Gongpiluo Huang slowly raised his head, and the twelve yet-to-be-born lines of time appeared simultaneously among his gray-white fur. The rat-shaped and ox-shaped star spots on his back complemented each other. His left eye, the Beginningless Abyss, suddenly expanded outward, and his right eye, the Endless Ancient Rhyme, slowly unfolded as well. The twelve gray-white lines spun rapidly around his body, forming an ancient primordial halo that spanned heaven and earth.
Within the ring of shadows, twelve blurry beastly forms emerged, with the rat-shaped form being the most visible to all beings, followed closely by the ox-shaped form, while the remaining ten beastly shadows floated in the unmanifested depths of the primordial chaos. As the small forepaws of the Gongpiluo Huang slowly descended, the entire primordial ring of shadows suddenly burst forth with a deep gray-white radiance.
"The Wuji Returning Ring!"
Buzz! The Primordial Chaos Ring suddenly expanded, with the Beginningless Ancient Rhyme spreading outwards along the heavens and earth on the left, and the Endless Abyss on the right slowly extending into the infinite depths. Twelve beastly images emerged one after another within the ring. Although the ten beastly images that had not yet truly condensed were still blurry, they echoed the two star-shaped images of rats and oxen, forming a boundless gray-white Primordial Chaos.
Deep within the primordial chaos, there were no mountains or seas of stars, only countless unborn causal threads and an eternally unreachable end. The ancient Dao patterns of the entire world rapidly dimmed under the shadow of the primordial chaos, and even the crimson eyes of the divine beasts among the distant beast tides froze briefly at this moment.
The crimson-black imperial blade crashed down, while a grey-white primordial shadow simultaneously met it.
Boom! Two terrifyingly ancient primordial forces collided violently in the center of the sky. The billions of bones on the edge of the crimson-black imperial blade shattered one after another, and the Beginningless Ancient Rhyme within the gray-white primordial ring also trembled violently under the violent impact.
The twelve rivers of bones surged wildly forward along the Imperial Blade, attempting to completely shatter the Primordial Shadow, Endless Abyss continued to extend outward, pulling the end of the rivers of bones into an endless gray-white depth.
The two forces eroded each other, constantly collapsing and reforming. The sky over the entire Blue-Gray Mountain Plain collapsed one after another under this terrifying collision. Large swaths of ancient starlight fell from the depths of the shattered sky. Hundreds of thousands of miles of mountains and rivers were violently shaken by the impact. The huge beast skeletons that were originally lying on the ground turned into dust one after another. Tens of thousands of divine beasts in the distance retreated one after another. The huge beast bodies rolled continuously in the violent aftershocks, and their terrified roars resounded throughout the heavens and earth.
Crack! Large gray-white cracks suddenly appeared on the surface of the crimson-black royal blade. At the same time, the edge of the Primordial Ring Shadow was also torn open with several crimson-black gaps by the sharpness of the royal blade.
The Eternal Prison Skeleton Ancient Scion roared to the sky, its six crimson bone wings simultaneously spewing out vast amounts of ancient prison essence. Behind it, the twelve bone wings of the Skeleton Emperor's Shadow vibrated wildly, pouring even more crimson-black ferocity into the Emperor Blade, causing the already cracked edge to advance once more.
Gongpiluo Huang slowly raised its other forepaw, its left eye swirling with the Beginningless Ancient Rhyme and its right eye with the abyss of the Endless Abyss. The twelve beastly manifestations within the Hongmeng Ring Shadow slowly rotated accordingly, and the crimson-black gap that had been torn open by the Imperial Blade quickly closed. The gray-white ancient charm continued to penetrate deeper along the cracks in the Imperial Blade, causing the already condensed skeletons to lose their origins one after another from their place of birth.
Rumble--! The crimson-black imperial blade and the gray-white primordial shadow collided violently once again. One side continuously gathered its sharpness with billions of bones and the origin of the ancient prison, while the other side continuously eroded the root of its existence with the ancient charm of Beginningless and Endless Ancient Rhyme.
Two forces clashed deep within the heavens, crimson and black light alternating with gray and white primordial chaos, neither able to completely overwhelm the other in this clash. The gray-gold vertical pupil in the center of the Eternal Prison Skeleton Ancient Scion's chest was already covered with cracks, and its six crimson bone wings were also eroded by the gray and white ancient charm, leaving large marks. Yet it still laughed wildly, and its twelve spinal spines continuously spewed out new ancient prison origins. The enormous shadow of the Skeleton Emperor swung its royal blade again and again, frantically attacking the primordial chaos ring.
Gongpiluo Huang remained suspended in the center of the gray-white primordial chaos. The twelve beast-shaped images around its small body continued to circulate, and the rat-shaped and ox-shaped star spots continued to emit a faint glow. The ancient charm of the left eye Beginningless and the right eye Endless slowly spread along the primordial chaos ring.
Each time the crimson-black imperial blade advanced, the grey-white ancient aura penetrated along its edge, quietly eroding a portion of the skeletal essence. Conversely, each time the Primordial Shadow attempted to completely engulf the imperial blade, the Eternal Prison Skeleton Ancient Scion forcibly tore open the grey-white patterns with an even more ferocious ancient prison essence. The divine powers of both sides surged continuously in countless collisions, and their terrifying might had already caused large, unhealable cracks to appear in the entire Blue-Gray Mountain Plain.
Below, the Shangguan Lineage's dilapidated formation was firmly protected by layers of Primordial Dao Supreme Treasures. The dark gold ancient bell and the purple-white light wheel vibrated continuously. Several elders had pale faces, and cold sweat slowly slid down their cheeks as they desperately urged their own Fate Soul origins to block the terrifying aftershocks that were spreading from the sky.
Thousands of surviving disciples huddled within layers of light curtains, gazing up at the sky completely covered by ancient crimson and gray hues. Everyone's expression was filled with fear, and they dared not even breathe too heavily.
Shangguan Wan'er stood before the main formation, her palms pressed tightly against the Purple Firmament Primordial Life-Protecting Ring, her gaze never leaving the sky. She could see that the Ancient Prison Origin of the Eternal Prison Skeleton Ancient Scion had been greatly depleted in the continuous battles, and she could also see that the gray-white Primordial Chaos around Gongpiluo Huang was still expanding. However, the divine powers of the two ancient beings were still resisting each other. Every time the Crimson Black Imperial Blade and the Primordial Chaos Ring collided, it caused the entire mountain plain to emit a deafening roar.
Elder White Brow stood beside her, the wrinkles on his aged face taut. The Nine Mysteries Primordial Origin-Suppressing Bell in his hand emitted a deep chime, and several fine cracks had appeared on the surface of the dark gold bell. He slowly turned his head and exchanged a glance with Shangguan Wan'er. Both of them saw the same solemnity in each other's eyes.
High in the sky, the Eternal Prison Skeleton Ancient Scion once again wielded the crimson-black imperial blade, and the primordial halo of Gongpiluo Huang met it head-on.
Boom! The two ancient primal forces collided once more, and the massive impact spread wildly in all directions along the heavens and earth. The two vast seas of light, one crimson and the other gray and white, devoured each other in the depths of the sky.
The twelve rivers of bones surged continuously, the twelve beastly manifestations flowed slowly, the maniacal laughter of the Eternal Prison Skeleton Ancient Scion and the ancient bone rumbles intertwined and echoed, and the ancient charm of Beginningless and Endless Ancient Rhyme in the eyes of Gongpiluo Huang became even more profound at this moment.
The entire Blue-Gray Mountain Plain was shrouded in two terrifying forces; mountains and rivers crumbled, and the heavens and earth trembled. The two forces continued their struggle, and no victor had yet emerged.
The two ancient primal forces, crimson and black, and gray and white, were still clashing fiercely. Behind the Eternal Prison Skeleton Ancient Scion, the enormous shadow of the Skeleton Emperor raised the crimson and black royal blade high, and twelve rivers of skeletons surged along the blade's edge. Hundreds of millions of ancient skeletons shattered one after another in the blood-red torrent, only to be re-coalesced under the pull of the ancient prison's primal force.
The twelve beastly auras surrounding Gongpiluo Huang slowly circulated, with rat-shaped and ox-shaped star-like patterns reflecting each other. The Beginningless Ancient Rhyme continuously traced the origin of the condensation of the crimson and black imperial blade, while the Endless Abyss dragged the surging river of bones into the unreachable depths of the end.
Each collision of the two forces caused vast swathes of the sky to shatter, and hundreds of thousands of miles of mountains and rivers to tremble violently. The once-stretched blue-gray mountain range in the distance had long been crushed into dust. Only the broken formation of the Shangguan Lineage was still struggling to maintain itself under the protection of several Primordial Dao Supreme Treasures. The dark gold ancient bell was suspended at the center of the formation, and nine layers of purple and white light wheels slowly rotated along the bell screen. Several surviving elders guarded the four directions, trying their best to block the remaining power pouring down from the sky.
Elder White Brow stood beneath the Nine Mysteries Primordial Origin-Suppressing Bell, his aged face filled with solemnity. His once snow-white eyebrows were now stained with blood. His right hand, gripping the bronze staff, trembled slightly, while his left palm remained pressed against the ancient seal at the center of the array, continuously sending the remaining essence of Eternal Silence within his body into the dark golden bell screen.
He looked up and gazed at the sky, his eyes slowly moving along the twelve ancient beastly auras surrounding Gongpiluo Huang, finally settling on the Beginningless Abyss deep within the left eye of the gray-white beast, a complex expression gradually emerging in his eyes.
The incomplete records he had seen millions of years ago when he explored ancient ruins with Shangguan Lingxiao were now gradually overlapping with the scene before him, causing his already tense brows to furrow even deeper.
"Gongpiluo Huang corresponds to 'thought'..." Elder White Brow slowly spoke, his voice low and hoarse, revealing an undisguised apprehension. "The Subtlety of Myriad Thoughts is the beginning of all subjective manifestation, the shallowest manifestation within the Wuji, the Origin Foundation Layer. Even though the Eternal Prison Skeleton Ancient Scion is powerful, this power alone is insufficient to kill him!"
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Wan'er abruptly turned to look at him, a clear look of surprise appearing on her pale face. Her right hand remained tightly pressed against the Purple Firmament Primordial Life-Protecting Ring, the nine layers of purple and white light pulsating above her head. As the two ancient beings in the sky clashed once more, a crimson-black aftershock crashed down along the shattered sky.
The three outer rings of light on her Life-Protecting Ring suddenly trembled violently, and large, fine cracks spread rapidly along the edges of the rings. She hurriedly activated her own Fate Soul essence to stabilize the purple and white patterns that were about to collapse, but the old wound on her chest was aggravated again, and a trickle of blood slowly spilled from her lips.
She raised her hand to wipe away the blood, gazing at the thousands of wounded clansmen behind her. The anxiety in her eyes was barely concealed, and her once-cold voice was hoarse from the relentless fighting. "Senior brother, what do we do? Should we escape now, or...?"