130: What is a chosen one?

Three full days passed.

Deep night.

On the ground, the northern part of the Baitu Hills.

The world-shaking battle had not yet ended.

"Boom— Boom— Boom—"

Deafening roars descended continuously from the sky, and occasionally the scattered aftershocks would carve thousand-foot-long ravines into the ground.

Anyone below the Profound Fetus Realm would die upon contact!

A large number of low-level Cultivators who were lucky enough to survive cowered deep within the jagged cracks of the earth or buried themselves beneath the scalding sand, only daring to reveal a sliver of their trembling eyes to gaze at the sky that no longer looked like the human world.

That sky, constantly shattering and being pieced back together.

There was a crimson sea of fire that burned everything, reflecting the thousands of miles of hills like red-hot iron sand. In the center of that sea of fire, there was a towering crimson giant shadow silhouette, waving Magic Treasures such as mountains, furnaces, spears, divine blades, and mirror light.

However, this giant shadow was wrapped in pitch-black chains that froze the Soul, and was squeezed from all directions by a profound yellow torrent as heavy as stars. Its movements were visibly sluggish and stiff.

Three days had passed.

Anyone could see that True Monarch Taihe was at an absolute disadvantage.

"Dong—!"

The vast chime of a bell pierced through the clouds and crashed onto the ground, causing the earth to shake violently; many Cultivators died with blood flowing from their seven orifices.

"Fellow Daoist Taihe! Surrender now!"

A voice as grand as a heavenly decree pressed down from the north. A massive, peerless profound yellow pillar of light slammed into the back of the crimson giant shadow. The shadow stumbled, and its crimson light suddenly dimmed.

"Strike!"

A clear sword hum like tearing silk rang out. A sliver of light, so pure it made one's heart flutter, flashed and vanished from a great height, accurately piercing into the shoulder of the crimson giant shadow.

There was no loud noise, but a large portion of the giant shadow's crimson, glass-like body instantly melted and vanished into nothingness!

"Reee—!!!"

The sharp cry of a roc carried a violent joy. A purple-gold lightning net descended like a heavenly snare, and billions of electric snakes bit at the crimson sea of fire, tearing and evaporating it piece by piece.

The crimson giant shadow looked up to the sky and let out a low roar, like the eruption of molten lava from the earth's core, full of anger and frenzy.

"The situation doesn't look good..."

In mid-air three thousand miles away, inside the zhen yue spirit god.

The young True Monarch Pohong looked anxious, constantly glancing at True Monarch Changkong beside him.

They hadn't actually come to blows with the other True Monarchs of the Xuan Yin Palace; after some slight probing, they were merely keeping each other in check.

Neither side went to help.

They all understood that once the outcome between True Monarch Taihe and the others was decided, everything else would no longer matter.

"Don't be impatient!"

True Monarch Changkong nodded, feigning composure, but looking at his clenched fists, one could tell he was far from calm.

The two True Monarchs of the Tianshu Sect beside them looked even more deathly pale.

"We're dead, we're dead!"

"Had I known, I wouldn't have listened to Taihe's slanderous words. Now we're in a dilemma; what should we do?"

If True Monarch Taihe lost, it would all be over!

They would surely face a reckoning from the Xuan Yin Palace... Under the calcination of the Nine-Tailed Thunder Roc's lightning, the crimson light around True Monarch Taihe's Dharma Idol fluctuated violently, and the Xuan Yin Evil Qi of the Xuan Yin Palace Master constantly pierced and invaded the space between his brows.

Despite resisting with the purple fire of his Heart Furnace and the light-flames of his precious mirror, he still felt a tearing, agonizing pain and a cold numbness coming from his Divine Soul.

The power of the Profound Yellow Heavy Domain was like layers of invisible shackles added to his body. His movements became increasingly sluggish, and the giant bell and horsetail whisk smashing down from above left him overwhelmed.

And the omnipresent Spotless Sword Intent was like a maggot on a bone, accurately weakening every bit of his Dharma Idol's power.

"Pfft—"

His true body spat out another mouthful of crimson-gold blood.

That was a sign that the Dharma Idol's Origin had been damaged!

Fine cracks began to appear on his towering body—traces of being struck by lightning, cut by Sword Intent, and squeezed by the power of the heavy domain.

The cracks on the phantom of the Crimson Copper Mirror in front of his left palm widened; the light of Taihe Mountain grew dimmer, and the pulse of the furnace behind him was no longer as strong as before, becoming intermittent.

The fourth-grade Magic Treasures he had brought out could only barely support him as he shifted and moved, evading one killing blow after another.

The signs of defeat were already evident.

"Fellow Daoist Taihe, why bother holding on? The Great Dao is infinite, but life is only once. Why not surrender?"

Zhong Haoran's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of regret, yet the power of the Profound Yellow Seal did not relax at all. A ten-thousand-foot giant bell descended from the sky once more, slamming heavily onto Taihe Mountain.

The Nine-Tailed Thunder Roc laughed wildly as endless lightning slashed down along with its ten-thousand-foot purple wings. "Being reduced to ashes shall be your end!"

The Xuan Yin Palace Master sneered in silence, while Spotless's sword light became increasingly spirited and grand.

True Monarch Taihe felt a weight he had never experienced before.

His Dharma Idol was wailing, and his Divine Soul was stinging.

He hadn't thought of escaping, and now he couldn't even if he wanted to.

Could it be... that he was truly destined to perish here?

The foundation of Taihe Mountain, the great ambition of Ascension—all gone?

Unwillingness! Anger!

His molten-gold pupils reflected the lightning, Evil Qi, profound yellow, and sword light, as well as the shattered, burning earth below.

Under the pressure of life and death, all sorts of thoughts collided, fused, and sublimated at an unprecedented speed.

Deep within True Monarch Taihe's Divine Soul, it felt as if something... had shattered.

It wasn't a collapse, but a shackle!

It was the barrier to the Peak Dharma Idol Realm!

"Truly... the heavens do not wish for my end!"

A sigh rang out from the center of the Taihe Dharma Idol that was about to be submerged.

In the next moment—

"Rumble—!!!"

That Taihe Dharma Idol, covered in cracks and dim in light, suddenly collapsed inward, as if all the fire, light, and heat were sucked into a single core point!

It was as if a newborn sun suddenly expanded and bloomed within it.

"Not good! He's making a Breakthrough in the heat of battle!"

The four of them all changed expression simultaneously.

True Monarch Taihe had been able to contend and fight with them for three full days with his Late Stage Dharma Idol cultivation. If he were allowed to break through to the Peak Dharma Idol Realm, their efforts might all be in vain.

Perhaps they would even suffer for it instead... "Stop him!!!"

True Monarch Haoran was the first to react. He pushed the myriad transformation return to origin bell to its limit, causing it to expand by another full circle. A terrifying pressure, a thousand times greater, descended upon True Monarch Taihe.

"Too late."

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Those of you who haven't read my old book can take a look; you can find it by clicking on the author's homepage.

The old book tells the story of the Taiqing Dao Lineage, set ninety thousand years after this book. Yu Xuzi also appears later; by then, he has already become a big shot of the heavens, hee hee.