Borrowing... the Position of True Lord!
It took sixty years to orchestrate the fate of all living beings, stir up karma, and unleash this cataclysmic calamity that swept across both the mortal and immortal realms.
Qi Yun's ultimate goal was now laid bare before them.
The [Fruition Status] that Desolate Halberd True Lord left behind here was not hidden in some secret realm, nor attached to some strange object.
Instead, it transformed into the [False Heaven's Will] that reigns high in the heavens, usurps power, suppresses the true heaven, and manipulates all cultivators!
The dramatic truth carries a chilling irony.
The Fruition Status is right before your eyes, within reach.
As long as you can touch that bluish-gray halo that hangs high in the sky, radiating an aura of authority that makes all things tremble.
However, how should it be collected?
Just as Qi Yun's mind raced, countless plans flashed through his mind only to be rejected one after another.
Above the sky, the hazy bluish-gray halo slowly turned its gaze upon him.
"You—he—a place—"
The voice, grand and vast yet filled with a cold, mechanical quality, was like a complex roar produced by the simultaneous vibration of billions of tiny Principle, fiercely chiseling into the depths of Qi Yun's Divine Soul!
Every word was as heavy as a star, carrying an unquestionable sense of judgment and icy hostility!
As this sound arrived, a pressure far purer and more fundamental than any previous Yang Spirit's might descended with a thunderous roar, precisely enveloping Qi Yun's entire body!
"Snap!!!"
Beneath Qi Yun's feet, the majestic imperial city wall, which had been ravaged by the aftermath of the fierce battle between the Yang Spirit and was only held together by the last remaining Formation Art, collapsed and shattered.
The rising dust was instantly pressed back to the ground by the omnipresent pressure!
Qi Yun was at the center of the pressure, his face turned pale, and his bones emitted a series of subtle but dense popping sounds, as if he were bearing the weight of the entire world.
"Snort!"
With a muffled groan, Qi Yun's eyes erupted with chaotic divine light!
There is absolutely nothing left to hold back, and no room for any reservations!
[Great Luo Heaven]
Open!
With a single step, the scenery within a hundred feet around him changed drastically!
A scene reminiscent of the beginning of chaos unfolded with a thunderous roar!
The pure energy rises and evolves into the illusory images of the sun, moon, and stars; the celestial orbits flow, and the power of order permeates the air.
The turbid air sinks down, transforming into the image of the Nine Nethers Ruins of Return, with the intention of devouring and dissolving hidden within.
The four fundamental elements of earth, fire, wind, and water manifested and then vanished. Countless Dao patterns intertwined and flickered at the edge of this temporarily opened Domain Heaven, forming a "heaven and earth" independent of the rules of Azure Gate!
"BOOM!!!"
Two equally supreme "rules," yet fundamentally different, collided violently!
The silent Principle erupted violently at the edge of the hundred-zhang domain, and space wrinkled, tore, and regenerated like crumpled paper.
Qi Yun's [Great Luo Heaven] trembled violently, the illusory images of the sun, moon and stars that evolved inside flickered uncertainly, the cycle of birth and death of earth, fire and wind and water became sluggish, and the interwoven Dao patterns at the edges constantly collapsed and were difficult to reassemble.
However, this standoff lasted only a few breaths.
The bluish-gray halo seemed to "sense" the tenacity of the ants below, and its circulation speed suddenly accelerated, while the pale Dao patterns at its core shone brightly!
It was even more magnificent, more refined, and mobilized the suppression of the entire Azure Gate world's rules, crashing down like a celestial river pouring down!
"Click----click-clack----"
Qi Yun's [Great Luo Heaven] began to emit mournful cries of unbearable burden.
The area of the domain was visibly compressed, rapidly shrinking from a hundred zhang to eighty zhang, fifty zhang, and thirty zhang!
Within the realm, large swathes of the evolutionary landscape dimmed and disintegrated, transforming back into chaotic, turbulent currents.
Qi Yun's face grew increasingly pale, and a trace of pale golden blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
[The Fruition Status] is, after all, merely a nominal holder of a portion of the power of the entire Azure Gate and Earth.
Even though his power was greatly reduced due to his previous clash with [True Heaven's Will].
But as an existence comparable to True Lord, even if its strength is reduced to only one-tenth, it is still vast and unparalleled.
As he watched [Great Luo Heaven] being compressed to less than ten feet, with the Dao patterns on its edges cracking like rain, and feeling a sharp pain coming from his own Dao Foundation, Qi Yun frowned deeply.
We can't tough it out anymore.
He still struggled to maintain the [Great Luo Heaven] with his left hand, while his right hand reached into his robes and then out again, his palm holding something.
It was the palm-sized jade box, pure white, neither gold nor jade, that Desolate Halberd True Lord bestowed upon him before his departure!
The True Lord once said that if you encounter an insurmountable predicament, you can open this box.
The sealed contents inside can help him avert a crisis.
Right now, we're in a desperate situation!
Just as Qi Yun's fingers were about to unleash the Daoist energy that flowed between them, about to touch the hazy halo on the surface of the jade box and open it, a sudden change occurred!
The depths of the Great Luo Heaven, compressed to their absolute limit and on the verge of complete collapse.
Within that chaotic current of energy, ravaged by the conflict, a new power surged forth without warning!
This power does not originate from Qi Yun himself, nor is it the same as the cold and efficient rule control of [Fruition Status].
It is vast, ancient, and profound, carrying a sense of stagnation that has endured countless ages, yet it also contains the most primal and authentic vitality and rhythm.
Like the earth's veins, dormant for countless years, suddenly surging; like a star about to be extinguished, igniting its last rays of light and heat.
The emergence of this force was extremely subtle, like a trickle of water.
It was quietly injected into the Dao patterns that were about to break and collapse in the [Great Luo Heaven] domain, into the dim phantoms of the sun, moon and stars, and into the chaotic cycle of earth, fire, wind and water.
In an instant, the [Great Luo Heaven], which was on the verge of collapse, trembled slightly!
The cracked Dao patterns healed at an accelerated pace, and the dim evolutionary scene regained a faint but tenacious light. The shrinking trend of the Domain Heaven was abruptly stopped!
Qi Yun narrowed his eyes, his gaze flashing intensely.
He clearly sensed the primordial aura of this sudden, overwhelming power that helped him stabilize the [Great Luo Heaven]—
"[True Heaven's Will] is helping me?"
Qi Yun muttered to himself, a hint of realization in his voice.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
[True Heaven's Will] was suppressed by [the Fruition Status], and its authority was usurped.
He desires to reclaim His Heavenly Position!
My only hope is myself right now!
After all, if he were to lose, there would be no one in [Azure Gate] who could rival [Fruition Status].
[True Heaven's Will] means there will be no return!
The moment the thought arose in Qi Yun's mind, the vast power from the [True Heaven's Will] surged forth!
It was no longer the trickle of support it had received, but rather a complete awakening of the ancient, dormant earth veins.
The fundamental rhythm of the entire [Azure Gate] world, the breath of mountains and rivers, the eternal origin accumulated from the withering and flourishing of plants, at this moment, transformed into a silent yet powerful torrent that made the void tremble, and poured into his [Great Luo Heaven] which was about to collapse!
"Buzz-!!!"
The Great Luo Heaven trembled violently!
The Chaos Domain Heaven, which had been compressed to less than ten feet and whose edges were cracking inch by inch, suddenly burst forth with unprecedented brilliance, like a parched land suddenly flooded by the Milky Way!
The pure energy rose wildly, and the resulting star map rapidly expanded and solidified. The countless star trails were no longer illusory, but transformed into solid chains flowing with silver light. The chains intertwined, and the power of order permeated the air, forcibly restoring and returning to order the chaotic rules within a radius of hundreds of feet, thousands of feet, and even further!
The turbid air sank down with a roar, and the image of the Nine Nethers Ruins of Return Nothingness was no longer just an illusion, but a real manifestation of a black hole vortex that devoured everything. Its edges rippled with absolute darkness that swallowed all light and probes, silently engulfing, crushing, and transforming the bluish-gray turbulent flow of rules that the [Fruition Status] was crushing into the most primordial chaotic energy!
The four fundamental elements of earth, fire, and feng shui no longer undergo cycles of birth and death, but instead directly manifest as tangible phenomena.
The four primordial forces interacted and evolved, weaving layer upon layer of luminous barriers containing the Dao of birth and death at the edge of the [Great Luo Heaven]!
Qi Yun felt as if a burning ancient star had been thrown into his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness!
"Snap--!"
A soft sound, as if some invisible shackle had broken, that only Qi Yun could hear, resounded from the deepest part of his Dao Foundation.
Immediately afterwards, his cultivation level began to increase at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The magical Law Power, which had been restrained and stagnant due to cross-dimensional suppression and the rejection by the rules of this realm, suddenly surged forth!
The meridians and acupoints were instantly expanded and strengthened, the Law Power transformed from rivers into a sea of stars, and the quality underwent a fundamental transformation.
Each wisp began to carry a trace of the chaotic Daoist charm of the beginning of heaven and earth, as well as the ancient and profound nature unique to the Azure Gate Realm!
His Divine Soul, that newly formed pale golden Yang Spirit, shone brightly!
Its size expanded and solidified at an incredible speed, and its originally warm and jade-like light gold color rapidly transformed into a deeper dark gold that seemed to illuminate the entirety of time and space!
As the Yang Spirit's eyes opened and closed, faint shadowy images of the sun and moon floated within them. The pure Yang Daoist aura that flowed naturally around him began to be mixed with a trace of the cold majesty of the authority of heaven and earth!
At the same time, [Great Luo Heaven] also changed.
This supreme Domain Heaven, after merging with the Azure Gate Origin and fragments of authority bestowed by [True Heaven's Will], began a true transformation!
The scope of the Domain Heaven is no longer passively expanding, but actively growing!
From an initial hundred feet, it instantly expanded to a thousand feet, then ten thousand feet!
And this range seems to have no limit.
As long as the support of [True Heaven's Will] continues, it can continue to extend, covering and replacing the surrounding world controlled by [Fruition Status]!
The aura surrounding Qi Yun underwent a dramatic transformation.
It was no longer the profound and restrained aura of True Person, nor the dazzling pure Yang energy it possessed when it first achieved the Yang Spirit status.
Rather, it is a supreme feeling—as if one breathes and lives in harmony with the entire universe!
He stood in the center of the wildly expanding [Great Luo Heaven], his deep blue Daoist robe fluttering wildly without wind, and wisps of chaotic Daoist patterns and azure sky light began to flow naturally from the edges of his robe.
Within his eyes, the left eye was a chaotic flow of nine colors, reflecting the birth and death of Xuanhuang; the right eye transformed into a pure azure, within which the illusory images of mountains and rivers rose and fell, and the sun and moon Lunzhuan.
His physical form remained unchanged, but in the perception of all the beings who witnessed this scene, it was infinitely growing and expanding, transforming into a supreme true god whose head reached the heavens, whose feet trod the Nine Nethers, and whose body was entwined with endless threads of the Great Dao and cause and effect!
"This is----?!"
In the distance, the fifty hastily cultivated Yang Spirit who were engaged in fierce battle with the Azure Gate Yang Spirit, along with their opponents, involuntarily slowed their attacks and stared in horror at the center of that strange change in the heavens and earth.
immediately-
"BOOM!!!!"
A terrifying power, far more vast and icy than before, carrying boundless rage and killing intent, suddenly erupted from that small patch of bluish-gray light!
Sensing Qi Yun's change, [Fruition Status] was enraged and determined to kill him in one fell swoop!
Wherever the torrent passed, space was not torn apart, but simply vanished, turning into utter nothingness!
This attack was beyond the comprehension of someone at the Yang Spirit level.
This is the resolute determination of [Fruition Status] to completely erase Qi Yun, the biggest variable, along with the support of [True Heaven's Will] behind him, from the Azure Gate Realm at all costs!
However, just as this devastating torrent of divine punishment was about to engulf [Great Luo Heaven] at the critical moment—
"Buzz----!!!"
That True Heaven's Will, which had been constantly vying with the [Fruition Status], shone with the most dazzling brilliance!
The deep pulse of the Azure Gate Realm reached its peak!
This is the last and greatest force that [True Heaven's Will] can mobilize.
The entire world instinctively yearns for the return of the "rightful owner" and naturally rejects the usurpation of power by the "thief"!
This power is formless and intangible, yet it is more fundamental and vast than any Divine Ability Art!
That's a blessing!
It's agreement!
Yes, it's a trust!
In an instant!
Qi Yun felt his consciousness being forcibly elevated to an indescribable dimension.
He "saw" it.
I saw the trajectory of every speck of dust falling from the shattered ruins of the imperial city beneath my feet, and the past cause and effect of it being part of the mountains millions of years ago.
They could see every tiny vein of Law Power surging within the bodies of the Yang Spirit battling in the distance.
I saw the threads of fate, some faint, some thick, some thin, interwoven into a vast sea of light above the heads of hundreds of millions of living beings across the entire Great Cang Territory. I saw how their joys and sorrows, births, aging, sickness, and death subtly resonated with the "national destiny," "earth's veins," and "celestial phenomena" of this land.
Seeing even higher, within the bluish-gray halo formed by the [Fruition Status], countless pale chains forcibly pierced, twisted, and replaced the original bluish-gray network of Principle of heaven and earth.
Omniscient.
All-rounder.
With a mere thought, one can manipulate the threads of cause and effect, causing a broken beam in the ruins of the imperial city to rejoin, reversing the injuries of a severely wounded Yang Spirit in the distance, instantly dissipating rain clouds in an area, and subtly altering the course of a ley line.
I felt as if I had become the master of this world.
Looking down at his hands, Qi Yun slowly clenched them, his eyes gleaming with divine light. "This is... a false holder of the True Lord's position?"
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