Chapter 922: Sealing the Sage Daoji Is Real

The Dragon Orb!

Before the colossal dragon head that overshadowed the sky, a dragon orb, like a scorching black sun, was expelled. Fiery black holy power burned within it, seemingly containing an eternal, indestructible force.

Whether it was Dao Qiongcang, Rao Yaoyao, or the spirit refiners far away in Eastern Heavenly King City, Yunlun Mountain Range, and other prefectures of the Eastern Heavenly Region, they all looked on with awe, then dared not meet its gaze directly.

The power of a Saint Emperor!

Even for a Half-Saint, there was an overwhelming difference in quality.

"It's too late to stop it..."

Rao Yaoyao glanced at the ethereal projection of Dao Qiongcang's saintly thought. Even if she didn't know what the Black Dragon Emperor was about to do, the majestic Saint Emperor power contained within the Dragon Orb suggested that Dao Qiongcang wouldn't be able to accumulate a second 'Saint-Slaying Light' to destroy it anytime soon.

"Though I calculated everything, I was still slightly outmaneuvered."

The cloud-like ethereal projection of Dao Qiongcang in the sky smiled calmly, not taking his defeat to heart. Since his true opponent was Ba Zun'an, defeat was almost a certainty.

Dao Qiongcang had learned to accept the outcome of defeat decades ago.

Naturally, there would be reluctance. But to be able to pick up and let go—that's what makes Dao Qiongcang 'unfathomable to gods and ghosts,' that's what makes him a Dao Palace Master as tall as the heavens.

Moreover, in this confrontation, the enemy was hidden while I was exposed. I had fallen into their scheme first, and my attempt was to break out of it, which was quite unlike Dao Qiongcang himself.

The true Dao Qiongcang excelled at orchestrating the heavens' secrets, strategizing across the world, and controlling all things, even over periods spanning decades or centuries.

Like a game of chess... If one makes a slight misstep in the middle, no one can claim the game is lost because of it.

Because no one knows if, at some point in the future, the situation might take a dramatic turn, and that earlier misstep could become a 'divine move'!

"After all, the once-glorious Eighth Sword Immortal also perished outside the City of Death and Purification, wasting decades of time..."

Dao Qiongcang sighed silently, gazing intently at the Black Dragon Orb, feeling the heart-palpitating power fluctuations within it, his thoughts as calm as ever. He wouldn't lose his composure or judgment just because the Black Dragon Emperor was a Saint Emperor.

The rules of the Void Island's inner core dictate that the stronger one's cultivation realm, the less likely they are to cross over. This is why, whenever dimensional rifts appear on the Saint God Continent, most of the ghostly beasts born are typically at the Throne or Dao Severing level.

Because Half-Saints and Saint Emperors simply cannot emerge! The only thing they can do is use schemes and setups to send out their contingencies, cultivate elites, and attempt, in time, to break through the rule restrictions and emerge themselves.

But Dao Qiongcang understood better than anyone that if what emerged this time was still merely a Saint Emperor's remnant will, then it meant even Ba Zun'an had not found a way to break through the rule restrictions.

And a Saint Emperor's remnant will, even if it manages to incubate and manifest on the Saint God Continent, would still be limited by the rules of the Heavenly Dao. Even if Dao Qiongcang didn't intervene, the remnant will would dissipate once its time was up. The only difference was that, if no one stopped its actions before it dissipated, it could cause numerous disasters.

This was the fundamental reason why Dao Qiongcang's saintly thought incarnation rushed to this place.

"You can use the dragon as a chess piece, secretly preparing your moves, but I won't let you comfortably seize this opportunity and proceed as you wish..."

Dao Qiongcang murmured to himself, holding a compass steadily in his left hand. With his right thumb, he tapped the second joint of his middle finger, and a faint fluctuation of holy power immediately spread out within the Heavenly Dao.

This slight fluctuation was insignificant, like a firefly against a bright moon, compared to the furious Saint Emperor power contained within the Dragon Orb.

"Ha-ha-ha!"

High above, the monstrous Black Dragon Emperor, coiled amidst the clouds, cackled wildly. It gazed at the black Dragon Orb, which had gathered all its power before being expelled, and its heart swelled with endless joy.

"Ba Zun'an, oh Ba Zun'an, I have completed your 'Final Plan.' I poured out the Dragon Orb's ethereal form, exhausting myself completely."

"Having done this much for you, I've earned both merit and hardship. From now on, you'll have no reason to torment me further."

"Within the Void Island, constrained by its rules, I couldn't defeat you, but here on the Saint God Continent..."

As the Black Dragon Emperor's thoughts reached this point, it narrowed its eyes in intoxication and took a shallow breath. Immediately, dark clouds and strange lightning intensified across the heavens and earth, and air currents transformed into swirling tornadoes, rushing into the nostrils of the Black Dragon's enormous head.

"What a delightful scent!"

The Black Dragon Emperor laughed silently.

Then, its eyes hardened, its dragon gaze filled with savagery.

"Ba Zun'an, oh Ba Zun'an, even with all your schemes, you couldn't have predicted that even if I dispersed my last shred of power to execute your 'Final Plan'..."

"My remnant will, as long as it escapes from the Void Island's inner core, can also remain in the world in another way."

"Thank you for gathering the Three Ancestors of the White Vein to be my stepping stones!"

"And thank you, thank you, you ignorant, foolish Eight-Fingered Swordsman, who isn't even a Half-Saint, yet presumptuously tries to control something beyond your wildest imagination... the power of a Saint Emperor!"

The Black Dragon Emperor suddenly lifted its head, astonishingly abandoning the black sun-like Dragon Orb it had just expelled, completely ignoring it.

Then, its ethereal body trembled, suddenly shrinking high in the heavens to the size of a mere silver needle.

Compared to the vast sky, a Black Dragon the size of a silver needle was barely visible to the naked eye!

"It's gone?"

Within the field, the Grand-Illusions who witnessed this scene were all stunned.

What new trick was this Black Dragon Emperor pulling?

It had gathered immense power and expelled the Dragon Orb's ethereal form. Everyone had expected it to make a grand move, seizing the moment when Dao Qiongcang's old power had faded and new power hadn't yet emerged.

For instance, by detonating the Yunlun Mountain Range or Eastern Heavenly King City. Or by spreading its vengeance to the Central Region, guiding the Dragon Orb there to explode on Mount Guizhe.

These seemed to be the 'normal actions' the Black Dragon Emperor should have taken at this moment.

But no one could have imagined that after expelling the Dragon Orb, the Black Dragon Emperor chose to flee...

"What does this mean?"

Dao Qiongcang was also utterly bewildered by the Black Dragon's move.

But quickly, he reacted. "Could it be that Ba Zun'an doesn't have complete control over the Black Dragon Emperor, and once the Black Dragon's remnant will successfully incubated on the Saint God Continent, it harbored thoughts of rebellion?"

"That's right! Within the Void Island, constrained by rules, Ba Zun'an might be able to become the master of both the Black and White Veins, but what is the Black Dragon Emperor's status? Its temperament, its dignity, its origin dictate that it would never allow a human, whom it sees as an ant, to trample upon its dragon head."

"So... fleeing is inevitable!"

Dao Qiongcang's action paused for a moment as his thoughts raced. He indeed had contingencies.

Possessing the title 'Unfathomable to Gods and Ghosts' and the ability to 'Sever Heavenly Secrets,' he wouldn't rely solely on a single Ten Epoch Saint Spirit Array as his entire arsenal to dare confront a Saint Emperor-level being.

However, his contingency was prepared for the Dragon Orb. The Black Dragon Emperor expelling the Dragon Orb surely had a great purpose; if this thing wasn't destroyed, there would likely be endless troubles later.

Yet, at this critical moment, the Black Dragon Emperor's escape completely baffled Dao Qiongcang.

"Ba Zun'an..."

Dao Qiongcang recalled his previous misstep, having been outmaneuvered by Ba Zun'an.

Upon realizing that his true opponent was Ba Zun'an, that old fox, he had to consider the problem from multiple angles.

"Others might not be able to suppress the Black Dragon Emperor before reaching the Saint level, but can Ba Zun'an truly not do it?"

"Could the Black Dragon Emperor's rebellion also be part of the scheme?"

"Does he intend to use my last remaining power to deal with the Black Dragon Emperor, instead of its 'Dragon Orb'?"

As Dao Qiongcang calculated to this second layer, he immediately rejected his own idea.

"No, with his intellect, anything I can think of, he can certainly think of too."

"Therefore, returning to the event itself, the Black Dragon Emperor's escape might have been anticipated by him, but he couldn't prevent it..."

"But the Dragon Orb is the core!"

Thoughts spun wildly in a flash, and in that brief moment, the silver needle formed by the Black Dragon Emperor's remnant will had already pierced the Ten Epoch Saint Spirit Array and vanished into the Grand Dao.

"No time to think..."

Dao Qiongcang's heart tensed; he didn't have much time. Regardless of whether this was Ba Zun'an's scheme or not, facing the Black Dragon Emperor's escape and the potential risks of the Dragon Orb remaining in the world...

He, Dao Qiongcang, had only one choice — complete annihilation!

Whoosh.

Pulling out a Heavenly Secret Array Plate with a backhand motion, a self-mocking expression appeared on Dao Qiongcang's face.

"The last divination I performed before setting out predicted a foggy, unknown path ahead. I thought it was the Saint Emperor's power manipulating the heavenly secrets, not wanting me to see the situation clearly."

"I never thought that 'foggy' actually referred to me."

Dao Qiongcang no longer hesitated. With a lift of his sleeve, the Heavenly Secret Array Plate slowly flew out.

"Nine Arrows Nail God Array, go!"

The Heavenly Secret Array Plate vibrated in the void, automatically detecting and locking onto the remnants of the Black Dragon Emperor's will in the air.

Then, the small Heavenly Secret Array Plate spun, transforming into a sky full of starlight. Amidst it, a phantom Evil-Sin Bow drew taut into a full moon. With a resounding 'snap,' the string twanged, and nine streams of light shot forth, heading towards the invisible Black Dragon Emperor, which was fleeing within the Heavenly Dao.

"N-nine Evil-Sin Bow Arrows?"

All the Grand-Illusions behind them, seeing this scene, were collectively terrified.

They had long heard that Heavenly Secret Cultivators usually relied on reason to persuade others and rarely attacked directly, instead manipulating battles from behind the scenes. This was because their physical bodies were very weak, making them unable to win direct fights.

Even if they had to fight, they would use treasures or Heavenly Secret Array Plates. But now, Dao Qiongcang's fighting style seemed utterly unreasonable, didn't it?

He merely pulled out a Heavenly Secret Array Plate at random after his initial attack failed, and it contained nine Evil-Sin Bow Arrows. Who could withstand that?

Everyone was horrified by Dao Qiongcang's extravagant display, but then they remembered that the earlier Evil-Sin Bow Arrow hadn't achieved the expected effect, which made them somewhat worried.

"The Evil-Sin Bow Arrow couldn't defeat the Demon Sword, the Demon Master of Ten Thousand Weapons; can it work against the Black Dragon Emperor?" Teng Shanhai asked, deeply concerned.

Rao Yaoyao turned her head at his words and replied, "The Evil-Sin Bow Arrow wasn't inferior to the Demon Sword; rather, its power was neutralized by the Saint Emperor's power on the Demon Sword. Furthermore, with the Demon Sword's own power also at play, and the Evil-Sin Bow Arrow not being the actual Evil-Sin Bow, it lacked sustained force, so its power was naturally forced to dissipate with each clash."

Teng Shanhai then looked towards the direction where the nine arrows sped away, pursuing the Black Dragon Emperor, and said, "But this time, what it's dealing with is the Black Dragon Emperor's ethereal main body!"

Rao Yaoyao smiled faintly and shook her head, saying, "After expelling the Dragon Orb, the Black Dragon Emperor's ethereal main body has almost completely lost its power. Its transformation into such a tiny silver needle might not just be for convenient escape... A larger reason is that its power might only have this much remaining!"

As an observer, she could clearly see the situation, and her thoughts were naturally very lucid. "In this situation, as long as the Evil-Sin Bow Arrow hits, even if it's the Black Dragon Emperor, it won't be able to withstand the influence of the Evil-Sin power."

"After all, although Lord Cangsheng is a Half-Saint, the Evil-Sin Bow is one of the nine supreme divine artifacts. In a Half-Saint's hands, the power the Evil-Sin Bow can unleash is almost limitless."

She paused, then looked towards the nine arrows as they vanished into the Heavenly Dao. "Also, don't forget... these nine arrows weren't just shot by the Evil-Sin Bow; they were also assisted by the power of the Dao Palace Master's Grand Heavenly Secret Array!"

Only then did Teng Shanhai seem to understand the situation, letting out a sigh of relief.

But before he could finish exhaling, he watched in shock as Dao Qiongcang, after casting the 'Nine Arrows Nail God Array,' himself, in ethereal form, rushed towards the Dragon Orb's direction like a moth to a flame, completely unguarded!

"This?" Teng Shanhai gasped in astonishment.

He even thought he was hallucinating. Was the Dao Palace Master seeking his own demise? That was a Dragon Orb containing the Black Dragon Emperor's full power; how dared he approach it completely unprotected?

No, that's wrong. I must be foolish not to grasp the Dao Palace Master's true intention!

Rao Yaoyao, however, spoke gravely, "This is the final choice: to embrace the Dragon Orb with his saintly thought incarnation, and perish together."

Teng Shanhai was aghast: "Isn't that suicide?"

"Isn't this something ordinary people like me would do when at their wits' end? But he's the Dao Palace Master!"

Dao Qiongcang's move was truly beyond Teng Shanhai's expectations.

After all, the Dao Palace Master, as he knew him, shouldn't have been pushed to such an extent.

Rao Yaoyao sighed helplessly, "On the other side, it's Ba Zun'an..."

"Roar!!!"

Within the spatial rift, a painful shriek echoed. The Black Dragon Emperor's remnant will was struck by nine arrows. Without the protection of Saint Emperor power, it could no longer withstand the force of Evil-Sin, only allowing its own decay and consciousness collapse.

"Damn you, Dao Qiongcang! I already expelled the Dragon Orb; why are you targeting me instead of the Orb?!" it roared in excruciating pain, its final cry.

At that moment, the final power of the nine Evil-Sin Bow Arrows had not yet completely obliterated its remnant will.

From afar, across space, the Black Dragon Emperor sensed a powerful summoning force emanating from the Dragon Orb it had expelled. That summoning force contained immense horror, like the beginning of a wicked god's sacrificial ritual, and it itself had become the offering.

"Ba Zun'an!!!"

The Black Dragon Emperor was not foolish; with just a moment's thought, it reacted. The part of the power on the Dragon Orb that didn't belong to it was precisely the residue of Ba Zun'an's contract ritual.

The 'Final Plan' only mentioned expelling the Dragon Orb, and nothing more. Even the Black Dragon Emperor didn't know what contingency Ba Zun'an had left within its Dragon Orb, or what he intended to do by using the Orb's power.

It had thought that by expelling the Dragon Orb and completing the plan, it could use its remaining consciousness to influence the Heavenly Dao, leaving a dragon seed on the Saint God Continent for future incubation and manifestation.

But now, the Black Dragon Emperor understood. What Ba Zun'an wanted to achieve still required a final step.

That step would still require its Saint Emperor's remnant will to instantly activate the Dragon Orb's full power and accomplish what he wanted. Yet, Ba Zun'an had said absolutely nothing about this during the battle plan!

Not a word! Not even half a word!

"Damn you, Ba Zun'an! Damn you humans! I poured my heart and soul into this, exerting myself to the utmost, and you won't even spare my remnant will; your hearts are truly foul!"

"Damn you all, damn you all to hell!!!"

With its final hysterical roar, the nine arrows failed to annihilate the Black Dragon Emperor's remnant will. Instead, the Dragon Orb's contract ritual power completed its sacrificial plan ahead of time, consuming the Black Dragon Emperor's conscious power through the void, leaving not a single trace.

Within the spatial rift, the nine arrows had clearly struck their target, but now, without a target, they fell into confusion. Then, the nine arrows shattered, transforming into specks of evil-sin light, and vanished.

Above the Yunlun Mountain Range.

Dao Qiongcang gathered the Ten Epoch Saint Spirit Array, intending to finally embrace the Dragon Orb. But just before he could touch it, when only a hair's breadth separated them, the Dragon Orb cracked with a 'ka' sound.

The Dragon Orb, which contained all the power of the Black Dragon Emperor's ethereal main body, did not explode with a bang, nor did it cause tremors in the surrounding heavens and earth. From within it, only a single voice emerged.

A stirring voice, belonging to Ba Zun'an yet amplified by Saint Emperor power, spread across all five regions and every corner of the continent:

"The Foundation for Saint Sealing is real! I am currently in the City of the Sky. I will give you the Demon Master of Ten Thousand Weapons, the twenty-first famous sword. I will give you the Saint Origin Crystals, the very source of Saint Sealing. I will give you countless treasures found within the City of the Sky!"

"The Era of Saints is coming!"

"Thrones, Dao Severing, Grand-Illusions... all you spirit refiners who wish to seal your sainthood, come find me, come find me in the City of the Sky!"

"My name is Ba Zun'an!"