251: Chapter 251 Projection of the Great Dao

Some pounded the Void Realm in unwillingness, emitting dull thuds as they vented their frustration; others closed their eyes and wept, their tears turning into crystalline droplets in the Void Realm before slowly dissipating.

Yet no one dared to hesitate for even a moment longer, each waving their hands to disperse the portion of the Formation Flag they were presiding over, their movements slow and heavy, filled with a sense of powerlessness.

Streaks of spiritual light dimmed like extinguished stars, and the soft chiming of Magic Treasure returning to their sheaths rose and fell, carrying endless sorrow.

The Myriad Immortal Demon-Slaying Array, which had once blotted out the sky with its overwhelming might, was like a punctured balloon, shrinking and dissipating at a speed visible to the naked eye, revealing the dense crowd of despondent Cultivator figures within—

They were like stray dogs, no longer possessing their former high spirits.

The Auras of the thousands were instantly chaotic and unbearable, like a group of routed defeated soldiers, possessing not a fraction of the dignity and Aura of the former "Southern Region Giant Coalition," leaving only utter despair and dejection—

They didn't even have the courage to lift their heads.

"We... take an oath."

White-Browed Daoist stumbled forward, his steps unsteady as if he might fall at any moment, his voice dry like sandpaper rubbing together, filled with endless humiliation and unwillingness:

"From this day forth, we Cultivators of the Southern Region shall never set foot..."

Before the words "Southern Region" could be uttered, just as everyone had resigned themselves to their fate and was prepared to accept this humiliating conclusion—

A cold and arrogant sneer suddenly rang out, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, sharp and ear-piercing, piercing the silence of the battlefield and causing everyone to freeze in surprise and turn their heads to look.

Chayuzi struggled to prop up his body from the Void Realm, blood hanging from the corner of his mouth, dripping slowly down his chin. His face was pale as gold paper, devoid of color, and his Aura was chaotic and unbearable, like a candle in the wind, about to be extinguished at any moment.

Yet, the flames of madness burned in the depths of his eyes, like a beast on the verge of death, filled with unwillingness and insanity, staring fixedly at the members of the Xuantian Sect, especially the three ancient figures.

He swept his gaze over the despondent giants present and sneered, his voice sharp and grating, like nails scratching across a blackboard, carrying thick mockery and temptation:

"Fellow Daoists, do not be deceived by appearances! These three are merely three Great Dao projections, not their true bodies descended. They cannot hold on for long; their dissipation is only a matter of time!"

"Why should we fear them? As long as we join forces, we might not lack the power to fight!"

Chayuzi's voice was not loud, yet it was like a branding iron glowing red-hot, carrying the scorching heat to burn everything away—smashing fiercely into the dead, frozen pool!

"Sizzle—"

The ear-piercing sound tore through the firmament, and the dead water of despair instantly boiled and surged. The salty scent of blood and the malice of the dying, wrapped in the madness of clutching at straws and the final roar of a trapped beast—stung people's eardrums and made their Divine Soul tremble!

White-Browed Daoist and the others, whose knees had long since gone weak and whose fingertips had barely touched the ground, saw their pupils suddenly shrink to the size of pinpricks. Extreme suspicion caused them to jerk their heads, the joints of their necks emitting a sharp, cracking "click-clack" sound, like a rusted machine being forced to turn.

Their gazes darted in panic across Chayuzi's pale, blood-stained face, which wore a dying madness, and then were fiercely drawn by an invisible, massive power, shooting in unison toward the three blurry figures behind Patriarch Tian Yuanzi—carrying a desperate, all-or-nothing scrutiny and vain hope.

"Great Dao projection?!"

These four words were like a thunderbolt from the Nine Heavens, exploding in the depths of everyone's hearts, shaking their blood and Qi until it surged, and making their Divine Soul hum!

It was not that they hadn't had this thought, but the scene just now was too terrifying—Chayuzi had been heavily injured by a single glance, his Dao foundation cracking like a spiderweb.

Hundreds of experts, along with the surrounding Void Realm, had been casually erased, without even a wisp of a remnant Soul or a trace of Karma left behind.

This absolute suppression stemming from the level of life, this massive pressure that seemed to span the long river of ancient time, was suffocatingly real, causing them to subconsciously extinguish this sliver of "luck"—after all, no one dared to gamble their own life on this ethereal "possibility."

But now, with Chayuzi shouting and breaking the window paper, and recalling how these three beings had appeared too "timely": although their Aura was ancient and vast like a surging sea of stars, it lacked the "vibrant" warmth that living beings should have. They were more like cold iron shadows sealed for eternity, so much so that even the surrounding Spiritual Qi only dared to bypass them, not daring to get close...

A spark named "suspicion" suddenly flared up in the hearts of several giants, burning brighter and brighter, scorching their hearts until they felt hot—even their breathing became heavy!

If they were three ancient projections about to dissipate, wasn't the invincible posture just now merely the final flash of light before the end of a spent arrow?

Was it the last trump card used by the Xuantian Sect to bluff them and buy a chance to catch their breath?

The routed steps of the coalition suddenly halted!

In those eyes that were originally dim and lifeless, a scorching light mixed with fear, greed, and a madness of burning bridges instantly ignited.

Just like a drowning person touching a straw of hope at the moment of annihilation, even if they knew it might be a mirage—they still wished to clutch it tightly into their bones and blood, melting it into their Divine Soul.

The path of immortality is inherently about fighting against Heaven for life and snatching fortune from others; in a desperate situation, any glimmer of faint hope is enough to make one gamble their lifelong cultivation and life!

Patriarch Tian Yuanzi's expression sank slightly, a frost-like solemnity flashing between his brows, but deep in his eyes, there was no great surprise, as if he had long anticipated this turn of events.

Wu Qiankun, First-Rank Prince Jian Jiuzhou, and the others behind him felt their hearts tighten, their recently relaxed muscles instantly tensed like a drawn bowstring, their surrounding Auras quietly gathering, Spiritual Qi roaring in their Meridians, and their robes fluttering without wind—they had already prepared for the worst.

Once the coalition counterattacked, it would be a fight to the death, with both sides perishing together!

Chu Changsheng frowned slightly, his fingertips subconsciously brushing the Jianmu sapling in his sleeve.

The transcendent perception bestowed upon him by the Jianmu allowed him to capture subtle details that ordinary people could not notice: at the instant Chayuzi's voice fell, the figures of the three Ancient Honored Ones beside him actually faded slightly, as if blown by a breeze—in an extremely obscure way—

That elusive "sense of passing," though so weak it was almost negligible, was like a fine needle, gently pricking his heart and stirring up an inexplicable sense of anomaly.

Chayuzi took in everyone's reactions, a hideous and triumphant smile suddenly blooming on his pale, blood-stained face, blood foam meandering down the corner of his mouth and condensing into dark red droplets on his chin, adding a touch of grimness.

He forced himself to hold up his almost shattered Dao foundation, the Spiritual Qi within his body chaotic like waves crashing against the shore. Every word he spoke tugged at the injuries in his internal organs, yet his voice became increasingly sharp and ear-piercing, like a broken gong being struck fiercely, carrying a demonic power that bewitched people's hearts:

"They dare not move! They simply dare not truly take large-scale action! Every time they use power that exceeds the limits of this world, it will accelerate the dissipation of their projections—"

"Consuming their remaining Origin!"

"Patriarch Tian Yuanzi! You can bluff others, but you cannot bluff this seat!"

He raised his voice sharply, madness flashing in his eyes, as if he had already seen the scene of the Xuantian Sect being destroyed:

"Just now, when this seat took that blow head-on, I had already sensed that although its power was vast as the sea, the follow-up force was weak and floating, without any endless support from the Dao source!"

"They are merely three remnant Soul phantoms from the 'Immortal Realm,' three flickering candles about to burn out!"

"A breath of wind, and they will be extinguished, unable to exert even one ten-thousandth of their true power!"

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, as if he had grasped the only straw for revenge and survival, his voice hoarse yet every word sonorous, like heavy hammers striking everyone's hearts:

"Everyone! Do not be scared by this facade! As long as we work together and hold on for a moment longer! At most one stick of incense... no, half a stick of incense! Their projections will inevitably become unstable, and that will be the time for them to dissipate!"

"Without these three phantoms protecting them, these few people are nothing but lambs waiting to be slaughtered!"

"If we retreat today, our Dao Heart will be tarnished, and we will never make any progress in the future, leaving endless hidden dangers! But if we can destroy the two Imperial Dynasties, divide their ten thousand years of accumulated Heaven And Earth Treasure, and control the secrets of that Jianmu and World Tree—"

A fierce light surged in his eyes: "The landscape of the Southern Region and even the entire cultivation world will be rewritten by us! Ascending to the heavens in one step is right before us; are you going to give it up?!"

"Is what Fellow Daoist Chayuzi said... true?!"

Fen Jiuzhou's voice was low like rolling thunder, flames surging in his eyes as he locked onto the three blurry figures. His blood and Qi roared like a furnace, causing the surrounding air to tremble and distort slightly.

A fierce battle between heaven and man was raging within him—if it were true, this risk would be worth taking!

Once successful, one would ascend to the heavens in one step and control the winds and clouds of the cultivation world; even if it failed, it would only be perishing together, which was better than retreating in disgrace today and having lifelong regrets!

Upon hearing this, the other experts' eyes shone brilliantly, their gazes darting back and forth between Chayuzi and the Ancient Honored One figures. Although they did not speak, their bodies had already re-gathered a massive, mountain-like Aura, their Spiritual Qi causing their robes to rustle—obviously weighing the pros and cons, ready to strike at any moment.

White-Browed Daoist was the most conflicted, the color on his face flickering, like a candle in the wind.

On one hand, Chayuzi's words were like a curse, stirring his mind and heart; the temptation of a ten-thousand-year foundation and the secret of the Jianmu was enough to drive any Cultivator crazy.

But on the other hand, the terrifying pressure and absolute strength previously displayed by the three projections made him tremble with fear—what if... what if Chayuzi judged wrong?

Then what awaited them would be a catastrophic disaster from which there was no recovery!

Just at this moment of extreme tension and restlessness—

The Ancient Honored One on the left, who had once casually "erased" a patch of the Void Realm, slowly raised his head.

A hazy halo shrouded his figure, making it impossible to see his specific face, yet one could feel the vicissitudes and majesty that spanned the ages, as if he had existed since the beginning of the Grandmist—witnessing the birth, death, and changes of countless epochs.

His gaze pierced through layers of the Void Realm, once again accurately locking onto the chattering Chayuzi.

This time, that gaze was no longer indifferent and waveless as before, but carried a faint trace of mockery, as if looking at a frog in a well—as if looking at a clown, not worth mentioning.

"Frog in a well... noisy."

The two words were light, carrying no Spiritual Qi, yet they carried the unquestionable majesty of the Heavenly Dao, like a heavenly sound cleansing the mundane, and also like a curse freezing the Divine Soul—slowly echoing in the Void Realm, the lingering sound wrapping around the beams, shaking everyone's Divine Soul until it hummed.

The moment the voice fell, he did not move a finger as before, but extremely slowly, toward the direction of Chayuzi, raised that palm which was withered like old wood—his five fingers slightly and emptily grasping.

There was no earth-shattering momentum, no Spiritual Qi fluctuation tearing through the firmament, and not even a ripple of space was stirred; the world was eerily quiet—only the wind suddenly stopped, and the Spiritual Qi stagnated.

But the next second, the area where Chayuzi was—time seemed to have been pressed with a pause button, instantly solidified!

The hideous and triumphant smile on his face froze to the extreme, and the madness and greed in the corners of his eyes and brows also became an eternal sculpture; the chaotic and surging Mahayana magic power around his body suddenly stopped, like a frozen river, unable to even stir a ripple; even the blood droplets that had just splattered from the corner of his mouth were suspended in mid-air, crystalline and translucent, motionless, refracting a bleak light.

The whole world, it seemed at this moment, was left with only that solidified picture of despair, and a chill originating from the deepest part of the Soul, like a maggot attached to the bone—quietly spreading to the bottom of everyone's hearts, making them feel ice-cold all over, their teeth chattering, and they even forgot how to breathe.