Chapter 1672: Realm Shattered

In the medicinal garden.

The Poison King and Qin Sang chased after each other. To everyone's surprise, True Monarch Hè Gāo did not leave with True Monarch Zǐ Léi, but instead continued deeper into the medicinal garden.

Sū Zǐnán also chose to stay.

Mò Xíngdào was quicker than him and had already begun extensively searching and collecting items within the garden.

Although the medicinal garden was vast, the number of spirit herbs within it was actually limited.

Firstly, spirit herbs are delicate and have stringent requirements. Different types can easily clash, necessitating the setup of complex formations to alter the environment and meet their growth needs, often occupying large areas.

Secondly, only extremely valuable or rare spirit herbs were chosen to be placed on Mount Dìshòu. Even the Wúxiàng Immortal Sect wouldn't have many of these.

Thirdly, when the demonic catastrophe arrived years ago and the sect faced emergencies, most of these herbs were taken for alchemy to support the battlefield, leaving nine out of ten formations empty.

Of course, the spirit herbs were secondary. While collecting them, both men kept part of their attention on True Monarch Hè Gāo, observing his movements.

Although Mò Xíngdào and Sū Zǐnán had a feud, they managed to maintain restraint for now.

Thus, True Monarch Hè Gāo remained at the forefront.

True Monarch Hè Gāo continuously weaved through the medicinal garden. Coming from a prestigious sect, his discerning eye was evident; only occasionally would a spirit herb pique his interest enough for him to break a formation and collect it.

In this manner, True Monarch Hè Gāo almost circled the entire medicinal garden.

He continued searching for spirit herbs on his own, completely ignoring the two individuals who were consistently trailing him at a discreet distance.

Gradually, Sū Zǐnán and Mò Xíngdào couldn't help but grow suspicious, wondering if True Monarch Hè Gāo was playing tricks on them, deliberately leading them in circles.

They were not only tracking True Monarch Hè Gāo but also observing the garden's formations and sensing the aura of the place themselves, yet they found nothing unusual.

Mò Xíngdào originally had no other demands; he would have been content with just these spirit herbs.

Sū Zǐnán, however, had given up the opportunity to fish in troubled waters near the Poison King and the Fire Demon, even though his goal of collecting souls with his demonic banner had been exposed and everyone was wary of him, making the chance slim.

This made him somewhat anxious.

Sū Zǐnán glanced towards the mountaintop, recalling True Monarch Zǐ Léi, and couldn't help but wonder if True Monarch Hè Gāo was merely putting on a show, keeping others delayed here to prevent anyone from troubling True Monarch Zǐ Léi.

Perhaps the true treasure was actually on the mountaintop!

But then, what were Old Devil Fán and Old Devil Zhū doing?

The situation was chaotic; who could truly know the full picture?

Sū Zǐnán decided to stop pondering, stepped hundreds of feet, passed through the formations, and approached True Monarch Hè Gāo, directly asking, "True Monarch, what are you seeking?"

True Monarch Hè Gāo seemed to have just noticed him, glanced over, and indifferently replied, "I am collecting spirit herbs to replenish my own medicinal garden. What concern is that of yours? You've been following me for so long, have you taken a fancy to my Nascent Soul?"

His tone held undisguised mockery, showing no mercy.

Sū Zǐnán had two souls in his banner, and from a distance, Mò Xíngdào and his late-Nascent Soul puppet were observing. If they hadn't turned hostile, he would have had to carefully consider his next move. At this moment, True Monarch Hè Gāo, though wary, would not fear him like a tiger.

Sū Zǐnán's facial muscles twitched. Before he could say anything more, a furious roar suddenly erupted.

The roar echoed throughout Mount Dìshòu, audible even in the medicinal garden.

All three were momentarily stunned.

Sū Zǐnán was searching for the source of the roar when he suddenly felt something unusual before him. Instantly, a crane's cry shook the heavens, and he saw True Monarch Hè Gāo transform into a crane's shadow, colliding directly into a spirit formation.

The Five Elements spiritual energy within the formation was imbalanced, with Earth-element spiritual energy being the most prominent. Yellow sand constantly swirled inside, suggesting the nature of the spirit herbs once cultivated there. Unfortunately, no herbs were visible; it was an empty formation.

'Whoosh!'

It was unknown what divine ability True Monarch Hè Gāo employed. The crane shadow struck the spirit formation, paused for a moment, and then effortlessly phased through it.

By the time Sū Zǐnán and Mò Xíngdào hastily rushed over, they only saw wild sand swirling within, a dim yellow haze, and the crane shadow soaring into the sky, vanishing in a flash.

'Boom! Boom!'

Sū Zǐnán and Mò Xíngdào attacked in unison.

The main soul of the demonic banner and the puppet's attacks struck the spirit formation almost simultaneously. Combined with the power of their true bodies, the might of this single strike was comparable to the combined efforts of five late-Nascent Soul cultivators.

The barrier formed by the spirit formation groaned under the strain, then collapsed. The violent sandstorm was directly blown open by the residual force, creating a void through which the faint, hazy crane shadow could be vaguely seen deep within.

In the midst of the chaos, the two exchanged glances.

There was an unresolvable feud between them, yet now they were once again joining forces, which was undoubtedly a great irony.

Inside the seal.

Old Devil Fán unleashed the Corrupt Yin Phosphor Sand, knowing full well he had caused a major disaster.

He then saw the five-colored coronet's spiritual light dimming, and the black tide's momentum surging, surprisingly changing direction and surging towards him. In alarm, his Illusion Demon body transformed into smoke and retracted into the lotus heart.

The Myriad Illusions Nether Lotus shot back and vanished into the Skybright Ancient Mirror.

'Boom!'

The black tide followed closely, instantly submerging the ancient mirror.

The ancient mirror violently vibrated, its center radiating bright light as a long crack appeared. The black tide furiously drilled into the crack, threatening to pry it open and invade.

'Shatter!'

The ancient mirror shattered, its fragments vanishing in an instant like a fleeting dream.

The black tide grew more turbulent, searching back and forth but finding nothing. It emitted an unwilling intent, then abruptly converged into one mass and furiously slammed into the five-colored coronet.

Outside the seal.

True Monarch Zǐ Léi manifested his Thunder Monarch Dharmakaya, with lightning concentrated in his palm.

The violent purple lightning in his hand resembled chains of divine punishment.

He became the Thunder Monarch, wielding divine punishment on behalf of heaven!

'Rumble...'

True Monarch Zǐ Léi overlooked Zhū Wúdào, his aura like a towering mountain or a thunderous abyss. With a raised hand, lightning rained down, bombarding and shattering the sword-transformed golden rainbow inch by inch.

The Purple-Eyed Demonic Gaze, which followed the sword-transformed golden rainbow, was Zhū Wúdào's true killing move.

However, lightning naturally possessed the ability to dispel evil. After manifesting his Thunder Monarch Dharmakaya, True Monarch Zǐ Léi, clad in thunder robes and wearing an imperial crown, was constantly enveloped and protected by circulating purple lightning.

The Purple-Eyed Demonic Gaze, channeled through him, was already separated by a layer from the Demonic Child, and further hindered by multiple obstacles, its power greatly diminished. It was powerless to impact True Monarch Zǐ Léi's meticulously tempered mind, even if it wished to.

Though Zhū Wúdào had the Demonic Child's assistance, he was still deeply shaken. The aura emanating from above made his scalp tingle, so he simply abandoned his spirit sword, retracted his purple pupils, and silently recited scriptures.

His glabella cracked open, and a black gleam condensed, as if a third demonic eye had opened.

'Whoosh!'

The black gleam vanished in an instant.

When it reappeared, it was already inside the Palace Lantern Illusion, transformed into a small black demonic blade. Compared to the pervasive purple lightning, the blade seemed insignificant, and its aura was very weak.

In fact, this was a sign of extreme internal energy condensation. Wherever the demonic blade passed, the starry sky created by the illusion collapsed, returning to chaos. The Eight-Scenery Palace Lantern spun rapidly, continuously casting down threads of light to repair the illusion, yet it could no longer stop the demonic blade.

In an instant, only lightning separated True Monarch Zǐ Léi and the demonic blade.

True Monarch Zǐ Léi remained fearless in the face of danger. A purple glow condensed before him, forming a lightning seal. This seal, however, was vastly different from previous ones, with more complex runes, as it was formed this time via his imperial crown.

As the lightning seal descended, the circulating purple lightning from all around converged towards it, instantly expanding it several times over. The massive lightning seal met the demonic blade head-on.

It wasn't that Zhū Wúdào didn't want to change the demonic blade's direction, but that he had no opportunity!

The lightning seal and the demonic blade clashed, both disintegrating.

The next moment, the two formidable powers merged, forming a purple-black orb of light that lasted only for an instant before explosively detonating.

Only then did a deafening roar echo through the mountain's interior.

True Monarch Zǐ Léi had anticipated this. He preemptively retracted the Palace Lantern Illusion to avoid the shockwave, and simultaneously lightly brushed his imperial crown, transforming purple lightning into the illusion.

The illusion shifted rapidly.

By the time Zhū Wúdào reacted, he was already surrounded by omnipresent lightning.

Zhū Wúdào's eyebrows twitched rapidly. Although he had anticipated True Monarch Zǐ Léi, guarding the first gate, would possess considerable skill, he hadn't expected such formidable power. Even with the Demonic Child's aid, he couldn't gain the upper hand.

Fortunately, the demonic blade had bought him time.

Zhū Wúdào had been secretly making preparations. He finally completed the spirit formation, and with a flick of his wrist, a divine statue flew from his hand, falling into the center of the formation where it sat upright.

The divine statue was entirely blood-red, eerily malevolent.

As the spirit formation completed, the external blood sacrifice also reached its peak. A rich bloody aura almost seeped from the statue, but its eyes had turned black.

The divine statue, which should have been inanimate, actually blinked at that moment. Two black gazes shot towards Zhū Wúdào, and a powerful aura was transferred, pouring into Zhū Wúdào's body.

Cracking sounds were incessant—the popping of Zhū Wúdào's bones and the rattling of his golden armor twisting.

Zhū Wúdào spread his arms wide, his hair dancing wildly, and demonic energy surged limitlessly!

True Monarch Zǐ Léi felt a mortal threat emanating from him, and his expression subtly changed.

At this moment, Zhū Wúdào himself felt a surge of doubt, because the power transmitted from the Demonic Child was far stronger than anticipated. Although the channel was established, the Demonic Child would still need time to truly escape and slowly transfer over.

Communicating with the Demonic Child through his thoughts, Zhū Wúdào quickly understood the reason and chuckled wryly.

He had to thank Senior Brother Fán as well.

With this unexpected turn, the situation would be much better from now on!

Just then, a painful groan came from the mountaintop, and a figure plummeted downwards.

Old Devil Fán, dodging the black tide, decisively shattered the ancient mirror's projection and hastily returned. The mirror talisman before him shook violently, almost breaking apart.

His Illusion Demon body was also affected, directly thrown out from the mirror talisman, instantly revealing his true form, and he was injured.

With the illusion present, the changes within the mountain's interior could not escape True Monarch Zǐ Léi's notice.

Sensing True Monarch Zǐ Léi's blade-like gaze, Old Devil Fán preemptively let out a sharp cry, "Old Ox-Nose, look what you've done!"

No sooner had the shout begun than Old Devil Fán halted his descent and turned to flee.

"Where do you think you're going!"

True Monarch Zǐ Léi snorted coldly. The Eight-Scenery Palace Lantern flew high, and the illusion expanded rapidly. By the time Old Devil Fán stabilized his mirror talisman, he had already been drawn into the Palace Lantern Illusion.

It wasn't that True Monarch Zǐ Léi wished to fight many alone; rather, unforeseen events were constantly unfolding, too many unexpected things happening. True Monarch Zǐ Léi's ominous feeling grew stronger, yet there were still too many unclear aspects.

Old Devil Fán leaping out at this moment clearly indicated he had done something covertly.

Upon entering the illusion, Old Devil Fán perceived Zhū Wúdào's transformation, and recalling his experience inside the seal, he already deduced the full picture, realizing that Junior Brother Zhū had hidden his true depths more profoundly than imagined.

Old Devil Fán sighed heavenward and informed True Monarch Zǐ Léi of the truth via divine sense.

In an instant, both men simultaneously turned their gaze towards the divine statue within the formation!

Below.

Zhū Wúdào paid no mind to their exchange. His sole priority was to ensure the Demonic Child escaped the seal and prevent anyone from attacking the divine statue and destroying the channel.

If facing the Saint Monarch, and the Saint Monarch were to descend, even with a mere fraction of power, he would be unrivaled. But at this moment, he had to be cautious.

Otherwise, he would fail at the last hurdle, his efforts coming to naught!

Zhū Wúdào's figure shifted slightly, appearing above the divine statue, blocking their view. Demonic energy gathered in his palms, and using these two masses of demonic energy as fulcrums, a shadowy firmament unfurled above his head, obscuring everything.

At this moment, the primordial energy of heaven and earth subtly quivered.

When the Palace Lantern Illusion had expanded earlier, a similar phenomenon occurred, followed by the shadowy firmament growing denser.

Inside the seal.

The black tide did not pause for a moment, wave after wave continuously assailing the Five Elements Coronet.

Although the Five Elements Coronet's spiritual light was somewhat dim, it remained stable, supported by the Five Elements Divine Forbidden, unmoving at the center of the black tide.

The artifact spirit had already discovered the 'channel' between the divine statue and the Demonic Child.

However, the Five Elements Coronet had first been corrupted, rendering itself unstable, and now faced the Demonic Child's furious counterattack. The artifact spirit was temporarily at a loss. Furthermore, that 'channel' was exceedingly profound; its foundation was not here but millions of miles away, supported by countless divine statues that had fully imbibed fresh blood, continuously pouring in power, making it not something that could be easily severed.

'Boom!''Boom!''Boom!'

Unceasing impacts, accompanied by the Demonic Child's threats and temptations.

"You cannot swallow me!"

"Why not join forces with me and corrupt an entire realm!"

"If you and I contend, others will only benefit."

"Have you forgotten how they enslaved and controlled you? Do you still wish to return to them?"

"Oh, artifact spirit! Who wouldn't be tempted?"

"If you help them seal me, you'll meet the same fate. They won't give you a chance to complete your true nature! Even if they agree, they'll surely control you first; traps await!"

"You've dealt with them before; every single one of them is cunning and ruthless. Do you think your intellect is a match for theirs?"

"Only I, in this desperate situation, sincerely wish to join forces with you!"

"Unseal me, and I will establish a soul pact with you, transmitting the True Spirit Molding Art, allowing you to come and go as you please."

"Otherwise! When I break free, I will surely subjugate you!"

Each word permeated the Five Elements Coronet, assaulting the artifact spirit's mind.

Among them, the mocking words sparked intense rage in the artifact spirit.

Yet, the artifact spirit found itself unable to refute.

When it had possessed the Kun Dao, anyone else on the mountain in her position could have exploited the conflicts among others to devise a more meticulous and dangerous killing trap, dominating everything. Yet, she had somehow botched it.

However, from beginning to end, the artifact spirit remained silent, offering no response. It disregarded everything else, focusing solely on its main body, as layers of five-colored radiance rippled outwards, washing away the Corrupt Yin Phosphor Sand clinging to the Five Elements Coronet. Its luster gradually returned.

Just as the Demonic Child continuously assaulted the seal, the flaws in the Seven Constellations Sect Sword Formation were suddenly magnified and swiftly propagated throughout the Five Elements Divine Forbidden, consequently affecting the seal.

The Five Elements' mutual generation was still maintained, and the Divine Forbidden wouldn't collapse so quickly, but abnormalities had already begun to manifest.

The abnormal phenomenon first appeared in the barrier. The barrier was formed based on the power of the seal, integrating other formations within the mountain. When changes occurred in the seal, they were first transmitted here.

Qin Sang and the Poison King, the three individuals in the medicinal garden, and the cultivators outside Mount Dìshòu.

At this moment, all of them saw cracks spreading across the barrier, imbued with malevolent wind energy, resembling coiling pythons, a truly shocking sight.

Inside, Qin Sang and the others also heard deafening roars echoing throughout Mount Dìshòu, shaking their very souls.

Qin Sang was about to investigate the source of the anomaly when a look of surprise suddenly crossed his face. He raised his left hand and saw the Blood Moon Mark emitting a faint glow, accompanied by a subtle warmth.