ten thousand feet tall, slowly lowered its head. Its dark golden pupils pierced through layers of red mist, finally landing on the Elder White Brow. The gray-gold vertical pupil in the center of its chest suddenly contracted, and the six bone wings on its back trembled slightly. The broken chains then made a dull thud, and a ferocious arc slowly opened beneath its pale bone surface.
"Heh... heh heh..." A low, hoarse laugh filled with endless resentment slowly emanated from the depths of its throat.
Elder White Brow Mei shuddered violently. Shangguan Wan'er clenched her fists at the same moment. They could both clearly sense that this unknown being, sealed for many years, had recognized the person who had imprisoned it in the Dao weapon, and now it had finally regained its freedom.