C1727 Raising the Sword!!
Zu Ann's discontent with Han Miaoyuan was palpable.
As the eldest among the Unbound, it was common knowledge that their kind did not possess eternal life.
His death was inevitable.
Long ago, he had reached the zenith of the Unbound realm, with a depth of cultivation unmatched by any other. He should have ascended to divinity with ease, yet a divine seat eluded him.
He was forced to watch as juniors like Gu Xingkui, Ji Tianyu, Tan Xiaotian, and Zhu Zhenlin surpassed him one after another.
How could he accept this?
Was it simply because he was an independent cultivator without the backing of a powerful sect? Without Han Miaoyuan's favor and approval, was he doomed to wait endlessly?
He firmly believed that the true key to his rise to a primordial spirit was not the Boulderdawn.
It was the Origin Deity!
The Origin Deity's re-emergence in the extraterrestrial realms, causing chaos, had reached the ears of the Boulderdawn, and consequently, Han Miaoyuan's.
Han Miaoyuan was scared!
He feared that the Origin Gate, which had been dormant for so long, might spiral out of control due to the Origin Deity's return, thus his path to godhood was somewhat reluctantly accepted.
It appeared that the Boulderdawn had slain Lee Tianxin of the Sunlit Order in the celestial expanse, laying out a sacred way for him.
Yet, Zu Ann harbored suspicions that Han Miaoyuan was complicit in Tianxin's demise!
In essence, if not for the significant threat posed by the Origin Gate, Han Miaoyuan would have been concerned about his inability to manage its tumultuous changes, and Tianxin's death could have been prevented!
Over the years, Zu Ann had covertly observed the dynamics of heaven, earth, and man, and he had come to understand the kind of person Han Miaoyuan was.
When the time came for sacrifice, Lee Tianxin, Yuwen Hao, Ji Tianyu, Gu Xingkui, and all the exalted primordial spirits would be unhesitatingly sacrificed by Han Miaoyuan!
"Do you see the similarity between us, Wei Zhuo? We both owe our gratitude to the Origin Deity. I am tasked with defending Skyreach Peak, ensuring the Origin Gate remains stable, and that is why I have secured my divine seat."
"And you! In Han Miaoyuan's eyes, your power of thunder could one day heavily injure the Origin Deity."
"That's where your value lies."
Zu Ann, standing at the summit of the Holy Mountain, shook his head before adding, "But now, your worth isn't as great, since the threat of the Origin Deity has dissipated. Han Miaoyuan no longer needs to rely on your power. The same goes for me; without the Origin Gate, my divine status is shaky."
"Heh, so let's all just hope for the best."
Whoosh!
More than a dozen towering Holy Mountains, their mass wrapped in divine chains, bore down on Wei Zhuo.
Wei Zhuo, deep in contemplation, looked up to see a deluge of divine spells, crafted by Zu Ann, raining down upon his Mindscape.
His soul and divine seat felt as though they were resisting the weight of all the mountains in the Everlands, leaving him feeling overwhelmed and powerless.
...
High above the Ebon Star.
Yu Yuan, perched on the Dragon Slaying Stage, stood beside the vast River of Swords, his sword in hand, his figure dwarfed by the spectacle.
Glancing back, he could clearly see thousands of sword lights, sharp and slender like fish, darting through the river, eagerly awaiting their moment.
They were poised to unleash their stored power, to shatter the protective circle of the Ebon Star!
"Yu Yuan!"
At that moment.
Across the forbidden areas of the Everlands, atop numerous sect peaks, and even from the extraterrestrial Star River, countless eyes were fixed on the sky above the Ebon Star, watching the sword-wielding figure.
No one could have imagined that the rising star of the Boulderdawn, with his Unbound level of cultivation, would compel the Ebon Star to deploy the seventh level of the Nine Palaces Array!
For tens of millions of years, such a formation had only been activated during full-scale war between the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea.
The seventh level of the Nine Palaces Array, with its nine floating palaces as a foundation and controlled by the lynchpin of the nine Mark of the Celestials, could withstand the full-force attack of the highest primordial spirit.
As the nine majestic palaces were shrouded in divine light, refined by spiritual energy, and as Han Miaoyuan slowly raised the Banner of Duality, everyone suddenly realized that the leader of the Ebon Star and the humans remained the same venerable elder.
The Sword Sect, Sunlit Order, and Devil Palace had seen an untold number of sect masters and palace masters fall. Yet Han Miaoyuan alone remained steadfast, the undisputed leader of humanity, revered and worshipped by all.
Today, someone had the audacity to challenge his authority!
"Nine Palaces Array."
With a mere thought, Yu Yuan, from the distant Land of Quiescence, vanquished numerous cultivators of the Thunder Sect with the Crucible of Evil and instantaneously returned to the Dragon Slaying Stage.
The Troll, forged from the Lunar Spirit, towered thousands of feet high, cradling the Crucible of Evil in its hands, much like Han Miaoyuan held the Exquisite Pagoda aloft.
"Divine and Demonic Creation!"
With another thought, the immense Troll, composed of tens of thousands of Bane, split apart into a host of ancient Demon Gods. The presence of the Dark Deity and the extraterrestrial pinnacle from the annals of Everlands exuded an aura capable of obliterating the realm, striking fear into all.
"Arise, swords!"
At his command, the myriad sword lights dancing along the vast river were seemingly harnessed by the Grand Sword Immortals, each wielding a substantial sword of Lunar Spirit. Upon closer inspection, it was truly thousands of Grand Sword Immortals, their visages blurred, each guiding a multitude of sword lights.
These Grand Sword Immortals appeared to be living beings with flesh, blood, and souls, as if they had been summoned from the netherworld to the tangible world to brandish their Divine Swords once more.
Yu Yuan, gripping his sword, remained still as he closed his eyes, immersing himself in the fusion of his remnant soul and vitality.
His concentration was absolute, his soul divided into thousands, each fragment merging with streams of vitality to form avatars infused with his essence of soul and blood.
These thousands of avatars, resembling Grand Sword Immortals, were in fact driven by the sword lights and sword's will!
It was not the multitude of his avatars wielding the swords, but rather the sword lights and sword's will within the River of Swords, drawing upon the power within his avatars' blood and soul to conjure the likeness of their former master.
And then, they envisioned themselves once again fighting shoulder to shoulder with those masters who had battled valiantly to the death for the sake of Everlands.
This spectacle, long envisioned by countless sword spirits, was brought to life by the extraordinary nature of Yu Yuan's blood and soul.
"Kill! Fight for the rise of the Human Race in the Everlands!"
"Kill! Strike down the Sky Fiend! It's time for the Human Race and the extraterrestrial Sky Fiend to determine the victor!"
"Kill! Topple the Nagas, and let the Human Race reign supreme in the Everlands!"
"Kill!"
One by one, the Grand Sword Immortals, their faces indistinct, emerged from the expansive River of Swords. They formed a sphere around the fan-shaped spiritual energy light screen and successively launched their attacks on the Nine Palaces Array.
The brilliance of the myriad swords shone upon Ebon Star, brightening the entire Euwrea continent.
The cultivator on the moon had already reached the edge of the wall. Focusing his power, he looked on to see thousands of Grand Sword Immortals moving with their swords, forming a vast sphere that enveloped both the Nine Palaces Array and the territory of Ebon Star.
The sword light weaved and shuttled continuously, slicing through the layers of spiritual energy shields.
Ancient Trolls and Dark Deities, their origins a mystery, bellowed furiously, hurling massive spheres of light, mountains, pools of lightning, chains of the gods, whips born of cosmic order, and altars and Divine Thrones forged from bones towards the Nine Palaces Array.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The land trembled and mountains swayed at Ebon Star's location, as if it were the apocalypse!
"This..."
Zhou Cangmin of the Ruby Hand, pressed against the clear wall of the Everlands, gazed down at the cataclysmic tumult below, witnessing the formidable might of Yu Yuan's full assault, and felt disoriented.
"What a harbinger of doom! A disaster!"
"How many years has it been? When was the last time such a world-shaking fiend emerged in the Everlands?"
"In my view, even this seventh-level Nine Palaces Array might not withstand his onslaught!"
"Damn it! A divine conflict of this magnitude should not be occurring within the Everlands! If he continues unchecked, I fear it will undermine the very foundations of our world!"
Cultivators from various sects, including those at the Unbound Stage, were in a frenzy, equally shocked by Yu Yuan's display.
"A battle of the gods? He hasn't even ascended to the Supreme God rank yet," Zhang Guanyu grumbled under his breath.
Thunder Sect.
Wei Zhuo, who had repeatedly been repelled by the Holy Mountains, suddenly fell silent. Tremors far more violent than those around him emanated from the direction of Ebon Star. With Zu Ann's permission, a strand of his spiritual sense, crackling with lightning, shot into the sky, allowing him to witness the battle unfolding at Ebon Star.
He observed the Grand Sword Immortal from the Sword Sect, wielding the Divine Sword, besieging Ebon Star in an inconceivable display. He also saw legendary Trolls and peak extraterrestrial warriors, standing tall in the sky, assaulting the sect.
Had the wall of the Everlands not remained intact, he might have believed that the Otherkin, led by the Great Demon God Bertain, were at that very moment laying siege to Ebon Star. And they had even conspired with the Dark Deities and the supreme beings of the Everlands!
"Your Thunder Sect is far too easily breached. With just the Dragon Slaying Stage, he has managed to raze your sect to the ground," Zu Ann remarked, not missing the chance to mock Wei Zhuo amidst his astonishment. Shaking his head, he added, "After all, your Thunder Sect lacks the true foundation of an upper sect. A seventh-level protective circle isn't something your Thunder Sect could ever hope to create. Oh!"
He slapped his forehead, "I almost forgot, your Thunder Sect's ranking was even below that of Starmoon Sect, Ethereal Void, and Forgeroses. No wonder, no wonder."
Wei Zhuo's face reddened with anger, as if he were about to breathe fire. Yet, as he observed the catastrophe befalling Ebon Star through the lightning, he was oddly silent.
Compared to the fall of Thunder Sect, the techniques now displayed by Yu Yuan were genuinely fearsome. Zu Ann wasn't wrong; without a strong foundation and lacking a seventh-level protective circle, Thunder Sect had been easily shattered by Yu Yuan's might at the Dragon Slaying Stage, seemingly without him even exerting his full strength.
Now, with Yu Yuan unleashing his full capabilities, his true power was on full display, revealing his complete form.
With a whoosh, Zu Ann suddenly lifted the seal from the peaks, and Wei Zhuo immediately felt a release from the oppressive force.
"Are you certain you're ready to meet your end right now?" Zu Ann asked, giving Wei Zhuo a sardonic smile. "Don't say I didn't warn you. Once you forfeit your divine seat, there'll be no shortage of takers eager to fill it."
...
