262: Chapter 262 Hidden Front

First-Rank Prince Jian Jiuzhou gently stroked the ancient sword in his hand; the blade was slightly cool, carrying the weight and vicissitudes of time.

His eyes were sharp as lightning, like a hawk, slowly scanning every enemy opposite him. Wherever his gaze landed, it seemed as if even the air was being sliced apart, revealing an invincible edge.

He stood motionless, yet he resembled a peerless divine sword poised to strike, waiting only for the moment to shake the world—

It was as if he were measuring life and death with his gaze, searching for the perfect angle to strike.

The experts of the Shenwu Dynasty behind him were all radiating Sword Intent, their swords ringing out with a metallic clang as countless strands of Sword Qi intertwined to form a stern sword formation.

Sword Qi soared into the sky, the cold light biting, dyeing the entire sky a chilling white—

The aura of impending action was so stifling that it made it hard to breathe.

The two camps: one represented order and conquest, its blade pointing forward with an unstoppable sharpness, carrying the domineering aura of sweeping across the world; the other represented despair and counterattack, a final stand, fearless of death, revealing a madness willing to burn everything to the ground.

They were like two towering tidal waves about to collide. Killing Intent and energy were condensed to the extreme, and the space of the entire Imperial Ancestral Temple ruins seemed unable to bear the burden, emitting faint, strained cracking sounds—

Spiderweb-like cracks quietly spread through the Void Realm.

Above the ruins of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the air seemed to have solidified into substance, pressing heavily on everyone's hearts and suffocating them.

It was also like a bowstring stretched to its limit; within the dead silence lay the power to destroy the heavens and earth, waiting only for the next second to snap—

erupting into a torrent that would destroy everything.

In this extreme suppression, Daoist Baimei moved.

He took a step, and the bluestone slab beneath his feet shattered inch by inch. Debris flew as a massive Yin and Yang diagram suddenly expanded, its black and white colors flowing, instantly covering a hundred-foot radius.

The black and white airflow was no longer just for protection; it rose and spiraled like a living creature, emitting a deafening roar as it transformed into two ferocious giant pythons, one black and one white. Their bodies were as thick as mountains, carrying the Dao rhythm of obliterating all things—

carrying the momentum to devour the heavens and earth, they charged ferociously toward the central army where Emperor Wu Tianba was located!

"Yin and Yang in chaos, Heaven and Earth obliterated!"

Daoist Baimei let out a long roar that shook the Nine Heavens, as if intending to tear the firmament apart.

This strike held nothing back, condensing his lifelong cultivation and the supreme Profound Truth secretly passed down by the Supreme Dao Palace. As soon as it appeared, it caused the Void Realm to groan under the burden, and even the light twisted and collapsed—

The energy between heaven and earth began to churn wildly under this strike.

"Well come!"

Emperor Wu Tianba's hair and beard stood on end, the Battle Intent in his eyes burning like a raging fire, almost solidifying. The domineering imperial might around his body surged to the extreme.

Facing this all-out strike that threatened his life, not only did he not retreat, he took a step forward. His imperial might shook, stamping a deep pit into the ground, sending rocks and dust flying.

The battle halberd in his hand let out a heaven-shaking Dragon roar that echoed through the clouds. Nine Dragon shadows detached completely from the halberd and his imperial armor, growing in the wind and instantly transforming into a hundred feet in length—

Nine black-gold energy Dragons with flying scales and claws, vivid and lifelike, spiraled in the air, their Dragon power vast, blotting out the sun!

"Nine Dragons Swallow the Heavens!"

Emperor Wu Tianba shouted explosively, his voice like a thunderclap. The nine giant Dragons condensed from imperial Qi, carrying the domineering will to suppress mountains and rivers and swallow the universe, opened their blood-red maws, revealing sharp fangs—

and ferociously collided with the black and white Yin and Yang giant pythons!

Boom—!!!

The deafening explosion, like the creation of the world, resounded through heaven and earth, becoming the bugle call for the final assault of this epic battle.

The aftermath of the energy swept out like a tsunami. Wherever it passed, sand flew, stones moved, and all things were destroyed. The already dilapidated buildings of the Imperial Ancestral Temple ruins were instantly turned into powder—

even the earth was torn into bottomless ravines.

Almost at the same instant that Emperor Wu Tianba and Daoist Baimei clashed, the sword at Jian Xiaotian's waist finally unsheathed completely!

It was an ancient-looking sword, its blade as clear as autumn water. On the blade, there were no superfluous decorations, only the two characters "Heavenly Question" engraved in an ancient seal script—

revealing a stern aura of royalty and a sense of judgment.

The sword trembled slightly, emitting a clear, resonant metallic ring that echoed across the battlefield. It was not particularly loud, but it carried a piercing power that went straight to the Divine Soul, instantly drowning out all the battle cries and energy roars—

It reached everyone's ears clearly, carrying an unquestionable imperial majesty and a sense of judgment.

"Imperial Sword Dao, Heavenly Constitution!"

Jian Xiaotian pressed his fingers together like a sword, a cold light flashing in his eyes like permafrost that never melted, and he tapped forward gently.

The "Heavenly Question" sword transformed into a stream of light. On the blade, imperial runes flickered. It appeared slow, but in reality, it was fast to the extreme, as if crossing the boundaries of time and space—

In an instant, it appeared before that high monk of Little Sumeru Mountain.

Where the sword light passed, there was no earth-shattering momentum, only a rule-based power like "words becoming Law" spreading out. The Law between heaven and earth seemed to be under this sword—

bowing its head in submission, not daring to offer the slightest resistance.

The phantom of the glaring Vajra behind the Sorrowful Old Monk instantly froze, as if bound by invisible legal statutes, unable to move.

The golden light dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the lingering sound of Buddhist chanting came to an abrupt halt—

Even the flames on the Subduing Demon Pestle were extinguished in an instant!

The Sorrowful Old Monk's expression changed abruptly, a trace of shock and disbelief flashing in his eyes. He pressed his palms together, chanting true words, his speaking speed reaching the extreme, almost becoming a blur.

A " 卍" of Buddha light burst forth from between his brows, like a small sun, emitting a holy and warm radiance, attempting to break free from the shackles of this imperial decree.

But this invisible power of Law was like a maggot on the bone, tightly entwined, leaving him unable to move—

even his Buddhist Dharma was difficult to circulate.

On the other side, First-Rank Prince Jian Jiuzhou's figure suddenly turned into a wisp of flickering green smoke, vanishing without a trace in the Void Realm, not even a shred of aura remaining.

The next breath, like a ghost crawling out of the Nine Underworlds, he silently pressed close to the side of the Master of Burning Heaven Valley.

The ancient sword in his palm, covered in mottled sword patterns, carried an unmatched Sword Intent that could tear apart heaven and earth, stabbing out at an extremely tricky angle—

The tip of the sword precisely locked onto a spot three inches under the opponent's ribs.

This was a secret fatal point, hidden even from the Core Disciples of the Burning Heaven Valley, exposed when their Sect-suppressing ultimate skill, the "Burning Heaven Golden Body," was in operation!

"Concealed Edge!"

A low shout escaped from First-Rank Prince Jian Jiuzhou's throat. Before the words had even faded, the blinding sword light suddenly retracted. All sharpness hibernated within the sword momentum, and the Killing Intent was restrained to the extreme—

not even causing a ripple in the surrounding air.

Not until the cold sword tip barely touched the Protective Aura of the Master of Burning Heaven Valley did that Sword Intent, capable of annihilating everything, erupt!

Fen Jiuzhou's pupils suddenly constricted to pinpricks, the blood draining completely from his face. In the instant of his horrified realization, the dark gold flames swirling around him retreated in a rush like a tide, attempting to build an indestructible wall of fire in front of him.

But in the end, he was a fraction too slow!

The sword tip broke through the barrier of flames, grazing his Golden Body Protective Aura and piercing an inch deep. A bloodstain deep enough to see bone suddenly bloomed—

Scalding blood sprayed out, instantly scorched into wisps of green smoke by the Sword Intent.

"Kill!"

"Fight them to the death!"

"For the Sect! For the Imperial Dynasty!"

Deafening roars suddenly exploded, like thunder rolling across the Nine Heavens.

The chaotic battle erupted at the center point of the energy collision!

Violent airwaves, with the Imperial Ancestral Temple ruins as the center, swept wildly in all directions, instantly swallowing the entire area of ruined walls and broken tiles, then breaking through the sky and tearing the earth—

spreading toward the wider world.

Several white-haired Elders of the Supreme Dao Palace stepped into the Seven Star positions, forming the "Two Poles Dust Array" that shook the Southern Region.

Clear, hazy rays of light rose from their palms, transforming into chains of runes dancing across the sky. The chains were engraved with ancient Dao seal scripts, emitting a supreme might capable of suppressing the universe—

like a net of heaven and earth, slamming down toward the sword formation of the Shenwu Dynasty, attempting to trap it within.

How could the Sword Cultivators of the Shenwu Dynasty simply sit and wait for capture?

They all raised their arms and swung their swords in unison. Thousands of sharp sword lights suddenly split, transforming into seven sword pillars that pierced through heaven and earth, forming the renowned "Big Dipper Evil-Slaying Sword Array."

The biting Sword Qi was like a galaxy reversing its flow, carrying the sharpness to cut through stars, colliding fiercely with the rune chains.

The sound of metal clashing rang through the clouds. Sword light and Dao patterns annihilated each other, erupting into clusters of destructive energy storms. Wherever they passed, debris flew and dust rose—

even the Void Realm rippled with distortions.