C1728 The Formation Was Broken
Zu Ann gazed toward the Ghost Wizard Sect's location on the Quietus Continent.
Clearly, he was aware of Xuanli's eager anticipation for a divine seat, a longing that had persisted for some time.
For someone like Xuanli, who had previously ascended to the pinnacle, it would be much easier to reclaim the highest divine seat after his resurrection and restoration of his former cultivation level. With his past experience, he could make another attempt at the divine seat with greater ease than a first-time ascendant.
In essence, should Wei Zhuo fall to Yu Yuan and the essence of his divine seat shatter, Xuanli could effortlessly claim it.
With the support of the Yin Meridian source and the Ghost God Youyu, Xuanli was poised to take Wei Zhuo's place.
Wei Zhuo, having barely escaped the rubble of the Thunder Sect, found most of his divine body submerged in the Thunder Divine Pool. He had intended to make a beeline for the Profound Sky Sect, but Zu Ann's words stopped him in his tracks.
Wei Zhuo's facial expressions shifted continuously, and his gaze wavered with uncertainty.
By then, he had learned through the spiritual treasures of the sect elders that the disciples he had sent to besiege the Evil Sect had suffered devastating losses. Qi Jinghai was dead, Lu Ji was dead, and several Unrestrained Stage cultivators had been massacred by Yuv Qian, Heixun, and others.
It seemed that the Thunder Sect no longer had any formidable cultivators to speak of.
The Thunder Sect, having only recently risen to the status of an upper sect, hadn't had the chance to flourish before it was reduced to just Wei Zhuo standing alone, with all the gifted disciples and elders having become casualties of war.
Casualties of Han Miaoyuan's war.
In the distance, Yu Yuan stood atop the Dragon Slash Platform, with a host of imposing Demon Gods and exalted beings materializing behind him. They unleashed their sophisticated magic, relentlessly bombarding the Empyrean Array.
Countless ancient Great Sword Immortals wielded their dazzling sword lights, weaving them into a colossal sphere of sword energy, threatening to dismember the Profound Sky Sect.
Beneath the cascading veils of spiritual energy, even the divine visage of Han Miaoyuan appeared strained as he bore the Exquisite Pagoda.
In such dire straits, would rushing to Han Miaoyuan's side truly alter the course of the battle?
And if victory were his, what would be his reward?
Han Miaoyuan's satisfaction and praise?
A wave of deep regret surged through Wai Zhuo's heart.
At that moment, from the depths of the Thunder Divine Pool that enveloped his body, a will that had been tempting him emerged once more.
It implored him to venture to the forbidden realm beyond the heavens and unleash the mystical object that would transform the Thunder Divine Pool and aid him in his ascension to divinity.
The will informed Wai Zhuo time and again that due to the presence of the Great Demon God Beilstein and his seal, it had never dared to dream of escape.
But now, with Beilstein having abruptly departed for the abyss, it saw a rare and perfect opportunity!
If only Wai Zhuo would assist in its release, it promised ample rewards in return, pledging to grant him greater power to erase the shame of this day.
The seductive thoughts of the soul flickered in and out, leaving Wai Zhuo wavering.
"Wai Zhuo, heed my advice and make haste from this place of strife—the farther, the better," Zu Ann implored as he shaped the mountains from divine power. He could see the uncertainty and conflict in Wai Zhuo's eyes and spoke earnestly, "You bear no ill will toward the Evil Sect, so why orchestrate an ambush with your disciples? Factions like the Silver Moon Sect, Ancient Desolate Sect, and Blood God Cult are merely pawns of the Divine Soul Sect, but the Evil Sect stands for Yu Yuan himself!"
"He's using you and the Thunder Sect as pawns to gauge the Divine Soul Sect's response, sending you into the fray first!"
"Can you not see the outcome now?"
Zu Ann's words, though seemingly well-intentioned, were laced with manipulation, aiming to subvert Wai Zhuo without spilling blood, thus lightening his own burden to concentrate on other matters.
And he had succeeded!
With a crackle, Wai Zhuo transformed into a streak of deep green lightning. Accompanied by the roar of thunder, he shattered the barrier of the Boundless World. To the astonishment of Zhou Cangmin, Chung Guanyu, and the other Unrestrained Stage cultivators, he bolted towards the starry expanse beyond.
In Qin Luo's absence, with no other supreme beings to oversee the outer realms, there was no one capable of stopping or even swaying Wai Zhuo's decision.
They could only watch helplessly as Wai Zhuo departed.
"He's just walking away?"
A Unrestrained Stage cultivator from the Cold Yin Sect rubbed his eyes, hardly able to believe what he was seeing.
Wai Zhuo, who had recently been in the spotlight and greatly valued by Han Miaoyuan, had just seen the Thunder Sect rise to the ranks of the upper sects and then suffer a catastrophic blow. Yet, Wai Zhuo's thoughts were not of immediate retaliation.
Instead, he had been convinced by Zu Ann to leave the vast expanse!
Who would believe that?
Who could have predicted that the situation would evolve to this point?
Zu Ann's intervention in Qin Luo's return, the sealing of Wai Zhuo, and his successful persuasion had everyone seeing Zu Ann in a new light.
Old Monster Zu, who had long resided in the Ascension Mountain Range and spied on all life with the Skywatch Mirror, had lost the counterbalance of the Origin Realm Gate. He had suddenly released his restraints and played a crucial role in this internal conflict of the vast expanse.
"Old Monster Zu is quite remarkable!"
"I never expected Old Monster Zu to pull off such a maneuver!"
The crowd marveled, buzzing with discussion throughout the Vast Ocean.
...
"Old Monster Zu is really sticking his nose where it doesn't belong!"
Xuanli from the Ghost Wizard Sect was particularly displeased. He was so infuriated he wanted to burst out and engage in a life-or-death battle with Zu Ann on the Heavenly Source Continent. "Why not let Wai Zhuo and Yu Yuan fight to the death? Without Wai Zhuo's divine seat shattering, where's my opportunity? Old Monster Zu truly deserves to die. He hid away at Ascension Peak like a coward for thousands of years. Why couldn't he have just continued?"
"He wasn't hiding; he's always been aiding the vast expanse, keeping a close watch on the Origin Realm Gate," Yuan Qingxi spoke up in a gentle tone.
Yuan Qingxi admired the contributions Zu Ann had made to the vast expanse. Thus, he sometimes felt it was unfair that Zu Ann had never been compensated with a divine seat.
Despite his respect for Xuanli, Yuan Qingxi felt compelled to defend Zu Ann against such defamation.
"The Empyrean Array is on the verge of breaking."
Youyu interjected unexpectedly, shifting his focus from the Profound Sky Sect to the earth beneath them.
"What are your thoughts?" he inquired of the Yin Meridian's origin.
The Yin Meridian remained silent.
...
Yu Yuan, the focus of everyone's attention, stood upon the expansive river of light, with the Evil Cauldron suspended behind him, and the Evil Demon coalesced into various gods and demons.
In the heavens and among all the renowned figures, anyone who was privy to this battle was utterly astounded by Yu Yuan. They engaged in fervent discussions about him.
No one had anticipated that Yu Yuan, a junior from the Divine Soul Sect, could push Han Miaoyuan to such a state of disarray!
Yu Yuan's eyes snapped open.
Boom!
Thick pillars of blood energy burst forth from the Dragon Slash Platform at his feet. His true form soared to great heights, revealing a massive, blood-red figure.
The moment this figure manifested, all the ancient demons roared uncontrollably.
Across Dragon Island, dragons of lower rank, unworthy of soaring the skies, lay prostrate on the ground, as if in reverent worship.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The heartbeats of cultivators and spiritual beasts at advanced stages of cultivation suddenly quickened.
A natural, oppressive sensation born of blood made those with formidable flesh feel increasingly uneasy.
It was as though an invisible hand had seized the hearts of the mighty and was slowly squeezing them.
The humans of the Ancient Desolate Sect and the followers of the Blood God Cult felt the sensation most acutely, as if their hearts were on the verge of bursting, threatening to obliterate them.
"Optimus Nine Slashes!"
Yu Yuan, having summoned his dharma form, gripped the now-mightier Divine Sword and casually drew forth a crimson arc of light. With a hearty laugh, he swung his sword down towards the Empyrean Array below.
In an instant, the scarlet sword river he used to annihilate the soul of the Origin Realm God took shape.
The river of sword light gradually solidified into transparent red crystal before suddenly shattering.
Countless tiny red crystals transformed into myriad sword beams, guided by his will, and coalesced into a smaller orb of light that descended upon the Empyrean Array.
"Sky Opening Array!"
"That's the Sky Opening Array!"
"It's actually the Sky Opening Array!"
The smaller orb of sword light possessed an even more refined and pure sword intent. The paths it wove and the sword force it exuded constituted the true essence of the Sky Opening Array.
Puff!
The diminutive orb of sword energy pierced through the surface, landing on the layered Spiritual Energy barriers with a series of sizzles.
The Spiritual Energy barriers, amassed by the Empyrean Array, were as if corroded by the tiny orb of sword light, rapidly forming a breach.
The nine floating palaces and their concealed Spiritual Energy formations crumbled as their networks broke apart.
Cao Jiaze, who was at one with the nine Heaven Palace Seals, channeling his soul, Spiritual Energy, and life force into the Empyrean Array, suddenly spat out blood uncontrollably.
The brilliance in Cao Jiaze's eyes faded, and his acupoints and meridians suffered severe damage.
He was the embodiment of the Empyrean Array, with the nine Heaven Palace Seals serving merely as pivotal nodes. Should any part of this Seventh Level sect-defending array break, he would suffer as if the pain were his own.
The injuries would manifest simultaneously in both his flesh and soul.
"Brother Cao, forgive me for setting aside our past. You should not have merged with the Empyrean Array, nor should you have become Han Miaoyuan's shield," Yu Yuan said with a sigh.
Sword lights streaked through the breach like lightning, targeting the walls of the nine palaces. They cleaved through the gold metal and jade-like walls, dismantling the Spiritual Arrays within the Empyrean Array.
Cao Jiaze's chest was torn open, his body bleeding profusely, and his Unrestrained Stage cultivation plummeted.
With the array's destruction, his cultivation level was on the brink of vanishing.
The earth and valleys of the Profound Sky Sect split open with a thunderous crack, threatening to collapse entirely.
The people who had lived around the Profound Sky Sect for generations watched their towns crumble. Some knelt, praying fervently, pleading for the battle not to reach them.
"Please, no more bloodshed! Yu Yuan, if you must fight, take it elsewhere! I'm begging you," Cao Jiaze implored, lying in a pool of his own blood, gazing helplessly at the sky as the light screen above him cracked wider, revealing the restless Demon Gods.
"Very well," Yu Yuan, a figure whose presence stunned the world, ascended slowly on the Dragon Slash Platform.
Beyond the boundary wall, the Unrestrained Stage cultivators tasked with safeguarding the expanse and thwarting any ill-intentioned outsiders from the other realms all soared toward the moon at the sight of Yu Yuan's impending emergence.
Chung Guanyu also withdrew.
Only Zhou Cangmin, the Demonic Seed, remained outside the boundary wall, watching Yu Yuan with a complex mix of emotions.
