490: Chapter 490 The King's Burning Path - Emperor Jun's Severed Arm

The Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, with its myriad of overlapping and interlocking sub-arrays, saw its power skyrocket geometrically—this was Dong Wanggong's true trump card!

Two unprecedented arrays finally collided with immense force!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions tore through the clouds, spiritual energy churned like boiling water, and massive waves in the East Sea rose thousands of feet high, crashing toward the horizon like collapsing mountains. The sheer battle intent shook the entire East Desolation.

Dijun and Taiyi also felt the ferocity of the array, but as their divine sense swept over it, they realized the foundation of the rogue cultivators was ultimately weak—if everyone had a cultivation as deep as the Great Sages of the Demon Race, perhaps the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation truly could rival the Great Array of the Heavenly Stars.

Unfortunately, it was nothing more than a pipe dream.

The Demon Race's victory was assured; the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation... was destined to shatter.

As time passed, Dong Wanggong continued to desperately sustain the Ten Thousand Immortals Array Diagram. His face turned pale, and the veins on his temples bulged, yet his eyes remained as steady as cast iron, unmoving. The Queen Mother of the West stood by his side, knowing that victory or defeat hung by a thread; she gritted her teeth, her spiritual power surging like a tide as she exerted every effort to maintain the array.

Seeing that the stalemate was hard to break and that the longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became, Dijun and Taiyi simply led the demons into the array—they intended to break the array and kill the people within, killing two birds with one stone to pull up the roots.

The rogue cultivators' hearts tightened at the sight. Without a second thought, Dong Wanggong waved his sleeves to summon his followers and met the charge head-on. This battle was unavoidable; if they didn't fight to the death, the blood boiling in their chests would not be calmed, and worse, they feared being mocked as cowards.

The Kunlun Mirror in the Queen Mother of the West's hand suddenly flipped, aiming directly at Taiyi as light rippled across its surface. This mirror was a standout among innate supreme treasures, excelling in the laws of time: freezing an instant or making a moment fly by was all within a single thought; its defensive capabilities were also harder than dark iron. In a life-and-death struggle between masters, victory or defeat often occurred in the blink of an eye, yet facing such a time-controlling tool, Taiyi felt as if he were trapped in a quagmire, unable to move his limbs freely. His divine abilities were sluggish; despite his world-shaking cultivation, he felt as if his hands and feet were bound, feeling so stifled he almost spat blood—the Path of Time was inherently subtle and unpredictable; how could it be broken by brute force?

Hiding nearby, Jiang Chen's pupils constricted slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: the Kunlun Mirror indeed contained the true essence of the Laws of Time, yet it could not trace back to the past or leap into the future. The vast river of time had its own unshakable iron laws; even if the laws themselves manifested, one could only catch a glimpse—either seeing shadows of the future or reflections of the past, which was exactly what was happening now.

To be able to leave a Quasi-Saint wielding a supreme treasure like the east emperor bell helpless showed the Kunlun Mirror's craftiness and the profound depth of the Laws of Time.

On the other side, Dijun had already engaged in close-quarters combat with Dong Wanggong. Both used array diagrams to fight, but in terms of foundation and background, Dijun was ultimately half a level higher. After several exchanges, Dong Wanggong gradually fell into a disadvantage, his footwork becoming slightly disorganized and his breathing ragged.

“Dong Wanggong!” Dijun's voice sounded like clashing metal, each word heavy with pressure. “Surrender! To continue this futile resistance will only add more lost souls to be scattered—under the penal laws of the Heavenly Court, you won't even get a chance at reincarnation!”

Before his voice had even faded, Dong Wanggong's eyes turned blood-red as if burning. His shoulders seemed to carry the weight of a thousand mountains as his spiritual power suddenly exploded! He did not hesitate to burn his lifespan and destroy his Dao foundation, his cultivation soaring to its peak. He swung his staff, carrying a resolution to perish together, and struck fiercely at Dijun—life and death had long been cast aside; he sought only mutual destruction!

Dong Wanggong, who had been on par with Dijun, suddenly erupted like a volcano, unleashing a world-shaking strike that tore through the void! Dijun had only encountered such power a few times in his life; though slightly inferior to the world-swallowing might of the God-Fiend Array of the Wu Clan, it was comparable. At the critical moment, relying entirely on instincts honed from countless battles, Dijun perilously tilted his head and twisted his waist, barely avoiding his vital organs.

But the residual force of the Dragon-Head Staff still swept past like crushing thunder—Dijun's entire left arm, along with his shoulder blade, was pulverized into dust. Behind him, hundreds of Daluo Golden Immortals, along with the demon soldiers and generals covering the mountains and plains, were all disintegrated into ashes, leaving not a trace behind.

Seeing his brother's tragic state, Taiyi's eyes nearly split from rage. He immediately abandoned the Queen Mother of the West and lunged across the sky, catching Dijun's faltering body. Only after feeling that Dijun's heart pulse still remained did he breathe a slight sigh of relief. But his fury had already burned through his reason—when had their brothers ever suffered such humiliation? Once perched high in the nine heavens looking down on all living beings, after the crushing defeat at the Battle of Wuji, they had now fallen at the hands of Dong Wanggong! Shame and indignation were like knives, cutting his insides, and his murderous intent surged, nearly ready to incinerate the Three Realms.

Taiyi's gaze locked onto Dong Wanggong like a hawk: the man's cultivation had surged, but his physical body remained ordinary. He made up his mind—focus on the body! Although the Ten Thousand Immortals Array Diagram could protect him, the wounds on Dong Wanggong's body were accumulating; with every full-powered attack, Taiyi used the array's momentum to dodge and counter with a vicious strike, each move aimed at vital points.

The chaos bell struck the Ten Thousand Immortals Diagram repeatedly. Dong Wanggong's soul, perched within the array, felt like it was being hit by a heavy hammer, trembling as if it would shatter. He hurriedly tried to withdraw the diagram, only to realize with shock that the connection between his divine sense and the diagram was as thin as a breaking spiderweb. His control was greatly diminished, and the array's power declined accordingly.

The Queen Mother of the West tried to go to his aid but was tightly surrounded by layers of the Demon Race. Several Great Sages of the Demon Race were incensed, vowing to prevent her from interfering. They struck without mercy, pinning her to the spot, leaving her to watch helplessly as Dong Wanggong retreated step by step under Taiyi's storm-like assault.

The Ten Thousand Immortals Diagram had been severely damaged by the chaos bell, and more than half of the imprints within the array were shattered. It was truly an innate supreme treasure, its power far exceeding ordinary spiritual treasures, but the difference in grade was like heaven and earth—now, it could no longer withstand another strike from Taiyi!

Bang!

Left with no choice, Dong Wanggong had to once again activate the array diagram to clash with Taiyi, but he hadn't expected his opponent to have been gathering strength for a long time. A mountain-crushing blow struck directly at the heart of the array—the diagram exploded into golden dust on the spot, its spiritual runes snapping! The massive shock felt like thunder hitting his head; Dong Wanggong felt a sweetness in his throat and spat out blood. His soul shook violently, and his internal organs felt crushed. The Ten Thousand Immortals Formation collapsed instantly, like a falling sand tower.

Without the diagram to anchor it, there was no longer any chance of a comeback. Dong Wanggong staggered in the blood mist, roaring at the sky, “Has the Heavenly Dao ever opened its eyes?!” That voice contained not malice, but bone-deep sorrow, indignation, and unwillingness.

“Boom—!”

Sharp against his enemies, he was even more resolute toward himself! The last trace of hesitation in his eyes vanished as his entire cultivation surged in reverse. His meridians snapped and his Dao foundation burned away as he transformed into a streak of crimson light that tore through the sky, fiercely crashing into Taiyi!

The moment Dong Wanggong self-detonated and perished, the world lost its color, and the air surged like a boiling sea. The battle was decided; there was no room left for change.

The Queen Mother of the West watched with her own eyes as that blazing fire consumed Dong Wanggong's figure. Her heart felt as if it had been hit by a heavy hammer, burning with rage and etched with sorrow—the loser, it seemed, truly couldn't even leave behind their bones.

The remaining rogue cultivators had already had their meridians scrambled and their minds clouded by the backlash when the array diagram was destroyed. Who would have thought that Dong Wanggong would use his life as a catalyst, burning everything to take his enemy to the underworld with him! That tragic collision was like a thunderclap opening the chaos, making everyone's blood boil. They roared and lunged at the demon soldiers, using their bodies as blades and their souls as fire, exploding one after another—blood rain flew and severed limbs filled the air, as they forced several bloody gaps into the demon array!

Taiyi hurriedly stabilized himself in the aftermath of the explosion. The chaos bell buzzed incessantly, its protective golden light dimming and cracking. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a chill running down his spine: how could a physical body withstand the power of a Quasi-Saint's self-detonation? Even more terrifying was that suicidal madness—it wasn't just fighting for one's life; it was martyring oneself for the Dao! When he looked up and saw the figures of rogue cultivators lunging from all directions, his pupils shrank: he had been outplayed again! Even in death, they had to throw the situation into chaos; they wouldn't even let people be at peace in death!

At this moment, Dijun slowly opened his eyes, understanding the whole situation with a single glance. The great enemy had been eliminated; the rest were just scattered sand and stray fish. There was no benefit in exterminating them, and it would be hard to hunt them all down. Having achieved their goal, why pursue them to the end? Stopping while ahead was the best strategy.

Taiyi was stopped by a low shout from Dijun. Despite his immense unwillingness, he knew his brother was right and immediately ordered the troops to withdraw.