261: Chapter 261 Going Against the Heavens

Daoist Baimei's expression shifted uncertainly, turning iron-blue one moment, deathly pale the next, veins bulging on his forehead.

The Taiji Diagram behind him suddenly accelerated, the Yin and Yang Qi surging violently and chaotically, even developing fine cracks—clearly, he was experiencing unprecedented inner turmoil.

On one side was the danger of acting against Heaven, on the other the temptation of finding a way out in a desperate situation; these two thoughts were madly interweaving and colliding in his mind, leaving him barely able to control himself, as if he were about to be torn in two.

The Sorrowful Old Monk's low-chanted Buddhist mantra carried a barely perceptible tremor. A glimmer of wavering and confusion flashed through his once-clear eyes. The prayer beads on his chest vibrated more and more violently, nearly shattering, the golden light flickering—compassion and madness surfaced alternately on his face, like a game between an angel and a devil.

Jian Xiaotian and Emperor Wu Tianba exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking. A wave of intense unease surged into their hearts like a tide, nearly drowning them.

This old ghost, Ancestor Witch Xuanyuzi, before dying, had actually cast out such a sinister bait!

This so-called "Destiny-Defying Formation," just hearing the name revealed something ominous and taboo. If it were truly triggered by these Sect leaders, who had been driven mad by despair, the consequences would be unimaginable, likely even more chaotic and evil than the direct detonation of the soul plates—the entire Southern Region would be reduced to Hell!

"Absurd!"

Jian Xiaotian suddenly took a step forward and roared, his voice like a thunderclap, causing the surrounding air to tremble.

The Imperial Dragon Qi around his body erupted. The golden Dragon Qi condensed into a tangible dragon shadow, circling and dancing with awe-inspiring might, attempting to suppress the mad thoughts spreading among the coalition forces:

"Defying Heaven to change fate, transferring Karma—such an evil formation will surely suffer divine retribution! Even if you succeed by luck, do you think you can withstand the monstrous backlash? At that time, I fear your Divine Souls will be utterly destroyed, never to be reincarnated!"

"Ancestor Witch Xuanyuzi, you just want to drag everyone down to be buried with you, to serve as a cushion for your Imperial Ancestral Temple!"

"Buried with me?"

Ancestor Witch Xuanyuzi's remnant soul's smile grew increasingly twisted. Amidst the churning black mist, his remnant body was nearly disintegrating, yet it revealed a madness and resolution to perish together:

"It is still better than being expelled and purged like dogs, then slowly waiting for death in fear and despair! At the very least, this Destiny-Defying Formation gives us a choice in how to die—"

"And... the chance to decide who to drag down with us!"

He no longer looked at the people from the two Imperial Dynasties, but stared fixedly at Daoist Baimei, the Master of Burning Heaven Valley, and the others, his voice carrying the urgency and ruthlessness of an ultimatum, like a death-inducing Talismanic Incantation:

"Everyone! There is not much time left! The two Imperial Dynasties will not give us a chance to hesitate, and divine punishment may descend at any moment! Are you willing to stretch out your necks for the slaughter, acting as fish on the chopping block?"

"Or will you join with the surviving power of my Imperial Ancestral Temple, trigger the earth veins, reverse the destiny of Heaven, and fight for a mutual destruction... or perhaps, find life in the midst of death?!"

This questioning was like a heavy hammer, smashing fiercely into the heart of every Sect leader.

Daoist Baimei looked at the Disciples behind him with their crazed expressions, felt the stinging pain of the soul-guides within his body and the pressure of divine punishment, and then looked at the two Imperial Dynasties eyeing them covetously—the last trace of struggle faded from his eyes, replaced by the resolution of burning the bridges behind him, like a trapped beast pushed to the edge of a cliff, finally choosing the most insane counterattack.

"Since that is the case, then let us fight!"

Daoist Baimei's voice was not loud, but it carried a finality, like gold and stone striking together, clear and resonant, echoing clearly across the suffocatingly silent battlefield.

This sentence, like a cold, sharp blade, completely severed all hesitation and room for maneuver—stretching the string of this standoff to the extreme, where it would break at the slightest touch.

The Taiji Diagram behind him suddenly stilled. The previously churning and chaotic Yin and Yang Qi instantly calmed, transforming into two distinct yet intertwined black and white torrents, slowly rotating along an infinitely profound trajectory.

Where the black and white merged, misty Dao rhymes circulated, emitting an ancient and vast Aura.

An Aura far more profound and vast than before, like an ancient behemoth that had been dormant for eons suddenly awakening, rose from his body to cover the sky and earth, shooting straight into the clouds.

This was not mere Battle Intent, but more like a calm burning after seeing through the outcome, the tragic heroism of knowing it cannot be done yet doing it anyway—it was the resolution of sacrificing oneself for the Dao.

"Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable."

Behind him, several high-level members of the Supreme Dao Palace sighed softly, their voices filled with compassion, yet revealing an unwavering determination.

The three thousand silver threads of the whisk in their hands stood upright, glowing with bits of clear, hazy Daoist mysterious light. The silver threads trembled lightly, actually emitting a clanging sword-like sound, as if an army of thousands was poised for battle.

Ancient Talismanic Incantations faintly circulated and flickered in the space around them, like a galaxy falling to earth, dazzling and eye-catching.

Clearly, they had already used their ultimate life-saving measures, wanting to fight for a glimmer of survival against this Heaven and Earth—to gamble on their existence against this fate.

"Excellent. Evil Karma follows the body; today, we shall settle it all together."

The Sorrowful Old Monk of Little Sumeru Mountain chanted a low Buddhist mantra, his voice like a great bell, shaking the wilderness; every word seemed to contain the power to purify all things.

The layer of blood-stained golden light on his body faded, turning pure and magnificent, as if a Glazed Buddhist Kingdom had descended upon the mortal world, sacred and solemn.

A vague phantom of an angry Vajra slowly emerged behind him. The Vajra was clad in flaming precious armor, holding a demon-subduing pestle, eyes wide open, glaring forward, full of deterrence.

Faint, ethereal chanting seemed to linger over the battlefield, cleansing the pervasive Killing Intent—purifying this land stained with blood.

Fen Jiuzhou of Burning Heaven Valley let out a wild laugh, his laughter frantic and desolate, causing the surrounding air to tremble, as if he wanted to vent all the unwillingness and resentment in his heart.

The flames around his body were no longer the flamboyant, scorching crimson, but turned into a deep, restrained dark gold color.

As the color deepened, the temperature suddenly climbed to the extreme. The rocks beneath his feet silently turned into crimson lava, and the steaming heat distorted the line of sight—even the Void Realm was burned, emitting a sizzling sound, as if it would be incinerated at any moment.

"Hahaha, come and fight! Even if my body dies and my Dao dissipates, I will make this Southern Region remember the name of my Burning Heaven Valley forever!"

His voice carried a madness of self-immolation that made people's hearts tremble.

Seeing this, the other Sect leaders also gritted their teeth, a flash of resolution in their eyes, and activated their final trump cards.

In an instant, various powerful Auras, brilliant lights, and earth-shaking phenomena soared into the sky. The sounds of dragons roaring and tigers howling were incessant, fiercely colliding with the majestic pressure emitted by the coalition of the two Imperial Dynasties.

Invisible waves of Qi exploded in the Void Realm, emitting muffled, thunderous sounds that cracked the earth and filled the air with dust—even the distant mountains trembled slightly, as if the whole world was quaking because of it.

A sinister smile of a plan succeeding appeared on the face of Ancestor Witch Xuanyuzi's remnant soul. His soul body was already illusory, and at this moment, it became twisted and deformed due to the activation of power, looking eerie and hideous.

The light of the soul plate in his hand became extremely unstable again, and the misty black Qi churned and boiled like boiling black water.

But he pointed his fingertip, forcibly suppressing this violent Soul Power, and instead transformed it into an eerie blood-red guiding Talismanic Incantation, pointing far into the depths of the Imperial Ancestral Temple ruins.

On the Talismanic Incantation, countless phantoms of vengeful spirits shrieked miserably, their voices piercing and hair-raising.

"Good! Since you Fellow Daoists have such determination, follow the guidance of my soul seal and charge the Imperial Dynasty's army formation!"

"The opportunity for the Destiny-Defying Formation to trigger the earth veins is right before our eyes!"

Emperor Wu Tianba's expression was as gloomy as water, the air pressure around him terrifyingly low, as if he could explode at any moment.

The Nine-Dragon War Halberd in his hand let out a low dragon roar. On the halberd shaft, the nine dragon patterns seemed to come alive, shining brightly and emitting a majestic Dragon Qi.

The black-gold imperial armor on his body shone brilliantly, and the nine dragon shadows were almost about to burst through the armor, their Dragon Qi vast and awe-inspiring, shaking the universe and causing people to feel awe.

"Stubborn and foolish, seeking your own death! Then let Us see, this struggle of yours, trapped beasts—"

"How much power it can have!"

His voice was like a thunderclap, his imperial might fully displayed. The moment his words fell, the entire coalition camp erupted with a roar like a mountain of calls and a sea of responses, their Aura like a rainbow.

Jian Xiaotian also ceased speaking. His Aura suddenly retracted, like a dormant volcano, but in an instant, it climbed to the peak, sharp enough that people dared not look directly at him.

The sword at his waist unsheathed itself by half an inch with a "clang," and the sharp Imperial Sword Qi shot straight into the clouds, like a white rainbow piercing through heaven and earth, complementing Emperor Wu Tianba's domineering imperial might—forming an indestructible wall of will, steadily resisting that extreme, desperate madness gathered by the opponent.